The First Jasmine - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Most Unfortunate Wedding in History (Part II)

As the sister of the bride, Ye Li—who was not included in the bridal escort party—originally didn't need to attend. However, since Mo Xiuyao had gone so far as to have Feng San deliver a message, she believed there would bound to be a good spectacle to watch when the time came. Furthermore, she also deemed it necessary to personally communicate with her fiancé regarding the matter of Han Mingyue; sound communication was far more conducive to mutual trust.

Having changed into a suitable set of attire, Ye Li had someone deliver word to inform the Old Madame. Before she could even step out the door, a servant entered to report that Prince Ding had arrived to fetch the Third Miss. Knowing that it was inconvenient for Mo Xiuyao, the Old Madame did not dare to delay his time either, hastily allowing Ye Li to depart.

Upon exiting the main gates of the Ye Manor, she indeed beheld a horse carriage bearing the insignia of the Prince Ding Imperial Manor parked at the entrance. The youth guard named A-Jin immediately stepped forward the moment he saw Ye Li emerge. "A-Jin pays respects to the Princess Consort."

Ye Li felt somewhat embarrassed. Although this was merely their second meeting, she could still perceive that this youth named A-Jin didn't appear to be particularly sharp-witted. Nodding her head and uttering a word of acknowledgment, Ye Li then boarded the carriage.

Mo Xiuyao was sitting propped against the carriage, currently looking down at a book in his hand. Beholding Ye Li's arrival, he casually set the book to one side, offering a flat smile as he spoke, "Take a seat. Were you startled last night?"

Ye Li walked over to sit opposite him, replying with a smile, "I was perfectly fine. I must trouble you for deliberately rushing over there."

As if recalling some amusing occurrence, the flat smile within Mo Xiuyao's eyes gained a touch more reality. "Fortunately, I rushed over. Otherwise, I still wouldn't know that my Princess Consort possessed such methods."

Ye Li shrugged her shoulders with absolute unconcern. She didn't mind letting Mo Xiuyao witness certain aspects of her true self; after all, they would be husband and wife in the future, and many things could fundamentally not be concealed even if one wished to hide them. "Mere insignificant tricks; I have caused Your Highness to view me with amusement."

Mo Xiuyao's brows knit slightly. "Must we continuously use the forms of address 'Your Highness' and 'Princess Consort'?"

Ye Li raised her eyes to look at him, somewhat bewildered. "Then how should I address you? Ye (Master)? Laoye (Old Master)? Fujun (Husband)? Guanren (Husband)?" Before she could even finish spouting them, Ye Li first let out a violent shudder. Hearing others use these titles normally didn't make her feel anything was amiss, but why did they sound so utterly awkward when emerging from her own mouth? Compared to those forms of address, Ye Li would still rather follow the general crowd and call him Prince or Your Highness.

Mo Xiuyao laughed, stating, "You may call me by my name."

"Mo... Xiuyao?"

"Xiuyao," Mo Xiuyao corrected. "May I call you A-Li?"

Ye Li nodded her head, feeling highly fortunate that he hadn't chosen to call her Li'er. To speak the truth, aside from her elders, it was very difficult for her to grow accustomed to such intimate forms of address.

"I released that person from yesterday; you don't mind, do you?" Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao and spoke with a serious expression.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head, his expression exceptionally relaxed as he laughed. "It does not disrupt anything. Since you do not haggle over it, then let us drop the matter; after all, Han Mingyue is also not someone easily offended."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "You seem to not be surprised in the slightest regarding his connection to Han Mingyue?"

"During my youth, I shared a bit of acquaintance with Han Mingyue."

Ye Li understood perfectly. For Mo Xiuyao to admit to sharing a bit of acquaintance, it was bound to be no ordinary relationship.

"Your Highness, the Prince Li Manor has arrived."

Amidst the casual chitchat drifting back and forth between the two, they had already arrived outside the Prince Li Manor. Neither of them was a talkative individual, yet Ye Li discovered that speaking with Mo Xiuyao was absolutely never boring.

"A-Li."

Just as Ye Li rose and prepared to step down from the carriage, Mo Xiuyao suddenly called out.

