The next morning, just as You Yuji was about to pay her respects to the Princess Consort, Gu Momo hurried over to deliver a message. The Princess Consort was suffering from a severe headache and had excused herself from receiving visitors. She entrusted some matters to You Yuji, particularly the upcoming coming-of-age ceremony for Chen Anzhi, which required her attention.
Gu Momo also brought some materials for winter clothes from the residence, allowing You Yuji to select first before distributing the rest.
The materials, though slightly different in texture, were all of high quality. The colors and patterns varied greatly, dazzling the eye.
You Yuji immediately noticed a piece of snow-white satin. She personally took it out and gently stroked the exquisite cloud embroidery with her fingertips.
“Send this to Yunxiao Courtyard,” You Yuji paused, then changed her mind, “Place it there. I’ll deliver it personally later.”
She then instructed Zhenxu to divide the remaining materials evenly into three parts, for Chen Anzhi’s two concubines and a maidservant. There was no need to send them over; they could take them back when they came to pay their respects.
Just as the division was complete, the three women arrived almost simultaneously.
Chunxing was the first to arrive. She had been Chen Anzhi’s chief maid and became a concubine a few years ago. She was not particularly striking, dressed plainly, and behaved with utmost propriety.
As Chunxing sat down, Cuiyu and Lin Yingying arrived together. Both knelt to perform the concubine’s salute. You Yuji accepted the tea and amiably invited them to sit.
Then, You Yuji noticed something odd.
Chunxing wore an off-white dress, but Cuiyu and Lin Yingying also wore white, each whiter than the other. These two women, having come from a brothel, were expected to be heavily made-up beauties. Yet, they were dressed entirely in white, with only simple wooden hairpins in their hair.
You Yuji instinctively looked down at her own red dress.
Though she was in mourning, the concubines in the room seemed more like they were mourning…
Before marrying into the royal family, she had been in mourning for her father. Now, according to tradition, a new bride would wear red for the first three days. Tomorrow, she would switch back to plain clothes.
You Yuji took another look at the three women’s faces and noticed they all had long, narrow eyes. She couldn’t help but ask, “Do any of you play the qin?”
“Madam, you must be joking. Cuiyu and I wouldn’t claim to be masters, but we’ve learned for over ten years,” Lin Yingying replied.
Chunxing whispered, “I only know a little…”
She was too timid to admit that the heir himself had taught her.
You Yuji nodded slightly, finally understanding why Chen Anzhi would take such a risk to bring Si Que back to the residence…
As You Yuji observed the three women, they were also scrutinizing their mistress.
Among the three, Lin Yingying had the most striking features. She had expected to see a mistress whose face was pale with forced smiles due to humiliation, but was surprised to see such a composed mistress instead.
She had heard that You Yuji was a beauty, but hadn’t taken it seriously. Growing up in a place filled with women, where courtesans came and went every three years, what kind of beauty had she not seen?
Yet, at this moment, she found herself staring at You Yuji in a daze.
At first, she thought that each beauty had her own unique charm, and no one could claim to be the best. Today, she realized that the Twin Beauties of the State of Si truly was the most beautiful among the twelve kingdoms.
What surprised her even more was that the mistress did not seem affected by the humiliation of her wedding day. Whether it was an act, she could not tell.
Cuiyu spoke up, “Madam, why are you asking this? The Heir Apparent had Yingying and me play the qin just the night before last. Would you like to hear it too?”
The night before last—You Yuji and Chen Anzhi’s wedding night.
Chunxing and Lin Yingying looked at Cuiyu in surprise, then stole glances at You Yuji to gauge her reaction.
You Yuji smiled gently and said, “You are the Heir Apparent’s concubines. He enjoys listening to you play. You do not need to play for me.”
“We will certainly take good care of the Heir Apparent. Now that he has been punished, he needs our care the most. I plan to attend to him shortly.”
