Trust
Goose feathers fluttered down, even the palace servants retreated indoors to avoid it. The roads were empty, the red and white colors reflected off each other. The snow underfoot was soft, crunching with each step, leaving a row of footprints.
Zhou Hong could not enter the harem, stopping outside the palace walls, while Ye Youqing, led by the Sixth Prince, hurried all the way and soon entered the main hall. The snow that hadn’t been shaken off their bodies melted into water, wetting their clothes.
The ice crystals on Ci Ke’s hair had already melted, a few drops of water slid down her cheeks. Ye Youqing walked all the way into the inner chamber and placed her on the couch.
“Chunhong, quickly bring the ginger soup.” Zhou Ziqiu, who followed closely behind, gave orderly instructions, taking a fur blanket herself and handing it to Ye Youqing.
Ye Youqing reached out to remove the wet outer garment from Ci Ke, wrapping her in the fur blanket, only exposing a palm-sized face, pallid with a touch of frost-induced blush.
After the ginger soup was fed, the trembling finally ceased. Sweat had already broken out on Ci Ke’s forehead, and Ye Youqing breathed a sigh of relief, taking the handkerchief Chunhong handed over from the side and wiping her forehead.
“How are you?” Ye Youqing asked.
Ci Ke smiled weakly, her body leaned to the side, resting on Ye Youqing’s shoulder. The body in her arms slowly warmed up again and became hot.
The Sixth Prince and Zhou Ziqiu, who were watching from behind, also relaxed their nerves. The Sixth Prince slumped into a chair, tightly pressing her lips together.
Seeing that Ci Ke could not recover quickly, Ye Youqing turned to ask the Sixth Prince, “I came in a hurry, what exactly happened?”
The Sixth Prince handed her wet fur coat to Chunhong, took the hand warmer that was handed over, and then softly recounted today’s events in full detail.
After listening, Ye Youqing’s face remained expressionless, but her eyes grew deeper.
“The Emperor is in such a hurry to arrange your marriage to use it as a means to mediate the conflicts between ruler and his ministers. He doesn’t care about Ci Ke’s family background, which shows that although he seems to value you, he never intended to pass the throne to you,” Zhou Ziqiu, who was beside them, spoke up and slowly sat down with Chunhong’s help.
The Sixth Prince also noticed the Emperor’s attitude, and her eyes darkened slightly.
Zhou Ziqiu gave Ye Youqing a sidelong glance and then slowly said, “However, Ci Ke, if you calm down and think about it, marrying Yi’er might not be entirely unacceptable.”
“No.” Ci Ke suddenly said, struggling to stand up, “Aunt, Ci Ke does not wish to marry anyone.”
Seeing her agitated, Ye Youqing reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from saying more.
“But even if the Emperor spares you, have you thought about the future? Now that your aunt is still here, she can take care of you to some extent. If your aunt is no longer around in the future, you will only have Zhou Hong as a relative. If anything happens to him, how will you live?” Zhou Ziqiu’s expression was indifferent, but her words were ruthless.
“I can take care of myself.” Ci Ke’s beautiful eyes widened, and then her eyes welled up with tears, “Aunt, you…”
“It’s just a hypothesis.” Zhou Ziqiu shook her head. “Yi’er’s status is special; marriage is already difficult. It would be better for you two to take care of each other, so I can have some peace of mind.”
The Sixth Prince glanced at Ye Youqing.
Ye Youqing suddenly stood up and said to Chunhong beside her, “Help me take care of her.”
Chunhong hurriedly ran to the bedside to support Ci Ke, while Ye Youqing stood up, calmly tidied her clothes, and looked directly at Zhou Ziqiu: “What does the Noble Consort want to say? Just say it.”
Zhou Ziqiu sat on the chair, lifting her chin to look at her. After they stared at each other for a while, Zhou Ziqiu also stood up. Under her luxurious attire, her body seemed a bit frail, with an empty waistline.
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“I need to know that Ci Ke’s future days will be stable,” Zhou Ziqiu said straightforwardly.
“She will,” Ye Youqing did not back down.
