Yun Si looked around. The busy figures of the servants could be seen everywhere.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell who the “culprit” was.
But it no longer mattered.
In any case, she was disgusted enough already.
Yun Si returned to Qixiwu Court. Next, she needed to think carefully about what to do.
She knew that in her previous life, Qin Ye had forced himself to marry the legitimate daughter of the Grand Chancellor in order to contend for the throne. After they married, he had lived a thoroughly unhappy life.
In this life, she would use her own methods to help him obtain everything he wanted.
But whether for revenge or to help him, she had to nurse her body back to health as quickly as possible.
……
Over in the main courtyard.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere filled the study.
Eunuch Decai, standing guard outside the door, did not even dare to breathe too loudly.
Nanny Qian, who was in charge of the inner residence, came to the study and asked, “What time is it already? Why has Your Highness still not eaten dinner?”
Eunuch Decai sighed helplessly and said in a low voice, “Dinner has been sent in twice, but not a bite has been touched. No one dares go in and urge him to eat.”
After hearing this, Nanny Qian pondered for a moment before saying, “It may have something to do with the woman in Qixiwu Court. Since they’ve already separated, why did she come back? Because of her, the secondary consort couldn’t even be brought into the residence. Why don’t we think of a way to drive her out?”
“Who can say otherwise? But His Highness has allowed her to stay. How could we servants presume to make decisions on our own?”
“You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll make the arrangements.”
A sharp glint flashed through Nanny Qian’s eyes.
Nanny Qian had long since disliked Yun Si. Relying on His Highness’s affection, Yun Si had wantonly trampled upon his sincere feelings.
In the past, she had been the Princess Consort and a mistress of the household, so Nanny Qian could do nothing to her. But now, she was merely a disgraced minister’s daughter with neither status nor title, shamelessly clinging to the prince’s residence and refusing to leave. Nanny Qian had plenty of ways to deal with her.
After Nanny Qian left, a black shadow slipped silently into the study without anyone noticing.
Qin Ye sat in a soft pearwood chair behind the writing desk. His noble, stern features were shrouded in gloom, his eyes slightly lowered, their depths filled with vexation and resentment.
“Your Highness, I’ve already returned it.”
The black shadow was An Ye, the Shadow Guard Commander at Qin Ye’s side.
About fifteen minutes earlier, Yun Si had left the pavilion. When An Ye passed by it, he had discovered this jade pendant and casually brought it back to Qin Ye.
Who could have known that the moment Qin Ye took the pendant and looked at it, his gaze would turn icy?
Sensing that something was wrong, An Ye did not dare conceal anything. He hurriedly told His Highness everything he had seen.
“The jade pendant was just given to the Princess Consort by Shen Qian. I also heard the Princess Consort say… that she would keep this jade pendant forever.”
The instant An Ye said this, Qin Ye’s expression sank to the bottom. His eyes turned cold and vicious, filled with bone-piercing mockery.
Then—
The jade pendant he held in his hand… turned into green powder, sifting down from his palm.
An Ye stared in shock, his mouth falling open. He could not help swallowing.
His Highness had told him to return the “jade pendant.”
Looking at the green powder floating everywhere, An Ye felt his scalp go numb.
In this state, returning it would not be appropriate, would it?
He simply… did not know what to say. More importantly, he did not dare say anything.
Afraid that the Princess Consort would notice the missing pendant and come looking for it, An Ye hurriedly gathered up the powder, wrapped it in a sheet of xuan paper, and swiftly returned it to the pavilion.
Fortunately, he had been fast enough. Just as he placed the powder on the stone table, he saw the Princess Consort walking toward the pavilion. In his panic, he had no choice but to hide on the roof beam. Only after she left did he return to report to His Highness.
“What was her reaction when she saw it?”
Qin Ye appeared to ask casually, as though he did not care.
An Ye carefully recalled the scene and answered after some thought, “Aside from looking startled, it seemed she had no other reaction.”
“No reaction?”
Qin Ye’s eyes darkened slightly.
He closed his eyes. A dull ache seemed to spread through his chest.
As though reminding him of something, it gradually caused his gaze to turn icy.
“Your Highness, An Mang sent word that the people have been safely escorted to Jinzhou. The news will return to the capital within a few days. By then, there will certainly be a thorough investigation, and the people above may set their sights on the Princess Consort.”
An Mang was An Ye’s junior apprentice brother, as well as the Deputy Shadow Guard Commander.
The two senior and junior brothers had one stationed in the capital, responsible for the safety of Prince Xiao and the entire Prince Xiao’s Residence, while the other was dispatched elsewhere year-round to gather information and relay news from various places.
Of course, from time to time, they also did other things.
Rescuing people, killing people, and the like.
Qin Ye cast a cool glance at him. An Ye gave an embarrassed smile and hurriedly corrected himself. “I mean, Mistress Yun.”
“I only received the news from Jinzhou today, yet she somehow knew first thing this morning that this prince was the one who rescued the Marquis and the others. Go and investigate whether anything unusual happened during the month she was away from the residence.”
“There was nothing particularly unusual. It’s just that Mistress Yun’s return was somewhat suspicious. She came back on the very night the Shen Family Villa caught fire, and even Shen Qian didn’t know when she had left. What’s more, she departed without saying goodbye.”
Qin Ye slowly fell into thought.
An Ye considered it, then added, “I don’t think Shen Qian could have received the news in advance. Otherwise, rescuing them would not have gone so smoothly, and afterward he would not have remained so calm… Then how did Mistress Yun find out? It is indeed strange.”
“Your Highness.”
At that moment, Eunuch Decai’s cautious report came from outside the door. “Your… Mistress Yun requests an audience.”
