So much had happened today that everyone, harboring different thoughts, stayed awake for a long time.
In the Anxiang Courtyard, Fang Qingyi listened to Lushu’s report about the events at Tanxiang Yingyue and burst into hearty laughter.
Lushu stood with her head lowered to the side, suddenly finding her mistress a bit frightening. She waited for a while, but hearing no further orders, she quietly retreated.
Only Fang Qingyi remained in the room, still sitting on the bed, laughing heartily and without restraint.
Instigating Chen Anzhi to scold You Yuji? No, no, no… That wasn’t her goal. Such petty tricks could never shake You Yuji’s position as the legitimate wife.
Her goal was to make Chen Anzhi act recklessly and anger the princess.
The princess was already struggling with her pregnancy at her age. Everyone knew how her first child had inexplicably died, leaving her body weakened. It had taken a long time to recover before she could give birth to Chen Anzhi and Chen Lingyan.
Old age, past ailments, and the stress from an unfilial son—it would be much easier for her to miscarry. Of course, she had more than one way to ensure the princess lost the baby.
“Hahaha…” Fang Qingyi laughed again.
She laughed and laughed until the sound gradually ceased, and a single tear fell onto the bed.
In truth, her aunt had always been kind to her.
Outside, the faint sound of fireworks and firecrackers could be heard. Who knew which mischievous child was still awake at this hour? Midnight had passed; it was now the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month.
What had she been doing on the twenty-ninth in past years? She would have been in the Marquis’s residence, instructing maids to decorate her boudoir and chatting with a few sisters under the moonlight…
It was nothing like tonight—cold and lonely.
The life in the Marquis’s residence now seemed as distant as a past life.
She wiped her tears away vigorously with the back of her hand. She didn’t believe in fate. She didn’t believe she was destined to be a lowly concubine for the rest of her life! She had made a mistake once, but she would stop at nothing to correct that ridiculous error!
“Die… all of you, die! Hahaha…”
Late into the night, the last light in You Yuji’s room was extinguished.
In the pitch darkness, You Yuji lay with her eyes closed, but she couldn’t sleep. With so much on her mind, how could she rest? Suddenly, she opened her eyes, her brow furrowing bit by bit.
Something wasn’t right.
A clue she had been unable to grasp suddenly flashed through her mind. She threw off the quilt and sat up, repeatedly recalling every detail from the moment Chen Anzhi arrived.
Chen Anzhi…
Something was odd about him.
Many people act out of character when drunk, but was Chen Anzhi really that drunk today?
Was it just a case of drunken misbehavior?
The door was cautiously pushed open, and Lady Jing stepped over the threshold, surprised to see You Yuji sitting on the bed. She had been worried that You Yuji, troubled by her thoughts, wouldn’t sleep well and had come to check on her, only to find her sitting there in a daze.
“Madam hasn’t rested yet,” Lady Jing said as she walked over, tucking the quilt around You Yuji.
You Yuji asked, “Did Chen Anzhi go to Fang Qingyi’s place before coming here today?”
Lady Jing hesitated for a moment before nodding.
The darkness concealed You Yuji’s expression. She asked again, “I heard that Concubine Fang is quite skilled at brewing wine?”
“Yes,” Lady Jing replied again, “She often sends her brewed wine to Anxiang Courtyard. I heard she did the same before she entered the residence. Even now, being pregnant, she still personally handles those things. It seems she has a real fondness for it.”
You Yuji lowered her eyes, remembering something else.
“Madam, is there something wrong? Did Concubine Fang instigate the young master?” Lady Jing complained, “It must be her. She’s already stooped to being a concubine yet still puts on airs like the daughter of a marquis. She’s restless! Who knows what kind of dreams she’s dreaming!”
“If I remember correctly, the day before I married into the prince’s residence, it was also Fang Qingyi’s two brothers who accompanied Chen Anzhi to drink all day.”
You Yuji lifted her eyes and asked, “What did Physician Hu say?”
“The princess, at her age, was agitated and it affected her pregnancy. Physician Hu left a prescription to stabilize the fetus. Because it was so late, he didn’t return to the palace and stayed in the prince’s residence for the night. The prince, worried about the princess, plans to have him check her pulse again tomorrow.”
“No, that won’t do…” You Yuji shook her head slowly. “Although Physician Hu is highly skilled, he may not be helpful, and he might not be trustworthy…”
“Madam, what exactly are you saying?” Lady Jing’s brows furrowed deeply, thoroughly confused by You Yuji’s disjointed statements.
You Yuji was silent for a long while before she sighed softly and said in a low voice, “I never intended to harm a pregnant woman.”
Lady Jing didn’t understand most of You Yuji’s earlier words, but she understood this one! The madam was planning to act against that little white lotus in Anxiang Courtyard!
Lady Jing immediately asked, “What do you plan to do, madam?”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll write a letter and have someone I trust send it to the Zhao family for Lady Chun,” You Yuji said. The hesitation in her tone finally dissipated.
Originally, she had thought that as long as Fang Qingyi remained content as a concubine, she would let bygones be bygones. But today she realized that Fang Qingyi did not want to remain a mere concubine. She could no longer show leniency just because she was pregnant, or else she would endanger another pregnant woman.
“Good!” Lady Jing agreed, then added, “It’s very late. Madam, you should rest. We can think about the plan tomorrow.”
Lady Jing helped You Yuji lie down, covered her with the quilt, and lowered the bed curtain. She quietly walked to the door, but then heard You Yuji’s instructions again—
“Tomorrow morning, when the concubines come to pay their respects, pass a message to Hongzan to stay a little longer.”
The snow began to fall heavily in the latter part of the night and continued until dawn. Early in the morning, You Yuji opened her eyes and pushed open the window, seeing a world draped in silver. Everything was covered in snow.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t cold.