“Alright.” You Yuji’s gentle smile remained.
Cuiyu lowered her head, hesitant to speak further. She knew that a concubine’s life was in the hands of the mistress, but the mistress had spent her wedding night alone. Cuiyu had eagerly grasped at a chance to provoke her, only to find the mistress still smiling serenely, seemingly unbothered.
Lin Yingying noticed Cuiyu’s frustration and tried a different approach. She smiled brightly and used her sweet tongue, “Yingying is truly fortunate to have such a kind mistress. Not only is Sister kind-hearted and gentle, but she is also extremely beautiful. Just looking at Sister makes all my worries disappear.”
She softly exclaimed, covering her mouth and furrowing her brows as if troubled. She looked at You Yuji cautiously, her tone careful, “Is it too presumptuous to call you Sister?”
“Not at all,” You Yuji replied, her smile unwavering.
Lin Yingying, adept at reading expressions, realized that You Yuji’s demeanor was genuine. Her smile grew even more radiant as she stood up from her embroidered stool and sat beside You Yuji on the couch, gazing at her with bright eyes. “Sister, you smell so lovely. It must be the natural fragrance of a beauty.”
You Yuji laughed and said, “It’s perfume. If you like the scent, you can take a box when you leave.”
Lin Yingying thought for a moment, then shook her head repeatedly, “Because Sister is so beautiful, this fragrance is the finishing touch. If Yingying used the same scent, it would just be an imitation, wasting the perfume!”
Chunxing sat properly, wanting to say something pleasant but unable to find the words. She consoled herself that saying too much could lead to mistakes, and trouble comes from the mouth.
Cuiyu rolled her eyes.
After sitting for a while longer, the three took their leave. Chunxing walked in front, while Cuiyu and Lin Yingying lagged behind, whispering to each other.
Cuiyu complained, “Your flattery skills are getting better.”
Lin Yingying replied with a cheerful laugh, “If flattering someone makes life easier, I could flatter people every day. Why provoke? If the mistress is unhappy, we’ll suffer for it.”
Lin Yingying smiled, feeling the new fabric in her arms. She liked the pink material, though Chen Anzhi preferred white. It was a pity, so she could only wear it occasionally to indulge herself.
“My bracelet is missing,” Cuiyu suddenly said.
Lin Yingying helped her search for a while without success, suspecting it might have fallen in the garden. They returned to look for it.
The maid guarding You Yuji’s door was nowhere to be seen, and there was no one to announce them. They hesitated, unsure whether to wait for a servant to return and announce them, when they heard a conversation inside.
“…Those two prostitutes, one is sharp-tongued and likes to mock, the other pretends to be naive and hides behind her sweet words and false pretense.” Lady Jing said with a stern face.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying stood awkwardly outside the door.
You Yuji’s gentle voice drifted out from inside the room, “They are all pitiable people. Any small faults they have are a result of their environment. No one is perfect, so why be so harsh? Now that they’ve left that place and come to the residence, it is a good thing.”
“Why have the two concubines returned?” Baohe, who had just finished her tasks, asked as she came back.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu were startled and felt even more embarrassed.
“I forgot my handkerchief,” Lin Yingying quickly lied, and she and Cuiyu hurriedly left.
Inside the room, Lady Jing quickly walked to the door and opened it, only to see the two concubines fleeing in haste.
You Yuji glanced around and noticed a jade bracelet on the square table. She vaguely remembered it belonged to Cuiyu, so she instructed Zhenxu to return it.
You Yuji got up and gracefully walked back to her bedroom. She lazily reclined on the couch by the window and picked up a medical book to read. She hadn’t understood medicine before, and now found the book very difficult to grasp. But with her mother’s condition hanging in the balance, her anxious heart drove her to study the medical texts, hoping to help in any small way she could.
The incense burner gently released a calming fragrance.
After a long while, You Yuji sighed softly.
