You Yuji walked to the bedside and sat down, reaching out to touch Si Que’s loose long hair. He had just bathed, and his black hair still carried some dampness.
Si Que looked up, gazing at You Yuji’s profile from a close distance. Immediately, he was enveloped by her unique faint fragrance, mixed with the chill of the freshly fallen snow outside.
You Yuji smiled gently at Si Que and said softly, “Staying indoors all the time isn’t good for your health. You should go out and move around more often.”
Oh, afraid he’d die.
Si Que frowned slightly, showing a bit of reluctance. He said, “I don’t want to go out. Unless…”
You Yuji tilted her head slightly, watching him, waiting to hear what strange idea he would come up with next.
Their eyes met, and Si Que pressed his lips together.
You Yuji chuckled, laughing at his childish nature. In the end, she still indulged him and moved closer to kiss the corner of his mouth. She asked with a smile, “Will you go out for a walk with sister now?”
Si Que smiled.
You Yuji patted his head.
“I’ll get you a cotton coat,” You Yuji said, turning to the small room to fetch the clothes.
The smile on Si Que’s face vanished instantly. He rubbed the spot on his head where You Yuji had patted and murmured, “She’s a very bold fox spirit.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Baisui, who was sitting nearby playing by himself. Suddenly, he felt that the way You Yuji patted his head was exactly the same as how she patted Baisui’s, both in action and expression.
He slowly added, “A fox spirit that doesn’t know her place.”
Of course, when You Yuji came out from the small room holding his cotton coat, he wore a bright, clean smile again, calling her “sister” with every breath.
You Yuji didn’t take Si Que outside the mansion, only walked around the royal residence. After the heavy snowfall, everything was clean and refreshed. You Yuji held Si Que’s hand, step by step climbing the stone steps to the high lookout pavilion on the artificial hill.
She frequently glanced to her side to observe Si Que’s expression. Whenever they stepped on the snow-covered stone steps, she often reminded, “Be careful.”
Si Que raised his eyes and glanced at You Yuji. He barely curled his lips into a smile, then coughed lightly twice.
You Yuji immediately stopped and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Have you walked too long and become tired?”
“It’s nothing, sister, you don’t need to worry about me.”
You Yuji adjusted the collar of the fox fur on his shoulders and said, “We’re almost there.”
The two of them climbed to the top of the hill and sat in the pavilion.
“If you feel up to it, how about we come out for a walk every afternoon?” You Yuji asked softly.
“Okay. I’ll listen to you, sister.”
You Yuji’s eyes lit up with a smile as she placed a hand warmer into Si Que’s hands. Then she turned her head to look down at the vast plum grove below. With the snow as a backdrop, the red plums seemed to come alive with spirit.
Si Que moved his gaze away from You Yuji’s face and followed her line of sight, looking down at the majestic plum grove below.
It had been too long since he had simply admired the beauty of the world.
He turned his head and instructed Liufeng to fetch his zither.
You Yuji thought for a moment and then told Liufeng, who had followed them, “Go get the ink and my book of ‘Collected Sounds’.”
The two young maidservants ran off to fetch the items, leaving only You Yuji and Si Que in the pavilion atop the hill.
“How did you know I was going to play a new piece?” Si Que asked.
“I guessed,” You Yuji replied, her eyes filled with gentle warmth as she habitually reached out to adjust the collar of his fox fur again.
— She was always worried he would be cold.
On his way to the pavilion at Tanxiang Yingyue, Chen Anzhi heard the sound of Si Que’s zither. He immediately stopped to listen carefully. Recognizing it as a new tune, he focused even more intently on the music.
Chen Anzhi had some knowledge of music theory. He listened for a long time, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
“The princess’s new tune has a gentle and joyful melody, like the trickling of spring water. It seems the princess is in a good mood! Back in the Kingdom of Si, the princess’s music always carried a sense of loneliness and sorrow. But now, each piece she plays is more joyful than the last…”
Chen Anzhi’s smile grew brighter.
