Si Que changed into the clothes You Yuji handed him, lowering his eyes to examine them. These garments were unlike ordinary everyday wear, consisting of five layers with cloud patterns as the base and adorned with cranes. Not to mention the intricate and exquisite embroidery everywhere, giving them a rather formal appearance.
Si Que looked up at You Yuji and asked, “Sister, are you taking me to see some important person?”
“No, we’re not seeing anyone,” You Yuji replied with a smile. She gently took his hand and led him out of the washroom, all the way to the dressing table, where she pressed him down onto the stool to sit.
Standing behind Si Que, she picked up a jade comb and started combing his hair.
Baohe entered and asked if they needed breakfast to be served. You Yuji shook her head and declined, instructing only to have the windows opened. Baohe glanced at the two, one seated and one standing, then obediently opened the windows before quietly retreating.
Inwardly, Baohe once again marveled at the deep affection between the madam and Princess Que! The madam would soon be leaving the Jinnan Prince’s residence, and by then, these two would probably become even more shameless, she chuckled to herself…
Baohe’s face froze in a smile. She suddenly realized it might no longer be appropriate to refer to Princess Que as such. For a moment, she didn’t know how she should address Princess Que after they left the Jinnan Prince’s residence. Baohe couldn’t figure it out and scratched her head as she walked out. She walked along, frowning and pondering.
They were still in the Jinnan Prince’s residence, yet she was already imagining decades of shameless life after they left.
The weather had warmed, and the morning breeze, wrapped in the rays of the rising sun, floated in, bringing a room full of vitality. The tender green willow branches swayed occasionally outside the window, caressed by the wind.
Si Que looked at You Yuji in the bronze mirror behind him, feeling a sense of strangeness. He couldn’t fathom what You Yuji was up to. Wearing five layers of clothing made him hot and uncomfortable, and he had no idea when he could take them off.
A soft sigh came from behind him.
Si Que immediately turned to look at her and asked, “What’s the matter?”
You Yuji smiled and turned his head back, continuing to comb his jet-black hair. She said softly, “Ah Que, how could you forget your own birthday?”
Si Que was stunned for a moment, still unsure if today was indeed his birthday. It wasn’t that he had forgotten his birthday, but he never paid attention to what day it was.
You Yuji finished combing Si Que’s hair, bent down to place the jade comb on the dressing table, and then turned to pull open a drawer beneath the table.
Si Que watched her movements, seeing her take out a jade crown from the drawer.
His gaze lingered on the jade crown for a moment.
“According to tradition, the coming-of-age ceremony should be scheduled. But I think there is no better day than your birthday. We don’t need to go to the ancestral hall or invite elders to bind your hair,” You Yuji said, slowly winding Si Que’s hair around the back of her hand, then pausing. “The first crown is a black silk crown, symbolizing Ah Que’s coming of age. The second crown is a leather crown, symbolizing the defense of the homeland. The third crown is a noble crown, representing the heavy responsibilities of the family and rising step by step.”
You Yuji gently smiled and placed the jade crown on his head.
She said, “I don’t ask for your rise in ranks, only that you live a carefree and happy life.”
Si Que listened silently to You Yuji’s words. After a long silence, he let out a soft laugh.
A coming-of-age ceremony?
Dressed as a girl since childhood, he had thought he would never have the day of a coming-of-age ceremony. Until today, he also believed he didn’t care.
You Yuji leaned down, gently embracing him, resting her chin on his shoulder, and looked at him sideways with a smile, asking, “Does this jade crown look good?”
Si Que looked at her through the bronze mirror. The familiar posture was just like when he used to style her hair and paint her eyebrows every day.
Si Que turned his face slightly, looking at the gentle eyes so close to him, and said, “Just a jade crown doesn’t seem enough to complete the ceremony.”
You Yuji smiled softly and said, “Then grind ink for me.”
Si Que hesitated for a moment before getting up and walking to the desk on one side, lifting his sleeves to grind the ink.
