The Wife Ran Away with the Master’s Concubine 99

You Yuji adjusted her clothes while Si Que lazily leaned against one end of the chaise longue, watching her slender white fingers deftly tying the belt around her waist. He subconsciously touched the corner of his lips, where a trace of her fragrance lingered.

After fixing her clothes, You Yuji turned to leave, casually grabbing a cotton cloak from the coat rack by the door.

Si Que followed her out slowly, leaning against the door frame, and said, “You’re still sick.”

“I’ll be back soon,” You Yuji replied as she fastened the cloak’s front clasp. She paused as she pushed the door, looked back at Si Que with a fleeting, enchanting glance, then stepped out.

Si Que couldn’t help but feel that her bewitching charm was becoming more potent. He watched as she walked away, the cold wind lifting the hem of her cloak.

He added, “Come back early.”

It was unclear whether You Yuji heard him.

Si Que flipped a copper coin between his long fingers and murmured to himself, “Come back early. Don’t let the effects of the medicine kick in while you’re out.”

—

You Yuji had already made up her mind. Knowing that Fang Qingyi had added a substance called “Irritation Powder” to Chen Anzhi’s drink, she planned to inform the princess about it. With the princess’s influence, investigating this matter wouldn’t be difficult. Although You Yuji suspected that Fang Qingyi wanted to harm the child in the princess’s womb, she had no concrete evidence. But if the princess knew Fang Qingyi wanted to harm Chen Anzhi, she would certainly be on guard.

As for other matters, You Yuji, possibly due to her illness, felt too weak to care anymore.

Before You Yuji could leave the corridor adorned with magnolia and moonlight, she was approached by someone from the princess’s side, asking her to go to Anxiang Courtyard.

You Yuji frowned slightly, a trace of doubt crossing her mind. She couldn’t figure out why the princess would summon her to Anxiang Courtyard at this time. She had already convinced Prince Jinnan, and they were just waiting for a few days to report everything to the Empress Dowager when they entered the palace for New Year’s greetings. During her final days at the Jinnan Prince’s residence, the princess shouldn’t have any reason to summon her, let alone to Anxiang Courtyard.

—

“Auntie, despite your poor health, you still came to celebrate my birthday. I am truly delighted,” Fang Qingyi said, smiling as she personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to the princess. “Since you’re pregnant, it’s best not to drink alcohol. Please have some hot tea to warm yourself.”

Fang Qingyi was about to get up to fetch the princess’s favorite pastries, but the princess grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“Now that you are also expecting, you shouldn’t be doing these things yourself,” the princess said, holding Fang Qingyi’s hand and gently stroking it. She smiled and continued, “For the past few years, I have spent every birthday with you. Since your mother cannot be here, I must come and accompany you.”

Fang Qingyi smiled, her voice sweet, “Auntie, you are so good to me.”

The princess looked at Fang Qingyi and sighed softly, a hint of sadness in her voice, “It is my fault. When I noticed you getting close to Anzhi, I didn’t intervene in time, leading to the situation today. My dear Qingyi should have been married off grandly in a bridal sedan, becoming someone’s rightful wife.”

Fang Qingyi froze, a pang of bitterness in her heart, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

How she regretted it herself…

Now that she had become a concubine, even celebrating her birthday was difficult because it fell on the eve of New Year’s Eve, a busy time for everyone. She could no longer invite people for a small gathering as she used to. In the past, as the daughter of a marquis, even on busy days, people would make time to be with her. Now, who would come to celebrate the birthday of a concubine?

The princess looked at her own belly, feeling a surge of self-reproach. She blamed herself for indulging and spoiling her children, raising them poorly. She wondered if it was too late to correct them now. She resolved to teach this unborn child properly.

The princess sighed lightly, then put on a smile and said, “Alright, today is your birthday, let’s not talk about unhappy things.”

“Alright. Having Auntie with me is already making me very happy.” Fang Qingyi suppressed the regret and hatred in her heart and smiled again.