He had drunk too much and, emboldened by his intoxication, had offered flowers to the princess, somehow ending up spending the night in her room… When he woke the next day, he had been worried that his drunken behavior had made the princess dislike him.
Fang Qingyi had tried several times to ask if Princess Que had taken the contraceptive tea, and each time Chen Anzhi had brushed off the question. Although he had no memory of what happened while he was drunk, he knew nothing had happened between him and the princess. He had woken fully dressed and without any soreness, making it clear that nothing had occurred. Besides, he knew that he was… incapable after drinking.
Despite this, he still felt embarrassed to face the princess.
So much time had passed, yet he still couldn’t see the princess as his own woman. In his eyes, the princess remained that lofty, untainted celestial being, a divine lady of the Ninth Heaven, unattainable for a commoner like him.
Sometimes he felt fortunate, grateful that he had the courage to save the princess from the emperor’s wrath. Otherwise, he couldn’t bear to imagine how the noble princess would be humiliated if she were reduced to slavery and fell into the hands of others.
At other times, he felt guilty, guilty that his abilities were limited and that he could only make the princess his concubine. It was a grave humiliation for such a noble princess to be treated as a mere concubine.
Following the sound of the zither, Chen Anzhi walked into the plum grove.
He couldn’t give the princess a proper title or freedom, so he tried to give her as much comfort as possible. Knowing that the princess didn’t harbor feelings for him, he was willing to leave her a warm home in his backyard.
As for his deep affection for the princess, it didn’t matter if he buried it deeply. As long as the princess was happy, as long as he could see her from afar.
Finally, he saw Princess Que.
Chen Anzhi looked up, gazing at the princess in snow-white clothing standing in the pavilion atop the artificial hill, a happy smile spreading across his lips. He thought to himself that his decision was indeed correct. The tune from the zither reflected her heart; the joyful melody under her fingers proved that she was very happy living in the mansion, even happier than she had been in the Kingdom of Si.
As Si Que finished playing the piece, You Yuji, who had been standing by the railing and looking into the distance, turned around with a smile and walked over to Si Que, sitting down beside him. She personally poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to him.
Just now, the rocks and plum trees around the pavilion had obscured You Yuji’s figure. Only when she returned to Si Que’s side did Chen Anzhi see her.
Chen Anzhi froze for a moment, immediately feeling a surge of anger, blaming You Yuji for bringing Si Que outside. She knew well that the princess’s health was not good. If she wanted to come out and enjoy herself, why drag the princess along to suffer?
Clearly, when he hadn’t seen You Yuji, he thought Si Que had come out alone for a walk and didn’t find anything amiss.
He wanted to scold this jealous mistress who mistreated her concubines. He took two quick steps forward but then stopped abruptly.
When people scold others, their expressions are usually not pleasant. The princess was still in the pavilion. It wouldn’t be good for her to see him with an angry face, right?
Chen Anzhi touched his own face.
Perhaps even he himself recognized that the only thing he had to offer was his face…
“Looks like I’ll have to talk to her alone next time…” Chen Anzhi slowly frowned, thinking about the consort’s instructions to have a legitimate son soon and then tear up the divorce papers, which filled him with annoyance. This woman, You Yuji… it’s not that he wasn’t moved by her, but he couldn’t bring himself to woo a woman from the grasslands.
Who knew what she was mad about?
Chen Anzhi stood in the hidden part of the plum grove, watching the two beauties in the pavilion from afar. He stood there until his legs became numb and cold, only turning reluctantly to leave when he saw that the two were about to come down from the pavilion.
When You Yuji and Si Que returned to their room, she immediately instructed Zhenxu to prepare hot water. The hour was still early, and she wasn’t in a hurry to bathe, but she touched Si Que’s cold hands and worried that he might catch a cold, urging the servants to heat the water quickly so that Si Que could soak in hot water sooner.
“Are you cold?”
