Token of Love (Extended Version)
Maids were busy taking down lanterns along the way, creating a bustling scene. Ye Youqing took advantage of the chaos to circle around a dark stone hill under the night sky, finally spotting the two figures beside several locust trees.
Fortunately, the darkness and quietness of the area, coupled with the swaying tree shadows, kept her presence unnoticed.
“Did you say you vanished earlier because you bumped into the Crown Prince?” Qin Wang’s voice was low, with no discernible emotion.
Ci Ke didn’t speak but seemed to nod with tears.
The two were silent for a while before Qin Wang sighed deeply, his tone becoming gentle again: “Ci Ke, you’ve been wronged. The Crown Prince has the backing of the Duke’s Household, I…”
“Ci Ke understands.” The woman’s smooth voice came through, like malt sugar melting, making one’s heart tremble.
Upon hearing this, Ye Youqing felt a wave of disdain and silently thought, what kind of man is this.
Qin Wang, taking Ci Ke’s words as a sign of unwavering devotion, was greatly relieved and said, “No matter what, you are the only one in my heart. Sooner or later, the day will come when I will marry…”
“Shh,” Ci Ke interrupted, looking up at the sky, “It’s getting late, and there will soon be guards patrolling.”
After a while, the rustling sound of footsteps on fallen leaves passed, and in the darkness, only Ci Ke remained, standing alone under several large pagoda trees. As the wind picked up, she turned her head, with strands of hair flying in the light of dawn.
Her gaze landed on the tree trunk where Ye Youqing was hiding, and she stared intently for a while before turning to leave.
Only then did Ye Youqing’s suddenly quickened heartbeat calm down. She stepped out from under the tree, pursed her lips, and looked in the direction Zhou Ci Ke had left, feeling vaguely that something was not quite right.
According to the original story, Zhou Ci Ke was just a supporting character who created obstacles for the female lead. She was devoted to Qin Wang and, because of her beauty and charming personality, also won Qin Wang’s favor. However, Qin Wang’s attitude towards her was more indifferent; he always appeased her like now.
In the end, for reasons unknown, Ci Ke took her own life by jumping into a great fire, dying a clean death.
The original text didn’t elaborate much on her, offering limited information. But judging from the current situation, it seemed as if they were both deceiving each other. Ye Youqing lowered her eyes, thinking that she should investigate this matter when she had the chance.
After returning to her room, Ye Youqing discovered that she had a burning forehead, likely due to catching a cold. This made Zhao Qingrou and Qin Xin worry endlessly. The two physically weak women managed to pin her down on the bed and wrapped her in two layers of cotton blankets.
Ye Youqing wasn’t used to being cared for so attentively. Unable to resist, she let them do as they wished, quietly falling seriously ill. Her dreams were a chaotic mix, alternating between modern skyscrapers and the bustling streets of ancient times.
Fortunately, the incident on the engagement day was suppressed by Duke Liang. Given its potential for losing face, few people knew about it, and there were no rumors to trouble her.
She slept in a daze, not knowing how long, until she fully woke up two days later, in the morning. Golden sunlight streamed through the window, and the air was filled with the calm, elegant scent of sandalwood from an unknown source.
Ye Youqing slowly opened her eyes, gazing at a corner of the azure sky outside the window for a while before softly coughing. This startled Qin Xin, who was sleeping on a mattress by the bed, causing her to roll over and bump her head against the bedpost.
“Ouch!” The young girl, with tears in her eyes, covered her forehead and hurriedly got up. She took a now-dry cloth from beside Ye Youqing’s forehead and exclaimed with joy, “Eldest Miss, you’re awake! Madam, the Eldest Miss is awake!”
Ye Youqing rubbed her temples, feeling her mind clear as if washed in well water, which only made the stickiness on her body more unbearable. With Qin Xin’s help, she sat up.
“Qing’er,” Zhao Qingrou rushed in from outside and sat by the bed, wiping Ye Youqing’s face with a cloth soaked in cold water.
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“Mother…” Ye Youqing let out in a coquettish tone, then immediately fell silent, her cheeks flushing.
“It must be the habit of this body,” Ye Youqing thought to herself. Back in the modern era, she hardly saw her parents more than a few times a year, let alone became close to them. Hence, she developed a rather cold demeanor. Now, trying to act spoiled felt embarrassingly difficult.
Zhao Qingrou, however, paid no mind and continued to carefully wipe Ye Youqing’s face.
