She was the eldest daughter of the second branch of the You family, Jiamu’s elder sister, and the manager of her father’s inherited businesses. She had to protect her mother, raise her younger brother, and properly manage all the family businesses her father left behind.
When the family first came to Chengjing, they had nothing but money and no real estate. Her father started everything from scratch, working tirelessly day and night. Now that her father was gone, she was determined to manage everything in his stead and complete the tasks he hadn’t finished.
Moreover, she had to face the future as someone who would return home after a divorce.
All this weighed heavily on her shoulders, making her unable to afford any weakness.
Back in Si Kingdom, girls of her age from the grasslands would occasionally mock her for adopting the gentleness of the women from Su Kingdom, unlike the boldness of native grassland girls.
Now in Chengjing, everyone disliked her for being from the grasslands, seeing her as unrefined and disobedient.
Back then, with her father around, no one dared to criticize her to her face. But now that her father was gone, she could only smile and listen.
No, she couldn’t sit here exhausted any longer, couldn’t let the servants see her in such a sorry state. You Yuji raised her hand to the door frame, slowly supporting herself to stand up, and walked to the square table to pour herself a cup of tea.
The winter chill had already cooled the tea brewed in the morning. Her throat was burning with pain, but she didn’t care whether the tea was cold or hot and drank it all in one gulp. The icy tea entered her mouth and sent a wave of cold through her body, making You Yuji shiver.
Putting the teacup down, You Yuji pressed her fingertips to her throat, feeling the pain slightly ease.
Yesterday—
First, she had hurriedly traveled to Wan’an Temple, performing the rites to honor her father. She burned items related to her father, reminiscing about the many things they did together. Usually mindful of her image, she couldn’t help but get teary-eyed, sinking into a state of reminiscence and sorrow.
On the way back to the prince’s residence, she encountered an assassination attempt. The cut on her palm hadn’t completely stopped bleeding yet. Fortunately, having ridden horses and shot arrows in her youth, she had suffered many small injuries and didn’t feel much pain from this one.
Returning to the prince’s residence, she jumped down from Wangjing Pavilion, finally forcing the little liar to admit his long-standing pretense.
At night, Chen Anzhi came and caused a commotion, breaking all the vases in her hall, leaving shards of porcelain everywhere. Her second brother, cousin, and Jiamu arrived, and later Prince Jinnan and his wife also came. She calmly dealt with the situation, personally settling her brothers in the guest rooms late into the night.
She finally could lie down, but whether it was because she thought of Fang Qingyi’s scheming or was burdened with too many worries, she couldn’t sleep all night.
All this happened in one day.
When she woke up this morning, she was already feeling unwell. If she hadn’t forced herself to drink a lot of tea, her voice would have been hoarse, revealing her weakness when negotiating with Prince Jinnan and his wife.
She couldn’t afford to show any weakness.
Even at lunch with her cousin, elder cousin, and Jiamu, she forced herself to eat. She had already troubled her second brother too much and didn’t want him to worry about something as minor as her illness. Besides, Jiu had experienced upheavals and had become more thoughtful, so she didn’t want to cause him more concern.
You Yuji slightly raised her head, gazing in the direction of the window. The window was clearly closed, but she stared at it for a long time, as if she could see the vast, high sky and the grasslands outside through it.
Two little maidservants passed under the window, their laughter drifting in through the window cracks. You Yuji sluggishly heard a few words; they were guessing how much reward money they would get tomorrow and what they would do with it.
Oh, tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.
You Yuji slowly lowered her eyes, forcing a slight smile at the corners of her lips. She thought to herself that she should increase the servants’ bonuses a bit more. She had no family to reunite with, no desire to stay up late for the festivities. Giving out more bonus money would at least make them happier.
She rubbed her temples and dragged her weary steps towards the door. As she walked, she untied the white fox fur’s straps at her chest, took off the fur, and hung it on the clothes rack by the door. Habitually straightening her collar, her fingers froze abruptly as she continued to pat herself down.
The purple pearl was gone!
The pearl that her father had last given her was gone!
You Yuji stood stunned for a long moment before she quickly turned around and ran out the door. She wore that pearl every day, hardly ever taking it off. She was certain that it was still there when she changed clothes this morning. Where could it have fallen? On the way to the front hall or when she was seeing her brothers off?
Si Que stood by the window, pulling a red plum blossom from a narrow-necked porcelain vase, leisurely teasing Baisui on the guqin table. The little black cat was spinning around trying to catch the blossom.
Although he was playing with the cat, Si Que’s expression was indifferent, showing no emotion. Even his gaze on Baisui was cold.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Si Que instantly looked up, gazing out the window. His hand stopped moving, and Baisui finally caught the red plum blossom.
Si Que watched as You Yuji hurriedly came out of the room, her steps quick and her expression anxious and worried—an expression rarely seen on her. She stepped down from the stone platform, head lowered, searching for something.
“Madam, what’s wrong?” Baohe quickly ran to meet You Yuji.
“The pearl, the one I wear every day, is missing. Quickly, get someone to help me find it,” You Yuji said urgently.
Baohe nodded quickly, immediately calling out to the two maids in the courtyard, “Quick, everyone stop what you’re doing and come help Madam find something!”
Baohe gathered all the servants from Tanxiang Yingyue, explaining which route to search along and describing the missing item. Meanwhile, You Yuji had already walked out of Tanxiang Yingyue alone.
Si Que squinted slightly, watching You Yuji’s somewhat unsteady steps.
