The Great Zhou held morning court every three days.
Whenever there was a morning court session, the roads would be bustling with carriages and horses starting from the Chou hour (1-3 AM). Those who lived farther away would even have to set out from their homes as early as the Zi hour (11 PM-1 AM). Qi Yubai resided in Tianshui Alley, which was neither too far nor too close to the imperial palace. He had only gone to sleep at the Zi hour the previous night, yet after just one hour, he was already up without a hint of fatigue.
Dressing in his crimson official robes and donning a black gauze hat, Qi Yubai took the jade tablet required for court and headed out. As he stepped through the door, he cast a glance at the house next door.
At this time, the world was still shrouded in darkness, all sounds had fallen into silence, and everyone was still deep in restful sleep.
The moonlight above illuminated Qi Yubai’s figure. As he gazed at the neighboring house, his eyes, under the cold glow of the moon, unexpectedly carried a tenderness so moving, as if water rippled within them, shimmering with a gentle luster. He did not linger for long. After a brief moment of contemplation, he continued forward, surrounded by Tianqing and the others.
From Tianshui Alley, passing through East Temple Gate Street to Imperial Street, the roads were already packed with carriages and horses, and lanterns lit up the night. Officials dressed in various court attires either walked, rode on horseback, or sat in carriages as they made their way toward Xuande Gate.
With so many people, the roads were incredibly congested, making the journey slow and difficult.
Seated inside his carriage, Qi Yubai read under the candlelight. From outside, he could hear familiar officials greeting each other. After a while, someone lifted the carriage curtain—Tu Yici entered with a smile in his eyes, carrying a food box in his hands.
“Won-ton soup and donkey meat buns from Yuxian Restaurant. Want some?” He asked whether Qi Yubai wanted to eat, but before receiving an answer, he had already placed the food box on the tea table where Qi Yubai was reading, not caring that there were still books spread out on it.
Qi Yubai furrowed his long brows slightly but said nothing. He simply gathered his things, carefully placing them on a rack beside him. Noticing they were slightly misaligned, he even took the time to adjust them.
“What a habit.”
Tu Yici sneered at him. “Once you have a wife and children, there will be plenty of people to set you straight.”
Back in the day, Qi Yubai had been a refined gentleman, admired by all the courtesans in Bianjing. But ever since Tu Yici got married and had a child, forget about being a charming young lord—just maintaining a decent appearance was already an achievement.
His little boy was still young, yet incredibly mischievous.
Last night, after finishing his duties, Tu Yici had returned home, looking forward to an intimate moment with his wife. The brat had been sleeping soundly, but out of nowhere, he suddenly started crying loudly. That alone wasn’t the worst of it—when his mother coaxed him, he immediately became obedient, but the moment Tu Yici turned around to hold him, the little rascal rewarded him with a stream of urine, completely ruining his official robes. To think that he once had a cleanliness obsession—after being tormented by his wife and child, it was completely gone.
“Speaking of—”
He suddenly remembered Gu Lanyin. “Has my sister-in-law moved in yet?”
The carriage had lanterns hanging at its four corners. Tu Yici lifted his charming, peach blossom eyes, their brilliance dazzling. But when his gaze met Qi Yubai’s pitch-black eyes, he immediately surrendered. “Alright, alright, I won’t ask.”
“Let’s talk business.” He bit into a bun and spoke with a mouth full of food, “Siyu wants to invite you to a meal. When are you free? I’ll have her arrange it.”
Seeing Qi Yubai’s apparent lack of interest, he deliberately stirred his won-ton soup and added, “A while back, Siyu went to see sister-in-law. Sister-in-law said she plans to visit our home soon to see Lin’er. If the timing is right, you two could even have dinner together.”
His face was brimming with a smile, making it obvious that he had already planned this out.
Qi Yubai, of course, saw through his intentions. He glanced at him but ultimately granted his wish. “Just let me know the time.”
That meant he was free anytime.
Tu Yici had never seen this side of Qi Yubai before. In his memory, this senior of his could be summed up in two words—
Stern and solemn.
He kept his distance from women and was detached from worldly emotions. While this made him an excellent official who worked for the people, admired and respected by many common folk, those who wished to express their gratitude often backed down the moment they saw his icy expression. They revered him, but they also feared him.
Before he knew that Qi Yubai had someone in his heart, Tu Yici had even thought that this senior of his would one day become a monk in a temple.
Who would have thought that he would learn such news from Zhusheng that day.
It turned out that his senior brother was not indifferent to women or unfeeling, but the woman who could stir his emotions and change his demeanor, the crimson lotus beauty, was already someone else’s wife. He adhered strictly to rules and propriety, never crossing the line, so much so that over the years, apart from his two close attendants, only he knew about it. When Tu Yici first learned of this matter, he felt somewhat uneasy. After all, Gu Lanyin was nominally his sister-in-law. If Siyu found out later, wouldn’t she be angry with him?
So he went to find Qi Yubai.
