The whisper was too soft; it vanished into the air the moment it was uttered. Li Wanran didn’t hear it clearly. “What?”
Did he just say something?
Li Wanran wore a look of confusion. She had only spaced out for a brief moment—how did she miss what he was saying?
Yinzhen did not answer. Instead, he abruptly reached out, took the painting Li Wanran had left on the table, and began to examine it with great interest.
Looking at the familiar scene in the painting, he cast a sidelong glance at Li Wanran, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. “It’s well-painted. I didn’t expect you to record this.”
The painting depicted the night of Li Wanran’s birthday on the lake. Two small figures were shown embracing at the bow of the boat, watching the sky full of fireworks.
Before Li Wanran could cock her tail in pride, Yinzhen shifted the conversation, bringing up the assignments he had given her previously. Seeing her freeze, Yinzhen raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes slightly, speaking in a dangerous, hollow tone:
“Don’t tell me that after more than half a month, you still haven’t finished the drawings I assigned?”
“How could that be!”
How could she tolerate him questioning her homework completion?
Li Wanran immediately rose in a huff, took out all the rolled-up assignments from the painting jar, and laid them out one by one before Yinzhen with her chin held high.
“They are all here. You can check them one by one to see if I finished them or not.” Li Wanran crossed her arms, completely unafraid.
Inwardly, however, she breathed a secret sigh of relief. She was fortunate that she hadn’t tossed the work aside just because Yinzhen hadn’t asked about it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to act so righteously today. The little person in Li Wanran’s mind put her hands on her hips and laughed wildly.
Yinzhen looked at the paintings on the table, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes. He said nothing more and stopped leaning against the back of the chair, sitting up straight to examine them scroll by scroll.
Initially, he had assigned so much work only because he had been angry at the time. After returning home, he had regretted it slightly. Although it wasn’t good to change an order once it was given, he could have pretended to forget and given her a few more days to finish.
Later, however, seeing Li Wanran’s expression when she thought he had forgotten—rejoicing in secret—and the way she scrambled to hide the paintings whenever he arrived, looking terrified that he might mention them, he found it quite entertaining. So, he had delayed it until today. It had even become one of the excuses he used in his heart to come and see her.
Once he finished the last scroll, Li Wanran eagerly leaned in, looking down at him with an air of arrogance.
Ask for praise! Ask for a compliment!
Yinzhen skillfully pulled her onto his lap and pinched her cheek, smiling. “A good performance. You haven’t disappointed my teachings.”
He wasn’t merely humoring her; Li-shi truly did have a bit of talent in this area. At first, he hadn’t taught her seriously, treating it only as a bit of “chamber fun.” He hadn’t expected that under such circumstances, she could still paint so decently. Seeing that she was a diligent student, he had gradually begun to teach her with more seriousness.
Li Wanran knew nothing of this, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care. Regardless, her goal had been achieved. Although she didn’t know why Yinzhen had suddenly remembered this matter, it didn’t stop her from flattering him while simultaneously polishing her own image.
She tilted her head and looked at Yinzhen coquettishly. “With such a wonderful teacher as Master, who is hard to find anywhere in the world, I naturally wouldn’t dare to be negligent.”
She then held her hands out before Yinzhen’s eyes, complaining in a delicate voice about how hard and tiring the painting had been. She claimed her hands had even grown calluses!
Hearing this, Yinzhen solemnly turned her hands over and examined them several times, saying with a half-smile, “I can see it. It truly must have exhausted you.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Li Wanran heartlessly withdrew her white, scallion-like hands and let out a couple of dry laughs. When she was tired of painting, she would rest; she applied skin cream to her hands whenever she thought of it, so calluses were impossible.
She laughed it off, trying to think of something to say to escape the awkward situation. Suddenly, Yinzhen gripped her slender, soft waist with both hands and lifted her up slightly before saying with mock seriousness, “You’ve grown quite a bit lighter.”
Li Wanran was startled by this sudden movement and nearly lost her breath. “Do you think you’re a scale?”
Her eyes widened until they were round, much like a bristling kitten. Pretending to be angry, she balled her hand into a fist and lightly drummed on his chest, casting him a sharp glance. At that moment, she felt as if her soul were about to fly out of her body; she hated sudden scares without any preparation.
“If you keep scaring me like that, I’m going to be truly angry,” she grumbled, caressing her chest.
Seeing that her complexion wasn’t great, Yinzhen realized he had truly frightened her on a whim. Feeling guilty, he pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her back. “It’s my fault. I won’t do it again.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Li Wanran sat sideways in Yinzhen’s lap, her arms crossed around his neck and her chin resting on his shoulder. She half-closed her clear eyes, enjoying Yinzhen’s rare service.
