Si Que lowered his head, leaned close to You Yuji’s neck, and took a deep sniff.
It seemed there was no scent of another man.
Si Que gradually released his grip on You Yuji’s arms and then held her wrist, the one she was using to adjust her clothes, gathering her hand into his palm. He said, “My stomach hurts.”
“Is it because of the dumplings you ate at lunch?” You Yuji gently pushed away Si Que’s hand and continued getting dressed.
Si Que glanced coldly at her.
This fox spirit had the nerve to mention dumplings. He had even shelled the chestnuts for the dumplings, and yet she hadn’t eaten with him.
You Yuji finished dressing, tied the sash at her waist, and then took Si Que’s hand, leading him outside. Si Que didn’t resist, allowing her to pull him along.
His gaze lingered a bit longer on their clasped hands.
Her hands were so beautiful, and he liked them very much, never allowing anyone else to touch them.
Once they were outside, You Yuji let go of Si Que and personally poured a cup of hot water for him, smiling as she handed it over. “Here, drink some to warm your stomach.”
“Hot water won’t help.”
You Yuji tilted her head slightly, unfastening the hairpin from her cloud-like hair while looking at him in confusion.
Just as You Yuji removed the hairpin from her hair, Si Que picked her up. The hairpin she had just taken off fell to the ground. She leaned on Si Que’s shoulder, surprised, and patted his back urgently, saying, “Put me down quickly, Zhenxu and Baohe will be coming in soon!”
“Alright.” He agreed obediently, patting her bottom and then walked leisurely inside.
You Yuji sighed silently, looking at the jade-handled hairpin that had fallen to the ground. It was a pity that the hairpin she had just bought had broken like that.
Si Que obediently put You Yuji down, but he placed her on the bed.
Today was New Year’s Eve, and the servants could come in to report matters at any moment. As soon as You Yuji was placed on the bed, she sat up, intending to get down.
“Big sister.” Si Que’s arm blocked her waist, gently but firmly pulling her back onto the bed.
He looked into You Yuji’s eyes and pulled her hand to place it on his stomach.
“Big sister, won’t you really warm and rub it for me?” he asked.
You Yuji could faintly hear the footsteps of the maidservants outside. After a moment of silence, she spoke, “Lower the bed curtains.”
Si Que smiled. He sat up and obediently lowered the heavy bed curtains, blocking out the late afternoon sunset streaming in through the window. The light inside the curtains dimmed immediately. Because it was New Year’s, all the bedding had been replaced with festive red curtains. For a moment, the enclosed space within the curtains was tinged with a reddish hue.
You Yuji turned to her side, propping up her upper body with one hand and placing the other hand on Si Que’s stomach. She found the position of his stomach and gently massaged it.
Soon, her gentle movements slowed down, and she began to trace slow circles on Si Que’s abdomen with the pad of her finger.
Circle after circle, after circle.
She looked at Si Que with a smile and asked softly, “Does it feel better now?”
Si Que gazed at You Yuji’s eyes, which seemed to be filled with a tender spring water. He replied slowly, “No. Maybe the position is not quite right.”
He heard You Yuji chuckle softly.
He saw a playful glint of seduction in the corner of You Yuji’s eyes.
Si Que looked her up and down, finding even the strand of hair resting on her shoulder to be enticing. Even the small indentation her elbow made in the soft bedding appeared round and cute.
“Not the right position? Then it seems it’s not a stomachache.” You Yuji’s hand, which was drawing circles on Si Que’s abdomen, slowly moved to the side and slipped under his clothes at his waist. Without the barrier of fabric, her delicate hand wandered over his front abdomen, searching for the right spot.
“Does it hurt here? Or here? Or maybe here?” Her gentle voice always carried a faint smile, adding a few more degrees of warmth to her inherent gentleness.
Just as Si Que was about to speak, he heard the footsteps of the maidservant.
The young maid stood outside the door, gently knocked twice, and then said, “Madam, Sister Zhenxu asked me to inquire about the sauce for tonight’s roast lamb.”
“Let Zhenxu decide on her own.”
“Yes.” The maid ran off to relay the message, and her footsteps gradually faded away.
When the maid’s footsteps could no longer be heard, You Yuji leaned in close to Si Que’s ear and asked softly, “Ah Que, where exactly does it hurt?”
As she spoke, her finger paused in its circling on his abdomen, and she pressed lightly on his firm abdomen.
“Maybe a bit lower,” Si Que said.
You Yuji’s fingers moved a bit lower, her voice soft and smiling, “Here?”
Si Que took a deep breath, grabbing her mischievous hand. Then he turned over, pressing You Yuji beneath him. With his other hand, he started to untie the sash at her waist.
“Knock, knock, knock.” The sound of knocking came again.
“Madam, which flowers should we use tonight?”
Si Que paused in his actions of untying You Yuji’s sash but persisted in his efforts. In the dim red light, You Yuji looked into Si Que’s dark eyes, which were close at hand. She slightly lifted her head and planted a soft kiss on his chin, then gently responded to the maid outside.
Her tone was calm and patient as she listed the different flowers, even specifying which ones should be placed in which porcelain vases.
Si Que stared at her unhurried manner, feeling a stifling pressure in his chest—this fox spirit was doing it on purpose!
“Yes, I’ve noted everything down. I’ll get to it right away!” The maid turned and ran off.
Inside the closed curtains, You Yuji’s upper garment was now in disarray, unable to cover her properly. She hooked her arms around Si Que’s neck, leaned in to kiss the corner of his lips, and softly said, “Can we wait a little longer?”
Si Que looked at her coldly, clearly unwilling to wait.
Almost giving him no chance to refuse, Baohe arrived. She stood outside the door, cheerfully reporting, “Madam, Concubine Cui and Concubine Hongzan are here!”
