You Yuji couldn’t help but have other thoughts, but the weakness in her body made it difficult to say even a single word. She slightly opened her eyes and glared at Si Que, her usually gentle brows showing a hint of feigned anger. She stared at Si Que for a long time before lazily uttering one word—
“Cold.”
Sure enough, Si Que immediately began helping her dress.
His hands were busy, and so was his mouth. As he helped You Yuji dress, he casually said, “It’s just a question, do you want or not, yes or no, just an answer.”
He lifted You Yuji’s leg, his palm slowly moving down along her leg, holding her ankle, and placed her foot into the pants. He gradually pulled up the close-fitting trousers until they reached her knees.
He paused and continued, “But brother only wants to hear the answer he likes.”
You Yuji reached out to cover herself, and Si Que glanced at her, slapping her hand away, his tone unfriendly, “What are you covering for? It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
You Yuji sighed softly, leaning over weakly and resting her head on Si Que’s shoulder, whispering, “This is a bustling city…”
“So what?” Si Que retorted.
You Yuji whispered again, “You know I’m not feeling well!”
“Don’t overthink, sister. I don’t intend to be intimate with you in the middle of the street.” He slowly tugged at the waistband of her trousers, which rested on her knees.
You Yuji bit her lip, her face flushed, and glared at him with a hint of annoyance. He actually blamed her for overthinking? If it weren’t for the discomfort in her lower back, she might have been fooled by his serious demeanor!
Suddenly, a playful child threw a ball that hit the wall of the carriage. The sound startled You Yuji, making her tremble and instinctively curl up in Si Que’s arms.
Immediately after, the child’s mother approached, knocking on the carriage wall, apologizing, “My child was being naughty, I’m sorry!”
The woman’s voice was almost brushing You Yuji’s ear. Her face burned even redder, and even though she buried her face in Si Que’s chest, she still wanted to hide. Her weak hands fumbled to pull up the trousers on her knees.
She didn’t succeed, but Si Que’s hand quickly covered hers, helping her properly wear the trousers. Then, Si Que picked up the rest of You Yuji’s clothes and dressed her piece by piece.
You Yuji lowered her head, remaining silent.
Si Que draped a bright red cloak over You Yuji, fastening the clasp at her chest. He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers, asking, “Is sister unhappy? Did brother just find you only to make you unhappy?”
Even though You Yuji knew he was saying this on purpose, she sighed helplessly, softly replying, “I’m not angry. Seeing you already makes me very happy.”
She slowly raised her eyelashes, looking at the satisfied smile on Si Que’s face.
You Yuji’s lips also curved up involuntarily.
Smiles are indeed contagious.
Si Que raised his voice, instructing the driver to head to Lotus Street. The Lantern Festival night market was extremely lively, with people everywhere. Even though the driver took small paths, they still had to drive slowly to avoid injuring pedestrians. It took quite some time to reach Lotus Street with all the stopping and starting.
You Yuji sighed, thinking if she were in good health, she could ride a horse with Si Que, or even walk, which would be faster than the congested carriage.
She clutched Si Que’s collar, gently shaking it, frowning as she asked, “Will my capable brother really not detoxify me?”
Grasping the fabric of his clothes, she shook it gently.
Si Que, hearing the word “brother,” almost instinctively agreed. He paused for a moment before saying, “It’s difficult, but the antidote will take some time to develop. Even without taking the antidote, the poison will gradually dissipate.”
Upon hearing this, You Yuji didn’t feel relieved at all. Her mind was fixated on Si Que’s words about personally attending to her daily needs.
No, this wouldn’t do at all.
She lowered her eyes and snuggled back into Si Que’s chest, gently poking his chest with her fingers. In a soft, sweet voice, she said, “Then hurry up with the development.”
Si Que looked down at her. If it weren’t for her weakened state, he would have liked to show this vixen the consequences of trying to seduce a man.
After a while, Tingyun outside announced that they had arrived at Lotus Street.
Although there were fewer pedestrians on Lotus Street, it was still lively.
You Yuji, too weak to walk, had Si Que open the window on her side and lift the curtain. Together, they looked out, searching among the various stalls.
Children holding candied haws and small lanterns chased each other in the marketplace, their laughter filling the air.
Before they could find the Lantern Festival stall You Yuji remembered, her attention was drawn to the playful children. Watching their joyful antics, her eyes softened even more.
A couple passed by the carriage, and the woman said worriedly, “With such an incident in the palace today, we should head home early.”
The man beside her laughed and said, “What does it have to do with us common folk? It’s a festival; let the children play.”
Hearing the couple’s conversation, You Yuji couldn’t help but ponder—
She hadn’t asked Si Que how he managed to take her out of the palace because she was too tired and just wanted to relax in his embrace. He must have done something to get her out, right?
She remembered the last time Si Que set the emperor’s palace on fire, with blue smoke filling the sky, leaving everyone at the banquet astonished.
At that time, she didn’t know Si Que was the master of the Poison Pavilion. Back then, she still thought the master of the Poison Pavilion was amazing.
Who knows what extraordinary feat he pulled off this time?
“Is that it?” Si Que asked.
Following the direction Si Que pointed, You Yuji’s eyes lit up with joy, and she quickly said, “Yes, that’s the old man!”
What started as a casual thought, You Yuji didn’t expect to find that stall this year.
