Si Que’s gaze fell on the teardrop on the back of his hand. Pausing slightly, he continued to tie her sash with that tear resting on his hand.
You Yuji also noticed her lapse in composure and the tear that had fallen. She turned her face away, raising her hand to wipe the moisture from the corner of her eye with her fingertip. She couldn’t help but ask in a low, anxious voice, “Why did you come here? How did you get in? Did any palace maids see you? The Crown Prince…”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
Si Que interrupted her, picking up her outer robe from the table and helping her put it on.
You Yuji listened to his simple reassurance in a daze, her eyes stinging. The tears she had struggled to suppress surged up again.
Such simple words, she had said them to others countless times, even using them to comfort herself in situations like this.
But it had been many years since anyone had said these words to her.
Suddenly, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling, one after another. She hurriedly used the back of her hand to wipe them away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t dry her face, only soaking her hand instead.
Si Que finished tying the sash of You Yuji’s outer robe and straightened up, looking at her as she frantically wiped her tears in the copper mirror. He closed his eyes briefly, then took hold of You Yuji’s wet hand. Slowly, he bent down and brought her tear-stained hand to his lips, kissing the back of her fingers gently.
You Yuji turned her face and looked up at him. She suddenly wanted to see the emotions in his eyes at this moment, but her vision was blurred by tears, making it difficult to see him clearly.
Si Que looked back at her, as if understanding her thoughts. His cool fingers gently brushed away her tears, and You Yuji instinctively closed her eyes, her tear-soaked eyelashes wetting his hand.
The next moment, You Yuji found herself lifted off the ground. She opened her eyes and instinctively wrapped her arms around Si Que’s neck.
Si Que didn’t carry You Yuji out directly but walked towards the bed with her in his arms. He carefully placed her on the bed, and just as he was about to straighten up, You Yuji gently grasped his lapel.
The feeling of exhaustion and weariness enveloped You Yuji again. She felt drowsy and wanted to sleep, but she was afraid to. She feared that this was all just a dream, that he had only appeared in her dream to save her.
Si Que leaned over and kissed You Yuji’s tear-stained eyes.
You Yuji’s eyelashes trembled. As she involuntarily closed her eyes, she heard him say, “Leave it to me.”
“Sleep. I’ll come to get you before it gets dark,” he added.
You Yuji slowly released her grip on Si Que’s collar, letting her hand fall back to her side.
As Si Que straightened up, You Yuji, due to the effects of the poison, had already fallen into a dazed state, hovering between sleep and wakefulness. Si Que stood by the bedside, gazing at her for a while before pulling the quilt from the inner side of the bed to cover her properly.
He looked at her once more, catching a tear that had fallen from the corner of her eye with his fingertip, and then calmly placed it in his mouth to taste.
Si Que turned and walked out, passing by the rosewood dining table in the outer room, where You Yuji’s untouched breakfast from that morning was still sitting.
He glanced at the half-eaten bowl of glutinous rice balls, picked it up, and used the small spoon You Yuji had used to scoop up one and put it in his mouth.
Sticky and nauseating.
His usually expressionless face suddenly curled into a smile on one side.
Si Que put down the white porcelain bowl and happened to encounter Zhenxu, who had just come out of the washroom. Zhenxu was startled and widened her eyes at the sight of him. Si Que gave her a faint glance before withdrawing his gaze and calmly walking out.
A madman calming down is never a good thing.
The Crown Prince emerged from the East Empress Dowager’s palace, and his trusted eunuch immediately ran up, presenting the medicine he had requested with both hands. Seeing the medicine, the Crown Prince’s displeased expression slightly eased as he took it and played with it in his hand.
Just moments ago, the East Empress Dowager had once again admonished him to be extra cautious during this tumultuous spring, to be careful in all his actions. The Crown Prince understood that the East Empress Dowager meant well, but hearing the same advice repeatedly was indeed irritating, especially since the East Empress Dowager shared the common flaw of most elderly women—being overly nagging.
Today was the Lantern Festival, and he had no choice but to come and pay his respects. Finally able to leave the East Empress Dowager’s quarters, he felt much more at ease. As he tossed the medicine bottle in his sleeve, he realized he had to head to the West Empress Dowager’s palace next to pay his respects.
