Lately, Consort Ji"s movements were considerably at ease. Qi Niqun"s fear, that during her pregnancy Consort Ji would s.n.a.t.c.h back the privilege of managing the estate, did not occur. Meanwhile Li Chen had continued to visit Consort Wei during the night, causing her to burst with joy. It wasn"t a secret that Consort Ji and Consort Wei did not see eye to eye. They had lived near each other for many years. If Consort Wei received favor, then Consort Ji would be unhappy, and vice versa.
That said, Qi Niqun felt a bit dissatisfied. Lately, she had tried to find someone in her faction to replace her during the night, but not once did Li Chen take any of them up on her offer. In fact, he sought out Consort Wei, someone she did not have a relationship with. But Qi Niqun was not in a rush. She planned to slowly pull Consort Wei to her side.
Consort Wei sent Qi Niqun a precious gift, a lily and jasmine scented calming incense, used to promote sleep. It carried a faint yet refreshing scent. Suitable to be placed in a pregnant woman"s room. In the past, this had been part of Consort Wei"s dowry. She herself only had two boxes of it.
Qi Niqun lit the incense. The next day, when Consort Wei came to pay a visit, she mentioned her experience with the gift. "It is indeed a good incense. These days, every other scent seems too vulgar. But once I inhale this incense, the discomfort disappears. Even His Highness has praised it."
Consort Wei smiled. "That Your Highness likes it is this concubine"s fortune."
The smile on Consort Ji"s lips did not quite touch her eyes. "When this concubine had been pregnant, I sometimes could not detect any smells. In the future, if Secondary Consort Wei becomes with child, she would understand the princess consort"s suffering."
As Qi Niqun was pregnant, she hadn"t the patience to deal with the other two"s fighting. She quickly dismissed them.
Although she didn"t feel well, constantly vomiting and unable to eat, her mood was often good. A large factor was that she didn"t have to yield the right to manage the estate. She studied the map of the estate a few times. In the end, she wasn"t sure where to move Qi Yunruo. The estate had two large empty courtyards. They were situated in a good location as well. One was near both the Ink Lotus Courtyard and the performance field. She wanted to leave this residence for her future son. The other courtyard was near the lake, the scenery breathtaking. However, she also didn"t wish for Qi Yunruo to live there. There were still three to four other places. But some weren"t renovated yet, or had other issues that made them unsuitable.
What remained was a small courtyard. Unfortunately, it was close to Beautiful Forest, Ji Huan"s temporary residence. Qi Niqun threw the map to the ground out of boredom. After a sip of melon tea, she said, "Summon Qi Yunruo over."
The moment he arrived, Qi Niqun laughed and dragged him to her side to sit. "Now that I am pregnant, I have many things to do. It"s been a while since we"ve last met. Have you been well these past few days?"
"Yes. Nothing really happened."
Qi Niqun nodded. "I am trying to find you a suitable place to live. What do you prefer?"
As Qi Yunruo watched her, he said in a soft voice, "Your honorable self¹ can decide."
A light sigh escaped Qi Niqun"s lips. "Third brother is blaming me for not taking care of you well enough. It"s not easy being a daughter-in-law of the imperial family. This prince estate isn"t as peaceful as it may seem. Everyone has their own desires. It"s only third brother that is close to me. You are my most trusted person here."
Not a word left Qi Yunruo"s lips.
Qi Niqun bitterly smiled and shook her head. She reached out to hold the other"s hand. "I haven"t asked you this before, but why does His Highness want you to move out? Is it because elder sister did not take care of you well? Or was it the people in this courtyard? Just let me know, and I"ll take care of it for you."
"…No one has bullied me," said Qi Yunruo slowly said. "I originally was supposed to move out. Only women should be living in the prince estate"s inner courtyard. Even my page Little Qing doesn"t stay here. Eventually I"ll have to leave. This is eldest miss" residence the young master is about to be born. The s.p.a.ce here is already too small and unsuitable for you."
Qi Yunruo said it incredibly well. Logical. Qi Niqun stood there, shocked. However, in her heart still lurked the suspicion that he was hiding his true self. Just like her mother had said, he looked obedient but was in reality a sly person.
She held the teacup without saying anything for a while. Then, she stroked her protruding abdomen. "Tonight, His Highness will eat dinner here. Dress more brightly. I"ll have him take a look at you."
"…Yes."
As Qi Yunruo left the main chamber, the sun was still high and bright in the sky. He lifted his head. Took a look at it. All of a sudden, he felt as if darkness had swallowed the world whole.
Once Qi Yunruo returned to the inner chamber, he lay down on his bed. He called out for Liusu.
A moment later, Liusu stepped through the doors. She loitered by Qi Yunruo"s bedside, before sitting by the edge of the bed.
Liusu reached out and used her hand to comb back neatly some stray strands of Qi Yunruo"s hair. She softly said, "From now on, the days will be well."
