“What’s wrong?”
A loud firework burst drowned out You Yuji’s words, preventing Si Que from hearing her.
Following the sound, You Yuji looked up at the huge firework blossoming in the night sky. In that moment, the darkness faded, turning into daylight. She turned her gaze back to Si Que, who was pulling her forward.
He tightly gripped her wrist, leading her away from the riverside crowd, his pace quick.
You Yuji stopped questioning and let him lead her.
Tonight, the banks of the Lianshui River were very lively. Si Que, with a cold expression, pulled You Yuji along for a long time before the crowd around them began to thin. Yet, he did not stop until he brought her into a secluded alleyway.
High courtyard walls blocked out the noise from the riverbank.
Only at the end of the alley did Si Que stop. He pressed You Yuji against the wall, removed her mask, and saw her delicate, beautiful face.
“Sister…” he called softly, his voice restrained.
You Yuji rested her hand on his arm, looking at him with a smile, and asked gently, “Weren’t you the one who told me to dance?”
Her eyes carried a seductive smile, and her tone had a hint of breathlessness from the dance.
Si Que looked at her slightly parted lips and immediately kissed her.
His long fingers pressed against her snow-white cheeks, imprisoning her in front of him, under his hand.
Behind You Yuji was a rough, cold whitewashed wall, touched by the chill of winter. The person in front of her was like a flame. She was caught in between, unable to breathe, feeling another kind of oppressive force invading.
The highest firework burst into bloom, scattering fragments of light that gently fell back into the night sky.
With a creak, a back door in a nearby courtyard opened. The person inside did not see the two in the dim corner, pouring half a basin of water by the door before retreating and closing the door.
The deep kiss was interrupted by the splash of water, and the two stood there, silent and unmoving for a long time.
After a while, hearing no more movement from the household, they looked at each other and, simultaneously, smiled.
You Yuji lowered her voice, even with a hint of reprimand, her tone remained gentle: “Don’t fool around like this outside.”
“I couldn’t help it,” Si Que said, looking into her eyes.
You Yuji’s lips curved slightly: “Are you a child?”
Si Que lowered his eyes and placed a light kiss on her brow.
He simply couldn’t help himself.
The gentle kiss left a soft imprint on You Yuji’s brow. She subtly turned her face to the side, her lips slightly pursed. Even though they had done more intimate things before, at this moment, because of this light kiss, a small softness grew in her heart.
Si Que unfolded the cloak hanging on his arm and carefully draped it over her, fastening the clasps at her collar meticulously.
You Yuji quietly watched as he adjusted the cloak’s collar for her. His long fingers smoothed down along the collar from top to bottom before he let go, naturally taking her hand by her side.
He held her hand and led her out of the dark alley back to the bustling Lianshui Riverbank.
The high courtyard walls receded, and the light from the riverbank gradually came into view until they both walked into the light.
“It’s snowing,” You Yuji said, tilting her face slightly to let the tiny snowflakes fall on her cheeks.
The snow was light, with a few scattered flakes seemingly joining in the festivities.
The two of them walked along the riverside for a while, before the guards who had been setting off fireworks finally squeezed through the crowd and found You Yuji.
“Madam!”
Startled, You Yuji instinctively let go of Si Que’s hand.
“There were so many people, but we finally found you!” Zhuo Wen sighed in relief.
You Yuji nodded casually, barely listening to what Zhuo Wen was saying.
She couldn’t help but find her earlier reaction amusing. She had walked close to Si Que in front of others before, but for some reason, she had forgotten that he was dressed in women’s clothes, making her feel a bit uneasy about being seen.
She quickly glanced at Si Que, not wanting him to overthink. He was looking down, his face expressionless.
You Yuji affectionately linked her arm with his and said softly, “It looks lively up ahead; let’s go for a walk there.”
Zhuo Wen stood in place, watching the two of them walk closely together, feeling that Madam and Princess Que were closer than real sisters!
He didn’t think much more of it and hurried to catch up with the other two guards, determined not to get separated from Madam again. He mused to himself that such beautiful women shouldn’t be left alone.
You Yuji and Si Que hadn’t walked far when they saw the mimosa tree that Baohe and Zhenxu had mentioned.
It wasn’t the season for a profusion of flowers, so the mimosa tree should have been bare, but red silk strips hung densely from its branches, making the entire tree bloom with “red flowers.”
Many people gathered under the tree, including groups of sisters and couples, both young and old.
You Yuji smiled as she watched an elderly couple with gray hair support each other as they walked away slowly. She then turned her gaze to the mimosa tree, which was surrounded by a crowd.
Zhuo Wen asked, “Madam, do you need to go over?”
There were too many people, and if Madam wanted to go over, he would have to clear the way first.
You Yuji shook her head.
One of the guards beside Zhuo Wen, feeling a bit embarrassed, asked for leave and darted into the crowd, squeezing his way to the tree to seek a good match for himself.
Zhuo Wen laughed and scolded him good-naturedly.
You Yuji watched the red silk strips gently swaying among the branches of the mimosa tree for a long time, a faint smile curving her lips.
After a while, she turned her gaze to the side of Si Que’s face.
Despite still being in the lively atmosphere of the Lianshui Riverbank, at that moment, You Yuji’s heart slowly calmed, distancing herself from the hustle and bustle that had nothing to do with her.
All the excitement, tenderness, subtlety, and other complex emotions were pushed away.
In this moment, her heart was tranquil.
In this tranquility, she asked herself—
You Yuji, do you like him?
Not admiration, sympathy, or suitability, but the purest form of affection between a man and a woman.
Do you like him?
