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.
After the Double Ninth Festival, Ye Yunting, as he previously said, went to Rongyang Courtyard to invite the elder Wangfei to help organize the banquet set for the fifteenth.
The banquet was scheduled for the fifteenth, and most of the matters were being taken care of by subordinates, with Zhu Lie and Wu Geng also assisting. Ye Yunting only needed to
take care of things on a high-level. However, they were all men, and on the day of the banquet, there would still be female relatives present, so they hadn’t been sure if many of the arrangements were appropriate. Now that Ye Yunting invited the elder Wangfei to take charge, this thorny problem was solved.
“Don’t be such a bully!” Wen Zeming’s face turned red. In the end, he didn’t yet have the patience that Wen Tian had witnessed in his previous life. After being spurred by the words, Wen Zeming couldn’t maintain his gentlemanly face, and his eyes blazed with anger. Full of jealousy, he said, “Weren’t you just born into good circumstances? In terms of talent, learning and conduct, how can you compare to me?!
“You’re just an idiot who can’t even write a poem. Without the Wen family, you’re nothing!”
Only after washing, changing clothes and tidying up properly did Ye Yunting’s restless mind finally calm down a bit.
He didn’t talk to Li Fengqi again. Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity given by Ji Lian bringing the sobering soup, and hid in the outside room.
Li Fengqi gazed at his back and clicked his tongue, the interest in his eyes getting stronger as he thought that Ye Yunting was not that slow, after all.
The carriage stopped in front of the gate, and the two of them got off and walked towards the mansion carrying their large bags of items.
They bumped into Zhu Lie when they returned to the main courtyard. Zhu Lie’s eyes widened when he saw them and came forward in surprise. “Wangye, Wangfei, what were you doing?”
Wen Tian did not expect to meet Wen Zeming at this time, nor did he expect that he would be so bold to come to Sifang Town. In his previous life, Wen Tian always thought that Wen Zeming’s and his mother were hidden away in the temple. Wen Boli only brought them in after his promotion. Wen Tian didn’t expect that he had been overthinking it.
Ye Yunting looked at Li Fengqi with surging emotions in his eyes. There was soreness and indignation, regret and helplessness, but the greatest among them was… heartache.
The Prince of Yong’an who guarded the border, the God of War of Beizhao who protected the peace of the country had been forced into such a situation by those people. When he finally joined forces with Han Chan, had he also been filled with contempt for himself?
That night, Ye Yunting suddenly had another dream. And in the dream was Li Fengqi.
He was emaciated, half-leaning on the head of the bed, his whole person was shrouded in shadow, looking gloomy and cold. “Xuanjia Army… how many people are left?”
Zhu Lie stared at the account book in Ye Yunting's hand with a heart-wrenching expression, looking very eager.
Ye Yunting felt a little hot while holding the account book.
He glanced at Li Fengqi, a little unsure if he meant what he said, or if he was just using him as a shield to repel Zhu Lie.
There were also customs for the flower lanterns during the Flower Festival. The flower god in February was Yang-Guifei, so many of lanterns were painted with her portraits. Wen Shuyue was proficient in painting, and she would personally paint the straw paper that framed the lanterns every year.
Ye Yunting asked his servants to bring him water and washed his hands several times before the strange feeling disappeared. He took the handkerchief and wiped his hands, and couldn’t help but pinch his fingers.
It was just a simple pain, not that kind of numbness that makes one’s scalp tingle.
Ye Yunting looked at the furious figure of the emperor and waited until they were far away before he quietly said, as he held back his laughter, “Wangye, you’ve made people so angry.”
Whether it came to wielding swords and weapons or using his lips and tongue, Prince Yong’an was never at a disadvantage in the slightest. With how the emperor looked, it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to calm his anger for three to five days.
Li Zong’s face darkened when he understood Li Fengqi’s words. He pointed at the two beasts in the cage and laughed. “I’m afraid Prince Yong’an won’t be able to get his white tiger skin. Look, the wolf king is about to lose.”
In the giant cage, a swipe of the white tiger’s claws sent the the wolf king slapping against the ground. Its limbs and neck were held down by the white tiger. Once the white tiger lowered its head, it could bite its neck.
It seemed that the ending had been decided.
After the Jiao family left, only three people were left in the main hall.
Wen Tian stood beside Fu Youqin. Mother and son on the same side, while Wen Boli, whose expression had changed several times, stood alone at the other end. Without the presence of outsiders, the contradictions between them became more and more prominent.
The room was filled with cold silence. The sound of Wen Boli’s heavy breathing and the rustling of clothes were particularly clear.
Cui Xi went to Prince Yong’an’s palace with Li Zong’s message.
He had been to the Yong’an Palace many times. All throughout the year, the palace was lifeless, empty and deserted. But things were different today. The door of the palace was open, and the servants were moving boxes and objects back and forth. Anyone looking inside would be able to see that the palace was decorated in reds and various colors, looking very festive.
The caretaker recognized him and hurriedly greeted him when he saw his figure. He invited Cui Xi to sit in the hall and then went to the back to announce his arrival.
Ye Yunting looked closely at Li Fengqi, wondering if this person was hinting something at him.
Li Fengqi also looked at him seriously, his expression calm, as though he were just speaking casually.
In the end, Ye Yunting thought about how he was always protecting him at all times and said warmly, “I know how to make osmanthus cake, but I don’t have time to make it now. Why don’t I make Wangye some noodles?”
Li Fengqi did not comment on his words.
Ye Yunting’s heart was too soft, worrying about being involved with Ye Wang and causing trouble. But when actually faced with Ye Wang, the other party’s sincerity made him feel guilty, as though he felt unworthy of his sincerity.
However, there is no such thing as perfection in this world. The fatalistic argument was that because one didn’t try their best, one could only attribute it to fate.
Wen Tian and Fu Youqin both made up their mind to break off the engagement. Mother and son sat together, each holding a cup of tea and sipping slowly. The Jiao matriarch tried to talk to Fu Youqin several times, but was intimidated by her cold attitude.
Wen Boli acted as if nothing had happened and chatted with the Jiao patriarch.
Ye Zhili’s face turned green and red for a while. He was the Duke of Qi who later on became the Secretary of the Central Committee. Only he was the one to give others a hard time; no one dared to give him shame in public.
Prince Yong’an was the first.
Even as he settled down to sleep that night, Ye Yunting was still thinking about the events of the day.
Although he had never been in love, he knew everything he needed to know. The two of them had been sleeping together for the past two days, and they may have to keep sharing the same bed for a long time in the future. To him, there was nothing pretentious about two men sleeping in the same bed. Besides, the bed was big enough for each to sleep in their own space, so it wasn’t any trouble.
The next day, the sun was warm and the weather was clear. Wen Tian woke up in a titter of whispers. He rubbed his eyes, got up, pushed open the window and looked outside. Under the window was a row of flower pots, and the plants in the pots had sprouted new leaves overnight.
He hadn’t fully relaxed since he’d gotten back, and he’d forgotten about this bizarre ability. He leaned his back against the window and listened to a few exposed plants talking.
After the two of them finished drinking a pot of tea, Li Fengqi looked completely relieved.
Whoever his real parents were and whatever twists and turns there were in between, they’ve all gone up in smoke. The old Wangfei refused to tell him the truth, perhaps because it was related to his life story, and most likely to protect him. But now that Han Chan had uncovered them, these old things would one day see the light of day again.
If the old Wangfei wouldn’t anything, he would find out for himself.
Ye Yunting returned from his conversation with Yin Hongye just in time to catch sight of Ye Boru hurriedly leaving. “What’s wrong with ...