The First Jasmine - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Ye Li Is Kidnapped

When Ye Li and Ye Zhen arrived at Ye Ying’s courtyard, Ye Ying was currently selecting from a dazzling array of ornaments spread across the table alongside Wang-shi. Beholding the two of them arriving hand in hand, Ye Ying was somewhat surprised, but she masked it very quickly, rising to welcome them with a beaming smile. "Eldest Sister, Third Sister, how is it that you have come together?"

Ye Zhen smiled and said, "Hearing that Fourth Sister was busy, I went to sit at Third Sister's place first. It just so happened that Third Sister was also coming over, so we came together."

Ye Ying offered a shallow smile, replying, "What words are those, Eldest Sister? What could Ying'er possibly be busy with? Eldest Sister, Third Sister, please take a seat quickly."

Following behind the two of them, Ye Li raised her eyebrows with mild amusement. This was actually the very first time she had seen Ye Ying speak to the sisters of the household without carrying even half a shred of arrogance. Especially since these were sisters born of concubines whom she had always looked down upon; it seemed the Old Madame's methods were truly not to be underestimated, to actually be able to make Ye Ying change so much in such a short period of time.

Faced with such an enthusiastic and affectionate greeting from Ye Ying, Ye Zhen was also somewhat unaccustomed to it. She cast several glances at Ye Ying before allowing herself to be pulled inside to pay respects to Wang-shi. "Greetings to Mother."

"Madame," Ye Li greeted flatly.

Beholding Ye Li's calm and unruffled demeanor, Wang-shi secretly gnashed her teeth in the depths of her heart. Although she had been elevated to the position of primary wife for many years now, Ye Li had never once opened her mouth to address her as mother. Although she herself did not wish for Xu-shi's daughter to call her mother, the only genuine legitimate daughter of the Ye Manor was actually Ye Li alone; such a sensation would always leave Wang-shi with a lingering feeling that her position as the mistress of the household was lacking in proper name and right.

In the past, she had also whispered into the Master's ear to complain, but for some unknown reason, no matter how much slander she applied, the Master had never remained steadfast regarding this matter. He had also never dropped any hint of forcing Ye Li to alter her form of address.

"Mother, Ying'er wishes to speak words with Eldest Sister and Third Sister. If you still have affairs to attend to, please go ahead and busy yourself first," Ye Ying held Wang-shi's hand, acting spoiled and coquettish.

Wang-shi looked upon her beautiful daughter with doting pride, and her mood instantly turned excellent. No matter what was said, she was still the one who had won in the end, was she not? One of her daughters was a high-ranking consort in the imperial palace, while the other was the primary Princess Consort of Prince Li, and her son would become the master of the Ye family in the future. Meanwhile, Xu-shi had died an early death, her biological daughter could only marry a crippled prince, and her raised step-daughter could only serve as a side consort to another.

"Very well, you sisters chat well. There are still some matters to arrange out front. Mother shall head out first."

The three sisters rose to see Wang-shi out, and Ye Ying immediately pulled Ye Zhen and Ye Li down to sit, looking at the two of them with an apologetic expression. "Eldest Sister, Third Sister, in the past Ying'er was ignorant of worldly matters and showed much neglect toward both older sisters. I only hope that elder sisters possess a grand, magnanimous heart and will not lay blame upon Ying'er."

Hearing this, Ye Zhen cast a bewildered glance at Ye Li, a smile gracing her face as she said, "Fourth Sister must be joking. We are sisters of the same household; what blame or no blame is there to speak of? In the future, this older sister will still have to rely upon Fourth Sister."

Ye Ying split into a wide, radiant smile, stating, "Grandmother spoke the truth; we are all sisters of the same household, so we must naturally assist and support each other. Eldest Sister must not speak of reliance either."

Ye Li sat to one side listening to the two of them engage in casual chitchat that drifted aimlessly back and forth, and in her heart, she roughly understood what exactly Old Madame Ye had spoken to Ye Ying about. However, she was still somewhat surprised that Ye Ying would actually listen so submissively to the Old Madame's instructions. Of course, she placed more faith in another saying: Rivers and mountains may be easily altered, but a person’s fundamental nature is difficult to change. Even if Ye Ying had truly listened to Old Madame Ye's instructions, it was absolutely impossible for her character to undergo a sudden mutation within such a short frame of time. It seemed... over these past days, some events had occurred that she remained unaware of.

Late at night, the Minister's Manor, which originally ought to have fallen silent long ago, remained brightly illuminated due to tomorrow's wedding. Even the little maids within Ye Li's Qingyi Pavilion appeared somewhat excited; after all, the Fourth Miss of the manor marrying into the Prince Li Manor was a heavenly piece of joyful news, and the upper and lower echelons of the manor would all receive a handsome sum of reward silver.

