Afraid of waking the princess, You Yuji treaded lightly as she left the room.
Si Que opened his eyes and watched her tiptoe away, his gaze lingering a moment longer on her slender waist.
Downstairs, Zhenxu hurried to greet her.
“Madam, you are awake. It’s already the hour of Si (9 AM-11 AM).”
You Yuji hadn’t realized she had slept so late. She quickly said, “You should have woken me last night.”
“I did try, but you were sleeping soundly. It was still raining heavily outside, so I let you continue sleeping,” Zhenxu replied, recalling how the princess had mentioned Madam cried herself to sleep, feeling a pang of sorrow.
You Yuji didn’t say more and instructed Liufeng to call a doctor once the princess woke up. Then she and Zhenxu hurriedly returned to Tanxiang Yingyue.
Chunxing, Lin Yingying, and Cuiyu came to pay their respects after breakfast. Knowing You Yuji wasn’t there, they sat in the side room, chatting and waiting for her return.
“These two beauties of the Si Kingdom—You we’ve seen, but Si remains hidden. I wonder what she really looks like. I didn’t expect Madam to stay there overnight. I was hoping to see a drama of two great beauties fighting for favor,” Cuiyu said, somewhat disappointed.
Cuiyu glanced at Chunxing, hoping she would say more.
Chunxing smiled and said, “Madam is magnanimous. A mistress wouldn’t compete for favor with a concubine.”
Though they were all concubines, Chunxing thought this way, but the other two might not appreciate it. Cuiyu turned away to eat pumpkin seeds, unwilling to talk to her.
Lin Yingying’s eyes sparkled as she beckoned Baohe and asked cheerfully, “Have you seen Princess Que?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Then, who do you think is more beautiful among the two great beauties of the Si Kingdom?”
Before Baohe could speak, Cuiyu clicked her tongue and said, “If you ask her, she’ll naturally say her mistress is more beautiful.”
Baohe frowned in dissatisfaction and hurriedly said, “It’s the truth!”
The three of them looked at her curiously. Baohe scratched her head and whispered, “Anyway, Madam is more beautiful!”
Baohe dared not speak ill of the princess, but she always felt that while the princess was indeed beautiful, it was a strange kind of beauty. Seeing the princess made one want to retreat ten feet away and gaze up at her beauty from a distance. A single glance would compel one to quickly lower their head, not daring to look again.
In fact, back in the Si Kingdom, the little maids had privately discussed this issue, and everyone thought You Yuji was more beautiful. Just in terms of figure, You Yuji far outshone Princess Que! Without You Yuji’s graceful and alluring figure, the princess was also so tall, taller than many men…
Baohe was lost in thought when You Yuji returned. She hurriedly went to serve her. After You Yuji freshened up and changed clothes, she met with the three concubines. The three-day period after the wedding had passed, and she had changed out of her red wedding dress into simpler clothes—a dark blue front-closing shirt and a pleated apricot skirt, the layers of fabric rippling like waves as she moved.
The three concubines noticed that Madam was in a very good mood, and they couldn’t help but guess that Madam and the one from Yunxiao Courtyard had a pleasant conversation…
In reality, You Yuji was counting down the days. Tomorrow would be the fifth day, the day she could return home. Just thinking about seeing her mother and brother tomorrow made it hard for her to suppress her smile.
Some are happy, while others are troubled.
Fang Qingyi sat by the window, her mind wandering as she watched a pair of sparrows on a tree branch outside. Chen Lingyan had just sent a maid to invite her to work on embroidery together, but she had declined.
Embroidery was just an excuse; it was really Chen Anzhi who wanted to see her.
—To avoid suspicion, Fang Qingyi had been meeting Chen Anzhi at Chen Lingyan’s place for the past two years.
The maid Hongzan anxiously asked, “Miss, why don’t you go? You can’t delay this…”
“Go for what? To discuss how to persuade the princess and get You Yuji’s approval so I can enter as a concubine?” Fang Qingyi laughed bitterly. “I, Fang Qingyi, am I to become a lowly concubine?”
