You Yuji calmly watched as Chen Anzhi went on a drunken rampage in the outer room, smashing everything he could get his hands on. By tomorrow, the Empress Dowager of the West would arrive in the capital from another palace, and that secret divorce letter would be made public.
Zhenxu whispered in a small, aggrieved voice, “How will we entertain guests tomorrow…”
“Entertain guests?” Chen Anzhi turned around, pointing at You Yuji, “Which wild man are you meeting tomorrow?”
Most of the porcelain in the room had been smashed by him. He staggered towards You Yuji, his finger wavering as he pointed at her, “Great, it’s not enough to have secret meetings outside, now you’re meeting wild men at home?”
A remnant of rationality told Chen Anzhi that what he was saying was wrong, but it was as if he had lost control. Another person seemed to be controlling him, making him say things he knew he shouldn’t.
Seeing the indifferent expression in You Yuji’s eyes and brows pricked Chen Anzhi’s pride once again. He abandoned the last bit of rationality, his face red and neck swollen as he pointed at You Yuji and demanded, “Speak! Which wild man are you seeing now?”
“Me!”
A loud shout came from behind.
You Heng stepped over the threshold and walked in, looking down at the mess in the room.
Chen Anzhi was stunned for a long time before he turned around. His gaze slowly moved upward, looking at You Heng’s face. He was momentarily bewildered, then became furious out of shame, “Who is this man, coming here in the middle of the night?”
He turned back to glare at You Yuji, “You’ve got men living in your courtyard?”
Surprise flickered in You Yuji’s eyes. She paid no attention to the furious Chen Anzhi, instead, she looked in astonishment at the tall man appearing at the door.
This morning, she had instructed the maid to tidy up the courtyard for the guests arriving tomorrow, expecting a few of her cousins who were coming to the capital. She had not anticipated that her second brother would come at this time. Being seen like this by her strong-willed second brother made her feel a bit embarrassed.
You Yuji sidestepped Chen Anzhi, avoiding the porcelain shards on the ground, and approached You Heng, “Second Brother, why are you here so late?”
“If I hadn’t come so late, wouldn’t I have missed seeing this brat bullying a member of the You family with my own eyes!” You Heng, not only tall but also naturally possessing a thunderous voice, boomed.
Chen Anzhi stared at You Heng blankly, suddenly realizing who he was. Anger still lingered on his face as he tried to compose himself, making his face twist into an unpleasant expression.
You Yuji glanced sideways at Zhenxu, who immediately called over a few quick-handed maids to clean up the shattered porcelain on the floor.
At this moment, Lady Jing returned with a worried look. She had not seen the princess; the princess’s maid claimed the princess was unwell and didn’t even allow her to deliver a message.
Seeing You Heng here suddenly shocked Lady Jing, “Se-Second Master!”
You Heng glanced at her with displeasure, questioning, “Your master is being bullied here, where did you go?”
Lady Jing felt wronged. She hurriedly explained in a few words that she had gone to seek an audience with the princess.
“So you’re saying the princess doesn’t care? Ha!” You Heng laughed. “Pack your things and come home with Second Brother!”
You Yuji’s soft lips parted slightly, and she frowned as she called out, “Second Brother…”
Her tone was slightly persuasive.
“What do you think you’re doing? Coming here in the middle of the night to snatch someone?” Chen Anzhi strode over, standing in front of You Yuji. The calm expression he had tried so hard to maintain twisted once again. “Ha, you’re not even her real brother. Coming here in the dead of night to snatch my woman, is this how you prairie people disregard rules and decency? Or do you find your sister so attractive that you have vile thoughts of taking her by force?”
You Yuji’s heart sank, her gaze complex as she looked at Chen Anzhi standing before her.
You Heng’s temples throbbed.
Heaven and earth bear witness, if not for Jiao Yushu’s repeated persuasion before entering, he wouldn’t have suppressed his anger until now.
