You Yuji looked at the reflection of the two figures huddled together in the bronze mirror, a gentle smile playing on her lips. She held Si Que’s hand that was draped over her waist and softly said, “The servants have already packed everything up. We shouldn’t delay too long.”
She squeezed his hand and turned to face him, her smiling eyes meeting his, gradually moving closer to his ear, whispering, “The free time is too short.”
It’s not enough.
She pressed her soft lips against his earlobe and whispered again, “Just wait a little longer.”
Si Que’s eyes lowered for a moment, and with a hint of reluctance, he took the eyebrow pencil from You Yuji’s hand and sat down to help her draw her eyebrows.
You Yuji felt that Si Que sitting there without a stitch of clothing was a bit too much, but her gaze inevitably fell on him. She had no choice but to close her eyes.
Baohe knocked on the door from outside but did not come in. Through the door, she informed them that everything had been packed up.
You Yuji gently pushed Si Que and softly told him to get dressed.
Si Que didn’t move, still leisurely picking a box of rouge from the dressing table for You Yuji.
“Alright, I’ll do it myself. I still need to see my mother later. When I come back, you better be properly dressed.” You Yuji said softly, “Don’t just lazily go back to bed.”
Si Que yawned, got up, and headed toward the bed, leaving behind a casual, “Got it.”
You Yuji sat sideways, watching Si Que’s retreating figure with a slight frown. She didn’t know what Si Que had been busy with lately; pigeons often flew into the room looking for him, and people from the Poison Pavilion frequently appeared.
Not thinking much of it, You Yuji opened the rouge that Si Que had chosen and lightly brushed it on her cheeks, quickly getting up to bid farewell to her mother.
Baohe was waiting outside.
You Yuji paused and instructed, “No need to serve inside, His Highness is already up.”
“I know.” Baohe’s bright eyes turned quickly. Naturally, she knew that Princess Que was actually a man. She and Zhenxu no longer casually entered You Yuji’s bedroom; they would knock on the door first and try to handle things outside as much as possible.
When You Yuji arrived at her mother’s room, her mother was leaning against the bed, drinking a bowl of medicine.
“Yuan Yuan.” Her mother looked at her warmly.
You Yuji quickened her steps, smiling as she walked towards her mother. As soon as she sat down by the bed, Madam You put the half-finished bowl of medicine aside and held her daughter’s hand.
“Are you leaving already?” Madam You asked softly. She had been frail since childhood and often fell ill. Even when healthy, she always had a delicate and weak appearance. Now, seriously ill, her frailness was even more heartbreaking.
“Yes.” You Yuji nodded gently, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “But I’ll be back soon to accompany you.”
Due to her mother’s illness, she spent most of her time sleeping. Even when awake, she lay weakly on the sickbed with her eyes closed, resting.
Many things, You Yuji didn’t know how to bring up, nor could she find the right moment to do so.
You Yuji glanced at the half bowl of medicine on the table and said, “Mother, you should drink the medicine first.”
“I’ll drink it later.” Madam You refused softly. She drank more medicine than she ate meals daily and had long grown tired of its bitter taste.
You Yuji moved closer, lying in her mother’s arms, and whispered, “Before the New Year, your illness was much worse than it is now. Hearing you call my name was a luxury. Now, you are awake more often. Your health will get better and better.”
“As the weather gets warmer in a couple of months, shall we go to the Kingdom of Su together?” You Yuji’s lips curved into a smile as she looked up at her mother. “Let’s return to your homeland, to the place where you lived as a child. The flowers and plants there must be missing you too.”
“Alright. Wherever you want to go, we’ll go.” Madam You gently rubbed the back of You Yuji’s hand. “Yuan Yuan, I’ve heard about Doctor Hu’s prescription from Liu Momo.”
You Yuji was slightly taken aback. She had not wanted her mother to know about Doctor Hu’s prescription to avoid worrying her. How had she found out?
She lifted her gaze to carefully observe her mother’s expression.
Her mother was still smiling, the same gentle face You Yuji had always known.
“Yuan Yuan,” her mother said, “you see, even without using that prescription, my health is getting better and better. So that prescription isn’t the only cure. Don’t trouble yourself over having children. If you can’t get along with Marquis An, just come back. And after you come back, don’t think about that prescription and hastily marry another man just to please yourself.”
You Yuji listened to her mother’s words, feeling both touched and saddened. She had known her mother would say this once she found out. But hearing it with her own ears still made her feel a mix of warmth and sorrow.
Madam You looked at her daughter with a pained expression. After a long silence, she finally voiced the hesitation she had been holding back: “Yuan Yuan, do you like Princess Que?”
You Yuji opened her mouth but didn’t know how to explain. For the past few months, she and Si Que had been inseparable, and there were already some rumors. She had never minded them, but she hadn’t expected these rumors to reach her mother’s ears.
She couldn’t ignore her mother.
She frowned and asked, “Which servant told you something?”
Madam You didn’t explain. She remained silent for a while before speaking again: “At first, I was happy that Yuan Yuan had found a close friend like Ah Chun. But later I realized…”
“Mother…”
Madam You interrupted You Yuji: “Yuan Yuan, I don’t want you to be close to a woman just because you’ve been hurt by a man. But after thinking it over, I know my Yuan Yuan is sensible and never acts impulsively. If you truly like her…”
Madam You frowned, unsure how to continue. She paused, sighed softly, and then said, “It’s fine. Whether I have a son-in-law or a daughter-in-law, it makes no difference. As long as my Yuan Yuan isn’t acting out of confusion, but is genuinely happy.”
