Min County.
An army thirty thousand strong galloped from Zaohe River toward Shangjing. Two thousand soldiers cleared the way ahead, while five thousand escorted Emperor Li Zong's personal entourage. The remaining troops were split into several groups, following close behind as escort.
At the center of the army, the emperor's massive yellow carriage stood out. Pulled by twenty-four docile horses, it resembled a giant moving house.
Ye Yunting’s his heart raced with anxiety as prepared to reveal the deeply-buried secret within him.
He had imagined countless scenarios and was prepared for the possibility that Li Fengqi might not easily believe him. After all, such bizarre claims could seem like baseless nonsense or utter absurdity to anyone else.
But he never anticipated these words from Li Fengqi:
If it's the Eldest Young Master saying something, then of course, I believe in it. But if the words come from other people, perhaps not.
Ye Yunting felt very shaken, but he managed to keep himself smiling calmly. "It's nothing. I just got distracted thinking about the battle at Zaohe River."
Noticing Ye Yunting's weary expression, Li Fengqi assumed it was due to exhaustion from their journey. He said, "Let's rest today. We can discuss these matters tomorrow." With that, he bowed respectfully to the Elder Wangfei before returning to the main courtyard with Ye Yunting.
Preoccupied with thoughts about the Shen family, Ye Yunting went through his evening routine absentmindedly, then settled down for the night early.
After three straight days of drinking the medicine, Li Fengqi's face was green with disgust. He suspected Ye Yunting was taking revenge by adding extra huanglian herb to the mixture.
This left him feeling very miserable.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunting looked perfectly happy watching over Li Fengqi each day as he drank his medicine.
Li Fengqi gritted his teeth and wanted to teach Ye Yunting a lesson so that he could be a good husband, but he also enjoyed seeing Ye Yunting smiling and acting so carefree around him. In the end, he couldn't bear to win this battle; all he could do was sacrifice himself to please his beloved.
The villa was nestled halfway up the mountain, isolated from the world below. Fresh ingredients were sent up daily from the bottom of the mountain, to be cooked by skilled chefs into different dishes for each meal.
With good food and no worldly worries, life was comfortable. After eating, Ye Yunting took walks and then read books inside the house—the steward had collected all the old books from the previous owner and delivered them to Ye Yunting’s room.
Every day, he'd light a small stove, warm a pot of tea, pick up a book, and let time slip away in comfort.
The carriage reached the foot of Liu Mountain, and the two switched to sedan chairs for the ascent.
Snow-covered stone steps stretched up into the distance, and pine branches on either side were covered with thick layers of accumulated snow, piled high like waves layering and crashing against each other.
Ye Yunting was bundled in a heavy fox fur coat and wore a neck warmer around his neck. He held a small coal stove close as he gazed excitedly about him, his cheeks tinged pale by the cold mountain wind.
From his seat in another sedan chair, Li Fengqi observed Ye Yunting's expression and knew that the trip had been worth it.
Qi Shao tried to subtly probe for more information, but he couldn't get any from Li Fengqi. In the end, he had no choice but to leave empty-handed.
After dealing with Qi Shao, Li Fengqi sat thinking by the window for a while, before turning his wheelchair towards Ye Yunting.
Ye Yunting was training the wolf.
Li Fengqi’s prediction was quickly proven correct.
As expected, Li Zong did not follow Qiao Hairen’s suggestion, but instead sent another envoy to the frontlines to supervise the battle. At the same time, he issued two imperial decrees ordering Jializhou and Luzhou to dispatch troops to provide assistance without delay.
At Zaohe River, Chen Yun met the envoy and received the imperial decrees, leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and continue to fight.
Chen Yun, the commander of the Shence Army, had mobilized 50,000 soldiers and horses to rush to Zaohe River. According to the latest battle report, due to the heavy snowfall of the past several days, the surface of the Zaohe River had frozen over with thick layers of snow, allowing the rebels to cross the river. The rebel leader, Yin Xiaozhi, was overall in charge of the rebel forces, while Yin Chengwu led a small team to cross the river and clashed twice with Chen Yun's troops.
Since the first flurry of snow, the capital city experienced ten days of continuous falling snow. There were gray skies above, snowy grounds, and occasionally birds glided across the horizon, wings stirring up drifting snowflakes, their calls echoing far off into the distance.
The atmosphere of the capital mirrored the sky above, solemn, cold, and turbulent beneath the surface.
After several rounds of debate, the long-delayed case against Yin Chengru came to its conclusion.
When Ye Yunting said this, he was stunned at first.
He thought he would feel some hesitation or internal conflict, yet the words that slipped from his mouth were so swift they surprised even him. Though he believed he hadn't made his decision, unbeknownst to himself, he had already reached one. It was just that he had been lying to himself, unwilling to admit it until now.
Afraid of experiencing feelings he'd never felt before, Ye Yunting had wrapped himself tightly and refused to advance.
On the twenty-third day of the ninth month, the capital received its first snowfall. Drifting snowflakes scattered across the sky with the biting northern winds, landing coldly upon skin and making people shudder.
In the end, Ye Wang still left for Yunrong.
A representative from the Yin family came personally to fetch him, and Ye Zhili accompanied Ye Wang and Yin Hongye as far as the city gates. As they walked, Yin Hongye leaned against Ye Zhili, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Two days earlier than planned, Ye Yunting arrived at the Duke of Qi's estate.
