Upon hearing this, Qin Ye was stunned for a moment. Then, as if he had heard some enormous joke, he said coldly, “Yun Si, what makes you think you have the right to say something like that?”
Yun Si knew that she had no right.
But if she wanted to change the ending of her previous life, personally kill Shen Qian to avenge herself, and clear the Marquis’s Residence of its injustice, she had to return to the prince’s residence first.
This was the only thing she could say.
“I’m sorry.”
Yun Si’s voice was very calm. “I know I no longer have the status or position to say something like this, but I truly don’t want you to marry someone else.”
Qin Ye stared at Yun Si’s frail figure, the corner of his lips curling into a mocking arc.
“Since you know you have no grounds to say it…”
His deep, unfathomable eyes were filled with indifference and ruthlessness. “Why haven’t you left?”
“…”
When she had come, Yun Si had thought only of changing the ending of her previous life. She had been excited to see Qin Ye again and had mentally prepared herself for his coldness.
But when she truly heard him speak so mercilessly…
She had been the one to hurt him. Having to face his cold words now was what she deserved.
Yun Si’s health was poor. After being put through all that tossing and turning throughout the night, her feet felt as though she were walking on cotton. She forcibly steadied herself, adjusted her state of mind, and then shamelessly opened her mouth again.
“Qin Ye, I… I regret it. Can I…”
“No.”
A trace of mockery flashed through Qin Ye’s eyes, but it was quickly concealed beneath indifference. Impatiently, he said, “Are you leaving or not? Don’t delay this prince from welcoming his secondary consort into the residence.”
If Yun Si had not known clearly that, in the previous life, after her death, Qin Ye had held her corpse in his arms and fallen into madness and agony, then after hearing him speak so ruthlessly again and again, she would surely have been deceived by the indifference he displayed and retreated.
She was the one who had wronged him.
In their previous life, there had been countless misunderstandings between them. One never asked, and the other never explained. Neither of them had known how to speak.
In this life, regardless of what kind of ending they would have in the future, she wanted to explain all those misunderstandings clearly.
At that thought, Yun Si’s heart slowly settled.
“All right.”
Yun Si advanced by retreating. She looked at Qin Ye with sorrow and gave him a bleak smile. “I’m sorry. I disturbed you.”
With that, she slowly turned around and left, one step at a time.
The April wind swept against her thin body, making her shiver involuntarily.
She could feel Qin Ye’s gaze fixed on her retreating back.
Yun Si was taking a gamble.
If she failed to return to the prince’s residence and remain by Qin Ye’s side today, the road ahead would be extremely difficult, perhaps even dangerous.
Shen Qian would soon discover that last night’s fire had not harmed her at all. Since she had suddenly left without saying goodbye, he would certainly grow suspicious of her.
After experiencing her previous life, she now knew what a terrifying hypocrite Shen Qian truly was.
Therefore, no matter what identity she had to assume, she had to find a way to stay in the prince’s residence this time.
Yun Si walked several steps without hearing any movement from Qin Ye, and she began to grow secretly anxious.
This man’s resentment toward her had yet to dissipate. He probably wouldn’t soften so easily.
In that case, she would have to raise the stakes.
Yun Si pretended to be somewhat dazed. She reached the stone steps without noticing them. Whether her leg had suddenly gone weak or she had accidentally missed a step, her entire body abruptly pitched forward.
Face first.
She closed her eyes, prepared to receive the pain.
Instead, she unexpectedly fell into a sturdy and familiar embrace.
Yun Si’s feelings were complicated.
In the end, he still couldn’t bear to let her get hurt.
And yet, in order to return smoothly to the prince’s residence, she was still… using him.
“Yun Si?”
Qin Ye caught Yun Si as she “fell” and was about to push her away when he noticed that her eyes were tightly closed and the corners of them were faintly moist.
He frowned, then lifted her into his arms. Eunuch Decai, who had been standing at a distance and watching for quite some time, stepped forward and reminded him respectfully, “Your Highness, the wedding procession has been waiting for a long time. If we don’t depart soon…”
“The wedding is canceled.”
Qin Ye dropped the words coldly, then carried Yun Si into the residence in long strides.
Yun Si obediently rested in his arms, her body so light that she seemed almost weightless.
In the year since they had married, this was the first time Yun Si had been so compliant and allowed him to carry her.
Emotions churned in Qin Ye’s eyes, and he felt somewhat irritated.
