“I get seasick.” Han Huiyu gritted her silver teeth, doing her best to keep her tone as gentle as possible.
“My mistake. Carry on playing, I’ll sit over here.” Having misunderstood her, Han Shengyu apologized smoothly and turned to a corner by the wall to get out of the wind. Sensing the situation, Jixiang thoughtfully moved a small stool over for her.
Shihua and Shicui exchanged a look, filled with anxiety yet terrified that the Eldest Miss might feel awkward.
Shicui took a step forward, saying with a beaming smile, “Third Miss, after getting a bit of fresh air, our Miss doesn’t feel as dizzy anymore. Servant will close the window now.”
The moment Shicui finished speaking, Shihua immediately stepped up and shut the window.
Noticing how quick-witted the two handmaidens were, Han Shengyu offered a reminder: “Brew some ginger soup for Eldest Sister.”
Falling ill on a journey would be a huge hassle; after all, in ancient times, a cold could prove fatal, and that was no joking matter.
“Right away, Servant will go at once. Third Miss truly thinks of everything.” Shihua turned and hurried out.
Shicui brought out a three-tiered food box with heart-carved floral patterns, arranging the pastries inside one by one onto the table, and said softly, “We were in a rush this morning, so Eldest Miss specifically had us bring some food aboard. The ship’s kitchen needs time for our family’s cook to tidy up, so they won’t be able to prepare a meal anytime soon. Eldest Miss invites Third Miss to have a bite first to pad your stomach.”
Han Shengyu never bothered with such minor trifles. Hearing Shicui’s words, she walked over to the square table, sat down, and looked at Han Huiyu with a smile. “I really am a bit hungry. Eldest Sister is indeed the thoughtful one; I won’t stand on ceremony, then.”
Hearing this, Han Huiyu glanced at Han Shengyu and pushed the white jade cakes closer to her.
Han Shengyu picked up a piece of white jade cake with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. Shicui placed hot tea in front of the two of them; as the steam rose, a sense of warmth settled into the room.
Before they had even finished the plate of white jade cakes, a charcoal brazier was brought in, and the hand-warmer’s coals were replaced with fresh ones. Only then did Han Shengyu feel warm from head to toe.
Now that the room was cozy, keeping the cloak on became unbearable, and her entire body relaxed.
Sipping hot tea and eating pastries, Han Shengyu felt about seventy to eighty percent full before turning her gaze to Han Huiyu. “Eldest Sister, did you call me over for anything else?”
Having enjoyed someone else’s food and drink, it hardly felt right to just pat her dust off and walk away.
Though Aunt Gu had ordinary looks, both her daughters, Han Huiyu and Han Shuyu, surpassed her in beauty, taking more after Han Yingyuan in their features. Taken individually, their features were unexceptional, yet put together, they possessed a distinct charm.
Han Shengyu was a different story altogether. Concubine Qiao was an exquisite beauty, and Han Yingyuan was a man of striking appearance. She had inherited the best traits of both: long brows and handsome eyes like Han Yingyuan’s, alongside a fine nose and cherry lips like Concubine Qiao’s. Her beauty was imbued with a hint of heroism, and that heroism was wrapped in a touch of sly wit.
Han Yingyuan was a man who wouldn’t even hold his own sons, yet among all his children, Han Shengyu was the only one raised on his knees.
When harmony faltered among children, it was mostly because the elders showed partiality.
Han Shengyu was the favored one, so she truly couldn’t lie to her conscience and claim to be a pitiable little thing.
“Father spoke a great deal to me, though I imagine he said even more to you.”
Han Shengyu was thick-skinned enough to handle such heart-stabbing words; she smiled, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Han Huiyu. “And what did Father say to Eldest Sister?”
Han Huiyu raised her eyes to look at Han Shengyu. “I keep feeling that something isn’t right. What exactly are your plans for this trip to Jincheng?”
Han Shengyu was somewhat surprised. “What does Eldest Sister find unusual?”
“First Aunt.”
Han Shengyu understood. First Madam Wu was snobbish, arrogant, and carried a streak of harshness. She had always looked down upon the Second and Third Branches for their low official ranks, acting smooth and tactful on the surface while behaving with blatant bias in private.