“… The upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked, this is the behavior of prairie people!” Chen Anzhi’s internal fire seemed about to break free, his whole body feeling unusually hot. He couldn’t help but loosen his collar a bit.
You Yuji quickly walked to You Heng, gripping his knife-holding hand tightly, her intent to comfort evident. No matter what, this was Chenjing, and she didn’t want her second brother to cause trouble because of her.
“So this is how siblings in Si Country interact? Fine, pulling and tugging right in front of me!”
You Heng waved his large hand and pushed You Yuji away. Known as the first warrior of the prairie, even a restrained push made You Yuji stumble. Fortunately, Lady Jing was quick to support her.
Just as You Yuji regained her balance, she saw Chen Anzhi being flung away.
She sighed silently, knowing that today’s matter probably couldn’t be resolved peacefully.
Chen Anzhi hadn’t even realized how he was thrown out of the courtyard. His back collided solidly with the hard ground, causing him to suck in a breath of pain. He groaned, trying to sit up, but You Heng stepped on his chest, pinning him back down.
Chen Anzhi groaned, even breathing became painful.
Wangshan, who had followed Chen Anzhi, was already pale with fear, his legs trembling, not knowing what to do.
“Go, now go and get someone from Prince Jinnan’s mansion who can handle this! If you can’t, then leave it to me to teach him a lesson!”
When Jiao Yushu and You Jiamu entered, they saw this scene. Jiao Yushu sighed and shook his head, “This is bad.” You Jiamu, however, looked excited and almost shouted, “Brother Yuanyi, well done!”
Lady Jing, with furrowed brows, asked nervously, “Madam, what do we do now…”
You Yuji was also frowning deeply. If they were still in their homeland, she would wholeheartedly support her second brother’s actions, even cheering him on like she did in their childhood.
But this was Si Kingdom, and the man under her brother’s foot was the emperor’s own grandson.
You Yuji lifted the hem of her dress and stepped over the threshold, walking gracefully to You Heng’s side.
“Second Brother, someone will go and get the prince. Please let him go for now.” She gently tugged on You Heng’s sleeve, her voice softening with a hint of comfort. “It’s been over two years since we last met. Yuan Yuan wants to have a few words with Brother.”
You Heng looked over, his eyes red, barely suppressing his urge to kill. He pressed down hard with his boot on Chen Anzhi’s chest before lifting it and followed You Yuji towards the flower hall.
Wangshan finally scrambled over, helping Chen Anzhi to his feet. Chen Anzhi sat on the brick ground, clutching his chest and coughing incessantly, his face pale from the effort.
You Jiamu rolled his eyes and jogged towards the flower hall.
Jiao Yushu also headed to the flower hall, giving Chen Anzhi a glance filled with disgust and regret as he passed by.
You Yuji instructed Zhenxu to prepare tea. Zhenxu acknowledged and hurried to get the tea ready.
Once inside the flower hall, You Heng sat on a chair, his face dark, silent.
You Yuji glanced at him, then looked back at Jiao Yushu and You Jiamu as they entered.
“Sister!” You Jiamu immediately ran to You Yuji’s side, looking at her with eager eyes. His bright eyes showed his excitement. You Yuji felt a pang of nostalgia, remembering her own reckless feelings from her youth.
You Yuji bowed slightly to Jiao Yushu, calling him “Cousin.” Jiao Yushu nodded in return, looking at her. She wore a thin, light purple home dress. It was unclear whether she had been woken by Chen Anzhi in the middle of the night or had not yet washed up and rested so late.
Jiao Yushu spoke first, “I heard you encountered the person who assassinated Prince Qi, so Second Brother insisted on coming to see you overnight.”
Jiao Yushu’s words reminded the furious You Heng, who looked up at You Yuji. Since entering, he had been in a state of rage, not taking a good look at her.
You Yuji, with her back to You Heng, replied to Jiao Yushu in a gentle voice, “It was just a coincidence, nothing serious.”
“Really?” You Jiamu looked up at her.