“Yun Si, do you know what you’re doing?”
Qin Ye murmured the words, but Yun Si in his arms had already fallen asleep.
…
Qixiwu Court.
Yun Si had fallen ill.
After sleeping in a daze for three days, she finally woke up today.
The two maids who had been keeping watch beside her bed were the ones who had accompanied her as part of her bridal dowry from the Yongyi Marquis’s Residence.
One was named Lan Xin, and the other was Lu Yu.
When Yun Si had separated from Qin Ye, he had forbidden her from taking anything from the prince’s residence, including her dowry and personal maids.
At the time, Yun Si had been so intent on escaping from Qin Ye that she had not cared about any of it. After another lifetime, seeing Lan Xin and Lu Yu again filled her with indescribable bitterness.
“My lady.”
When Lan Xin and Lu Yu saw that she had awakened, both of them shed tears of joy despite themselves. “You’ve finally woken up. You frightened us half to death.”
“I’m fine.”
Yun Si smiled faintly and gently comforted them with a few words.
During the month they had remained in the prince’s residence, Qin Ye had not made things difficult for them. However, the servants in the residence had more or less vented their resentment toward Yun Si on them, causing them to suffer many undeserved grievances and disdainful looks.
“Lan Xin, Lu Yu, you’ve truly had a hard time following me during this year or so since I married into the prince’s residence. Don’t worry. I won’t be foolish or reckless anymore. If possible, I’ll try to win His Highness back.”
Lan Xin and Lu Yu exchanged a glance at her words, both finding them unbelievable.
Had those really been their lady’s words?
What had their lady gone through during this month? Why had her thoughts suddenly changed?
She actually said she wanted to win His Highness back?
In the past, she had loathed His Highness to the extreme.
Lu Yu stepped forward and reached out to touch Yun Si’s forehead. Puzzled, she said, “You had a high fever for three days. Could it be that the fever damaged your brain—or perhaps burned it clear?”
Lan Xin slapped Lu Yu’s hand away and glared at her. “Stop talking nonsense. My lady has come to her senses. That’s a good thing. It’s just…”
Her lady had hurt His Highness so deeply. His Highness’s heart would probably be very difficult to win back.
But she did not dare say this aloud, afraid that her lady would give up.
Now that the Marquis’s Residence had fallen and her lady no longer had the support of her maternal family, His Highness was her only reliance. It was good enough that her lady had realized this.
“The secondary consort has entered the residence, hasn’t she?”
Yun Si had collapsed from illness after Qin Ye carried her back to Qixiwu Court that day, so she knew nothing about what had happened during the past three days.
If Qin Ye had truly married a secondary consort, then remaining in the prince’s residence would probably be… a little difficult.
Yun Si felt troubled.
How had she been so foolish before, unable to distinguish good people from bad?
“Has His Highness come here during these three days?”
The two maids’ expressions dimmed, and they shook their heads together.
If this had happened in the past and their lady had been so seriously ill, His Highness would certainly have personally stayed by her side.
But this time, the two of them had separately gone to invite His Highness twice. Each time, he had merely instructed them to have the residence physician come and treat her. From beginning to end, he had not come to see their lady even once.
It was as expected.
Yun Si tugged at the corners of her lips and said weakly, “The secondary consort has just entered the residence. Naturally, he has to accompany her.”
“The secondary consort didn’t enter the residence.”
Lu Yu hurriedly explained, “The wedding was canceled. Since the Imperial Household Department had arranged the wedding, His Highness was even reprimanded by His Majesty over the matter. That Miss Lin came to him of her own accord. It’s said that she once cared for His Highness’s mother. His Highness is marrying her as his secondary consort not because it was his own intention, but because it was his mother’s dying wish.”
Lan Xin added, “My lady, during the time you were away from the prince’s residence, His Highness was utterly heartbroken. Then Miss Lin came to him of her own accord, so he agreed to fulfill his mother’s dying wish and marry her—and even as a secondary consort. But now that you’ve returned, he immediately canceled the wedding. What does that show?”
“It shows that His Highness has only you in his heart.”
“Exactly. But, my lady, you should still go and coax His Highness a little. After all, what you did back then was indeed rather excessive. His Highness’s wounds still haven’t completely healed…”
The two of them chattered on, and Yun Si’s emotions rose and fell along with their words.
