The difficult half-hour finally passed. You Yuji, with her back to the bed, suppressed her breathing and tried hard to gulp down the bitter brown medicinal soup from the bowl.
The recent scene kept swirling in her mind, refusing to leave. Those sticky, colliding sounds seemed to linger incessantly in her ears.
After drinking the last mouthful of the bitter soup, You Yuji took a deep breath and put down the empty bowl. With the medicine for aiding pregnancy finished, it felt as if she had completed a task, and suddenly, a surge of strength was drained from her. Supporting herself on the table with both hands, she barely managed to stand steady. She bowed her head, furrowed her brows, and silently waited for the spasms and pain to subside.
Si Que maintained his kneeling position on the bed, turning his head to look at You Yuji’s figure for a long while. Seeing her lower her head, he glanced at the slightly bent snow-white back of her neck. He then averted his gaze, glancing at the bloodstains on the bedding. He didn’t want to look, but the bloodstains on the bed were hard to ignore.
Si Que got off the bed, walked to the low cabinet with double doors at the foot of the bed, and rummaged through it. He casually pulled out one of You Yuji’s undergarments, wiped the stains from his hands, and threw it forcefully onto the bed.
Then, he turned around and directed his gaze back at You Yuji.
She still maintained her position, head bowed and hands on the table, unmoving.
Si Que suddenly sighed, feeling a bit of regret.
He indeed didn’t feel satisfied enough, but the one who truly suffered was her.
Is she still in pain?
Si Que furrowed his brows again.
Once more, he glanced at the dirty bed, hesitated, and then went to a high cabinet on one side to find clean bedding and blankets.
You Yuji heard the commotion and finally turned her head to look at Si Que. Seeing him changing the bedding, she said softly, “You don’t need to change these…”
She tried to take a step forward, but her legs wobbled.
Si Que put down the bedding and walked towards You Yuji, lifting her vertically by placing his arms under her hips. As her feet suddenly left the ground, You Yuji instinctively placed her hands on Si Que’s shoulders. She lowered her eyes to look at him, but Si Que didn’t meet her gaze. His lowered eyelashes hid the emotions in his eyes.
Soon, Si Que released You Yuji, placing her on a high stool beside the small table at the head of the bed.
You Yuji was about to say something, but Si Que turned and continued changing the dirty bedding. Once he finished, he immediately turned to leave.
You Yuji’s eyes followed him. Seeing him leave, she slowly furrowed her thin brows—was he unhappy?
You Yuji thought Si Que had left, but shortly after, she heard him talking to someone outside, seemingly giving Baohe some instructions. A moment later, Si Que returned, carrying a basin of water. He walked directly towards You Yuji, placing the basin on the small table beside her.
A snow-colored cotton cloth was draped over the edge of the basin, with warm water inside emitting wisps of steam.
You Yuji had not yet moved her gaze from the basin of water when Si Que wrapped his arms around her slender waist and lifted her off the high stool, placing her feet back on the ground. Si Que squatted down, lifted You Yuji’s dark blue cotton skirt, and pulled down her special undergarment.
He wrung out a cotton cloth soaked in hot water, smoothing it out in his palm to wipe the bloodstains off her body. You Yuji instinctively took a step back, her lower back hitting the high stool behind her, causing the dark blue cotton skirt to fall back down.
“I’ll do it myself…” You Yuji’s voice was low. She pressed her hand against her skirt.
A flash of frustration crossed Si Que’s eyes. He was about to stand up when they heard footsteps outside, followed by Chen Anzhi’s voice—
“You Yuji, where have all the servants in your room gone?”
You Yuji’s heart skipped a beat. She had found many excuses to send her servants away this evening because Si Que was coming over, leaving only the maid Baohe. When Si Que went out to instruct Baohe to fetch water, he had also sent her to the small kitchen.
The discarded bedding was piled to one side, and the undergarment Si Que had just removed was still at her feet. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but there was a strange scent in the air, and she couldn’t tell if her cheeks were flushed. You Yuji turned her head to the doorway, seeing Chen Anzhi’s silhouette cast on the door. Her heart raced, and she hurriedly said, “Don’t come in!”
Chen Anzhi frowned outside the door, sneering, “You Yuji, I came to see you, and you shut me out?”
Just as You Yuji was thinking of how to send Chen Anzhi away, she felt a cool sensation. Looking down, she saw that Si Que was reaching over with the damp cloth to wipe her.
Now?
You Yuji quickly glanced at Chen Anzhi’s silhouette on the door and then back, pushing Si Que’s shoulder. Si Que continued to wipe slowly, looking up to give You Yuji a charming smile.
You Yuji frowned and bit her lip, warily glancing towards the door. She tried to make her voice sound normal, “I’m not feeling well and have already laid down. If you have any business, let’s discuss it another day.”
Chen Anzhi, outside the door, was silent for a moment, but to You Yuji, it felt like an eternity.
Rarely did Chen Anzhi speak softly, “You’re not feeling well? Have you seen a doctor?”
“No need for your concern!” You Yuji deliberately emphasized her tone, hoping Chen Anzhi would, as usual, leave out of pride.
But things didn’t go as she wished. You Yuji didn’t understand what was going on with Chen Anzhi today. He said nothing, nor did he leave; he just stood outside the door.
Fang Qingyi had already been married for a few days; why didn’t he go accompany his beautiful concubine? What was he doing here?
You Yuji was anxious. Feeling Si Que’s unhurried wiping movements, she grew even more anxious.
After a while, Si Que finally finished wiping. Just as You Yuji breathed a sigh of relief, she heard Chen Anzhi outside the door speak again, “I know everything. Doctor Hu said your mother needs you to bear a child for her treatment. So, I came over. No matter what, your mother is also my mother-in-law. As your husband, I won’t stand by and do nothing.”