You Yuji stood there with a smile, watching his tall figure walk away, until he had finished grinding the ink. She then walked over and sat down in the chair. She spread out a piece of xuan paper, holding the brush in thought for a moment before beginning to write.
You Yuji wrote a poem by Zhu Dunru.
Si Que stood beside her, looking down at her writing, and recited the poem aloud:
“I am the man of the mountains and rivers of Qingdu. Heaven teaches me to be carefree.
I have granted rain tickets and wind vouchers, and borrowed clouds and moon scrolls.
Thousands of poems, thousands of cups of wine. How often have I cast a glance at kings and nobles?
Jade towers and golden halls, lazily return; let’s insert plum blossoms and get drunk in Luoyang.”
“Heh,” Si Que chuckled softly and said, “In Sister’s eyes, am I such a carefree and reckless person?”
“Otherwise?” You Yuji glanced at him with a smile, then looked back at the paper, selecting the character “Shu.” She thought for a moment, then added the character “Que” before it.
“Queshu” would now be Si Que’s courtesy name.
You Yuji put down the brush and looked up at Si Que standing beside her, speaking softly, “May you not be burdened by golden halls, carefree and leisurely, singing and wandering, free and happy.”
Si Que seemed to think of something and didn’t immediately respond to You Yuji’s words.
After a moment, he smiled, leaned down, wrapped his arms around You Yuji’s sides, and gently rubbed his cheek against hers, whispering softly in her ear, “Alright.”
It was just a single word, but it carried a myriad of emotions in You Yuji’s ears. She raised her hand, gently pressing her palm against his lapel, and spoke warmly, “I need to ask you something.”
Hearing the slight seriousness in her tone, Si Que replied softly, “Go ahead.”
“The rumors. Are those rumors true?” You Yuji stepped back a little, creating some distance between them, and looked intently into Si Que’s eyes.
Those rumors about Si Que not living past the age of twenty.
You Yuji felt it was inauspicious to say it out loud, but Si Que understood. He hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t immediately explain, instead furrowing his brow.
You Yuji watched him intently, her heart tightening as he frowned.
“Rumors are hardly ever true,” Si Que said.
For some reason, You Yuji felt that Si Que’s words didn’t sound entirely honest. Or rather, he seemed to be hiding something. Her delicate brows slowly furrowed, displaying her confusion clearly on her face.
Si Que truly didn’t know how to explain to You Yuji.
Since he was born, he had been a healthy child, yet he was fed medicine daily. Medicine, no matter how nourishing, has its toxic effects. Thus, he was often sickly in his childhood. If he happened to catch a cold or get a minor injury, the illness would worsen, making it seem like he was always on the brink of death.
As a result, rumors of him not living past his coming-of-age ceremony spread.
However…
Si Que indeed wasn’t destined for a long life, which was why he initially didn’t want to get involved with You Yuji, knowing his time was limited.
His short life span was something he brought upon himself.
Si Que was indifferent to life and death, and since he began studying toxicology, he frequently tested poisons on himself. Now that You Yuji was seriously asking him, how should he explain? Should he tell her that he drank poison himself to study its effects?
That would sound foolish and might ruin his carefree image, wouldn’t it?
More importantly, it would ruin the beautiful atmosphere of the moment.
He held You Yuji’s hand, bringing her fingers to his lips, and gently kissed her slender, fair fingertips, saying, “Queshu can’t bear to leave you, Yuan Yuan. I will live well.”
— He was seriously researching the antidote.
Really.
You Yuji couldn’t quite tell if the breath she had been holding was released or not. She still frowned, staying silent for a while, before softening her voice and whispering, “Once you promise, you can’t go back on it, or I’ll carry your memorial tablet and marry someone else.”
Again with this tactic!
Si Que immediately raised his eyes to glare at You Yuji, giving her a warning look.
You Yuji’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and a gentle smile reappeared on her face.
