A series of coos came from outside the window, and a homing pigeon perched on the windowsill, its enlarged shadow cast on the window.
The bed curtain was lifted by a hand.
Si Que got out of bed and walked toward the window. As soon as the window was pushed open, the pigeon outside fluttered its wings and flew in, landing on Si Que’s wrist.
Si Que lowered his eyes, removed the message tube tied to its leg, and took out the rolled-up letter inside. He scanned the contents of the letter rapidly by the light of the table lamp.
“What a useless person.” He frowned, a clear look of impatience in his eyes.
You Yuji adjusted her clothes and sat up, lifting the bed curtain to look at Si Que. The soft light illuminated his profile, reflecting his impatient expression in You Yuji’s eyes.
Si Que suddenly looked up at You Yuji.
You Yuji couldn’t quite understand the meaning of his gaze.
Si Que had already looked away. He pulled out a chair and sat at the long desk, taking up a pen to write a reply.
He wrote quickly.
His swift writing suddenly paused, and he said, “Write a letter to your two brothers, tell them to come back.”
You Yuji had already draped herself in a robe and got out of bed, walking slowly towards Si Que. She stood beside Si Que, placing her hand on his shoulder, lowering her eyes to look at what he was writing.
With a quick glance, she saw that it was about military matters.
After a brief glance, she moved her eyes away and looked back at Si Que’s face. She raised her hand and gently touched his cheek with the back of her fingers, softly asking, “Why are you suddenly getting involved in these things?”
“For you.”
You Yuji’s fingers, which were lightly caressing his cheek, stiffened.
The night was deep, and the dew was heavy.
Lin Yingying sat alone in the small courtyard, staring blankly at the wildflowers growing from the soil beside the path. She had been sitting there for so long that she had lost track of time.
The sound of bricks falling from the wall finally brought Lin Yingying back to her senses. She looked in the direction of the sound. In the darkness, she could vaguely see a figure jumping down from the wall, but she couldn’t make out who it was.
“Who’s there!” she shouted loudly, immediately standing up and retreating.
“Woof woof woof woof…” The big yellow dog at the courtyard gate barked furiously.
“Why is a young lady like you living here alone without any family? Tsk, could it be that you’re on the run for some crime?”
Several figures gradually approached, and the lantern hanging on the apricot tree slowly revealed their appearances. There were four men in total, dressed in ordinary coarse cloth shirts, walking with their arms swinging loosely. One of them even had a stalk of foxtail grass in his mouth. They were clearly the kind of troublemakers who roamed the streets daily, causing disturbances.
“Brother Qian, didn’t I tell you? There’s a beauty living in this courtyard! Last time, when I was stealing apricots from the tree next door, I caught a glimpse. Hehe.”
“Who’s making all that noise outside?” Cuiyu threw on her clothes, grabbed a knife, and rushed out of the house, pulling Lin Yingying to her side.
“Wow, there’s another one inside! She’s pretty too.” One of the thugs rubbed his hands together, his beady eyes darting around.
The thugs were experienced in sneaking and cheating, so it was clear to Lin Yingying and Cuiyu what their intentions were, breaking in at this late hour.
There was also a little maid in the house, whom Cuiyu had just bought earlier that day. When Cuiyu came out, she had instructed the little maid to hide inside and not come out.
Cuiyu gave Lin Yingying a look, then put one hand on her hip, raised the knife in the other, and shouted loudly, “Good! Right under the Emperor’s nose, you dare break into a private residence to commit murder! Today, I’ll fight to the death if I have to, but I won’t let you have your way. At worst, I’ll take down one of you with me!”
The four thugs, their eyes already gleaming at the sight of the two beautiful women, were taken aback by Cuiyu’s fierce words.
Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, Lin Yingying quickly ran towards the courtyard gate.
“Where do you think you’re going?!” One of the thugs turned to chase Lin Yingying.
Lin Yingying wasn’t trying to escape; she was running desperately towards the gate. The thug caught up to her, grabbing her from behind. As she struggled, she finally managed to unlock the cage holding the big yellow dog.
The dog, barking furiously, immediately rushed out of the cage and bit the thug holding Lin Yingying on the leg.
“Help! This crazy dog, get it off me!”
The other three rushed over, swinging their wooden sticks at the dog that wouldn’t let go.
Lin Yingying, her face pale, watched them beat the dog. Trembling, she turned, grabbed a hoe from the corner of the courtyard, and rushed over, swinging it wildly. “Go! Get out of here!”
Cuiyu also charged over with a sharp kitchen knife, swinging it at the thugs. Her voice was much louder than Lin Yingying’s, and as she swung the knife, she shouted, “You damn bastards! Dare to cause trouble on my turf? I’ll make sure you leave here horizontally if you come in vertically!”
The commotion woke the neighbors, but none dared come to help, all listening intently from their homes.
The thugs had only intended to take advantage of the vulnerable beauties living alone, not expecting a real fight. They knew that killing someone would bring serious consequences, but harassing a woman was something they could brag about later. The victim, fearing for her reputation, would often try to cover it up and even welcome them back in the future.
But they hadn’t expected these two women to be not only beautiful but also fierce. Instead of having their way, one of them was bitten by a dog, and now they were being attacked with a hoe and a knife.
Already not the kindest of people, the thugs were growing angry.
“Ah!” Qian San winced in pain as the hoe hit his leg. Furious, he looked at Lin Yingying and swung his wooden stick at her.
