Wanchun Hall is one of the renowned opera houses in Chenjing. Today, knowing that an esteemed guest had arrived, the opera troupe put all their effort into performing exceptionally well, frequently glancing towards the direction of the private box—a young lady known for her generosity was seated inside.
In the preparation area backstage, a few young actors teased each other.
An older actor squatted on a small stool, chuckling, “That veiled lady is quite generous. Who knows, she might take a liking to someone and take him back to her estate to be kept. Make sure to seize the opportunity!”
The young boys blushed at his words.
In this capital city, noblewomen were everywhere. Some high-status ladies found it amusing to seek out handsome young boys in the opera houses. Though rare, it wasn’t unheard of.
Recalling the veiled lady’s graceful movements and alluring figure when she arrived, it was evident she wasn’t unattractive. Even if she had a plain face, her figure alone was enough to make anyone’s heart itch with desire.
Several young men in the troupe were hopeful, wishing to be chosen and escape their hardships.
When You Jiamu first came to the capital, he loved coming to the opera house with his father. You Yuji had also accompanied them twice. However, their family usually visited a different opera house and had never been to Wanchun Hall.
Since his father passed away, their household had banned entertainment. It had been a long time since You Jiamu had come to listen to opera. Today, his sister brought him here, and he keenly sensed something was off, barely paying attention to the performance. Unlike his past visits with his father, which were always straightforward, today his sister wore a veiled hat and made him wear a fierce-looking mask.
Only after entering the private box did they remove their disguises.
You Yuji smiled and said, “If you don’t enjoy listening to the opera here, you can wear the mask and go down to watch the crowd.”
You Jiamu shook his head, “I’ll stay here with you and listen to the opera, sister.”
“Alright.” You Yuji nodded, then turned her attention to the stage, listening intently.
You Yuji listened to the opera for most of the afternoon. Before leaving, she summoned a few young actors to receive their rewards. The boys had removed their makeup, and You Yuji examined them one by one through a white veil.
On the carriage ride back to the You family residence, You Yuji was still pondering her plan.
She needed a child but didn’t want the child’s father, so she set her sights on these impoverished, unfamiliar actors. The You family owned some businesses, and she had managed them adeptly for years. Once the child was born and her mother recovered, she would move out of the Jinnan Prince’s mansion and live comfortably. If she didn’t want to stay in Chenjing, she could return to the grasslands where there was an old house and pasture.
Although her initial motivation for wanting a child was to save her mother, she still intended to cherish the child as a precious treasure. Feeling sorry that the child wouldn’t have a father, she would only love him even more.
You Yuji didn’t want too many entanglements with the child’s father in the future, which inevitably made choosing a candidate a headache. The images of those young actors she had just seen floated before her eyes again.
You Jiamu pursed his lips, sneaking a glance at his sister’s furrowed brow as she pondered.
While You Yuji took her brother to listen to the opera at the Wangchun Hall, the Prince of Jinnan was in the palace accompanying the emperor in appreciating poetry. Not only was he there, but the Prince of Pinghuai, the Prince of Shengxiang, and the Crown Prince were also present.
Deshun, responding to a call, came up to refill the tea, respectfully saying, “Your Majesty, Physician Hu mentioned that you drink too much tea every day.”
Hearing Deshun mention Physician Hu, the emperor put down the calligraphy in his hand and looked at the Prince of Jinnan, saying, “I heard that Anzhi, even before reaching adulthood, has had quite a few romantic affairs, showing signs of setting up a harem.”
The emperor spoke in a joking tone, but the Prince of Jinnan broke into a cold sweat. He hurriedly knelt down, cautiously pleading, “I have failed to educate my son properly. I will definitely discipline him strictly when I return!”
The emperor said nothing more and picked up another painting to ask the Prince of Pinghuai, “What do you think of this painting of winter plum blossoms?”
“The fine brushwork is profound, and the scenery is vivid and very fitting for the season!”
The emperor stroked his beard and laughed, gifting the painting to the Prince of Pinghuai.
The Prince of Jinnan stood up silently, his heart uneasy.