Instead, Zhou Ziqiu was the first to look away, smiling and saying, “What guarantee does the young lady have?”
“She cannot marry anyone else. I will marry her,” Ye Youqing said naturally, her phoenix eyes clear and serious.
The Sixth Prince beside them almost slipped off her chair.
The room fell into silence. Finally, Ci Ke suddenly started coughing, lowering her head to cover her lips, a flash of joy in her eyes, while simultaneously looking in shock at Ye Youqing’s back.
Zhou Ziqiu did not expect her to be so frank and was momentarily stunned, her eyelashes fluttering: “Marry the same woman? Can you protect her?”
Ye Youqing walked to Ci Ke’s side, patted her on the back, her gaze soft: “I will protect her with my life.”
Zhou Ziqiu stared fixedly at Ye Youqing, her eyes suddenly reddening, and turned to look at the blazing flames in the censer on the ground.
“Miss Ye, I have heard about your current status, and now the situation in the court is so treacherous. No matter how powerful or wealthy you are, you are still just a merchant. Moreover, the Emperor is merely using you. Once the war is over, do you think he will keep you, such a potential threat?” Zhou Ziqiu said in a low voice.
“Since I dared to come back, it proves that I am not just a merchant,” Ye Youqing replied.
Zhou Ziqiu could not hide the shock in her eyes and looked at Ye Youqing again.
Ye Youqing sighed, walked slowly to stand in front of Zhou Ziqiu, and the originally deep and serene phoenix eyes finally showed some ripples, becoming shimmering.
“Someone asked me to help you,” Ye Youqing said in a voice only the two of them could hear. “I agreed to her request.”
“And even if that person hadn’t asked, I would still protect everything that Ci Ke wants to safeguard.”
Zhou Ziqiu’s red lips suddenly tightened. She clasped her hands in front of her, her breath suddenly becoming erratic. She hurriedly stepped back and was supported by the Sixth Prince behind her.
Zhou Ziqiu’s lips moved several times before she could make a sound, and she gently said, “Please comfort Ci Ke; she is freezing.”
After saying this, she steadied her shoulders and strode out of the inner chamber. The Sixth Prince looked at Ye Youqing, and after receiving her signal, she also followed Zhou Ziqiu. Soon, only two people remained in the room.
Ye Youqing walked back to the bedside. Ci Ke had already removed the velvet blanket from her body and was about to get up when Ye Youqing held her down.
She looked at Ye Youqing sitting down and asked, “What you said just now—is it true?”
Ye Youqing smiled and nodded.
Ci Ke’s gaze slightly dropped, resting on Ye Youqing’s hand: “Actually, as long as I can open my eyes and see you every day, I am willing to do anything. If one day the matters here are resolved, how about we go to the south together?”
“The weather will soon warm up. When that time comes, we can go see the flowers in March together, to places you’ve never been. I’ll accompany you,” Ye Youqing said, then changed the tone, “But I will still marry you, truly marry you.”
Ci Ke’s breathing became heavier. She placed her frostbitten, rough hand into Ye Youqing’s warm, soft palm, wanting her to hold it, as if this could make her feel safe.
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“They will not allow two women to marry; it is an act of great rebellion,” Ci Ke’s eyes were glistening.
“Then I will commit this great rebellion. I want the person I love, and it has nothing to do with the rest of the world,” Ye Youqing said.
Upon hearing this, Ci Ke moved her body forward a bit, pulling on the belt at Ye Youqing’s waist, her shoulders slightly hunched.
“Are you still cold?” Ye Youqing patiently lowered her head and gently rubbed Ci Ke’s hair, still damp with moisture. “You’ve been frozen for so long; you should drink some medicinal soup.”
“I feel a bit dizzy, but I don’t want to drink medicinal soup.” Ci Ke masked the hoarseness in her voice, speaking smoothly. She pulled Ye Youqing closer. “I want you to hold me.”
Ye Youqing slightly opened her arms and placed them on her shoulders: “Do you trust me?”
Ci Ke nodded.
