Jiang Chun listened attentively as the owner of the silk store explained which fabrics were most suitable for babies. You Yuji couldn’t help but smile at her focused expression.
She wandered over to the other side to browse.
On a counter, many delicate golden locks were neatly displayed. They were all small, obviously meant to be worn by infants for safety and protection. You Yuji casually picked one up and examined it, noticing that each golden lock had a different carved design. There were auspicious patterns like clouds, cranes, and peace knots, as well as cute little animals like tigers and rabbits.
You Yuji was surprised to find a small golden lock with a carved pattern of a zither. She held the peace lock for a while, then decided to buy it.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chun had already chosen the fabric. She ran over to grab You Yuji’s hand, and the two of them went off to wander elsewhere.
Near noon, Zhao Sheng, who had some free time, came to pick Jiang Chun up and take her home. Normally, they would eat something at a restaurant, but since Jiang Chun had become more picky about food due to her pregnancy, they avoided eating out.
You Yuji stood by the roadside, smiling as she watched Zhao Sheng carefully help Jiang Chun into the carriage. Despite Jiang Chun’s energetic demeanor, Zhao Sheng’s cautious behavior clearly showed her pregnancy.
“Yuan Yuan, we’re leaving. You should head back soon too, be careful in case it starts snowing,” Jiang Chun called out, leaning out of the carriage window and waving to You Yuji.
“Bring one of the cloaks inside,” Zhao Sheng added.
“Oh, right,” Jiang Chun remembered the cotton clothes they had packed, and immediately handed a thick cotton cloak to Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Sheng walked over to You Yuji, handed her the cloak, and said with a smile, “The Jinnan Prince’s residence is a bit far, the weather might change on the way. Take Chun Niang’s cloak just in case.”
You Yuji took it without any formalities and watched the Zhao family’s carriage leave. She turned around and suddenly saw Chen Anzhi and Chen Lingyan in the distance.
Chen Lingyan had been discussing marriage recently and had been dragging Chen Anzhi out with her to buy various things.
You Yuji frowned slightly. Unfortunately, the carriage was parked in such a way that she couldn’t avoid the two siblings, so she walked forward with a calm expression. As she passed by Chen Anzhi, she acted as if she didn’t see him.
“You Yuji,” Chen Anzhi called her name through gritted teeth in a low voice.
Only then did You Yuji stop and turn her head to look at him, calmly saying, “Young Master.”
Chen Anzhi’s brow furrowed into a deep frown as he scolded in a low voice, “Flirting with your friend’s man right in front of her, how can you be so shameless?”
Chen Anzhi glanced at the cloak in You Yuji’s arms and sneered, “You even accepted the clothes Zhao Sheng handed over.”
Zhenxu lowered his eyes, cursing Chen Anzhi in his heart. Zhuo Wen stood expressionless, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
You Yuji quietly watched Chen Anzhi’s exasperated expression.
What Chen Anzhi hated most was her always composed and unperturbed demeanor. He ordered in a low voice, “Send it back!”
You Yuji fastened the silver clasp at her collar and continued walking past Chen Anzhi without a word.
“You!” Chen Anzhi glared at You Yuji’s retreating figure in frustration. The cool wind blew her cloak back, as if mocking him.
In the distance, Qi Mingcheng laughed heartily as he watched the scene unfold.
“Well, well, Chen Anzhi, even you have times when a woman gives you the cold shoulder,” Qi Mingcheng thought, feeling a sense of satisfaction. He had been holding onto an unspoken frustration for over a year.
The subordinate standing outside the carriage had been worried for a long time. Hearing Qi Mingcheng laugh, he finally dared to speak up timidly, “Your Highness, that woman is not easy to deal with…”
Qi Mingcheng shot him a cold glance, and the subordinate immediately fell silent.
Qi Mingcheng sneered, “Send an invitation to the Jinnan Prince’s residence. Last time, I was out of line with my words. In two days, I will personally visit with the princess to apologize to Young Master An.”
Though he spoke of apologies, his face bore an insincere smile.
You Yuji had lunch at a restaurant before returning to the Jinnan Prince’s residence. When she got back, Si Que was playing the zither. She quietly entered without alerting the maidservants, keeping her footsteps light as she went to the small room to change her clothes.
The delicate sound of the zither drifted into her ears. She listened for a moment and realized it was a new tune.
Perhaps because of her sensitivity to music, You Yuji remembered the tune after hearing it once. When she finished changing and came out, she sat quietly on the beauty couch, listening to the music.
When the piece ended, Si Que looked up at You Yuji. He saw her lying on the small table of the beauty couch, writing something quickly.
“What is sister writing?” Si Que, unable to move his legs easily, still sat behind the zither table, looking at You Yuji from a distance.
“I’m writing down your recent tune,” You Yuji looked up, “What’s the name of this piece?”
“It doesn’t have a name. Sister can give it any name you like.”
You Yuji frowned and thought for a while but couldn’t come up with a good name. She turned to the next page and wrote down the two pieces Si Que had improvised last time as well.
She bent over and blew on the ink on the paper to dry it. Once the ink dried, she smiled and closed the booklet. She looked at the blank cover page, thought for a moment, and wrote down “Collection of Tunes.”
Si Que pushed his wheelchair out from behind the zither table, stopping next to the three-legged wooden stand by the beauty couch. He picked up the peace lock on it.
He had noticed the small golden lock when You Yuji had placed it there. He rubbed the zither pattern on the lock with his thumb and looked at You Yuji, a bright smile spreading across his face.
“Sister, you prepared this for our child.”
You Yuji had just put down her brush and looked over, denying it, “No.”
She stood up and immediately walked to the other side of the cabinet, squatting in front of the low cabinet and rummaging through the drawers. She did not notice Si Que’s dark expression behind her.