The carriage stopped by the roadside. Si Que got out first and then helped You Yuji down. She leaned heavily on him due to her weakness, walking slowly. After a long while, they finally reached the stall.
It was late, and the old man, seeing no business, was about to close up. From a distance, he saw You Yuji and Si Que approaching and immediately smiled warmly, saying, “There’s just one bowl left!”
Si Que helped You Yuji sit by the table. She smiled gently, “Looks like we’re lucky.”
The old man scooped the remaining Lantern Festival dumplings into a large bowl and brought it to the table.
You Yuji immediately picked up a spoon and carefully scooped up a plump rice dumpling, placing it into her mouth. This shop’s dumplings were larger than usual, filling her small mouth completely. Her soft red lips gently chewed, savoring the hot, sweet, and sticky dumpling. The familiar taste made her eyes curve with delight, and a single dumpling filled her heart with satisfaction.
“Delicious!” You Yuji praised with a smile.
The elderly shop owner, sitting not far away, heard her compliment and squinted his eyes in a loving smile.
“You should try it too,” You Yuji said softly, looking at Si Que with a smile.
Si Que took a dumpling as she suggested and said, “Yes, it’s quite good.”
You Yuji smiled happily and continued to scoop up more dumplings, but Si Que raised his hand to stop her. He took the small spoon from her hand, scooped a dumpling, and brought it to her lips to feed her.
The night breeze was gentle, carrying the warm scent of fireworks.
Suddenly, a bowl of red date and honey water was placed on the table.
Surprised, You Yuji looked at the shop owner. She didn’t remember this shop selling such a drink. The old man smiled kindly at her before turning to tidy up.
Dumplings are not easy to digest, especially at night. Even though You Yuji loved the taste, after eating a few, she couldn’t eat any more.
Looking at the large bowl of dumplings on the table, she felt it was a pity and softly lamented, “We can’t take the dumplings back…”
“You said the same thing last year,” the old man said with a smile. “I’ll still be here next year. Come back for the Lantern Festival dumplings next year!”
A look of surprise flashed in You Yuji’s eyes. She didn’t expect the old man to remember her. She smiled and said, “Alright, we’ll come back next year.”
The old man smiled and waved his hand, watching the two as they walked away. He called out from behind them, “Bring a child with you next year!”
You Yuji was stunned and looked at Si Que, only then realizing that he had changed into a snow-white wide-sleeved men’s robe. The shop owner had mistaken them for a married couple. She was truly absent-minded, not noticing when Si Que changed clothes. Could it have been when he went to buy her new clothes? In the Eastern Palace, he had still been in his usual feminine attire.
You Yuji stopped and looked up at the star-filled sky.
She hoped the star destined to be with her would come to her soon so they could come here together next year.
She turned her gaze back to Si Que and said, “Let’s go.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt herself lifted off the ground as Si Que picked her up.
It was clear that Si Que was worried about her walking being too tiring.
Occasionally, passersby glanced at them, their curious looks turning into kind smiles.
After Si Que carried You Yuji onto the carriage, fatigue quickly overwhelmed her. Si Que noticed and didn’t place her on a bench but kept her in his arms, letting her sleep there.
“I’m not sleepy…”
Not long after You Yuji said those words, she fell into a deep sleep, her breathing steady and soft as she nestled in Si Que’s embrace. She slept soundly, and even when the carriage stopped, Si Que carried her into the courtyard and laid her on the couch. It was only then that she slightly furrowed her brow.
Suddenly separated from the embrace she had nestled into for most of the evening, she groggily opened her eyes and, seeing Si Que standing beside her, closed them again.
“Sleep well, Yuan Yuan.”
Si Que’s voice sounded softly in her ear.
Soon, You Yuji completely drifted into dreamland.
Si Que stood by the bed, staring intently at You Yuji for a long while before turning to leave, gently closing the door behind him.
He went downstairs to the large study, sitting quietly behind a wide desk.
The thick, scholarly atmosphere permeated the study.
Half an hour later, Si Lang arrived at the courtyard, a gentle smile on his face. Stepping into the study, he called out with a smile, “Brother.”
Si Que, his natural aloof and proud demeanor expressionless, was slowly eating. His cold visage remained impassive.
With one hand behind his back, Si Lang walked slowly towards Si Que.
“I’ve heard about the Crown Prince’s matter,” he sighed softly. “It’s good that she’s been rescued.”
Si Que continued eating, ignoring Si Lang.
“Power is a good thing. He’s just relying on his status as the Crown Prince,” Si Lang said as he approached the desk, slightly squinting at his twin brother. “Ah Que, do you really not want to help your brother? How can we, the Si family, be content to be prisoners of the Chen clan?”
Si Que finally looked up.
Si Lang watched his brother’s face intently, not wanting to miss any subtle change in expression. He clearly saw Si Que’s expressionless face slowly reveal a bizarrely bright smile.
He said, “Alright, I’ll help you, brother.”
Si Que’s sudden agreement surprised Si Lang. His gaze shifted down, noticing what Si Que was eating for the first time.
It was a bag of roasted chestnuts, the same bag You Yuji had bought the day she was abducted.
The chestnuts had long since gone bad after sitting for days.
Staring at his brother’s identical face with its radiant smile, Si Lang felt a chill down his spine.
“You’re right, brother,” Si Que said, picking up a chestnut and chewing it slowly. “Power is a good thing.”