“Then there’s no need to overthink. If the Emperor brings up this matter again, you don’t need to oppose him; just let things develop as they will.” Ye Youqing stroked her back. “I will handle everything.”
“Alright.” Ci Ke did not hesitate. She knew how much she trusted Ye Youqing. It seemed that as time went on, this wholehearted trust only grew stronger, to the point where sometimes she felt fear—fear that if one day Ye Youqing were no longer there, she would be beyond redemption.
“You won’t leave me?” Ci Ke suddenly asked.
Ye Youqing released her, seemingly in thought, then nodded: “Possibly.”
Ci Ke’s eyes widened abruptly, and she suddenly forcefully shook off Ye Youqing’s hand, her eyes reddening. Ye Youqing quickly stepped forward, grabbing her wrist, and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
“Do you hear the wind outside?” Ye Youqing asked seriously.
Ci Ke was somewhat annoyed and nodded lightly.
“Wait for the day when the wind stops and the rain clears, perhaps I will then.” Ye Youqing said with a smile.
As soon as she finished speaking, she received a light punch on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw the bright and beautiful woman both angry and embarrassed, pulling the velvet blanket over her head.
Ye Youqing laughed so much that her hands went weak, pulling the blanket down. The two of them laughed and played together until Ci Ke’s forehead was sweating, no longer feeling cold. Only then did Ye Youqing stop, watching with pursed lips as Ci Ke picked off the fallen velvet fibers from her hair.
When Ci Ke smiled, she appeared much more lively, her charming eyes curving into crescent moons. Holding Ye Youqing’s hand, she carried a hint of girlish coquettishness, but when she leaned in close, her expression became intensely alluring.
Why did she like Ci Ke? Ye Youqing didn’t know. In fact, she didn’t even know when she first started having feelings for her.
Clearly, Ci Ke was nothing but trouble to her.
Perhaps it was because she usually did things thoroughly, but when faced with Ci Ke, thoroughness turned into madness.
Love arises unknowingly, and entangles into a tangled mess.
Ci Ke suddenly knelt on the bed, holding Ye Youqing’s shoulders as she rose. She brought her lips, still moist with water vapor, close to Ye Youqing. The scent of her makeup enveloped both of them, mixed with the refreshing chill of the snow outside.
Ci Ke’s body was too warm, and Ye Youqing’s throat felt a bit dry, her mind nearly forgetting everything else.
“I have something to show you,” Ci Ke’s words were like water.
“Drink the medicinal soup first,” Ye Youqing said helplessly.
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Ci Ke’s pearly teeth grazed her lips as she gently shook her head. The smooth jade pendant on her earlobe swayed with her movement. With Ye Youqing’s assurance, her words seemed to become much bolder: “If you don’t look, I won’t drink.”
Ye Youqing wanted to say something more, but Ci Ke suddenly kissed her earlobe. Ye Youqing’s ears immediately turned as red as the fire in the stove, and she closed her eyes with a sigh.
“Zhou Ci Ke,” Ye Youqing’s tone hardened as she reached out to push her away. She stood up to straighten her disheveled clothes and used her hand to cool her ear. “What if you get sick tomorrow?”
Half of Ci Ke’s body was buried in the velvet quilt. She looked up at Ye Youqing leaving, her expression seemingly aggrieved. She knelt and slid her hands into the quilt. Her fox-like eyes drooped, and her dark brows slightly furrowed.
Ye Youqing held her forehead with her left hand, her long fingers sliding down her cheek, wiping away the helplessness. She leaned down close to her side and said softly, “What’s wrong?”
She was used to Ci Ke’s pitiful act. Seeing her not respond, Ye Youqing pulled the velvet quilt apart with one hand, revealing her jade-like feet wrapped inside. At this moment, they were blushing red, with a faint purple hue in the redness.
“I knew it, something had to get frostbitten,” Ye Youqing reached out, but halfway through, Ci Ke intercepted her hand, shaking it gently.
“I’ve been preparing for a few months. Can you take a look first, please?” Ci Ke said softly.
LP: Preparing for what? (◉ _ ◉ )