Ye Li turned her head, looking at him with bewilderment. Mo Xiuyao looked at her quietly. "Are you truly fully prepared?"

"Is there a need to prepare anything?" Ye Li's elegant brows rose slightly, momentarily unable to recall whether she had truly forgotten something.

Mo Xiuyao was startled, a highly shallow trace of a smile hooking upon the corners of his lips as he spoke softly, "It is nothing. Go on down."

With Prince Ding personally arriving to offer congratulations, the Prince Li Manor naturally could not show any negligence. Especially since Prince Ding hadn't shown his face publicly within the capital for nearly eight years now, personally participating in Prince Li's wedding could be considered giving immense face to Prince Li.

Furthermore, according to the generational ranking of the imperial family, Prince Ding—who was of a similar age to Prince Li—was actually one generation higher than Prince Li. Consequently, not only Prince Li himself, but even the imperial relatives who had arrived to attend the wedding emerged together to welcome them.

The Prince Ding Imperial Manor had not put on any grand display. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the first to emerge from the horse carriage was actually a young lady dressed in pale purple. Embroidered upon her clove-colored attire were elegant patterns of intertwining lotus flowers, and her black hair was loosely coiled up, a gemstone butterfly步摇 (fringe hairpin) threading through flowers gleaming radiantly amidst her hair. With merely a slight turn of her face, she allowed everyone to behold a clear, beautiful countenance lightly touched by cosmetics.

Very quickly, two guards lifted the curtain of the horse carriage, hoisting Mo Xiuyao alongside the wheelchair beneath him down from the carriage as though he were light as nothing. Mo Xiuyao flatly swept his gaze over the crowd at the entrance of the Prince Li Manor who appeared somewhat dazed, before turning his face to look toward Ye Li standing to one side, extending his hand out to her.

Ye Li raised her hand and allowed Mo Xiuyao to grasp it, while behind them, A-Jin had already pushed the wheelchair forward toward the entrance of the Prince Li Manor.

"Ahem... Greetings to Prince Ding."

Finally, someone reacted. Glancing at Prince Li, who was still staring fixedly at the approaching Prince Ding without a shred of reaction, the individual who had regained his senses let out a soft cough to serve as a reminder for the host to welcome his guests.

"Greetings to Prince Ding."

"Today is Prince Li's wedding; everyone need not stand on ceremony," Mo Xiuyao spoke in a gentle voice, before looking toward Mo Jingli with a smile. "Jingli, congratulations to you."

"Many thanks!" Mo Jingli stared fixedly at Ye Li standing beside Mo Xiuyao, gnashing his teeth as he spoke.

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow. "Are you not going to invite us inside?"

Mo Jingli could only step aside to clear the path and invite the two inside, yet he refused to let another single word pop out from his mouth. Mo Xiuyao evidently understood Mo Jingli's temper very well, raising his head to smile at Ye Li. "Let us head inside." Ye Li pursed her lips and smiled, nodding without a word. Following alongside Mo Xiuyao to step into the main gates of the Prince Li Manor, the peripheral light of her eyes caught sight of Feng Zhiyao standing in an inconspicuous corner, looking at the trio at the entrance while laughing in an exceptionally... punchable manner.

Upon entering the Prince Li Manor, Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao was also personally waiting inside the main hall to welcome them. Beholding Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li entering side by side, her eyes merely flashed for a brief moment before she very quickly rose to step forward with a beaming smile. "For Li'er's grand wedding, it is rare that Xiuyao is willing to personally come forward. It truly causes the Prince Li Manor to be filled with absolute splendor. It seems the affection between Xiuyao and the future Princess Consort is also exceptionally excellent. Once your grand wedding arrives, this Consort must naturally deliver a heavy gift."

Mo Xiuyao nodded slightly, the expression upon the half of his face exposed to the outside appearing respectful and gentle. "I have caused the Dowager Consort to remain concerned. At that time, Xiuyao will certainly eagerly await the grand arrival of the Dowager Consort and Jingli." Ye Li stood quietly beside Mo Xiuyao, not opening her mouth to interject. For some unknown reason, ever since she met Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao last time, this seemingly majestic, elegant, and genial Dowager Consort always caused a touch of vigilance to sprout within her heart.

