After returning to the Flower Chamber, Yu Ying set down the crape myrtle in her hands and leisurely began admiring the flowers.
When she heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside the Flower Chamber, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of her lips.
"Yu Ying, come out here!"
Baochuan's furious voice rang out from behind her.
Yu Ying put down the flowerpot she was holding and turned to face her. Seeing the clear handprint on Baochuan’s cheek, she feigned an innocent and surprised expression. "Sister Baochuan, what happened?"
Both Baozhu and Baochuan were senior maidservants of the Houfu. With the Old Madam having long withdrawn from household affairs, the two had served Cui Yichu since childhood and held extremely high status, even surpassing Mama Zhou in influence.
The only person who could slap Baochuan directly was Cui Yichu.
Baochuan was seething with anger, but Cui Yichu was urgently looking for someone and she dared not delay. Suppressing her rage, she said curtly, "Return to Huiliufang Hall."
"Yes."
Yu Ying replied obediently, picked up the crape myrtle from the ground, and followed Baochuan back to the courtyard.
At this moment, Cui Yichu was accompanying Zhao Xuanyou for a meal in the Warm Pavilion. The warm, orange glow of the lanterns seeped through the window screens, casting a soft, tranquil halo over them.
Yu Ying set down the crape myrtle and gazed at the two intimate figures silhouetted against the window. She silently resolved to shatter this peace.
Returning to the side room, she found a clean and neatly folded sleeping garment laid out on the table. Just by the texture of the fabric, she could tell it was of exquisite quality—something only Cui Yichu would wear.
"Change into this and wait inside for further instructions."
With those words, Baochuan headed toward the main chamber. The slap she had received was solid, leaving half her face reddened, making her unfit to serve inside.
After waiting silently under the corridor for a while, she saw Baozhu instructing a junior maid to clear the table inside.
"Where is Yu Ying?"
"Waiting inside."
Baozhu nodded and added a warning, "The mistress is in a poor mood. Be careful with your tasks."
"Understood." Baochuan was well aware of her mistress's methods and dared not disobey.
"Sister Baozhu, the mistress's Anshen Tang is ready."
A junior maid approached with a tray. Baozhu took the tray and entered the room. Meeting Cui Yichu's inquiring gaze, she gave a subtle nod.
"Mistress, it is late. Perhaps it is time to retire."
Hearing Zhao Xuanyou's words, Cui Yichu secretly fumed at Yu Ying's seductive charm, which had ensnared him so deeply. Yet, she maintained a gentle smile on her face. "Baozhu, go and assist the Shizi in changing. I will join you after drinking my Anshen Tang."
Just as Baozhu stepped forward, Zhao Xuanyou raised a hand to decline. "That won't be necessary."
Having spent many years away from home, he had long grown accustomed to grooming himself without the assistance of servants.
Cui Yichu smiled softly, watching him enter the inner chamber before turning to Baozhu with a meaningful glance.
"Is the medicinal soup prepared for Yu Ying ready?"
"It is."
"Don’t use the aphrodisiac tonight." After all, Yu Ying was serving Zhao Xuanyou in her stead. If she were continuously dosed with aphrodisiacs, causing her to become overly unrestrained and wanton, it would tarnish the dignity of a daughter of a ducal mansion.
"This servant has prepared a sleeping potion. It will ensure Yu Ying falls asleep not long after entering."
Now that the first night had passed smoothly, from here on, it would suffice to simply drug Yu Ying into unconsciousness and leave her at Zhao Xuanyou's mercy.
Finally at ease, Cui Yichu leisurely finished her Anshen Tang before entering the inner chamber.
Zhao Xuanyou had already changed into his sleeping garment. Seeing her enter, he sat by the bed and smiled at her.
Cui Yichu looked at him, her heart filled with countless emotions.
Initially, when her family chose the Jingyuan Marquisate as her marital home, she had been unwilling. Later, upon hearing of Zhao Xuanyou's iron-fisted methods on the battlefield and in the imperial court, and learning of the Marquisate's high status and power, she gradually developed an admiration for him.
The moment she saw Zhao Xuanyou on their wedding night, the last trace of disappointment in her heart vanished completely.
She had meticulously planned this scheme precisely to secure a long-lasting life with Zhao Xuanyou.
After all the effort she had put into this arrangement, she could not afford to reveal any flaws now.
Baozhu walked to the wardrobe, rummaged through the clothes inside, and turned back to say, "Madam, I can't seem to find the newly made sleeping garment."
