Si Que propped himself up from his wheelchair, sat beside You Yuji, and naturally hooked his arm around her waist, embracing her from behind. He gently pressed his face against the back of her neck and nuzzled softly.
“No,” You Yuji replied softly. Feeling his grip tighten around her waist, You Yuji pushed his hand away and then noticed that his left hand was wrapped in thick white gauze.
She lifted Si Que’s hand and turned it over, only to see traces of blood seeping through the gauze. Her brow furrowed instantly, and she asked worriedly, “What happened to your hand?”
“Just a scratch,” he replied casually.
“How could you be so careless?”
Seeing the blood soaking through the gauze, You Yuji called for someone to bring the medicine and fresh gauze. Carefully, she began unwrapping the gauze from Si Que’s hand. The wound was stained with blood, making it hard to see clearly. She took the tweezers and gently dabbed the wound with cotton soaked in medicinal water. As soon as the damp cotton touched his palm, she immediately asked, “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
Hearing his usual tone, You Yuji looked up and met his smiling eyes. Puzzled by his lack of pain, she continued to clean the wound.
As she wiped away the blood around the wound, it became visible.
“How did it get this deep?” You Yuji murmured in mild reproach.
His wounds never seemed to heal properly. The previous cut on his palm hadn’t even disappeared, and now there was a new one.
After applying the medicine, You Yuji wrapped his hand with clean gauze and couldn’t help but complain again, “You’re too careless.”
Her gaze held a trace of reprimand, “Look at you, already frail and with an injured leg, now you’ve cut your hand too. How can you be so careless with yourself?”
Si Que wanted to say that he had never known what it meant to be kind to oneself.
—He had never been treated kindly, nor had he treated others kindly, and he had no desire to be kind to himself.
But he didn’t say that, knowing it wouldn’t be well-received. Instead, he smiled faintly and said, “Sister, I’m very tired and want to sleep for a while.”
You Yuji couldn’t bring herself to say anything more.
“Alright, let me help you lie down for a bit.” She helped Si Que back into the wheelchair and then wheeled him to the inner room of the sleeping quarters, helping him lie down on the bed.
“Aren’t you going to stay with me?” Si Que held onto You Yuji’s wrist.
“I’ll just step out for a bit and be back soon to keep you company,” You Yuji said as she bent over to tuck him in.
After leaving the sleeping quarters, You Yuji instructed Lady Jing to have someone keep an eye on the Empress Dowager’s movements. With the Eastern Empress Dowager’s birthday approaching, she needed to know if the Western Empress Dowager would return to the capital early. Then, she called for Zhuo Wen to arrange for reliable people to go outside the city and look for Yi Yuhuan.
That day, she was indeed too weak to care about much. Over the past two days, as she thought about it more and more, she felt uneasy. Now, it was evident that the court intended to take action against the Poison Pavilion. She wasn’t sure if Yi Yuhuan had recognized that the person he encountered was the master of the Poison Pavilion. If Yi Yuhuan did recognize him and reported it to the court, they would come to question her.
With Lady Jing and Zhuo Wen out handling matters, You Yuji remained in the flower hall, deep in thought.
“Madam…” Baohe approached with tea and pastries, hesitating to speak.
“Is there something you wish to say to me?” You Yuji looked at her.
Baohe immediately smiled and said, “Madam, you’ve been away for several days, but you don’t know that the Princess fell ill after you left!”
“She fell ill?”
“Yes, yes!” Baohe nodded vigorously. “After you left, the Princess returned to the East Wing. Liufeng said she was unconscious for several days. She only woke up this morning and then came to your room to play the zither. Isn’t it a coincidence that just as the Princess started playing, you returned!”
How remarkable!
— This sentiment was in Baohe’s heart, but she didn’t dare say it out loud.
You Yuji thought of Si Que’s pale face when he told her he was very tired and wanted to sleep. She turned and headed towards the sleeping quarters.
