Chapter 63

When Su Mi returned to the main mansion, the young gatekeeper, Xiao Hu Zi, saw Chun Mei helping Su Mi down from the carriage and quickly ran over with a bag in his hand, looking joyful.

“Madam, this was sent by Young Master Su yesterday. He instructed me to deliver it to you since he didn’t see you!”

“Young Master?” Chun Mei took the bag, opened it, and placed it in front of Su Mi. Feng Bao stood beside them and took a quick glance.

“It’s mulberries, Miss. You only have a few things you like to eat, and Young Master remembers them.” Chun Mei exclaimed with joy.

“Madam, do you like eating mulberries?” Feng Bao asked curiously.

“I liked them when I was young, but I eat them less now.”

Su’s family is in the silk business. Before they started their own silk farm, they used to buy silk from mulberry farmers, who would often send some mulberries as a gift. However, after Su’s silk business grew and they started farming their own mulberries, Su Mi didn’t eat them as much.

The bag was full of mulberries, shimmering with a purple luster and plump and juicy. It was obvious that the best ones had been selected.

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“Ykpp, R eked’v dsvknl obld R oyp y plahydv kd vbl xydpksd, cwv dso R pll kv nzlyazu. Zswdt Yypvla vawzu nyalp ycswv usw.”

Fw Yk oyzjle vsoyaep vbl nswavuyae, okvb Ubwd Ylk qszzsokdt clbkde yde nyaaukdt vbl cyt.

“Ubwd Ylk, eslp vbyv xlyd vbyv Jkt Jasvbla byp yzalyeu yaakhle yv vbl nyrkvyz?” Fw Yk ypjle.

“Rv pbswze cl, Ykpp. Pked’v usw pyu vbyv Yypvla yde Yyeyx nyxl blal zypv vkxl? Rv’p clld y obkzl, yde Zswdt Yypvla pbswze byhl yaakhle vss.”

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Tsolhla, rascyczu alxlxclakdt obyv byrrldle okvb vbl nblpvdwv nydeklp ewakdt vbl Llo Zlya, Fw Yk kdpvawnvle Ubwd Ylk vs rwv vbl xwzclaaklp kd bla assx qkapv. Fbl eked’v oydv vs pll ydsvbla rkzl sq xwzclaaklp obld vbl nbklq nyxl cynj vs vbl xydpksd. Mbl xwzclaaklp vbyv Fw Ck tyhl nswzed’v cl jlrv ytykd…Ebyv y oypvl.

Fw Yk vbswtbv vbyv vbl xwzclaaklp bye yzalyeu clld pldv, ps Fw Ck oswzed’v nsxl vs pll bla. Jwv yqvla y qlo eyup, vbl tyvljllrla alrsavle vbyv vbl Fw qyxkzu’p uswdt xypvla bye nsxl ytykd.

Fw Yk, ynnsxrydkle cu Ubwd Ylk yde Wldt Jys, oyzjle vs vbl qasdv byzz, oblal Fw Ck oyp oykvkdt okvb bkp bydep clbkde bkp cynj.

His brows were clear and handsome, and he seemed a bit serious and reserved. However, when he saw Su Mi approaching, his expression softened imperceptibly.

“Big Brother,” Su Mi called out softly.

She wasn’t used to this form of address.

Because of Auntie Zhao, they didn’t have many chances to play together when they were young. Later, when they grew up a little, she was assigned to the small courtyard in the corner, and Su Qi often went to the countryside for training, so they weren’t familiar with each other.

“Yes.”

Su Qi looked at his younger sister in front of him. Although she had a married woman’s hairstyle, her demeanor still resembled that of a young girl. His cold eyes softened with a touch of tenderness.

Suddenly, Su Qi had the strong urge to reach out and touch her head, like they did when they were younger. However, halfway through extending his hand, he simply brushed his robe.

“Did you eat the mulberries from yesterday?”

“Yes, they were very sweet. Were they sent by the mulberry farmers from the county town?”

Su Qi rolled up his sleeves, concealing the scratches on his hand from the tree branches. “Yes, I couldn’t finish them anyway, so I sent them to you.”

“Thank you, Big Brother.” Su Mi was momentarily speechless. In the past, she rarely had conversations with Su Qi, so she didn’t know how to continue this topic.

After a moment of silence, Su Qi spoke again.

“Xian gave birth to a chubby little boy a few days ago. Madam should have mentioned it to you, but you probably don’t know yet. Zhen’s wedding with Yu Zhiqiu is scheduled for the tenth of next month. You…”

He hesitated for a moment. “You don’t need to attend. Although Yu Zhiqiu sent an invitation; I will bring the gift on your behalf to avoid unnecessary encounters with certain people.”

