According to the law, even a pregnant murderer cannot be executed. Moreover, although Fang Qingyi is now a concubine of Chen Anzhi, she was born into a marquis family.
Prince Jinnan sent people to deliver her back to the marquis’ residence overnight.
“As for whether to keep the child, that is up to my father-in-law to decide.”
—This was the message Prince Jinnan sent over.
The message made it clear that whether Fang Qingyi’s child would be kept or not had nothing to do with the Jinnan Prince’s Residence. In other words, the Jinnan Prince’s Residence would not acknowledge this child.
After giving these orders, Prince Jinnan wearily got up and walked out of the front hall, standing under the eaves to feel the cold wind and clear his dizzy head.
The subordinates who searched Anxiang Courtyard came to report. After the fire, Anxiang Courtyard was almost completely destroyed. However, under the careful search of the guards, some clues were still found. Moreover, Lüshu had already confessed everything, and those associated with Fang Qingyi were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, living in fear on this New Year’s Eve night. The guards broke into the side rooms one by one, dragging out the related people. The entire residence was filled with cries and wails.
Even those outside the residence who had been aiding Fang Qingyi were all captured that night.
Chang Ping quickly walked over to report, “Your Highness, Wangjiang is dead.”
Prince Jinnan looked over.
“Whether out of guilt for betraying his master or knowing he couldn’t escape death, he committed suicide. He died outside the residence.”
Prince Jinnan frowned and scolded, “To be unable to trust even one’s closest servants, this is a complete failure!”
Chang Ping lowered his head, not daring to respond.
Wangjiang was neither guilty of betraying his master nor aware he couldn’t escape death. He was merely afraid of implicating Chunxing. Only the dead can keep secrets. He died, leaving her still pure and untainted.
He smiled, feeling an unprecedented lightness in his heart.
Wangjiang sat by Lianshui, watching the wishing lanterns float on the water. Laughter and joyous voices echoed around him. Midnight had passed, and it was already New Year’s Eve.
Unfortunately, this year, he couldn’t spend New Year’s Eve with Chunxing.
Even after she became the concubine of the young lord, every New Year’s Eve, he would always find a way to catch a glimpse of her.
This year, he wouldn’t be able to see her.
The rippling water reflected in his eyes, and he couldn’t help but remember New Year’s Eve four years ago. He wasn’t on duty the night before, and he took over from Wangshan in the morning. Wangshan gave him a knowing look and smiled, “The master has become a lord.”
“That’s a good thing. It’s time to find a concubine for the young lord,” he replied with a smile.
Wangjiang had long learned to observe and please people. When he entered the room and saw Chen Anzhi, he immediately congratulated him with a smile, “Congratulations, young lord! Best wishes, young lord!”
Chen Anzhi stretched comfortably, smiling.
Wangjiang wondered which maid had caught the young lord’s eye, thinking that she must have served him well last night. Since the young lord was in a good mood, it would be easier for him to ask for favors. He kept smiling, preparing a washcloth for Chen Anzhi and saying flattering words, “Look how pleased the young lord is.”
“Mm. It was comfortable. Soft and fragrant, even crying looks pleasing,” Chen Anzhi said as he lazily sat up, tossing the blanket aside.
“Wonder who the lucky one was,” Wangjiang said with a smile, glancing at the messy bed. After wringing out the washcloth, he turned and walked towards the bed to personally wipe Chen Anzhi’s face.
“Called…,” Chen Anzhi frowned as he thought for a moment, “I think her name is Chun… Chunxing?”
Wangjiang’s whole body froze in an instant, and the messy stains on the bed became glaringly obvious.
Heart-wrenching.
Wangjiang listened to the laughter by the riverbank, closing his eyes to hold back the tears in his eyes. After a long while, he looked up at the night sky. Occasionally, fireworks would break the silence, but the recent bad weather had brought thick clouds, obscuring the stars and moon.
He suddenly felt regretful that on his last day, he couldn’t see the moon. It felt like he never managed to take her to Moon Bay.