Relying on her memory, You Yuji retraced her steps, first following the route she took to send off her second brother, cousin, and Jiamu, then heading to the front courtyard and the main hall of Prince Jinnan’s residence.
But there was nothing, nowhere to be found.
She couldn’t believe the pearl had just disappeared like that, so she retraced her steps again. The snow on the roadside had not yet melted, and she kept her head down, her vision filled with whiteness for a long time.
Her head was splitting, her throat burning like fire. You Yuji felt she was about to collapse, but she refused to give up, still stubbornly searching along the same path.
She was always so stubborn, determined to preserve everything her father had left behind.
Lady Jing was out on an errand, and Zhenxu had left the prince’s residence to fetch a doctor. Baohe, being young and not as meticulous as Lady Jing and Zhenxu, did not notice You Yuji’s face had turned as pale as paper. Knowing how important the pearl was to You Yuji, Baohe continued to search diligently.
You Yuji was so focused on searching that she didn’t even notice when it started snowing. Her black hair became dusted with white snow.
Baohe finally ran up from behind, urgently saying, “Madam, please go back inside. We will find it!”
You Yuji didn’t respond, continuing to search along the roadside. The snowflakes brushed against her cold cheeks, slipping into her collar, a damp chill.
You Yuji finally realized it was snowing. She lifted her face, gazing at the swirling grey snow, and slowly blinked. It dawned on her that she must continue searching; she couldn’t let the little pearl be buried by the snow, or it would be even harder to find.
Her emotions were already at rock bottom, and even the calmest heart couldn’t help but tremble. She began to blame herself—blame herself for choosing the wrong person in the marriage arrangement, bringing trouble to the You family, blame herself for not being able to ensure her mother’s health, and blame herself for failing to protect the items her father left her.
It had been a year since her father passed away, yet the scene of receiving the news felt like it was just yesterday.
Her father could have avoided going to the battlefield, but he did it for her.
“Si Kingdom is no more, the road ahead is long, but fortunately, Emperor Chen accepts surrendered officials and generals,” her father had laughed heartily at her, “My daughter is so beautiful; if I don’t achieve more merit, how can I drive away the wolves and demons?”
You Yuji’s heart ached deeply.
How wonderful it would be to return to the past. She would definitely stop her father, and she wouldn’t have come to Chengjing. She would give anything to exchange for her father’s life.
Suddenly, the world spun, and You Yuji staggered. She frowned, still telling herself to hold on, not to collapse outside.
She didn’t fall. Even the bone-chilling snowflakes falling down on her head were blocked by a warm yellow silk umbrella.
She had been staring at the snow on the ground for so long that her vision went completely white for a moment, making it impossible to see anything clearly. After a while, the warm yellow umbrella came into focus in her eyes.
Si Que’s hand was strong, supporting her so she could still stand straight with her back erect.
You Yuji slowly turned her face to look at Si Que.
Si Que was pursing his lips, staring at her. He thought she would cry out of grievance, but her eyes were bloodshot, and not a single tear fell.
You Yuji frowned, trying to brush his hand away. She had no strength, and her attempt was feeble.
Si Que looked at her and said, “The servants are watching.”
You Yuji slowly lowered her eyes, her hand dropping limply. She took a gentle breath and exhaled slowly. She knew she couldn’t continue searching outside; her body couldn’t take it anymore. She also knew she didn’t have the strength to walk back. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, “Thank you.”
Her voice was as light and soft as a wisp of smoke, with a hint of hoarseness.
Si Que didn’t respond, supporting her as they walked back.
Snow fell heavily, blanketing the world in white. Even the wind joined in, howling through the branches. Under the warm yellow umbrella, the hems of their garments were tangled together by the cold wind.
Si Que’s fingers moved slightly, pressing against her pulse, and he frowned. He looked up at the door of Tanxiang Yingyue, a hint of urgency in his eyes.
Finally, they reached the door. He pushed it open, carelessly leaving the silk umbrella at the entrance, the accumulated snow falling off with a rustle.
They stepped inside, the warmth of the room hitting them. However, You Yuji had been outside for too long and was so frozen that she couldn’t feel the warmth immediately.
Once inside, Si Que immediately lifted You Yuji into his arms and carried her to the beauty couch by the window. He quickly moved two charcoal braziers closer to the couch, fetched a plush blanket from a chair, and tightly wrapped it around her.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
You Yuji didn’t respond; she hugged her knees and turned her head to look towards the door. She was still preoccupied with the missing pearl. She wondered if they had found it.
All the servants from Tanxiang Yingyue had been called out by Baohe to search for the pearl, leaving no one in the room. Si Que ordered Tingyun and Liufeng to immediately heat water, and prepare ginger soup and cold medicine.
Seeing You Yuji motionless and lost in thought, he quickly went to the inner room, took out one of her quilts, and wrapped her up again. He then took a hand warmer from the table and placed it in her hands to warm her up. She couldn’t afford to stay this cold, even a healthy body wouldn’t withstand it.
“It will be found,” he paused, “I’ll find it for you.”
You Yuji turned her head to look at him.
Si Que felt her gaze and slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.
You Yuji quietly watched as his long, dark eyelashes gradually lifted. For a moment, many past scenes flashed before her eyes. She used to love when he would slowly lift his lashes and look at her with those clean and soft eyes, affectionately calling her sister.
But all his displays of weakness were feigned.
So, how much of his kindness was real?