Outside the door, Banxia, who had been carrying tea and fruit to serve them, saw the scene. She chuckled to herself and tiptoed away with the tray.
Xiao Yuzi, who was supervising the young eunuchs cleaning the veranda, turned around and saw her coming out with the untouched refreshments. He stepped forward with a smile and asked:
“Sister Banxia, why haven’t these been touched?”
Could it be that the Fourth Master and the Gege were tired of these snacks? Or was it…
In that short moment, several guesses flashed through Xiao Yuzi’s mind.
Banxia placed the tray on a nearby stone table. Although it wasn’t heavy, it was tiring to hold for long. Once it was settled, she whispered with a smile, “The Fourth Master is speaking with the Gege. It wasn’t proper for me to go in and disturb them, so I came out.”
Upon hearing this, the subtle worry in Xiao Yuzi’s heart vanished completely. As long as the masters were fine, the people below could work in peace. He looked at the snacks on the tray, pondered for a moment, and said, “Liucheng told me a few days ago that he made some new types of pastries and wanted the Gege to try them.”
Banxia looked at him in surprise. “Since when did you two become so close?” she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she scrutinized him.
Xiao Yuzi felt a chill run down his spine. Banxia pulled him to a secluded corner and said in a low, heavy voice, “Don’t let your head get muddled and do anything to betray the Gege.”
“Oh, my dear sister, those words truly wound my heart,” Xiao Yuzi hissed through gritted teeth. “We’ve worked together for so long; don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
He took a deep breath, calmed his expression, and continued, “He only wanted me to help him curry a bit of favor with our Gege.”
“He and his master were able to move up a step because of our Gege, and since our Gege is in favor, these clever people will find a hundred excuses to build a connection, let alone when they have a direct one right in front of them.”
He had agreed to help them only because Zhang Ru was now the lead eunuch of the kitchen. Being on good terms with him held no disadvantages for them.
When he put it that way, Banxia understood. Her cold expression thawed, and her voice softened. “I see. Don’t blame me for being suspicious…”
Before she could finish, Xiao Yuzi interrupted with a smile. “No need to say more. I understand. We both want what’s best for the Gege.”
Banxia nodded and was about to turn and leave, but she seemed to remember something. She turned back and warned:
“I don’t care if you interact with them, but you must be careful. Don’t let anything happen that might involve the Gege.”
“Rest assured. I, Xiao Yuzi, will never let such a thing happen,” he promised in a low, solemn voice.
Inside the room, Yinzhen was still persistently dwelling on the topic of weight.
“I still feel you have thinned out quite a bit. Have you not been eating well these past few days?”
Having been together for so long, Li Wanran could more or less guess why Yinzhen was saying this. He had likely imagined a scenario where she had been so distressed by his absence that she couldn’t swallow her food.
However, since he had proactively handed her a ladder, why shouldn’t she climb it?
Li Wanran waited a long moment before responding, her voice a bit muffled. “It’s nothing of the sort. My appetite has been quite good lately.”
She sat up straight, peeked at Yinzhen, and grumbled, “I eat well and sleep well; I actually feel like I’ve gained some weight.”
Sentence by sentence, it sounded to Yinzhen’s ears as if she were trying to cover something up.
Yinzhen pressed his thin lips together and let out a silent sigh. He turned, intending to call Su Peisheng inside. However, just as the words reached his lips, he remembered he hadn’t brought him along today and had to swallow the order. He looked down at the young woman in his arms, his heart filled with an uncontrollable sense of pity.
Before coming, he had imagined all the way how Li-shi would cry and cling to him once she saw him. Unexpectedly, the reality was quite different from his thoughts. To avoid making things difficult for him or causing him worry, she was able to endure the bitterness in her heart and refused to reveal even a fraction of it before him.
He couldn’t help but hold the person in his arms a bit tighter.
His mind continued to fill with images of Li-shi standing alone, grieving under the moon when he didn’t arrive. For a moment, he even began to regret why he had waited so many days to visit her.
After a moment of reflection, he said softly, “From now on, I will decide your meal plan; it will follow the standards of the front court.”
Everything else could be set aside for now; he had to nurse Li-shi’s health back first.
“How could that be allowed?” Li Wanran’s mouth hung open in shock.
Was this the legendary “There is a kind of love where [someone] thinks you’re thin”?
Yinzhen tweaked her nose, putting on a stern face and intentionally deepening his voice. “What? Are you worried I won’t let you eat your fill?”
Seeing the mirth in his eyes, Li Wanran knew he was only teasing her to make her happy. She leaned into Yinzhen’s chest with a giggle and said, “Not at all. Master keeps me in his heart and worries for me; I couldn’t be happier.”
The sky could fall, and Yinzhen—the tall one—would be there to prop it up. Why should she trouble herself with unnecessary worries?