Li Fengqi had originally worried and wanted to accompany him. However, after some thought, Ye Yunting realized that since this trip was solely about Ye Wang, if Li Fengqi were to go along, it was likely that more conflict would ensue. This would not only fail to dissuade Ye Wang from going to Yun Rong, it might even force him to choose between two sides, caught in the middle.
Therefore, in the end, Ye Yunting boarded the carriage alone under Li Fengqi's resentful gaze.
In the end, Li Fengqi never managed to obtain the reward he wanted from Ye Yunting. On the contrary, after being met with refusal, the sight of his crestfallen expression delighted Ye Yunting more than ever.
Over these last few days, Li Fengqi had been making trouble for Ye Yunting both openly and covertly. Regardless of whether he accepted or rejected the advances, Ye Yunting would always be tricked by him in the end. When Ye Yunting thought back on it now, it would have been better to strike first and secure victory through surprise tactics.
Having achieved this unprecedented win, Ye Yunting's mood was exceptionally high, and he walked leisurely over to greet the guests.
First, Ye Wang received his treatment, then the group proceeded toward the front hall. The wolf king followed closely behind them.
Ye Yunting paused, his expression somewhat embarrassed. "Why not send it back for now?" After such a disturbance, bringing along the wolf king might easily frighten their guests.
The wolf king sat beside him with its head raised, panting at him with its tongue out. Perhaps understanding Ye Yunting's words, it nudged his palm with its nose. It was as docile as any domesticated dog, rather than a wolf.
Only after seeing off all the guests and leaving only his own people within the pavilion did Ye Yunting finally relax his shoulders and sigh deeply.
He glanced at Pan Yue’s lifeless body, and said, “Have someone bring Pan Yue’s corpse back to his manor.”
The scene momentarily froze as Li Zong faced off against Li Fengqi, while other officials who had heard commotion in the hall held their breaths and stood quietly, like frozen insects.
Li Zong stared at him with a dark expression, then let out a laugh after a long pause. “Who would’ve thought that the illustrious Prince Yong’an would one day lose his temper over a mere beauty?”
“His Majesty misunderstands,” Li Fengqi said with a smile. “Ye Yunting is not some ‘mere beauty’; he is my Wangfei, another master of this Yong’an Palace.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he swept a steady gaze across everyone present before declaring firmly, “Disrespecting Wangfei is disrespecting me, and disrespecting Yong’an Palace!”
After Ye Wang left the hall, others followed suit one after another. By this point, the banquet was half-over, and guests no longer confined themselves to their seats, instead gathering in small groups with acquaintances they’d found around them. Quite a few took advantage of the opportunity to seek out Li Fengqi for a toast.
Qi Shao, the head of the Ministry of War, walked over holding a jar of wine and called out loudly, “Wangye, how about a cup together?”
Han Chan approached, his expression growing increasingly icy. Upon closer inspection, Ye Yunting discovered that beneath this cold exterior lay a hint of fatigue—an emotion difficult to discern amidst Han Chan’s stoicism. He lowered his gaze without revealing any change in his expression and heard Han Chan whisper, “Is Wangye truly intent on opposing me? We share common enemies; we ought to stand united against them.”
Li Fengqi’s face was one of mockery as he patted his lap with the blanket. “Is this your ‘help’? I can’t afford it.”
Two or three days flew by swiftly enough, and it was already the fifteenth.
On this day, the palace was decorated with lanterns and banners, its servants bustling about, lively as ever.
Ye Yunting rose early to change into a set of deep red brocade robes. The robes had been specially tailored for him by the elder Wangfei’s seamstress; their scarlet base was trimmed with black, interspersed with patterns of coiling snakes. Though simple, they exuded a natural air of nobility. Tailored to fit his figure, these robes accentuated Ye Yunting’s advantages—the way his movements swept back his sleeves, revealing his graceful bearing.
The night had been eventful; Ye Yunting didn't sleep well and woke early. The person beside him was still fast asleep, so Ye Yunting sat up with careful movements, preparing to get out of bed. His gaze swept over Li Fengqi's face, but his hand paused mid-reach.
Li Fengqi's sleeping expression seemed peaceful. His eyes, which always had a somewhat-cold look to them, were now closed, their lashes clearly defined as they lowered slightly, occasionally quivering with the movement of his eyelids. The corners of his lips curved faintly upward, perhaps dreaming of some pleasant sight. His entire presence felt gentle and soft.
His gaze flickered away, and his breathing became shallow.
Li Fengqi lowered his pant legs, let out a chuckle, then wheeled closer to him, eyes dark yet flickering. “Does the Young Master truly understand?”
As Li Fengqi approached, Ye Yunting unconsciously took a step back, lips parting as he struggled to speak. His eyelashes fluttered; his heart pounded like thunder within his chest, momentarily rendering him speechless.
Ye Yunting squinted, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim light before he groped toward the source of illumination. The candlelight shone from behind a screen, casting a hazy silhouette on the other side.
These past few years, in order to write records of mountains and rivers, Chang Yu’an traveled around with Yue Changgou to experience the customs and practices of various places.
He had been on the border of Nanyue when he received the news that Ye Yunting had been selected by the Directorate of Astronomy to be married to Prince Yong’an. As soon as he got the news, he took Yue Changgou and rushed back to Shangjing without rest. But they arrived a step too late.
Prince Qie was a person of talent. He had been born into a minor family with no clan support behind him, but had reached the position of Minister of Dali Temple by his own effort. He had solved many major cases over the years and offended many powerful families, but no one had been able to shake his position.
True to his word, Ye Yunting took the empty food box and left. For a long moment, Li Fengqi stared at the doorway. Finally, he picked up...