It was already the second watch of the night. Luzhi instructed the young maids to lock the courtyard gate and arranged for the night watchwomen before returning to the room, only to find her mistress still sitting before the dressing mirror in a daze.
When the Second Young Master had entered earlier, he had immediately ordered her to leave. Even though she hadn’t heard anything, she knew nothing good would come from the Second Young Master’s mouth.
Luzhi fetched a jacket and draped it over Su Yuewu’s shoulders, then crouched down and said softly, “Miss, don’t be upset. In a few days, we’ll be able to leave the Su family and enter the palace. Once you become a noble consort and have His Majesty’s protection, there won’t be so many troubles anymore.”
Back when Su Yuewu entered the Eastern Palace, Luzhi had accompanied her as her attendant and was well aware of the relationship between His Majesty and her mistress.
His Majesty truly doted on her mistress to the point of indulgence.
The messy scribbles her mistress drew were praised by His Majesty as masterpieces, and he even ordered eunuchs to mount them into scrolls for the Eastern Palace’s collection. When her mistress fell from a tree, His Majesty flew into a rage and had the apricot tree chopped down, claiming it was to avenge her. When her mistress was angry and ignored him, His Majesty sat gloomily in the study all day, writing a thousand-word self-criticism to apologize…
Young love, sweet and tart like green plums, yet as scorching and passionate as a blazing fire.
With such past affection, Luzhi believed that her mistress must hold a special place in His Majesty’s heart.
Su Yuewu, however, wasn’t troubled by Su Yuan.
On the contrary, she was thinking about Madam Yun, and her mood was quite pleasant.
After her mother died from difficult childbirth caused by Madam Yun’s provocation, her maternal grandfather’s family in Qingzhou received the news and sent her eldest maternal uncle over.
The first thing her eldest maternal uncle did upon arrival was to have his attendants seize Madam Yun and force-feed her a bowl of Sterility Potion.
Madam Yun had a congenital Heart Malady, though it was relatively mild. However, the toxicity of the Sterility Potion aggravated her condition, making the symptoms much more severe.
If it flared up again, she would suffer excruciating pain, even to the point of endangering her life.
Yet, in all the years since her eldest maternal uncle returned to Qingzhou, Madam Yun had managed the entire household, enjoying every privilege and facing no setbacks. Her Heart Malady had hardly ever flared up.
But as the moon wanes when full and water overflows when brimming, Madam Yun’s good days had now come to an end.
From now on, this illness would surely trouble her frequently.
The night was deep, and chaos reigned outside due to Concubine Yun’s affairs. Su Yuewu had Luzhi arrange for someone to keep an eye on the commotion there. Just as she was about to retire for the night, an unexpected visitor arrived at Peach Blossom Residence.
Her eldest half-brother, Su Yuze.
As Su Yuewu quickly tied up her hair, draped a robe over herself, and rose from the bed, she pondered the purpose of this half-brother’s visit.
If it was to express gratitude for the household management matter, there was no need to choose the dead of night. He could have come after dawn the next day.
In the outer room, a tall man with downcast eyes sat properly on a chair. Hearing the movement, he immediately looked up and stood. “Sister.”
The two words were uttered with restraint and haste, as if rehearsed many times in advance.
The last time Su Yuewu had seen Su Yuze was during the New Year’s Eve family banquet, though she had only caught a few fleeting glances of him then. Now, examining him carefully, she realized he resembled Father the most among all the siblings—with long eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a refined, scholarly demeanor. If only his timid and submissive air could be replaced with a gentle and poised grace, he would likely outshine even Su Yuan.
She had always been patient with those who were good-looking, so she smiled and said, “Why are you here at this time, Big Brother? Aren’t you afraid your little niece will wake up and cry when she can’t find her father?”
Su Yuze could sense that Su Yuewu had noticed his unease and was trying to ease the atmosphere. Feeling a warmth in his heart, he lowered his gaze and softly said, “Her mother is watching her, so she won’t cry. I came today because…”
He paused, reaching into his sleeve to retrieve a palm-sized wooden box, which he handed to Su Yuewu with both hands.
“This is some money I’ve saved over the years. Knowing you’re going into the palace, I thought to bring it to you.”
Su Yuewu raised an eyebrow, taking the box from his hands. She deftly opened the latch, and inside was a stack of banknotes. A rough estimate suggested there were about four to five hundred taels.
As if afraid she wouldn’t accept it, Su Yuze spoke nervously and hurriedly, “I know that all expenses in the palace don’t require spending money, but there are always unexpected places where funds are needed. As siblings, I have no talent and can’t help you in other ways. Only these banknotes can be given to you for security, at least fulfilling my duty as a brother.”
“Big Brother, we aren’t familiar enough for this, right?” Su Yuewu slowly lifted her eyes, her gaze carrying a faint confusion, sincerely saying, “If you’re giving me money hoping that I’ll help you in the future when I gain influence in the palace, I advise you to reconsider. After all, whether I gain influence is uncertain, and even if I do, whether I’ll help you is also uncertain. If you lose this money, it’s truly gone.”
She was sincerely advising Su Yuze, as the banknotes in the box ranged from small amounts of ten or so taels to the largest being no more than eighty taels. It was clear that saving them had been difficult.
She indeed needed money now, but she wasn’t without means; she didn’t need to take money from someone poorer than herself.
Upon hearing these words, Su Yuze’s face paled momentarily, and he seemed somewhat wounded: “I didn’t mean that, I, I…”
He stammered as he spoke. Su Yuewu instructed a maid to fetch water, her face once again adorned with a gentle smile: “Big Brother, don’t rush. Sit down and drink a cup of tea, then speak slowly.”
She wasn’t displeased with Su Yuze’s actions. At least, as a relative, knowing she was entering the palace, he remembered to bring money for her security. Meanwhile, Father and her legitimate brother’s first reactions were joyfully fantasizing about how they could benefit later.
So even if Su Yuze had ulterior motives, she could accept it.
Su Yuze sat down, holding the teacup and drinking several mouthfuls before calming himself. He looked up at Su Yuewu, his voice much steadier: “I don’t know if you remember, but when we were young, once an antique was lost from Father’s study. Concubine Yun and Second Sister accused me of stealing it. Second Brother and Father both believed it, but only you defended me. Later, I was still punished with family discipline, and you sent a maid to bring me medicine.”
Su Yuewu vaguely seemed to recall this incident.
The item lost at that time was quite valuable. Su Yuewan said she saw Su Yuze steal it. She was still young, and few doubted a child’s lie. Concubine Yun added fuel to the fire, subtly suggesting that Su Yuze’s behavior had been unusual these days, possibly due to gambling. Father naturally believed it without question.
Su Yuewu hadn’t actually intended to help Su Yuze at that time.
Her target was Madam Yun and her daughter.
Whoever Madam Yun targeted, she would help; whoever Madam Yun and her daughter were close to was the villain.
She hadn’t expected Su Yuze to take it to heart.
Su Yuewu sighed softly, closed the box, and handed it back to Su Yuze. Seeing his panicked gaze, she spoke first: “I have money. Keep this for yourself. If you want to help me, do something more useful.”
Su Yuze was slightly stunned. He looked up at his sister, dressed in plain clothes with a simple hairpin, wearing no makeup yet still radiant, and asked blankly, “How can I help you?”
“Take the imperial examinations.”
Su Yuewu lowered her gaze to look at him and said earnestly, “Eldest Brother, I remember you had exceptional talent for studying when you were young, and you were diligent and eager to learn. Your ranking in the academy exams was even better than Second Brother’s. Why did you stop after failing the provincial examination just once?”