The next morning, just as You Yuji was about to pay her respects to the princess, Nanny Gu came to tell her that the princess had a headache and that she would not have to pay her respects to the princess recently. She also handed over some matters to You Yuji. The housekeeper would take care of all the trivial matters, except for Chen Anzhi's coming-of-age ceremony in a few days, which required You Yuji to pay more attention to.
Nanny Gu also brought some material for making winter clothes from the mansion and asked You Yuji to choose first, and then divide the rest among them.
Although the textures of the materials are slightly different, the difference is not big, and they are all good materials. The patterns and colors are different, which makes people dazzled.
As soon as You Yuji saw the snow-white satin, she took it out herself and gently stroked the delicate cloud embroidery pattern on it with her fingertips.
"Send this to Yunxiao Pavilion." You Yuji paused and changed his tone, "Leave it there. I'll deliver it myself later."
Then she asked Zhenxu to divide the remaining fabric into three equal parts and give them to Chen Anzhi's two concubines. There was no need to send them there, they could just take them back when they came to pay their respects.
As soon as the division was completed, three women came over almost at the same time.
Chun Xing came first. She was originally the eldest maid beside Chen Anzhi, and became Xiaoshi's concubine a few years ago. She was not outstanding in appearance, dressed simply, and spoke and acted in a proper manner.
Just as Chun Xing sat down, Cui Yu and Xu Yingying came over. They knelt down to pay their respects as concubines. You Yuji took the tea and asked them to sit down in a friendly manner without making things difficult for them.
Then, You Yuzhi discovered something strange.
Chun Xing was wearing ivory-white clothes, but Cui Yu and Lin Yingying were also wearing white clothes, one whiter than the other. After all, these two women came from the brothel, and You Yuji had a preconceived notion that she would see two beauties with heavy makeup. But these two women were not only dressed in white, but also had the simplest wooden hairpins in their hair.
You Yuji subconsciously lowered her head and glanced at her red dress.
She was clearly in mourning, but the concubines in this room looked more like they were in mourning...
Before marrying into the palace, she was still in mourning for her father. Now according to the rules, the bride wears red clothes for the first three days, and on the next day, she will change back into plain clothes.
You Yuji looked at the faces of the three women again, and then found that they all had a pair of narrow eyes. You Yuji couldn't help but ask, "Do any of you know how to play the piano?"
"Madam, you're joking. Cuiyu and I don't dare to say that we are masters at playing the piano, but it is a skill that we rely on for a living after all. We have been learning it for more than ten years," said Lin Yingying.
Chun Xing whispered: "I only know a little bit..."
She was timid and had many concerns, so she didn't dare to say that it was the prince who taught her.
You Yuji nodded slightly, finally understanding why Chen Anzhi took such a big risk and insisted on bringing Si Que back home...
When You Yuzhi looked at the three of them, the three women were also looking at the mistress of this life.
Among the three people, Lin Yingying had the most outstanding facial features. Before she came, she had held her head high and chest out, thinking that she would see a mistress who was pale and forcing a smile because of humiliation, but she did not expect to see such a mistress.
She had heard that You Yuji was a beauty, but Lin Yingying didn't take it seriously. She grew up in a woman's den. In Rouge Lane, the most beautiful woman appeared every three years. What kind of beauty had she not seen
But at this moment, she stared at You Yuzhi in a daze.
I used to think that every beauty has her own beauty and no one could be called the best. Today I know that Si Jing Shuangjue is truly the most beautiful among the twelve countries.
What surprised her even more was that the lady didn't seem to be affected by the embarrassment of her wedding day. As to whether she was pretending or not, she didn't know.
Cuiyu said, "Madam, why are you asking this? The prince asked Yingying and I to play the piano the night before last. Do you want to listen too?"
The night before yesterday—the wedding night of You Yuji and Chen Anzhi.
Chun Xing and Lin Yingying looked at Cui Yu in surprise, and then secretly looked at You Yuzhi's expression.
You Yuji smiled gently and said, "You are the prince's concubines. He likes to listen to you play the piano. You don't have to play the piano for me."
