Si Que slowly took off the thin bracelet on his wrist and put it back on You Yuji's wrist. The thin bracelet was slightly cool like jade, but her fair wrist was warm.
Si Que slowly put You Yuji's hand down, but he didn't look away. Her hands were not only extremely beautiful, but even the brief contact when he put the jade bracelet on her was enough to make him marvel at how smooth her white hands were, as soft as warm jade.
Baisui, who was carried away, climbed back with great perseverance. He climbed up You Yuji's arm and onto her body, then fell to the other side of You Yuji near Si Que. He got up, wagging his tail, and moved to You Yuji's hand. He tilted his head and rubbed the back of You Yuji's fingers with his ears - he was hurt from the fall, and was trying to comfort himself.
Si Que took a glance at it, then grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and lifted it up again.
The little creature was startled by being lifted up suddenly. It kicked its short legs around, its tail was stiffly pulled up, and it meowed.
You Yuji frowned, woke up, and asked dazedly: "What's wrong with it?"
"I don't know why it's crying." Si Que put the kitten down and looked at You Yuzhi with innocent eyes.
You Yuji rubbed his eyes, propped himself up on his elbows, and gently stroked the kitten's head with his other hand. Baisui immediately calmed down, and even his round eyes narrowed.
"He's gone?" You Yuji asked, still looking at Baisui tenderly.
"Let's go." Si Que looked at You Yuji's expression and said in a playful tone, "Madam actually fell asleep while listening to what the prince said to me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, You Yuji's palm came up and pressed against his forehead. Her sleeve blocked Si Que's sight, so that he could not see her face for a moment.
You Yuji put down her hand, and that bright and smiling face appeared in her sight again.
"The fever has completely subsided." You Yuji smiled at Si Que, "Princess, it's great that you are like this. If I were a man, I would like it too."
Si Que wanted to say something but stopped himself, as he felt it was difficult to put it into words.
You Yuji was speaking from the heart. Whether Chen Anzhi liked Princess Que, Fang Qingyi, or someone else, it didn't matter to You Yuji. She didn't like Chen Anzhi's behavior, but she didn't dislike the women who had a relationship with Chen Anzhi.
On the contrary, she would feel sorry for these women.
You Yuji sat up and took Baisui on her lap. She pinched his tender little feet and said, "I know you want me to see the other side of the prince. It's for my own good. But don't do such rash things in the future. It's against the rules."
"Okay, your fever has just subsided, you need to have a good rest. I'm going back." You Yuzhi put Baisui down, moved forward, put her arm around Si Que's shoulder naturally, and got off the bed.
She had just stood up when she heard the sound of pillow rustling outside the door.
"Madam, Aunt Lin wants to see you. She looks very anxious."
If it wasn't an urgent matter, Lin Yingying would not have come to Yunxiao Pavilion. After all, Chen Anzhi had instructed people in the mansion not to come and disturb her.
You Yuji didn't rush to put on her cloak and leave. She just walked out to see what was going on.
As soon as she saw You Yuzhi coming out, Lin Yingying, who was waiting outside, knelt down with red eyes.
"What's wrong? If you have something to say, just tell me." You Yuji asked.
Zhenxu hurried to help Lin Yingying.
Lin Yingying refused to get up, and begged with sobs: "Sister, my mother is seriously ill, maybe this is the last time I will see her. I want to go home, and go home now. Sister, please let me go back. I'm afraid it will be too late tomorrow, and the prince won't want to see me... I, I don't know who to ask. Sister, good sister, please!"
Lin Yingying was flustered. She, who was usually eloquent, spoke these words in a halting and stammering manner. However, when she called "sister", each word became sweeter and more sincere than the last.
"Okay, let's go back. Don't cry."
Lin Yingying didn't cry at first, but when she heard You Yuji agree without hesitation, the tears she had been holding back all night suddenly burst out, and she repeated over and over again: "Sister is so nice!"
