Not long after, Qi Mingcheng bid farewell. Before leaving, he cordially invited Chen Anzhi. Chen Anzhi could only respond with a smile, but the moment Qi Mingcheng left, he furiously swept the tea set off the table.
Chen Anzhi knew exactly why Qi Mingcheng kept targeting him, but he also felt wronged. As a man, he understood Qi Mingcheng’s hostility. However, being the target of such animosity, he couldn’t help but feel angry.
“These traitors should all be killed!” Chen Anzhi exclaimed in fury. Wangshan and Wangjiang lowered their heads, not daring to respond to such a statement.
Qi Mingcheng climbed into the carriage and sat down, watching as Feng Zhen, supported by a maid, got in. He glanced at her and let out a cold laugh before turning away.
Feng Zhen bit her lip. She endured and endured, but as the carriage moved on, with only the sound of the wheels turning in her ears, she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Can’t you forget those old matters, my lord?”
“Forget?” Qi Mingcheng laughed. “Even if I could forget, can you or that damned Chen Anzhi forget? What, I bring you to meet your old lover today, and instead of being grateful, you give me this dead face?”
Feng Zhen’s eyes reddened, and she tried hard to hold back her tears. Her hands, resting on her knees, clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
Qi Mingcheng noticed her subtle movements and sneered disdainfully.
That sneer was like an invisible push to Feng Zhen, finally resolving all her inner conflicts. She suddenly turned, forcefully pushed open the carriage window, and jumped out of the speeding carriage.
Qi Mingcheng was stunned and grabbed the edge of the carriage, shouting, “Feng Zhen!”
“Whoa—” The coachman hurriedly stopped the carriage.
It wasn’t a remote area, and the sudden jump caused a stir among the passersby. People soon realized that the one who jumped was none other than Princess Kangjing.
The commoners whispered among themselves, not understanding why a well-off and noble princess would jump from a carriage.
Within half a day, the incident spread throughout the capital. The tragic death of Princess Kangjing was enough to spark numerous vivid and speculative rumors, even if the details were unknown.
When Chen Anzhi received the news, he was stunned.
For a long time, he held a cup of tea, then walked to the courtyard and poured it under a pear tree.
The scene of Feng Zhen coming to him suddenly resurfaced in his mind. That day was the second day after she had been betrothed to Qi Mingcheng.
She hadn’t said anything, just returned the jade pendant he had given her. But even though she said nothing, Chen Anzhi saw her reluctance in her tear-streaked eyes.
But what could he do?
He couldn’t defy the imperial edict and plead with the Emperor on her behalf.
Moreover…
Although Feng Zhen was indeed good, and he had praised her zither skills and composed poems for her, gifting her beautiful jade, he hadn’t wanted to marry her…
Chen Anzhi sighed.
“Thinking about it… With all the rumors reaching Qi Mingcheng’s ears, your married life must have been tough,” Chen Anzhi muttered, staring blankly at the withered pear tree in front of him.
He sighed for a moment, then put the matter and the person behind him, turning to walk back. After taking just two steps, he suddenly halted.
An unexpected thought crossed his mind—You Yuji.
Would Zhao Sheng feel about You Yuji the same way he had felt about Feng Zhen? A mere liking, nothing more. And women, sensitive and prone to overthinking, would secretly fall for him. Was You Yuji also just momentarily confused?
Chen Anzhi then recalled his recent coldness towards You Yuji. Would she, like Feng Zhen, be saddened and distressed? If such sorrow accumulated over time, would she also resort to taking her own life?
A sudden pang of panic gripped Chen Anzhi’s heart.
—No, he absolutely couldn’t become like Qi Mingcheng, a wretched person. He was a man of integrity and honor; he must not drive a woman to despair and suicide.
“Wangshan,” Chen Anzhi ordered, “go to the storeroom and get a set of jewelry to send to Tanxiang Yingyue.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “Make sure it’s of good quality.”