In the past, the other dowry servant girls who had come with Liusu to the prince estate often asked about Qi Yunruo. How he pa.s.sed the couple of months and even injected their own comments. Liusu understood their motives. To pacify them, she would drop a few tidbits of information here and there, then gave an excuse to leave. No matter how loyal her heart had been to the countess and the eldest miss, she was now someone who belonged to the third young master. Eldest miss and Liubai and the others were now obstacles.
Her master was Qi Yunruo.
Come noon, Liusu helped Qi Yunruo with his bath. She a.s.sisted him into thin robes a shade of melon. After she had finished the preparations, her master sat on a chair, peering at the window that she was closing.
Once night arrived, Liusu knocked on the door. Her voice carried respect. "May third young master follow me."
"…Okay."
He rose to his feet. His felt heavy as lead and he staggered. But Liusu was prepared, quickly supporting him. Yet he shook off her hand. Liusu froze. By the time she snapped back to her senses, Qi Yunruo had already left the room.
Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiu watched as the figure of their master shrank into the distance. Their laughter the chime of bells. "Older sister Liusu, is our master going to attend to His Highness tonight?"
Liusu took her time speaking. "You two are young but knowledgeable."
Xiao Shan said, "From now on, our days will be brighter. Older sister Yueya Er from the forecourt, who attends to Young Master Ji Huan, has a lot of money.”
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"No matter how rich, we are still servants," said Liusu. "We are people that must serve our masters."
Never had Qi Yunruo thought that he would one day have to attend to the prince. Instead, he had thought with the addition of him, Qi Niqun would just receive another servant in the prince estate, namely himself.
The Department of Labor from the Ministry of Rites had sent Qi Niqun some appropriate additions to her dowry. They were stored in a courtyard next to her own. The servants there are always so loud. One day, a curious Qi Yunruo peeked through the door while pa.s.sing through. Caught sight of a twenty-year-old man engraving designs on a meal box with a carving knife.
A servant boy holding a tray of meals said by the door, "I also want to learn a craft. The Labor Department usually works for the families of officials, mostly with hand skills rather than just attending to people."
Another servant boy smiled as he said, "Those who work these positions are all part of the same clan that make up the Labor Department. Their ancestors were part of the labor social cla.s.s. And so were many of following generations. We of the slave cla.s.s can be redeemed into our own person, but they are locked into that social cla.s.s."
Qi Yunruo watched them from the side. Suddenly, he felt upset.
Though he didn"t know the cause of it. He fell into his thoughts, one breath at a time.
Back then, the head steward of the count estate had personally came to see her, saying that Count and Countess Ziyang summoned him. Qi Yunruo had followed the head steward, watching as the workers at the count estate cleaned up after decorating for the incoming marriage. The head steward had given him only one explanation. "This is also third young master"s joyous occasion."
The countess had acted differently toward Qi Yunruo that day. Nicer. She smiled as she waved. "Good child, come closer."
And then came a whirlwind of persuasion.
"Your elder sister has been bestowed a marriage to the Second Prince…"
"Your elder sister is pure and has no one to help her. It"s not good for her to be alone…"
"Your eldest sister dotes on you the most…"
"Our count estate won"t treat you poorly…"
Count Ziyang drank a sip of tea. Not once did look at him. Countess Ziyang didn"t think that after listening to their speech, Qi Yunruo would keep quiet.
After waiting for a moment, she asked, "How do you feel about this?"
Yet he still did not speak.
Feeling unhappy, the countess spat out her next words, cold as ice. "You don"t need to think. Even if you want to marry a wife, which large family would be willing to let their daughter marry you? Or do you want a girl from a fallen family and bring down our estate"s prestige even more?"
Count Ziyang came in with the side attack. "This is certainly a suitable situation for you…"
Once Qi Yunruo entered Winter Plum Courtyard"s main chamber, Li Chen had already been there, sitting by the table. He was surprised at the sight of Qi Yunruo.
The teen"s figure was frail. Clothes the shade of melon did not suit him. It made his face seem pale. Weak. Li Chen"s heart softened a bit. It brought a smile to Qi Niqun"s lips. "Come here younger brother."
Qi Yunruo approached them. Qi Niqun held his hand as she faced Li Chen. "Your Highness look at Yunruo. Any color suits him."
Li Chen"s heart felt a bit tender. He lightly nodded.
He had yet to touch liquor, but he felt drunk already. Li Chen ate his meal, unable to taste anything. At this moment, Qi Niqun didn"t care how her own heart felt. She just needed to complete this mission. Her face carried a smile throughout the meal. Because she was pregnant, she didn"t dare to touch alcohol.
Li Chen drank for a while before saying, "Pour a cup for Little Qi."
The attending servant girls rushed to find a cup for Qi Yunruo. Then the teen lifted the cup. Set it down.
Qi Niqun smiled. "Has younger brother ever drank before?"
Li Chen didn"t say much besides, "If you don"t know how to drink this, then you shouldn"t."
Just a sniff, and Qi Yunruo felt that this wine wasn"t fragrant enough. It wasn"t like osmanthus wine, which smelled like osmanthus flowers.
