Li Jingyun wore an expression of reluctant hesitation, hemming and hawing for a long while before finally saying, unwillingly, “What else would make family elders happy? Naturally, the joy of a new addition to the family.”

Oh. A new addition.

Huayue picked up the writing brush nearby, meaning to note it down seriously, but the moment the brush touched the paper, she paused, looking up in astonishment. “A new addition?!”

Li Jingyun waved his hand nonchalantly. “I’m just saying it offhand. You didn’t come to be my concubine willingly anyway — how could you possibly bear her grandchildren? Once I go into the palace, just take good care of Madam.”

He’d already said everything before she could, and Huayue found herself momentarily at a loss.

He didn’t seem to have thought that far ahead either — he’d just casually said it, and it was only because she lacked the tact to let it drop that he’d had to spell it out.

Lowering her head guiltily, she said apologetically, “This concubine has put Young Master in a difficult position.”

“It’s nothing.” Li Jingyun waved his hand magnanimously, even considerately taking the hair comb from her hand and setting it neatly back in the empty box. “Let’s go. I’ll accompany you to pay respects.”

Huayue felt quite moved. Compared to when she’d first come to the East Courtyard, the young master now was truly gentle and considerate — it was only because she hadn’t understood him well enough before that she, like the General, had misjudged him.

The young master, too — he never explained himself to others, even when the whole general’s estate called him an unreliable second-generation wastrel, he never argued a single word, only quietly protected this entire family behind the scenes, hiding away in the East Courtyard to tend to his own wounds alone.

Remembering the scars all over his body, Huayue sighed wistfully.

“What is it?” The person beside her glanced over. “Didn’t I say I’d accompany you to the main courtyard? Why the long face still?”

“No.” Rubbing her eyelids, she said with genuine remorse, “This concubine feels she’s let Young Master down.”

Li Jingyun turned his head away, the corner of his mouth curving up broadly.

How shameless of him, tricking a young girl like this! Truly shameless!

Keep it up!

Clearing his throat lightly, Li Jingyun turned back around, his brow carrying a hint of self-mockery. “What is there for you to feel sorry about toward me? It’s me who’s sorry to you. You were doing perfectly well managing the household, and out of nowhere I dragged you down with me. Your peaceful days turned into turmoil for no reason at all.”

“No, no, no.” Huayue quickly waved her hands. “Young Master has helped this concubine a great deal.”

If not for him, she wouldn’t have had any way to take revenge on Situ Feng either.

“You don’t need to comfort me.” Looking up at the clear sky, Li Jingyun sniffed, his expression full of melancholy. “I know you must resent this in your heart. You could have married into a good family, assisted your husband and raised children in peace, but instead you became my concubine and are left to guard an empty bed like a widow.”

Her face flushing slightly, Huayue stammered, “It’s… it’s quite good.”

“How is it good?” He glared at her. “The books all say you women love children.”

“…”

Scratching the side of her ear, Huayue couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, what exactly do you read lying on that couch of yours every day?”

“Military strategy,” he answered with righteous conviction, then his tone weakened slightly, “and a few miscellaneous ones too.”

Torn between laughter and exasperation, she shook her head, looking straight ahead, and said quietly, “Since I’ve become Young Master’s concubine, this is simply my fate. Young Master needn’t trouble himself over it.”

The person beside her looked at her, his eyes full of pity and self-reproach, then let out a long sigh and shook his head.

Huayue’s heart softened even further. She thought the young master perhaps wasn’t entirely full of scheming and mischief after all — he seemed to have a compassionate heart too.

The wariness, resistance, scheming, and hurt from before all seemed to fade away. Walking together now along the corridor of the general’s estate, the two of them truly felt like family, close and at ease. Her once unsettled, drifting heart gradually found peace.

This feeling of being cared for and cherished — it had truly been a long time.

The two entered the main courtyard. The moment Huayue pushed open the door, something felt off.

It seemed as though there had been the sound of crying that abruptly stopped.

Her heart skipped, and she called out, “Madam?”

Shuangjiang lifted the curtain over the partition and came out, smiling apologetically. “Young Master and Junior Concubine are here. Madam is inside.”

Huayue, confused, gathered the curtain to the jade hooks on either side, and saw Zhuang Shi, her eyes red, smiling toward the door. “Jingyun’s here.”

Li Jingyun followed her in, gave a light “mm,” and bowed to her.

“I happened to have Shuangjiang buy some candied peaches today. Try some, see if you like them,” Zhuang Shi said gently. “If you like them, I’ll buy more, so that in the future… in the future wherever you go, you can bring some with you.”

