Chen Anzhi stood among the group of soldiers, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Everyone around him was wearing coarse cloth garments, patched layer upon layer. Some carried the cheap, pungent smell of inferior soap, while others simply reeked. He overheard that these clothes were the best these men owned. Chen Anzhi’s brow remained furrowed and never relaxed.
He genuinely wanted to use this opportunity on the battlefield to toughen himself, so he deliberately borrowed a set of coarse cloth clothes from Wangshan. When he put them on, he wore a look of disdain. But even blending in with the soldiers, he still stood out. Inevitably, some uncouth individuals came over to pinch his clothes, saying he must come from a wealthy family.
Chen Anzhi struggled to deal with it.
“Hey, how did you get injured and still enlist?” A burly man, overly familiar, draped his arm over Chen Anzhi’s shoulder. Chen Anzhi’s shoulder sank under the weight.
The man laughed, “Look at your small frame!”
Someone nearby frantically signaled to the man with his eyes, but the burly man remained oblivious, continuing to ask Chen Anzhi about his family. Eventually, someone pulled the man aside and whispered Chen Anzhi’s identity in his ear.
Chen Anzhi stared blankly ahead. He could roughly guess what the people around him were whispering about. The frequent glances made him feel the sting of being pointed at, and his face flushed slightly.
After the complex departure ceremony, the army set off. They passed through the wide Wanxi Main Street, where people crowded on either side, waving desperately to their fathers, husbands, or sons, shouting for their safe return.
“Tie Zhu!” A village woman squeezed through the crowd, shoving a pair of knee pads into her husband’s arms.
Tie Zhu was the burly man who had mocked Chen Anzhi earlier.
“Come back safely, the children and I will be waiting for you at home!” The woman’s eyes were red, but she held back her tears, forcing a smile for her husband.
“I will, I will come back safe!” Tie Zhu laughed heartily, “Stay home and wait for me!”
The woman nodded emphatically.
Chen Anzhi averted his gaze, looking at the people around him. They were all stretching their arms toward their families in the crowd, waving vigorously. Behind him, two men were discussing the good food they had eaten that morning. One said his mother had killed the family’s only chicken to make a stew for him; the other, who was married, said his wife had been reluctant to see him go…
Hearing all this, Chen Anzhi suddenly felt a wave of desolation.
Before leaving this morning, he had bid farewell to his parents. His father and mother had only told him to protect himself, without saying much else.
Chen Anzhi’s eyes suddenly welled up. He didn’t know if it was because of the current desolation or because his parents were still angry with him.
At that moment, Chen Anzhi saw You Yuji.
He was stunned, almost thinking he had seen wrong. He rubbed his eyes and confirmed that the person standing in the crowd, looking around, was indeed You Yuji!
Warmth filled Chen Anzhi’s heart, like the warm sun of April shining into his soul, dispelling all his desolation in an instant.
You Yuji seemed like the person who brought coal in the snow.
When Chen Anzhi saw You Yuji looking his way, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat. As he saw You Yuji walking toward him, Chen Anzhi instinctively tugged at the hem of his clothes, wondering if he looked too shabby. He thought to himself that all women are indeed soft-hearted; his legitimate wife was truly different from those concubines—she genuinely cared about him!
As You Yuji drew closer, Chen Anzhi’s heartbeat quickened. Behind her, the crowd was a chaotic mess. To Chen Anzhi, those people gradually faded into a colorless, silent ink painting, while the figure of You Yuji in her soft purple dress shone vividly in his eyes, dazzling and enchanting.
Chen Anzhi straightened his back and looked at You Yuji with wide eyes, his gaze filled entirely with her. He had already made up his mind—he would follow the army to Ning Country, train himself well, and return with military honors, standing confidently before You Yuji to start anew with her!
Just as You Yuji was about to reach him, Chen Anzhi put on a smile and stepped forward to meet her.
“Big Sister!”
You Yuji’s eyes curved into a gentle smile.
Chen Anzhi’s second step forward came to a sudden halt.
You Jiamu squeezed through the crowd from behind, eagerly taking the bundle from You Yuji’s hands and smiling, “I knew Big Sister cares about me!”
You Yuji gently patted his head and said softly, “The battlefield is very dangerous, you must take good care of yourself. Always listen to Second Brother. Do you understand?”
You Jiamu nodded vigorously, “I remember everything!”
Hearing You Jiamu’s voice, You Heng, who was at the front, turned his horse around and laughed heartily, “Don’t worry, as long as this boy behaves and doesn’t cause trouble, I’ll ensure his safety as long as I’m alive!”
You Yuji smiled and walked toward You Heng. Her graceful figure quickly drew the attention of the surrounding soldiers, who couldn’t help but make way and take a few more looks at her.
Standing beside You Heng’s horse, You Yuji handed him a protective talisman she had obtained, saying softly, “This is for you, Brother. Please come back safely.”
“Now that’s more like it!” You Heng laughed heartily as he accepted the talisman. “Not only do you remember your younger brother, but you also remember your big brother. Good!”
Chen Anzhi watched You Yuji’s light purple figure, and the light in his eyes dimmed instantly. What was once warmth now felt like the harshness of adding frost to snow…
It turned out that the person You Yuji had been smiling at was not him. Chen Anzhi’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he turned away, hoping that You Yuji hadn’t seen him, hoping that no one had noticed him, or else he would feel even more awkward and ashamed.
However, fate did not go as Chen Anzhi wished.
When You Jiamu turned around to walk towards You Heng, he spotted Chen Anzhi.
