Chapter 20
Pei Jin came to pick her up in the afternoon without stopping, and Qi Yu gave the hairpin she had made to Zhao Wanyi.
Zhao Wanyi picked one out, casually replaced the hidden weapon hairpin in her hair, and then walked out of the courtyard.
Pei Jin lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, Imperial Concubine."
Qi Yu nodded slightly, and the palace servants placed Zhao Wanyi's belongings onto the carriage.
Qi Yu asked, "Lord Pei, is there any progress regarding the bandits on the mountain?"
Zhao Wanyi also perked up her ears.
Pei Jin's version of events was largely unchanged, stating that they found a group of footprints on the mountain, concluding that it was a revenge killing.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wanyi felt relieved.
Qi Yu wouldn't dwell on the matter, and after watching Zhao Wanyi board the carriage, she returned to the main courtyard.
The carriage headed towards the capital.
Inside the carriage, Pei Jin glanced at Zhao Wanyi's hair and asked, "Where are your original hairpins?"
"It's in the box now. This one was a gift from the Imperial Concubine. Isn't it beautiful?" Zhao Wanyi touched the parrot with her finger.
Knowing he couldn't verify the original hairpin's problem, Pei Jin asked, "Was this parrot also a gift from the Imperial Concubine?"
Zhao Wanyi: "Of course."
"Is she your sister?" Pei Jin only mouthed the last two words to avoid being detected by the guards.
Zhao Wanyi shook her head, her face full of gloom.
Pei Jin blurted out, "How is that possible?"
If it wasn't the Imperial Concubine, then who could it be?
It's impossible for him and Zhao Wanyi to admit their mistakes at the same time.
Qi Yu returned to the main courtyard and received a meal delivered by Wu Shiyun that evening.
The next morning, she received a pigeon and a box of pastries from Jingzhong Suxiangji, delivered by Zhao Wanyi.
Pigeons are used for communication. The servants of the Pei family said that these are carrier pigeons raised by the lady of the house. They can be released when needed, as the pigeons know the way back to the Pei family.
Su Xiang Ji is a famous pastry shop in Beijing, and its supply can't keep up with demand every day. If you want to buy some, you have to queue up early in the morning.
These pastries were often served in the residences of officials when guests came to visit.
Qi Yu's box of pastries looked like it had just come out of the oven and was delivered; they were crispy and crunchy.
When Wu Shiyun arrived at Qi Yu's villa, he saw the pastries laid out and asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, why do you have pastries from Su Xiang Ji?"
She was a princess, so even the rarest desserts were nothing to her. She ate them for a whole month when she first left the palace to establish her own residence, which shows how delicious they were.
But the Empress Dowager has some here; it must have been a gift from someone else.
Who could possibly presume to covet the Empress's sister-in-law, even before the Emperor himself?
After settling the pigeons, Qi Yu instructed Xiao Jin not to catch the birds. Upon hearing this, she said, "It's Madam Zhao. She just left yesterday, and this morning she sent someone to deliver things to me."
Wu Shiyun fell silent.
She knew it wasn't good for her to be so fickle, but who would have thought that her brother was even more indecisive than she was?
Li Chang told her that her brother liked Lady Pei, and after observing, she indeed found out.
For example, if Lady Pei goes to the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager, the Emperor will definitely go to Changxin Palace that day.
So after leaving the palace, she tried to get close to Madam Pei. Unfortunately, no matter how she tried to be friendly, Madam Pei always kept her at a distance and harbored suspicion in her heart.
Later, she heard that her brother had sent the horse to the imperial estate and had it renovated. After that, Qi Yu went to the imperial estate for a short stay.
It was obvious who her brother was after, and given that she had been rebuffed by Zhao Wanyi, she knew that no matter how kind she was as a princess, she was not a good-natured person. So she disregarded Li Chang's instructions and turned to Qi Yu instead.
The Empress Dowager's sister-in-law treated her like a young girl and did not reject her.