With a leap, he jumped into the Lianshui River filled with countless wishes.
—
When You Yuji left, she passed through the front hall. Chen Anzhi and Fang Qingyi were no longer there, only Prince Jinnan was still sitting in the main chair, resting his forehead on his hand, his eyes closed. It seemed today’s events had taken a great toll on him.
As You Yuji stepped over the threshold, the night wind blew against her, the white fox fur on her shoulders gently brushing her cool neck.
On the way back, Zhenxu told You Yuji that after Chen Anzhi fainted, he was carried away by the servants. Before he fainted, he had vomited blood.
Zhenxu pursed her lips with a hint of satisfaction, “He was so angry he vomited blood.”
She was usually more disciplined than Baohe, rarely making such out-of-line comments, showing she had long been extremely dissatisfied with Chen Anzhi.
You Yuji didn’t respond. Everyone around her hated Chen Anzhi to the core, but she was broad-minded, completely indifferent to him. She had never been angry or hurt because of him before, so naturally, she didn’t feel any satisfaction now.
The night wind was very cold, and she turned her head, unable to suppress a cough.
Zhenxu, thinking that the lady was still ill, decided they should prepare some ginger soup to ward off the cold when they got back. She couldn’t help but feel relieved that the lady was in good health; if it had been a delicate young lady, she wouldn’t have been able to withstand such an ordeal while being sick.
After returning, You Yuji washed up briefly and lay down on the bed. The bed had been warmed by a bed warmer placed by Baohe, but she still felt cold.
There were many things on her mind, but she had taken medicine for her cold before sleeping, so she fell into a deep sleep shortly after lying down, without time to think deeply about anything.
While You Yuji slept soundly, Si Que quietly left Prince Jinnan’s residence to retrieve his lantern.
Fang Qingyi was sent back to the marquis’ residence in the middle of the night. The entire household was awakened, and upon hearing what Fang Qingyi had done at Prince Jinnan’s residence, they were both shocked and furious.
The old marquis was so angry he threw a teacup at her, the cup shattering on the ground, with shards bouncing back and cutting her hand, leaving it covered in blood.
The old lady was even more agitated and almost fainted, insisting on going to Prince Jinnan’s residence to see her burned daughter. Her daughter-in-law repeatedly persuaded her that it was too late and that the old lady should rest. The princess must also be resting by now, so the old lady was finally persuaded to wait until the next day to visit.
Fang Qingyi looked at the noisy crowd, her face expressionless. Her mother rushed over, red-eyed, and began to hit her forcefully.
“How could you harm even your aunt and cousin!”
Fang Qingyi pushed her mother’s hand away and turned to go back to her old boudoir. She used to think she was just a guest here, and her room couldn’t compare to those of her real cousins in the marquis’ residence. Now that she was back, she realized how much she appreciated this room.
If only time could turn back…
Her heart was bitter, and just at this moment, the baby in her womb became restless, making her dry heave. She grabbed the cup of cold water on the table and gulped down a few mouthfuls, feeling somewhat better.
She looked around the familiar room, contemplating her future. Returning to the Jinnan Prince’s Residence was impossible, and whether she could keep the baby depended on the elders’ decision the next day.
Would she spend the next decades of her life imprisoned in this room, decaying?
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
With trembling hands, she pushed open the inner door, only to be shocked to see Si Que leaning against the table.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Si Que said, a playful smile on his lips.
He was no saint. In his eyes, there were no rules against killing women or pregnant women.
“What are you doing here? What do you want?” Fang Qingyi turned to run, but her strength left her, and she collapsed to the ground.
She widened her eyes, watching as Si Que walked towards her step by step. She wanted to struggle, to call for help, but she couldn’t move or make a sound.
“Making a lantern,” Si Que said, squatting down in front of her, his white dress spotless.
