The First Jasmine - Chapter 40
Chapter 40: The Most Unfortunate Wedding in History (Part I)
The Minister's Manor
From the very early morning, people were bustling to and forth, and the entire estate was a clamor of noise. Ye Li brought Ye Shan and Ye Lin along to sit in Old Madame Ye’s Rongle Hall to keep her company and chat.
The courtyard where Ye Ying resided had already grown busy before dawn. Wang-shi had deemed Ye Lin and Ye Shan to be in the way; furthermore, she was terrified that Ye Li might take the opportunity to carry out some malicious trickery, so she refused to have them keep company. Instead, she had fetched two of her nieces from her own maternal family to accompany Ye Ying.
Ye Li was naturally more than glad to enjoy the leisure. Having paid respects to the Old Madame early in the morning, she remained here to converse with her. At any rate, it was impossible for her to remain alone inside the Qingyi Pavilion for the entire day, as that would only cause people to engage in malicious gossip.
Old Madame Ye’s face was entirely covered in joy, and even her countenance when facing everyone had become significantly more amiable and kind. Ye Lin and Ye Shan naturally would not squander this opportunity, spouting flattering words to amuse the Old Madame. While calmly sipping her tea, Ye Li silently calculated in her mind whether she should join the bustle to watch a spectacle later today.
When it drew close to noon, Old Madame Ye’s graying brows gradually knit together. Directing the servants at her left and right, she commanded, "Go outside and see if the groom’s party has arrived yet."
A long while later, the person sent out returned in a frantic hurry. Wiping away his sweat, he reported, "Old Madame... the bridal procession has not arrived yet."
The smile upon Old Madame Ye’s face instantly sank. It was almost past the hour of Wushi (11:00 AM - 1:00 PM); to welcome the bride in the afternoon was highly inauspicious.
"Could Prince Li truly be planning to abandon Fourth Sister yet again?" the youngest, Ye Shan, suddenly spoke up.
"Shan'er!" Ye Shan’s biological mother was frightened to the point that her face turned deathly pale.
"Presumptuous! Today is Fourth Sister's grand day of joy; what utter nonsense are you spouting? Leave at once!" Ye Li spoke sharply, casting a swift glance at Ye Shan before Old Madame Ye could truly fly into a rage.
Ye Shan moved her lips, still wishing to say something, but the quick-witted Ye Lin beside her dragged her along, and together with her biological mother, they yanked Ye Shan out of the room.
"Shan'er is young and spoke without proper discretion; it is Li'er who has been negligent in disciplining her. I request Grandmother to appease your wrath," Ye Li looked at Old Madame Ye and spoke softly.
"Third Miss speaks the truth. Sixth Miss is but a young maiden, so it is inevitable that she harbors a few petty thoughts. Fortunately, everyone here is of our own household; I request the Old Madame to look upon the fact that today is Fourth Miss's grand day of joy, and appease your wrath for the best," Concubine Zhao, who had been exceptionally granted a seat due to her pregnancy, also hastily rose to plead for mercy to Old Madame Ye.
At this moment, how could Old Madame Ye possess the mood to genuinely haggle with Ye Shan? Waving her hand, she directed, "Go and invite the Master to come over. Furthermore, send men out to check once more." Knowing that the Old Madame's mood was poor, the waiting servants did not dare to say much, hurriedly giving their compliance before departing.
The atmosphere within the Rongle Hall grew somewhat heavy and stagnant, yet Ye Li remained quietly and properly seated, sipping her tea. Seated to one side, Concubine Zhao occasionally cast a few subtle, imperceptible glances toward Ye Li, only to discover that this young lady’s face was completely devoid of any emotion. It was as though absolutely nothing had transpired; for a moment, even Concubine Zhao could not guess whether today's matter possessed any connection to the Third Miss.
Seemingly perceiving Concubine Zhao's gaze, Ye Li raised her head and cast a glance at her. That look—entirely stripped of any discernable meaning—instead caused a chill to strike Concubine Zhao’s heart. She gave Ye Li a slight nod of her head before turning her face away to lean against the back of her chair, closing her eyes to rest her mind.
Watching as Wushi completely passed by, the messenger who had been continuously guarding the main gates had still not returned; it seemed Prince Li's bridal procession was destined to be late today. Minister Ye entered hurriedly alongside Wang-shi.
Old Madame Ye glared at her son and daughter-in-law, speaking sharply, "What exactly is going on? Have you investigated clearly?"
Minister Ye’s face was also covered in dark clouds. He said in a deep voice, "Mother, please appease your wrath. The men sent to investigate have already returned. The Prince Li Manor's side... has already set out."
"Already set out?" Old Madame Ye was so enraged that she broke into a laugh. Uttering the word "excellent" several times in succession, she pointed at Minister Ye and declared, "Which household’s daughter weds where the groom's family can even forget the auspicious hours for welcoming the bride? After today, our Ye family will become the laughingstock of the entire capital! What exactly is the meaning of the Prince Li Manor? Slapping our Ye family's face before the bride has even crossed the threshold?"