Baohe stood where she was, quietly giving herself a thumbs-up.
This scene was witnessed by Zhenxu, who shook her head disapprovingly and sighed lightly. She couldn’t understand why Baohe was so happy. She only worried that this forbidden love would bring trouble to Madam. Moreover, considering the Princess’s poor health, how devastated would Madam be if the Princess passed away…
Zhenxu sighed again.
When You Yuji quietly entered the inner room, Si Que was already asleep.
This time, Si Que hadn’t lied. He was genuinely very tired. The sleepless nights had taken a significant toll on him. Since returning to the palace the night before last, he had been sleeping intermittently until this morning. Knowing that You Yuji would return today, he had barely managed to get up.
Seeing him asleep, You Yuji added some sleep-inducing incense to the censer and tiptoed towards the bed. After a moment’s hesitation, she didn’t lie down but instead went to the wicker chair by the window, taking a medical book to read.
For nearly a year, she had been reading medical books. Unknowingly, she had read many, gradually understanding more. Initially, it was for her mother, but now she thought it would be good if she could help him too.
You Yuji looked up at Si Que on the bed. To treat an illness, one must first know its cause. She needed to understand why his body was in such poor condition.
Si Que slept almost the entire afternoon, only slowly opening his eyes as dusk enveloped the room. He looked to his side and saw it was empty, a trace of sullenness appearing in his eyes.
“Awake?”
You Yuji’s gentle voice sounded, instantly dispelling the sullenness in his eyes. He looked up towards the voice and showed a clean, obedient smile, calling out, “Sister.”
You Yuji put down the medical book she was holding and walked gracefully towards him. Her soft fingertips brushed a strand of black hair from his face as she gently spoke, “You’ve slept the whole afternoon. Shall we go out for a walk?”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Sister.”
You Yuji helped Si Que sit up in the wheelchair, not only dressing him in an outer garment but also draping her dark green cloak over him and covering his legs with a thin blanket.
Si Que looked down at You Yuji, who was kneeling before him, arranging the blanket. He suddenly felt a sense of disorientation. When was the last time someone had taken care of him like this?
Si Que thought seriously for a moment. The answer was never.
“Alright.” You Yuji stood up and smiled at him.
He slowly returned a smile.
“If you feel cold or uncomfortable, tell me immediately.” You Yuji took the hand warmer handed to her by Zhenxu and placed it in Si Que’s hands before moving behind him to push the wheelchair.
“Sister is so good to me.” Si Que lowered his long eyelashes, a smile lingering on his lips.
You Yuji smiled and casually remarked, “You and Yingying both have sweet tongues.”
But this time, he wasn’t lying.
You Yuji was pushing Si Que out of the courtyard when they ran into Chen Anzhi. Behind Chen Anzhi stood a woman. You Yuji glanced at the woman, recognizing she wasn’t from the palace, but felt she looked vaguely familiar.
“Why are you bringing the Princess out when she is unwell? What if she catches a cold?” Chen Anzhi looked at You Yuji, speaking in a reproachful tone.
You Yuji didn’t want to explain, and Chen Anzhi didn’t wait for her to, quickly replacing his reprimand with a fawning smile as he looked at Si Que, his tone turning gentle, “Princess, look who I brought for you.”
Si Que had already seen the woman standing behind Chen Anzhi—Si Han, his nominal sister.
“Princess, you know that when your country’s crown prince fled, the Emperor, in his fury, demoted all your country’s women to slave status. I wanted to save more of them for you, but it was very difficult… It took a lot of effort to get Princess Han’s indenture and bring her here.”
Si Han laughed self-deprecatingly, “With the country fallen, what princess is there to speak of?”
Chen Anzhi was momentarily at a loss for words. After all, it was true. Only the people around still called her a princess out of courtesy; publicly, no one dared to use that title anymore.
