Before Prince Jinnan met the emperor in the palace, he had already heard from the inner eunuch about what happened in front of the Zhenxiu Tower this afternoon. Prince Jinnan’s face darkened, and he silently cursed Chen Anzhi ten thousand times using the rough language he had used to train soldiers on the battlefield in his youth.
“The capital, this place, is under the emperor’s feet. As members of the royal family, you should set an example, not rely on your status to act lawlessly,” the emperor said while reading a classic text. His tone was calm. But as an emperor, he wouldn’t show his emotions openly.
“Father is right!” Prince Jinnan quickly agreed.
The emperor continued to read without speaking. Prince Jinnan stood to the side, not daring to make a sound.
A cup of tea cooled, and Deshun came in to refill it.
Only then did the emperor speak again: “You brothers have long established your own families and careers. You should have gone to your fiefs long ago. The reason you are still kept in the capital, you should understand why.”
Prince Jinnan stiffened; he didn’t know how to respond to these words for a moment.
The emperor wasn’t surprised by his silence. After a while, as the emperor turned another page of the book, he waved his hand, signaling Prince Jinnan to withdraw.
In the carriage back to the palace, Prince Jinnan kept pondering over the last sentence his father had said. The reason they hadn’t been sent to their fiefs?
Either to keep them confined in the capital to prevent any rebellious intentions, or because the decision on succession hadn’t been finalized.
These two possibilities were speculated in the court and were not secrets. But why did the emperor say this to him? Saying it would inevitably make Prince Jinnan overthink.
In recent years, the emperor had become increasingly suspicious. Prince Jinnan weighed the pros and cons; he indeed had no intention of competing for the throne. But now that his father had hinted at this…
As a royal child, who could truly have no thoughts about that position?
Prince Jinnan pondered all the way until the carriage stopped at the palace gate, and the servant reminded him before he came to his senses. He got out of the carriage and strode into the palace, his face dark, saying, “Have the heir come to my study.”
The steward looked troubled and stammered, “The heir hasn’t returned home yet.”
“Go find him! Bring him back to me!”
Under the moonlight.
The water in the bath had lost its previous warmth. A light purple nightgown was wrapped around You Yuji’s body. She turned her face away, not looking at Si Que, who sat across from her. The medicine on her leg had indeed been washed away by the water, and Si Que insisted on reapplying it. The nightgown wrapped around her waist was pushed up, exposing the wound on her leg.
The scrape, stimulated once by the medicine and soaked in water, was now stinging. Applying the medicine again hurt much more than before.
“Done.” Si Que looked up at You Yuji’s rosy, delicate face.
Only then did You Yuji turn to look at Si Que. His clothes were also wet in large patches, traces left by her leaning on him earlier.
You Yuji lightly furrowed her brows, gazing at the wet marks on Si Que’s clothes with some worry. In a soft voice, she said, “I’ll have the water changed. You should take a hot bath too, to avoid catching a cold.”
Before Si Que could respond, he turned his face away and lightly coughed twice.
You Yuji carefully observed his complexion. In this warm and humid bathing room, his face was still pale. The warmth seemed not to reach him. She couldn’t help but remember that he had stopped taking his medication for her sake. Her eyes dimmed, and she softly asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Si Que turned back to her, smiling.
He casually placed the small medicine bottle on a nearby table. The round little porcelain bottle, not properly set, rolled off and shattered with a clatter, immediately drawing their attention.
Si Que frowned, worried that the fragments might hurt You Yuji’s feet. He bent down to pick up the broken pieces.
You Yuji instinctively worried that he might cut his hands. His hands were so beautiful, and he loved playing the qin. Yet, his wounds healed slowly. The last time he said he cut his palm while changing strings, the wound still hadn’t fully healed, even with the best medicine. She could clearly feel the thin scar when he was washing her.
“Don’t move, I’ll do it.” You Yuji hurriedly bent down to pick up the porcelain shards. But she forgot that her nightgown was only draped around her body. As she bent over, the nightgown fell to the ground, leaving her bare.
The floor of the bathing room was covered in water marks, and the fallen nightgown quickly became soaked. You Yuji stared at the wet nightgown, unable to pick it up again. She hastily turned sideways, raising her hands to lightly cover herself. In a low voice, she said, “Help, help sister get a robe…”
She didn’t dare to look at Si Que, but she didn’t hear him move. He remained still. You Yuji could even feel Si Que’s gaze.
His gaze felt like the scorching summer afternoon sun, making her cheeks grow hotter and hotter.
“Sister, I’m cold.”
Si Que’s words suddenly broke through You Yuji’s blank mind. Cold? Add more clothes, increase the fire, or call a doctor…
No, none of these were right.
In an instant, the chaos in You Yuji’s mind cleared. She closed her eyes, lightly exhaled, then slowly opened them again, her eyelashes fluttering. She turned to face Si Que once more.
Sure enough, he had been watching her the whole time.
You Yuji had seen many lustful gazes from men, but Si Que’s gaze at her now was different. His eyes were bright, usually carrying a cold indifference, but now they were warmed by a gentle smile. Clean and sincere, telling her he liked and wanted her.
Suddenly, You Yuji understood why Si Que said he was cold in this warm bathing room.