Huayue understood then — Zhuang Shi already knew about the General’s arrangement.

She turned and silently gave Li Jingyun a bow. He seemed reluctant, but glancing at her, still went into the inner chamber and sat down on a low stool, answering with a muffled “Alright.”

Huayue pulled Shuangjiang along and hurried out the door, frowning as she asked quietly, “Who told Madam?”

Shuangjiang said helplessly, “The General himself.”

“…” Huayue truly couldn’t understand why Zhuang Shi cared for the General so much when the General seemed to bear some kind of grudge against her, showing no consideration at all for her wellbeing — not even bothering to conceal this from her.

Ever since she’d first entered the estate, she’d noticed that Zhuang Shi had tendencies toward self-harm — this general’s wife, who by all outward appearances lived a life of luxury and comfort, seemed to feel there was nothing left to look forward to in life. It was only because Huayue had come, comforting and coaxing her daily using the Third Young Master as a topic, that she’d barely managed to hold on.

And now the Third Young Master was going into the palace, not to return to the estate for years to come.

Her jaw tightened, and Huayue stepped back through the door.

Li Jingyun sat beside Zhuang Shi, his expression cool, though he answered her questions with what passed for patience. Zhuang Shi’s face brightened with a bit of a smile as she spoke softly.

Huayue watched quietly, lost in thought.

They stayed with Zhuang Shi for half an hour before taking their leave. Li Jingyun walked ahead with long strides, seeming quite irritable.

He was never in a particularly good mood whenever he left the main courtyard. Watching him, Huayue felt even more guilty and hurried a few steps to catch up, taking hold of his hand.

His palm warmed at her touch, and Li Jingyun tightened his grip around hers, letting out a soft hum, his expression easing somewhat.

“Young Master.” She asked carefully, “Will you really follow the General’s arrangement and go take up the post in the palace?”

The person before her showed not the slightest resistance, nodding quite naturally. “Better to enjoy the shade under a big tree. Since he’s already arranged it, would I dare go against him?”

He didn’t usually hold back from going against his father’s wishes — why was he being so compliant this time? Huayue gritted her teeth. Wasn’t it typical for a young master like him to oppose his parents’ arrangements, determined to carve his own path? With that rebellious streak of his, why wasn’t he pushing back at all this time?

Choosing her words carefully, she said gently, “The martial examination is coming up soon. Young Master’s martial skills are exceptional — don’t you want to give it a try? What if you placed highly…”

Li Jingyun narrowed his eyes, saying with some displeasure, “What’s the point of winning first place in chess when someone else is better at five-in-a-row? What’s the point of hitting a target from a hundred paces when someone else can’t even draw a bow? A martial arts champion, naturally, still can’t compare to a Palace Gate Commander.”

An inexplicable sourness rose up in her, and Huayue sucked in a breath, holding her cheek and grimacing. “Wasn’t that just to please the Fifth Prince, so he’d save you that one time? Are you still holding a grudge over that even now?”

Half-smiling without warmth, Li Jingyun flicked his sleeve. “Fine, whether I’m happy or not doesn’t matter anyway — after all, I’m just a good-for-nothing who needed someone else to save him. Why bother entering the martial examination at all? Better to just obediently report for duty and not embarrass myself further.”

Huayue was left speechless, unable to respond.

Why wasn’t there a “champion of bickering” category in the imperial examinations? If there were, this man would surely take first place without fail.

That evening, Li Jingyun took her to Qifeng Tower, pointed at her, and told the manager, “From now on, when I’m not around, all the money is hers to manage. She can use it as she pleases, as long as enough is kept aside to keep Qifeng Tower running — the rest is entirely up to her.”

The manager’s eyes went wide, staring at him as if looking at some kind of monster.

Huayue understood exactly how the manager felt, and tugged at Li Jingyun’s sleeve, gritting her teeth. “Young Master, I’ve looked at Qifeng Tower’s accounts. No matter how much of a spendthrift I am, I couldn’t possibly waste away that much money!”

He glanced at her sideways and scoffed. “I’m happy to give it all to you. Is that any of your business?”

Huayue: “…”

Such a generous thing to say, and yet somehow, coming from his mouth, it managed to be infuriating.

According to the General’s wishes, Li Jingyun was to report for duty the following month. Huayue could clearly sense that Li Jingyun was arranging matters everywhere, wanting to make sure she wouldn’t be bullied after he left, wanting to leave her with enough money to spend, even carefully instructing how often Chaofeng and Mingshu should come to the general’s estate to keep her company.

Sitting on the couch, Huayue watched the moonlight falling on the windowsill, feeling quite wistful.

