Just as they were about to return to the Jinnan Prince’s residence, You Yuji gathered her thoughts and asked, “Has Heir Qi already returned to the Pinghuai Prince’s residence?”
Lady Jing nodded, “Our carriage went berserk and rushed forward uncontrollably, but it was stopped by Heir Qi’s personal guards. Then, the Pinghuai Prince dispatched a large number of soldiers to escort Heir Qi back.”
Zhenxu chimed in from the side, “Although Heir Qi wasn’t critically injured, the blood he was losing was black. The arrowhead must have been poisoned!”
You Yuji nodded and didn’t inquire further.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the front gate of the Jinnan Prince’s residence. As You Yuji disembarked, the steward invited her to the front hall. It turned out that officials had already arrived at the Jinnan Prince’s residence to inquire about the incident. This was the capital, and the victim was the eldest son of the Third Prince, with many innocent civilians also injured. It was a grave matter.
When You Yuji arrived at the front hall, both the Jinnan Prince and the Princess were present, along with an official named Xu whom she did not recognize. You Yuji briefly recounted the events. Some details were not convenient to disclose, so she only mentioned going to Baizhen Pavilion for tea and encountering Heir Qi by chance. Later, as they were about to board the carriage to return, they were ambushed.
“Did you see the master of the Poison Pavilion at that time?” the official asked.
You Yuji lowered her gaze, “The dense blue fog obscured my vision; I couldn’t see anything clearly.”
After being asked a few more questions, to which she responded concisely, sometimes shaking her head to indicate she didn’t know, the Princess noticed her pale complexion and, worried she had been frightened, stopped the questioning and asked her to rest.
On the way back to Tanxiang Yingyue courtyard, Lady Jing quietly fretted. Today’s incident was not only unfortunate but she was now worried that the heir would mistakenly think his wife and Heir Qi had gone to Baizhen Pavilion for a clandestine meeting…
If that were the case, it would cause a lot of trouble. Just the thought of it gave her a headache.
When they reached the gate of Tanxiang Yingyue courtyard, You Yuji suddenly stopped. The sun was about to set, and lights were gradually being lit in the rooms, casting soft shadows on the windows. Having been outside all day, her body was filled with the chill of deep winter, which she hadn’t noticed until now, as she looked at the warm light inside the rooms and felt the contrast between warmth and cold.
When she entered the room, Baisui meowed and greeted her.
You Yuji smiled and bent down to pick up the soft little cat. Baisui smelled a strange scent and twisted its body in her arms, looking at her hand.
The wound on her palm had long since congealed with blood, and the dirty bloodstain covered her palm. A dried blood trail wound down her palm and disappeared into her sleeve.
As soon as Zhenxu returned, she went to get the ointment for abrasions and instructed Baohe to quickly bring a basin of clean water.
“Madam, put the cat down. Be careful not to let it scratch your wound. We need to treat your hand quickly,” Zhenxu said, walking briskly with the medicine box in her arms.
You Yuji sat on the soft couch under the window, pinching Baisui’s soft nape before bending down to place it on the ground.
“Sister is back.”
You Yuji’s hand paused in stroking Baisui’s back before she withdrew her hand and slowly straightened up, looking at Si Que who walked out from the inner room.
He seemed to have just bathed, dressed in loose sleepwear, his ink-black hair half-dry and neatly draped over his snowy clothes.
You Yuji slowly curved her lips and said, “I’m back.”
“What happened to your hand?” Si Que frowned suddenly and quickly walked towards You Yuji, sitting beside her and nervously holding her hand.
You Yuji gazed at him tenderly, a faint scent of irises emanating from him. He must have used her bathing balm again. After a moment of silence, she said, “It’s just a scratch, nothing serious.”
Baohe came in briskly carrying a basin of warm water and placed it on the high table Zhenxu had just dragged to the side of the soft couch.
You Yuji placed her right hand in the water, watching the congealed blood on her palm slowly dissolve.
