A piece of Japanese incense

Zhi Siqi stood barefoot outside the yard, wearing a thin moon-white robe with dark silver thread patterns and floral patterns.

"Oh! Why are you wearing so little? Aren't you still sick? Someone come and help me into the house!"

Everyone stood aside, holding their breath, hesitating to move forward.

"Yuyi, bring the shoes, boots and cloak and help the young master put them on."

"Yes! Girl!" Yu Yi hurriedly took the boots and clothes from the person next to her.

"You don't have to worry about it, just go away!" Zhi Siqi threw his clothes away, crossed his hands on his chest, rubbed his shoulders, and glared at me with torch-like eyes.

"Miss He, the prince consort wants you to come in." Eunuch Guangfei, who was beside my father, came over to deliver the message.

"Please wait a moment, sir." I responded politely.

I picked up the clothes on the ground, brushed off the dust, and put them on Zhi Siqi. He frowned and put his hands in front of him to resist my touch.

I looked at him, he was trembling all over and sweating, I closed my eyes, sighed, and threw the clothes on him.

"Are you stupid? You are not fighting me now, but your own body and your mother who is worried about you outside, as well as so many people who have been by your side day and night, serving you and taking care of you and are about to be punished because of your worsening condition!"

He shrugged his shoulders, his bloodshot eyes were sharp and cold, his hands were behind his back, one hand holding the wrist of the other.

"I'll go in first. You can continue to be embarrassed here." Without waiting for his response, I turned around and smiled, signaling Grandpa Guangfei to lead me in.

Zhi Yi sat quietly in front of the desk. He was still wearing the court robes he wore when attending court. He sat upright, holding a brush as black as jade in his hand, and was concentrating on writing freely.

"Daddy needs your daughter for something." I ran towards him and hugged his neck.

His eyebrows were gentle, he put the pen into the pen washer to clean it, sharpened the pen, and hung it on the pen holder. He slowly let go of my hand, stood up, and looked down at the noisy scene downstairs, with a light smile on his face, and there was no sign of anything wrong.

"He'er has grown up, and it's time for him to understand the rules."

I chuckled and held his hand: "Dad, were you the one who made Zhi Siqi stand in the yard?"

"He treated you rudely, and Daddy is venting your anger for you." His tone was calm.

(Wow~ He seemed to be very nice to me. So reasonable! It was because we had the Emperor’s grandson and Princess Qi at the time. He was just venting his anger on me.)

She secretly complained in her heart, but her face was filled with joy, "It's okay, he's not feeling well and in a bad mood, so as his sister, I naturally won't bother with him."

"I've never seen you love reading in the past. Why do you go to the library every day after entering the palace?" The corners of his mouth curved slightly, as if he was smiling, but the smile was still there but did not reach his eyes.

"My daughter is interested in making incense. She was thinking about the books in the palace, which are all rare copies in the world. So she plucked up the courage to sneak in and take a look." I replied sincerely.

"Then when did you become friends with His Highness Zhixu? And you dressed up like a eunuch, how disgraceful!" He suddenly became angry, put one hand on his waist, and raised his voice.

"Dad, don't be angry. You know, His Highness Zhixu and I have a good relationship. We knew each other when we were kids! Do you remember? One year during the Ghost Festival, you took me to attend the funeral. The deceased was his grandfather, and I gave him a jasmine bracelet made by my brother Yu Nian..."

"Shut up! You're just a little girl, how can you understand what fate is?" He interrupted me before I could say anything, his cheeks flushed with anger.

"What's the matter? You asked me when I met him, and I answered truthfully."

"He'er! Your responsibility in the palace is to accompany my studies. Do not get involved in other things." He put his hands behind his back, his tone majestic and full of oppression.

"I didn't do anything! My daughter also has the right to make friends! You are still angry. You don't know that on the first day I entered the palace, the daughter of the marquis's family withheld my meals and humiliated me. My daughter didn't even have a meal, but you turned a deaf ear..." I sat down on the ground, covered my eyes with my hands, my body trembled slightly, opened my mouth, and burst into fake tears.

"Oh! What's wrong with you... Hey! The ground is cold, get up quickly! You are so old, but you are still throwing a tantrum like a child. Hey! What should I do if you call daddy?" He reached out his hand to help me up and supported me to the chair.

"Daddy is not indifferent to you. You are not hungry every day, are you?"

"Daddy just scolded me harshly and scared He'er." I rubbed my eyes hard, trying to make them redder, and pretended to wipe away tears with my sleeve and sniffed.

"Daddy apologizes to us He'er, dear! He'er is in the palace, don't be afraid, Daddy will take care of everything for you."

I stared at him blankly, trying to figure out whether his words were true or not, and how much political schemes and calculations were hidden in this gentleness. It seemed that from the moment I first met him, I was only playing the role of his daughter. I could never trust him, and I always felt that his care for me was all hidden behind some ulterior motive. So, I could only be intimate with him in a false way.

"He'er, your father has chosen a perfect match for you. If he stands out in this spring's imperial examination, you can marry him when you reach the age of marriage. Your mother and I will have fulfilled our wish."

My brain exploded.

(Help! No way, you bastard father, I knew you never had any good intentions! You want to marry me off when I’m still a minor!)

"Ah... this is too sudden. My daughter thinks... well... it doesn't need to be so early. She's still young, hehe, hehe." There was a hint of stuttering in my voice. I sat back, completely unable to express my thoughts smoothly.

"Don't worry, He'er, don't worry about these trivial matters. Father will definitely arrange everything properly for you and your mother."

(Oh, it's not you who's getting married, so of course you're not in a hurry. But don't flatter yourself. What you do is all for yourself! It's really ridiculous.)

I smiled awkwardly, trying to change the subject: "Haha, why don't you let Zhi Siqi go back inside first? He is still young, and he will be sensible when he grows up. Father, please don't bother with him."

"Call him up!" Zhi Yian knocked on the window.

After a while, Eunuch Guangfei supported Zhi Siqi into the house.

Zhi Siqi had already put on his shoes. He was wearing a plain dark blue silk robe and a Buddha-head green crane cloak. His lips were almost bloodless. He leaned against Eunuch Guangfei, like a leaf swaying in the wind, about to fall.

"You can't bear any hardship at all, yet you still buy clothes for yourself." Zhi Yian glanced at him sideways, his sharp words carrying a hint of sarcasm.

Zhi Siqi stared at me with a sharp gaze, and there seemed to be endless resentment in his eyes.

I immediately stood up and explained, "Father, you misunderstood. I was afraid that the cold air in the courtyard would invade my body, and Siqi was wearing thin clothes, so I asked Yuyi to bring him some clothes to wear."

Zhi Yian's brows relaxed slightly, and he waved his hand, motioning Zhi Siqi to sit down, "Why don't you thank your sister and admit your mistake to her!"

"Father dragged me off the bed without any reason, just to apologize to her?" Zhi Siqi's mouth corners turned down and his fists clenched.

Zhi Yian walked slowly to the desk, supported the table with one hand, and looked at him expressionlessly.