Chen Anzhi had been angry for most of the day but gradually calmed down in the afternoon. Frowning, he regretted his hasty words. After a while, he sighed, feeling a bit dejected.
—He didn’t understand why his temper had been so volatile lately. He clearly wasn’t this easily angered before.
He didn’t want to dwell on his argument with You Yuji any longer and got up to go to Anxiang Courtyard. The Fang mother and daughter had often stayed at the Jinnan Prince’s mansion over the years, treating it as their second home. Anxiang Courtyard was where Fang Qingyi resided.
Chen Anzhi walked into Anxiang Courtyard and saw Hongzan holding a teapot, pouring the leftover tea on the red plum blossoms in the corner of the courtyard.
“Why are you wasting good tea like that?” Chen Anzhi asked.
This tea was good; he had drunk quite a lot of it here this morning while waiting for his mother to return from Yunping Temple.
Hongzan was startled, almost dropping the teapot. She quickly curtsied, smiling as she said, “The master said the tea had gone cold, so she had me use it to water the flowers.”
Chen Anzhi had only asked casually and didn’t pay much attention to Hongzan’s reply. He nodded and continued forward to find his cousin. His cousin was pregnant and had just been upset by her mother. Now was a vulnerable time for her, and he needed to stay by her side.
Fang Qingyi was crying, her face streaked with tears, and Chen Anzhi comforted her with kind words.
However, he occasionally drifted off, remembering You Yuji’s angry stance as she left today. Since their marriage, it was the first time he had seen You Yuji so angry.
So, she could get angry. She had emotions.
Was You Yuji really planning to divorce him?
Impossible. She must have been speaking in anger and embarrassment.
“Cousin?” Fang Qingyi softly called, cautiously observing Chen Anzhi’s expression.
Chen Anzhi snapped back to reality and said, “Cousin, you rest first. I’ll go check on Mother.”
When Chen Anzhi left, he inexplicably glanced once more at the red plum tree under the courtyard wall. He stared at the tea stains left on the ground, slowing his pace as he walked out.
When was the last time he felt this uncontrollable irritation and anger like today?
It was… the day he married You Yuji.
His mother had mentioned that on the day of his marriage to You Yuji, his two cousins had deliberately made him drink, possibly even adding something to his drink?
He had thought the absurdity of that day was just the effect of the alcohol.
But what about today?
Chen Anzhi touched his chest, recalling the sudden surge of nameless fury during his argument with You Yuji.
Inside the room, Fang Qingyi’s aloof zither music drifted out.
Chen Anzhi snapped out of his thoughts.
Impossible, how could his cousin possibly harm him?
He was simply judging a gentleman with a petty heart.
Even though You Jiamu wanted his sister to stay overnight, You Yuji still took advantage of the moonlight and hurried back to Prince Jinnan’s mansion that same day.
She never wanted to delay anything she intended to do, not even for a day.
Chen Anzhi was initially agitated, wondering whether to follow Gu Momo’s advice to fetch You Yuji from the You family, but then he got word from a servant that You Yuji had returned on her own.
Chen Anzhi breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hmph, I thought there’d be some trouble. Turns out she came back obediently on her own.”
As soon as he finished speaking, You Yuji sent someone to invite him over.
Chen Anzhi, who had been lounging with his legs crossed, straightened up in surprise.
On the way to the Tanxiang Yingyue, Chen Anzhi felt a bit conflicted. He was impulsive, often regretting things after the fact. The cool early winter breeze on his face helped clear his mind.
Chen Anzhi touched his head, recalling the shock of his hair falling during the day. He frowned, disapproving of You Yuji’s unvirtuous act of scaring him with a bow and arrow. But since You Yuji had sent someone to invite him over and seemed to be admitting fault, he could grudgingly forgive her, at least partially, as he was also at fault.
When he saw You Yuji, Chen Anzhi glanced at her from the corner of his eye, cleared his throat, and spoke sternly, “Why did you invite me over?”
“Today is the nineteenth day of our marriage,” You Yuji said softly.