Minister Ye knit his brows and reasoned, "Perhaps something truly delayed him?"
Old Madame Ye let out a cold snort. "What affair could possibly be more important than welcoming one's bride?"
Minister Ye was instantly left entirely speechless, and Old Madame Ye could only let out a long sigh, momentarily helpless. Prince Li's bridal procession being late today was already a laughingstock, but no matter how furious they were, they still had to send Ye Ying out the door. Otherwise, absolutely nothing would remain of Ye Ying’s reputation.
Glaring with annoyance at Wang-shi, she commanded, "Why are you still standing there in a daze? Go see if Ying'er's side is fully prepared; the moment the bridal procession arrives, send Ying'er out immediately."
At this juncture, Wang-shi could no longer care about feeling wronged or furious, hastily replying, "Everything has long since been properly prepared; we are merely waiting for her to come bid farewell to the Old Madame before she can leave." Old Madame Ye let out a snort and ceased speaking.
By the time the servants finally came to report that the bridal procession was nearly there, it was already near the end of Weishi (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM). Supported by the dowry maids and nannies at her side, Ye Ying arrived at the Rongle Hall to bid farewell to Old Madame Ye. Although exquisite makeup had been applied to her face, because Ye Li was seated close by, she could still perceive that the complexion beneath the cosmetics was somewhat pale, and her eye sockets were also somewhat red and swollen; evidently, Ye Ying had already endured a bout of weeping beforehand. However, it didn't disrupt anything—wasn't a bride supposed to weep upon leaving her maternal home anyway?
Old Madame Ye personally supported Ye Ying to rise, speaking a few words of encouragement and caution. After Ye Ying also bid farewell to Minister Ye and Wang-shi, she finally donned her bridal veil and was supported toward the main hall of the Ye Manor. Ye Li also rose, following behind Minister Ye and Wang-shi.
Inside the Main Hall of the Ye Manor
Mo Jingli was dressed in a formal, bright red auspicious robe embroidered with four-clawed golden dragons; his originally handsome features bore a trace of sharp, majestic, and elegant aura. However, Ye Li could clearly discern a touch of stiffness from that cold expression that differed from his usual self. Looking further upon that complexion—which was white to an unnatural degree—and the unmaskable shadows beneath his eyes, Ye Li’s mood, which had been forced to sit dully through the entire morning, miraculously took a significant turn for the better. She dared to bet using her Eldest Cousin's title as the Imperial Scholar that makeup had absolutely been applied to Mo Jingli's face.
Mo Jingli almost instantly spotted Ye Li, who was following beside Minister Ye dressed in pale purple attire. A spark of fury darted through the depths of his eyes, and his gaze was so intense that he straight up ignored his own bride.
Minister Ye let out a slightly displeased, soft cough. Only then did Mo Jingli reluctantly shift his gaze away to pay respects to Minister Ye. "This Prince arrived late; I request Father-in-law's forgiveness."
If he hadn't brought this matter up to smooth it over, it would have been fine, but the moment he mentioned it, Minister Ye's heart filled with even greater fury. His tone also grew somewhat flat as he replied, "I dare not. I only hope that Your Highness will treat Ying'er well in the future."
Mo Jingli knew himself to be in the wrong, hastily complying and guaranteeing that he would treat Ye Ying well. The moment he raised his head, however, he caught sight of the half-smiling look upon Ye Li's face.
Recalling his own experiences from last night, Mo Jingli wished for nothing more than to pounce forward and tear Ye Li to shreds. From childhood to adulthood, he had always been the one to torment others; aside from the Mo Xiuyao of the past, this was the very first time he had been thoroughly fixed up so miserably by someone.
When he had awakened from his deep slumber before dawn, he discovered himself bound by a rope and tossed inside a deep pool. No matter how much he shouted, it wasn't until after dawn broke that the guards he had left waiting near the woods finally found him. Although it was already near the fifth month, that particular pool remained freezing cold year-round; by the time he was pulled up, he was already frozen to the point that he couldn't even move. After expending immense effort to reach a villa outside the city to drink ginger soup and medicine to dispel the chill, he had hurriedly rushed back into the city while enduring a body racked with discomfort to welcome his bride, yet he had still missed the auspicious hour.
Compared to himself, Ye Li—who was currently looking at him with a composed smile—was so perfectly fine that it made one gnash their teeth in raw hatred.
This Prince will absolutely never let you off! Mo Jingli’s gaze was sinister and ruthless.
Ye Li flatly curled her lips; she no longer harbored any hope toward Mo Jingli’s intelligence. She directly returned a look that said: I eagerly await your grand arrival!
Yet Ye Li did not know that her brief clash of gazes with Mo Jingli at this moment appeared entirely different in the eyes of someone with ulterior motives. Standing beside Ye Ying, Wang-shi took the interaction between the two into her sight, and a flash of ruthlessness quickly darted through her half-lowered eyes.