The princess called her maid to bring the birthday gift she had prepared for Fang Qingyi.

“I had it made by Liuli Pavilion six months in advance.” The princess took out a pair of jade bracelets from the box and personally put them on Fang Qingyi’s wrists. “Look, our Qingyi’s fair hands look best with these bracelets on.”

The clever little maid behind the princess also offered a few compliments.

The princess gently tucked a stray strand of Fang Qingyi’s hair behind her ear and said softly, “Qingyi, even though you are a concubine now, it’s good that you are still by Auntie’s side. As long as I am here, I won’t let you be wronged.”

Raising a concubine to the status of a legitimate wife was a major taboo in high-ranking families.

But just as she had boldly decided on a divorce for her sister back then, she wanted to be bold again now. Once Chen Anzhi and You Yuji’s ill-fated marriage ended, she would find a way to make Fang Qingyi Chen Anzhi’s legitimate wife.

However, this was a difficult matter. She hadn’t discussed it with Prince Jinnan yet and was worried about potential complications. She didn’t want to tell Fang Qingyi for now. Even though she wanted to proceed, if Prince Jinnan strongly opposed it, she couldn’t act on her own. If she told Fang Qingyi now and things changed later, it would only lead to disappointment and more trouble.

Fang Qingyi looked at the cool jade bracelets on her wrists, her resolve wavering. She wasn’t oblivious to who treated her well and who didn’t. From childhood to now, her aunt had always been very kind to her.

She gently turned the bracelet on her wrist, hesitation evident in her eyes.

Fang Qingyi raised her head and watched the princess pick up the cup of tea she had poured. Her heart was in her throat as she watched the princess drink the tea.

She suddenly wanted to stop the princess from drinking the tea laced with a sedative!

But, but…

Fang Qingyi’s mind went blank. She had done so much already. Was she really going to fail because of a moment’s hesitation? How could she stop her? If the princess found out what she had done, would she be beaten to death with sticks?

Panic, nervousness, and struggle.

In the end, Fang Qingyi tightly pressed her lips together and watched as the princess drank all the tea in the cup.

Fang Qingyi clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly.

At this point, there was no turning back.

“The heir and the young princess are here,” Lushu announced as she lifted the curtain and entered.

Fang Qingyi was taken aback, looking at Chen Lingyan as she walked in.

“Dear cousin!” Chen Lingyan greeted with a sweet smile, presenting the gift she had prepared as if showing off a treasure.

She tilted her head with a bit of youthful charm and said, “You’ve seen all sorts of good things, so I made you a sachet myself!”

She turned the sachet over to show Fang Qingyi, “Look, I embroidered your favorite instrument character by character inside!”

“You remembered my birthday,” Fang Qingyi smiled.

“Of course!” Chen Lingyan’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. She had recently been visiting the Marquis’s residence often to see her grandmother but always missed her.

“I’m so thirsty!” Chen Lingyan poured herself a cup of tea and drank it down in one gulp.

Fang Qingyi opened her mouth, wanting to stop her, but the words slowly swallowed back down. She hadn’t intended to harm Chen Lingyan; Chen Lingyan had come of her own accord…

She consoled herself.

Chen Anzhi didn’t join in the conversation between the two cousins; he was observing the princess’s expression closely. The princess had not looked at him even once, so he sat down awkwardly, too scared to speak.

Chen Lingyan sniffed and asked, “Cousin, why does it smell so strongly of alcohol here?”

“I’ve been brewing wine for fun lately,” Fang Qingyi replied with a smile, though her eyes subtly glanced around.

Brewing wine was just an excuse; in reality, she had poured wine around the house in advance. Wine was an excellent accelerant.

The maid brought in dinner, and throughout the meal, Chen Lingyan chatted incessantly with Fang Qingyi, with the princess occasionally speaking lovingly. Chen Anzhi sat quietly on the side, distracted by the previous night’s events, unable to understand why he had acted so recklessly. It was as if he had been possessed.