It was already completely dark, and You Yuji was afraid of something unexpected happening if she let a concubine leave the house at this time, so she asked Zhenxu to find two servants from the You family to accompany Lin Yingying home.
"If you need anything, just tell me. Don't bother me about the money for the medicine. The weather has changed drastically in the past two days, so wear more clothes."
Lin Yingying nodded vigorously.
Si Que heard every word of the conversation outside. He picked up a bowl on the bedside table, which contained a few pieces of dried herbs.
"Sister?" He chewed a piece of herb slowly, savoring the bitter taste and this somewhat novel name.
You Yuji came in from the outer room, took the cloak from the hanger, and put it on while saying, "I'm leaving now. I have to go out of the house during the day tomorrow. If I come back, I'll come to see you in the evening."
"Okay." Si Que forced a faint smile.
Si Que asked Liu Feng to send You Yujie away, and when Liu Feng came back, Si Que called her.
"How do I become a concubine?" Si Que chewed the herbal tablets expressionlessly.
Liu Feng blinked, pondered for a while, and then answered: "There are two kinds of concubines. One kind is obedient and does not cause trouble, serving the male master and his wife well, and obeying the two masters. The other kind is not so obedient, thinking about how to win the favor of the male master all day long, hooking the male master's heart firmly, and regards favoring the concubine and killing the wife as a lifelong pursuit!"
There was a "click" sound, and Si Que and Liu Feng looked in the direction of the sound. It turned out that Baisui, who had fallen asleep, had somehow crawled into the bowl of herbs, making the bowl make a noise.
Si Que picked up Baisui, flicked its forehead, and asked it seriously: "Bai Sui, what kind of concubine do you think we should be?"
Baisui turned his head and looked around, not wanting to pay any attention to him.
The next morning, You Yuji packed up and left the palace, heading for Zhao's house. She had heard from Zhao Sheng the day before that Chunniang was pregnant, so she planned to visit Chunniang.
Zhao Sheng worked for his father when he was young, and You Yuji knew him when he was young. You Yuji knew Chunniang even earlier, and the two of them could be considered as close friends who grew up together. In recent years, there have been constant wars, and Emperor Chen intended to break the division of the twelve countries, taking various measures to make the old people leave their homeland, and gradually integrate their cultures and bloodlines.
Now that I’m in Chen Jing, I can still see my close friends who grew up with me. It’s a blessing.
Along the way, You Yuji was thinking about Chunniang. Sometimes she wondered if she had a hard time during her pregnancy, and she was a little worried. Sometimes she wondered if the baby was a boy or a girl, and whether he would look like Chunniang or Zhao Sheng when he grew up.
A violent shaking interrupted You Yuzhi's thoughts.
Bao He's body tilted and her head hit the wall of the carriage. She cried out in pain and couldn't help complaining, "How do you drive the carriage?"
"There are bandits, ma'am, be careful."
Zhuo Wen's solemn voice came from outside the carriage.
Zhuo Wen was once a capable general of You Yuji's father, and had fought many battles on the battlefield. However, after his father passed away, he remembered General You's life-saving grace and lamented the plight of the You family, so he took off his armor and was willing to be a guard of the You family.
Zhuo Wen was a skilled fighter and a veteran. Hearing his cautious tone, You Yuji realized the seriousness of the situation. She leaned forward, pushed the car door open a little, and looked out. Sure enough, she saw a dark mass of bandits approaching.
You Yuji glanced at the group of bandits and immediately determined from their orderly footsteps that these people were not bandits, but people of other identities in disguise.
If they are bandits, they can be taken for money.
If he is not a bandit, then he is a murderer.
You Yuji's mind raced, quickly wondering who wanted her life. She had no answer for a moment, wondering who she had offended. She changed her mind and thought, if she died, who would benefit
The You family has no more benefits to gain, and she only has the identity of a prince's consort.
A name comes to mind.
You Yuji frowned.
She was unwilling to wrongly accuse anyone without evidence.