—
Early the next morning, the old marquis sent someone to fetch Fang Qingyi. After such an incident, he couldn’t dare to cover it up. Naturally, the child in Fang Qingyi’s womb couldn’t be kept; he ordered a bowl of abortifacient. The old marquis didn’t even plan to spare Fang Qingyi’s life, rejecting his younger daughter’s suggestion of letting Fang Qingyi become a nun, insisting on sending her to the authorities for punishment according to the law.
Even if the marquis’ residence was implicated, they had to show a righteous attitude. The family’s reputation must not be tarnished, or the upbringing of the younger generation would be at risk.
The servant went to Fang Qingyi’s room, and a scream startled the sparrows in the courtyard.
In Fang Qingyi’s boudoir, there was a floor lamp. The lampstand was still there, but the lamp had been replaced with an inverted human head lantern.
Her black hair hung down messily, draped along the lampstand. The head was hollowed out from the neck, with a candle placed inside. The candle had burned through the night, almost to the base.
Terror swept through the marquis’ residence instantly.
At that moment, Si Que was having breakfast at a roadside tea stall.
—Steaming buns and soy milk.
A few drops of morning dew dotted the old wooden table.
At the neighboring table, two farmers were slurping their noodles noisily while chatting.
Si Que drank his soy milk, listening to the conversation of the two people at the neighboring table. They were discussing how, during the New Year, the Emperor might grant a general amnesty.
A general amnesty?
Si Que frowned slightly under the white veil of his hat. Would a general amnesty release his father and several brothers?
When Si Que returned to the Jinnan Prince’s Residence, You Yuji had just gotten up. After washing up and changing her clothes, she was sitting by the window, drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror.
Although her throat was still not quite comfortable, she felt much better than the day before. As she drew her eyebrows, she was still thinking about what the princess had said to her the previous night.
“You are not from Chen State. After the divorce, it will be inevitable that people will take advantage of your misfortune. If you carry the title of my goddaughter, there will be much less targeting in the capital.”
You Yuji understood the princess’s good intentions and also understood the reasoning behind her words. However, she had not agreed last night. After the divorce from the Jinnan Prince’s Residence, becoming the princess’s goddaughter indeed had many benefits, but she still had other concerns…
While she was pondering, the door was pushed open.
Without turning around, she knew it was Si Que; only he wouldn’t knock.
“You woke up early, sister.” Si Que walked over, bringing in the chill from outside.
You Yuji switched to drawing the other eyebrow and asked softly, “Where did you go?”
“To buy buns for you, sister.” Si Que placed a paper bag on her dressing table, the grease staining the paper.
You Yuji glanced at it but said nothing, continuing to concentrate on drawing her eyebrows. She then took some rouge, rubbed it on her fingertips, and carefully applied it to her delicate lips in front of the bronze mirror.
Si Que stood by, watching her put on makeup.
When You Yuji finished, she smiled contentedly at the bronze mirror, then got up to leave. Today was New Year’s Eve, and she needed to distribute rewards to the people in the courtyard.
She did not look at Si Que at all, as if he were not even there.
“You Yuji,” Si Que called out to her.
You Yuji had already walked a few steps forward but stopped and looked back at him. “Yes? What is it?”
Her tone was ordinary, with no hint of anything unusual.
If there was anything unusual, it was only that her tone was too ordinary, almost cold.
“Oh, I forgot this.” You Yuji smiled, walked back, picked up the jade bracelet from the table, and put it on her fair wrist. She lightly shook her wrist, then walked out, satisfied.
Si Que looked thoughtfully at her graceful back.
Why had she suddenly become cold? She hadn’t been like this last night. He couldn’t help but recall her meaningful, hesitant gaze from the night before. What had she wanted to say?
You Yuji had nothing to say.
It was deliberate.
Whether cold or warm, mysterious or straightforward, it was all her little game, deliberately played to keep Si Que guessing.
Being prey for too long, she wanted to become the hunter.
She had to be responsible for her own feelings, to make him face her with such sincerity that he would willingly give her his heart, with no more lies, loving her steadfastly, as unshakable as gold.