Fang Qingyi ate very little. When Lushu came in and nodded slightly at her, Fang Qingyi knew that You Yuji had already left the corridor adorned with magnolia and moonlight and was heading this way.

She picked up a piece of candied fruit from the small white porcelain plate, a smile forming at the corners of her lips.

Prince Jinnan had agreed to the You family’s request for a divorce out of necessity. Given a choice, he would definitely prefer You Yuji to stay quietly in the prince’s residence. Or, perhaps, die in the residence. Tonight, with a big fire here and You Yuji coincidentally arriving, the heartless Prince Jinnan could easily shift the blame onto You Yuji, beating her to death first and then assigning the blame.

See, how considerate she was of the Jinnan Prince’s Residence.

“Lushu, go to the kitchen and check if the chestnut chicken is ready,” Fang Qingyi instructed.

Lushu responded and turned to leave.

Fang Qingyi added, “Why do I feel a bit cold? Is the weather changing again? Close all the doors and windows.”

Though it was winter, only one of the four windows was open. Lushu went to close that window before leaving. The two maids who were with the princess also followed Lushu to help bring in the dishes.

The princess touched Fang Qingyi’s sleeve and said with concern, “It is a bit thin. The weather is cold now; you should wear more clothes. If you catch a cold during pregnancy, it will be very hard on you.”

“Yes, I will.” Fang Qingyi looked at her sleeve. Thin? She seemed unable to distinguish between cold and heat anymore.

After waiting for a while, Fang Qingyi smiled and said, “Auntie, I seem to be a bit cold. I’ll go inside to get a coat.”

“Go ahead.” The princess rubbed the corner of her eyes, feeling a bit sleepy.

Fang Qingyi walked gracefully into the inner room, not to fetch a coat, but to stand by the door, peering through the carved gaps in the wooden door at the three people outside. She watched them sway and gradually collapse onto the table.

The flames had already started burning around the house.

Through the small door, Fang Qingyi could see the faintly visible flames outside the window. She pushed open the door, walked out, and took the candlestick from the tall table, lighting the wooden furniture that had been soaked with wine in advance.

Walking to the table, she looked at the three unconscious people. After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up the wine jug on the table, closed her eyes, and poured the wine over the princess.

Her hands were trembling.

The empty jug fell to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces. Fang Qingyi took a step back, her face pale.

“Ah… ah…” Chen Anzhi painfully opened his eyes, his head splitting. The next moment, he was horrified by the sight of the flames before him.

“Mother, Lingyan… save, save the fire…” he weakly spoke, his voice barely audible.

Fang Qingyi stood frozen, staring at Chen Anzhi. He had consumed the least amount of the sedative and hadn’t completely lost consciousness.

“Qingyi…” Chen Anzhi staggered to his feet and walked towards her.

Fang Qingyi’s face went white as she stepped back.

When Chen Anzhi lunged at her, Fang Qingyi pulled a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed it into his abdomen in a wild panic.

Even in his weakened state, Chen Anzhi’s force was strong, pushing both of them back several steps until Fang Qingyi’s back hit the wall.

A burning lantern fell from the beam, grazing Chen Anzhi’s arm and flashing past Fang Qingyi’s vision.

It turned out Chen Anzhi had lunged at her to protect her from being burned by the falling lantern!

Blood poured from Chen Anzhi’s wound, scorching Fang Qingyi’s hand that held the knife. Her hand trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to scream, but her throat was blocked, and not a sound came out.

Chen Anzhi stared wide-eyed at Fang Qingyi.

All his past perceptions were overturned in an instant.

When You Yuji arrived at Anxiang Courtyard, it was already engulfed in flames.

—

In Tanxiang Yingyue, Si Que coldly glanced at Baisui grooming itself. Suddenly, he recalled You Yuji’s bewitching smile as she looked at him and said, “Ah Que, you don’t think your sister only cares about you, do you?”

No, he had to find that cunning fox.