“I just feel like Eldest Sister has been coming back far too often lately, and the things she says are strange too.”
Shi Huai lifted the Tangerine in his arms.
He and the plump cat stared at each other. Tangerine raised a paw and smacked him on the nose.
Shi Youlan fell silent for a long while, her mind replaying everything her elder sister had said.
“Stay away from Shi Huai.” “He’s a son born to a concubine, while you’re the legitimate daughter.” “The princess is only being kind to you because she wants you to marry into the imperial family”...
Each sentence felt like a needle piercing her heart—painful and numb all at once.
“Little Brother, do you think Eldest Sister is using me?”
Shi Huai lifted his eyes to look at Shi Youlan.
“Second Sister, what do you think?”
Shi Youlan froze. The next moment, her voice broke with tears. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. She’s my own sister, the person who’s treated me well since we were children.”
Shi Huai said nothing. He took a handkerchief from his sleeve and held it out to her.
Shi Youlan accepted it and pressed it to her face, her shoulders trembling as she sobbed.
Tangerine leaped out of Shi Huai’s arms and walked over to Shi Youlan’s feet with elegant steps, rubbing its head against the hem of her skirt.
Shi Youlan lowered her head to look at the fat orange cat, and cried even harder.
“Even you know how to comfort me. Why does my sister have to treat me like this?”
Shi Huai rose and walked over to her, gently patting the top of her head twice.
“Second Sister, just listen to what Eldest Sister says. Don’t take all of it to heart.”
Shi Youlan raised her head to look at him. Tears still clung to her lashes, and the tip of her nose was red.
“Then is the princess being kind to me really because she wants me to marry into the imperial family?”
Shi Huai withdrew his hand, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Second Sister, if you want to know why the princess treats you well, you should ask the princess. What use is it asking me?”
Shi Youlan was momentarily rendered speechless. Tears still hung on her face as she said, “That’s no different from saying nothing.”
“Because I really don’t know.”
Shi Huai spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.
“I’m not a worm in the princess’s stomach. How would I know what she’s plotting?”
Shi Youlan wiped the tears from her face with the handkerchief, then stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. After taking a deep breath, she said, “Little Brother, thank you. I’ll be going back now.”
“Second Sister.”
Shi Huai called out to her.
Shi Youlan turned around. Moonlight spilled down from above, making her face look somewhat pale.
“Eldest Sister told you to stay away from me. What do you think about that?”
Shi Youlan looked at her younger brother’s handsome, otherworldly face beneath the moonlight, and her heartbeat fell into disarray.
She lowered her head and stared at the tips of her shoes, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
“I don’t want to stay away from you.”
Shi Lingyi stayed in the eastern courtyard for five days. During those five days, she went to Shou’an Hall every day.
On the first day, Shi Huai was practicing calligraphy in the study when she stood at the doorway and watched for a while. She merely said, “Little Brother’s handwriting is truly beautiful,” and then left.
On the second day, she brought him a bowl of chicken soup, saying that she had made it herself and that he should drink it to nourish his health.
Shi Huai accepted it and took a sip. After he said, “It’s delicious,” she carried the empty bowl away.
On the third day, she brought him a book, saying that she had found it in the Shen family’s library. She couldn’t understand it, so she was giving it to Shi Huai.
Shi Huai accepted it and flipped through several pages. It was indeed a rare and precious edition. After he said, “Thank you, Eldest Sister,” she smiled and left.
On the fourth day, she brought nothing at all. She simply sat in the study for a while, watching Shi Huai practice his calligraphy. After roughly the time it took to burn a tea light, she said, “Little Brother, you go on with your work,” and left.
On the fifth day, she arrived while Shi Huai was practicing his swordsmanship in the courtyard.
She stood beneath the moon gate and watched for a while. Only after he finished his final move did she walk over, a gentle smile on her lips.
“Little Brother, I’ll be returning to the Shen residence tomorrow. Before I leave, there are a few things I’d like to say to you.”
Shi Huai slid his sword back onto the rack, then accepted a handkerchief from Qinghe and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He sat down on a stone stool.
“Please, Eldest Sister.”
Shi Lingyi sat down across from him. “Little Brother, in a few more years, you’ll be old enough to discuss marriage. I wanted to ask—do you have anyone in mind?”
Shi Huai picked up the cooled tea on the stone table, took a sip, and set the cup down before lifting his eyes to look at Shi Lingyi.
“Why are you suddenly concerned about this?”
Shi Lingyi smiled. Her smile was exceedingly gentle, like a spring breeze in the third month brushing across the surface of a lake.
“I’m your own sister. Isn’t it only natural for me to care about your marriage?”
“Didn’t you say I was a son born to a concubine?”
Shi Huai suddenly spoke. “What is there to care about when it comes to the marriage of a son born to a concubine?”
Shi Lingyi’s smile stiffened for an instant before returning to its gentle appearance.
“Little Brother, you’re joking. Whether you were born to the principal wife or a concubine, you’re still a member of the Shi family. Naturally, I care about your marriage.”
“Is that so?”
The corners of Shi Huai’s lips curved slightly, his smile as faint as the morning mist.
“Then what kind of woman do you think I should marry, Eldest Sister?”
Shi Lingyi fell silent for a moment, tapping her fingers lightly against her knee as though weighing her words.
“Little Brother, you’re exceptionally talented and blessed with an outstanding appearance. Naturally, you should marry a well-bred young lady from a family of equal standing.”
“For example?”
“For example, the princess.”
Shi Lingyi lowered her voice until it was barely more than a murmur meant only for Shi Huai.
“Who in the residence can’t see the princess’s feelings for you? If you could marry the princess, it would be an enormous blessing.”
Shi Huai picked up his teacup and took another sip. When he set it down, the faint smile at the corners of his lips had yet to disappear.
“You think the princess has feelings for me, Eldest Sister?”
“Doesn’t she?”
Shi Lingyi leaned slightly forward, narrowing the distance between them.
“She’s given you sachets and pastries, and sends people with letters every few days. If that isn’t affection, then what is?”
Shi Huai nodded, his expression revealing nothing of his feelings.
“You make a good point, Eldest Sister. What about Second Sister? What kind of man do you think she should marry?”
Shi Lingyi’s expression remained unchanged, but the fingers resting on her knee paused ever so slightly.
“Youlan is the legitimate daughter of the marquis’s residence. Naturally, she should marry into a family of equal standing—preferably a scholarly family like the Shen family.”
“Not the Crown Prince?”
Shi Huai tilted his head as he looked at Shi Lingyi.
“Didn’t you say that the princess is kind to Second Sister because she wants Second Sister to marry into the imperial family and become the Crown Princess? How did that turn into a scholarly family like the Shen family?”
The smile on Shi Lingyi’s face nearly collapsed.
She truly hadn’t expected Shi Youlan to tell Shi Huai even this.
That ungrateful wretch!
Shi Lingyi tugged at the corners of her lips, trying to brush it off. “Little Brother, you’re joking. Your sister was only saying it casually.”
“You may have said it casually, but Second Sister took it seriously. She hasn’t been able to eat properly these past few days, and she’s already lost a great deal of weight.”