"We will naturally serve the prince well. Now that the master has been punished, he needs someone to serve him the most. I would like to go over and serve him later."
"Okay." You Yuji still had a gentle smile on her face.
Cuiyu lowered her head, wanting to say something but hesitant. She knew that her life was in the hands of her mistress, but her mistress was alone in the empty room on her wedding night. She finally found something to hurt her mistress, and couldn't help but wag her tail, but she never expected that her mistress was smiling all the time, not caring at all.
Lin Yingying saw Cuiyu's frustration. She changed her tone, smiled brightly, and used her sweet talk to express herself: "Yingying is so lucky to have such a good mistress. Sister is not only kind-hearted, but also very beautiful. She is so beautiful that you can forget all your worries just by looking at her."
She let out a soft "ah", covered her mouth, and frowned as if she was in trouble. She looked at You Yuji cautiously, and her tone became cautious: "Isn't it too inappropriate to call me like this... Can I call you sister?"
"Sure." You Yuji's smile remained unchanged.
Lin Yingying was very good at observing people's expressions. She knew that You Yuji's expression was not fake. She immediately smiled even more brightly, stood up from the embroidery stool, sat down next to You Yuji on the soft couch, and looked at You Yuji with bright eyes: "Sister, you smell really good. It must be the body fragrance of a beauty."
You Yuji was amused by her and said, "It's spices. If you like the smell, take a box when you leave."
Lin Yingying thought about it and shook her head repeatedly: "Because my sister is beautiful, this fragrance is the icing on the cake for her. If Yingying uses the same fragrance, it would be an imitation of others and a waste of this fragrance!"
Chun Xing sat there obediently, she also wanted to say something nice, but she was tongue-tied and couldn't say it. She consoled herself by saying that the more you talk, the more mistakes you make, and that the mouth can cause trouble.
Jade rolled her eyes.
After sitting for a while, the three of them left. Chun Xing walked in front, while Cui Yu and Lin Yingying deliberately lagged behind and talked quietly.
Cuiyu complained: "Your ability to flatter is getting better and better."
Lin Yingying said with a smile: "If I can live a good life by flattering others, I can flatter them every day. You too, what are you complaining about? If the mistress is unhappy, how can you expect good results?"
Lin Yingying smiled as she touched the new fabric in her arms. She liked the pink fabric inside, but it was a pity that Chen Anzhi liked white clothes. She felt it was a pity and could only wear it occasionally to satisfy her craving.
"My bracelet is missing." Cuiyu said suddenly.
Lin Yingying accompanied her to look for it for a while but couldn't find it. She suspected that it fell on Tan Xiang Ying Yue, so she turned back to look for it.
The maid guarding outside You Yuji's door had gone somewhere unknown and no one had informed them. The two were hesitating whether to wait for the servant to come back and inform them before going in, when they heard the conversation inside the room.
"… Those two prostitutes, one is sarcastic and cocky, and the other one pretends to be stupid and hypocritical with a sweet mouth." Madam Jing said with a stern face.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying stood outside the door awkwardly.
You Yuji's gentle voice came from the room: "They are all pitiful people. Even if they have some minor problems, it is just because of the environment. No one is perfect, so why blame them. Now that they have left that place and come to the mansion, it is also a good thing."
"Why are the two aunts back?" Baohe asked after she came back from work.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu were shocked and extremely embarrassed.
"My handkerchief fell off." Lin Yingying made an excuse and left in a hurry with Cuiyu.
Madam Jing in the room quickly walked to the door and pushed it open, only to see the backs of the two concubines fleeing in panic.
You Yuji glanced around and saw the jade bracelet on the square table. She vaguely remembered that it was made of emerald jade, so she asked Zhenxu to hand the bracelet over.
You Yuji stood up and walked back to her bedroom. She leaned lazily on the couch under the window and picked up a medical book to read. She didn't know much about medicine before, and now she found the medical book very obscure. But her mother was hanging on her breath, and she was anxious, so she started reading the medical book desperately, hoping to help a little bit.