The three branches of the Han family lived in three separate residences, rarely seeing each other even once a year. Distance breeds fondness while closeness breeds contempt; thus, even if there was slight dissatisfaction, no one took it to heart as long as they weren’t under the same roof.
Now, however, the sisters were heading to stay under First Madam’s roof for a short period, so Han Huiyu naturally harbored worries in her heart.
“Right now, it is the First Branch that is asking a favor of our Third Branch. Even if First Aunt is just putting on a show, she will have to make sure we are comfortable and happy.”
Han Huiyu’s brow carried a trace of melancholy, her anxiety and unease plain to see. “Lesser Consort Yang and the Second Prince are ruthless and heavy-handed. Must we sisters really enter the Second Prince’s manor?”
Han Huiyu looked at Han Shengyu’s truly outstanding face. If one had to be chosen, Shengyu was undoubtedly the most eye-catching.
In terms of appearance, her own looks were average, presenting little danger.
In terms of age, Shengyu was only twelve, while she was already fifteen. If Lesser Consort Yang was in a hurry for the Second Prince to take a wife, her own danger would not be small either.
“Whether they are ruthless and heavy-handed is hard to say for now.”
“What?” Han Huiyu looked at Han Shengyu in astonishment, her face turning pale by degrees. “Do you mean First Uncle and First Aunt lied to us?”
“Eldest Sister, at a grand imperial banquet, even if the Second Prince were a pig, it would be impossible for him to commit the murder of his own fiancée. What good would doing that bring him?”
Cold sweat almost broke out on Han Huiyu’s forehead. “What on earth did First Uncle and the others lie to us for?”
“Once we reach Jindu, we will naturally find out.”
“You… aren’t you afraid?”
“Can a barefoot person fear someone wearing shoes?”
Han Huiyu was rendered temporarily speechless, yet for some reason, listening to Han Shengyu’s somewhat wild words, her heart gradually settled down.
“Sister Qingning will be able to join us tomorrow, right?”
Han Shengyu nodded. “If nothing unexpected happens.”
Taking the water route was precisely to meet up with Han Qingning sooner.
Having put Han Huiyu’s mind at ease, Han Shengyu returned to her own room. The charcoal brazier burned warm and cozy. Although she had slept in earlier, after talking with Han Huiyu for so long, her eyelids were growing heavy again.
Feeling sorry for her, Ruyi helped her lie down. “Servant will wake Miss up when it’s time for dinner.”
Han Shengyu nodded vaguely, turned her head, and fell asleep immediately.
The ship rocked as it drifted with the current. In a daze, Han Shengyu realized she was dreaming, yet she simply couldn’t wake up.
Many faces flickered before her eyes, every single one lacking facial features, yet they wore high topknots adorned with pearls and jewels, dressed in gowns and skirts woven with gold and embroidered with silver of various colors.
Han Shengyu startled awake from the dream, drenched in sweat. She leaned against the soft pillow at the head of the bed, silent for a long moment.
She kept feeling as though she had overlooked something, but she truly couldn’t recall what it was.
There was a strange sense of predestination. How odd.
She didn’t believe in any predestination; she believed only in herself!
“Miss, Miss Ning has arrived!” Ruyi pushed the door open in a panic, speaking hastily upon seeing that Han Shengyu was already awake.
“What did you say? Aren’t we supposed to meet up with Sister Qingning tomorrow?” Han Shengyu’s head throbbed with a pulsing pain; hearing this news, she froze for a moment.
“Servant doesn’t know what happened either. As soon as the boat docked at the pier, someone came over asking if this was our household’s ship. Upon learning it was, they said Miss Qingning had arrived.”
Han Shengyu’s head throbbed even harder. She got up, put on her shoes, draped her cloak over her shoulders, and walked outside.
The moment she pushed open the door, she saw Han Huiyu coming out as well. The two sisters met each other’s gaze. Seeing Han Shengyu covered in sweat, Han Huiyu knitted her brows and said, “Earlier you said I was like the God of Longevity hanging himself, looking for trouble. Why aren’t you scolding yourself now?”
Han Shengyu: …
Shooting one’s mouth off makes oneself feel good; staying quiet lets others feel good.
Truly, instant retribution!