The West Empress Dowager had no blood relationship with the princes in the palace. To be precise, she had no surviving children. She once had a daughter who tragically died in her youth, and she never had any other offspring afterward. She gained the honor of being the West Empress Dowager due to her care for the emperor in the past. On one hand, because she had no blood ties with the current princes in the palace, and on the other, due to her gentle and kind nature, the princes and grandsons were never as tense and serious around her as they were around the East Empress Dowager.
Thus, as the Crown Prince left the East Empress Dowager’s palace and came here to pay his respects, he felt much more relaxed and started thinking about some trivial matters.
The residences of the two Empress Dowagers were not far apart. On the way, while playing with the small medicine bottle in his hand, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but think about the person hidden in the small courtyard. A sudden thought made it difficult for him to suppress. He gripped the small medicine bottle a bit tighter, feeling somewhat impatient.
After all, he had been a Crown Prince for a long time and still cared about his dignity. If he had to set aside his princely dignity to force himself on a woman, that would indeed be difficult for him. He pondered You Yuji’s reactions during their last two meetings, feeling that she didn’t seem like a foolish woman who would cry and resist. If he pressured her a bit more, he might be able to make her willingly serve him, which would be ideal.
He glanced at the small medicine bottle in his hand, thinking that he might be able to use it tonight. It was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a night of full moon and flowers, perfect for a romantic rendezvous.
The Crown Prince was unaware that the medicine bottle in his hand had already been tampered with. To be precise, the medicine inside the small porcelain bottle hadn’t been replaced. Instead, the bottle itself had been coated with a thin layer of a colorless, odorless drug. This thin layer had already transferred from the smooth surface of the bottle to his hand and was slowly seeping into his body.
“Greetings, Your Highness.” The servants in the West Empress Dowager’s palace knelt down respectfully to pay their respects.
The Crown Prince’s thoughts were interrupted. He coughed lightly, tucked the medicine bottle back into his sleeve, and stepped over the threshold, entering the room.
The time he spent with the West Empress Dowager was much shorter than with the East Empress Dowager. After leaving the West Empress Dowager, he headed straight to the Wanrong Garden.
Today’s Lantern Festival banquet was being held at Wanrong Garden.
Wanrong Garden was lush with vegetation, and exotic flowers and potted plants could be seen everywhere. Although it wasn’t as vibrant as in the summer with flowers in full bloom, it still presented a pleasing sight due to the season.
At this moment, some courtiers had already gathered in Wanrong Garden. Upon seeing the Crown Prince arrive, they immediately stood up to salute. The Crown Prince waved his hand and said with a kind smile, “There’s no need for formalities today. Enjoy yourselves.”
The courtiers responded in unison and gradually sat down.
The Crown Prince turned to the eunuch beside him and asked if Prince Jinnan and Prince Pinghuai had arrived at the palace. Upon learning that they were in the Jinhe Pavilion, he immediately headed there.
As the Crown Prince reached Jinhe Pavilion, he was greeted by Chen Qi at the entrance. The Crown Prince looked Chen Qi up and down and smiled, “It seems that your injuries have healed quite a bit, Qi’er.”
Chen Qi’s hand behind his back clenched slightly. He restrained his inner anger and replied in a normal tone, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince waved his hand nonchalantly as he stepped onto the stairs of Jinhe Pavilion and casually asked, “Where are you heading?”
“I was just on my way to the Eastern Palace to find my brother, Lian.” Chen Qi observed the Crown Prince’s expression and paused slightly. “I heard he is still in the Eastern Palace.”
“Yes,” the Crown Prince nodded. “The tutor reviewed his lessons yesterday, and today he and his brother are writing essays. They must finish before they can come.”
Saying this, the Crown Prince ascended the three stone steps, passed Chen Qi, and entered Jinhe Pavilion.
Chen Qi bowed his head and respectfully stepped aside. Once the Crown Prince was inside, Chen Qi gave him a deep look before quickly heading to the Eastern Palace.
Inside Jinhe Pavilion, Prince Jinnan and Prince Pinghuai were enjoying tea. Seeing the Crown Prince enter, they both stood up.
