You Yuji was stunned and looked away somewhat awkwardly. In the past, not knowing he was a man, they had intimately referred to each other as sisters. Now that she knew, when he called her sister, the light “sister” seemed to be veiled in a mist.
The night wind blew gently, fluttering the hem of Si Que’s snow-white dress towards You Yuji, always just shy of touching her own hem. You Yuji lowered her eyes, watching his snow-white dress gently float closer like rippling water, and changed the topic: “Why are you carrying Baisui out so late?”
Baisui was still young and clearly didn’t know its own name yet. Held in Si Que’s arms for a long time, it was getting sleepy. The cool wind was uncomfortable, and it burrowed its face into Si Que’s chest.
“I take medicine every day, and there are always various drugs around me. It occasionally eats something it shouldn’t, and who knows when it might accidentally ingest my poison,” Si Que said, pinching Baisui’s nape, his gaze briefly landing on You Yuji. “So I want you to temporarily take care of Baisui for me, sister.”
Si Que lifted Baisui by the scruff of its neck and handed it to You Yuji, who quickly took it. Suddenly exposed to the cold night wind of early winter after being in a warm embrace, Baisui uncomfortably curled its small tail. In the next moment, it found itself in another even warmer embrace, immediately snuggling into the most comfortable spot in You Yuji’s arms.
Not only warmer but also softer!
“Meow…” it called out softly, like a spoiled child, and rubbed its face against You Yuji’s chest.
Clearly, Baisui was a heartless little creature; it didn’t recognize a master and would follow whoever’s embrace was the most comfortable.
Si Que watched Baisui for a moment, frowning slightly.
— He seemed a bit unhappy.
“The night wind is strong. Would you like to come to my place for a while?” You Yuji asked gently.
If it were in the past, she would have directly invited Si Que to have a cup of hot tea at Tanxiang Yingyue. But now, knowing he was a man, she couldn’t help but be cautious.
“No need.”
Si Que gazed at Baisui and said slowly, “It truly makes one envious.”
“Hmm?” You Yuji looked up at Si Que, not quite understanding his meaning.
“Envious that it can live a long life,” Si Que said, stroking Baisui’s head. He looked up at You Yuji and smiled faintly, “Good night, sister.”
You Yuji gently patted the now sleeping Baisui in her arms, watching Si Que’s departing figure.
In the past, she felt a shared sorrow with Si Que as they were both people from fallen countries. She sympathized deeply with him, being a princess forced to lower herself to the status of a concubine.
It was only yesterday that she discovered Si Que was actually a man.
Si Que had expected You Yuji to avoid him and curse him as a rogue. But instead, You Yuji’s compassion for him only deepened.
“Envious that it can live a long life.”
— Reflecting on Si Que’s parting words, You Yuji recalled the rumors that Princess Que wouldn’t live past twenty. The truth of the rumor was unknown, but in their recent interactions, she had indeed seen his frailty with her own eyes.
If she remembered correctly, Si Que should be nineteen this year.
You Yuji sighed softly, holding the already sleeping Baisui, and turned to return to Tanxiang Yingyue.
Si Que returned to Yunxiao Courtyard, removed his outer garment tainted with the chill, and handed it to Liufeng, followed by a series of intermittent light coughs.
The coughs were irksome.
Tingyun came up from downstairs, holding a bowl of thick, brown medicinal soup, and handed it to Si Que, then stood properly by his side, watching him drink the medicine.
Si Que drank the soup and handed the empty bowl back to her.
Si Que walked to the window and pushed it open. Despite his frail body and fear of the cold, he somewhat enjoyed the chill breeze. If the cold wind on his body could make him feel cold, he found it invigorating.
Tingyun hesitated for a moment, not stepping back, but instead looked at Si Que, who stood alone by the window, and spoke, “Your Highness, if you want that woman, you can have her.”
Silence.
Tingyun waited, only hearing the wind flowing in from outside the window. She dared not say more.
Si Que gazed at the distant mountains and shadows of trees, squinting his eyes.
In the dark night, even with the starlight and moonlight, the swaying shadows of the trees and the overlapping mountains appeared eerie, like terrifying beasts baring their fangs and claws.
Want her, just like that?
How? Use his already deteriorating body to find a woman to satiate his desires and then die content?
“Pack up. We leave the capital tomorrow night,” Si Que said.
Tingyun was just about to go downstairs but immediately responded to Si Que’s instructions.
Si Que added, “Before we leave, deal with Chen Anzhi.”
Tingyun was puzzled for a moment before asking, “Play with him?”
Si Que gave silent consent.
Tingyun bowed and left the room.
—
Overnight, the events that happened at the mansion yesterday had spread everywhere.
First, Chen Shunzhi was startled. His father was furious and warned Chen Anzhi by threatening to revoke his title. Besides Chen Anzhi, Prince Jinnan only had Chen Shunzhi as his son.
Madam Lin nervously asked in a low voice, “Is this possible?”
What was once unthinkable now seemed to hold a glimmer of hope from afar.
Chen Shunzhi shook his head repeatedly, “Remember, this matter is significant, and we should pretend we know nothing about it! Remember that!”
Madam Lin quickly said, “What do you take me for, a fool? Besides you, I won’t mention this to anyone. I even wanted to advise you, don’t get your hopes up. Let’s just live our lives peacefully. If it truly happens one day, it would be a blessing from a past life. If not, it’s also normal.”
Hearing his wife’s words, Chen Shunzhi felt both comforted and urged.
“Alright, I need to go out to pick up Ling Yan.” Chen Shunzhi stood up.
Madam Lin stood up as well, helping to straighten his clothes.
—Chen Lingyan had gone to her maternal grandmother’s house a few days ago and was returning home today. Chen Shunzhi needed to go pick her up.