You Yuji didn’t know how many times she had asked this question.
Si Que leaned in and whispered in her ear, “If sister hugs me, I won’t be cold.”
You Yuji glared at him playfully before quickly turning to look at Zhenxu.
Zhenxu, leading the other two maidservants, walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.
You Yuji turned back and gently hugged Si Que.
Si Que was a bit surprised. He had only said it casually, expecting her to scold him for being cheeky, but she had fulfilled his small request so easily.
He lowered his eyes, his dark pupils calmly gazing at the fox spirit holding him.
Actually, this fox spirit was quite good, becoming more and more indulgent with him.
Si Que raised his hand and gently patted her head.
The two maidservants following Zhenxu were not from You Yuji’s family but were originally from the palace. They whispered to each other.
One said, “The lady and Princess Que have such a good relationship, like real sisters, even closer than real sisters!”
The other nodded in agreement, “Yes, they were holding hands the whole time!”
Zhenxu’s eyelid twitched, and she sternly said, “No idle gossip!”
The two maidservants immediately fell silent.
Zhenxu felt troubled. More and more people were noticing the close relationship between the lady and Princess Que. Their unusual relationship might soon be discovered by others, and she was worried…
While Si Que was soaking in the hot bath in the bathroom, You Yuji went to the flower hall to talk with Lady Jing.
“The empress dowager’s phoenix carriage is already on the way back to the capital. It’s estimated to arrive at the palace on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month,” Lady Jing reported.
You Yuji nodded gently.
The 28th of the twelfth lunar month wasn’t far off. She needed to send Si Que out of Jinnan Prince’s mansion before the end of the year.
Lady Jing continued, “The lady’s investigation into Yi Yuhuan has yielded results. She was originally confined in a secluded courtyard by Prince Kangjing. After the prince left, the mansion was raided, and the servants scattered. That courtyard was occupied by others. When Zhuo Wen’s men found Yi Yuhuan, she was already in a terrible state, mingling with a group of beggars.”
Lady Jing pointed to her own head and said, “Her mind is damaged, and she’s gone mad.”
A noble lady of a distinguished family, yet ending up like this. You Yuji sighed. After a long time, she spoke, “Find a way to discreetly inform her family of her whereabouts.”
What happened to her afterwards would be up to her family.
“Yes,” Lady Jing responded. She had finished reporting the matters and turned to leave, but You Yuji called her back.
“Is there anything else, madam?”
You Yuji’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, showing a bit of hesitation. She remained silent for a long time.
She was always decisive in her actions, rarely hesitating like this. Lady Jing, having watched her grow up, knew her well and couldn’t help but be curious about what was troubling her.
“Send someone to the inn to check if the Poison Pavilion Master is still there and see how he is doing.”
For this?
Lady Jing was a bit surprised, not expecting that You Yuji had been hesitating for so long over such a small matter. She maintained a neutral expression and responded properly.
The next day, Zhuo Wen’s people came back with news. They hadn’t seen the Poison Pavilion Master; he had left the inn on the same day You Yuji had sent him there.
Considering his expertise with poisons, he was likely fine.
You Yuji didn’t dwell on it further.
Before she knew it, it was the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, just a few days before the New Year. The mansion was decorated with lanterns and festoons, full of festive cheer. You Yuji sat by the bed, flipping through a small booklet.
Today was the last of the recent days marked with red circles. The next red-marked day was almost half a month away.
You Yuji glanced at Si Que, who was lounging on the chaise longue playing with a cat, and gently touched her lower abdomen. She had read in some books that changing certain positions could increase the chances of conceiving.
“Ah Que?”
Si Que looked up, his charming smile making her heart flutter.
“It’s time to rest,” she said.
Baisui stood up and tugged at Si Que’s sleeve, only to be easily brushed aside by him.
The bed curtains were drawn down, and the light from the lamps bathed the bed in a warm, intimate glow. You Yuji grasped Si Que’s wrist, stopping his movement, and then turned around.