The three of them had their own thoughts. Their own desires. None of them paid attention to the food they ate. After three rounds of drinks, Qi Niqun got up with the help of her servant girl. She softly said, "Tonight this concubine will not keep His Highness. In a little while, His Highness should go next door for some sobering tea."
"The princess consort should rest early."
Another smile, Qi Niqun she left with her servant girl supporting her.
The moment she had departed, Qi Yunruo set down his chopsticks and rose to his feet. Then he also left the chamber.
After a moment of indecisiveness, Li Chen followed him out.
Holding her servant girl"s hand for support, Qi Niqun sat on top of her bed. She lifted the light covers and stretched her waist. "Did they leave?"
"Once you left, they did as well."
She snorted.
Qi Yunruo"s suite was composed of two rooms. The first room was where he slept. It was connected to a small study. On the other side of the study was the sleeping quarters of the servant girls. This was the first time Li Chen ever stepped foot here. He found it somewhat cramped.
Qi Yunruo did not concern himself with him, opting to sit on his bed. After sitting for a while, he rose and began to remove his clothes.
Once the outer garments were off, he removed his white inner garments. He lay down silently on his bed.
As he closed his eyes, he recalled a beautiful woman. It was a pity the woman did not smile. She had spent every day waiting for someone, waiting until her last breath.
The woman had held Qi Yunruo"s hand as she taught him to write and play the guqin. She had taught him chess, wanting to relieve her own loneliness and sorrow. Her beauty did not last for long. Bit my bit, her sadness had marred her face. Qi Yunruo had known this from a young age: life was fragile. In a blink of an eye, a person could disappear from the world.
Before she died, she had stared at a painting from her bed, called "Misty Rain in Jiangnan". And she had said in a soft voice, "Qi Suxiao, you cheated me… Qi Suxiao… Qi Suxiao…"
Back then, Qi Yunruo had watched her silently, sitting on a low stool next to the bed.
The tale of a hero and his beauty only existed in fiction. It did not exist in real life.
"…You"re crying."
When Li Chen had entered the room, he found Qi Yunruo"s face streaked with tears, his eyes wide as he stared at the ceiling.
A few long strides later, Li Chen sat on the bedside and reached out to wipe away the tears.
Qi Yunruo did not speak nor did he show any expression. He was somewhere else at the moment, recalling when Count Ziyang had first brought him into the count estate.
His father had hesitated at the front doors.
After sitting in the horse-drawn carriage in silence for a while, Qi Yunruo pushed back the window flap, unaware of what caused Count Ziyang to pause.
He then heard him say, "Go to the western door."
The carriage resumed its trip. Qi Yunruo did not remember how long it lasted, when Count Ziyang told him to disembark. Lowering his head, Qi Yunruo climbed the stairs. The gazes of the servants had bored into his back.
However, when he left the count estate for the last time, he had finally walked through the main doors.
It had been because Qi Niqun was getting married as the main wife, and he was following along as a dowry escort. Her dowry was supposed to leave the estate in a grand and bright manner. Her procession had to travel around half of the capital, flaunting to everyone.
The night Count Ziyang and his brothers had arrived for the dinner banquet, Qi Yunruo had followed Li Chen to personally send them off. They used the prince estate"s main road from start to finish. Countess Ziyang"s palanquin had also been there, the family leaving together. From the tall doorway hung many lanterns, brightening the surrounding s.p.a.ce.
Back in the present, Li Chen helped pull the thin covers over Qi Yunruo. Then he left the room and called for a warm and damp handkerchief. He used it to wipe Qi Yunruo"s face.
Summer had already arrived. Ji Huan would leave in the spring of next year. In the future he would be akin to a fish swimming out into the ocean. And then he would have his freedom, the sky as his limit.
Liusu could also leave if she had enough money to redeem herself.
"Sleep."
Li Chen got to his feet, then made to depart. Before that, his foot paused at the doorway.
"Rest well."
Okay, who here doesn"t feel their heart shattering ;_;
Those flashbacks, man. Like, d.a.m.n. Our little radish yunruo"s parents are certainly sc.u.m.
That scene where the count doesn"t let yunruo enter through the main doors was really sad. He"s a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, an actual b.a.s.t.a.r.d since his mom never married into the count estate, so he can"t use the main doors.
His birth mother was also a pitiful person. Waiting until death for his father… If I"m not mistaken, I think the t.i.tle referred to the mother and the father… Then again I have yet to read to the point where the mystery of yunruo"s mother is revealed, so it"s only a theory.
(Also, I"ll be editing this chapter some more tonight. I need to finish editing NHAD or else that chapter will be late. The PDF for this chapter will be up tomorrow.)
I told you guys last week this chapter would be emotional! Well, at least Li Chen was sweet to yunruo. Personally wiping the tears off his little face ;_;
They"ll be a sponsor chapter this month. It may or may not be released next week, depending if I finish it in time.
The next regular chapter will be out Sat.u.r.day, August 24, 2019 at 12 pm EST.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a like or a comment below, or on NU ?
Your honorable self: (您) Nin. Very respectful way of "you" that"s mostly reserved for the elderly or someone of a higher status.