“Sister.” Si Que lowered his head and leaned in, habitually rubbing against You Yuji’s slender neck.
The unusual sensation made You Yuji turn her head in surprise. She lifted Si Que’s face with her hand, her eyes filled with astonishment. Curiously, she used her thumb to rub the stubble on Si Que’s chin and exclaimed, “So you can grow a beard.”
Si Que frowned and retorted, “I am neither a child nor a eunuch, what’s so strange about growing a beard?”
Baohe and Liufeng, standing at the door, exchanged a smile.
You Yuji’s gaze passed over Si Que’s shoulder, glaring at Baohe as she ordered her to fetch water.
She tugged on Si Que’s sleeve, pulling him to a bench under the window. While glancing at the stubble on his chin, she rolled up her sleeves and said, “I’ve never seen this before, it’s quite strange.”
Si Que rubbed his chin with the back of his hand, feeling quite disdainful himself.
Having been raised as a girl since childhood, he had always paid meticulous attention to his appearance. It was indeed the first time his chin had sprouted such a layer of stubble.
Baohe quickly brought in a basin of warm water and shaving tools.
You Yuji glanced at the stubble on Si Que’s chin and picked up a thin blade.
“Do you know how?” Si Que asked.
“When I was a child, I played around and shaved my father’s beard.” Recalling the past, a slight smile appeared on You Yuji’s lips. She shook the blade in her hand and said with a smile, “But I did cut a bloody gash on my father’s chin, so be careful.”
Nowadays, when she talked about her father, the memories were still there, but the pain had gradually faded.
As You Yuji turned to get a towel, Si Que’s gaze slowly moved from her cheeks down to her waist, lingering there for a moment.
You Yuji soaked the towel in warm water and applied shaving cream before turning back to Si Que. She bent down and carefully wetted Si Que’s chin.
Si Que looked into You Yuji’s eyes, which were so close, noticing the care and focus in them.
Suddenly, You Yuji raised her eyes and softly asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Sister is beautiful.” Si Que said, wrapping his arm around You Yuji’s waist and pulling her forward to sit on his lap.
You Yuji instinctively looked back at Baohe and Liufeng. Liufeng had already left unnoticed, and Baohe was looking down, fiddling with her clothes, not daring to look around.
“Hold this.”
Si Que’s voice came to her ear. You Yuji turned back to see him handing over a bronze mirror.
He leaned over to pick up a blade from beside the basin.
You Yuji didn’t insist, sitting on his lap and holding up the mirror for him.
Si Que raised his chin and began to shave, but his eyes wandered to You Yuji’s face reflected in the mirror. Distracted by her eyes, he hissed as the sharp blade left a thin line of blood on his chin.
You Yuji was startled and then couldn’t help but laugh, “That wasn’t my doing.”
She set the mirror aside with a smile and picked up a clean silk handkerchief. Carefully wiping the blood from his chin, she softly complained, “Your wounds don’t heal easily, you should be more careful.”
Her delicate red lips moved so close to him, even without makeup, she was irresistibly charming.
Si Que couldn’t resist leaning in for a kiss.
The shaving cream rubbed against You Yuji’s cheek, the strange smell making her feel nauseous. She hurriedly pushed Si Que away, turned her face aside, and covered her mouth, pressing her chest and abdomen uncomfortably.
“Do you feel like vomiting?” Si Que asked anxiously.
She felt a bit unwell but didn’t want to vomit. The discomfort made You Yuji shake her head gently without replying.
Si Que placed his hand on the back of her neck, turning her face toward him. His dark eyes were bright as he said seriously, “If you feel like vomiting, you must do it on me!”
He patted his chest and said, “Just throw up in my arms!”
You Yuji stared in surprise at Si Que’s eyes, seeing not only seriousness but also a hint of excitement?
What kind of fetish is this…
“Don’t talk nonsense.” You Yuji, feeling less uncomfortable now, brushed away Si Que’s hand and took a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his chin again.
There was water on his chin, and the blood quickly spread. You Yuji used the silk handkerchief to wipe away the blood around the wound, seeing that it was just a shallow cut, and finally felt relieved.