When Qin Ye’s wounds were mentioned, Yun Si felt deeply guilty.
“Where is he?”
Yun Si rose from the bed. “Help me dress my hair. I’m going to see him.”
Hearing that he had not married the secondary consort, Yun Si let out a sigh of relief.
If he had, she truly would not have known what to do.
Fortunately, he hadn’t.
…
The study in the main courtyard.
Fine rain had begun falling outside once again, and despite the rainy weather, the room still held a faint chill.
Qin Ye sat upright behind the desk, reading the news sent from Jinzhou.
He was just about to take up his brush and write a reply when Eunuch Decai entered to report, “Your Highness, the one from Qixiwu Court… requests an audience.”
Yun Si’s status was awkward now, and none of the servants below knew how they ought to address her.
Qin Ye’s hand paused slightly. His handsome face showed not the slightest emotion. Only after setting down a line of writing did he calmly say, “Let her in.”
Yun Si entered with the cool breeze.
After closing the door, she turned around and immediately saw Qin Ye behind the desk.
Qin Ye wore a black brocade robe with a subtle pattern. Silver-thread cloud designs embroidered the lapels and cuffs, understated yet dignified.
A dark jade belt encircled his waist, accentuating his tall, straight figure, as sturdy as a pine.
His raven-black hair was half-bound with a jade hairpin, while the remaining strands fell over his shoulders and back, gleaming with a cold luster.
His features were extraordinarily beautiful: brows sharp as if carved by a blade, a high and straight nose, and thin lips pressed lightly together, giving him an aloof air that kept others at a distance.
Compared to three days ago, his condition had completely changed.
Yun Si’s gaze fell upon his hands.
His long, slender fingers held a wolf-hair brush. His knuckles were sharply defined, his bones long and elegant, yet they carried a hint of formidable strength.
He was so handsome.
How had she never noticed it before?
Qin Ye sensed Yun Si’s gaze. When he looked up, his black, deep-set eyes were as cold as a frozen pool, without the slightest trace of emotion.
Meeting his gaze, Yun Si smiled faintly.
She walked toward him slowly, lowering her brows and casting down her eyes. “Your Highness.”
Her voice was soft, carrying the slight hoarseness of someone who had only just recovered from illness.
“Are you well now?”
Qin Ye’s dark gaze fell upon her, and an imperceptible glimmer passed through it.
She wore a moon-white padded dress with a lotus-colored cloak over it. A soft silk sash of the same color was tied around her waist, outlining its slender curve.
Her hair was simply arranged, loosely secured with only a white jade hairpin. Several wisps fell beside her cheeks, adding to her delicate, fragile appearance.
Qin Ye set down the brush in his hand, his expression cold. “If you’ve recovered, you may leave Prince Xiao’s Residence at any time.”
“May I ask Your Highness a question?”
Yun Si did not respond to his words. Instead, she tried to shift control of the conversation into her own hands.
“What question?”
“Why did Your Highness cancel the wedding? Was it because…”
“Yun Si.”
Qin Ye abruptly cut her off, his voice icy. “This prince advises you not to flatter yourself.”
Yun Si lowered her eyes, but then he continued, “There is no medicine for regret in this world. Nor is this prince incapable of living without you.”
“…”
Silence settled over the study for a while.
Yun Si forced a smile. “I’ll remember what Your Highness said.”
Without waiting for his response, she abruptly changed the subject. “Then let me ask something else. You were the one who sent people to rescue my parents and brothers, weren’t you?”
In her previous life, Yun Si had overheard Shen Qian and that mysterious woman say that everyone from the Marquis’s Residence had been killed on the way to exile. But after her death, when her soul remained at Qin Ye’s side, she learned that her parents and brothers had not died at all. Qin Ye had sent people to rescue them and arranged decent places for them to live.
Qin Ye’s gaze tightened, and he denied it coldly. “No.”
“I know it was you.”
“What? Before, weren’t you so certain that this prince had framed the Marquis’s Residence? If this prince was the one who framed them, then why would this prince rescue them?”
“I was wrong.”
Yun Si spoke with slightly pale lips, the corners of her eyes reddening beneath a thin veil of mist. “Qin Ye.”
She was fighting with everything she had to stay in the prince’s residence.
Summoning her courage, Yun Si took a step forward and reached out to hook a finger around his. “I was wrong before. Give me another chance to make it up to you, all right?”
After saying this, she nervously looked up at him.