Baohe wrung out a wet cloth, intending to wipe the area around You Yuji’s wound.
“Let me,” Si Que extended his hand towards her.
Si Que first used a soft, dry towel to wipe the water from You Yuji’s hand, then held her hand and carefully wiped away the residual blood around the wound with the wet cloth.
You Yuji turned her gaze, quietly watching Si Que’s profile.
“Why were you so careless? Does it hurt, Big Sister?” Si Que looked up at her, his clear eyes filled with concern.
“It doesn’t hurt,” You Yuji shook her head slowly.
“Big Sister, don’t pretend to be strong,” he said with a smile, placing You Yuji’s hand on his leg and taking the ointment Zhenxu handed over.
The liquid ointment had a light yellow tint.
With his long fingers, he carefully tilted the bottle and poured the ointment onto You Yuji’s palm.
The blood had already coagulated and no longer hurt, but when the cool, stimulating ointment touched the wound, You Yuji couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Si Que immediately looked up, “Did I hurt you, Big Sister?”
He didn’t wait for You Yuji to answer before bending down and gently kissing her pale fingertips.
Baohe’s almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise, and even Zhenxu was stunned. Baohe reacted first, quickly signaling to Zhenxu, and they both quietly retreated, softly closing the door behind them.
“They’re still here…” You Yuji retracted her gaze from the doorway.
As soon as she turned her eyes, she met Si Que’s slightly reddened ones.
“Big Sister, it pains me,” he said, not only were the corners of his eyes red, but they were also beginning to fill with unshed tears.
You Yuji’s lips parted slightly, and she couldn’t help but reach out, gently tracing the outline of Si Que’s eyes with her fingertip. She suddenly said, “Ah Que, have I ever told you that your eyes are very beautiful?”
“No, you haven’t,” Si Que slowly broke into an innocent smile, “But I know that Big Sister thinks everything about me is beautiful.”
You Yuji couldn’t help but smile. She asked, “What did Ah Que do all day alone in the manor today?”
“Without you here, I slept in very late. When I got bored, I took a walk in the plum forest and then obediently waited here for you to come home,” he said, holding You Yuji’s hand, his bright eyes smiling at her.
After a moment, You Yuji softly responded, “Oh.” She suddenly felt reluctant to look into Si Que’s bewitching eyes. She lowered her gaze and asked casually, “Was the plum forest beautiful?”
“Strangely, the plum forest is always the same, but it never looks as beautiful as when I go there with you.”
You Yuji didn’t respond.
Si Que stared at You Yuji, a deeper struggle hidden in his innocent eyes.
She kept her eyes lowered, her gaze falling on their intertwined hands. He was holding her hand, and beneath her slightly curled fingers, she could faintly see the old scars on his left palm.
You Yuji lifted Si Que’s left hand, her soft fingertip gently tracing the faint scars on his palm. His wounds always healed slowly. Even after so long, the two scars on his left palm had not disappeared.
“They still haven’t completely healed…” You Yuji whispered.
Si Que lowered his gaze, following You Yuji’s line of sight to the scars on his palm. After a moment of silence, he said, “It doesn’t matter if I have scars, as long as Big Sister’s hand doesn’t.”
His words were as soothing and kind as ever, but there was less of the usual playful tone in his voice.
You Yuji’s eyelashes trembled. She looked up at him, meeting his innocent and pure eyes.
“How about after dinner, we take a walk in the plum forest?” she suggested softly.
“With you accompanying me, the red plums will once again be vibrant and beautiful beyond measure.”
You Yuji’s gaze fell on Si Que’s ink-black hair draped over his shoulder. “We should wait until your hair is completely dry before going out. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Si Que smiled, “Big Sister is always so concerned about me.”
There was still a gentle smile on You Yuji’s face, but her heart felt a bit empty, not as soft as usual.
Not long after, Zhenxu knocked on the door carefully from outside, asking if it was time to serve dinner. Receiving permission, she and a few maidservants brought in the evening meal.
