The plan to assassinate You Yuji had failed, and Fang Qingyi was instantly flustered. She pressed her hand against her stomach, her mind in turmoil. She had missed her chance and had this child at the wrong time. Thus, she had to take a risky gamble to get rid of You Yuji. Only by eliminating this future princess consort could she claim that position.
But now, the failure of her plan not only might sow the seeds of future troubles, but You Yuji was surely on guard. It would be much more difficult to make another attempt.
What should she do now?
If it were an ordinary marriage, she could find some excuses to persuade Chen Anzhi to divorce You Yuji. But this was a marriage bestowed by the emperor, making it exceedingly difficult to divorce. Otherwise, she could have found a way to refuse this marriage before it took place.
Moreover, the most pressing issue was that her belly couldn’t wait any longer.
Therefore, when the maid reported that Chen Anzhi had come to the residence looking for her, she did not reject him as firmly as she had the day before.
The door was closed, bolted from the inside. Fang Qingyi sat by the window, playing a sorrowful melody, as if weeping and complaining.
“Dear cousin…” Chen Anzhi sighed sorrowfully outside the door. “You understand my difficulties…”
Suddenly, the sound of the zither emitted a sharp discord, followed by a soft whimper from Fang Qingyi.
“Cousin, what’s wrong?” Chen Anzhi waited but received no response. He knocked on the door forcefully.
“Lord, please leave. I don’t want to see you anymore.” Fang Qingyi’s voice was full of suppressed sobs. Immediately, an image of his cousin’s heartbroken yet tearfully resilient face appeared before Chen Anzhi’s eyes.
He could no longer hold back and kicked the door open.
Fang Qingyi, sitting behind the zither, looked up in surprise. Her small face was already drenched with tears. She immediately turned her head away resolutely, pridefully refusing to let Chen Anzhi see her in such a fragile state.
Chen Anzhi rushed over and gently took her hand, which had been cut by the zither strings, into his mouth to suck away the blood. Fang Qingyi struggled but couldn’t break free.
Her tear-soaked eyes looked at him, appearing extremely pitiful. Her tears seemed to soak into Chen Anzhi’s heart, softening it completely.
Chen Anzhi pulled Fang Qingyi into his arms and choked out, “It’s all my fault, every bit of it. I was foolish that day. I shouldn’t have drunk so much and hurt you…”
Fang Qingyi gave a bitter smile and softly said, “So, it turns out the lord blames himself for a moment of folly. Is it responsibility that makes you feel so guilty?”
“How can you think that? Yes, it was my fault for being drunk, but haven’t you seen how I’ve treated you these past two years? Don’t you understand my true feelings?” Chen Anzhi bent down to look her in the eyes, placing her hand on his heart, his reddened eyes full of sincerity.
Fang Qingyi slowly lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on her stomach. She cried, “No mother would let her child suffer. Cousin, I can’t… I really can’t stay with you as a concubine. It’s not that I’m unwilling to suffer for you, but I don’t want our child to be born with the stigma of illegitimacy, always looked down upon.”
Crying, Fang Qingyi took Chen Anzhi’s hand and pressed it against her still-flat abdomen.
“This is our child!” Her tears fell in large drops, one after another, onto Chen Anzhi’s hand.
Seeing her in such a state, Chen Anzhi felt as if his heart was being cut. He urgently said, “How could I bear to make you a concubine and our child illegitimate? Trust me, I won’t let you suffer!”
Chen Anzhi raised a hand and swore to the heavens, “I, Chen Anzhi, swear I will never let my cousin be a lowly concubine, or else…”
Fang Qingyi hurriedly covered his mouth, whispering through her tears, “Don’t say such unlucky things…”
It was clear his cousin’s heart was still full of him. Seeing her smile through her tears, Chen Anzhi pulled her into his arms, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her. “Trust me, I will find a way.”
Fang Qingyi nodded dazedly, her voice soft, “Of course, I trust you, cousin.”
Though she said this, her heart was not at ease. She truly didn’t know what solution Chen Anzhi could have. If he really had a way, he would have refused this marriage before it was set.
But what else could she do but comfort Chen Anzhi with these words?
She was out of options too.
Chen Anzhi gently wiped the tears from Fang Qingyi’s face, coaxing her, “Don’t cry anymore. It won’t look good if your pretty face gets all tear-stained.”
Fang Qingyi slowly lifted the corners of her lips, revealing a sweet and tender smile.
A beauty’s tear-streaked face is the most alluring, and Chen Anzhi’s heart fluttered, leading him to kiss her.
“Cousin, it’s still daylight…” Fang Qingyi tried to resist.
Chen Anzhi huskily coaxed, “You’ve been angry with me lately, avoiding and ignoring me. I miss you so much…”
Fang Qingyi protected her stomach, her tone hesitant, “The child is still small. We can’t hurt him.”
“I’ll be careful. I won’t hurt him, I promise…”
The door closed as Chen Anzhi picked up Fang Qingyi. A white silk handkerchief slipped from her sleeve. As he watched it slowly fall to the ground, Chen Anzhi suddenly thought of the person from Yunxiao Courtyard.
“What’s wrong, cousin?” Fang Qingyi asked in confusion.
“Nothing.” Chen Anzhi kissed her forehead and carried her to the bed.
Amidst the disorder and madness of their intimacy, Chen Anzhi couldn’t help but think about when he could finally be with that person from Yunxiao Courtyard. Just imagining that day becoming a reality excited him, making it almost too much for Fang Qingyi to handle.
Since it was still daylight and they weren’t in the Jinnan Prince’s residence, Chen Anzhi soon got out of bed, dressing himself while saying, “Cousin, the household is busy preparing for my coming-of-age ceremony these days. I probably won’t be able to visit you every day. Once this busy period is over, I’ll make it up to you.”