Later, Wangshan returned from Tanxiang Yingyue and placed the jewelry box on the table, looking distressed. “Master, Madam didn’t accept it.”
“Did you not choose the right items?” Chen Anzhi opened the jewelry box, which contained a set of jade ornaments: a pair of jade bracelets, a white jade hairpin, and two hibiscus hairpins. The jade material and craftsmanship were excellent.
Wangshan stammered, “Madam didn’t even look at the items. She just said she didn’t need any jewelry and told me to bring it back.”
“Ungrateful!”
“Who has upset Cousin?” Fang Qingyi asked as she entered, supported by her maid, Lushu.
Chen Anzhi quickly stood up to help her, smiling. “Cousin, what brings you here today?”
“I had some free time and brewed some plum wine to bring to you.”
“You’re so thoughtful, Cousin.”
Noticing Fang Qingyi’s gaze on the jewelry box, Chen Anzhi immediately smiled and said, “I was just picking out a box of jewelry to give to you. I didn’t expect you to bring me something as well. We really do have a mutual understanding!”
The next day, the news of Feng Zhen’s death after jumping from the carriage on the way back from Jinnan Mansion with Qi Mingcheng reached the Emperor’s ears.
Emperor Chen had just finished the morning court session and was sitting behind his desk, reading memorials, his expression indifferent as he listened to Deshun’s report on the incident.
“So, are you saying it’s my fault for mismatching the couple?” he remarked lightly.
Deshun quickly replied, “Of course not, it’s just that Qi Mingcheng is too narrow-minded.”
Emperor Chen said nothing more, turning to another memorial. He had made the comment in jest and didn’t think he had done anything wrong. With many nations submitting to his rule, his goal was to unify the empire, and bloodline integration was paramount. Under this political objective, individual emotions and even lives were of little importance.
After a while, Emperor Chen added, “Qi Mingcheng has been a bit unruly lately.”
Deshun’s eyes darted, and he agreed, “Indeed, he should be given a warning.”
Emperor Chen had bestowed titles on three foreign kings, all from surrendered nations, each with their own minor flaws. One was foolish and had already been killed by others. Another had poor health and relied on medicine to survive. The last one was the rash Qi Mingcheng.
He wanted to be known as a benevolent ruler and had randomly selected these three individuals. All three were royal relatives from surrendered nations. But who knew how much treachery these foreign royals harbored? He was willing to employ former officials of surrendered nations, but he could never trust their royal families.
Bestowing titles had cemented his reputation as a benevolent ruler. Whether these three individuals could enjoy the honor didn’t affect his reputation.
“Assign the task of preparing for the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration to Qi Mingcheng,” Emperor Chen ordered.
It was both a lucrative opportunity and a dangerous task.
Lady Jing walked in with a face full of joy and saw Si Que lazily leaning against the bed, playing with a cat. She quickly walked over to You Yuji, who was reading a medical book on the beauty couch, and whispered, “Madam, there is news from the Poison Pavilion.”
“Really?” You Yuji looked up, her eyes brimming with excitement.
Lady Jing nodded emphatically.
You Yuji said, “Have Zhuo Wen make a trip. The cost is not an issue. Wait… remind Zhuo Wen to be careful. Although buying the medicine is important, his safety is even more crucial.”
Lady Jing agreed and quickly left.
You Yuji turned her gaze to Si Que on the bed. She couldn’t imagine leaving Jinnan Mansion and leaving Si Que behind alone.
She was determined to obtain the fake death medicine and take Si Que away safely.
For the next two days, You Yuji anxiously awaited news from Zhuo Wen. She was worried both about the difficulty of buying the medicine from the Poison Pavilion and about Zhuo Wen’s safety. Business acumen demanded vigilance, and although most of the You family’s business was still in the Si Kingdom, there were also quite a few shops in the Chen lands. The more You Yuji inquired about the Poison Pavilion, the more worried she became.