But Wu Shiyun never expected that the two people who were least likely to meet and coexist peacefully would become such close friends.
That manner suggested a closer relationship than between her and her sister-in-law.
Suppressing the bitterness and jealousy in her heart, Wu Shiyun smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, let's go horseback riding."
"Okay, I'll go change my clothes," Qi Yu replied readily.
This time they didn't go to that mountain; they went in the opposite direction.
The road is relatively flat, the hillside is covered with flowers, and a stream flows through it. Horses can pass by stepping on the stones in the middle of the stream.
They had run quite far this time, so they stopped to rest.
The guards went to fetch firewood and made sharp sticks for the two of them.
Qi Yu took a stick to the stream to catch fish, while Wu Shiyun put down the stick and walked towards the flower field they had just passed.
To become a palace guard, one not only needed to be of good birth and highly skilled in martial arts, but also to possess some personal skills.
Using the knowledge she had learned, Qi Yu successfully caught eight or nine fish in a row.
The guards then sat down, cleaned the fish, and placed it on the fire to roast.
At this moment, Wu Shiyun also returned, carrying many flowers, which she handed to her maid Shuangzhi to weave into a flower wreath.
Wu Shiyun put one on herself and then picked out the prettiest one to put on Qi Yu's head.
After the fish was grilled, everyone shared it, extinguished the fire, and then prepared to go back.
The journey back took a long time, but seeing Wu Shiyan in front of Canglan Manor instantly relieved everyone's fatigue from the day's sightseeing.
They all dismounted and bowed.
Qi Yu dismounted and trotted to Wu Shiyan's side, unaware that she was sweating profusely.
Wu Shiyan's gaze fell on the flower wreath on Qi Yu's head.
Her attire today was very simple. Because she was going to ride a horse, the sleeves were not wide, and there were not many jade ornaments at her waist, only a sachet hanging from her waist.
The flower wreath on her head was the finishing touch, instantly making up for the lack of extravagance in her clothes and adding more vitality and wild charm.
Her eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, her face was free of makeup, and her eyes were bright and lively. The lively look in her eyes made people unable to help but look at her.
Wu Shiyan told everyone to rise.
Qi Yu asked, "Your Majesty, why don't you go to the main courtyard?"
Wu Shiyan took out a handkerchief and handed it to Qi Yu: "I'm waiting for you."
Qi Yu took the handkerchief, touched her forehead, cheeks, and neck, and walked with Wu Shiyan towards the main courtyard.
She said apologetically, "I am late."
"It's not too late," Wu Shiyan asked in a low voice, "May I stay tonight?"
He returned just in time. It was nearing dusk, and the palace gates would be locked by now. Although he was the emperor, he did not want any complications in this matter.
He didn't even need to find a reason to stay.
Sure enough, Qi Yu glanced at the sky and understood. She smiled and said, "This is His Majesty's imperial estate, so it can naturally be left here."
She paused for a moment: "The beds in the main courtyard are very large."
Qi Yu is implying that even with a blanket between them, two people can sleep comfortably, so one of them doesn't need to sleep on the floor.
But Wu Shiyun, who followed in and was regretting not taking the opportunity to slip away, wished he could cover his ears.
My brother and sister-in-law, she's still a princess who doesn't even have a husband!
Even though Wu Shiyan knew what Qi Yu meant, he couldn't help but subtly curl his lips at those words.
Back at Guihe Courtyard, Qi Yu first changed her clothes.
Wu Shiyan sat in the main seat, looking at Wu Shiyun with a faint imperial aura.
Wu Shiyun couldn't hold back any longer. Before Qi Yu could come out and invite her to dinner, she took her leave first, and then left as if she had been granted a pardon.
After Wu Shiyun left, Wu Shiyan turned around and met a pair of eyes.
It's a little yellow dog.
The palace maid picked it up, and it stuck out its tongue, wagged its tail, and clung to the maid's arm with its paws.