She took the razor blade from Si Que’s hand and awkwardly helped him shave while softly asking, “Why are you so busy?”
She understood that if Si Que wasn’t extremely busy, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Si Que’s expression immediately turned a bit more annoyed as he complained, “Si Lang is too stupid.”
“I don’t think the Crown Prince is that stupid,” You Yuji said with a smile, glancing at Si Que. “It’s just that my Que’er is too smart.”
Baohe twitched her ears, stopped playing with the hem of her clothes, picked up Baisui nearby, and tiptoed out, not forgetting to close the door for the two of them.
Si Que kissed You Yuji’s fingertips, then kissed her eyes before placing her on the long bench beside him, lifting her clothes to kiss her belly.
“Another three or four months and it should be over,” he said absentmindedly, his cheek brushing upward, causing his prominent nose to gradually part You Yuji’s collar, burying his face in her chest.
You Yuji didn’t notice Si Que’s actions, she was calculating in her mind—three or four months? By then, their child would not yet be born.
For the next month, Si Que was always elusive. Most of the time he was busy in the poison tower, squeezing in time to find You Yuji.
You Yuji leaned lazily on the beauty couch, stroking the Baisui in her arms with a smile, “So busy, you don’t need to force yourself to find time to accompany me.”
“No.” Si Que refuted, leaning in and burying his head in You Yuji’s bosom, lazily saying, “I’m not coming back to accompany you, I’m coming back to absorb some nutrients.”
Si Que rubbed himself against You Yuji’s chest.
Baisui meowed unhappily, reluctantly being pushed aside by Si Que, and hid nearby, bored, licking his fur.
You Yuji gently touched Si Que’s cheek and softly said, “Don’t tire yourself out so much, why do something you don’t like.”
Si Que remained silent.
Not responding meant he didn’t agree.
You Yuji pressed her lips together, having said enough, she didn’t push further.
Lady Jing stood at the door, glancing inside. Seeing the scene inside, she immediately stepped back, not in a hurry to report.
You Yuji also saw the figure flash by at the door, recognizing it was Lady Jing by her posture and stance. She gave Si Que a push, telling him to bathe and change clothes to wash off the dust, then called out for Lady Jing to come in.
Lady Jing listened to the sounds inside, waited for a moment before pushing the door open and entering.
“What is it?” You Yuji asked.
“Marquis Anqing will be released tomorrow,” Lady Jing reported.
You Yuji nodded and instructed, “Send word to Cuiyu. I’ll go with her to pick up Yingying tomorrow.”
A month ago, when Jiang Yunche had just encountered trouble, the frantic Cuiyu had come to You Yuji for help. Jiang Yunche had just achieved success and was at the height of his glory, but he was imprisoned for writing rebellious poetry. You Yuji found the situation very suspicious. She asked her father to investigate thoroughly through his old connections in the court, discovering that many officials were implicated, yet Jiang Yunche, although imprisoned, had not been officially charged. This only made You Yuji more suspicious.
She guessed that Jiang Yunche had neither written rebellious poetry nor was he framed, but was instead being used as a pawn. Whether he was willingly or unwillingly used as a pawn, You Yuji couldn’t discern.
Until three days ago, the case involving the rebellious poetry, which implicated many officials, was concluded. A major purge of court officials followed, and Jiang Yunche was released without charges. You Yuji realized it was the latter.
Although You Yuji didn’t know the specific details and had no intention to investigate further, she understood that Jiang Yunche had been following imperial orders, staging this incident to facilitate a purge of court officials. Not only was he released without charges, but he would also soon be promoted.
You Yuji couldn’t help but sigh, “His Majesty’s suspicion is growing heavier.”
Si Que came out with his clothes, casually saying, “He won’t live long anyway.”
You Yuji looked towards Si Que, who was already heading to the washroom with his clothes.
The next morning, Cuiyu set off early for the You residence.
Before she reached the You residence, she frowned and looked back. Although no one was behind her, she felt as if someone was following her.
Cuiyu pondered for a moment, realizing that ever since Lin Yingying followed Jiang Yunche into prison, she had felt someone was stalking her.