The natural disparity in strength meant Lin Yingying couldn’t withstand the blow. Even though she managed to dodge partially, the stick hit her arm, causing her to drop the hoe and fall to the ground.
“Yingying!” Cuiyu exclaimed, trying to rush to Lin Yingying’s side. However, her wrist was seized, and the knife she held was taken from her.
Though she was restrained, her mouth was still free. Cuiyu cursed fiercely.
The big yellow dog, half-human tall, continued to protect its master desperately.
The little maid hiding inside the house was scared to tears, peeking through the door crack, contemplating whether to rush out and fight alongside them.
Amid the chaos, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open. A group of guards in brocade uniforms charged in, surrounding everyone in the courtyard. The sound of swords being drawn was uniform, the blades gleaming with a cold, silver light.
Lin Yingying looked at the guards, frowning, then slowly turned her head towards the courtyard gate, watching Jiang Yunche step in from outside.
He was still the same, dressed as a scholar in green, his gentle and handsome face glowing in the moonlight. The night was deep, and his gaze was inscrutable.
For a moment, Lin Yingying’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Did he know that she started the fire? When did he find out? Lin Yingying’s arm burned with pain, and her face still had traces of blood. She desperately wanted to disappear, not wanting him to see her in such a disheveled state.
Jiang Yunche stopped beside Lin Yingying, the hem of his silver-threaded brocade robe brushing against her leg. He crouched down, using the back of his finger to wipe away the blood on her face, not knowing whose it was.
“Is this the life you want?” he asked.
Lin Yingying looked at Jiang Yunche in front of her, her heart in turmoil. He had done nothing, and it was none of his business, yet she felt an unprecedented sense of shame. This shame wasn’t given by Jiang Yunche but stemmed from her own inferiority complex.
Lin Yingying took a deep breath slowly—a method she learned as a child to hold back tears when punished.
She even slowly lifted the corners of her mouth, revealing dimples. She smiled at Jiang Yunche. She had perfected the art of smiling since childhood.
“Yes,” she said, smiling.
Jiang Yunche stood up abruptly, his luxurious robe brushing against Lin Yingying’s face. He turned and left without a second glance.
With a swift sound, the guards he brought with him sheathed their swords and exited the narrow courtyard in perfect order.
Lin Yingying lowered her head, letting her tears fall.
The thugs, scared out of their wits, realized that the residents of this courtyard were not to be trifled with and fled in a panic.
The big yellow dog chased them to the courtyard gate, barking furiously at the retreating figures.
Cuiyu shook her aching wrist and walked over to Lin Yingying. “Does it hurt where you got hit?”
Lin Yingying shook her head, feeling utterly drained.
Cuiyu sat beside her in the courtyard without saying much, silently keeping her company.
After a long while, Lin Yingying seemed to come back to life. She struggled to stand up, extended her hand to Cuiyu, and helped her up. She smiled at Cuiyu and said, “Let’s go back to sleep. We need to pick a location for the shop tomorrow.”
“Yes.” Cuiyu nodded, and the two supported each other as they walked back into the house. In her mind, Cuiyu was reconsidering their finances. She had initially planned to invest all their remaining money into the business, but it seemed wise to set aside a small amount to hire a guard for the door, if only for peace of mind.
As the noise subsided, the neighbors, who had been listening to the commotion, discussed it briefly before going back to sleep.
At the end of the alley, a soft sedan chair was parked.
“Lord Marquis, those men have been dealt with,” a subordinate reported outside the sedan.
There was no response from inside the sedan.
Jiang Yunche looked out the window, his gaze passing over the courtyards and landing on Lin Yingying’s small courtyard, watching as the lights in her house went out. It felt as if his world had also turned dark in an instant.
It turned out that from the beginning to the end, it was all his wishful thinking. All her smiles and tenderness were part of a deliberate plan to escape.
Inside the Xici Palace, You Yuji and the Princess of Jinnan sat together, quietly waiting for the Empress Dowager of the West. Their timing was unfortunate, as the Empress Dowager had just lain down for a nap, so the two had to wait in the flower hall.
Since the Empress Dowager had aged, she had become a light sleeper, finding it hard to fall asleep and easy to wake. Thus, her daily routine was quite different from that of ordinary people, often taking naps during the day due to poor sleep the previous night.
You Yuji smiled at the Princess of Jinnan’s belly and asked gently, “Is he still being good today?”
Originally, You Yuji had planned to come alone for this matter. She was grateful that the Princess, despite her condition, had agreed to accompany her.
“He’s very well-behaved, he’s been quite good recently,” the Princess replied with a smile.
Though she smiled, she was full of worries. She had always been frail, and during this pregnancy, she had to take many medications. She lived in constant fear, dreading the loss of another child.
You Yuji and the Princess had been sitting in the flower hall for over half an hour when the Empress Dowager finally arose. The eunuch’s high-pitched voice announced the arrival of the Empress Dowager, and You Yuji and the Princess immediately stood to greet her.
The Empress Dowager, supported by a nanny, walked in slowly.
“Long life and good health to the Empress Dowager,” You Yuji and the Princess said, kneeling slightly.
“At ease. Be seated,” the Empress Dowager said as she sat down in a chair.
You Yuji and the Princess resumed their seats. Looking at the Empress Dowager, You Yuji noticed that her hair seemed to have turned even grayer in the past few months.