Ever since that argument and their falling out, she hadn’t shared his bed again. Li Jingyun hadn’t said anything about it either, going about his washing and turning in as usual, and a few times, coming back late, he’d even tucked the blanket around her as he passed by her couch.

By comparison, she felt she’d been rather thoughtless.

The door creaked open. Li Jingyun returned from the estate’s bathing pavilion, his robe draped loosely over his shoulders, lazily toweling off his ink-black hair. Seeing her looking troubled, he came over and flicked her forehead.

“What are you still worried about, hm?”

Coming back to herself, Huayue mumbled, “Nothing.”

He nodded, walked over to the bed and sat down, running a hand through his half-dry hair, then yawned and lay down. “Blow out the candle.”

She agreed, picked up her small blanket, blew out the candle with a puff, then padded over to the large bed in her embroidered slippers, placing the blanket on top of it.

Li Jingyun opened his eyes to look at her, an eyebrow raised. “What’s this?”

“It’s, it’s too dark outside. This concubine is a little scared,” her ears warmed slightly as she stammered out the explanation, even she herself finding it a rather flimsy excuse.

But surprisingly, he didn’t find anything strange about it, shifting his body further in to make room, generously letting her climb up.

Feeling a bit guilty, she crawled up beside him, pulling the blanket over her head, her eyes darting to watch him.

There was moonlight tonight, and even with the candle out, the room was still fairly bright. Li Jingyun’s features looked especially gentle in the moonlight; noticing her gaze, he lifted an eyelid and hummed through his nose. “Can’t sleep?”

She nodded like a little chick pecking rice, her eyes flickering with feeling as she reached out and felt his forehead. “Young Master, did you catch a cold? Your voice sounds hoarse.”

The person before him actually coughed twice, saying listlessly, “Caught a bit of a chill after bathing.”

“Even if the weather’s starting to warm up, it’s still not good to catch the evening breeze.” She frowned, sitting up with concern. “This concubine will go get you a couple of cold-relief pills.”

“No need.” He caught her wrist, coughing again. “A good night’s sleep will do.”

His fingers and palm were both ice-cold. Huayue, mildly annoyed, pried his hand open and held it against her own chest. “Cold as ice.”

He’d bathed in cold water, of course it was cold as ice — otherwise, what would have been the point of bathing at all.

Li Jingyun smiled but didn’t respond, only shaking out his thin blanket.

The person beside him truly couldn’t stand watching this any longer, and generously spread her own small blanket open, covering them both together with it.

“Aren’t you cold?” he raised an eyebrow.

Huayue shook her head. “There’s still one in the cabinet…”

There was no such thing anymore — he’d already had all the extra blankets moved to the Badou storage room.

Li Jingyun shook his head, and with a firm pull, dragged her entirely against him, the large quilt settling over them both, squeezing the two of them together in an instant.

The warmth from her body spread over to him; he leaned in, savoring it, nuzzling closer, then, as if suddenly recalling some hesitation, shifted his body away again.

The person beside him, however, boldly wrapped her arms around him instead, pressing her feet against his cold calves, clinging tightly as if trying to pass all her warmth over to him.

The corner of his mouth crept steadily toward his ear. Li Jingyun, holding back laughter, reached out to press her head against his shoulder and asked, “Won’t you be cold like this?”

“I won’t!” she answered with heroic conviction.

What a silly girl — so sharp and precise when scheming against others, yet always falling into his traps, one after another, when it came to him.

Li Jingyun’s heart softened entirely. He stroked her hair absentmindedly, then suddenly kissed her forehead.

A gentle touch, carrying a hint of restraint.

Huayue was startled, though this time she didn’t resist as she had before, only asking, “Why does Young Master always like, always like doing this?”

“Doing what?” he teased.

“This, this thing.” She pointed at her own forehead, cheek, and lips, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “It’s, it’s rather too intimate.”

Li Jingyun paused, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh. “I thought you enjoyed being close with me. I never expected that after all this time sharing a bed, you’d still treat me like an outsider. Never mind — once I go into the palace, if you meet someone you’re fond of, just have Zhuang Shi write you a letter of release, and remarry.”

“No, no.” Huayue was startled, quickly explaining, “This concubine didn’t mean it that way. It’s just… I’m not used to it yet.”

He laughed even more bitterly, raising a hand to cover his eyes, saying low and quiet, “You don’t need to say these things just to smooth things over. I know it all too well in my heart — you were forced to come to the East Courtyard, forced to be with me. It’s I who has wronged you.”

