Si Que watched as Fang Qingyi ran out in a panic, unbothered. The act of killing held no pleasure for him; it was the cat-and-mouse game that was truly entertaining.
He turned around to see You Yuji at the doorway, her eyes gleaming with a mix of eeriness and playful amusement.
You Yuji was also surprised to encounter the Poison Pavilion Master here. She instinctively took a step back, turning her head to glance at the hurriedly retreating figure of Fang Qingyi. Fang Qingyi ran through the long corridor and stumbled as she went out. Watching her almost fall, You Yuji couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern for the child in her belly.
Only when Fang Qingyi disappeared from sight beyond Wan’an Temple did You Yuji turn back, just in time to see the Poison Pavilion Master walk out of the room, passing by her.
You Yuji instinctively took another half-step back.
Both ends of the corridor led to the verandas outside the temple. You Yuji watched the Poison Pavilion Master head off in the opposite direction. She stood there, silently observing his retreating figure—dressed in his usual dark robes and blood-red mask. Her gaze dropped to his left hand—always gloved in black leather.
“Why is he here…” murmured Zhenxu softly.
“Who is he?” asked You Jiamu curiously.
Zhenxu whispered, “A terrifying man whose entire body is poisonous.”
You Yuji retracted her gaze and said to You Jiamu, “Jiamu, you should go home first. I have some matters to attend to.”
“Not going with me?” You Jiamu’s smile immediately faded.
You Yuji bent down and patted his shoulder. You Jiamu nodded obediently, agreeing.
The siblings parted ways at the entrance of Wan’an Temple. You Yuji sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain to watch her brother ride away before instructing Zhuo Wu to drive on.
You Jiamu was riding home when, two streets away from their house in a bustling market, he spotted You Heng among the crowd.
“Brother Yuanyi!”
You Jiamu’s voice was loud, drawing many curious glances.
You Heng looked over as well.
The street ahead was too crowded for fast riding. You Jiamu jumped off his horse and rushed towards You Heng like a whirlwind.
Although only eleven, he was stronger and sturdier than his peers, pushing through the crowd like a young bull, stopping in front of You Heng.
Then, like a little chick, he was lifted by his collar and placed on You Heng’s shoulder.
Standing nearly ten feet tall, You Heng towered over others, making it easy for You Jiamu to spot him from afar.
Clinging to You Heng’s neck, You Jiamu grumbled, “Brother Yuanyi, put me down, everyone is staring…”
From his high perch on You Heng’s shoulder, he could see all the smiling faces looking their way.
“Oh, so you’ve grown self-conscious now, huh?” You Heng laughed heartily, patting Jiamu’s bottom instead of putting him down.
“Cousin, let him down. Look how uncomfortable he is,” Jiao Yushu said with a smile.
Only then did You Jiamu notice Jiao Yushu and exclaimed, “Cousin, you’re in Chenjing too!”
Jiao Yushu shook his head with a sigh, feigning disappointment, “All brothers, but you only see your cousin and not me.”
You Jiamu grinned, “If you stood on a bench, I would see you too!”
Jiao Yushu pretended to raise his hand to hit him, and You Jiamu quickly hugged You Heng’s neck, pleading for help, “Brother Yuanyi, save me!”
You Heng laughed thunderously, his laughter drawing even more attention from passersby.
He put You Jiamu down and said, “The journey went smoothly, and we arrived in the capital two days earlier than expected. Let’s go; Yushu and I were just heading to your house.”
He habitually patted You Jiamu’s head, his strength evident but with a touch of affection. Although they were of the same generation, You Heng married early and his daughter was a year older than You Jiamu.
Leaving the bustling street behind, they entered the quieter street where the You residence was located. You Heng placed his hand on You Jiamu’s shoulder and asked, “Is everything you wrote in those letters true?”
“I swear by the Holy Fire Goddess, every word is true!”
“But what you wrote in your letters is completely different from what your sister wrote home,” You Heng’s face darkened, his smile fading.
“My sister always reports the good news and not the bad. She doesn’t like to show weakness or ask for help…” You Jiamu lowered his head. “Anyway, now that you’re here, Brother Yuanyi, you can ask around in the streets and find out who’s lying—me or my sister…”
In his heart, You Jiamu thought, Sister, please don’t blame me for exposing you…
You Heng kept a stern face without speaking, while Jiao Yushu sighed softly and said to You Jiamu, “Your sister is a strong-willed person.”
As they neared the You residence gate, You Jiamu kicked a small stone and muttered, “With Father gone, they just bully us. Hmph, it’s my fault for being born a few years too late. If I were older, I’d be the big brother and she’d be the little sister. I’d definitely go and beat them up. Hmph, those so-called noble sons just take advantage because my sister doesn’t have a big brother to stand up for her.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “big brother,” sneaking a glance at You Heng’s face.
You Heng’s stern face broke into a smile. The gate of the You residence opened as a servant heard the commotion. You Heng lifted his foot and kicked You Jiamu in the butt, sending him flying through the gate, laughing, “Tired from the journey, hurry and get us some tea!”
You Jiamu ran inside, rubbing his butt and laughing as he agreed.
You Heng followed him in, while Jiao Yushu’s gentle smile faded slightly, and he sighed helplessly.
You Yuji inquired about all the details of the departure from Zhuo Wu, then headed to the courtyard she had asked him to prepare.
“Madam, everything is arranged,” Zhuo Wu reported.
You Yuji nodded and entered the courtyard, slowly walking through the pathways, carefully observing her surroundings.
