You Yuji wanted to push Si Que away, but was afraid of waking him up. She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed gently, but it didn't move. She reached out and touched his hand on her lower back. Just as she was trying to pry his hand away, the door was pushed open. You Yuji paused and subconsciously raised her eyes.
"Madam, are you awake?" Zhenxu stood at the door and asked in a low voice.
When You Yuji was distracted, Si Que pushed back the hand she had just pushed away, and even rubbed his face in her arms. You Yuji couldn't help but let out a soft cry, which was heard by Zhenxu who was about to leave.
Zhenxu stopped and asked again, "Is Madam awake? Aunt Lin and Aunt Cuiyu came here early. I saw that they looked very bad, as if they had something urgent to do."
Zhenxu said as he walked towards the bed.
You Yuji bit her lip and stopped pushing Si Que. Instead, she pulled the blanket over both of them, covering even her chin. As for Si Que in her arms, he was covered even more tightly.
You Yuji said quickly: "Okay, I understand. I'll get up right away."
Zhenxu stopped walking and paused in her movement to lift the bed curtain.
"Then the servant will go down and fetch some water."
You Yuji listened to Zhenxu walking out, then she blushed and lowered her head to look at Si Que, whispering: "I know you're awake, if you don't let go, I'll be angry!"
In response to You Yuji, it was Si Que who rubbed his face again.
You Yuji bit her lip, and was at a loss for words for a moment. After a long while, she uttered softly, "Scoundrel..."
"Sister." Si Que's voice was a little hoarse, "Is the scratch on your leg healed?"
"No! It will never be healed in this lifetime!" You Yuji pushed Si Que away with all her strength, and this time Si Que let go immediately. You Yuji didn't care about Xin Yi who was pressed under Si Que, and she gathered the two pieces of her pajamas in front of her, got out of bed in a hurry, and ran to the small changing room without even putting on her shoes.
Si Que listened to You Yuji's footsteps going away, he smiled, and changed from lying on his side to lying on his back. He slowly opened his eyes and raised his hand to touch his face.
"Why don't you slap me?" A hint of disappointment flashed in his bright eyes.
After changing her clothes and washing up, You Yuji returned to her bedroom. She lifted the bed curtain and looked at Si Que who was still lying on the bed. Si Que opened his eyes and looked at You Yuji. It was darker inside the bed than outside. She stood by the curtain, as if she could bring in a ray of light.
"What would you like to eat for breakfast?" You Yuji asked softly.
Si Que smiled and asked, "Why aren't you angry, sister?"
You Yuji was surprised and asked, "What are you angry about?"
Si Que remained silent, but You Yuji slowly reacted. She curved her lips and raised her eyes slightly to reveal a gentle smile. She let go of the curtain, and the curtain slowly fell behind her, and the bed fell into complete darkness again. She leaned over and whispered in Si Que's ear: "Aren't you my sister's lover?"
Her untied hair fell down and slid lightly across Si Que's neck, feeling slippery and itchy.
Si Que turned his head to look at You Yuji, and You Yuji also turned his head. The two looked at each other in the dim light. There was a smile between her eyebrows, but the smile on his face disappeared.
Si Que suddenly felt a little scared.
—He was afraid that he would really fall in love with this woman who always tolerated him, and he was also afraid that this woman would cry for him in the future.
"Yingying and Cuiyu seem to be busy. I have to go to the flower hall. Is there anything special you want to eat? If not, just follow my usual meals?"
"milk."
You Yuji frowned slightly and asked softly, "What breast?"
He looked at You Yuji and said meaningfully, "Sheep's milk, cow's milk, deer's milk, any kind of milk will do."
You Yuji didn't know what she was thinking of. She glared at him, turned around and walked out quickly. Before she stepped over the threshold, Si Que's happy laughter came from behind her.
After You Yuji left, she still told Baohe to ask the kitchen to add a portion of deer milk to today's breakfast. Then she went to the flower hall.