Zhuo Wen fought hard with several guards. Although he was very skilled, he could not defeat a hundred people alone.
Bao He was still young, so she covered her eyes with her hands, not daring to look at the bloody fight outside. Although Zhen Xu was still calm, his face was slightly pale.
Zhuo Wen thrust his sword into the chest of a bandit, and turned to see two other bandits rushing towards the carriage from another direction. He was startled, and shouted "Madam", and took off the bow and arrow on his back and threw it towards the carriage, which was caught by You Yuji.
You Yuji hasn't touched a bow and arrow for two years.
She drew the bow to a full moon, squinted one eye and stared at the person running towards her. As the long arrow shot out, her father's words echoed in her ears - "Yuji, you must be focused when shooting arrows. When your mind is calm, the running creatures will become motionless targets."
The long arrow hit the bandit between the eyebrows and he fell backwards.
The aftereffect made You Yuji's fingertips tremble. She didn't have time to think about anything else. She drew out another long arrow, put it on the bowstring, and shot arrows one after another.
Zhenxu said anxiously, "Madam, you ride on your horse and go first. We will try to delay for a while!"
Even the frightened Baohe put down his hands and nodded repeatedly with red eyes.
Delay for a while? How can two weak women delay for a while
"See if there are any arrows in the box under the bench." You Yuji said as she shot another arrow. Her voice was as gentle as ever, without impatience or fear.
Zhenxu and Baohe reacted and hurriedly knelt on the ground to search everywhere.
You Yuji shot another bandit who rushed over, and she turned her head to look towards the south. She spoke in a calm tone because she knew that being anxious would only make others more nervous, but it didn't mean that she was not anxious.
After a while, she finally saw Zhao Sheng's figure, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her stiff back slowly softened.
Now that the country has just settled down, it is not a peaceful and prosperous time where no one picks up things on the road. From the Jinnan Palace to the Zhao family, you must pass through a secluded place. After all, You Yuji has experienced wars, so she is used to being cautious. She sent someone to inform Zhao Sheng in advance and asked him to come and pick her up in case they encounter bandits.
I didn’t encounter any real bandits, but I did encounter some fake bandits.
You Yuji was very glad that she was careful.
Zhao Sheng saw that something was wrong and immediately rushed over with his men. The bandits saw Zhao Sheng's uniform and immediately retreated. After all, their orders were to kill You Yuji quietly and then pretend to be robbed by bandits. If they met officers and soldiers, they would be easily discovered. They had no choice but to retreat first.
Zhao Sheng did not bring many men with him, and did not pursue the suspects any further. He immediately ordered his men to check the fallen bandits to see if there were any alive. Sure enough, two of them were still alive. Zhao Sheng ordered his men to take the two back for questioning.
Three of You Yuji's guards were also injured, so You Yuji did not go to Zhao's house again, but returned home. Zhao Sheng escorted her all the way back to Jinnan Palace.
Only after returning to Tanxiang Yingyue did Zhenxu and Baohe recover from their fright and realize that they were safe.
The princess quickly sent Nanny Gu to inquire about the situation. Before Nanny Gu hurriedly left, she conveyed the princess's intention - the matter must be thoroughly investigated and justice must be given to You Yuzhi.
You Yuji sat by the window, holding a cup of hot tea handed to her by Lady Jing. She was thinking about something else. The other party was obviously prepared. Although her plan to go to the Zhao family was not a sudden decision, not everyone knew about it.
Is there someone in her yard who has become someone else's spy
You Yuji turned her head and rubbed her brows. The pain from drawing the bow and shooting the arrow came from her hands, and she curled her fingers repeatedly to relieve the pain.
She felt uneasy and told Madam Jing a few more things.
In Yunxiao Pavilion, Si Que was bored and teasing Baisui. He was teasing Baisui with a lavender silk handkerchief with a twig embroidered on the corner.
Baisui was so anxious that he couldn't catch the handkerchief and fell down.