“Everything was prepared according to Madam’s instructions,” Zhuo Wu continued as he followed her. “The large area at the back is our family’s farmland. The market in front is quite far, so it’s usually quiet here, as you requested. Oh, and the plum grove in the back is exactly what you wanted. The trees are sturdy and lush, but they haven’t been well maintained. We’ll need to hire a master to prune them properly…”
You Yuji looked at the old crabapple tree in the courtyard. In this season, everything was withered and yellow. She couldn’t help but imagine the scene of Si Que playing the zither here in the lush greenery of midsummer.
A gentle smile appeared on You Yuji’s lips.
“Replace the stone table and benches under the tree with a zither table,” she instructed.
“Yes,” Zhuo Wu replied.
You Yuji walked into the room, looking at the furniture inside. She hadn’t had the chance to personally select them; these pieces might need to be replaced in the future. Fortunately, all the furniture was newly purchased by Zhuo Wu, so it would suffice for now.
After leaving the Prince of Jinnan’s residence, she could return to the You family first. It wouldn’t be convenient or safe to take him directly to the You family. He would be settled here in the meantime.
She needed to stay in Chenjing for another one or two years before she could take her family back to their homeland.
Would he like it here?
You Yuji’s eyes slowly curved into a gentle smile.
Zhuo Wu once again marveled at how beautiful the Heir’s wife was. It was a pity that the young master of the An family was too blind to see her worth.
You Yuji looked over and gave Zhuo Wu some more instructions before leaving. As she walked out of the courtyard, she couldn’t help but look back.
Although she hadn’t moved in yet, she already felt a bit reluctant to leave.
She didn’t know how long Si Que could live, but she wanted to protect and pamper him with all her might. She also wondered if he could leave Chenjing with her family and return to their homeland in good health.
You Yuji sighed softly and got into the carriage.
Once inside, she quickly calmed herself, pushing thoughts of the distant future out of her mind. Now that everything was arranged, she could tell Si Que tonight about taking him away.
Would he be happy when he found out?
You Yuji couldn’t help but imagine his smiling eyes when he heard the news.
The carriage suddenly stopped, interrupting her thoughts. She instinctively frowned but quickly recognized the noise outside as the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, which put her at ease.
“My master invites you to discuss matters at Baizhen Tower.”
The voice sounded familiar.
Lady Jing pushed open the carriage door, and You Yuji looked out. The man standing in front of the carriage was the same person who had pretended to be a bandit that day.
Lady Jing, with a stern face, said, “He comes with ill intentions. Madam, we should ignore him! This is the marketplace; he can’t do anything to us if we don’t respond.”
It was precisely because they were in the marketplace that he had his men stop her carriage to show he meant no harm, right? You Yuji remained silent for a moment, then instructed to disembark.
Some things needed to be clarified.
Baizhen Tower was not far, and You Yuji was led to a private room on the second floor. The door opened, and she stepped inside, immediately seeing Chen Qi.
“Sit,” Chen Qi gestured.
You Yuji sat down opposite him.
Chen Qi dismissed his subordinates and then softly asked, “May I speak with you alone for a moment?”
You Yuji motioned for her people to wait outside.
Now, only the two of them were in the room.
Chen Qi held a small wine cup, pondering for a while before speaking, “I have no ill intentions and am not someone who takes advantage of others’ misfortunes.”
You Jiayi slightly lowered her eyelids, contemplating her words without speaking for a moment.
Chen Qi finally set down the wine cup he had been holding for a long time, as if he had made a decision. He looked deeply at You Jiayi, who was sitting across from him, and said, “The biggest regret of my life, Chen Qi, is that I didn’t stand up and confess my feelings that have been buried in my heart for over two years on the day of the marriage decree.”
“Over two years?” You Jiayi frowned slightly.
Chen Qi placed a carefully preserved whip on the table.
You Jiayi turned her gaze to the whip she had lost long ago. Her frown gradually relaxed, and she vaguely remembered Chen Qi.
“Let’s go…” Chen Qi closed his eyes, his low voice tinged with a hint of pleading.
You Jiayi’s gaze slowly moved from the whip to Chen Qi.
“Watching you suffer, watching those people mock you, seeing how disgraceful my fourth brother is…” Chen Qi’s brows knitted together as he took a deep breath. “I can still remain rational now. But I fear that the accumulated pain and regret will eventually make me lose control and want to take you away.”
He slowly opened his eyes, his slightly reddened eyes gazing at You Jiayi.
He was a coward, preparing so much for her, yet not daring to tell her directly. Instead, he resorted to a desperate measure by having his personal guard pretend to be a bandit to ‘rescue’ her. If she hadn’t refused that day, he wouldn’t be here today, telling her these things personally.
Chen Qi’s sudden display of deep affection caught You Jiayi off guard. She had vaguely guessed some things, but she clearly didn’t know that Chen Qi’s restrained love was so heavy.
So heavy that she couldn’t bear it.
He must have prepared a lot to send her away from Chenjing to Su Kingdom, right?
Just like how she spent days and nights planning and worrying to successfully send Si Que away.
You Jiayi’s heart suddenly softened.
Chen Qi’s gaze was excessively earnest and affectionate. You Jiayi instinctively looked away, but she quickly turned back and met his gaze frankly.
She said, “Thank you for your misplaced love, Shizi Qi, and for all your efforts on my behalf.”
Chen Qi’s eyes instantly dimmed. Did she still refuse?
“To the people of Chen Kingdom, I am a person of the conquered prairie nation. But in my homeland, the You family is a noble clan. From a young age, we You family members have been taught to read and recognize integrity and dignity first,” You Jiayi said seriously. “The You family has never known what it means to escape. If I leave the Prince of Jin’s residence, it will be in a dignified and upright manner.”