He shouted loudly, “Brother-in-law!”
You Yuji turned in surprise and finally saw Chen Anzhi in the crowd.
Chen Anzhi managed to force a smile at You Jiamu, nodding and responding with a “Hmm.”
You Jiamu’s bright eyes sparkled, and he said with a smile, “Brother-in-law, your hand is bandaged like that, it must be a serious injury, right? I heard you got stabbed in the stomach too?”
“It’s… it’s fine…” Chen Anzhi’s expression was extremely unnatural. With You Jiamu’s loud voice, everyone around them probably heard. He really didn’t want others to bring up the fact that he was injured by a concubine. Although he understood that people in the capital were probably all aware of his situation…
You Jiamu patted Chen Anzhi’s shoulder with a smile, “Brother-in-law, don’t worry, Brother Yuanyi and I will protect you!”
Chen Anzhi’s face flushed slightly, unable to suppress his emotions any longer. He stiffly endured the gazes from those around him, and solemnly said, “It is an honor to serve His Majesty, regardless of injury or death.”
Someone ahead urged the army to move on without delay. You Heng glanced deeply at Chen Anzhi before retracting his gaze and leading the troops forward.
You Yuji retreated, standing among the onlookers, watching her second brother and younger brother leave.
As Chen Anzhi walked with the soldiers, he couldn’t help but glance back at You Yuji. He saw her slightly raising her chin, looking at You Heng on horseback. Feeling dejected, he turned his gaze away, realizing that You Yuji really didn’t even give him a protective talisman…
The army marched out of the city in a grand procession, the rhythmic sound of footsteps and horses’ hooves reverberating through the capital.
In a corner of the bustling street, on the second floor of a gambling den, Si Lang watched as Changchun took his last breath. He had captured Changchun, who was by the Crown Prince’s side, a few days ago. The one currently by the Crown Prince’s side was an imposter.
Si Lang expressionlessly took the poison provided by his guards from the Poison Pavilion and sprinkled it on Changchun’s corpse, watching it gradually dissolve into a pool of liquid.
The Crown Prince, Chen Lu, had learned from a sorcerer about the woman with the Phoenix Fate and had sent Changchun to find the woman who matched the sorcerer’s description.
Si Lang had his confidant disguise as Changchun and fed Chen Lu false information, fabricating You Yuji’s birth details.
“The Crown Prince of Chen has taken your woman; you should have the spirit to use this poison to help me overthrow the Chen Kingdom, right?” Si Lang sneered as he looked at Changchun’s dissolving corpse, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, “My dear brother.”
When You Yuji returned to Tanxiang Yingyue, Si Que was nowhere to be seen. She instinctively glanced towards the east wing but had a vague feeling that he wouldn’t go back there.
Driven by a strange impulse, You Yuji walked to the window and pushed it open, seeing the marks of small bird claws on the windowsill outside.
She wondered who was so frequently sending letters to Si Que.
You Yuji’s gaze lingered on the faint claw marks for a moment before she withdrew her eyes and closed the window. Then, she called for someone to bring a piece of soft red fabric.
“Madam is going to do needlework again? What are you making? What kind of fabric do you need?” asked Baohe.
“Yes,” You Yuji nodded. “I don’t need much fabric, just enough to make a dudou.”
Baohe looked puzzled. She knew that her mistress had always preferred wearing inner garments rather than dudous. Although You Yuji never said it outright, Baohe suspected it was because inner garments were more form-fitting than dudous.
Baohe glanced once more at You Yuji’s ample chest before turning to find suitable soft fabric in the storeroom.
All day long, You Yuji lounged lazily on the beauty couch, sewing the dudou by hand. As she threaded the needle through the fabric, her mind wandered.
Originally, she was supposed to enter the palace to meet the Empress Dowager and publicly announce her separation from Chen Anzhi. It would have been better to have the princess of Prince Jinnan’s mansion accompany her rather than going alone. The princess had agreed to help, but given her current injuries, You Yuji felt it would be unkind to rush her. She decided to wait for a warmer, sunnier day to visit the palace together.
Maybe because she had slept on the beauty couch instead of her bed last night, You Yuji hadn’t slept well. In the afternoon, she took a long nap and then continued sewing when she woke up.
As dusk fell, Si Que returned.
You Yuji looked up at him, giving him a gentle smile before lowering her head to continue her sewing.
“Elder Sister is doing needlework again,” Si Que said as he walked into the room.
“Yes,” You Yuji responded softly, a small smile playing on her lips as she imagined Si Que’s reaction upon seeing the dudou.
Si Que, feeling a bit tired, didn’t pay much attention to what You Yuji was making. He called for hot water and spent some time soaking in a steaming milk bath to relieve his weariness.
The warmth of the milk bath gradually eased the aching fatigue from his body.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes. The fatigue in his deep, dark eyes had finally dissipated. He rested his hand on the edge of the tub, watching as the milky traces slid down his long fingers and into the bath, creating ripples.
He stood up, the viscous milk slowly dripping from his body. Without immediately rinsing off with clean water, he looked towards the door and listened. Outside, it was quiet; You Yuji was probably still lazily sewing on the beauty couch.
Si Que stepped out of the milk bath, ignoring the milky water trickling down his body. From his discarded sleeve, he took out a silver needle and, without expression, pricked an acupoint on his wrist.
“What’s taking so long? Don’t tell me you fell asleep in the water again.”
Outside, You Yuji’s gentle voice called out.
“Coming out now,” Si Que replied. His previously expressionless face broke into a smile as he removed the silver needle from his wrist.
