Chapter Forty-Six

Before Wu Guan could reply, Consort Qin's voice came first, "Shouldn't you be the one asking this? You can't even keep an eye on your own husband."

Si Yanmo didn't want to argue with her, but she wouldn't just give in to her fate either.

“I don’t look at Your Highness because I trust you. Didn’t my mother tell me that a wife should be magnanimous?”

Consort Qin's face turned bruised and purple after being rebuked like that, and she turned and left immediately.

Only then did Si Yanmo learn from Wu Guan that Zhou Yanqing had said he would be staying at a military camp in the suburbs for the next few days.

"Why did you suddenly go to the military camp? What happened?"

She thought there was a spy among them.

Wu Guan looked unsure whether he should speak or not, "This..."

"Speak quickly!" Si Yanmo hates it when people dawdle.

"His Highness said he wants to... want to be away from you for the next few days, he needs some peace and quiet."

Should we stay away from her?

Si Yanmo felt bewildered.

What's gotten into this guy this time? He's been acting so strangely these past few days.

They say serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, so what exactly did she do to offend him?

Achoo!

At that moment, Zhou Yanqing, who was teaching Sano how to use a gun at the training ground, sneezed.

It must be because I didn't sleep well last night!

Last night, he had that dream again. In the dream, he was still pierced by a long spear, and the figure was still green.

But this time, he saw the person's face clearly, just as he had guessed—Si Yanmo.

This time, the woman reached out her hand to him, and he successfully touched her hand. Their hands clasped tightly, giving him an unprecedented sense of security.

It made him willingly hand over his fate to the other party.

That's not right. A person like him would never entrust his life to someone else.

But when he woke up, he was shocked to realize that he had given up his life on the night of his wedding.

For the first time, Zhou Yanqing felt panic. The old man's words filled his mind, but he couldn't believe them.

He actually started avoiding Si Yanmo; perhaps if he didn't see her, things wouldn't be so out of control.

He hid for three days, but on the Shangsi Festival, he couldn't avoid it anymore.

As the King of Qin, he had to complete the purification ritual for today.

On the way to the Qin Palace, Sano whispered in his ear, "Brother Yanqing, I heard from Wu Siguan that Sister Si has been practicing embroidery these past few days, it seems she's going to give you a sachet."

Zhou Yanqing suddenly remembered the customs of the Shangsi Festival—family and friends, but he naturally didn't belong to that category.

Then it can only be... her husband, the person she admires.

A surge of joy welled up inside him, but he stubbornly insisted, "Even if she wants to give it to me, I might not accept it!"

Even so, Sano could clearly feel that his steps were much lighter, and a faint smile was on his face.

The two boarded the carriage and headed towards the Qin Palace. Zhou Yanqing was in a very good mood the whole way. The hawking outside was no longer noisy, and she could hardly feel the bumps of the carriage.

The emerald green willow branches sway in the wind, shimmering with the colors of spring, and the plaque of Yunjianxuan comes into view through the gaps.

Zhou Yanqing wondered if he should take Si Yanmo to see a play after the purification ritual ended.

She definitely hasn't heard of Qin Di's opera yet!

At this moment, the willow branches parted behind them, revealing a green figure standing next to the peacock-like man. The figure took out a sachet from his sleeve and handed it over.

A surge of anger instantly ignited in Zhou Yanqing's heart.

So practicing embroidery was all for the sake of his childhood sweetheart!

The beautiful spring scenery cracked before his eyes.

He flung down the curtain and laughed self-deprecatingly, a laugh tinged with bitterness.

What exactly is he expecting?

The joy he had felt along the way was extinguished, and he felt as if his heart had been thrown down from the clouds, feeling both pain and grievance.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time since being abandoned by his mother when he was a child.

His expression darkened, and Sano, standing beside him, dared not speak again.

Could it be that Sister Si really likes that peacock?

Even after arriving at the Qin Palace, Zhou Yanqing's mood didn't improve. When she saw Si Yanmo, she didn't want to talk to her and simply walked past her, leaving Si Yanmo completely bewildered.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked Sano.

Sano was at a loss for words. Just as he was about to speak, Wei Jingzhong interrupted him, "Mo Wubu, the sacrifice is about to begin."

Si Yanmo had no choice but to change into her shamanic robes and complete the ritual.

The witch's robe was heavy and messy, and she still had to wear it to play drums and dance. After all that, she felt like her arms were about to break.

What's even more terrifying is that this isn't the end of it. After the ritual, she still has to go to the hot spring to burn mugwort for Zhou Yanqing, and she has to wear this outfit all the time.

The hot spring was hot and stuffy, which made her shudder at the thought of it.

She chose this path herself; why did she have to become a shaman?

She had no choice but to drag her heavy clothes to the hot spring.

No one is allowed to peek into the king's bathing. When Si Yanmo entered, there were only one or two officials serving by the hot spring.

She took a few steps forward before she saw the man sitting half-reclined in the hot spring.

A few strands of his jet-black hair accidentally fell into the water, and the candlelight beside him outlined the lines of the man's back through the hair, like undulating mountains.

Despite the misty fog, Si Yanmo could still see many scars remaining on her wheat-colored skin.

Before becoming the King of Qin, he must have suffered a lot...

A pang of heartache flashed in Si Yanmo's eyes. After a moment, she looked away and gazed at the moxa sticks that the ritual department had prepared.

