You Yuji wanted to push Si Que away again but was afraid of waking him up. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed, but he didn’t move. Reaching out, she touched the hand he had on her lower back and tried to pry it off, when the door opened. You Yuji paused and instinctively looked up.
“Madam, are you awake?” Zhenxu stood at the door, asking softly.
Distracted, You Yuji felt Si Que’s hand, which she had just pushed away, return to its position. He even nuzzled his face into her embrace. You Yuji couldn’t help but make a small noise, which Zhenxu heard as she was about to leave.
Zhenxu stopped and asked again, “Madam, are you awake? Concubine Lin and Concubine Cuiyu came by early. They looked very upset, as if something urgent has happened.”
As Zhenxu spoke, she started walking towards the bed.
You Yuji bit her lip and stopped pushing Si Que. Instead, she pulled the blanket up over both of them, covering even her chin. Si Que, in her embrace, was completely hidden.
You Yuji hurriedly said, “Alright, I know. I’ll get up immediately.”
Zhenxu stopped and refrained from pulling the bed curtain.
“Then I’ll go fetch water.”
Only after Zhenxu left did You Yuji, blushing, look down at Si Que and whisper, “I know you’re awake. If you don’t let go, I’ll get angry!”
In response, Si Que nuzzled his face against her again.
You Yuji bit her lip, feeling lost for a moment before softly murmuring, “Rogue…”
“Big sister,” Si Que’s voice was slightly hoarse, “Has the scrape on your leg healed?”
“No! It will never heal in this lifetime!” You Yuji pushed Si Que away forcefully, and this time, Si Que immediately let go. She didn’t care about the inner garment pressed under him, hastily pulling her robe together in front of her and quickly got out of bed, not even bothering to put on her shoes, and ran to the changing room.
Si Que listened to her footsteps moving away, smiling. He shifted from lying on his side to lying on his back. He slowly opened his eyes and raised a hand to touch his face.
“Why didn’t she slap me?” His bright eyes revealed a trace of disappointment.
After changing and freshening up, You Yuji returned to the bedroom. She lifted the bed curtain and looked at Si Que, who was still lying on the bed. Si Que opened his eyes and looked at her. The interior of the bed was dimmer than the outside, and as she stood there holding the curtain, it seemed she brought a ray of light inside.
“Is there anything you’d like for breakfast?” You Yuji asked gently.
Si Que smiled and asked, “Why aren’t you angry, big sister?”
You Yuji was surprised and asked in return, “Angry about what?”
Si Que remained silent, and You Yuji slowly began to understand. She smiled softly, her eyes curving into a gentle, warm expression. She let go of the bed curtain, which fell slowly behind her, plunging the bed area into darkness again. She leaned down, whispering into Si Que’s ear, “Aren’t you my lover?”
Her unbound hair fell, lightly brushing against Si Que’s neck, causing a ticklish sensation.
Si Que turned his face to look at You Yuji, and she also shifted her gaze. They looked at each other in the dim light. She smiled, while his previous smile faded away.
Suddenly, Si Que felt afraid.
He feared he might truly fall for this woman who always tolerated him, and he feared that she might one day shed tears because of him.
“Yingying and Cuiyu seem to have something urgent. I need to go to the flower hall. Is there anything specific you want to eat? If not, I’ll just have the usual?”
“Milk.”
You Yuji’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she asked softly, “What kind of milk?”
He looked at You Yuji and said meaningfully, “Goat milk, cow milk, deer milk, any kind of milk will do.”
You Yuji, thinking of something, glared at him before quickly turning and walking out. Before she crossed the threshold, she heard Si Que’s joyful laughter behind her.
After leaving, You Yuji instructed Baohe to ask the kitchen to add a serving of deer milk to today’s breakfast. Then she headed to the flower hall.
She observed Cuiyu and Lin Yingying, who were sitting closely together, and noticed their pale faces. Sitting down in the armchair at the head, she asked, “What’s the matter?”
Lin Yingying was about to speak when Cuiyu pulled her back. Cuiyu said, “Madam, you’re up so early today. You probably haven’t had breakfast yet. Did we come too early and disturb you?”
You Yuji suddenly realized that they hadn’t eaten either, given their early arrival. She turned to her maid and instructed her to inform the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the two concubines.
She looked back at Lin Yingying and Cuiyu, and softly said, “Yes, I got up a bit early. Breakfast isn’t ready yet. Why don’t you both stay and eat with me?”
Cuiyu nodded absentmindedly.
Unable to hold back, Lin Yingying blurted out, “Madam, the young master wants to give Cuiyu away!”
You Yuji was taken aback, her smile fading. She straightened up and asked, “What exactly is going on?”
“The horse in front of Zhenxiu Tower yesterday wasn’t the young master’s; it belongs to someone else. The young master wants to trade Cuiyu for that horse!” Lin Yingying quickly explained. “But that person is terrible! He loves to whip women. A sister we knew was carried into his house and beaten to death!”
You Yuji’s brows furrowed gradually.
While Lin Yingying spoke at length, Cuiyu remained silent, her head lowered.
Lin Yingying quietly tugged Cuiyu’s hand and whispered in her ear, “Don’t just stand there. Beg the madam!”
Cuiyu was deeply conflicted. Rationally, she knew the madam wouldn’t help her, but at this moment, she couldn’t help but cry. She quickly stepped forward, knelt in front of You Yuji, and tearfully said, “I won’t be a concubine anymore. I’ll be your servant. Please, madam, save me!”
You Yuji quickly put down the hand warmer she was holding and bent down to pull Cuiyu up.
“Alright, I understand. I won’t allow him to do that.”
Cuiyu stared at You Yuji in disbelief—did the madam really agree so easily?
