Chapter 59: The Fissure

Shen Quanyi paused slightly in her footsteps, the corners of her lips tugging into a faint smile. She cast a light, effortless glance at Mistress Liu, and her words drifted out calmly: "There are plenty of clever people right here, even more so than you or me. Some things do not need to be pursued too deeply; as long as you understand them in your heart, that is enough. Let them lie dormant beneath the water—who knows, one day they might just become the sharpest arrows."

Mistress Liu's eyes flickered slightly before she lowered her head once more.

Her pace quickened, and from afar, she could already see a slender figure standing by the doorway. Shen Quanyi frowned almost imperceptibly. As the distance closed, that figure grew clearer and sharper.

"The wind is strong. Why is elder sister standing out here? It would be quite troublesome if you caught a chill."

Shen Quanyi's tone was filled with concern. She reached out her hand to pull together the garments that had been slightly disarrayed by the wind, but Yang Siqiu subtly and smoothly evaded the gesture.

Yang Siqiu did not mind at all. She raised her own hands to adjust her collar, a faint, indifferent smile resting upon her pale face.

Shen Quanyi was not the least bit annoyed. Lowering her gaze slightly, she happened to catch sight of the dark, dried bloodstains on the hem of Yang Siqiu's skirt.

"I have just been to the garden to snap a branch of red plum."

With that, Shen Quanyi turned her body slightly sideways. Indeed, a young maid following behind her was cradling a red-clay pot in her arms, within which stood a single, solitary plum branch.

Although she did not yet know why Yang Siqiu was acting so strangely, Shen Quanyi felt an inexplicable calm wash over her heart. She raised a hand to touch her own chilled face, gave a gentle cough, and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Yang Siqiu.

"As long as elder sister is happy."

Yang Siqiu pressed the corners of her lips together, her desolate gaze falling upon Shen Quanyi. Suddenly, she smiled again and said, "Even with the side consort losing her child, amidst such profound grief, His Highness the Crown Prince still remembers younger sister. Truly a rare thing."

Hearing this, while Shen Quanyi was still turning doubts over in her mind, she saw Qiuyue emerge holding a hand warmer.

Qiuyue's fair, rosy face was flushed red from the cold. She anxiously cradled Shen Quanyi's pair of frozen, delicate hands, transferring the hand warmer from her own bosom into Shen Quanyi's embrace, while chiding: "Why did you return so late? Mistress is wearing so little; hurry inside quickly. What would happen if you caught the cold wind?"

As she spoke, she acted as though she completely failed to notice Yang Siqiu standing right beside Shen Quanyi. Tucking her arm around Shen Quanyi's, she guided her inward, muttering under her breath, "Otherwise, His Lordship will inevitably start worrying."

Shen Quanyi turned her head back to meet Yang Siqiu's icy gaze, catching a fleeting flash of malevolence crossing between the other woman's brows. Yet, the expression vanished in the span of a single breath.

She could not help but narrow her eyes, silently hoping she had merely seen wrong.

Outside, snowflakes drifted through the air, and the light grew steadily dimmer. Inside the chamber, lamps were lit, the brazier on the floor burned brightly, and the tea kettle atop it bubbled with boiling water, its lid dancing gently.

On the other side of the screen, incense was burning in a blue-and-white porcelain burner with intertwined branch patterns. Thin, delicate wisps of smoke curled upward into the room, and the air was filled with a faint, soothing medicinal fragrance that gently smoothed away any lingering anxieties.

A basin sat on the floor, medicinal sachets steeping in hot water.

Qiuyue waited upon Shen Quanyi, helping her shed the garments that carried the chill of the outdoors, and removing her snowy, slightly damp shoes.

Sitting upon a low stool with her shoes and socks removed, Shen Quanyi's jade-like feet looked somewhat pale from the cold. Qiuyue hurried over to cup them in her hands, rubbing them gently to restore warmth before submerging them into the basin on the floor.

After this flurry of tending, Shen Quanyi broke into a light perspiration, but her entire body felt wonderfully refreshed. She leaned lazily and softly against the edge of the bed while Hushan knelt beside her, gently massaging her legs.