At first, she thought it was her imagination, until one night when she was returning home late from her stall and was saved by someone from a thug. The person left without a word, and she didn’t even see their face. Since then, she knew it wasn’t her imagination. Being stalked had frightened her initially, but a month passed, and the stalker never harmed her. Though suspicious, she was no longer as worried as before.
Cuiyu arrived at the You residence, seeing You Yuji coming out with the help of a pillow. She couldn’t help but glance at You Yuji’s belly, noticing something.
You Yuji smiled at her and, with the help of Baohe, got into the carriage.
Cuiyu quickly followed and climbed into the carriage. She had barely settled when she heard You Yuji speak—
“It’s as you think.”
Cuiyu was stunned, turning to look at You Yuji, whose gentle expression was open and honest.
Cuiyu blinked, then immediately beamed and exclaimed, “Congratulations, sister! Best wishes, sister!”
When Lin Yingying chose to follow Jiang Yunche into prison, she had been prepared to die. She never imagined she would see the day of her release. For a moment, her heart was a mix of emotions, unsure whether to rejoice at surviving or regret not dying together.
She looked ahead at Jiang Yunche. He was surrounded by many people, all those officials in their robes, each smiling and flattering him.
Jiang Yunche, dressed in a prison uniform, surrounded by these officials, was even more prestigious than when he paraded through the streets in red robes on a white horse as a top scholar.
It was June, the wind was warm, and the sun was scorching. Yet Lin Yingying still felt a bit cold.
As they emerged from the narrow, claustrophobic prison, they once again became distant, like heaven and earth.
Lin Yingying looked at Jiang Yunche from afar, slowly lifting the corners of her mouth.
That’s good, as long as he is alive, it’s very good.
“Yingying!” Cuiyu’s loud voice cut through the bustling crowd. Everyone surrounding Jiang Yunche turned to look, except Jiang Yunche, who turned his head to look at Lin Yingying.
Cuiyu jumped down from the carriage, holding a robe. She ran to Lin Yingying, spreading the robe around her and chattering, “Ugh, seeing that ‘prisoner’ character on your clothes is bad luck! Quickly, cover it up with this!”
“Yu’er.” Lin Yingying’s eyes curved into a smile, feeling warm inside at seeing Cuiyu at this moment.
Cuiyu smiled and linked arms with Lin Yingying, saying, “Come on, let’s go to sister’s house. Sister has prepared a roasted whole lamb! It’s so juicy and delicious!”
Lin Yingying’s gaze passed over Cuiyu, looking towards the distant carriage. The curtain of the carriage window was half-lifted, revealing You Yuji’s gentle eyes.
Lin Yingying hurried over, apologizing, “I’m sorry to have worried both of you.”
You Yuji softly said, “Get in, we’ll talk at home.”
Lin Yingying nodded and boarded the carriage with Cuiyu.
Jiang Yunche stood in the crowd, one hand behind his back, watching the carriage carrying Lin Yingying gradually move away. He had thought she was just a concubine of Chen Anzhi, and it would be easy to get her from Chen Anzhi. But before he could act, she had already crossed his path in such a way, becoming an inseparable part of his life.
Around him, people continued to congratulate him, praising his bright future.
With a gentle smile on his face, Jiang Yunche suddenly asked an elderly official beside him, “Minister Qin, what is the next line after ‘When gold wind and jade dew meet’? (金风玉露一相逢，便胜却人间无数)”
The old official was stunned by this untimely question.
Jiang Yunche just smiled, twirling Lin Yingying’s hair tie between his fingers, and walked away, boarding the carriage of the Jiang residence.
Footnotes:
The line ‘When gold wind and jade dew meet’ refers to a famous couplet from a classical Chinese poem. The original poem is by the Song Dynasty poet Qin Guan (秦观), and it is part of his ci poem “鹊桥仙” (Que Qiao Xian), also known as “Magpie Bridge Immortal.”
This translates to:
“When the golden wind and jade dew meet, it surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world.”
In this context, the poem alludes to the annual meeting of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, a famous Chinese love story, symbolizing a rare and precious reunion. By quoting this line, Jiang Yunche is reflecting on the special and significant nature of his encounter with Lin Yingying, implying that their meeting, despite its complications and challenges, is exceptionally precious and meaningful to him.