Not the admiration she felt for his poetry and writings when she first met him.
Not choosing him as the most suitable person when she urgently needed a trouble-free child.
Not the day-to-day sympathy for his situation, constantly compromising and coaxing him.
She seemed to have almost forgotten that one of the key reasons she initially thought Si Que was the most suitable candidate was because he didn’t have long to live.
At that time, she wanted a child without entanglement with the child’s father.
But now, thinking about his limited time left, she felt a sense of sadness. Was this sadness really just guilt because he stopped taking his medicine? Was it simply regret over the early demise of a talented person?
Not entirely, right?
The intricate entanglements made it impossible to easily separate out other emotions and measure how much pure affection remained.
“Sister?” Si Que looked over.
You Yuji slowly smiled and said softly, “It’s late. We should head back.”
“Okay.” Si Que’s tone was casual, as if he hadn’t noticed You Yuji’s long contemplation just now.
There were small boats going downstream when they arrived, and there were also boats for going upstream. The upstream boats were slightly wider than the downstream ones, but most of the lively crowd by the riverbank preferred to walk. Therefore, there weren’t many boats going against the current.
You Yuji and Si Que, like the other visitors, walked along the riverbank for a while. When she heard Si Que cough lightly, she worried about his health but was too embarrassed to mention it, so she immediately asked Zhuo Wen to prepare a boat.
They sat on the boat, listening to the boatman hum an old tune.
You Yuji watched the floating river lanterns and casually picked up a blank one. She turned and asked, “Old man, do you have any ink and brush on your boat?”
“No, no. Madam, do you want to write on the river lantern? You can use a burnt stick as well!”
You Yuji thanked the boatman, lit a firestick, burned it for a while, then shook it gently to extinguish it. Once it cooled down, she painstakingly wrote the characters for “peace” on the paper of the river lantern.
“Who is sister wishing peace for?” Si Que suddenly asked.
“There are so many people,” You Yuji replied with a smile. She bent down and carefully placed the river lantern on the water. The ripples caused the small lantern to sway gently.
Meanwhile, Cuiyu and Lin Yingying, enjoying the lively atmosphere, had sampled all the snacks along the riverside stalls. Hand in hand, they squeezed through the crowd, standing on the bridge and pointing at the fireworks bursting in the night sky, laughing happily.
A small boat was docked by the shore, its boatman nowhere to be seen. A scholar in a green robe stood alone at the bow, squinting as he gazed at a pink figure standing on the bridge.
One burst of fireworks after another illuminated the scene on the bridge.
Soon, his servant managed to squeeze through the crowd lighting river lanterns and boarded the boat.
“Young Master, I found out. She is a concubine of Young Master An.”
The scholar frowned.
The servant hesitated before continuing, “She was one of the two courtesans brought back to the mansion on the day of Young Master An’s grand wedding…”
The scholar’s furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
She wasn’t someone’s wife but a concubine, and Young Master An’s concubine at that. This made things easier.
When he looked back at the bridge, the pink figure had disappeared.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu, arm in arm, had left the bridge to look for Chunxing. After searching through the crowd for a while, they finally saw Chunxing squatting by the river, holding a river lantern in her hands.
They immediately went over.
“Why did you draw a moon on the river lantern?” Cuiyu asked.
Chunxing was startled, her hands shaking so much that she nearly dropped the lantern.
“Nothing, nothing,” Chunxing replied awkwardly, smiling. She placed the river lantern on the water and watched it drift away slowly.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu exchanged glances.
“Madam is coming,” Lin Yingying’s maid announced.
The concubines quickly went to greet You Yuji. They all understood that they had been out playing for too long and it was time to head back.
On the carriage ride back, Lin Yingying and Cuiyu kept telling You Yuji about all the fun things they had seen and the delicious food they had eaten.
“When we found something delicious, we bought it for you too!” Lin Yingying said, patting the large box on her lap.
You Yuji smiled and nodded.
After spending too long by the river, Si Que felt a bit cold. As soon as he got on the carriage, he started drinking hot tea to warm himself up.
“The fireworks tonight were truly beautiful!” Cuiyu said. “I wonder which official went to such lengths to please his lady.”
Si Que, who was drinking Longjing tea, choked slightly and coughed.
“Be careful,” You Yuji said, holding back a smile as she gently wiped a bit of spilled tea from his fingers with a silk handkerchief.
“Is it too hot?” she asked.
Si Que shook his head.
You Yuji lowered her hand and said casually, “I wonder if that lady was pleased.”
As she spoke, she turned to look at Si Que with a smile.
Si Que’s slender fingers held the tea cup, slowly turning it around. He looked into You Yuji’s bright eyes and said slowly, “I suppose… she must be pleased.”
Lin Yingying yawned and said casually, “It’s so late, I’m very sleepy.”
Cuiyu suddenly burst into laughter and said without restraint, “The official spent so much money on fireworks to make his lady happy. She must serve him very well tonight. She might not even be able to get out of bed tomorrow.”
Si Que lifted his eyelids and glanced at Cuiyu.
You Yuji took the tea cup from Si Que’s hand and drank from it herself before saying seriously, “That makes sense.”
Si Que indeed turned his gaze towards her.
The carriage stopped at the mansion gate, and Lin Yingying and Cuiyu, complaining about being tired, immediately jumped out. Chunxing followed them. Only Si Que and You Yuji were left in the carriage.
You Yuji leaned over and gently kissed the corner of his lips.
The gesture was full of reassurance.
Si Que lowered his eyes, still unhappy.
He still hoped she would pull on his sleeve with reddened eyes, begging for his kiss.