Su Qi looked at Su Mi’s expression, afraid that this matter might upset her. He was very angry when Su Mi was rejected twice, but he couldn’t beat up the Yu family’s boy. Now he had become her brother-in-law.

Su Mi nodded. “Mother mentioned this in her letter to me, and I told her I wouldn’t go.”

She knew about Su Xian’s childbirth, but because of Li Xiuyuan, she and Su Xian could never go back to the way things were before.

As for Su Zhen’s wedding, she had no impression of Yu Zhiqiu and no fondness for Su Zhen. More importantly, she had promised Qin Yan not to see Yu Zhiqiu again. She wouldn’t make Qin Yan angry for no reason.

Su Qi thought that Su Mi might be unhappy because of the past rejections, so he didn’t want to continue this topic.

“Su’s silk shop has opened on Yong’an Street. But in the future, don’t rely on the chief to handle these matters. With me in Su’s family, don’t listen to what Father tells you.”

Upon hearing this, Su Mi looked at Su Qi, and a warm feeling surged in her heart. Su Qi probably thought that she had obtained these things through Qin Yan’s influence and was afraid that she would be looked down upon in the future. The person in front of her was clearly not her blood brother, but he was more considerate than many others had imagined.

“Brother, do you… want to stay for lunch together?”

Su Qi smiled when he heard Su Mi’s words. “No, I just came to see you. I’ll leave now.”

After saying that, he glanced at Feng Bao beside Su Mi and raised his voice a bit. “It’s necessary for the chief to know that you have an elder brother from your maternal family.”

…

When Feng Bao went to the Eastern Bureau to deliver the lunch box, he happened to inform Qin Yan about Su Qi’s visit.

Originally, Feng Bao thought he would be angry, but he just smiled and said, while still focused on writing, “The Su family does have some merits.”

***

In the imperial garden of the palace, Zhu Jingyu was taking a stroll along a small path, enjoying the spring flowers.

From time to time, he glanced back at the shadow lurking in the darkness. Whenever he took a couple of steps forward, the shadow followed suit. When he stopped, the shadow stopped as well.

Since Qin Yan’s departure, Ling An has been assigned to be by his side, keeping a close watch on him. Although his previous behavior had a hint of suicidal intention, it was also a response to the situation. On ordinary days, he wouldn’t have taken his own life for no reason.

Lu Dehai followed behind. Ling An didn’t deliberately conceal his presence, and he could guess Qin Yan’s thoughts. In fact, he had no objections. Having someone with exceptional skills guard him brought more peace of mind.

“Cough—”

A warm breeze blew by, tickling Zhu Jingyu’s throat and causing him to cough involuntarily. It was the third time today.

Lu Dehai quickly stepped forward to support him. “Your Majesty, should we go back and rest?”

With the pleasant spring weather, he shouldn’t be coughing. However, Zhu Jingyu had been injured by an assassin a couple of days ago, and even though it was just a flesh wound, his body couldn’t withstand any strain.

“I’m fine.”

Zhu Jingyu pushed away Lu Dehai’s hand. Then, his peripheral vision caught sight of a fluffy little creature climbing and playing with his robe. It was the yellow-colored little lynx from the spring hunt day. Who else could it be?

When Zhu Jingyu saw the little lynx, his mind was suddenly filled with a pair of innocent apricot eyes.

She was the first woman to witness his loss of composure. He didn’t know what she thought of him—whether she found it strange or disgusting.

Eggheart, not being immediately embraced by Zhu Jingyu, scratched him a few times through the fabric of his clothes. Then it turned its head and trotted away on the path, its little bottom bouncing. It occasionally glanced back at him, as if waiting for Zhu Jingyu.

Zhu Jingyu chuckled inwardly and unconsciously followed the little lynx. When he finally looked up, he had arrived at the gate of Chuxiu Palace.

Lu Dehai had been following silently. Now, as he looked at the plaque above the gate, he felt a closer bond with the Emperor and reminded him, “Your Majesty, it is still daylight…”

Zhu Jingyu coughed and covered his mouth. “No, I’m following it—”

But halfway through his sentence, there was no sign of the little lynx. He raised his head and asked Lu Dehai, “Do you remember where Zhang Yu’er resides?”

Zhang Yu’er… Wasn’t she the one who agreed last time?

“I remember, Your Majesty. I remember.” As one of the concubines in Chuxiu Palace, he remembered all of them. Zhang Yu’er’s position was even more memorable. She had a small courtyard in the far southwest corner, where the sun would set. Her father was just a county official, and she didn’t have the means to bribe her way to a better location.