“Your eyes…” Ye Youqing studied the woman in front of her for a moment before suddenly speaking up.
Zhao Qingrou was naturally beautiful, with fair and tender skin, though thinned by illness. But now her complexion seemed much duller, especially the dark circles under her eyes, which were painfully noticeable.
“It’s nothing, just went to bed late,” Zhao Qingrou said with a smile.
“It wasn’t just staying up late. Madam hasn’t closed her eyes for twelve hours because of Concubine Xiao causing trouble. Not only did she send the family doctor away in the middle of the night, but she also refused to provide any medicinal herbs, coming up with all sorts of excuses. This forced Madam to leave the house in the dead of night to seek help from Anji Pharmacy, only then managing to get some medicine to brew!” Qin Xin said in a low voice, her eyes quickly reddening again.
“Qin Xin.” Zhao Qingrou gently tapped her on the forehead, then brought over a bowl of medicine from the side, handing it to Ye Youqing, “Dear Qing’er, though you’re no longer feverish, you still need to take this medicine to eradicate the root of the illness.”
Ye Youqing felt a pang of sadness, trying her best to curl her lips into a smile as she took the medicine bowl and drank it all.
After being tapped on the head, Qin Xin couldn’t help but continue, “Concubine Xiao is too bullying, acting as if she’s the main wife. She deducts from our monthly allowance every month, leaving us with insufficient food and clothing. So last night, Madam had to sell her last piece of dowry to invite the doctor…”
“Qin Xin!” Zhao Qingrou’s voice slightly intensified, signaling her not to speak further. She then reached out to take the bowl from Ye Youqing’s hands, but somehow couldn’t take it away.
Ye Youqing’s gentle yet firm hand was tightly clutching the medicine bowl, her knuckles turning white from the grip.
Zhao Qingrou hurriedly comforted her in a soft voice, “It’s alright, these are just material possessions. It’s a good chance to sell them for some money to prepare more dowry for you…”
“What did you sell?” Ye Youqing suddenly asked. Her eyes were deep and her voice was gentle, yet it inexplicably sent a chill through one’s spine.
Zhao Qingrou was momentarily stunned, forgetting to speak as she looked into Ye Youqing’s eyes.
“It was the Madam’s headdress, a gold chain inlaid with jades, a priceless item from the past. Yet, it was sold for only that amount of money,” Qin Xin, uninhibited by Zhao Qingrou’s attempt to stop her, muttered under her breath.
Ye Youqing felt as if several hot coals were thrown into her heart, sizzling and baking it, making her feel suffocated. Therefore, she pushed the medicine bowl into Qin Xin’s hands and got up after lifting the blanket.
“Qing’er, are you upset?” Zhao Qingrou looked somewhat at a loss as she slowly stood up. “Mother is incompetent, can only…”
Ye Youqing shook her head, standing up and letting the spring breeze caress her face, extinguishing the rage in her heart.
As a genteel (polite, refined, or respectable) lady of ancient times, Zhao Qingrou had been taught from a young age to be gentle and soft. Now, being all alone, she naturally had no right to be angry at Zhao Qingrou.
It’s just that Ye Youqing couldn’t stand being bullied or poverty the most. Hence, she worked tirelessly in the past, because money could fill a part of the emptiness.
Returning to square one overnight, naturally, is utterly distressing.
Zhao Qingrou didn’t know what was going on with her daughter right in front of her, becoming even more at a loss. Just as she was about to speak again, she saw Ye Youqing turn around, pretending to be casual as she reproached, “Mother, it’s just some medicinal herbs and consultation fees. We could have used something else to cover the costs, why did we have to use those precious jewels?”
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Hearing this, Zhao Qingrou’s expression turned even more distressed, and she let out a sigh, “What we had saved up is now almost gone. All we have is a just-getting-by shop, and then there are those jewels and the Fenghua pendant you got from my mother.”
Shop. Ye Youqing pondered for a moment, though the Qi Dynasty also valued commerce lightly, its economy was thriving, especially the capital Bianjing, whose prosperity and advancement weren’t inferior to the modern era. If the shop were to be used for business, perhaps their situation could be improved.
No matter where one is, being self-sufficient is always the golden rule.
Zhao Qingrou stepped forward abruptly, her expression serious. In a soft voice, she said, “Qing’er, although mother has sold the headgear, no matter how valuable it may be, it’s just jewelry. But you must take good care of the Fenghua Pendant. Even if we starve, we cannot lose it.”