The two maids hurried over to help Cuiyu up.
You Yuji frowned, lost in thought.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying stood aside, anxiously watching You Yuji. They were afraid she might change her mind or find the matter difficult. They couldn’t help but think about how to resolve this issue but couldn’t come up with a solution. They were of too low a status, not proper concubines, and didn’t hold their own contracts…
After a while, You Yuji came back to her senses and saw Cuiyu and Lin Yingying looking at her expectantly. She smiled gently and said, “Don’t worry. It’s a small matter.”
A small matter?
Cuiyu, with red eyes and tears still hanging in her eyes, found it hard to believe You Yuji’s words.
You Yuji didn’t see this as a difficult problem. She was actually thinking about something else—what would happen to these concubines after she left the Jinnan Prince’s mansion?
Moments later, Zhenxu came in to report that breakfast was ready. You Yuji ordered the breakfast to be set in the flower hall and instructed Zhenxu to send someone to check if the princess was up.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying exchanged glances, wondering what You Yuji planned to do.
Liufeng came in to report that Si Que had not yet risen but was on his way.
You Yuji nodded, holding a spoon and drinking the deer milk.
“Is your hand alright, big sister?” Lin Yingying asked.
“It’s fine.” You Yuji looked up at them. Both were full of worry, stirring their porridge without any appetite.
Just then, the person Zhenxu sent returned, reporting that the princess had been up for a while.
You Yuji put down her spoon and stood up to leave.
“Big sister, please eat something before you go,” Cuiyu said urgently, standing up.
You Yuji glanced at Cuiyu, gently pressed her swollen eyelids with her thumb, and said softly, “When I come back, I don’t want to see that neither of you has eaten anything.”
She smiled at her and then turned to leave.
Cuiyu stared blankly at You Yuji’s retreating figure, touching her own eyes. She muttered quietly, “Yingying, I must have been out of my mind to mock and ridicule her when I first entered the manor.”
“You were just like that with everyone…” Lin Yingying paused, “It would be good if you could change that in the future…”
You Yuji entered the princess’s room and came out in less than a quarter of an hour, then went straight to Chen Anzhi’s study. Chen Anzhi wasn’t there; only his servant Wangshan was cleaning the room.
You Yuji walked directly to Chen Anzhi’s desk and began searching through the drawers.
“What are you looking for, madam?” Wangshan hurriedly asked.
You Yuji ignored him and soon found several contracts for the concubines among the documents.
Wangshan signaled to another maid to quickly inform the young master.
When the maid arrived at Anxiang Courtyard, Chen Anzhi had just gotten up. He regretted what happened last night. Hongzan was Fang Qingyi’s personal maid, and promoting her during Fang Qingyi’s pregnancy seemed both inappropriate and disrespectful. He glanced secretly at Fang Qingyi to gauge her reaction.
Fang Qingyi looked over and smiled gently at him, saying, “Cousin, I can’t be with you often during my pregnancy. Hongzan is obedient and well-behaved; she will serve you well.”
Chen Anzhi was stunned, feeling a mix of emotions and a great sense of guilt. His cousin was so understanding, making him feel even more remorseful.
He gently embraced Fang Qingyi and looked at her affectionately. “Having you by my side is a blessing of three lifetimes!”
Fang Qingyi returned his gaze with a smile.
At that moment, the maid reported that You Yuji was searching through his study, causing Chen Anzhi’s expression to darken immediately. He comforted Fang Qingyi with a few words and then hurriedly left.
“Take care, cousin,” Fang Qingyi stood at the door watching him leave, then coldly withdrew her smile and sat down at the dressing table, combing her hair with a wooden comb.
“Mistress, I…” Hongzan began hesitantly.
Fang Qingyi looked at herself in the bronze mirror and spoke, “We’ve grown up together. For the sake of our relationship, I’ll give you some advice—you can seek his money, status, and protection, but don’t truly fall for him.”
She knew all too well the consequences of falling for him.
When Chen Anzhi arrived at the study, You Yuji had already left. From Wangshan, he learned that she had taken several concubines’ contracts. His face darkened as he quickly headed towards Tanxiang Yingyue.
Chen Anzhi caught up with You Yuji at the courtyard gate of Tanxiang Yingyue.
“Stop right there!” Chen Anzhi shouted in frustration.
You Yuji turned around and asked, “What is it, young master?”
“What is it? You’re asking me what is it?” Chen Anzhi quickly caught up to You Yuji. “What are you doing with the concubines’ contracts?”
“This is the princess’s decision,” You Yuji said. “The princess believes that as the main wife, I should manage the concubines’ contracts.”
“Or is it that the young master plans to sell them off?” You Yuji slowly smiled. “The young master is known for his integrity and uprightness, surely he wouldn’t sell his concubines for no good reason, right?”
“You!”
“It’s just my overthinking,” You Yuji smiled sweetly. “The young master certainly wouldn’t stoop to such despicable actions.”
“You!” Chen Anzhi was left speechless.
“Since we are already separated, it shouldn’t be my responsibility to manage this, but the princess insisted. If the young master disagrees, he can convince the princess, which would save me the trouble. I would even thank the young master for it.” You Yuji nodded with a smile, “I won’t see you out.”
She turned and walked back, gracefully crossing the long courtyard towards the flower hall.
Chen Anzhi gritted his teeth, glaring at You Yuji’s back. He wanted to follow her, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to act shamelessly.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying had already heard the argument between the young master and You Yuji at the gate. They watched anxiously as You Yuji walked into the flower hall.
Chunxing had also arrived, much earlier than usual.
Si Que was there too, holding a bowl of deer milk, glancing at You Yuji as he took a sip.