Si Que held her hand, rubbing his face against the back of her fingers repeatedly. His voice lowered and became husky: “This outfit does look nice, but it’s too hot. Five layers. Sister, could you help me take it off?”
He gently bit the tip of You Yuji’s finger, looking deeply into her eyes.
The warm breeze of the April morning drifted in, failing to dispel the increasingly intimate atmosphere in the room.
You Yuji’s gaze momentarily faltered.
Seeing her expression, Si Que felt a bad premonition. Recently, every time she refused him, she had this look in her eyes. Anxiously, before You Yuji could refuse, he called out, “Sister,” and added, “Today is Queshu’s birthday.”
Hearing the slightly coquettish tone in his deep voice, You Yuji couldn’t help but smile, but she still slowly shook her head under his gaze.
Suddenly, Si Que felt that this day of the coming-of-age ceremony wasn’t so joyous after all. He released You Yuji’s hand.
But You Yuji held onto his hand.
Si Que glanced down at her, snorted coldly, and said indifferently, “You’re playing too many tricks of feigned retreat.”
Hmph, even if you strip naked now, I can’t be bothered to look at you!
You Yuji’s eyes curved with a smile, her voice soft, “I wonder if this counts as a birthday gift.”
She placed Si Que’s hand on her lower abdomen, then slowly lifted her eyes to look at him, her gentle gaze filled with starlight. She said, “Our star.”
Si Que was stunned.
Immediately, he withdrew his hand, took a step back, and blurted out, “So I’m not sick after all!”
Hearing this, You Yuji looked at him with wide eyes in surprise, then burst into laughter. Her laughter was like rippling waves, and she extended her hand to Si Que. Only then did Si Que grasp her hand and take a step forward, returning to her side. You Yuji placed their intertwined hands on her abdomen.
“I checked my pulse myself, hoping I didn’t make a mistake,” You Yuji said with a gentle smile, “It’s not even two months yet, the pulse is very faint. We’ll have a doctor confirm it tomorrow.”
Si Que responded with an “oh,” still processing that he wasn’t as incapacitated as he thought.
After a long moment, it dawned on him that he didn’t need to call a doctor; he could diagnose the pulse himself. He then held You Yuji’s hand, placing his fingertips on her pulse, listening intently for the star’s presence.
You Yuji looked at him tenderly.
This child, whom You Yuji had longed for so desperately, finally settled in her womb. She was afraid of making a joke by announcing it too early, but in her heart, she knew she hadn’t misdiagnosed.
This eagerly awaited star had finally decided to stay with her.
You Yuji gazed at Si Que’s profile and said seriously, “From a young age, my father taught me various skills, hoping I wouldn’t have to rely on others.”
Si Que looked over at her.
“But can the star and I rely on you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Si Que answered without hesitation.
You Yuji held Si Que’s hand, her smile as tender as a painting, “Then you must live well and not leave before me.”
“Alright,” Si Que agreed, “I’ll bury you with my own hands before I go.”
You Yuji was momentarily stunned, feeling that Si Que’s words were both right and wrong at the same time.
Suddenly, Si Que burst into hearty laughter.
“Not talking to you anymore,” You Yuji turned away, grabbing a brush from the pen holder on the desk. Carefully, she drew a small turtle beside the characters for “Queshu.”
Si Que watched her draw with a smile, and when she finished, he complimented, “Well drawn.”
You Yuji glared at him with a smile, intending to ignore his nonsense, but he continued to praise, “Vivid, lifelike, almost leaping off the page.”
Shaking her head, You Yuji decided to ignore this fool.
“At the beginning, I wanted to find someone who was good-looking and smart to be the father,” You Yuji complained, the smile in her eyes undiminished. “But now it seems I found someone with a bit of a problem in the head.”
She pondered for a while, then added another small turtle beside the first one, and then a smaller one next to the second.
Three turtles, all close together.
Feeling exasperated, You Yuji put down the brush, realizing with a start that she had also acted foolishly.