Hongzan hesitated. She knew her mistress had high ambitions, but now that the young lord had married, what else could be done?
“I’d rather be a second wife than a concubine,” Fang Qingyi said slowly, smiling.
Later, another maid hurriedly entered and reported, “Miss, the princess wants to see you.”
Fang Qingyi was slightly surprised. The princess had a severe headache; summoning her at this time must be important. She didn’t dare to delay and hurried over. When she arrived, she found Chen Anzhi was also there.
“Cousin,” Chen Anzhi gave her a deep, meaningful look, his concern hidden in his gaze. He believed his cousin would understand.
Fang Qingyi gracefully returned the greeting, not looking at him again.
Fang Qingyi didn’t want to be a submissive concubine; she wanted to capture a man’s heart.
Soon, Princess Jinnan emerged from the inner room, with You Yuji following beside her.
Fang Qingyi was momentarily stunned.
You Yuji helped the princess to sit on the soft couch. Just as she was about to leave, the princess held her wrist, keeping her by her side.
The princess stared at Fang Qingyi and asked, “Did you have your two brothers deliberately get Anzhi drunk? No, did you intentionally make him drink?”
Fang Qingyi bit her lip, hesitant to respond. She had to answer cautiously, without any mistakes.
“Mother! That day…” Chen Anzhi stepped forward.
The princess cut him off angrily, “I already know about the two of you!”
Chen Anzhi glanced at You Yuji, frowning.
The princess continued to stare at Fang Qingyi and pressed on, “I ask you, did you have your brothers put something in the wine they gave the young lord?”
Fang Qingyi’s face turned pale, then flushed. She bit her lip and knelt down, saying, “Qingyi doesn’t know where Aunt heard such rumors. Since Aunt is here to question me, Qingyi won’t hide the truth. Yes, Cousin is handsome and well-read, and Qingyi has admired him for a long time…”
Chen Anzhi looked over.
His cousin had admitted it publicly. He felt a mix of emotions—touched by her defiance of rumors, and guilty for causing her distress.
“But Qingyi is not someone who oversteps boundaries. Aunt believes I had my brothers deliberately get Cousin drunk; this is unjust. Their moods and whether they wanted to drink were beyond my control. I had no reason to do such a thing. Since I admire Cousin, how could I bear to see him disgrace himself through drunkenness?” Fang Qingyi looked up, her eyes filled with unshed tears, stubbornly refusing to fall. “Aunt, Cousin was ordered to marry. I am not someone who would lower herself to become a concubine. The day of Cousin’s wedding was the day our relationship ended!”
Fang Qingyi closed her eyes, and the tears she had held back for so long finally fell.
“Cousin…” Chen Anzhi could no longer remain silent.
“Mother, it was my own bad mood that led me to drink too much. How can you wrongfully accuse Cousin of deliberately having others force me to drink? I make my own decisions; I am not a three-year-old child easily deceived by others!”
You Yuji had arrived only shortly before Chen Anzhi and Fang Qingyi and had no prior knowledge of what the princess would say. She quietly watched her husband and another woman exchange tender emotions, feeling like an evil person breaking up their bond.
The princess was trying to save face for her, to vent her anger, to help her untangle the knot in her heart from the wedding day. Yet, as she sat there, You Yuji felt very calm. She tried to probe her own feelings, attempting to find some sense of anger or grievance, but it was in vain.
On the night of her wedding to Chen Anzhi, any expectations she had for the marriage had almost entirely dissipated. At that time, she just wanted to see what the man would be like when sober.
Later, she did see him, and whatever little expectation she had left vanished.
She had no unresolved feelings.
In life, whether to resolve things or let them go, there’s no need to keep knotted things in your heart to trouble you.
“You won’t reject her, will you?” Chen Anzhi looked at her.
You Yuji met his gaze and slowly smiled, “Are you the one arranging the residence, or am I?”
Chen Anzhi stared blankly at the smile in You Yuji’s eyes, feeling dazed. She had said this to him before.
On the first day she came here after the wedding, he drank and brought in prostitutes, leaving her alone on their wedding night.