In the incense burner, calming incense slowly burns.
After a long moment, You Yuji sighed softly.
In the hometown, the newlyweds would return to the bride's home with gifts on the second day of the wedding. However, according to the rules of the State of Chen, they could only return on the fifth day.
She was eager to go home.
In the afternoon, Chen Anzhi came to Tanxiang Yingyue with a stern face and limping.
After lunch, You Yuji read some medical books before taking a nap. She slept late. When Chen Anzhi came, she was still asleep. Zhenxu hurriedly pushed her awake.
You Yuji stood up with sleepy eyes, pulled up her coat and walked out, just in time to meet Chen Anzhi who was about to come in.
"Why is the prince here?" You Yuji asked with a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Why? I can't come to your house?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, his tone was unfriendly.
You Yuji frowned and thought about how she had offended him. She couldn't think of it, so she didn't think about it. She didn't know how to answer, so she kept silent.
You Yuzhi's silence made Chen Anzhi even more unhappy.
"The one from Yunxiao Pavilion is not in good health, so she doesn't need to greet you." Chen Anzhi said in a deep voice.
"good."
Just one word? Chen Anzhi glanced at her, then immediately looked away.
The two of them stood opposite each other, one inside the door and the other outside. There was a long silence. Chen Anzhi gritted his teeth and spoke again: "You Yuji, is this how you act as a wife?"
"Please tell me what I did wrong, Your Highness."
"I've been here for so long, and you can't even help me sit down?"
You Yuji raised her eyes to look at his angry face and asked softly, "Sir, can you sit down now?"
"You!" Chen Anzhi gritted his teeth.
He was hit hard with the sticks one after another. After a whole night and most of the day, he was barely able to get out of bed and walk, but he was still unable to sit.
As soon as he was able to move, he rushed over, worried that she would be sad because he brought back another woman. But what about her? Why was she still so cold? Chen Anzhi suddenly felt that it was not worth it for him to endure the pain and come to comfort her.
"Your husband is injured, and you just ignore him and sleep soundly?" Chen Anzhi became angrier and angrier the more she thought about it. Even those concubines kept running to his side, but she was sleeping soundly in broad daylight
"The palace has summoned a royal physician to treat the prince, and the kitchen has also prepared tonic soup."
"Good! Very good!" Chen Anzhi turned around and left angrily, smashing the flower pot on the high table. He felt that he should not have come here at all. Thinking of what his sister said to him in the morning, he blamed this wrong arranged marriage even more.
You Yuji stood there quietly, staring blankly at the broken flower pots on the ground.
After a long time, she pressed the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, walked back to the dormitory to change her clothes, and went to Yunxiao Pavilion with the materials for Si Que and some hometown pastries.
By then, Yunxiao Pavilion was quiet and peaceful, without even a servant. You Yuji hesitated for a while before continuing to walk in.
Involuntarily, she slowed down her pace.
The door was open, the beaded curtain half drawn. As she walked to the door, the sound of a zither began.
You Yuji stopped, neither going forward to disturb them nor retreating. She stood behind the beaded curtain and listened quietly. The dullness, worry, anxiety... the myriad of troubles weighing on her heart were once again soothed by Si Que's piano music.
She seemed to have returned to her hometown, riding her horse at full speed and enjoying the fragrance of green grass.
Until the piano music stopped, You Yuji still stood there quietly. A thunderous explosion sounded, and You Yuji's shoulders trembled slightly, and she was pulled out of her memories.
Suddenly the weather changed, with strong winds blowing hard, blowing open the windows in the house and letting in heavy rain.
The prince is weak and cannot withstand such cold weather.
You Yuji ran in quickly and closed the window, the beaded curtain swaying behind her.
Si Que sat on the wooden couch under the window, some rain had already fallen on his shoulders. You Yuji leaned her knees against the couch, raised her hand to close the window, her soft sleeves slipped down, and her snow-white arm brushed against the side of Si Que's face.
Si Que slowly raised his eyes.