The sound of dripping water was the response to Chen Anzhi.
You Yuji quickly turned her eyes, staring in shock at Si Que—he was washing the cloth.
Bloodstains slowly spread in the water.
Outside the door, Chen Anzhi asked suspiciously, “Didn’t you say you were lying down because you weren’t feeling well? You Yuji, could it be that you have a man hidden in your room?”
Si Que raised his eyes and smiled at You Yuji, but his words were directed at Chen Anzhi outside the door—”The young master is fortunate, being deeply in love with his cousin on one hand and coming here to have a child with my sister on the other.”
Chen Anzhi was stunned, “P-Princess… why are you here, I, I…”
“Instead, you ignored me in Yunxiao Courtyard.” Si Que’s smile grew more radiant, and he looked at You Yuji, his smile turning ambiguous, “My sister treats me better.”
You Yuji pursed her lips, looking at Si Que with a sense of helplessness.
“I did not!” Chen Anzhi panicked, “I just had no face to see you, I didn’t dare disturb you! I…”
He placed his hand on the door, wanting to push it open but hesitated.
You Yuji didn’t want Chen Anzhi to come in at this moment and hurriedly said, “Young master, please leave! It’s better not to say these things in my room!”
Chen Anzhi was at a loss for words, feeling conflicted about whether to speak or not. The door before him was a dilemma—whether to open it or not.
Si Que bent down, picked up the special snow-colored inner pants at You Yuji’s feet, and wiped the water stains on his hands. Then he stood up and carried You Yuji, placing her on the bed beside him.
He casually threw the recently changed bedding into the basin, covering the bloodstains in the water. As he did these things, he moved unhurriedly, speaking to Chen Anzhi outside the door, “Sister asked the young master to leave.”
Si Que bent down, whispered in You Yuji’s ear, “Wishing you a good sleep, sister.”
His breath brushed against her ear, and You Yuji knew she shouldn’t have any other emotions at this moment, but it felt as if a gentle breeze had blown across her heart.
Si Que pressed down on You Yuji’s shoulders, making her lie down, and then brought a quilt to cover her up.
“In that case, I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll come back another day,” Chen Anzhi said awkwardly. Just as he finished speaking, the door in front of him opened, revealing Si Que’s figure.
Facing Chen Anzhi, Si Que didn’t show the same smile he had for You Yuji. He glanced coldly at Chen Anzhi and said, “My sister said she is unwell and needs to rest.”
Chen Anzhi instinctively nodded and said, “I’ll leave right away.”
Before leaving, Chen Anzhi hesitated, then finally said softly and nervously, “You should rest early too…”
Si Que lowered his eyes indifferently.
Chen Anzhi left reluctantly. He had just taken a few steps when he heard the door slam shut behind him. He turned around, looking at the closed door, and couldn’t help but wonder—was Princess Que angry at what he had said to You Yuji?
Chen Anzhi stood in place for a while before continuing to walk out. As he walked, he kept thinking about what Princess Que had said to him. He had always felt guilty about bringing Princess Que into the mansion as a concubine, feeling it was a disgrace to her, and had been too afraid to approach her. But just now, Princess Que was angry?
Could it mean that the princess also cared about him to some extent?
The matters of love between men and women in this world often couldn’t escape the word “jealousy.” Was the princess angry because she was jealous? Chen Anzhi suddenly recalled the scene when Princess Que caught him talking with his cousin that night…
Chen Anzhi was both flattered and delighted.
He had initially planned to let the princess live quietly for a while without disturbing her, so she could get used to life in the mansion. But now it seemed he could try to approach her more proactively; maybe the princess would accept him sooner than he expected.
Thinking of the day when the goddess he longed for would also be affectionate with him, Chen Anzhi’s heart brightened.
Instead of returning to his own quarters, he went to Fang Qingyi’s Anxiang Courtyard.
Fang Qingyi had not yet slept and was sitting sadly by the window.
Her mother had taken all the blame. The princess, her own sister, had not done anything to her mother but had forbidden her from visiting. Thinking of this, Fang Qingyi felt very distressed. She reminisced about the days before You Yuji married into the family when the Fang family treated the prince’s mansion as their own home. Now her mother was driven away, and she had become a lowly concubine…
The more she thought about it, the more sour her heart felt.
She wanted to get rid of You Yuji and also the one in Yunxiao Courtyard. Only if she became the mistress…
Hongzan came in with a smile to report, “Mistress, the young master is here to see you!”
Fang Qingyi immediately forced herself to cheer up, greeting him with a smile. She sometimes felt fortunate that her cousin still had her in his heart. However, she would never know that during their intimate moments, Chen Anzhi was thinking about when he could be with his beloved princess. Fang Qingyi had little energy to think about anything else; she had another worry—wasn’t her cousin too attached to her? Wouldn’t this harm the child?
After Chen Anzhi left Tanxiang Yingyue, Si Que also departed, taking the special undergarment with him. At this time, You Yuji was lying in bed, unaware of what had happened.
Si Que returned to Yunxiao Courtyard, where he finally coughed up the blood he had been holding back.
—
The next day, You Yuji sat on the chaise longue, hugging her knees, lost in thought.
Baohe entered cheerfully, placing a flower arrangement on the windowsill, and said, “Madam, you mentioned last time that whenever we change the plum blossoms, we should also send a set to Yunxiao Courtyard. I’ll deliver it later.”
You Yuji stroked the nape of Baisui’s neck, “No need to send it.”
She looked down at Baisui, feeling a bit lost about how to deal with Si Que in the future. She wanted to reduce contact with him and let things slowly fade away.
But things didn’t go as she wished.
Another day passed, and You Yuji’s menstruation began.
