At this critical moment, Chu Yuebai’s daring visit moved the Yu family deeply.
Yu Jing was unable to rise from bed, and Liu Shi was also too exhausted, so the Yu brothers received Chu Yuebai on their behalf.
After several rounds of polite gratitude, the Yu brothers tactfully excused themselves, leaving Chu Yuebai and Yu Tang alone together. Seeing this, Yu Tang’s delicate face flushed slightly, and Chu Yuebai’s ears turned red as well.
“Brother Yuebai,” Yu Tang’s voice was soft as she gazed tearfully at the young nobleman, her eyes reddening instantly. “Thank you so much for today. At a time like this, you’re the only one still willing to visit.”
Chu Yuebai comforted her gently. “Tangtang, don’t worry. The Yu and Chu families have been friends for many years. How could the Chu family stand idly by while the Yu family faces such hardship?”
“Besides…” His ears reddened further. “How could I possibly ignore you?”
Yu Tang’s face flushed too, but soon her expression turned sorrowful. “Originally, our families were already mismatched in status. Now, with Third Sister causing such a scene, I fear in the future…”
When she mentioned ‘San Qi,’ Chu Yuebai’s handsome young face showed undisguised disgust.
“Didn’t she publicly declare she was severing ties with the Yu family? That’s perfect—if she’s no longer a daughter of the Yu family, then my engagement to her is naturally void! When the time comes, I’ll beg Mother…”
Chu Yuebai paused, his face flushing crimson. Yu Tang let out a soft exclamation, covering her face with a handkerchief, yet stealing glances at him. The atmosphere between them grew intensely ambiguous.
San Qi leaned against the railing, looking down at the two with a mocking smirk.
Chu Yuebai looked down on her, but did she think highly of him?
She and Chu Yuebai were born on the same year, month, and day. When their engagement was arranged, the current Boyuan Hou was merely the unfavored second son of a concubine in the Hou residence. It was only after the death of the eldest legitimate son that his family rose to prominence.
San Qi had no feelings for Chu Yuebai and had never intended to come between him and Yu Tang.
In truth, it was the Hou residence’s elderly madam and Chu Yuebai’s mother who looked down on the Yu family’s status, deliberately using the engagement as leverage and refusing to agree to a change in the marriage candidate.
Yet Yu Tang blamed her for it.
After the two chattered for a long while, Chu Yuebai finally got to the point.
“Fourth Sister, there’s actually another matter for my visit today.” He hesitated, feeling that bringing this up now made his visit seem calculated.
But he had no choice. Although his father had inherited the title and his mother had become the mistress of the household, the elderly madam still held the reins of power. The weight of ‘filial piety’ suffocated his mother.
The elderly madam suffered from asthma, and despite seeking renowned physicians far and wide, no cure was found. However, the medicine Yu Tang had given him worked remarkably well for the madam. Only in recent years had his mother’s life become slightly easier.
Yu Tang also guessed why Chu Yuebai had come. She stiffened slightly, her expression momentarily uneasy.
Chu Yuebai assumed she misunderstood his visit as purely self-serving and hurriedly tried to explain, ashamed and anxious. “Fourth Sister, please don’t misunderstand. My visit is sincere, and I know the Yu family is in a difficult situation now…”
“Brother Yuebai, don’t say anymore. How could I doubt you?” Yu Tang quickly masked her unease. “I don’t have much of that medicine left either. Let me go fetch it for you.”
Once she turned away, Yu Tang’s expression changed.
As soon as she was out of Chu Yuebai’s sight, she rushed back to her room in a fluster, rummaging through her belongings until she found the bottle of medicine.
“One, two, three… Why are there only three pills left!” Yu Tang bit her lip, her face pale.
“So I actually left three pills for you.” San Qi stood beside her like a ghost, but Yu Tang couldn’t see her.
“There really is medicine in your hands, so this time it doesn’t count as you lying…”
Though San Qi said “what a miscalculation,” the smile on her face didn’t fade. She lightly raised her index finger, and the Gui Qi transformed into tentacles that burrowed into the bottle, swallowing the essence and medicinal power from the three pills.
The medicine for the old lady of the Houfu was originally made by San Qi, and the most crucial ingredient was her own blood.
Without her blood, the medicine would be completely useless. She wanted to see how Yu Tang would cover up this “lie”!
After seeing Chu Yuebai off, Yu Tang felt uneasy. With only three pills left, they would last just three days! If Chu Yuebai came again in three days asking for more medicine, what excuse could she possibly give?
