Si Que’s gaze fell on the small silver bell. As she played with it with her fingertips, the silver bell gently swayed, and he blinked.
After blinking, his gaze couldn’t help but move away from the still quivering silver bell and landed on You Yuji’s fingertips.
It seemed as if her fingertips were not playing with the silver bell.
It also seemed as if the small silver bell was not tied to her ankle but somewhere else.
You Yuji then took out another ornament with a small silver bell. It looked much longer and wider than the anklet—a finely woven silver chain two fingers wide, adorned with long and short silver tassels and dotted with tiny silver bells, jingling softly.
You Yuji slightly turned her body, placed the other foot on the edge of the bed, and gently lifted the soft skirt fabric. The hem of the skirt slowly slid over her calf, and as it passed her knee, it naturally fell, piling softly on her waist and thighs.
You Yuji gently adjusted the skirt on her leg and then tightly fastened the jingling ornament around her fair thigh.
Si Que’s gaze fixated on the fair skin beside the tightly fastened ornament. In the next moment, the soft purple fabric covered the white skin. Si Que looked up at You Yuji. She had stood up and was spinning lightly not far from the bed.
She stopped and looked at Si Que with a smile, her voice soft and sweet, “Is this dance costume beautiful?”
As she spoke, the soft skirt hem slowly descended, fluttering lightly even without wind.
Si Que didn’t know if the dance costume was beautiful. He only remembered the fleeting tassel on her leg as she spun. The faint sound of silver bells seemed to still ring in his ears.
Si Que looked up at You Yuji.
Before he went to bathe, You Yuji had already bathed. Her long hair was loose, casually draped, with a strand resting on her chest. The naturally slightly curly ends gently curled up, like hooks.
This woman, everything about her was a hook.
He looked at the hem of her skirt and slowly replied, “It’s… alright.”
“Alright?” You Yuji leaned on the bed with her knee, bending down close to Si Que, looking into his eyes, and whispered, “Just alright?”
Her voice was melodious and accompanied by the tinkling of silver bells.
She stayed close for a long time, a few strands of black hair falling, resting on Si Que’s neck, cool and smooth, carrying her unique faint fragrance.
Si Que raised his hand, placing it on her slender waist. You Yuji’s dance costume was extremely soft, except for the waist belt made of silky ribbon. Si Que’s long fingers moved gradually along her waist to her back, until his palm fully supported her lower back.
“Madam! Madam! Look what I found outside…” Baohe cheerfully came in holding a bunch of magnolias, only to be stunned at the sight of the two on the bed. Her movements froze, and the words she was about to say also stuck. She stood frozen for a long moment before reacting and immediately turned to run. A magnolia branch fell to the ground; she quickly picked it up, still running as she grabbed it. She ran out in one breath, pulling a cushion into the corner. The two of them talked all night long.
You Yuji laughed at Baohe’s quick exit. She smiled and leaned over to pull down the hanging bed curtain. In winter, the bed curtain was already heavy, and as it fell, it slowly enveloped the bed, casting everything into a dim, rosy darkness.
You Yuji lowered her gaze and patted Baisui’s head, lifting it from Si Que’s embrace. She gently said, “Tonight, you can’t sit on Que Que’s lap.”
Smiling, she softly placed Baisui outside the curtain.
You Yuji glanced at Si Que’s injured leg and then looked back at him. She placed her hand gently on Si Que’s shoulder for support, carefully straddled his leg with her long legs, and leaned forward, gradually getting closer to him. Her hands slowly encircled his neck.
She looked at him up close and whispered, “Tonight, let sister sit, okay?”
She smiled at him, just like a fox spirit that absorbed yang energy.
Si Que’s hand, which was on You Yuji’s lower back, found the metal clasp of her waist belt and forcefully pulled it, undoing the button. Her charming, soft lips were alluring. Si Que leaned in but, at the last moment, subtly changed the angle, letting his kiss fall on her earlobe, nibbling and kissing it gently.
Baisui sat on the ground, biting at the bow tied around its neck for a long time, finally managing to tear the silk ribbon off. It grabbed it with its little paws, scratching and biting it. When it finally got tired of playing, it dropped the torn silk ribbon aside and sat on the ground, tilting its head towards the warm bed.
The bed curtain was down, separating it from the bed, unwelcome to climb up.
The heavy bed trembled, reflecting the overlapping shadows of two people, while the delicate sound of silver bells continued without stopping.
“Meow! Meow!”
Baisui wanted to play with the little silver bell too. It jumped onto the bed, finding a gap between the curtains to squeeze through. But in the next moment, a long, pale hand grabbed it by the scruff and threw it out.
Baisui fell to the ground and meowed several times towards the bed, not receiving the usual gentle embrace from You Yuji. Disappointed, it meowed a few more times, its voice getting softer. It grabbed the torn silk ribbon and, with its tail drooping, crawled under a nearby cabinet. Curled up in the darkness, it covered its ears with its little paws, trying not to hear the incessant jingling of the silver bell and the strange thumping sounds.
When the silver bell jingled, Si Que’s gaze several times shifted past You Yuji, who was sitting on him, towards his leg bound with a splint.
Hesitation and struggle flickered in his dark eyes several times.
Baisui slept and woke several times, the jingling of the silver bell outside finally slowing down. It perked its ears and listened, hearing footsteps. It recognized them as You Yuji’s. Stretching lazily, it crawled out from under the cabinet and meowed at You Yuji, who was standing by the bed.
You Yuji was still wearing the light purple dance skirt made of extremely soft fabric, though it was now wrinkled. Her upper body, however, was not in the previous dance costume but draped in Si Que’s night robe, loosely tied. She picked up the bowl of medicinal soup from the small table and slowly drank it.