Ye Li dismissed the maids at her side, picking up a book she hadn't finished reading to sit beneath the lamp and read as was her usual custom, occasionally picking up a brush to write and pause.

An unknown amount of time passed, and the hustle and bustle that had originally drifted from far away seemed to gradually recede. Feeling somewhat fatigued, Ye Li raised her hand to rub the space between her brows. Her body, which had been sitting perfectly straight against the chair, also slowly slumped to one side. A trace of drowsiness stained her calm, quiet eyes. Ye Li blinked her eyes, finally unable to withstand the wave of sleepiness, and slowly closed them. Inside the cool, quiet room, a blanket of silence fell, save for the occasional popping sound of the lampwick.

A long time later, a dark shadow flashed out from the Qingyi Pavilion. The figure appeared highly familiar with the layout of the manor, easily evading the guards within the residence, leaping over the rear wall of the courtyard to vanish into the dark night. Inside the Qingyi Pavilion, within the cool, elegant, and simple bridal chamber, the trace of its mistress was no longer to be seen, leaving behind only an open volume fallen upon the ground beside the writing desk.

The Outskirts of the Capital

Inside the gloomy woods, a tall, slender black figure carried a long, cylindrical object over his shoulder, threading through the forest. He did not halt his steps until he beheld a tall, imposing figure standing not far away.

"You are late," the man cloaked in the shadows spoke in a deep voice.

"No, it is you who arrived early," the black-clothed man laughed, his voice bearing a somewhat lazy flavor. He looked at the man opposite him whose countenance could not be discerned clearly, speaking with a teasing tone, "I heard that the Fourth Miss of the Ye family is the number one beauty of the capital; I never expected that you would actually possess no interest in the number one beauty, but would instead spend money to steal a 'three-lacking' Third Miss who possesses neither talent nor appearance. Or... could it be that this Third Miss is actually a genuine exceptional beauty? I was rushing for time just now and didn't see clearly; looking at her now, she seems decent enough."

As he spoke, he set down the person he was carrying on his shoulder, reaching out his hand to brush away the strands of hair covering the face of the slumbering individual.

"Enough! You may leave now," a trace of fury mounted within the man's voice as he spoke coldly.

The black-clothed man shrugged his shoulders, laughing, "Since it is so, I wish you good luck."

Finishing his words, he did not delay either, placing the woman flat upon the ground with clean efficiency. Shrugging once more, he executed a few leaps and bounds, vanishing into the woods.

The person cloaked in the shadows measured the woman on the ground for a brief moment before finally stepping out from beneath the shade of the trees. Under the dim night sky, a cold, stern countenance faintly revealed itself. Staring fixedly at the young lady on the ground, his originally handsome features appeared somewhat distorted and ferocious under the night cover. "Ye Li, do not blame this Prince for being cold-hearted. If you must blame something, blame your own poor fate; even if it is something this Prince does not want, it is not Mo Xiuyao's turn to pick it up!"

Bending his body down, he reached out his hand to pull at the young lady's collar, yet the very instant he made contact, he merely felt a sudden blackness strike before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain at his neck, and he instantly collapsed downward.

The young lady who had supposedly been deep in an unawakened slumber opened a pair of completely clear, sober eyes. With a casual push of her hand, she caused the person who was originally collapsing toward her to fall backward; as for that loud thud which clearly signified hitting something, she naturally and effortlessly ignored it.

Ye Li unhurriedly and methodically adjusted her attire before looking toward the man who had been felled upon the ground, a slight trace of disappointment coloring her expression. When she had detected that there was an issue with the incense inside her room, she had thought someone intended to execute a malicious plot against her; she never expected it to be Mo Jingli, and furthermore, that the reason would be so utterly idiotic.

Walking a full circle around Mo Jingli, Ye Li for the very first time genuinely pondered whether this Prince Li's brain had developed an issue from being raised by his imperial elder brother. After thinking for a moment to no result, she no longer expended that mental effort.

Leisurely extracting a coil of unremarkable silk thread from her sleeve pocket, she bound the man on the ground with extreme dexterity.

Beholding the man bound by her own hands, Ye Li nodded her head in satisfaction. Do not look down upon this coil of silk thread of hers for appearing unremarkable; both its hardness and its tensile strength were exceptionally excellent. Unless Mo Jingli possessed that legendary, profound internal martial energy, it was absolutely impossible to break it through the strength of a normal human being.

As for her own binding techniques, Ye Li felt even more at ease; unless Mo Jingli possessed bone-shrinking arts, he could only wait until someone arrived to rescue him. It was merely unknown whether Mo Jingli had brought along any personal guards while executing such a sneaky, underhanded affair; however, judging from the current circumstances, there were none.

Hopefully he can make it in time for tomorrow's wedding, Ye Li thought irresponsibly. Ultimately, she still delivered a vent-seeking kick to a certain individual who had already lost consciousness, before tracing the path within her memory to walk toward the outer perimeter of the woods.