Qiuyue held a teacup in her hands, offering it to Shen Quanyi. Shen Quanyi took it and took a small, gentle sip. Seeing a smile on Qiuyue's face, the maid handed over a gift inventory and continued, "Since Mistress did not return early, a great many things were just delivered from the front courtyard."

Hearing this, Shen Quanyi gave a soft cough, setting aside the lotus-patterned blue-and-white teacup. Her mouth was filled with the bitter fragrance of tea, and her heart gave a sudden, sharp thud as she recalled Yang Siqiu's words from earlier.

Carefully scanning the gift inventory, she noted no shortage of precious items. Among them, a small carved sandalwood box contained a piece of purple jade—a dragon-and-phoenix auspicious purple jade pendant.

Shen Quanyi picked up the pendant, feeling a gentle warmth radiating from within her palm. Bathed in the candlelight, it emitted a soft, lustrous purple glow that was bright and crystal clear.

The jade had been meticulously carved, its surface patterns intricate and detailed. Shen Quanyi lowered her eyelids, her slender, white-as-scallion fingers gently tracing the design.

"Put these away. These things must not be seen by outsiders, and you two must keep your mouths shut; do not go flashing them about outside."

Shen Quanyi instructed with caution, and Mistress Liu and Qiuyue exchanged a tacit nod of agreement. Qiuyue, however, seemed somewhat reluctant; swallowing a lump in her throat, she still responded in a low voice.

It was time for the evening meal. While the small kitchen had served exclusively vegetarian dishes for the past few days, today's spread was entirely meat: mutton soup, pea flour cake, steamed chicken with rice flour, flower-basket mandarin fish, and jade-belt shrimp.

Suddenly having lost her appetite, Shen Quanyi picked at her food for just a few bites before laying down her chopsticks, though she did manage an extra bowl of red jujube and bird's nest soup.

Having eaten her fill and rinsed her mouth, she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps.

Moments later, the curtain to the inner chamber was lifted from the outside. Shen Quanyi raised her eyes to see Yang Siqiu walking in.

"Come sit and warm yourself."

Shen Quanyi smiled and beckoned to Yang Siqiu. Yang Siqiu tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a stiff smile. The light in her eyes was extremely faint and slightly cold. Taking a few steps, she reached the edge of the couch and sat down beside Shen Quanyi.

Qiuyue glanced coldly at Yang Siqiu before withdrawing her gaze. She wrung out a towel that had been soaking in the warm water basin, gently wiped Shen Quanyi's slightly reddened fingers, and then set the towel aside. From a small drawer on the dressing table, she retrieved a porcelain vial.

"Mistress, be careful. The winter days are cold, and your skin is delicate; your fingers cannot afford to catch the frost." Qiuyue warmed the ointment between her palms, applied it to Shen Quanyi's slender fingers, and began to massage them gently.

"You make it sound as though I were made of porcelain." Shen Quanyi patted her hand, signaling her to hide the expression on her face.

Qiuyue stood up, and seeing that Yang Siqiu seemed to have something to say, she knew she had no place lingering here and withdrew.

Yang Siqiu sat with her back to the light, half of her figure swallowed by the shadows, making it impossible to read the expression on her face.

Shen Quanyi stood up, walked over to the window, pulled the two slightly ajar window panels shut tightly, and dropped the door curtain as well, completely eliminating any possibility of eavesdropping from outsiders.

She turned back, picked up the teacup from the table, handed it to Yang Siqiu, and sat down beside her. Yang Siqiu had changed into fresh clothes by now, though her hair remained uncoined.

Living in the same courtyard, walking about with loose hair was of no consequence.

For a moment, the two of them fell into a tacit silence. Yang Siqiu lowered her eyes, staring at the tea leaves swirling inside the bowl. Ever since she entered this room, that familiar, slightly bitter fragrance had wrapped around her from all directions. She subconsciously held her breath, a strong, inexplicable sense of rejection rising within her heart against this very scent.