“After the New Year, your imperial grandfather will order the attack on Meng Country. I have decided to send you to the army to accompany them. Do not think of using your status as the heir to act arrogantly in the army. I do not expect you to earn any military merits, just start as an ordinary soldier, eating, living, and marching with other soldiers.”
This was what Prince Jinnan said to Chen Anzhi after he was “invited” back to Prince Jinnan’s study from the restaurant where he was drinking and eating.
Chen Anzhi walked out of his father’s study, still dazed by his father’s words. It seemed his father was determined to send him to the army.
On one hand, he held a bit of hope, thinking that as the noble heir, how could his treatment be the same as those dirty soldiers?
On the other hand, he was worried. His father had spoken so seriously; what if he instructed the commanding general to treat him harshly? Besides, even if others gave him preferential treatment due to his status, life in the army would still be hard, nowhere near as enjoyable as life in the capital.
He thought of pleading with his mother. But this thought was quickly dismissed by himself. He was sure his mother would side with his father.
Chen Anzhi walked forward gloomily. Wangjiang, following behind him, observed his mood and said with a smile, “Your Highness, there is still some time before the New Year. Perhaps there is still a chance for a change.”
Chen Anzhi didn’t say anything and went directly to Chunxing’s room.
Wangjiang didn’t follow him in; he stood outside for a while before deciding to leave. A maid brought in tea, and he couldn’t help but glance back. Before the curtain, lifted by the maid, fell back down, he caught a glimpse of Chen Anzhi holding Chunxing in his arms.
Wangjiang averted his gaze and started walking away.
Suddenly, there was a crisp sound, accompanied by Chunxing’s exclamation. Wangjiang halted his steps, forcing himself not to look back. He knew that the young master had thrown something again.
Immediately after, Chen Anzhi came out of the room.
Only then did Wangjiang turn around, putting on a smile and asking, “Master, what happened?”
Chen Anzhi didn’t speak, striding away with a dark expression.
Wangjiang couldn’t help but glance back into the room, seeing Chunxing standing there with her head down. He couldn’t see her expression and didn’t know if she was crying.
“What are you still standing there for?”
—— From behind came Chen Anzhi’s impatient urging. Wangjiang quickly snapped out of his thoughts and, with a smile, caught up to Chen Anzhi.
Behind them, there seemed to be the sound of a window being pushed open. Wangjiang instinctively looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky.
Chunxing knelt on the soft couch under the window, her arms crossed on the window sill. She rested her chin lightly on the back of her hand, gazing longingly at the waning moon in the night sky.
Chen Anzhi was troubled and went to Anxiang Courtyard, hoping that his ever-understanding cousin could comfort him, talk with him, and play the zither for him. However, Fang Qingyi had been experiencing severe morning sickness recently. After saying only a few words, she began to retch. Chen Anzhi patiently patted her back, comforting her repeatedly.
But whether it was because of the pregnancy making her sensitive or because she had never been able to become the legitimate wife, Chen Anzhi felt a heavy sense of resentment from Fang Qingyi. His cousin even occasionally used clumsy words to test his relationships with other concubines…
Chen Anzhi coaxed her gently, but his heart was in turmoil.
Clearly, his cousin wasn’t like this before. How had the elegant and proud cousin, who was once gentle only to him, become such a resentful woman?
Ultimately, it was his fault for making her a concubine. Chen Anzhi could only swallow his dissatisfaction.
“Brother, I’m very happy to see you and the child. Are you not leaving tonight?” Fang Qingyi asked, her eyes red.
“No, I’ll stay with you. I’ll sleep on the couch in the outer room and have breakfast with you in the morning,” Chen Anzhi said, holding Fang Qingyi’s hand and gently kissing her fingertips.
Fang Qingyi wore a delicate gold bracelet given to her by Chen Anzhi on her wrist.
That bracelet was originally intended for You Yuji.
Chen Anzhi’s gaze lingered on the bracelet for a while, and the hand in his palm seemed to transform into You Yuji’s hand. The scene of You Yuji washing her hands in a flower-petal-filled basin suddenly reappeared in his mind. He couldn’t help but lower his head and kiss Fang Qingyi’s fingers again.
At night, Chen Anzhi tossed and turned on the narrow, uncomfortable couch in the outer room, unable to sleep. Already troubled, the discomfort of the couch made him regret agreeing to stay.
Hongzan was on night duty beside Fang Qingyi tonight. Ever since Fang Qingyi became pregnant, she often had trouble sleeping at night. Hongzan quietly went in to check and covered Fang Qingyi with a blanket. When Hongzan came out of the room and passed by Chen Anzhi, she noticed that his blanket had slipped off mostly, so she quietly walked over to adjust it.
Chen Anzhi was not asleep.
He smelled a faint fragrance. He opened his eyes and, in the darkness, closely examined Hongzan. Hongzan’s appearance was not outstanding; she did not possess the cold elegance that Chen Anzhi liked. She did not have long eyes or thin lips.
As Chen Anzhi looked at her pursed lips, he suddenly thought of You Yuji’s charming and rosy lips.
“Are you betrothed to anyone?”
Chen Anzhi suddenly asked, startling Hongzan. Her hand trembled, and she quickly stood upright, hurriedly explaining, “I did not mean to wake you, Your Highness.”
Chen Anzhi impatiently asked again, “I asked you, are you betrothed to anyone?”
Hongzan, no longer a naive thirteen-year-old girl, trembled slightly at her fingertips and slowly shook her head. Then, Chen Anzhi pulled her onto the soft couch.