Yu Tang’s heart burned with anxiety, and she grew increasingly restless.
She sent a servant to inquire again: “Is there any news from outside? Has His Majesty revoked Yu Sanqi’s title as Commandery Princess?”
The servants shook their heads, saying they hadn’t heard anything.
Not only was Yu Tang waiting for news, but the rest of the Yu Family was also waiting. They waited and waited, from dawn until dusk, but there was no word of Yu Sanqi’s title being revoked!
“There’s news! There’s news!” A servant rushed in.
Yu Minwu was the first to dash out, followed by Yu Tang and Liu Shi. Yu Minwen, who was attending to Yu Jing with medicine, also pricked up his ears to listen.
The servant looked troubled and stammered, “I… I heard His Majesty ordered Young General Yan to be caned, but… but he also allowed Young General Yan to take away all the rewards originally bestowed upon our household…”
“Taken away? On what grounds did Yan Du take them!” Yu Minwu roared. “What about the decree? Didn’t His Majesty revoke his order?”
The servant shook his head.
Liu Shi let out a sharp scream and fainted again.
Yu Minwen’s hand trembled noticeably as he fed the medicine, and Yu Jing angrily knocked the bowl from his hand.
Yu Minwu was raging, and Yu Tang bit her lower lip so hard it nearly bled. Why hadn’t His Majesty revoked the order?! How could that country girl Yu Sanqi be worthy of being a Commandery Princess?!
If Yu Sanqi became a Commandery Princess, would she even return to the Yu Family? And what about the medicine for Boyuan Houfu…
A sudden thought struck Yu Tang—no, she absolutely had to get the medicine!
That’s right, Yu Sanqi’s room—there might still be medicine hidden there!
Yu Tang excused herself and hurried to the small, dilapidated courtyard where San Qi used to live. But she was too late; San Qi had already taken everything away.
San Qi didn’t have many belongings in the Yu Family, and the Yus hadn’t given her much of value to wear or use.
What she took with her were the things Granny Meng and the villagers had given her when she was brought back from Huangquan Cun, as well as what she had saved up over the years.
Among them were the medicine Yu Tang desperately wanted, the second volume of the great scholar’s authentic works she hadn’t yet had the chance to give to Yu Minwen, the meticulously prepared anti-aging cream for Liu Shi, and the thousand-year-old ebony struck by lightning she had sought out for Yu Minwu.
For that thousand-year-old ebony struck by lightning, San Qi had gone through great trouble.
Thousand-year-old ebony was already precious, let alone Leijimu. It could be used to make scabbards for swords and knives—not only sturdy but also capable of warding off evil spirits and suppressing ghosts.
But there was one thing San Qi still couldn’t figure out.
Her feelings for the Yu Family shouldn’t have been that deep, logically speaking. So why, after returning to the Yu Family, had she become a little bitter gourd, willing to pour out her heart and soul, desperate to sacrifice everything for them?
Clearly, not a single shred of conscience could be found throughout the entire Yu Family. Had she been possessed by evil spirits over the past two years, or had her mind simply gone astray? Instead, it was only after dying once that she regained clarity—as if the water in her brain had been drained, or as if some kind of shackle had been broken.
San Qi couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard she thought.
She returned to the general’s mansion without a sound. San Qi put away the straw puppet on the bed, thinking she could give the Leijimu to Yan Du.
Regardless of why Yan Du had helped her so much, just for his stepping forward, she ought to repay him with something. However, now was not the time to bring out the Leijimu.
She had come to the general’s mansion empty-handed yesterday—how could this piece of wood just appear out of thin air?
As San Qi pondered, she tucked the medicine bottle into her sleeve and opened the door. Nan Xun, standing outside, was overjoyed at the sight of her:
“Commandery Princess, you’re finally awake! If the military doctor hadn’t said you were just sleeping, we would have thought something had happened to you again…”
“Our general has come by several times…”
As Nan Xun chattered on, San Qi thought of Yan Du’s injuries and blurted out, “His buttocks are split open—how can he still be walking around?”
The scene suddenly fell silent.
A coughing sound abruptly rang out. San Qi looked up and saw the young general coughing uncontrollably in a flustered state. His jade-like face was flushed, and his light brown eyes widened as if he had heard something earth-shattering, his ears red as if about to drip blood.
As their eyes met, San Qi’s nose twitched, catching the scent of blood. She said sternly, “Lie down quickly!”
“Young General, your buttocks are bleeding!”
Yan Du: “…”