In her hometown, the second day after the wedding, the newlyweds would bring gifts back to the bride’s family. However, according to the customs of the Chen Kingdom, this visit would not happen until the fifth day.
She longed to go home.
In the afternoon, Chen Anzhi came to Tanxiang Yingyue Courtyard, limping and with a stern face.
After having lunch, You Yuji had read the medical book for a while and then took a nap. She slept late. When Chen Anzhi arrived, she was still asleep. Zhenxu quickly woke her up.
You Yuji got up groggily, wrapped herself in an outer garment, and walked to the outer room, just in time to meet Chen Anzhi coming in.
“Why is the Heir Apparent here?” You Yuji’s voice still carried the drowsiness of someone not fully awake.
“What? Am I not allowed in your room?”
His tone was unfriendly from the start.
You Yuji frowned slightly, wondering what she had done to upset him. Unable to think of anything, she decided not to dwell on it. Not knowing how to respond, she remained silent.
You Yuji’s silence only made Chen Anzhi more displeased.
“The one at Yunxiao Courtyard is unwell; she doesn’t need to come and pay respects to you,” Chen Anzhi said in a low voice.
“Alright.”
Just one word? Chen Anzhi glanced at her, then quickly looked away.
The two of them stood facing each other, one inside the door and the other outside, in a long silence. Chen Anzhi bit his lip and spoke again, “You Yuji, is this how you behave as a wife?”
“What have I done wrong? Please tell me clearly,” You Yuji responded.
“You’ve been here this long, and you won’t even help me sit down?”
You Yuji looked up at his angry face and gently asked, “Can the Heir Apparent sit down now?”
“You!” Chen Anzhi gritted his teeth.
The harsh blows from the punishment had left him barely able to get out of bed after a night and most of the day. He certainly couldn’t sit yet.
As soon as he could move, he rushed over, worried that she would be upset because he had brought another woman back. But what about her? Why was she still so indifferent? Chen Anzhi suddenly felt that coming here, enduring his pain to comfort her, was not worth it.
“Your husband is injured, and you’re just sleeping soundly, completely unconcerned?” The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Even his concubines had been coming to see him repeatedly, but she had been sleeping in the middle of the day?
“The residence has summoned an imperial physician to treat the Heir Apparent, and the kitchen has prepared restorative soup.”
“Good! Very good!” Chen Anzhi turned and stormed off in a rage, smashing a flowerpot on a high table as he left. He felt he shouldn’t have come at all. Recalling his sister’s words from that morning, he resented this mistaken marriage even more.
You Yuji stood quietly, staring blankly at the shattered flowerpot on the ground.
After a long time, she pressed her fingertips to the corner of her eye, then went back to her room to change clothes. She took the fabric intended for Si Que and some hometown pastries and headed to Yunxiao Courtyard.
When she arrived, Yunxiao Courtyard was eerily quiet, with not a single servant in sight. She hesitated for a moment before continuing inside.
Unconsciously, she lightened her steps.
The door was open, with the beaded curtain half-drawn. Just as she reached the entrance, she heard the sound of a qin.
You Yuji stopped, not wanting to interrupt or retreat. She stood behind the beaded curtain, listening quietly. The somber, anxious, and agitated emotions weighing on her heart were once again soothed by Si Que’s music.
She felt as if she were back in her homeland, galloping on horseback through fragrant green fields.
Even after the music stopped, You Yuji remained standing there quietly. A sudden clap of thunder startled her, pulling her back from her reverie.
The weather changed abruptly. A fierce wind blew open the windows, and rain poured in.
The Princess was frail and couldn’t withstand such cold air.
You Yuji hurried inside to close the windows, the beaded curtain swaying behind her.
Si Que was sitting on a wooden couch by the window, with some rain already falling on his shoulders. You Yuji knelt on the couch, reaching up to close the window, her soft sleeve sliding down to brush against Si Que’s face.
Si Que slowly lifted his eyes.
