Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 220

Yu Jiao tilted her head, staring at his hand. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her wide apricot eyes shimmered with innocent curiosity. She shook her head softly and murmured, “No.”

Yu Qizhe crouched slightly, his tone indulgent and gentle, without the slightest resistance. “Then how about I carry you on my back?”

Yu Jiao blinked slowly, her long lashes trembling like butterfly wings. She lowered her head and thought for a moment before finally reaching out her arms to him.

Yu Qizhe took her hands, turned around, and Yu Jiao slowly stood up, resting against his back. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

Yu Qizhe linked his hands behind him to hold her steadily, then straightened up and began walking toward Luofu Courtyard with firm, careful steps.

Yu Jiao lay quietly on his back, saying nothing more.

Drunk, Yu Jiao was much softer than usual. Normally, she disliked depending on others, but now she clung to him like a child, so sweet and docile it made Yu Qizhe want to protect her even more.

Just as Yu Qizhe thought she had fallen asleep on his back, he suddenly felt something warm and damp drip onto the back of his neck.

It took him a moment to realize, Yu Jiao was crying.

His whole body tensed. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly to try and see her, but with her on his back, she was out of view.

“Jiaojiao?” He called softly.

Hearing him, Yu Jiao clung even tighter around his neck and began sobbing, her voice muffled and incoherent. “Shi-ge… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…”

The tenderness in Yu Qizhe’s expression slowly faded. His grip tightened involuntarily. Perhaps the night wind was too cold, but his chest felt empty and chilled.

Yu Jiao remained lost in her own world, sobbing like a child on his back. Again and again, she choked out “Shi-ge” and “I’m sorry,” as if nothing else mattered.

Yu Qizhe was silent for a long time. In the dark, he took a deep breath, the night air biting in his lungs.

He forced his voice to stay calm, though it came out stiff. “Your shi-ge… is it Fu Chuan?”

But there was no reply. The sobbing had stopped. All was quiet. It seemed she had cried herself to sleep.

Yu Qizhe let out a quiet sigh and resumed walking toward Luofu Courtyard with her on his back.

Yu Fuling was waiting by the door. When she saw him carrying Yu Jiao, she wasn’t surprised. “The sobering soup is ready,” she said.

“She’s asleep,” Yu Qizhe said gently.

He carried Yu Jiao past the folding screen and into the inner room. Yu Fuling followed behind. Yu Qizhe carefully laid Yu Jiao on the bed. Yu Fuling helped tuck her in with the quilt.

“Should we wake her so she can drink the soup before sleeping?” Yu Fuling asked in a hushed voice.

Yu Qizhe shook his head and looked down at Yu Jiao. Her long lashes still held traces of tears, and faint tracks were left on her pale cheeks.

He turned to Yu Fuling and asked softly, “Sister, do we have hot water?”

Yu Fuling stepped out. A maid soon brought in a basin of hot water.

Yu Fuling soaked a cloth, preparing to wipe Yu Jiao’s face, but Yu Qizhe reached out and took it from her. “Let me.”

With the utmost care, he wiped Yu Jiao’s face clean, then dipped the cloth in the basin again, wrung it dry, and gently wiped each of her fingers. Only then did he straighten up and say in a low voice, “Sister, please help her change. I’ll head back now.”

Yu Fuling nodded and walked him to the door.

So much time had passed that the front hall banquet was likely over. Yu Qizhe didn’t return there but instead headed straight for Yingfeng Courtyard.

A servant boy greeted him. “Second Master asked us to find you. He said you barely ate during the banquet. The kitchen has some food prepared. Would you like something, Fifth Master?”

“No need,” Yu Qizhe replied with a shake of his head.

He noticed lights still glowing in the other rooms. “Have my brothers all returned?”

“All the young masters are back. Second Young Master drank a bit too much and just had a bowl of sobering soup. Shall I prepare one for you, too?”

“No, just bring me some hot water.” Yu Qizhe walked into his own room.

Sitting in the bath, hot water soaking his body, the chill gradually left him, but the discomfort in his heart remained.

That tight, suffocating feeling in his chest refused to fade. The moment he remembered Yu Jiao crying on his back, calling out another man’s name, a nameless rage rose inside him, making him restless and unsettled.

His normally composed and gentle features now wore a rare, dark expression, cold and brooding.

He stared at his own reflection on the water’s surface, then shut his eyes and suddenly stirred the water violently, destroying the stillness.

He had to know, who was the Shi-ge Yu Jiao cried for? Who was Fu Chuan?

(Note: Shi-ge means 4th elder brother or 4th senior brother.)

What else about her was still hidden from him?

The next morning, Yu Jiao was woken by Yu Fuling. When she opened her eyes, the sun was already high.

Her head throbbed dully. Yu Fuling handed her a bowl of hot sobering soup. “You drank too much rice wine last night and got drunk.”

Yu Jiao sat up and took the bowl, sipping the soup slowly with a spoon. Vaguely, she recalled a dream from the night before.

In the dream, her shi-ge, Fu Chuan, carried her on his back, just like he used to when they were young. She… she thought she cried.

With a dazed expression, Yu Jiao finished the soup. Yu Fuling took the empty bowl and said, “Come on, get up. We promised Miss Yang we’d go to Bibo Lake today.”

Yu Jiao rubbed her throbbing temples, pushed back the quilt, and got out of bed to dress and wash up.

Sitting at her vanity, she saw in the slightly blurred bronze mirror that her eyes were a little puffy. She soaked a cloth in hot water and laid it over her eyes for a while.

The maids brought in breakfast, but Yu Jiao had no appetite. She only managed half a bowl of congee.

Before the maids could clear the dishes, Second Madam Mu came into the courtyard with Yang Jiyan.

“Sister Fuling, you haven’t eaten yet? I must’ve come too early and interrupted your meal,” Yang Jiyan said with a bright smile as she entered the room.

Seeing Second Madam Mu as well, Yu Fuling looked a little embarrassed. “We slept a bit late yesterday and got up later than usual.”

Second Madam Mu offered a friendly explanation. “The young masters just finished the provincial exam. There was a celebration at home yesterday, and everyone had a few drinks. I overslept too.”

Yang Jiyan smiled understandingly. “I oversleep often, too, it’s no bother. Sister Fuling, you two go ahead and finish your meal. I’ll just wait.”

“We’re already done,” Yu Fuling said.

Second Madam Mu added, “I heard from Third Madam that you’re heading to Bibo Lake today. There’s a poetry gathering there, and your brothers are probably going as well. You could all go together.”