You Yuji ignored You Jiamu. Seeing Zhenxu bring in the tea, she said to Jiao Yushu, “Cousin, I want to speak with Second Brother. Please look after Jiamu for a while.”
“Alright.” Jiao Yushu waved to You Jiamu. You Jiamu sneaked a glance at You Yuji’s expression, feeling dejected as he followed Jiao Yushu out. He was anxious, wondering if his secret letter to their hometown had been discovered by his sister. Why didn’t she even look at him? Was she really angry with him?
Zhenxu set down the tea and then respectfully retreated, closing the door behind her.
You Yuji sat down beside You Heng, raising her sleeve to pour tea.
“You’ve traveled a long way, have a cup of hot tea.” She handed the tea to You Heng.
You Heng took the tea, his gaze falling on the abrasions on You Yuji’s palm. You Yuji glanced down and quickly said, “It’s just a scratch, nothing serious.”
You Heng drank the hot tea in one gulp as if it were liquor. He set the empty cup down heavily, sighing, “It’s been over two years, and you’ve changed so much that I almost didn’t recognize you.”
You Yuji didn’t understand his intention and looked up at him.
“You’ve become more gentle and graceful. You also look better,” You Heng finally smiled. He quickly collected himself and, with a stern face, said, “Yuan Yuan, the men of the You family are not all dead yet.”
You Yuji was still thinking about the previous sentence her second brother had said. Had she really changed a lot?
Listening to the noise outside, You Yuji sighed softly and said sadly, “I don’t want to make things ugly. I only seek a peaceful separation. Second Brother, I have already obtained the divorce papers. I just need to see the Empress Dowager of the West to explain everything and reclaim my identity as a woman of the You family.”
“Why didn’t you leave after getting the divorce papers?” You Heng questioned.
You Yuji lowered her eyes and fell silent.
After pondering for a moment, You Heng understood You Yuji’s concerns. He frowned and said, “Your second brother will shield you from everything! Say no more, just look at Chen Anzhi’s behavior. I don’t want you to suffer here for even a moment longer! Have your people pack up your things right away, and leave with me today! Now!”
“No,” You Yuji refused without hesitation.
“Second Brother, I can’t leave without clearing things up.”
Not only did she refuse to return home without an explanation, but she also didn’t want to flee in hiding. She had done nothing wrong; her departure should be open and honorable. She wanted an official divorce, to completely remove the Chen surname. She would bid farewell to the Chen family and return to being You Yuji with dignity. Even if everyone believed that a divorced woman couldn’t stand on her own and would be ridiculed, she would leave the Jinnan Prince’s mansion cleanly and continue living well as You Yuji, and live even better.
“I can handle it myself,” she said.
“Don’t be disobedient!” You Heng angrily slammed the table, causing the teaware on it to clatter.
Zhenxu, who was guarding the door, couldn’t help but turn her face to listen to the commotion inside.
Before long, the Jinnan Prince and Princess Consort arrived with somber expressions.
“Father, Mother!” Chen Anzhi hurried to greet them but involuntarily took a step back upon seeing his father’s face.
“I…” He opened his mouth to complain but couldn’t bring himself to speak when he saw his father’s expression.
The Jinnan Prince suppressed his anger and asked furiously, “Is causing trouble in the palace not enough for you? Do you have to come here drunk in the middle of the night?”
Hearing the Jinnan Prince’s voice, You Heng immediately walked out of the flower hall. Standing under the eaves, he sneered heavily and asked, “Jinnan Prince, is your son’s reckless behavior due to your family upbringing, or is it because you Chen people believe that all other nations are populated by fools?”
You Yuji did not follow him outside. She still sat in the flower hall, slightly tilting her head, one hand supporting her forehead, listening to the commotion outside. She felt weary both physically and mentally.
“Meow, meow!”
You Yuji was surprised and looked in the direction of the sound, seeing her cat, Baisui, crouched by her skirt, looking at her.