Time moved to the end of July. On this day, Li Wanran sat at her dressing table, drowsy and motionless, allowing Banxia to dress her. Feeling Banxia’s pace quicken, she yawned with half-closed eyes and tapped her maid’s hand. “Slow down. There’s no need to rush; it’s still early.”
Banxia didn’t slow down at all. “I’ve calculated the time. You’ll have breakfast and then go for the morning greetings; the timing will be just right.”
Hearing this, Li Wanran said nothing more and closed her eyes to continue dozing.
Although the Fujin had previously set the morning greetings to occur once every five days, Song Gege seemed to enjoy spending time with the Fujin very much. Every day, without fail, she went to the main courtyard to pay her respects.
During those first few days, seeing her go every day, Li Wanran and Yi-shi followed suit for a while. Later, however, the Fujin for some reason seemed to lose interest in seeing her, so she tactfully reverted to the original five-day schedule. Yi-shi followed her lead and also switched back to once every five days.
As a result, Song Gege and the Fujin grew closer and closer. Every time Li Wanran went for greetings, she saw them chatting quite happily. From time to time, the Fujin would even send high-quality items to Song Gege’s courtyard; friendship sometimes developed quite rapidly.
Today was another greeting day. However, given that the Fujin wasn’t particularly eager to see her, Li Wanran very thoughtfully delayed her departure, timing it so she would arrive neither too early nor too late. That way, the Fujin wouldn’t have to look at her “annoying” self for too long, Li Wanran thought with her eyes closed.
It definitely wasn’t because she couldn’t get up in the morning.
Once she was ready and finished with breakfast, she poked her head out to check the sky and realized it was actually still a bit early. Just as she was thinking of something else to do to stall for more time, Xiao Yuzi came running in, looking frantic.
Banxia frowned at him. “Why are you in such a rush so early in the morning? Has something happened?”
After bowing, Xiao Yuzi stepped forward to a proper distance from Li Wanran and whispered solemnly, “I just saw people from the main courtyard leading a physician back.”
“Seeing that the main courtyard was in a bit of a mess, I took the opportunity to ask around. The servants responsible for cleaning said that Song Gege fainted.”
Song Gege fainted?
Banxia was startled and said thoughtfully, “Perhaps the weather is getting hotter and Song Gege is suffering from the summer heat.”
Li Wanran, however, felt it wasn’t that simple. She told Xiao Yuzi to stay and guard the courtyard, then rose and headed toward the main courtyard with Banxia to investigate.
Just as they reached the entrance, Xinyi—the Fujin’s head maid—came running toward them. After bowing to Li Wanran, she said with a smile, “Fortunately, I caught you. I almost let you make a trip for nothing.”
“The Fujin sent me to tell you that today’s morning greeting is canceled. You should stay in your room and rest well.”
Li Wanran’s eyes shifted as she met Banxia’s gaze. Banxia immediately understood and stepped forward with a smile, handing over a small purse.
“Thank you for the trip, Sister Xinyi. Might I ask why the Fujin canceled the greetings today?”
Xinyi accepted the purse and didn’t hide the truth, speaking directly: “Song Gege felt unwell while paying respects to the Fujin. The Fujin called for a physician, and we just learned that Song Gege is three months pregnant.”
She watched Li Wanran’s face as she spoke, seemingly trying to read her reaction.
“Song Gege is currently resting in the main courtyard. The physician said she shouldn’t be disturbed by too many people at this time.”
To her disappointment, after she finished speaking, Li Wanran’s face showed nothing but surprise. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as the expression on the maid beside her.
“That truly is a momentous piece of good news. Has Master Fourth been notified?” Li Wanran asked.
Xinyi nodded. “Once the Fujin heard the good news, she sent someone to notify the Fourth Master. He is likely on his way to the main courtyard right now.”
Heh, so it’s not ‘too many people’ if Yinzhen goes, right?
Having delivered the news and seeing that Li Wanran had nothing else to say, Xinyi bowed and took her leave.
After returning to her room, Li Wanran remained silent. She sat on the daybed and reflected on whether there had been anything unusual about Song Gege over the past three months. Had she known she was pregnant all along?
Banxia, seeing her silence, thought she was distressed by the news of Song Gege’s pregnancy. She turned and brought over Li Wanran’s favorite snacks, saying softly, “Would you like some, Gege?”
Li Wanran was puzzled; she hadn’t even digested her breakfast yet.
“I just finished breakfast; I don’t have room for this. You go rest; I don’t need anyone to serve me right now.”
Her train of thought had been interrupted; she needed to think about the Song Gege matter again.
Banxia sheepishly put the snacks aside, hesitating several times before finally withdrawing.
How did she suddenly become pregnant? Master Fourth hasn’t been to her place at all recently.