Cuiyu cheerfully went to find Lin Yingying early in the morning.
“That pretentious cousin girl has finally given up on the idea of becoming the legitimate wife,” Cuiyu laughed heartily. “I’m so happy. Look at how she used to act… in front of the young master, she was like a pure snow lotus on the mountain top, but in front of us, she was a fierce man-eating flower. Ha! Now she has to be a concubine like the rest of us.”
Lin Yingying was also pleased.
Fang Qingyi hadn’t treated her and Cuiyu well in the past, and it’s human nature to feel schadenfreude.
“It is quite ironic,” Lin Yingying said, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds to eat.
The two had different personalities. Cuiyu was always blunt and offended people easily, and today, she was even more merciless: “My maid watched last night, and that fake white flower ran into the one from Yunxiao Courtyard.”
Lin Yingying had vaguely heard something but didn’t know the details, so she was instantly intrigued: “Tell me more!”
“The maid was too far to hear clearly, but she saw that fake white flower turn pale after seeing the one from Yunxiao Courtyard. She ended up running away in tears, and the young master didn’t chase after her, just let her run! The one from Yunxiao Courtyard, who is usually so quiet, actually made the young master kneel and clean the floor!”
Whether it was because it was dark, and the servants didn’t see clearly, or the story got twisted as it spread, the scene of Chen Anzhi squatting in front of Si Que to wipe the snow had now become a tale of him kneeling at Si Que’s feet, coaxing him after being caught confessing his love to his cousin.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying laughed for a while.
Clearly, neither of them was a lovesick girl infatuated with Chen Anzhi. On the contrary, having seen all sorts of human behaviors in the pleasure quarters, they were more interested in him redeeming them from this life than in any true affection.
All their “love” was not because he was Chen Anzhi, but because he was the young master.
“Let’s go, let’s go, we need to head to Tanxiang Yingyue,” Lin Yingying said, standing up.
Early in the morning, You Yuji had sent word to several concubines, inviting them to watch a play today.
You Yuji had invited an opera troupe to the mansion.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu loved lively events, snacking on fruits and listening to the opera. Chunxing was also there, sitting properly on one side, eating fewer pastries.
You Yuji sat in an armchair, watching the performance on stage, distracted by her worries.
She urgently needed a child and didn’t want to delay any longer, but choosing a suitable person wasn’t as simple as she had thought. She couldn’t just pick anyone.
She had originally thought that the father of her child should have good character, preferably be intelligent, and it would be even better if he was good-looking. But with time pressing, how could she discern someone’s character?
She didn’t want to get involved with the father of the child, so she didn’t want to choose someone she already knew.
Sighing silently, she suddenly thought that if the child’s father were someone with a terminal illness, who would pass away after she gave birth, it would be quite suitable. It would save her a lot of trouble and leave a legacy for the other person. It seemed like a perfect solution.
But where could she find someone with good character, talent, and good looks who was also terminally ill?
A white figure suddenly flashed before her eyes.
The soft handkerchief she was holding quietly slipped to the ground. You Yuji raised her hand in astonishment, her delicate fingers covering her lips.
She looked at the stage where the actors, dressed in colorful costumes, were singing melodious tunes. The vibrant colors gradually blended into a blur.
What were they singing?
You Yuji listened carefully. She hadn’t heard the tune before, but the lyrics seemed to be adapted from an old poem by Si Que.
You Yuji felt her heartbeat quicken for a moment, and then it was as if she went deaf, unable to hear the words on the stage or anything else.
—
In the morning, the sky was clear while they watched the opera, but by the afternoon, snowflakes began to fall gently.
By dusk, the snow showed no sign of stopping. You Yuji put on a fluffy light purple cloak and carried a box of plum wine, heading towards Yunxiao Courtyard.
The cold wind brushed her face, blowing her hood back. Snowflakes landed on her raven-black hair.
When she arrived at Yunxiao Courtyard, Liufeng was nowhere to be seen; only Tingyun was downstairs sorting herbs.
“Is His Highness upstairs?” You Yuji asked.
Before Tingyun could answer, the sound of Si Que’s zither came from upstairs.
Tingyun didn’t need to reply; You Yuji already started heading up. She walked up the stairs softly, trying not to disturb Si Que’s playing.
Upstairs, You Yuji stood behind the bead curtain, looking at Si Que, who was playing the zither, and listened intently.
Si Que was playing a farewell tune.
“It’s snowing heavily. Why did you come over, sister?” Si Que lowered his eyes, focusing on the strings. At this moment of parting, he didn’t want to look at her.
You Yuji was silent for a while, as if hesitating whether to wait until the song was over to speak.
In the end, she didn’t wait.
Amid Si Que’s zither music, she gently spoke, “I came to ask you for a favor.”
Si Que’s lips curved into a compliant, shallow smile. “Just tell me, sister, as long as it’s something I can do.”
He thought, there should be nothing he couldn’t do.
You Yuji gently bit her lip and said softly, “I need a man to give me a child.”
The melodious tune abruptly hit a wrong note and then stopped entirely.
Si Que glanced at his finger, where a drop of blood from a string cut had formed. The string that had been pressed wrong was broken.
Si Que raised his eyes and looked at the graceful figure behind the bead curtain.
The bead curtain swayed lightly.
You Yuji lifted the curtain and walked slowly towards Si Que.
She moved gracefully, her skirt swaying elegantly around her feet.
Si Que noticed that some snow had dampened You Yuji’s hair.
You Yuji reached Si Que and set down the box of plum wine she was carrying. She glanced at the candlestick on the table, recalling the slightly shortened white candle in the guest room at Yunping Temple the night before.
She turned her gaze back to Si Que, smiling enchantingly, then bent down and whispered softly into his ear, “Do you find sister’s feet beautiful?”