You Yuji listened dumbfounded to her mother’s words. At first, she realized her mother had misunderstood, but as she continued to listen, her eyes grew red, and she felt a bittersweet warmth spreading from her eyes, throat, and heart.
By the end, You Yuji couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.
“Mother…” Her eyelashes were damp with tears as she smiled and snuggled into her mother’s arms. “You don’t have a half-daughter or a half-son.”
Madam You was puzzled. Had she guessed wrong? But how could she not understand her own daughter? Even though Ah Chun was close to Yuan Yuan, that sisterly bond was unmistakable. The way Yuan Yuan and Princess Que looked at each other was too obvious to be just sisterly affection.
She couldn’t be mistaken.
You Yuji leaned close to her mother’s ear and whispered, “He is a man.”
Madam You took a moment to process the meaning of You Yuji’s words. She looked at her daughter in surprise, her eyes full of disbelief. Usually, her expressions ranged from faint smiles to calm indifference, rarely showing such shock.
You Yuji shook her mother’s hand and said with a smile, “Really, I’m not lying to you.”
Madam You was dazed for a while before stiffly nodding, and gently said, “That’s good too…”
Hearing her mother’s “that’s good too,” You Yuji’s eyebrows curved with joy. Her mother was always like this. Whenever You Yuji did something contrary to her mother’s wishes, she would always reluctantly compromise and say it was good.
“What’s so good about it?” You Yuji playfully acted like a little girl, clinging to her mother.
“This way, there will be offspring.” Madam You smiled. “Whether it’s a little girl or a little boy, having both would be even better…”
“Alright.” You Yuji nestled in her mother’s arms. “When the time comes, let Mother name them.”
You Yuji chatted with her mother for a while longer, watching her drink her medicine and lie down. Only then did she adjust the covers for her mother and quietly leave.
Si Que didn’t keep You Yuji waiting for long. By the time she came out of her mother’s room, he had already dressed and was lazily leaning against the stone railing in the courtyard. The gentle breeze lifted the hem of his robe, brushing against the lush flowers and plants beneath the stone railing.
The weather was warming, and the flowers and plants were flourishing, growing exuberantly.
He lowered his eyes, and under the warm sunlight, his long eyelashes cast crescent-shaped shadows on his pale cheeks. His expressionless face lit up with life the moment he saw You Yuji.
But the next moment, he noticed Jiao Yushu walking beside You Yuji. His face instantly darkened, the liveliness replaced by an indiscernible mix of displeasure and annoyance.
You Yuji stopped and turned to Jiao Yushu with a smile. “Thank you for taking care of things these past few days, cousin.”
Jiao Yushu smiled warmly. “No need for thanks, cousin. Before I left home, Mother instructed me to treat Aunt as my own mother. Since Aunt is ill, it’s only a small help. Besides, the family plans to move our business to the capital. While I’m staying in the capital, it’s only right to visit Aunt often.”
“Still, I must thank you.” You Yuji replied warmly. “I need to return to the palace to handle some matters. Since you’re busy with business, there’s no need to see me off.”
Jiao Yushu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you sure you want to go to the Kingdom of Su in the future?”
“Of course. The departure date is almost set.”
Jiao Yushu nodded. He seemed to want to say more, but Si Que interrupted him.
“Big sister,” Si Que walked over from a distance, his cold gaze briefly landing on Jiao Yushu before softening into a smile when he looked at You Yuji.
“It’s getting late, and you haven’t had breakfast yet. We still have to travel later, so let’s get something to eat.”
You Yuji smiled and nodded at Jiao Yushu, saying, “I’m leaving now, no need to see me off, cousin.”
Then she walked forward with Si Que.
Jiao Yushu didn’t follow; instead, he stood there watching You Yuji’s departing figure. He overheard Si Que’s words, unsure if they were truly whispered, “Big sister, why does your cousin only know how to talk to you and not care if you’re hungry? Unlike me, always thinking about whether you’re hungry.”
Jiao Yushu frowned, bewildered as he watched Si Que’s back, wondering when he might have offended this Princess Que.
Had he?
He couldn’t remember.
You Yuji could tell that Si Que was deliberately saying this for Jiao Yushu to hear. She found it both amusing and exasperating, affectionately linking her arm with Si Que’s and giving his hand a gentle pinch.
Si Que looked at her, meeting her eyes that were a mix of exasperation and amusement.
He looked away, squinting slightly as he gazed ahead. The warm morning sunlight bathed the world, filling it with life and gentle warmth.
Unconsciously, Si Que’s lips curled into a relaxed, contented smile.
He suddenly found this kind of life quite interesting. Someone knowing you’re pretending, watching you act and cooperating with your performance, was more enjoyable than deceiving someone who didn’t realize it.
As soon as the two of them got into the carriage and sat down, accompanied by the sound of the wheels turning, You Yuji suddenly became serious and said, “I have something to tell you.”
Si Que was lazily leaning to one side, playing with one of You Yuji’s hairpins. Hearing the seriousness in her tone, he looked up at her.
“Find an appropriate opportunity to change into men’s clothing and meet my mother,” You Yuji said.
Si Que’s usually expressionless face broke into a smile, “Alright, I’ll do as sister says. I’ll wear the best outfit to meet Mother-in-law.”
He paused, then leaned back against the carriage wall, leisurely adding, “Or perhaps, wear a particularly special outfit.”
You Yuji didn’t understand his meaning and looked at him in confusion.