He asked him, “Can’t you like someone else?”
But Qi Yubai looked at him and said nothing. Just when Tu Yici thought Qi Yubai wouldn’t respond, he heard him say, “I can’t let go.”
At that time, Tu Yici didn’t believe Qi Yubai’s words.
How could there be something one couldn’t let go of? It was just that he hadn’t met someone more suitable.
But three years had passed, and the women who once pursued Qi Yubai had already married, had children, and started families, yet he remained alone. It wasn’t that he hadn’t met better options, but as he had once said, he couldn’t let go. Rather than marrying someone casually, he preferred to stay alone.
Over these three years, Tu Yici’s attitude shifted from opposition to support.
This really couldn’t be blamed on him. His brother-in-law was excellent in every way, except when it came to women, where he was muddle-headed and handled things poorly. Now that he had stumbled, it was almost expected.
“Hey, have you heard? It seems that Lord Xiao and his wife are having a disagreement. The lady moved out of the Earl’s residence ten days ago and hasn’t returned yet.”
“It’s that serious? Do you know what caused it?”
“They say Lord Xiao brought the sister of his wife home.”
“Just because of that?”
“You don’t understand. When Lord Xiao was injured, it was this sister of his wife who saved him. It’s said that they had a past, but Lord Xiao married the current lady because of the engagement.”
“This…”
“Your information is outdated.”
“What do you know?”
“What don’t I know?” The speaker snorted. “Ten days ago, the lady sent a divorce petition to our Ministry of Revenue to have it officially recorded.”
“What?!” This news was like a thunderclap, stunning the officials who had been speaking. Once they recovered, they all asked, “It’s come to divorce? Why hasn’t anyone in the city heard about it?”
“Well…” The official from the Ministry of Revenue suddenly lowered his voice. “Lord Xiao has been delaying sending his copy of the marriage certificate and the divorce papers to our ministry. We can’t force him to bring them, can we? He’s now a close minister to the emperor. If we offend him, we won’t fare well.”
In just a few words, the entire situation was summarized.
It seemed that the Shizi Consort had firmly decided to seek a He Li, but this Shizi, Xiao Ye, was unwilling to comply.
“If Shizi Xiao cannot bear to part with his first wife, then why did he bring her back in the first place? Isn’t this just like…” Before the phrase “eating from one bowl while eyeing another pot” could be spoken, the sound of approaching hoofbeats came from behind. Someone turned to look, and upon spotting Xiao Ye’s figure, the officials who had been conversing quickly fell silent. When the hoofbeats drew closer, they respectfully greeted him. “Shizi.”
Xiao Ye gave a faint “Mm” in response and returned the courtesy.
He happened to stop beside Qi Yubai’s carriage. At first, he had not paid much attention, but as the carriage moved forward and the curtain shifted, the scene inside came into view.
“Yici?” He frowned.
Tu Yici cursed inwardly but maintained his usual smiling expression. Setting aside what he was holding, he called out with his usual ease, “Brother-in-law?”
He wore a look of surprise, as if he had only just noticed Xiao Ye.
“Mm.”
Xiao Ye nodded, then glanced to the side, catching sight of the crimson-robed man inside who was quietly eating his meal. He then called out, “Lord Qi.”
Qi Yubai continued eating his wontons at a leisurely pace. Only when he heard Xiao Ye address him did he set down his soup spoon. Taking up the handkerchief beside him, he wiped his lips before lifting his dark phoenix eyes and nodding slightly. “Shizi.”
Xiao Ye had never known what to say to Qi Yubai. After exchanging greetings, he withdrew his gaze. Once the gates of Xuande Gate opened, he rode forward ahead of them.
Watching Xiao Ye’s departing figure, Tu Yici shook his head and lowered his voice to ask Qi Yubai, “Should we send someone to greet the Ministry of Revenue?”
Qi Yubai looked at him. “You need not involve yourself in this matter.”
Tu Yici was briefly stunned but quickly understood—Qi Yubai was worried that Siyu would find out and argue with him later. A warmth surged in his heart, and his smile deepened. His senior had always been a man with a cold face but a warm heart.
So he said nothing more.
—
After the morning court session ended.
Xiao Ye made his way toward the Imperial Guard camp inside the palace.
These past few days had been anything but easy for him.
As the commander of the Imperial Guards, he was responsible for the emperor’s safety—there was no room for the slightest mistake.
At home, Lanyin had yet to return. Although Lady Xu and Housekeeper Xu were managing household affairs, the atmosphere in the manor was unsettled, no longer as orderly as before.
The home that had once allowed him to remain free of worries had now become a constant source of headaches. Only in recent days had he come to realize how difficult it was to manage a household.
Beyond that, Qing’er’s illness remained unchanged.
He had sought out countless physicians—common folk, renowned experts, and even imperial physicians with whom he had good relations—but all had given him the same answer: Weak constitution and melancholic thoughts have no cure. She can only try to ease her mind.