She looked at Cuiyu and Lin Yingying, who were sitting next to each other, and saw that they both looked very bad. She sat down in the armchair at the top and asked, "What's wrong?"
Just as Lin Yingying was about to speak, Cuiyu pulled her back. Cuiyu said, "Madam got up very early today. She probably hasn't had breakfast yet. We are sorry to bother you by coming too early."
You Yuji suddenly realized that since the two of them had come so early, they obviously hadn't eaten yet. She turned her head and told the maid beside her to go to the small kitchen and tell the two concubines to stay for breakfast together.
She looked at Lin Yingying and Cuiyu again and said softly, "We got up early, and breakfast is not ready yet. You two should stay and eat with us later."
Cuiyu nodded absentmindedly.
Lin Yingying couldn't help but said hurriedly: "Madam, the prince wants to give the jade away!"
You Yuji was startled, and then she stopped smiling. She sat up a little straighter and asked, "What's going on?"
"The horse in front of the Zhenxiu Building yesterday didn't belong to the prince, but to someone else. The prince wanted to exchange Cuiyu for that horse!" Lin Yingying explained quickly, "But that man is not a good person! He likes to whip women the most. A sister that Cuiyu and I knew before was carried into that man's house and beaten to death!"
You Yuji's brows gradually furrowed.
Lin Yingying said a lot of things, but Cuiyu remained silent and kept her head down.
Lin Yingying quietly tugged at Cuiyu's hand and whispered in her ear, "Don't just stand there like an idiot. Please, Madam!"
Cuiyu was struggling in her heart. Reason told her that the lady would not help her, but at this moment, she still cried. She walked forward a few steps quickly, knelt down in front of You Yuji, and cried, "I don't want to be a concubine anymore. I want to be a slave to the lady. Please save me!"
You Yuji hurriedly put down the sleeve stove in her hand and leaned over to pull Cui Yu.
"Okay, I get it. I won't let him do that."
Cui Yu looked at You Yuji in a daze, suspecting that she had heard it wrong—Did the Madam agree so easily
Two maids hurried over and helped Cui Yu up.
You Yuji frowned and fell into deep thought.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying stood aside, looking at You Yuji eagerly. They were afraid that she would regret it, and they were also afraid that she would find it difficult. They couldn't help but think about how to solve this matter, but they couldn't figure it out. They were of low birth, not concubines, and their indentures were not in their hands...
After a while, You Yuji came back to her senses and saw Cuiyu and Lin Yingying looking at her eagerly. She smiled gently and said, "Don't worry. It's just a small matter."
Small, small things
Cuiyu's eyes were red and tears were still hanging in her eyes. She didn't quite believe what You Yuji said.
You Yuji indeed did not consider this a difficult matter. She was just thinking about something else - what should she do with these concubines after she left the Jinnan Palace
After a while, Zhenxu came in and reported that breakfast was ready. You Yuji ordered breakfast to be placed in the flower hall, and she also told Zhenxu to send someone to the princess to see if she had gotten up.
Cui Yu and Lin Yingying exchanged glances, guessing what You Yuji was going to do.
Liu Feng came over to report, but Si Que hadn't stood up yet, so he didn't come.
You Yuji nodded and ate the deer milk with a spoon.
"Is my sister's hand okay?" Lin Yingying asked.
"It's okay." You Yuji looked up at the two of them. They both had sad faces and were stirring the porridge with a spoon. They looked like they had no appetite at all.
It happened that the person sent by Zhenxu came back and reported that the princess had already gotten up.
You Yuji put down the spoon in her hand, stood up and walked out.
"Sister, let's eat something before going?" Cui Yu stood up and said hurriedly.
You Yuji glanced at her, pressed her swollen eyes with her fingertips, and said softly, "When I come back, I don't want to see you two without a bite of food."
You Yuji smiled at her, turned around and walked out.
Cuiyu stared blankly at You Yuji's background and touched her eyes. She muttered softly: "Yingying, I must have been stupid when I first entered the mansion to mock her."