"There are no outsiders present here either; Third Miss Ye, please take a seat as well." Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao did not forget to greet Ye Li amidst her conversation with Mo Xiuyao. Ye Li offered a soft word of thanks before taking a seat at the position beside Mo Xiuyao, yet she rather unfortunately happened to sit directly opposite Mo Jingli. Without needing to raise her head to look, she could feel Mo Jingli staring fixedly at her with immense ferocity. Being stared at in such a manner under these circumstances caused a touch of annoyance to sprout within Ye Li's heart. Wasn't a person who was about to wed supposed to be busy to the point of lightheadedness? Why was this Mo Jingli so idle as to sit here listening to people wag their tongues?

"Oh, what is the matter with Jingli? Why does he keep staring fixedly at Third Miss Ye?" A somewhat piercing woman's voice echoed through the main hall. Ye Li knit her brows, raising her head to look toward that person. Only a mere seven or eight individuals were seated inside this main hall, but those personally accompanied by Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao were naturally no ordinary guests; at the very least, they were not people a daughter of the Minister's Manor like Ye Li could afford to offend.

The speaker was currently raising her phoenix eyes, staring at Ye Li with a thoroughly critical expression, her fine attire of phoenix-patterned peony brocade displaying the extraordinary identity of the newcomer. The moment her words emerged, those who had originally placed their attention upon Mo Xiuyao—whom they hadn't seen for a long time—instantly cast their gazes onto Ye Li all at once.

Yet that person did not intend to let the matter rest there. A cold light unfurled within her shrewd phoenix eyes as she let out a soft laugh and spoke in a shrill voice, "Speaking of which, this Princess almost forgot; isn't Third Miss Ye precisely Jingli's former fiancée?"

"Presumably, Jingli is merely somewhat curious about the new generation's number one talented woman of the capital. Are the various esteemed guests present here not equally curious?" Mo Xiuyao's voice echoed flatly through the main hall. His voice appeared gentle and entirely stripped of any spark of fury, yet it could very blatantly allow people to hear his protection over his fiancée. Ye Li lowered her head, silently watching her hand be grasped within a slightly cool, large hand.

"What Prince Ding says is precisely correct. Third Miss Ye has truly lived up to that saying: making no sound initially, only to startle everyone with a single cry. Thinking back, Madame Ye was also of a quiet and non-contending nature back then, yet that literary talent and elegant demeanor remain fresh within our memories even today." The white-haired old lady seated at the very front laughed heartily, and her gaze as she looked upon Ye Li was also exceptionally kind.

Ye Li offered a shallow smile. "The Old Madame overpraises me. It is difficult for Ye Li to even match the shadow of my late mother's elegant demeanor; I only hope to inherit a fraction or two, which will be entirely sufficient." The Old Madame nodded her head in admiration, stating, "She is a humble and good child."

"This is the Old Madame of the State Duke of Hua," Mo Xiuyao introduced her to Ye Li in a soft voice.

Only then did Ye Li understand; so this was actually Tianxiang's grandmother.

Following that, Mo Xiuyao introduced the several individuals present to Ye Li one by one. Without any surprise, they were either the family members of high-ranking officials who sat at the pinnacle of court ministers, or imperial relatives of the royal family. Furthermore, that fine-clothed woman who had been the first to open her mouth was precisely the aunt of the current Emperor and Prince Li: Grand Princess Zhaoren. She was also the biological mother of Princess Royal Ronghua.

Recalling Princess Royal Ronghua's arrogant attitude at the Hundred Flowers Grand Feast, Ye Li could only let out a sigh that they were indeed mother and daughter. It was merely unknown what exactly was the cause of this Grand Princess Zhaoren's so blatantly obvious hostility toward her. It surely couldn't be solely because of Princess Royal Ronghua, could it?

While Mo Xiuyao was introducing Ye Li, the people present also silently re-evaluated this Third Miss Ye who had been jilted by Prince Li and subsequently bestowed to Prince Ding. For Prince Ding to personally introduce her to Great Chu's most powerful aristocrats was already sufficient to display the importance he attached to her. Consequently, aside from Mo Jingli, whose countenance had turned even more unsightly, the atmosphere within the main hall remained consistently harmonious and friendly.