Ignoring Si Han’s comment, Chen Anzhi continued to fawn over Si Que, “I had no choice but to take Princess Han into the palace as a concubine. But believe me, I did it to save her for you. Outwardly, she is my concubine, but inside the palace, she isn’t treated that way. I just wanted her to be here to keep you company, to reunite you two sisters, and to bring more smiles to your face.”
Chen Anzhi’s gaze on Si Que gradually took on an infatuated quality.
He had pondered for a long time about how to win the beauty’s heart. Princess Que had once been of noble status, accustomed to seeing precious and rare items. Offering treasures might not touch her heart, especially since she was such a pure and noble person, unlikely to appreciate common things.
He thought and thought. For the Princess, her deepest wishes were for good health and the pain of her fallen nation. For the former, he was not a doctor and could only think of hiring a good one. The physician was already on his way. As for the latter, he was powerless. Thus, he decided to help save the Princess’s family.
Rescuing Si Han from Sun Guangliang’s hands had indeed cost him considerable effort.
Everyone thought he was a playboy, befriending and mingling daily with people like Sun Guangliang. In fact, he did all this to save Si Han and win the Princess’s favor.
But even as he eagerly looked at the Princess, he didn’t get the grateful smile he hoped for.
Si Que lowered his eyes. His long eyelashes always seemed to conceal the emotions in his eyes.
The anticipation in Chen Anzhi’s eyes gradually faded. The endurance and humiliation of these days had not brought the Princess any joy. He felt a hollow emptiness. After a brief moment of disappointment, he gathered himself and said with a smile, “I originally planned to settle Princess Han in Yunxiao Courtyard to keep you company. But Yunxiao Courtyard is currently under renovation, so I had to settle her in Haitang Residence for now. Once Yunxiao Courtyard is repaired, you two can reunite.”
Si Que finally spoke, turning his eyes to You Yuji beside him, “Sister, I want to go back.”
You Yuji withdrew her gaze from Si Han and said, “Alright, I’ll take you back.”
Chen Anzhi’s expression became somewhat awkward, but he forced a smile, “Very well, Princess, rest well. I will personally take your sister to settle in.”
You Yuji pushed Si Que back, returning to the courtyard of Tanxiang Yingyue. The thin blanket on Si Que’s legs had slid off halfway. You Yuji stopped, walked to the front to adjust it for him. She didn’t immediately stand up but remained crouched in front of him, looking up and asking, “Do you not have a good relationship with Princess Han?”
“She always bullied me.”
You Yuji was taken aback.
Si Que gazed intently at You Yuji, not wanting to miss any expression on her face. He saw her initial surprise, followed by a slight frown and a hint of anger.
“How did she bully you?” You Yuji asked.
“She called me half-dead, said I was neither man nor woman. She poked me with needles, threw mud at me, whipped me, and poured water on me to make me sick.”
Si Que watched You Yuji closely, seeing the anger in her eyes grow stronger.
So this is what it feels like to complain to someone, he thought.
He slowly curved his lips into a smile and said softly, “Sister, it’s all in the past.”
You Yuji suppressed her emotions, stood up, and pushed Si Que towards his room in the East Wing.
“Sister, you don’t allow me to stay with you anymore.”
“It’s not that. It’s getting colder, so I need to get some of your cotton clothes,” You Yuji said, lowering her eyes to look at him gently as she reached out and pinched his earlobe.
The soft, tingling sensation on his earlobe made Si Que’s face change instantly, becoming extremely unnatural.
Standing behind him, You Yuji didn’t notice his discomfort.
It wasn’t until they entered his room that Si Que’s expression returned to normal.
You Yuji opened Si Que’s wardrobe to pick out cotton clothes for him. Seeing that she was about to touch the drawer containing the blood-red mask and dark clothes, Si Que called out urgently, “Sister!”
She wanted the talented, gentle, kind, and obedient Si Que, not the dark and malicious master of the Poison Pavilion.
Having worn the mask for so long, he didn’t dare let her see his true self.
Can’t wait for them to be fully honest with each other