Baisui jumped onto the bedside table, stretching its neck and meowing incessantly at her.
You Yuji finished the last sip of the medicinal soup and then smiled at Baisui. She gently patted Baisui’s head and softly said, “Don’t worry, Baisui, we didn’t fight.”
“Meow…” Baisui’s last meow was soft and low, ceasing its calls.
“Go to sleep.” She tapped Baisui’s head with her fingertip and then walked towards the washroom.
Baisui yawned and, without going elsewhere, lay down and slept on the small table by the bedside.
You Yuji went to the washroom for a quick clean-up, brushing her teeth to get rid of the bitter taste of the fertility medicine. After sitting for a while to gather herself, she got up, holding a wrung-out damp cloth, and went out.
She sat by the bedside, passing the damp cloth through the curtain.
She sat there, listening to the rustling of clothes on the bed, glancing towards the window. The night outside was as dark as ink, and she had no idea of the time.
The bed grew quiet again, and she softly asked, “Are you done?”
“Yes,” Si Que’s voice was low.
You Yuji lifted the curtain and looked at Si Que’s expression. Just a moment ago, he didn’t seem so gloomy. Why was he unhappy now?
She gently nudged his arm and asked, “Is the wound hurting?”
“It doesn’t hurt,” Si Que replied, lowering his eyes.
You Yuji also lowered her eyes, pondering why he was unhappy. Could it be that, as a man, he didn’t like being passive? But his leg was injured…
How could he fully enjoy himself? They had been at it for most of the night, and she had only kissed his collarbone so lightly. Just a soft, gentle, little kiss. So quick that Si Que even wondered if it was accidental.
Why couldn’t she kiss him properly? She had a mouth, after all.
You Yuji got up and blew out the lamp in the room.
The room plunged into complete darkness. Si Que felt You Yuji lying down beside him. She quickly nestled close, her tender cheek against his shoulder. Her hand gently held his. Si Que felt enveloped by a vast gentleness, making escape impossible.
His bit of unhappiness seemed insignificant now.
He gently turned towards You Yuji, slipping his arm under her neck and holding her in his arms. He didn’t need to see to know that this little vixen was slowly curling her lips into a smile.
Clever little vixen.
Before long, You Yuji fell asleep.
Si Que opened his eyes, looking at her sleeping face in his arms. He stared at her for a long time, finally unable to resist leaning in to kiss her soft, tempting lips. Just as he was about to touch her lips, he paused. He was so close he could almost feel the softness of her lips. He changed his mind, stiffly kissing her cheek instead.
No, he wouldn’t give in.
He wanted her to kiss him first!
Frustrating.
Si Que closed his eyes and went to sleep.
The next day, You Yuji woke up later than usual. She groggily opened her eyes and instinctively tried to sit up, only to find herself restrained by something. Gradually becoming fully awake, she gently pushed away Si Que, who was nestled in her arms.
Last night, her dance costume had been damaged, so she had later wrapped herself in Si Que’s snow-white night robe. However, now that robe was nowhere to be seen.
You Yuji carefully pulled the robe from under Si Que and wrapped it around herself before getting out of bed. She walked to the outer room, knelt on the beauty couch, and reached up to open the window. Warm sunlight streamed in. She knew she had woken up late, but not this late.
Hearing the noise, Zhenxu entered from outside. She glanced quickly at You Yuji’s attire before averting her eyes respectfully and asking, “Madam, should I call for water to wash up? Do you still want breakfast or combine it with lunch?”
You Yuji, holding her robe closed, glanced back towards the inner room and whispered, “The princess is still asleep. Keep your voice down.”
“Yes…” Zhenxu’s eyes widened at the sight of the marks on You Yuji’s collarbone, quickly lowering her head.
“Just send water to the washroom quietly. No need for breakfast,” You Yuji paused, then ordered a few nourishing dishes for lunch.
Zhenxu, flustered, almost tripped over the threshold as she left.
Baohe, who had been watching from outside, hurried over, lowering her voice, “Madam is wearing the princess’s night robe, and there are kiss marks on her neck! Your guess was right!”
“Oh my!” Baohe was stunned by the confirmation, mumbling, “Madam really likes women…”
A chilly breeze blew through the early winter courtyard as Zhenxu and Baohe stared at each other, speechless.
After a long silence, Zhenxu finally spoke, “If this gets out, it will cause trouble…”
Baohe nodded slowly, “So we must help Madam keep it secret as best as we can!”
Zhenxu nodded vigorously.
Since You Yuji had woken up late, the concubines who had come to pay their respects in the morning had returned after sitting in the flower hall for a while, knowing she was still asleep.
In the afternoon, You Yuji inquired once again about Zhuo Wen’s situation from Lady Jing. Lady Jing replied that Zhuo Wen had not yet met the master of the Poison Pavilion.
You Yuji nodded, lazily sitting on the beauty couch by the window, flipping through a medical book. She had planned to meet with two stewards in the afternoon, but feeling lethargic, she left the matters to Lady Jing.
The tinkling sound of silver bells drew You Yuji’s attention to the bed.
Si Que was leaning against the headboard, playing with the leg ornament that You Yuji had worn, teasing Baisui. Every time Baisui jumped high, it could never quite reach it.
He had been playing with You Yuji’s leg ornament almost the entire day.
You Yuji, looking at the dangling silver bell, stopped thinking about buying a fake death pill from the Poison Pavilion. Clearly, there was something more important right now.
She got up and walked towards the bed.