"Perhaps it was moved to the adjacent room?" Cui Yichu feigned annoyance as she walked over to the wardrobe and glanced inside. "Never mind, I'll look for it myself."
Zhao Xuanyou, however, raised an eyebrow. "It's just a sleeping garment. You can find it tomorrow."
A spring night's moment is worth a thousand pieces of gold—after all, it would be removed anyway.
Cui Yichu pretended to be shy, lowering her gaze as she said, "The Shizi may not know, but the newly made one fits better and looks more flattering."
"Oh?"
"Don't trouble yourself, Shizi. Rest first." With that, Cui Yichu turned and extinguished the candles in the room before leaving with Baochuan.
Zhao Xuanyou gave it no further thought, lifted the bed curtains, and lay down first.
Outside in the corridor, Yu Ying knew the time was almost right when she saw the lights go out in the room.
Soon, Cui Yichu emerged and, seeing that Yu Ying had already changed into her sleeping garment, her expression softened slightly.
"Have you taken the fertility potion?"
"I have." In truth, she had only taken a small sip. While Baochuan wasn't paying attention, she had poured the entire bowl into the flowerbed in the courtyard.
After all, it was dark, and no one would notice.
By morning, it would have dried, and she could simply loosen the soil to erase any trace.
Cui Yichu lowered her voice and instructed, "Go in and serve him well. If you conceive, I will surely elevate you to the status of a concubine."
Yu Ying put on a look of apprehension, shaking her head at Cui Yichu and whispering, "This servant does not dare."
Her delicate, fair face was truly captivating. Even Cui Yichu, who prided herself as the foremost beauty of the capital, felt a slight stir of emotion.
A flash of jealousy passed but quickly faded.
No matter how beautiful Yu Ying was, she possessed nothing but an empty shell—hardly worth envying.
Once she gave birth to a child, even that shell would vanish into dust.
With this thought, Cui Yichu felt only disdain and arrogance when she saw Yu Ying's pitiable demeanor. "Once inside, speak little to avoid the Shizi detecting any flaws."
Let her accompany him for a few more nights. It would be best if she conceived within a month or two, to avoid complications.
Cui Yichu gave a faint nod. "Don't sleep tonight. Wait until the Shizi is done, then call Baozhu in to attend to him."
"Yes."
Yu Ying bowed slightly to Cui Yichu and quietly made her way into the room.
Perhaps heavy curtains had been deliberately arranged, for although the inner chamber had windows on three sides, it was pitch dark inside, with not a sliver of moonlight penetrating.
Yu Ying made her way to the bed by memory, fumbling to lift the bed curtains and climb onto the bed, when suddenly a strong hand steadied her.
"Why were you in such a hurry to extinguish the lights? Won't you let me see what the sleeping garment looks like?"
Hearing these stirring words, Yu Ying felt a pang of discomfort.
Zhao Xuanyou was a military commander, dignified and imposing in appearance. It was difficult to imagine what expression he wore while speaking such words.
In her previous life, after she died, Cui Yichu took her son. Zhao Xuanyou believed the child was Cui Yichu's own, so he must have cherished her deeply. The couple likely lived in perfect harmony, and such overly affectionate words were probably whispered to Cui Yichu every night.
Feeling the slight tremble in the small hand he held, Zhao Xuanyou sat up and pulled Yu Ying onto the bed, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"No… I'm just a little cold." Yu Ying did her best to mimic Cui Yichu's voice, keeping her words as brief as possible.
It wasn't yet time to confront Cui Yichu openly—everything had to proceed according to her wishes for now.
Zhao Xuanyou took the opportunity to pull her into his embrace.
Sensing the man's presence, Yu Ying felt momentarily flustered, resting her head against his broad shoulder.
She had already been intimate with this man and had even borne him a child, but this was the first time she was consciously and quietly holding him while fully aware.
She realized something.
Zhao Xuanyou had always been clear-headed. He had likely whispered such intimate words last night as well, but she had been drugged and unable to respond.
Tonight, she was awake. He saw her as his Heir Apparent's Wife, so she could act in Cui Yichu's stead.
She couldn't go too far, or it would anger Cui Yichu.
But… causing Cui Yichu some trouble or setting up a minor inconvenience wouldn't hurt.
Of course, before that, she had to make Zhao Xuanyou happy.
Yu Ying's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she looked up at his chin. A sudden impulse seized her, and she tilted her head upward, her lips brushing against his Adam's apple.