“Haha,” the Crown Prince laughed twice as he approached them, exchanged a few pleasantries, and joined them in tasting the newly tributed tea.
However, whenever the Crown Prince glanced at Prince Jinnan, he couldn’t help but frown slightly. He couldn’t stop thinking about how You Yuji was once Prince Jinnan’s daughter-in-law. If he were to ascend to the throne and make You Yuji his empress, wouldn’t his empress have once called his second brother ‘father’?
Prince Jinnan noticed the Crown Prince’s frequent glances and looked back in surprise.
“Haha,” the Crown Prince laughed again and commented, “Good tea,” brushing it off casually.
Chen Qi hurried to the Eastern Palace and went to find Chen Lian as instructed. As expected, Chen Lian was with Chen Xun. Chen Lian, who disliked writing essays, sighed and groaned while Chen Xun stood beside him, shaking his head helplessly. “Hurry up and write. If you don’t finish, I can’t go to Wanrong Garden,” Chen Xun said, tapping Chen Lian’s head with his folding fan.
A servant announced that Heir Qi had arrived. No sooner had the servant finished speaking than Chen Qi stepped over the threshold.
“Third Brother! You’re healed!” Chen Lian immediately put down his pen and stood up to greet him.
Chen Qi smiled and nodded, “Much better.”
Chen Xun said, “Wasn’t it said that the arrow was poisoned? We thought you’d need more time to recover. But of course, I’m glad you’ve healed so quickly.”
Chen Qi, though troubled inside, had to smile and patiently explain, “The arrow was indeed poisoned, but it wasn’t a lethal one. And the injury wasn’t in a vital spot. I guess I was lucky.”
He quickly changed the topic, “When I came over, I saw Mingzhu stumbling and running around in the yard, looking for her father.”
At the mention of his daughter, Chen Xun’s expression immediately softened. He tapped Chen Lian’s head again with his folding fan, pretending to be angry, “If he doesn’t finish writing soon, Mingzhu won’t see her father.”
“Alright, alright, I’m writing, I’m writing!” Chen Lian grumbled, sitting back down at his desk and picking up his pen.
Chen Qi, suppressing his impatience, smiled at Chen Xun, “You should go. I’ll keep an eye on Sixth Brother.”
Chen Xun looked at Chen Lian, clearly hesitant.
“Go on,” Chen Qi said again. “Even though I was able to enter the palace today, I’m not fully recovered and can’t stay outside for long. A bit of peace and quiet inside will do me good.”
Only then did Chen Xun agree and head to Wanrong Garden.
Chen Lian continued to write furiously, not looking up as he said, “Third Brother, take a seat. It will take me a while to finish.”
Chen Qi sat down, patiently accepted the tea offered by a palace maid, and took a sip, though he was extremely anxious. He leaned over to glance at Chen Lian’s essay and said, “You keep writing. I’m going to take a stroll in the little garden out back.”
“Mm,” Chen Lian nodded without looking up.
Chen Qi walked out of Chen Lian’s study and quickly made his way to the Ziwei Garden in the Eastern Palace. Since the Crown Prince had hidden You Yuji in the Eastern Palace, there was only one place suitable for hiding her without being discovered by the other residents.
Chen Qi walked faster and faster through Ziwei Garden, listening to his heartbeat quicken with each step as he neared the small courtyard. The closer he got, the more nervous he became.
He had missed his chance twice before.
The first time was in Si Kingdom. He had seen her clearly but had not dared to say or do anything, quietly picking up her lost whip and keeping it close for over two years.
The second time was at last year’s palace banquet. He knew that Chen Anzhi’s heart belonged to another and that Chen Anzhi liked elegant women. Yet he hadn’t dared to step forward to stop the marriage bestowed by the West Empress Dowager. Looking back, he realized that if he had just stood up and said “I love her,” everything would have been different.
This time, he wouldn’t be a coward. He was determined to find You Yuji now, hold her hand, and finally say those deeply hidden words, “I love you.”
He had already decided. He would take You Yuji out of the Eastern Palace, claiming to everyone that she had simply gotten lost while coming to the palace for the banquet today.