The instant Eunuch Decai finished speaking, Yun Si pushed open the door and walked straight in.
She had brought a food box. When she saw Qin Ye straighten abruptly from his originally languid, relaxed posture, his previously impassive expression turning cold, she paused.
An Ye vanished the moment she entered.
“I heard from Nanny Qian that you haven’t eaten dinner tonight. I had the small kitchen prepare some dishes you like. If you don’t mind, I’ll eat with you.”
As she spoke, Yun Si opened the food box.
There were three ordinary dishes and a soup, much like the food served in an ordinary household.
Yet it was precisely these dishes that caused Qin Ye’s expression to flicker with surprise.
Seeing his reaction, Yun Si was very pleased.
He must be wondering how she knew what he liked to eat.
After all, during the year they had been married, she had avoided him like a snake or scorpion and had never paid him the slightest attention. How could she possibly know what he liked?
In truth, it was only during the years after her death, when her soul followed him, that she gradually came to understand him.
But she had not learned much.
Although she could follow Qin Ye and see many of the things he did, she could not hear any sounds.
The world after her death had been utterly silent, without the slightest noise.
Thus, there were still many things that had happened during those five years that she had not figured out. She needed to investigate slowly, little by little, peeling back the layers of mist.
“Your Highness.”
Yun Si arranged the dishes one by one on the tea table beside them, then looked at Qin Ye and said softly, “What are you waiting for? Come over.”
Qin Ye’s gaze fell on her face. His expression was hard as he said, “This prince isn’t hungry.”
“Are you sure?”
Yun Si was in no hurry. She sat down on her own and arranged the bowls and chopsticks. “If you don’t eat, I’ll enjoy it all by myself.”
With that, she picked up a mouthful of stir-fried chili and mushrooms, placed it in her mouth, and chewed slowly.
Qin Ye stared fixedly at her. His gaze was cold and sharp, carrying an air of scrutiny.
Yun Si neither dodged nor avoided it, allowing him to examine her.
“What exactly are you plotting?”
After a long while, Qin Ye broke the silence.
Yun Si raised her eyes, her gaze open and candid. “Nothing. I just feel that I treated you too poorly in the past, and I want to make it up to you.”
Qin Ye gave a cold laugh. “Make it up to me?”
A woman who had once wished for nothing more than his death was actually saying that she wanted to make it up to him?
He repeated the same words as before. “This prince doesn’t need it.”
Yun Si set down her chopsticks and sighed softly. “I know. I went too far in the past. It’s all right if you don’t believe me. We have plenty of time. I’ll prove it to you through my actions.”
“Do you think a few dishes can make up for everything?”
Qin Ye’s tone held a hint of mockery. “Once something is broken, no matter how you repair it, it can never return to its original state.”
“……”
Yun Si rubbed her brow.
For a moment, she had no way to refute Qin Ye’s words.
Silence fell over the room once again. For a time, neither of them said anything.
The atmosphere grew somewhat stifling and oppressive.
Seeing her remain silent, Qin Ye looked at her darkly and said coldly, “If this is your attitude, you needn’t force yourself. Leave.”
“Is my attitude poor?”
Yun Si reflected on herself, then humbly sought his guidance. “Then how should I behave?”
Qin Ye glanced at her. After a moment of silence, he said, “At the very least, you must let this prince feel your sincerity.”
Sincerity?
Yun Si lowered her eyes, pondering the meaning behind his words.
Could it be that he wanted her to take the initiative… and do something?
Yun Si’s gaze shifted to Qin Ye’s enchanting, devastatingly handsome face, and her ears grew uncontrollably warm.
She had truly been blind.
She had such a handsome husband, yet she had spent all this time pushing him away.
What a waste of a divine gift!
Yun Si’s gaze fell upon Qin Ye’s lips.
His crimson lips had beautiful lines, the peak sharply defined, while his lower lip was full and slightly raised, like rose petals steeped in morning dew, exuding a soft luster.
Even when his face was cold, they carried a hint of bewitchment.
During the year they had been married, because of her viciousness and loathing, they had never shared any intimacy. He had restrained himself, observed propriety, yielded to her in everything, and treated her with the utmost respect.
Yet this very man had once resorted to despicable means to ruin her virtue in order to marry her, forcibly taking her into his residence. As a result, in her previous life, she had hated him to the bone and done many foolish things.
Yun Si tried hard to recall the only intimate moment they had shared, but she had been unconscious at the time and afterward had not remembered what it had felt like at all.
At this moment, she actually found herself wanting to try.
Once the thought arose, she did not dwell on it for long. She walked straight behind the writing desk, bent forward, and braced both hands on the armrests of Qin Ye’s chair.
Their eyes met, and their breaths stilled.
She called softly, “Your Highness,” then closed her eyes and leaned toward his lips.
“……”
Qin Ye’s entire body stiffened, his pupils trembling slightly.
For a long moment, he did not react at all.
Warm, fragrant softness entered his arms. Yun Si’s lips carried a trace of coolness, yet they were extraordinarily intoxicating, making him unwilling to part from them.
Qin Ye’s Adam’s apple shifted slightly, and the hand resting on the desk slowly tightened.
The next instant, the hand that had originally wanted to encircle her slender waist suddenly shoved her away.
“Yun Si!”
Coldness showed in Qin Ye’s eyes. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
Yun Si was nearly sent stumbling by his push. Hearing this, she instinctively asked, “You… you don’t like this?”
Qin Ye glanced at her. “Don’t you remember what you yourself said?”
Confusion flashed across Yun Si’s face.
What had she said?
She thought for a moment, and the memory quickly rose to the surface.