Fang Qingyi gazed at him affectionately, though she didn’t truly care about his words. All she cared about now was reclaiming her status as a legitimate wife.
She picked up a bracelet from the bedding, surprised. “Cousin, is this for me?”
Chen Anzhi looked at the fine gold bracelet in her hand, the one he had intended to give to You Yuji. When he first saw the bracelet, he had immediately thought of You Yuji and the way she washed her hands, believing it would look beautiful on her wrist. He had planned to give it to her when she returned to her parents’ home, but their last meeting had ended badly…
Chen Anzhi sat down by the bed and put the bracelet on Fang Qingyi’s wrist.
“When I first saw this bracelet, I thought of your skillful hands,” he said, bending down to kiss her fingertips. “This bracelet looks best on your wrist.”
After Chen Anzhi left, Fang Qingyi’s mother sent someone to call her over.
“Qingyi, we are mother and daughter. You don’t need to hide anything from me,” Fang said, staring at her daughter.
Fang Qingyi lowered her head guiltily. “Mother, there’s nothing I’m hiding from you. If you’re referring to my cousin, the prince, everything is as I said at the prince’s residence. Even though we were once in love, now that he is married, we should sever all ties. As for why he keeps coming over lately…”
“Hongzan said you haven’t had your period for two months!” Fang interrupted her daughter directly.
Fang Qingyi turned around in shock, and Hongzan immediately knelt down with reddened eyes.
Fang Qingyi clenched her fists.
Being pregnant before marriage was such a scandalous thing that she couldn’t bring herself to speak of it, not even to her own mother. Now that her mother had uncovered the truth, her tears flowed uncontrollably.
“Mother!” She threw herself into her mother’s arms, crying loudly.
Unlike the half-true tears she showed Chen Anzhi, the tears now pouring out were filled with genuine grievance and fear.
Madam Fang patted her daughter’s back, her own eyes misting with sympathy. She sighed and said, “Silly child, how could you hide such a thing from your mother? No matter what, your mother always loves you the most.”
Fang Qingyi lifted her face, crying, “Mother, please save me. I don’t want to be a concubine!”
“Alright. Mother will help you. Mother will definitely help you!” Madam Fang embraced her daughter tightly. “If I don’t help you, who else will…”
—
You Yuji met Zhao Sheng in the flower hall. Zhao Sheng had tortured the two men who had pretended to be bandits, but they revealed nothing. They were merely hired by someone in the martial world, and even their leader might not know the mastermind, let alone the lower ranks.
The trail had gone cold.
Seeing that only a few maids from the You family were present in the flower hall, Zhao Sheng said, “I still think this matter is related to the Jinnan Prince’s residence. Do you have any suspects?”
There were indeed suspects, but without solid evidence, voicing suspicions would be irresponsible slander. You Yuji replied softly, “I will be more vigilant in the future. Thank you for your help.”
“You are too kind. I am only concerned about your safety. Should I assign a few guards to you, so you feel safer during your outings?”
You Yuji thanked him and gently refused, “Zhuo Wen has already increased the security.”
Zhao Sheng agreed that sending his own guards would be inappropriate and troublesome, so he didn’t insist. After discussing the matter, he prepared to leave. Before he left, he handed over a box of pastries.
“Lady Chun never liked cooking before, but since becoming pregnant, she has taken an interest. She made these pastries herself for you to try.” Zhao Sheng smiled unconsciously when he mentioned Lady Chun.
Lady Chun’s homemade pastries? That was rare. You Yuji quickly accepted them. After Zhao Sheng left, she opened the box to find it filled with colorful pastries. She took one to taste.
She had mentally prepared herself, but the flavor was surprisingly good.
“Madam, Yunxiao Courtyard sent over some wine.” Baohe cheerfully placed a jug of wine on the table. “Liufeng said the princess brewed this sweet wine herself and asked you to try it.”
You Yuji leaned in, inhaling the sweet aroma of the wine.
Busy investigating the servants in the courtyard, You Yuji hadn’t visited Si Que for two days. She thought for a moment, then took out some pastries from the box to make room and placed the jug of sweet wine inside, intending to bring it to Yunxiao Courtyard.
Si Que stood by the window on the second floor, watching from a distance as You Yuji approached. The sky was dark, as if it was about to snow, and her purple figure, walking gracefully, seemed like a stroke of brilliance in an ink painting.
“Why has Madam come?” Si Que asked nonchalantly.
You Yuji paused under the eaves, slightly pushed back her hood, and looked up at Si Que with a smile in her eyes. “During the first snow, sharing a drink by the fire is a refined pleasure.”
As if to echo her words, the season’s first snow began to fall.
You Yuji’s eyes widened with delight. She raised her hand, catching a delicate snowflake on her fingertip, feeling it slowly melt against her skin.
Si Que’s gaze lingered a moment longer on the smile at the corner of You Yuji’s eyes before he turned away.
You Yuji went upstairs, handing her cloak, now chilled with the cold, to Zhenxu. She then took the food box and walked to the window. As she set out the pastries and sweet wine, she said, “A friend made some pastries by hand. I brought them to share with you.”
A cool breeze blew in from the window, and Liufeng moved to close it. Si Que stopped her and even had her open the window fully. Liufeng then went downstairs to fetch another brazier, with Zhenxu following to help.
Feeling a bit thirsty, You Yuji picked up the teapot on the round table by the door and poured herself a cup of warm tea.
—The same teapot she had previously drunk from, the one that had contained poison.
Si Que was startled and blurted out, “Sister.”
You Yuji turned around, surprised.
Si Que slowly curved his lips into a gentle smile. “Sister, I’m feeling a bit cold. Could you fetch me a coat?”