“Oh, no.” Flustered, she hugged him tightly, saying urgently, “Young Master is heroic and unmatched. Even if this was a match brought about by chance and misfortune, this concubine has never once been unwilling. Before, it was only because I’d been hurt by a few of your words that I no longer dared to hope for anything more. But now that Young Master has been so sincere and open with me, how could I possibly wish to remarry?”

He looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

Huayue raised her hand to swear to him. “Really.”

Li Jingyun nodded reluctantly, listlessly closing his eyes.

One, two, three.

Counting silently to three, the person beside him, sure enough, leaned in and planted a smacking kiss on his lips.

“Being affectionate is good — it’s more fitting for a proper concubine,” she murmured to herself.

He couldn’t hold back, turning his head aside and letting out a low laugh.

“Young Master?” The person behind him propped herself up in confusion to look at him.

“Nothing.” Li Jingyun coughed lightly. “I feel gratified. To have had these few days of tenderness — this life hasn’t been lived in vain.”

Huayue nodded, still curled up in his embrace, full of guilt.

A peaceful night’s sleep.

The next morning, bright and early, Su Miao bounced her way into the East Courtyard, and the moment she walked in, she saw little sister-in-law helping her cousin get dressed.

Leaning against the doorway, she watched, clicking her tongue and shaking her head — little sister-in-law’s waist really was lovely, slim as a vase with a narrow, twisting neck, not even a full hand’s width. What a shame such a fine flower had ended up planted on that troublemaker of a cousin’s head.

Just as she was marveling over this, she saw little sister-in-law finish smoothing his collar, then rise on tiptoe and give him a peck on the lips.

Li Jingyun looked thoroughly gratified, letting out a placid “mm,” turning his head away though he grinned like a self-satisfied big bad wolf.

Su Miao: “???”

Noticing the gaze from the doorway, he turned to look over, his eyes narrowing with no small amount of menace.

Su Miao was thoroughly exasperated, stamping her foot and calling out, “Little sister-in-law!”

Huayue turned around, and seeing she’d arrived, smiled. “Good morning, Cousin. The young master’s heading out today, so I’m having a meal with him first, then I’ll go shopping with you.”

Su Miao ran in and pulled her aside, asking with great distress, “Did my cousin hit you?”

“Huh?” Huayue was confused. “Where’s this coming from?”

“If he didn’t hit you, why would you be so good to him?”

Torn between laughter and exasperation, Huayue said quietly, “No, it’s just… isn’t it only natural for a concubine to treat her master well?”

For anyone else, that would be perfectly ordinary — but these two? She and Wen Guzhi had just been placing bets yesterday on when her cousin would finally win little sister-in-law over completely. Her bet had been three years and a hundred taels; Wen Guzhi’s had been three months and a thousand taels.

Just when she’d thought it was a sure thing, the winds had suddenly shifted entirely.

Su Miao stamped her foot in frustration, then coaxed little sister-in-law out to fetch breakfast, before turning around to grab Li Jingyun by the collar. “Did you use some kind of witchcraft on her?”

Li Jingyun swatted her hand away with a slap, smoothing out the wrinkles she’d left in his collar one fold at a time. “Don’t talk nonsense this early in the morning.”

Clutching her offended hand in wounded dignity, Su Miao angrily tossed something at him. “Go easier next time, or I won’t give you this.”

Reaching out to catch it, Li Jingyun glanced at it, folded it a couple of times and tucked it into his sleeve pocket, waving his hand. “Consider it a job well done. Whatever you want to buy today when you’re out, just put it on my tab.”

Her face, full of anger just a moment ago, instantly melted into flattery. Su Miao smiled and punched his arm lightly. “Now that’s my cousin, always so good to people. Wishing you great success.”

His mood could turn on a dime — Li Jingyun shook his head, then asked her another question. “Is the Fifth Prince alright?”

“His confinement just ended, but from what His Majesty seems to be thinking, they might grant him a princedom and move him out of the palace.” Su Miao glanced toward the door and lowered her voice cautiously. “The Crown Prince put in a few good words for him. Judging by that, he might even be made a First-Rank Prince.”

“That might not be a bad thing for him.” Li Jingyun pressed his lips together. “By the time he comes of age, he might even be able to have Consort Hui brought out of the cold palace.”

Su Miao sighed. “Cousin, that’s not very kind of you. He did ride hard through Luohua Street to save you, after all, and now that the Central Palace has kicked him while he’s down, you won’t even lend him a hand?”

He gave her a sideways glance and snorted coldly. “I didn’t lend a hand. Would the Crown Prince have put in good words for him for no reason otherwise?”