Si Que stared at You Yuji’s back, his grip tightening on the small golden lock, as if he could crush it to dust with just a bit more force.
When You Yuji turned around and walked back, he quickly concealed the fierceness in his eyes and slowly loosened his grip. He casually placed the small golden lock on the couch, letting his long lashes hide the lingering malice in his eyes.
You Yuji brought over a pair of scissors and a red string, sitting sideways on the beauty couch. She took the scissors and cut the delicate golden chain, causing the small golden lock to slide off and fall onto the couch.
Si Que looked up, watching as You Yuji threaded the small peace lock onto the red string. Then she looked over at him and smiled, her eyes soft and warm.
You Yuji stood up and walked behind Si Que, looping the red string with the peace lock around his neck. Si Que watched as the small golden lock dangled and gradually settled against his chest.
The next moment, You Yuji’s slender hands moved from his shoulder to his front, adjusting the length of the red string and then cutting it with the scissors, tying a secure knot.
She rested her hands on Si Que’s shoulders, leaning in so close that her chin almost touched his shoulder, her eyes lowered to the peace lock hanging on his chest.
“Do you like it?” Her voice was soft and tender, like ripples in a warm spring stream.
Si Que’s lips curled slightly, though his voice was filled with disdain, “This is something given to newborns at their first month celebration.”
You Yuji straightened up and moved in front of Si Que, bending down to tuck the peace lock inside his clothes, saying gently, “The blessing is the same.”
Si Que glanced at You Yuji and then looked down at his own collar.
He had always disliked gold jewelry, especially during festivals when he had to wear the princess’s palace attire, the heavy gold ornaments making him nauseous.
His long fingers lifted the red string, pulling out the peace lock hidden inside his clothes. He glanced at the small golden lock tied to the red string and stared at it for a moment.
Alright, gold didn’t seem so bad after all.
“Sister,” he smiled softly, his eyelashes coated with a layer of compliance, “I really like it. Gold is the finest material for jewelry.”
Two afternoons later, You Yuji was just about to fall asleep next to Si Que.
Zhenxu knocked on the door and came in, glancing strangely at the two people cuddled on the bed before reporting, “Madam, the young master is here.”
You Yuji was very sleepy, almost dozing off, and didn’t even open her eyes, her tired voice faint, “Tell him I’m asleep, send him away.”
Zhenxu left, but soon returned to report again, “Madam, Prince Kangjing and the princess are here. They will arrive in about an hour. The young master said you must go.”
You Yuji lazily murmured an acknowledgment, extremely drowsy, it was unclear if she heard clearly.
Zhenxu looked up and saw You Yuji turning over, with Si Que tucking her in. Zhenxu quickly averted her eyes, not daring to look any longer, and hurriedly withdrew.
You Yuji woke up after sleeping for less than half an hour. As she got out of bed, her wrist was suddenly grasped by Si Que. She turned to look and saw the dejection in Si Que’s eyes.
“Sister, you have to entertain the young master.”
You Yuji’s voice was gentle and soft, “Prince Kangjing and the princess are coming together, so I should go. But I will find an excuse to come back soon.”
She smiled brightly, “I promised to go see the winter chrysanthemums with you this afternoon.”
Only then did Si Que smile obediently.
As soon as You Yuji turned around, Si Que’s smile vanished. He picked up Baisui, who was sleeping in the corner of the bed, and tossed it high into the air. Startled out of its sleep, Baisui flailed its legs in midair and landed firmly on all four paws, tilting its head in confusion as it looked at Si Que.
Si Que, however, wasn’t looking at it, muttering to himself, “Prince Kangjing? How dare he make my Yuan Yuan entertain him?”
Just as You Yuji had promised Si Que, she went to the flower hall to meet Qi Mingcheng and his wife, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then excused herself by claiming a headache.
Chen Anzhi was more than happy for her to leave quickly, so Qi Mingcheng wouldn’t keep staring at her.
Qi Mingcheng had sent an invitation the day before, claiming to apologize, but upon arriving, he hadn’t mentioned the incident at all, and his casual conversation was as arrogantly condescending as ever.
Chen Anzhi couldn’t help but feel displeased. His gaze unintentionally fell on Qi Mingcheng’s wife, Feng Zhen, and he quickly looked away.
Qi Mingcheng noticed this and silently sneered. Moments later, he said, “I’ve heard that your manor’s plum grove is quite a sight. How about I take a stroll there?”
Feng Zhen immediately said, “You go ahead, I won’t join.”
Chen Anzhi and Qi Mingcheng went to the plum grove, climbing the viewing pavilion to look over the sea of plum trees. Qi Mingcheng squinted at a purple figure in the distance and smiled, “Young Master An, is that your wife admiring the winter chrysanthemums? It seems her headache is gone.”
Chen Anzhi looked over and not only saw You Yuji but also Si Que. Si Que was sitting in a wheelchair. The incident of Si Que falling from the building had been concealed by You Yuji, so Chen Anzhi was unaware of Si Que’s broken legs. After all, Si Que was frail and had occasionally used a wheelchair before.
Qi Mingcheng glanced at Chen Anzhi and saw him staring at the person in the wheelchair. He took a closer look.
After a while, Qi Mingcheng said meaningfully, “No wonder Young Master An would rather anger His Majesty to bring Princess Que back to the manor.”
Chen Anzhi was taken aback and looked at Qi Mingcheng.
The next moment, his face turned black.
—As a fellow man, he immediately understood Qi Mingcheng’s gaze toward Si Que.
Originally, Qi Mingcheng had planned to visit with his wife today, following etiquette, expecting Chen Anzhi to bring You Yuji along for a return visit, which would be his opportunity to act.
But now, he had set his sights on another of Chen Anzhi’s women.