You Yuji took the bowl of lotus seed and sweet osmanthus porridge that Zhenxu handed over, eating it slowly. After being out in the cold for so long, returning to the warmth of the room and eating something hot made her feel much more comfortable.
Si Que glanced at You Yuji, who was focused on her meal across the table, then retracted his gaze and picked up the cup of Longjing tea in front of him, sipping its bland flavor.
“This is freshly delivered sweet glutinous rice wine, perfect for warming up on a winter’s day,” Baohe said with a smile, pouring two cups. She placed one in front of You Yuji and the other in front of Si Que.
Si Que glanced at the cup of sweet rice wine with a faint fragrance and said, “Take it away. I’ve given up drinking.”
You Yuji paused as she scooped her porridge with a small spoon and looked up at Si Que, who was seated across from her. He had barely eaten anything.
You Yuji set down her small bowl of porridge and personally ladled a bowl of lotus seed and sweet osmanthus porridge, handing it to Si Que with a gentle voice, “It tastes good. Try it.”
Si Que took the bowl and silently ate.
During the entire dinner, he only consumed that one small bowl of porridge.
After they finished their meal, dusk had fallen, leaving only a faint glow in the west while the moon had already risen in the east. You Yuji personally helped Si Que into a white fox fur coat, standing on tiptoe to adjust his collar.
“It’s cold outside. Don’t catch a chill,” she said, her voice as gentle as ever.
You Yuji didn’t let any maids follow them, worried that it would be dark when they returned, so she took a glass lantern with her.
During the day, people occasionally visited the plum forest. By this time, even the servants who tended the forest had retired and wouldn’t come around.
The evening wind in winter blew coldly against them, causing the hems of their matching white fox fur coats to intertwine. The wind also made the glass lantern in You Yuji’s hand sway gently, and the shadows of the two of them walking intertwined and swayed as well.
“Let’s go up there and have a look,” You Yuji said, glancing up at the pavilion on the rockery.
“Alright, I’ll follow you,” Si Que obediently smiled, though it was a pity You Yuji didn’t look his way.
They walked side by side up the stone steps. After just a few steps, You Yuji almost instinctively spoke, “Be careful, don’t fall.”
“Alright, I’ll be careful,” Si Que replied, turning his gaze to You Yuji, only to see her frown and press her lips together, seemingly regretting her words.
For the rest of the way, they walked in silence, reaching the pavilion. You Yuji walked slowly to the railing and gazed into the distance, watching the sunset fade completely.
Si Que stood beside her, looking out at the end of the plum forest as the sun set.
The wind blew harder in the pavilion, hitting the railing and making a whistling sound.
After a long silence, You Yuji was the first to speak, “Ah Que, do you have anything you want to say to me?”
In response, all she heard was the whistling wind against the wooden railing.
You Yuji turned around and walked out of the railing.
“What does Big Sister want to hear?” Si Que’s smile had faded, his gaze fixed on You Yuji’s departing figure.
He watched her walk away, feeling as if the few steps between them were an insurmountable distance.
Suddenly, he walked towards her, following behind her.
You Yuji suddenly turned around, her eyes soft and gentle as water. Then, Si Que watched in horror as she spread her arms and fell backward toward the bottom of the rockery.
Si Que’s expression changed drastically.
The howling wind messed up You Yuji’s hair, and in her blurred vision, she saw an unfamiliar look on his face. Was this the real him?
Si Que leaped forward, grabbing You Yuji’s waist before she hit the ground, and brought her safely to the ground.
He looked down, breathing heavily, understanding for the first time in his life what it meant to be truly frightened.
You Yuji calmly pushed his hand away.
For a brief moment, their eyes met, and then You Yuji turned away calmly.
Si Que stood still, watching You Yuji’s retreating figure, and slowly closed his eyes.
She had repeatedly tested him with gentle probes, and he had clumsily tried to cover up each time.
In the end, he lost.
