Wang Qingyao fell ill again after returning from the sacrifice, and everyone attributed it to overwork and a relapse of her old illness.
Bian Siyue glanced at Xiao Yun and said, "Why don't I stay tonight to attend to the Consort?"
Almost instinctively, Xiao Yun exclaimed, "Then where will I sleep?"
Bian Siyue shot Xiao Yun an annoyed look. Her expression was not very respectful, but she put on a good show. She curtsied slightly and said, "Your Highness, you can sleep in the study! Or, you can sleep in my room."
Xiao Yun: "..."
Of course, he wouldn't sleep in Bian Siyue's room. By rights, there were three other concubines in the West Garden, and he could sleep with any of them. However, he was particularly determined to maintain his purity and didn't want to go to any of their rooms. In the end, he had no choice but to sleep in the study.
Xiao Yun hadn't slept in the study since he got married, and he felt a little stifled. He thought about it over and over, and even felt a bit jealous.
Why should Concubine Bian sleep in the same room as his wife?
Although Bian Siyue was a concubine, she was no more than a servant in front of the main wife.
A servant could not sleep in the same bed as their master. Bian Siyue had someone bring a bedding roll, intending to spread it on the footboard.
βIt was an old-fashioned bed, the kind Wang Qingyao's grandparents slept on. Such beds had a wide footboard underneath, more than enough for one person to sleep on.
The footboard of this old-fashioned bed was meant for maids to sleep on when on night duty.
However, Wang Qingyao didn't have such rules. Before, Zhi Zi and Yin Zhu slept on the daybed when on night duty. It was even less likely for Bian Siyue to sleep on the floor, especially in late autumn.
"Shan Hu, you and Yin Zhu go and bring the daybed over..."
Bian Siyue quickly said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'll sleep on the footboard."
Wang Qingyao said, "How can that be? The floor is so hard, and it's so cold now. What if you catch a cold?"
As she spoke, Shan Hu and Yin Zhu had already brought over the daybed and placed it next to Wang Qingyao's bed.
"You sleep here," she said. "That way, I can hear you singing more clearly at night. If I have nightmares, you'll know immediately, won't you?"
Only then did Bian Siyue not refuse.
After the candles were extinguished and the maids had withdrawn, Bian Siyue said leisurely, "Your Majesty, take my advice and don't try too hard for men. Although you've married into the Xiao family and are now a member of the Xiao family, you still have the surname Wang. If anything were to happen to you, the men of the Xiao family would remarry someone else in a heartbeat. Therefore, we women must first learn to take care of ourselves."
Wang Qingyao was stunned. Bian Siyue's ideas were truly progressive, and they wouldn't be outdated even in modern times.
In the darkness, she heard Bian Siyue mutter again, "This old prince is really something. He has a grandson, yet he still appears in his grandson's wife's dreams from time to time..."
Wang Qingyao's lips curved into a smile, and she said softly, "Siyue, thank you."
She didn't call her "Concubine Bian" but "Siyue." This address was not that of a main wife to a concubine, but that of a friend to a friend.
Bian Siyue's eyes welled up, and her nose felt a little sore.
Wang Qingyao closed her eyes, her breathing gradually becoming steady. Bian Siyue softly hummed a little tune. In the quiet singing, Wang Qingyao seemed to forget all her worries and fell into a deep sleep.
She slept without dreams all night.
She actually slept soundly until dawn.
Wang Qingyao herself couldn't believe it.
"Did I have a nightmare last night?" she asked Bian Siyue excitedly. Seeing her appearance, she was taken aback.
Bian Siyue had dark circles under her eyes, looking haggard, but her expression was extremely happy.
"No, no, Your Majesty slept very well."
"You... stayed up all night with me?"
Bian Siyue yawned, "Yes, I was afraid I would sleep too soundly, and if Your Majesty had nightmares, I wouldn't be able to hum in time."
"You're such a silly girl." Wang Qingyao reached out and stroked Bian Siyue's head. She remembered that Bian Siyue loved to sleep in the most. A while ago, when she woke up early for morning greetings, she always looked like she hadn't slept enough.
"Hurry back and get some sleep," she ordered. "Sleep as long as you want."
Bian Siyue returned to the West Garden to catch up on sleep. As soon as she left, Xiao Yun arrived. He had been unable to sleep last night and only fell asleep in the early morning. He overslept this morning and missed his appointment at the Ministry of Revenue. After thinking about it, he decided not to go and took a day off to be with his wife.
Seeing Wang Qingyao looking radiant now, he knew that Bian Siyue's lullaby had worked. He felt even more sour, but he said, "The beauty bestowed by the Emperor is somewhat useful."
Wang Qingyao nodded in agreement, "Let Concubine Bian sleep with me for the next few days."
"The next few days? All?" Xiao Yun's handsome face immediately fell. "Do I still have to sleep in the study?"
"If you don't mind, we can all sleep together..."
The noble and elegant Prince Ding'an was stunned and managed to utter a single word after a long while: "Hmph!"
"Hahaha!" Wang Qingyao burst into laughter.
Since Xiao Yun didn't have to go to work, they stayed in the room to sort and analyze the results of the officials who had participated in the sacrifice.
"None of the officials' remains were green," Wang Qingyao said. "I don't think we need to look at the officials buried in their ancestral hometowns. It's very likely that only Grandfather, Father, and Lord Xue died from poisoning."
Xiao Yun was quite bewildered. He couldn't figure out the connection.