Chen Anzhi looked at You Yuji in confusion, not understanding why she mentioned this.
You Yuji sat upright behind the desk, looking at Chen Anzhi as she continued, “It was the Empress Dowager of the West who chose the date for us. She is currently recuperating at another palace and will return to the capital at the end of the year.”
Chen Anzhi frowned deeply. What did she mean by these words? Shouldn’t she be apologizing for her actions towards his opponent today?
You Yuji’s tone was gentle without a trace of anger. “When she returns to the capital, I will personally plead guilty for our annulled marriage and separation.”
Chen Anzhi was bewildered. “When did we ever get separated?”
You Yuji pushed the separation document on the desk forward.
Chen Anzhi looked down and saw it was indeed a separation document. His face changed immediately. “You Yuji, are you crazy? Are you really going to defy the imperial edict and annul the marriage?”
Chen Anzhi widened his eyes, scrutinizing You Yuji as if seeing her for the first time.
“I’ve already signed it. Now it’s your turn,” You Yuji handed the pen to Chen Anzhi.
Chen Anzhi laughed angrily, “You Yuji, have you still not calmed down after a day? What is going through your mind? Do you know what you are doing?”
You Yuji wasn’t surprised by Chen Anzhi’s reaction. She put the pen down for now and said calmly, “Does the heir know about the filthiness in the inner courtyard? Does the heir know that I, as the main wife, can sell off your beloved concubine at any time?”
“What are you planning, you malicious woman?”
“Sign the separation document, and when the Empress Dowager returns to the capital, we will part ways peacefully. Otherwise…” You Yuji’s face still wore the usual gentle smile as she spoke softly, “I will ensure your inner courtyard never finds peace.”
Chen Anzhi looked at You Yuji in disbelief, “Ha, you’ve finally shown your true colors! You malicious woman!”
You Yuji lowered her eyes slightly and continued in a calm tone, “Even if I agreed to her as a concubine, if I do not consent, Fang Qingyi cannot enter the household. Perhaps, I could wait until her belly grows before allowing her in.”
“How do you know…” Chen Anzhi was shocked.
“I will never bear you a son or daughter, thus you will never have a legitimate heir. Without a legitimate heir, all your concubines can keep drinking contraceptive soup. Maybe when you are nearly forty, I might allow them to stop taking it.” You Yuji paused, “Or perhaps, before that time comes, I will have sent all your beloved concubines away.”
“How dare you! How dare you!” Chen Anzhi was furious.
“The Emperor granted this marriage, which is my shield for doing as I please. After all, the heir wouldn’t dare defy the imperial edict and divorce me.” You Yuji smiled.
“You!” Chen Anzhi was enraged, repeatedly cursing “malicious.”
You Yuji delicately held the separation document she had written word by word and handed it to Chen Anzhi. Looking into his eyes, she said, “Sign it, and I will no longer interfere with anything in your inner courtyard. If you need, I can even treat your concubines well before the Empress Dowager returns to the capital.”
“You are threatening me!”
“When the Empress Dowager returns, I will plead guilty. The heir can say I forced it. So, is the heir still afraid?” You Yuji looked at Chen Anzhi, slightly curling her lips, her eyes filled with a smile. Her gentle tone sounded both seductive and mocking.
“Why wouldn’t I dare!?”
You Yuji smiled, her tone gentle as always, yet she performed an action that was the most shocking for women in this era—ending this marriage that had lasted only nineteen days.
In Yunxiao Courtyard, Liufeng was squatting on the ground giving Baisui a bath.
Si Que lazily leaned on one end of the soft couch and asked, “The madam actually returned to the mansion?”
“Yes, she has returned.” Liufeng glanced at Si Que stealthily, “As soon as the madam returned, she sent someone to invite the heir to talk.”
Si Que, fiddling with the hand warmer in his long fingers, lifted his eyelids slightly.
Liufeng, holding Baisui by the scruff of its neck, lifted it out and placed it in the soft cotton brocade. While wiping off the water, she muttered, “Young couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of the bed. Besides, it’s about time they consummated their marriage.”