Today was a busy day, and she got up early even though she hadn’t slept well last night.
Standing by the window, You Yuji looked out at the snowy courtyard. Several young maidservants, wearing red jackets, were sweeping the snow. As the New Year approached, the young maidservants had all changed into festive colors. The bright red jackets were pleasing to the eye.
You Yuji’s gaze fell on Liufeng.
Liufeng emerged from the small kitchen, carrying a tray in both hands.
You Yuji instinctively glanced toward the direction of the East Wing. Was he already up this early?
As Liufeng approached, You Yuji smelled the scent of medicine. It turned out that the tray she was carrying held not breakfast porridge but medicinal soup.
An image of the solitary figure standing under the eaves last night flashed in You Yuji’s mind.
Liufeng saw You Yuji standing at the window and slowed her pace, wondering if she should do something.
“Calling for breakfast so early?” Baohe pushed open the window and loudly greeted Liufeng.
Liufeng looked over, and Baohe winked at her.
Liufeng smiled and raised her voice to reply, “It’s not breakfast! Our prince caught a cold last night and still has a fever!”
“Oh!” Baohe sighed loudly, “The princess is so weak; catching a cold can be serious. You should quickly deliver the medicine!”
“Yes!” Liufeng responded heavily, sneaking a glance at You Yuji out of the corner of her eye before turning her gaze back and heading towards the East Wing.
The two maidservants spoke so loudly that it was impossible for You Yuji not to hear them. She could also tell that they were intentionally saying this for her to hear.
She shook her head helplessly.
Zhenxu came in carrying hot water for washing and secretly observed You Yuji’s expression. You Yuji calmly washed and changed her clothes, showing no emotion on her face.
Zhenxu felt a bit disappointed, guessing what sort of disagreement might have occurred between the two. But when You Yuji finished dressing and walked out of the room, heading straight for the East Wing, Zhenxu’s eyes lit up. She hurriedly followed, nodding vigorously at Baohe, who was keeping an eye on the situation in the courtyard.
Si Que didn’t expect You Yuji to come over.
Feeling unwell, he lay on the bed with his eyes closed. He heard the door open and the sound of approaching footsteps.
Then, he smelled her familiar, faint fragrance.
Si Que was somewhat surprised and couldn’t immediately discern whether this was reality or a continuation of last night’s dream. Before he could open his eyes, You Yuji pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.
For a moment, Si Que’s mind went blank, then he realized this wasn’t a dream—dreams didn’t have this kind of warmth.
He slowly opened his eyes, calmly looking at You Yuji sitting by the bedside. She had already withdrawn her hand and wasn’t looking at him. She slightly leaned forward to take the medicinal soup that Liufeng had placed on the small table by the bed.
You Yuji gently stirred the thick, bitter medicine with a small porcelain spoon, then lightly blew on it. Despite the cold weather, freshly brewed medicine quickly lost its scalding heat.
“Now that you’re awake, why don’t you drink the medicine first?” You Yuji looked over at him.
Si Que pressed his lips together, staring at You Yuji’s eyes, trying to discern something.
But he couldn’t understand.
Of course, he had never truly understood this alluring woman.
You Yuji asked again, “Do you need me to help you sit up?”
Si Que still didn’t respond, instead supporting himself as he sat up and took the medicine from You Yuji’s hand, drinking it all in one go.
Although he couldn’t read You Yuji, the look in her eyes was no longer tender, and her tone lacked the concern it once held.
Things were different now.
Zhenxu hesitated for a long while before knocking on the door from outside, announcing, “Madam, the masters in the pavilion have all risen. Would you like to have breakfast with them?”
If it were just her second brother and Jiamu, You Yuji would naturally join them for breakfast. However, with her cousin there, she had additional concerns. Besides, she had other matters to attend to. She replied, “No, make sure they are well attended to. I’ll speak with them in the study after breakfast.”
Zhenxu acknowledged and quickly left.
You Yuji took the empty bowl from Si Que’s hands and set it aside. Without looking at him, she gazed at the empty bowl on the small table and said softly, “Overthinking harms the body. Health should always come first.”
Suddenly, Si Que understood why she had come. She was a generous and kind-hearted person who didn’t want him to worsen his illness over their issues.
You Yuji stood up.
Si Que suddenly grabbed her wrist.
You Yuji turned her face, looking down to see him with his head lowered, his long eyelashes hiding the emotions in his eyes. For a moment, You Yuji recalled the many times he had looked up at her with a pitiful expression.
Those…were all acts.
It was never about him hiding his identity as the master of the Poison Pavilion. It was that this person had always worn a mask, pretending to be obedient and weak in front of her.
She had always sought honesty, but this person had always hidden behind a mask, presenting a false image.
Gently, You Yuji smoothed a strand of Si Que’s hair that had fallen out of place and said softly, “You have your reasons. Though I don’t know them, I’m sure you have your reasons. I don’t blame you.”
Si Que abruptly looked up at You Yuji. Her words seemed forgiving, but he sensed something was wrong. This wasn’t the answer he wanted.
He tightened his grip on You Yuji’s hand.
Blame or no blame wasn’t important. He wanted to ask, “Do you still love me?” He stared at the gentleness in her eyes but couldn’t bring himself to say it.
The question Si Que couldn’t ask, You Yuji had already guessed.
“At first, I wanted your help to give me a child. Later, I agreed to try to love you.” You Yuji slowly raised her eyes, looking at him with gentle eyes. “I think what I mistook for love was actually pity and sympathy for that version of you.”
You Yuji paused, then continued, “And that version of you doesn’t exist.”
The fragile, soft, and kind-hearted Ah Que no longer existed.