You Yuji slowly lowered the hands covering her front and approached Si Que, gradually embracing him. At first, she just placed her hands on his arms, with a distance between their bodies. She slowly moved closer, her bandaged hands meeting behind his back, completely holding him. She pressed her face against his neck, next to his ear, whispering, “Sister’s hug will keep you warm.”
Si Que’s smile froze.
He immediately went to pull up the nightgown around You Yuji’s waist and removed her already soaked undergarments. But the next moment, he saw the scrape on You Yuji’s leg and his movements halted.
Si Que grasped You Yuji’s shoulders and pushed her away, then turned to quickly grab a soft, clean towel to wipe the water off her body. His movements were so fast, they were almost rough. After drying her, he threw the towel aside forcefully, picked up an outer robe, wrapped it around You Yuji, stuffed her undergarments into her arms, and pushed her out of the bathhouse.
It all happened so quickly. You Yuji, holding her clothes, stood outside the bathhouse door, staring blankly at the closed door in front of her. She said, “Are you going to take a bath? The water is cold; I’ll ask Baohe to heat it again for you…”
Before she could finish speaking, she heard the sound of the door being locked from the inside.
You Yuji frowned.
Baisui’s voice caught her attention. She turned her head to see Baisui jumping around on the bed, playing happily by himself. You Yuji dressed herself, glanced once more at the closed bathhouse door, and turned towards the bed.
Perhaps she had stayed in the overly warm bathhouse for too long, for You Yuji felt a bit drowsy. She took a sparkling anklet and got onto the bed, leaning against the headboard, using the anklet to tease Baisui into jumping and grabbing.
The anklet had a small bell attached to it, ringing pleasantly and continuously.
It was an anklet You Yuji used to wear when she danced, but she hadn’t danced in a long time. She couldn’t help but think of the chestnut horse from today. Others praised it as a divine steed, but You Yuji thought it wasn’t that good. Compared to her Xuanying, it was far inferior.
You Yuji hadn’t danced or ridden a horse in over two years. People thought she had adopted local customs upon coming to Chenjing. But that wasn’t the case…
You Yuji glanced down at her chest.
In fact, she had become more and more full-bodied over the past two years, making riding and dancing increasingly inconvenient. Especially dancing; the large movements always drew people’s eyes to her body.
You Yuji’s movements slowed as she played with Baisui, her long eyelashes gradually drooping. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, the anklet in her hand being snatched away by Baisui. Baisui grabbed and bit the anklet, producing soft, pleasant bell sounds.
By the time Si Que came out of the bathhouse, not only had You Yuji fallen asleep, but even Baisui had fallen asleep beside her.
Without any of his own clothes to change into in the bathhouse, Si Que had casually taken a set of You Yuji’s nightclothes. You Yuji’s nightclothes fit him well enough on the top, but the snow-colored pants were much too short, exposing his pale ankles.
Si Que bent over by the bed, removing the pillow behind You Yuji to make her more comfortable. She wasn’t deeply asleep and groggily opened her eyes to look at him before closing them again. Her rosy lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
Si Que leaned closer, but You Yuji didn’t say anything. Her lips parted slightly as she drifted back to sleep. Si Que’s gaze lingered on her enticing lips before gradually moving down to her slightly open mouth. He felt an urge to bite and to explore.
A faint bell sound made Si Que pause. He looked back at the sleeping Baisui, which had kicked its hind legs in its sleep, causing the anklet it held to jingle.
Si Que glared coldly at Baisui, thinking of tossing it out.
But the next moment, he suddenly laughed. He patted Baisui’s head, saying with amusement, “No wonder you’re my cat. If it weren’t for your reminder, I would have lost.”
He looked back at You Yuji, his gaze cold and proud.
—He would never take the initiative to kiss her. He wanted her to cling to him, kissing him non-stop. He would push her away coldly, and she would come back to him for more.
Si Que turned to look out the window. The sky outside had long since darkened, and the bedroom had been without servants for some time, with no lamps lit, shrouded in darkness.
Si Que was physically weak. Even though he was supposed to leave the residence and kill a few people, he lacked the strength. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed, gently took the anklet from Baisui’s embrace without making a sound, and placed it in the bedside cabinet drawer.
He glanced at You Yuji from time to time, his movements cautious so as not to wake her.
He lay down on the outer side of the bed, facing You Yuji. In the dim light and shadows of the bed, he gazed at her for a long time.
He couldn’t help but think about what would happen after he died. Would she shed tears for him? Maybe she would? Perhaps she wouldn’t even mourn for him, instead finding a new lover in the opera house. She would embrace others, smile at other men, and be intimate with them day and night.
She might even fall in love with someone, marry him, and have his children call another man father…
A fierce look gradually appeared in Si Que’s eyes. Slowly, this look turned into another kind of languidness.
He was angry, angry at the scenarios he imagined.
He coldly glanced at You Yuji and patted her face, waking her up.
You Yuji slowly opened her eyes, still a bit groggy, and looked at Si Que with confusion. Si Que didn’t want to see her seductive look and turned his gaze away, saying lightly, “Baisui was too noisy, just jumped on your face.”
He reached over You Yuji to the other side of the bed, waking Baisui and throwing it to the floor. Baisui, half-awake, shook its head, meowed twice, and didn’t jump back onto the bed. Instead, it curled up on the floor and continued sleeping.
You Yuji was too sleepy. Her eyes blurry, she rubbed her face.
“Let me rub it for you,” Si Que said with a pure smile.