"Shall we begin?" she asked.

The man only then noticed her presence. He still remembered the scene he had witnessed on the way, and his expression wasn't pleasant; he simply grunted in response.

Si Yanmo didn't notice his dissatisfaction. She picked up the moxa stick, lit it, and chanted scriptures while fumigating Zhou Yanqing with moxa.

The sound of chanting should be heard when the mind is calm. If the person chanting is impatient, the listener will also be annoyed.

Zhou Yanqing's mind was filled with the image of her smiling face when she gave the sachet to Zhong Zihe.

"Don't you have anything to say?" For a moment, he was still hoping that Si Yanmo might have forgotten, or perhaps there was more than one sachet?

Anyway, she'll have to give gifts to her sister and such, right?

Si Yanmo, however, was only focused on completing the purification ritual. It was already hot inside, and the robe she was wearing was made of bird feathers, so its heat retention was exceptionally good.

She was soaking wet, just like Zhou Yanqing who was immersed in the pool.

"No," she replied casually, which only made Zhou Yanqing angrier.

He even tried to give her a way out, but it turns out she didn't even think of herself, did she?

This woman deserves to be punished properly!

He looked around, searching for something that could serve as a form of punishment.

Finally, it settled on the towel on one side.

"Um... give me a back rub!"

"Huh?" Si Yanmo was diligently fumigating the moxa, her mind blank. She paused for a second upon hearing this. "How about I have Officer Si help you with it later? I..."

She was about to say that she needed to go out for some fresh air when the man interrupted her, "No."

Zhou Yanqing thought she was shy and stubbornly said, "You are not only a shaman, but also my wife. What's wrong with rubbing my back?"

Seeing that there were still people around, Si Yanmo didn't want to argue with him, so she picked up a towel and started rubbing his back.

But the man quickly escalated his demands, making her rub this side one minute, that side the next, and then complaining that her pressure wasn't enough. This made her, already hot and irritable, almost breathless.

These past two days, my hands have been pricked again while embroidering sachets. The water from the towel seeps in, causing a dense, stinging pain.

"What exactly do you want?" she finally snapped.

Zhou Yanqing got angry as soon as she heard that, "Why are you talking about me?"

He grabbed Si Yanmo's arm, feeling utterly wronged.

This woman is married to him, but she likes other men and wants to take him as a concubine. She doesn't care about him at all!

At this moment, you couldn't see any awkwardness in him at all. Just as Mo Wenzhong said, she didn't like him!

Why wouldn't she like him?

In what way is he inferior to that flirtatious woman?

Men don't easily shed tears, but Zhou Yanqing felt so wronged that she wanted to cry, and she stubbornly held back the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Through the mist, Si Yanmo couldn't see the man's reddened eyes. She only felt hot and annoyed, and was inexplicably scolded by this man. She raised her hand to shake him off, but she was no match for the man's strength. She lost her balance and fell into the hot spring.

"Si Yanmo!"

Zhou Yanqing was also startled and quickly reached out to help.

He was fine, but he got soaked to the bone.

Si Yanmo was completely in no mood to play along with his antics.

These past few days, this person has been acting strangely, even more difficult to please than when she's menstruating.

She didn't care about the hierarchy of ruler and subject anymore, and shoved the person away, saying, "Stay away from me!"

Si Yanmo walked out of the hot spring. Fortunately, the divination hall was right behind her. The clothes she wore when she came had already been sent over. She just needed to wipe them clean and change.

Zhou Yanqing wanted to chase after her, but when she remembered the sachet that the woman had given to the man she was leaving, she stopped herself in a huff.

Honestly, it's clearly her fault!

——

Chaos erupted on one side, and a quarrel broke out on the other.

Si Yunyun hadn't paid much attention to Zhou Junsong for several days, and when she gave him the sachet this morning, she acted as if it were a business matter.

Zhou Junsong, being a shrewd man, naturally guessed what was going on. He quietly entered the study and asked, "Is Madam still angry?"

Si Yunyun glanced at him, then lowered her head to continue looking at the ledger.

The man smiled helplessly; it seemed he would have to coax her a bit.

He took a hairpin from his sleeve, walked to his wife's side, and silently put it in her hair.

“I received Yun’er’s sachet during the day; this is my way of returning the favor.”

Si Yunyun was surprised. Giving sachets as gifts on the Shangsi Festival is a tradition, but returning gifts is not common.

Her anger subsided by half, but then she heard Zhou Junsong say, "What Yun'er saw that day was all a misunderstanding."

Seeing that he had exposed her, Si Yunyun simply stopped holding back her anger and asked directly, "Misunderstanding? You were so close to my sister, and you're telling me it's a misunderstanding?"

"It's a misunderstanding!" Zhou Junsong coughed twice and coaxed softly, "Didn't I say that day that Auntie is family, and it's a good thing for family members to walk the same path, right?"

Si Yunyun understood his meaning, "But Mo'er has already married the Prince of Qin, so it's impossible for her to go back to Nandu to help you."

Zhou Junsong smiled, but there was a chill in his eyes. "Yes, my aunt also told me. Of course, I won't break them up."

But... it could turn them into a pair of doomed lovers.

The wind outside grew fierce, and the leaves rustled. Si Yanmo, who was in a fit of anger, did not notice that someone was following her.

At the end of the alley, a woman's scream was faintly heard amidst the clamor of vendors at the market...