"You're just, you're just like this to everyone..." Lin Yingying paused, "It would be great if you could change in the future..."
You Yuji entered the princess' room and came out within a quarter of an hour, and then went straight to Chen Anzhi's study. Chen Anzhi was not there, and there was only a servant named Wangshan sweeping the room.
You Yuzhi walked straight to Chen Anzhi's desk and rummaged through the drawer.
"Madam, what are you looking for?" the servant asked hurriedly.
You Yuji ignored him and quickly found the indentures of several concubines among the documents.
Wangshan winked at another maid and sent someone to quickly inform the prince.
When the maid rushed to Anxiangyuan, Chen Anzhi had just gotten up. He regretted what happened last night. Hongzan was Fang Qingyi's personal maid. He took advantage of Fang Qingyi's pregnancy to promote her maid, which seemed neither authentic nor decent. He secretly looked at Fang Qingyi to see her expression.
Fang Qingyi turned her head and smiled at him gently, saying, "Cousin, I'm pregnant recently and can't accompany you all the time. Hongzan is a good and obedient girl, and she will definitely serve you well."
Chen Anzhi was stunned, and suddenly he felt mixed emotions and great shame. His cousin was so considerate, and he felt even more sorry for her.
He gently hugged Fang Qingyi and looked at her affectionately: "It is a great honor to have my cousin by my side!"
Fang Qingyi looked back at him and smiled.
At this time, the maid came to report that You Yuzhi went to Chen Anzhi's study to look through something. Chen Anzhi's face immediately turned gloomy. He coaxed Fang Qingyi twice and left in a hurry.
"Goodbye, cousin." Fang Qingyi stood at the door and watched Chen Anzhi walk away. Then she stopped smiling coldly, turned around and sat in front of the dressing table, combing her hair with a wooden comb.
"Master, I..." Hongzan lowered her head and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Fang Qingyi looked at herself in the bronze mirror and said, "We grew up together. As we are master and servant, I want to give you a tip - you can try to get his money, status, and protection, but don't really fall in love with him."
What would happen if she fell in love with him? She had already experienced it.
When Chen Anzhi rushed to the study, You Yuji had already left. He learned from Wangshan that You Yuji had taken away the indentures of several concubines, and he could not help but chase after Tan Xiang Yingyue with a dark face.
Chen Anzhi caught up with You Yuzhi in front of the gate of Tanxiang Yingyue's courtyard.
"Stop!" Chen Anzhi was furious.
You Yuji turned around and asked, "What's the matter, my lord?"
"What's the matter? You're asking me what's the matter?" Chen Anzhi quickly chased to You Yuji and asked, "Why did you take away the indentures of several concubines?"
"This is what the princess meant." You Yuji said, "The princess said that as the mistress, I should be in charge of the indentures of the concubines."
"Or is the prince planning to sell them off?" You Yuji smiled slowly, "The prince is a man of integrity and upright character. He certainly wouldn't sell off his concubines for no reason, right?"
"you!"
"I was overthinking it." You Yuji smiled sweetly, "The prince would never do such a despicable thing."
"You!" Chen Anzhi was speechless.
"Originally, you and I have divorced, so it's not my place to be in charge, but the princess wants me to take care of this. If the prince doesn't want to, being able to convince the princess will save me the trouble, and I have to thank the prince." You Yuji smiled and nodded, "I won't see you off, prince."
She turned and walked back, slowly walking through the long courtyard to the flower hall.
Chen Anzhi gnashed his teeth and stared at You Yuji's back. He wanted to follow him in, but as proud as he was, he didn't want to be shameless!
Cui Yu and Lin Yingying had already heard the prince and his wife arguing at the gate of the courtyard. The two of them stared at You Yuzhi as she walked into the flower hall.
Chunxing also arrived, much earlier than usual.
Si Que was there too, holding a bowl of deer milk. He glanced at You Yuji and tasted the fragrance of the milk.
The author has something to say: Little Princess: Deer milk is fragrant, but...
The lazy author finally has to think seriously about chapter titles again!