The name Fenghua Pendant sounded mysterious. Ye Youqing didn’t think much of it and was about to nod when she suddenly saw Qin Xin standing opposite Zhao Qingrou, making faces at her.
Ye Youqing’s heart sank. She patiently waited for Zhao Qingrou to finish speaking, then took the pretext of bathing to enter the side door with Qin Xin.
As soon as the wooden door closed behind them, Qin Xin hurriedly approached her, her face filled with anxiety and said, “Eldest Miss, I told you, the Fenghua Pendant is not an ordinary pendant. It absolutely cannot be given to General Qin, but you…”
Given to Qin Wang?
Ye Youqing stared silently at the bath tub, suddenly letting out a cold laugh as she snapped the wooden ladle for scooping water in her hand.
Even someone as composed as her wanted to curse the original owner. To give away something so valuable as a token of love, was the original owner blinded by lard boiled by Qin Wang?
“Did my mother ever say, why this so-called Fenghua Pendant is so valuable?” Ye Youqing tentatively asked. If it were merely monetary value, Zhao Qingrou wouldn’t need to care so much.
But if it were a token of love or something, it would be precious.
Qin Xin shook her head like a rattle drum.
Ye Youqing let out a low moan, sighed deeply, and took off her undergarments before stepping into the bath tub, allowing the hot water to envelop her and wash away the thin layer of sweat that had accumulated over the past two days.
She had planned to use her free time to check out the only remaining shop in Zhao Qingrou’s hands, but now this matter had to be postponed. It was more urgent to retrieve that pendant.
Submerged in the mist of the water, Ye Youqing buried her face, trying to recall if the original text mentioned anything about this so-called pendant. Yet, after a long while of thinking, her mind was still blank. She couldn’t help but regret, wishing she could do everything over. If so, she would copy that novel ten times over and then eat it drenched in ketchup.
After washing up and feeling refreshed, Ye Youqing, with the assistance of Qin Xin, slowly and leisurely dressed herself. The gown was somewhat old, but the style was pretty: it was made of light green fabric, with a circlet of pearl tassels around the waist, refreshing and elegant.
“You look truly beautiful, Eldest Miss,” Qin Xin said with a smile, and then her tone changed to cautious, “Eldest Miss, don’t be too angry about the deception by General Qin. It’s not worth falling ill over…”
“Fall sick for him?” Ye Youqing frowned upon hearing this, feeling a wave of nausea, “Don’t mention that person again in the future. I don’t wish to have any further dealings with him.”
“That’s good then.” Qin Xin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, cheerfully pulling out a letter from behind, “This morning, General Qin sent an invitation asking the Eldest Miss to enjoy the spring at the General’s Household. I was hesitating about how to convey this to you, but it seems now naturally…”
“Naturally, I should go.” Ye Youqing smiled insincerely.
Thus, half an hour later, she was sitting upright in a bumping carriage, lifting her eyes to view the grandeur of Bianjing.
Although she was utterly unwilling to see Qin Wang’s face again, what belonged to her, even if she had to fight, she would reclaim it.
Beneath her was a street several thousand years old, a firsthand experience that Ye Youqing lazily thought more amusing than any time-travel novel. It’s just a pity that General Qin’s Household wasn’t far off; she hadn’t had her fill of sightseeing before the carriage came to a halting sway.
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Someone pulled open the curtain, and as Ye Youqing got up and peeked out, she naturally extended her hand, to which someone respectfully handed hers.
Those hands were warm, smooth, dotted with tiny scars.
Suddenly, Ye Youqing’s heart skipped a beat. She abruptly looked up to see drooping eyes, a delicate nose bridge, and the hint of a collarbone under a thin layer of clothes.
Ci Ke?
She hesitated for a moment, then heard several sneers. Lifting her eyes coldly, she saw under the plaque several children of wealthy families standing, among them a tall girl dressed luxuriously next to Qin Wang, arms folded, raising her eyebrows at them.
“Zhou Ci Ke.” The girl smiled maliciously. “It seems sister is not pleased with you. Indeed, a slave girl, even standing seems too lacking in manners. Might as well serve as a footstool, so sister can step down more comfortably.”
At these words, the others burst into laughter, though Qin Wang’s brows were deeply furrowed.
Just as Ye Youqing was about to speak, the woman’s body suddenly dropped, appearing as though she was about to obediently prostrate on the ground. Ye Youqing, startled, instinctively reached out, grabbing Zhou Ci Ke by the crook to lift her up.
Ci Ke let out a soft cry, forced to lift her head.