Slightly stunned, Su Miao gave him a mock-formal bow, sweeping her sleeve. “This lowly one spoke out of turn. Please don’t take it to heart, my lord — consider it unsaid.”

Huayue returned carrying breakfast, and the conversation between the two ended seamlessly. The three of them sat down together to eat.

“You’re going shopping this afternoon — are you getting ready to head to Yongqing Temple?” Huayue asked.

Su Miao nodded with a smile. “I’ll be staying there for a while. If little sister-in-law misses me, you can come visit — you could burn some incense while you’re at it, pray for a blessing for my cousin.”

Thinking of who else was at Yongqing Temple, Li Jingyun casually kicked her under the table.

Su Miao drew in a sharp breath and quickly corrected herself. “Of course, you don’t have to come either.”

Huayue nodded, picking up some food for her. “If I have the time, I’ll go up and take a look around.”

Li Jingyun tapped his bowl.

Understanding, she immediately picked up even more food for him, and dropped the subject.

This was simply too shameless — Su Miao shook her head repeatedly, thinking that Shen Zhiluo wasn’t even in the running, and even the Fifth Prince would have to step aside — no one stood a chance against her cousin.

Over the following days, Li Jingyun seemed to grow quite busy, heading out early every morning and having Huayue cover for him.

Huayue had gone from initially feeling uneasy about it to now calmly lying to the General without so much as a change of expression — today saying the young master had an upset stomach and was resting at the estate, tomorrow saying the young master was in the back courtyard feeding the dogs and hadn’t left the grounds.

The General never once suspected a thing.

Yin Ru and the others had recently set their sights on Kang Zhenzhong and wanted Huayue to gather information for them. Huayue didn’t agree, but secretly went and asked Shuangjiang about it instead.

Shuangjiang said Kang Zhenzhong had recently been promoted, moving up from Military Commissioner to a position in the Imperial Cabinet, now overseeing next month’s imperial examinations. As for where exactly he’d be active, there was no word on that yet.

Huayue took some time to slip out of the estate to meet someone.

The teahouse by the bustling market was crowded with all sorts of people, the noisy chatter echoing throughout the second floor.

She sat across from him in the innermost private room on the second floor, and, using the bustle as cover, asked quietly, “Has it been traced back to you?”

Feng Zixi wore plain dark blue-black clothing, the scar between his brows looking especially rough and coarse. Hearing her, he sipped his tea and smiled. “How would they trace it? Who would believe that the manager of the weapons armory himself would commit broad-daylight murder like that? Even if they laid Han Tianyong’s corpse right in front of me, as long as I don’t admit to it, there’s nothing they can do about it.”

He paused, then set down his teacup and asked, “When can I kill Han Shuang?”

Feng Zixi was the younger brother of the loyal Great Wei official Feng Zixu. Feng Zixu had died at the hands of the Princess Imperial, and Feng Zixi harbored deep hatred for the Han family. Once, at the Fifth Prince’s birthday banquet, she’d sent word for him to kill Han Tianyong, and after the deed was done, Feng Zixi had come to pledge his loyalty to her.

He didn’t know anything about a West Palace Young Mistress — he only knew that following her meant he could get his revenge.

But as for Han Shuang…

Huayue’s expression turned complicated. “Ever since she was kidnapped once before, Miss Han now has a great many guards around her. Acting rashly might spook the snake into the grass. There’s someone else, actually — kill him instead, and it’ll throw the Eastern Palace into chaos. Once things are in turmoil, that’s when you can move against the Han family and get away clean.”

Feng Zixi thought it over briefly, then let out a scoffing laugh. “Kang Zhenzhong.”

“How do you know about him too?” Huayue raised an eyebrow.

“The Grand Astrologer came looking for me too,” Feng Zixi said gruffly. “I don’t want to follow them. I have no interest in grand causes of family and nation — I just want revenge for my brother.”

Huayue was quite curious. “The Grand Astrologer came to you? Wasn’t he afraid the Crown Prince would find out?”

“How would he find out? If I went and reported him, given how suspicious the Crown Prince is, would he spare a man of Wei like me?” Feng Zixi shook his head. “The Grand Astrologer is a shrewd man. Even without many years left to live, he wouldn’t go courting death ahead of time.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Huayue looked up. “What do you mean, not many years left to live?”

“You didn’t know?” Feng Zixi let out a scoffing laugh. “I overheard it too. The Grand Astrologer once came to speak with my brother, and I happened to be hiding behind the curtain at the time. I heard him say that even the mandate of Heaven has its limits — at most another ten years. Counting the years now, that leaves only two left.”