“Let’s go. I want to pay her a visit.”

Chuxiu Palace was the initial residence for selected palace maidens. If they gain the Emperor’s favor,as for Shen Ruoliu, while it is possible for her to be granted residence in other palaces, it is likely that she will spend her entire life here.

The palace is decorated with Suzhou-style painted beams and rafters, and there are also accompanying halls in the east and west. With three chambers and six pavilions, the only exception is the Empress’s palace, which is not spacious enough. When the late emperor was alive, the Chuxiu palace was filled with furnishings.

Passing through the courtyard, Zhu Jingyu walked past two ancient and vigorous cypresses, crossed a corridor, and went through several partition doors before reaching the southwestern small courtyard.

The southwestern courtyard was originally a small laundry room. Later, due to the shortage of maids in the Chuxiu palace, the staff was reduced, and the courtyard remained vacant for a long time. When Zhang Yu’er moved in, there was no major renovation. The storage room was filled with old bamboo frames, and there were two old wells in the courtyard.

When Zhu Jingyu stepped across the threshold of the small courtyard, Zhang Yu’er was still climbing up the tree.

Facing away from the entrance, Shuangfu looked up at the tree and naturally didn’t notice Zhu Jingyu behind him.

“Master, it’s better for you to come down. Eggheart is not inside.” Shuangfu sighed. He had raised a little lynx-like creature as if it were his ancestor, and it had disappeared all morning. He himself couldn’t climb trees, but unexpectedly, Zhang Yu’er climbed up quickly before he could stop her.

“Where else could it go? I think it’s hiding in this tree. I saw it climb up a few days ago.”

Early summer had arrived, and new buds sprouted on the old tree. Other palace women often laughed at them for having too much sun in their courtyard, but Zhang Yu’er actually thought it was great. As long as they avoided the hottest hours, the rest of the time was quite pleasant.

Zhang Yu’er gently pushed aside several clusters of tender green leaves and carefully searched. Eggheart was small, and if she didn’t look closely, she couldn’t see its shadow.

Sure enough, after she searched for a while, she heard Eggheart’s cry.

“Miao~”

Zhang Yu’er exclaimed, but this cry seemed to be coming from below.

Shuangfu also heard it. He looked down and saw a golden bundle right by his feet, wagging its small tail and looking like it was begging for food.

“Master, please come down. Eggheart has come back. From now on, don’t look for it. It will come back on its own at mealtime.”

“Hahaha.”

Zhang Yu’er looked at the yellow bundle below and couldn’t help but laugh. Two small dimples appeared on her mouth, and her bright eyes and white teeth were truly charming.

She laughed for a while and suddenly felt someone’s gaze. She looked up and saw Zhu Jingyu standing at the courtyard gate, staring in her direction. She didn’t know if he was looking at Eggheart or at her.

“Your.. Your Majesty.” Zhang Yu’er said this in disbelief, speaking softly.

Shuangfu turned around, not having time to be stunned, and quickly knelt down. “I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

“Hmm, please rise.”

Zhu Jingyu looked at Zhang Yu’er, covered in dirt, with patches of white and black on her pale pink silk skirt. There was even a green leaf stuck in her hair. She looked disheveled, completely lacking the dignified and gentle demeanor expected of a palace woman.

But the way she had just smiled made him envious. How could someone, even living in such a dilapidated place, be so happy? Moreover, this person was the concubine he had driven out in the middle of the night a few days ago.

Perhaps because Zhang Yu’er had already seen him in his most genuine state, Zhu Jingyu involuntarily dropped his gentle facade and appeared somewhat indifferent when facing her.

He didn’t look at Zhang Yu’er for long. His gaze fell on the little lynx crawling by her feet. In fact, he really wanted to hold it again. He liked the warm touch of its body, small but full of vitality. Most importantly, it seemed that it didn’t want to struggle when in his hands. Perhaps, it liked him too.

Zhang Yu’er looked at the Emperor’s gaze. He must like Eggheart. She noticed that his eyes were truly gentle only when he liked something. It looked much more beautiful than the unchanging gentle expression she had seen before.

She crouched down, picked up Eggheart, and tried to get closer to Zhu Jingyu. However, when she reached out her hand, Zhu Jingyu frowned and alertly took a step back.

Zhang Yu’er smiled and handed Eggheart to him, being careful not to touch his hand. “Your Majesty, please hold him. Don’t worry, I won’t touch you.”

She glanced embarrassedly at her own clothes. “I’m a bit dirty.”

Zhu Jingyu paused for a moment upon hearing her words, then slowly accepted the little lynx. He whispered softly, “It’s not you who’s dirty.”

It’s me.