The Poison Pavilion was extremely mysterious, selling all kinds of exotic poisons, most of which were personally crafted by the Poison Pavilion’s master. The Poison Pavilion did not operate like a regular business. The reason being, it was exceedingly difficult to purchase anything from the Poison Pavilion.
The Poison Pavilion only occasionally opened for business, selling poisons on days chosen at the whim of the master.
“What kind of person is the master of this Poison Pavilion…” You Yuji muttered to herself.
Si Que glanced over and smiled brightly, saying, “Sister, I want to bathe.”
You Yuji came back to her senses, smiled at him softly, and agreed. She got up and called the maids to prepare the water for the bathing room, then pushed Si Que into the room.
The day before, when Si Que had taken a bath, You Yuji had been worried, thinking he would again act childishly and insist she help him. But to her surprise, Si Que had only asked her to push him into the bathing room, not to help him wash.
Just as she had last time, You Yuji pushed Si Que into the bathing room. She knelt down in front of him, smiling and asking softly, “Are you sure you don’t need help?”
Si Que shook his head.
Only then did You Yuji stand up. She prepared Si Que’s clean clothes and placed them on the table. She glanced at the water stains on the floor, thought for a moment, and laid a large towel on the ground. “The floor is slippery; this will help prevent falls.”
She smiled gently at Si Que again, reminding him to call her if he needed anything. She would be outside reading and wouldn’t go far.
After You Yuji left, she returned to the rattan chair, holding the medical book but not reading it, still preoccupied with thoughts of the fake death medicine.
Her thoughts were interrupted only when the book slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.
You Yuji bent down to pick up the book, pausing for a moment. She quickly got up, walked hurriedly to the bedside table, and opened the drawer to take out a small notebook.
She hastily turned to the page where she had marked the date. Today’s date was circled in red ink. You Yuji gently traced the crimson circle with her fingertip.
From today onward, the next few days were her most fertile period…
You Yuji glanced in the direction of the bathing room and murmured to herself, “But his legs…”
After a long while, Si Que wheeled himself out of the bathing room. Hearing the sound, You Yuji quickly walked over to him. Seeing that his hair was still wet, she pushed him to the brazier. She dragged a high stool over and took a cotton towel to gently wipe the water from his hair.
She gently and repeatedly wiped his hair.
For a moment, the room was warm and quiet.
After a while, as she gently dried Si Que’s ink-black hair, she softly said, “Although I haven’t danced for a long time, last time Ah Chun still gave me a dance outfit. Would you like to help me see if it looks good?”
The image of You Yuji dancing suddenly floated before Si Que’s eyes.
In fact, Si Que had only seen You Yuji dance once, during a grand banquet before the fall of the Si Kingdom.
At that time, he realized how incredibly graceful a woman’s body could be.
“Sister looks good in anything.”
You Yuji put down the towel, helped Si Que to the bed, and made him comfortable leaning against the headboard. As soon as he adjusted his position, Baisui, the cat, jumped onto his hand.
After settling Si Que, You Yuji turned and went to the small room to change her clothes.
Si Que tied a pretty bow around Baisui’s neck with one of You Yuji’s silk handkerchiefs. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and was momentarily stunned.
You Yuji walked in slowly.
She wore a light purple dance dress. The delicate purple fabric draped over her shoulders and arms like cicada wings. The deep purple bodice was very low-cut, revealing a deep cleavage. A purple pearl dangled at her neckline, quivering slightly against her fair skin with her gentle steps.
Her waist was tightly cinched, making her already slender figure appear even more delicate. The soft fabric of the skirt flowed around her like a purple cloud as she moved.
There was a faint tinkling sound.
You Yuji walked gracefully towards Si Que and sat on a high stool by the bedside table. Her fair feet peeked out from under the purple skirt, resting on the edge of the bed, revealing her pale calves.
She leaned forward, the deep valley of her bosom visible.
She tied an anklet around her ankle and then gently flicked the small silver bell on the anklet with her fingertip. The small silver bell brushed against a tiny red mole on her ankle, producing a delicate, pleasant chime.