“Alright, invite them to the flower hall. I’ll be there shortly.” You Yuji spoke to Baohe outside the door while still gazing at Si Que with smiling eyes.
Without waiting for Baohe to leave, You Yuji’s slender fingers clutched Si Que’s collar, pulling him close. She pressed her soft lips against the corner of his mouth and whispered, “Are you sure you don’t want to wait a little longer?”
As she spoke, her soft lips gently brushed against the corner of Si Que’s mouth.
Si Que reluctantly released his grip on You Yuji’s waist.
—This constant stream of interruptions was unbearable.
You Yuji propped herself up on her elbows, moving slightly back under Si Que, half-raising her body. As she moved, her soft chest brushed against Si Que’s nose.
Si Que’s fingers, pressing into the bed, curled slightly.
You Yuji freed herself from Si Que’s embrace but didn’t rush to dress. Instead, she sat sideways, raising her hand to smooth her hair. Her disheveled robe hung loosely on her body. While fixing her hair, she glanced back at Si Que and said, “Help me get dressed.”
Since you made my clothes such a mess, it’s only right for you to fix them.
“Heh,” Si Que chuckled softly.
You Yuji raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at him with curiosity—what, you don’t want to?
Si Que grasped You Yuji’s delicate wrist, pulling her into his arms, and with a stern expression, he dressed her. He carefully tied the sash at her waist into a perfect bow, then leaned down to her ear, gently nibbling on her earlobe.
“Fox spirit,” he said through gritted teeth, the words brushing against her slightly warm ear.
You Yuji almost let slip the words, “Do you like it then?” but she held back, pressing her lips together. Such a question was best kept to herself. How could she really ask him that?
She lightly brushed the back of her hand across Si Que’s chin, then stepped out of his embrace, lifting the bed curtain. Bright daylight flooded in. You Yuji gracefully walked out, leaving Si Que with a charming yet retreating figure that did not look back.
She would never ask him that question now. She wanted to wait until he was deeply moved, calling her name over and over, pouring out his heart.
When You Yuji arrived at the flower hall, Cuiyu and Hongzan were chatting and laughing. Since it was New Year’s Eve, both had changed into festive clothing. Hongzan wore a red dress, and Cuiyu had donned a rare bright pomegranate-red skirt.
“Sister, where’s the roast lamb?” Cuiyu asked with a smile as soon as she saw You Yuji come in.
You Yuji glanced at Cuiyu’s smiling face and said gently, “So greedy. It’s not time yet.”
The maidservants brought out an array of delicate pastries. The group chatted casually while enjoying the treats.
After a while, Cuiyu suddenly said, “Sister, I feel like playing chupu again.”
You Yuji suddenly remembered the time when she took a few concubines boating on Lianshui and they played chupu together. But times had changed; Lin Yingying was no longer in the residence, and Chunxing was ill. They had gained Hongzan instead.
“Hongzan, do you know how to play?” Cuiyu asked.
Hongzan nodded modestly, “I only know a little.”
With Hongzan, that made three players.
You Yuji sighed, “It’s a pity Chunxing is ill, and Yingying…”
At the mention of Lin Yingying, Cuiyu’s gaze wavered. She lowered her head guiltily, not daring to meet You Yuji’s eyes, and quickly asked if Zhenxu and Baohe could play.
Unfortunately, neither Zhenxu nor Baohe knew how to play, and besides, there were many things to attend to today.
“I can,” Si Que said, walking in from outside.
Cuiyu looked at Si Que as if she had seen a ghost. This Princess Que not only had a strange temperament but also seemed otherworldly. Could she really play chupu?
She stared at Si Que until he approached her. Si Que glanced down at her and slowly asked, “What, not including me? Are you looking down on me?”
What does she mean by that?
Cuiyu frowned. She quickly said, “I wouldn’t dare exclude you.”
She wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t dare.
You Yuji held a delicate hand warmer, smiling as she looked at Si Que. She noticed that he had changed into different clothes.
As Si Que gradually approached, their eyes met. You Yuji gave him a meaningful look before ordering the servants to prepare for chupu.
While playing chupu, You Yuji increased the stakes to triple the usual amount. Since it was New Year’s, she wanted the concubines to have some fun, so she intentionally lost a few rounds to give Cuiyu more silver.
Unfortunately, despite her efforts, Cuiyu almost won each round, but Si Que always won just before her.
Si Que glanced at the winning tickets on the table and turned to You Yuji, saying, “I didn’t know playing cards could be so profitable.”
Cuiyu, with a bitter face, struggled through two more rounds until she heard fireworks outside and quickly said, “No more, no more! Let’s go watch the fireworks!”
Relieved that they were done playing, Hongzan secretly exhaled. She couldn’t be as relaxed as Cuiyu when around You Yuji. She used to serve Fang Qingyi, and since Fang Qingyi was gone, she had been living in fear, worried about angering You Yuji. She still didn’t understand why You Yuji had made her sit idle all day yesterday…
You Yuji noticed Hongzan’s unease. As she and Si Que walked out, she handed her hand warmer to Hongzan and said gently, “You don’t look well. Are you cold? Use this to warm up.”
Hongzan barely had time to thank her before You Yuji and Si Que headed outside.
The weather was perfect; after several days of bad weather, New Year’s Eve was clear and cloudless, with a brilliant starry sky and a gentle night breeze, warmer than the previous days.
In the courtyard, a roast lamb was already set up.
The group took their seats, and Baohe, accompanied by maidservants, brought the wine. “With our hometown’s wine, the roast lamb tastes even better!”
When the wine jug was handed to Si Que, he glanced at it but didn’t take it.
You Yuji looked over.
He returned her gaze and said, “Someone told me to quit drinking.”
