Su Ziyuan was naturally unwilling.
The reason he had used the excuse of missing his deceased wife all these years to avoid remarrying was precisely to allow the woman he favored to manage the household without suffering any grievances.
But since his daughter had already spoken to this extent, even if only to maintain a semblance of harmony, he could not refuse.
Concubine Yun trembled all over, swaying unsteadily like a withered leaf.
Before Su Yuewu left, she glanced at her, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips, her mood quite pleasant.
That evening, as bedtime approached, Su Yuan arrived at Taoyao Residence.
It had been a long time since he had visited his younger sister’s boudoir. The moment he entered, he frowned, pointing at the eastern wall and asking, “I remember there used to be the spring outing painting we drew together hanging there, didn’t it? Why was it taken down?”
Su Yuewu was combing her hair in front of the dressing mirror. Without looking up at his words, she gazed at her own beautiful reflection in the mirror and replied unhurriedly, “It got stained and didn’t look good hanging there anymore, so I threw it away.”
Only then did the displeasure in Su Yuan’s heart dissipate somewhat.
He found a rosewood chair to sit on and sighed nostalgically, “A Wu, tell me, how long has it been since we were as close as we used to be? I still prefer you from when you were little—so clingy. You would insist on hugging me while I did my homework, and I had to coax you to sleep.”
Su Yuewu saw her own reflection in the mirror curl her lips coldly. “Yes, so tell me, brother, when did I start distancing myself from you?”
Su Yuan pondered. “Probably around the age of twelve? I remember clearly—when I returned from my studies in Jiangnan, I brought back many trinkets. In the past, you would have demanded them all for yourself, but that time, when Second Sister took several items, you didn’t mind at all. I praised you for finally being sensible, but you didn’t even acknowledge me.”
At the time, he thought Su Yuewu was throwing a tantrum and decided to give her a few days to reflect, assuming she would come crying to apologize as she always did before long.
But to this day, he had yet to see his younger sister run over in tears to apologize as she used to, then obediently cling to his side again.
“I used to care too much about everything related to you, brother. But after being scolded by you so many times, I gradually stopped caring.”
How could she call it “stopped caring”?
He should have praised her for recognizing her mistakes and becoming more sensible, yet Su Yuan felt a strange unease rising within him. He frowned, watching his sister slowly comb her hair. Her thick, dark tresses cascaded behind her, accentuating her fair and delicate face, but her expression was too indifferent.
There was a time when, as soon as Su Yuan entered the room, a soft, fragrant little bundle would throw herself into his arms, calling out “brother” in a tone thick with affection.
Now, the two of them sat apart. Though they were in the same room, an invisible chasm seemed to lie between them.
Su Yuan felt somewhat displeased. His brow furrowed slightly as he tapped the armrest of the chair with two fingers, his tone tinged with uncertainty and disbelief. “Are you blaming me for disciplining you?”
“Disciplining?” Su Yuewu paused the sandalwood carved comb in her hand, finding it both strange and amusing. She smiled thoughtfully and said, “So that’s what you call disciplining, brother?”
Ever since Su Yuan had taken a concubine and come to understand his father’s actions, his attitude toward Madam Yun and her daughter had also softened.
Unable to resist Su Yuewan’s pleas, he taught her to write, accompanied her in painting, and took her on outings to the outskirts of the capital…
On the day of the spring outing, Su Yuewu waited at the entrance of the Su residence for an entire day. Finally, she caught sight of her elder brother’s familiar figure, only to see him open his arms after stepping down from the carriage and let another young girl rush into his embrace.
“I’ve taken you to the outskirts of the capital so many times, but Second Sister has never even left the Su residence. As the eldest legitimate daughter of the family, not only do you lack care for your younger sister, but you are also so selfish. In the future, who would dare marry a wife like you?”
“Go back to your courtyard and copy the Su family rules ten times for me.”
Su Yuan’s cold, stern face, Su Yuewan’s seemingly obedient yet secretly provocative gaze…
Even now, thinking about it still makes Su Yuewu feel a slight pang in her heart.
“Brother, my deep admiration and complete reliance on you were shattered by your own hands. I can’t really blame you, because if it weren’t for you, after I returned from the Eastern Palace, Father would likely have conspired with Madam Yun—either to marry me off to some unworthy man or, fearing I would tarnish the family’s reputation, simply arrange a ‘death from illness’ to cleanly dispose of me.”
“Enough!” Su Yuan’s face darkened as he interrupted to scold her. “A Wu, how can you speak so rebelliously and suspect Father? Moreover, Concubine Yun is Father’s concubine after all. What kind of manners are you showing by repeatedly calling her ‘Madam Yun’?”
Su Yuewu glanced at him through the dressing mirror, not particularly concerned, and continued on her own: “But I will no longer harbor any deep sibling affection for you either. Being your sister is truly exhausting. As a child, I had to be clingy and affectionate; as I grew older, I had to become gentle and magnanimous; after coming of age, naturally, I was expected to marry into a prestigious family based on my reputation for virtue and grace. Once established in my husband’s household, I was to occasionally support my natal family; and in old age, with children and grandchildren around, I was to use the connections I had accumulated over the years to secure good prospects for my nephews and nieces.”
“This is the kind of good sister you envision, isn’t it?”
For a moment, Su Yuan’s expression stiffened, and he was left utterly speechless.
It was simply because he had never expected to hear such words from his once-innocent sister. Yet, admittedly, what she described was exactly what he had initially expected of her.
But what was wrong with that? Why did she say it in such a strange tone? Which family’s daughter wasn’t like this?
Su Yuewu withdrew her gaze from her brother’s face and sighed softly. “Brother, you truly are Father’s son. Even your affection for the women in the family comes with conditions. Since that’s the case, from now on, there will only be family interests between us. You need not come to me again, reminiscing about how time flies or how things were when we were young.”
Su Yuan watched as his sister finally finished smoothing her hair, placed the wooden comb back into the dressing case, and turned to look at him. Those lips, as delicate and beautiful as flower petals since childhood, parted gently, but the words that came out were so unfamiliar: “Brother, don’t worry. In the future, you will dedicate yourself to your official career, and I will do my utmost in the rear palace. Supporting each other, we will make a fine pair of siblings.”
Su Yuan couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart.
Shock, confusion, anger…
He couldn’t understand how his once-obedient sister had become like this!
Was it because he hadn’t kept her by his side to discipline her over the years?
“You…”
As soon as Su Yuan began to speak, a maid with double-loop buns came running from outside the courtyard gate—it was Luzhi, Su Yuewan’s personal maid.
She saw Su Yuan and immediately knelt down with a thud, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly.
“Young master, please go to the Lotus Fragrance Courtyard at once! The concubine has had her housekeeping keys confiscated, and in her grief and anger, her old illness flared up, causing her to faint. We don’t know whether she’s alive or dead right now. The master has personally gone to Ji’an Lane to request Physician Zhang. My young lady has lost her pillar of support and keeps crying for her brother. I beg you, please go and see her!”
Upon hearing this, Su Yuan’s expression turned grave. He no longer had the heart to be angry about Su Yuewu’s earlier words, only glancing back at her with displeasure and chiding, “Look at the mess you’ve caused.”
With that, he turned and strode directly toward the Lotus Fragrance Courtyard.