Fang Qingyi, in the early stages of pregnancy, was experiencing various discomforts and slept lightly at night. She was awakened by the noise outside, frowned, got up, and stood at the door, looking at the two people on the couch.
Her face was pale, and her hand resting on the door left marks on the wooden door.
She widened her eyes, determined not to cry or impulsively rush over to cause a scene. Instead, she slowly revealed a mad smile. She smiled and told herself:
– Fang Qingyi, this is the man you chose for yourself.
– Fang Qingyi, starting today, extinguish the little affection you have for this man and live only for your own interests.
This night, many people were destined to stay awake.
Cuiyu cried so much that her pillow was soaked. She lay weakly on the bed, cursing fiercely half the night.
“Shen Lang, you bastard, you promised to redeem me, where are you now? You son of a bitch! No man is any good!”
Back in the pleasure quarters, many young masters had poured their hearts out to her. But women in such places had long seen through such empty promises. Cuiyu never believed the sweet talk of those men. Now, in her distress, she cursed each man who had ever promised to redeem her.
She had never believed those young masters’ empty promises, but she remembered every one of those who had promised.
Lin Yingying knocked on the door outside, “Cuiyu, are you resting?”
“Dead!” Cuiyu’s words were harsh as soon as she opened her mouth.
Lin Yingying directly pushed the door open, sat by the bed, looked at Cuiyu’s swollen eyes, and said, “I thought for a long time, should we go and beg the madam?”
Cuiyu shook her head, “Why would the madam help me? Have you ever heard of a mistress keeping a concubine that the master wants to send away? It’s already good enough if the mistress isn’t clapping her hands in approval!”
“But I don’t think the madam would be like that.”
Cuiyu hesitated.
“No matter what, let’s give it a try, okay? Stop crying. If the madam doesn’t help you, I’ll go with you to the Sun family. Didn’t you say I’m the best at making people happy? Maybe… maybe I can charm Sun Guangliang and secure a peaceful life for us?”
Suddenly, Cuiyu grabbed Lin Yingying and hugged her tightly, crying and rambling incoherently, “Men are all scoundrels, only sisters are good. If I ever make it big, I’ll protect you for the rest of your life and never let you suffer just to make others happy! I’ll find dozens of handsome young men to sweet-talk and make you happy! In our next lives, I’ll be the man and marry you, and treat you well…”
“Alright, alright, stop crying,” Lin Yingying comforted her repeatedly.
The two of them didn’t sleep all night. As soon as dawn broke, they nervously went to Tanxiang Yingyue. It was still very early; You Yuji hadn’t woken up yet, and even the servants of Tanxiang Yingyue were not fully awake.
Zhenxu noticed the uneasy expressions of the two concubines and asked, “Is there something urgent you need to see the madam about?”
Before Lin Yingying could speak, Cuiyu quickly responded, “No, no, let the madam sleep. We’ll wait in the flower hall.”
At this moment, You Yuji was turning over in Si Que’s arms. The blanket covering them had slipped down slightly, and the early morning chill made You Yuji slowly open her eyes.
She carefully propped herself up to look at the sleeping Si Que. After a moment, she realized that the front of her nightgown had come undone at some point, the two sides hanging open, revealing the light purple inner garment underneath.
You Yuji hurriedly adjusted her gown, and hearing a noise from Baisui, she looked up. Baisui was wide awake, energetically climbing up the bed curtains first thing in the morning.
You Yuji watched as Baisui climbed.
For some reason, Baisui suddenly missed a grip, leaving three of its tiny paws dangling in the air, with only one paw clinging to the curtain, its whole little body swaying precariously.
You Yuji wanted to help it. She glanced at Si Que, who was sleeping on the outer side of the bed, and carefully adjusted her posture. She knelt up, leaned over Si Que, and reached for Baisui. Her hand gently approached the struggling Baisui, finally catching it. You Yuji smiled softly at it, stroked its head gently with her finger, and then set it down.
But Baisui, being at an age of playful mischief, kicked off from You Yuji’s palm before she could fully set it down, leaping from her hand and darting out through the gap in the bed curtains.
You Yuji smiled and was about to sit back up when a sudden pain from the wound on her palm caused her supporting hand to slip. She lost her balance and fell forward, her upper body toppling over Si Que, her chest pressing firmly against Si Que’s face.
You Yuji froze, an unusual sensation spreading from her chest. She panicked and tried to sit up, but a hand suddenly pressed down on her lower back.
“I… I woke you up…” Even someone as composed as she was couldn’t hide the panic and nervousness in her voice.
Whether it was because Yuji’s senses were too keen or because the fabric of her inner garment was too thin, she could clearly feel Si Que slowly opening his eyes, his eyelashes brushing against her skin like feathers.
Biting her lip, Yuji tried to prop herself up again, but the hand on her lower back held her down more firmly.
Yuji stayed still, acutely aware of Si Que’s presence. Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
It felt like an eternity had passed before Yuji couldn’t help but speak again, “Let go… I need to get up…”
“Sister.”
Instinctively, Yuji responded with a soft “Hmm?” only to realize his tone. His voice was low, with a hint of sleepy confusion.
Yuji softened her tone, “Are you still sleepy? Let me go, and you can sleep a little longer, okay?”
She waited for a long time before the hand on her lower back moved. She thought he was finally going to release her, but instead, he untied the sash at her waist.
Then Si Que released Yuji. As she moved back, he pulled her into his embrace, turned over, and removed her inner garment completely, burying his face in her chest and continuing to sleep.
“Si Que? Si Que?” Yuji gently pushed him.
His long eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he remained asleep.