Wu Shiyan walked to the corner of the yard and found another pigeon.
Wu Shiyan: ?
He was clearly troubled.
At this moment, Qi Yu came out, saw Xiao Jin, took it into her arms, rubbed it gently, and said tenderly, "Your Majesty, its name is Xiao Jin, a puppy that Yun Ping gave to me."
Little Jin nestled in Qi Yu's arms and became even more obedient, looking pitifully at Wu Shiyan with its pair of watery puppy eyes.
Wu Shiyan remained unmoved, took the puppy, put it on the ground, and subtly led Qi Yu back into the house.
He could go with any puppy, but he had to be careful not to frighten her.
Qi Yu had a meal served, and after the two finished eating, they went to take a bath separately.
Wu Shiyan took a quick bath and was already sitting on the bed reading a book when Qi Yu returned. His clothes were slightly open, revealing his broad collarbone.
Qi Yu wore a milky white nightgown, which made her skin look as white as snow.
Her long, black hair cascaded down her back. She took off her embroidered shoes, got into bed, walked around Wu Shiyan, and obediently lay down on the bed, covered with a thin quilt.
There's an ice chest inside, so there's no need to worry about getting too hot.
Qi Yu looked at Wu Shiyan with pure eyes.
Wu Shiyan lowered his head and said, "I'll sleep later."
Qi Yu nodded slightly and then closed her eyes.
With Wu Shiyan blocking the candlelight, it wouldn't be too bright for her to sleep.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, Qi Yu suddenly remembered that Zhao Wanyi had just left and Wu Shiyan had just arrived. Wasn't he just a step too late?
She struggled to get up and tell Wu Shiyan, but due to the day's travels, she was exhausted and ultimately couldn't resist the drowsy feeling and couldn't open her eyes.
After confirming that Qi Yu was fast asleep, Wu Shiyan got up and called to the palace servants, "Remove the ice chest."
Then I turned off the lights and went back to bed.
After a short while, Qi Yu, whose coolness had faded, frowned; she had been craving the coolness.
The ice in Wu Shiyan's eyes melted away, and he offered himself up.
Qi Yu dreamed that she was lying on an ice mountain, the ice rocks were jagged and cold, and she couldn't help but press herself against it.
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When Qi Yu woke up, she never expected to find herself lying on Wu Shiyan's arm, her hand inside his clothes, and it seemed that her hand was being particularly restless.
Because through the open hem of her clothes, one could see faint red marks.
It was especially noticeable on her pale skin.
It also allowed her to see Wu Shiyan's large frame and the firm, elastic muscles on his slender body.
No wonder he's a martial arts practitioner.
Qi Yu was stunned. After a long while, she took her hand away, turned her head away, and sat up. The slightly cool touch still lingered on her fingers, and her cheeks were red from where their skin had been pressed together.
She then noticed that Wu Shiyan was still asleep; his eyes were dark and bluish, as if he hadn't slept all night.
His long hair was spread messily on the bed, and one hand was still holding her waist.
Qi Yu moved his large hand away, glanced around, and saw who had crossed the line first.
The result wasn't good; Wu Shiyan was still sleeping on the side closest to the bed, but she ended up snuggling up to him.
Her blanket had disappeared somewhere. Although half of Wu Shiyan's blanket was crumpled up, the other half was still smoothly covering his body.
Wu Shiyan's clothes were disheveled, while her nightgown was still on her body, untouched.
Qi Yu was a little confused and reached out to pat her forehead.
Damn it, I slept so soundly that I have no memory of it at all.
Even though I didn't enjoy anything, it felt like I had enjoyed everything.
Qi Yu felt like she had been unfairly blamed, even though all the signs indicated that she had gotten involved with Wu Shiyan, and she was not wronged at all.
But so what?
Qi Yu thought resentfully that even if Wu Shiyan was unwilling to do this, she had already done it, and she wouldn't give him anything in return!
A note from the author:
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