On the second day, he officially took two of the prostitutes as concubines and then brought Si Que back to the mansion in the evening.
Today was the fourth day, and he was asking her if she would reject his cousin.
The princess, suffering from a severe headache, found today’s events overwhelming. Whether Chen Anzhi and Fang Qingyi would sever their ties or whether Fang Qingyi would become a concubine and formally pay respects to the main wife in the future, she aimed to give You Yuji some closure. But she never expected Chen Anzhi to act this way…
“Don’t make things difficult for the princess consort,” Fang Qingyi stood up. “Besides, what do you take me for? I was foolish to have secret dealings with you. But I’ve told you many times, I will never become a concubine!”
Tears streaming down her face, she looked at the princess, “Aunt, I no longer have the face to stay in the prince’s residence. I will go back and pack my things and leave immediately!”
With that, she quickly bowed and ran out, crying.
“Cousin!” Chen Anzhi, limping, chased after her.
The princess stood up and called out twice, but Chen Anzhi did not return. Feeling dizzy, she had to be supported by You Yuji. The princess frowned, seeing the calm look in You Yuji’s eyes, and was stunned—she wasn’t angry?
Fang Qingyi ran back to her room and ordered the door shut, refusing to open it no matter how much Chen Anzhi called out.
She had to leave.
“Is everything taken care of?” she asked softly.
Hongzan nodded.
Fang Qingyi had indeed instructed her two brothers to get Chen Anzhi drunk on their wedding day, and the wine had been spiked, unbeknownst to her brothers. The drug in the wine was designed to make one irritable and lose control.
The emperor’s decree for the marriage could not be defied.
But if You Yuji were to die, wouldn’t she then be able to marry the young lord? Even as a second wife, she would still be the legitimate heir’s wife.
You Yuji’s country was destroyed, her father was dead, and her mother was barely hanging on. Humiliated on her wedding night, she should have been expected to end her life by jumping into a well or hanging herself.
Unexpectedly, this wild woman from the plains didn’t care about her reputation at all.
Fang Qingyi wiped away her tears and sneered, “Fine, if you won’t kill yourself, I’ll just have to help you die.”
—
You Yuji returned to Tanxiang Yingyue and started early to pack for her return to her maternal home the next day. She also thought about which stores to visit along the way. She wondered if her mother would be able to eat anything…
In the evening, Liufeng came with a message—Si Que had composed a new piece and invited You Yuji to come and listen.
You Yuji was quite surprised.
When You Yuji arrived at Yunxiao Courtyard, Si Que was already seated behind the zither. As she entered, he began to play. Listening carefully, she could tell it was a new composition. She found a corner to sit down and quietly listened to the music.
When the piece ended, Si Que pressed his long fingers on the strings, paused, then started playing another piece.
The first note flowed from his fingertips, and You Yuji’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was the “Yunling Rhapsody.”
The famous piece that could make the bluebirds weep.
You Yuji had no idea how Si Que could compose such a desolate and sorrowful melody. Listening to it, she felt as if she had returned to the day when her father’s coffin was brought back.
Every piece of armor was cracked, and her heart felt wet and tender with pain.
Before the piece ended, her tears had soaked her robe.
Si Que walked over and handed her a soft handkerchief to wipe her tears.
As You Yuji wiped her tears, her body went limp and she collapsed to one side. Si Que reached out to support her, then gently picked her up and placed her on the wooden couch, beginning to undress her.
Today, the cloth binding her chest was white as snow.
As he had done the previous day, Si Que undid it and turned to fetch the silver needles from the drawer. You Yuji’s limp body slid towards the edge of the couch, and Si Que reached out to catch her, her soft body pressing against his hand.
He froze, sitting still for half a moment before holding her shoulders and pressing her down onto the wooden couch. Bending down, he whispered in her ear, “You little fox.”
Fortunately, the detoxification would only take three days.
Just a bit more patience.
Si Que slowly patted You Yuji’s face and commanded, “Starting the day after tomorrow, stay far away from me. Do you hear me, little fox?”
