The First Jasmine - Chapter 43
Chapter 43: The Most Unfortunate Wedding in History (Part III)
"Ye Li!"
Within the garden of the Prince Li Manor, Hua Tianxiang was pulling Ye Li along as they conversed when a tall silhouette suddenly materialized in front of them, blocking their path.
"Your Highness Prince Li, may I ask what matter you have?" Hua Tianxiang shielded Ye Li behind herself, raising her beautiful little face to inquire. Ever since the incident at the Chuxiang Pavilion, Hua Tianxiang’s favorable impression of His Highness Prince Li had taken a linear plunge, and currently, it was nearing a negative value. Beholding Mo Jingli appearing before the two of them with an unkind expression, she naturally assumed he intended to look for trouble with Ye Li.
Mo Jingli knit his brows in displeasure. "This Prince is not looking for you."
Hua Tianxiang spoke without a shred of politeness, "Ought Your Highness not be attending to the guests at this moment? The individuals entering and exiting this garden right now are mostly the female family members of various manors; for Your Highness to move amongst them is feared to be highly inconvenient. Even if Your Highness does not care about your own reputation, you should at least show some consideration for others."
"This Prince has words to speak with Ye Li. Step aside," Mo Jingli commanded impatiently.
"Whatever words you have, simply say them straight out; Li'er can hear you," Hua Tianxiang countered.
Mo Jingli narrowed his eyes dangerously. "This Prince said, step aside!"
Hua Tianxiang still wished to say something more, but she was pulled back by Ye Li. "Tianxiang, go ahead first to see if Murong and the others have arrived. I shall come over in a short while."
"But..." Hua Tianxiang cast a worried glance toward Mo Jingli.
Ye Li laughed and reassured her, "Do not worry, Xiuyao will come to find me once he finishes speaking with Old Madame Hua."
Hearing this, Hua Tianxiang winked playfully at Ye Li, her tone carrying a touch of teasing, "Xiu... yao, is it... Very well, I shall go look for Murong. You... be a bit careful." After speaking, she even shot Mo Jingli a warning glare before waving her hand to Ye Li and turning to depart. Looking upon Hua Tianxiang's rare, childish actions, Ye Li felt immensely touched amidst her amusement. Hua Tianxiang was a daughter of a grand household who truly understood the greater decorum; if it weren't for her sake, she would absolutely never actively provoke Mo Jingli.
Watching the silhouette of Hua Tianxiang’s departure, Mo Jingli's originally grim face turned so dark it looked as though ink could drip from it.
Once Hua Tianxiang vanished around the corner of the garden, Ye Li retracted the smile upon her face. Turning to look at Mo Jingli, she asked, "What does Your Highness have to say?"
"Ye Li, you are truly something!" Mo Jingli ground his teeth.
Ye Li swept her gaze up and down Mo Jingli, her words remaining gentle and unhurried as always. "I do not understand what Your Highness is speaking of."
"Humph! Do you believe this Prince will simply let last night's matter drop just like that?" Mo Jingli stared fixedly at her as he let out a cold laugh.
"I thought... these words should not be the turn of Your Highness to speak." It was clearly he who had found someone to abduct her with the intent of committing an indecent act, yet how did his current appearance make it seem as though she had performed something to wrong him? What exactly is wrong with this world? Ye Li could not help but wonder.
"Could it be you still intend to exact revenge upon this Prince?" Mo Jingli mocked with absolute disdain.
"That is rather unnecessary. If it is not some grand affair, this young lady generally exacts her revenge right on the spot. If Your Highness has no further business, Ye Li shall take her leave."
"Stop right there!" Mo Jingli roared in fury. Extending a hand, he grabbed Ye Li and shoved her behind the artificial rockery.
Ye Li lowered her eyes to cast a glance at the hand firmly clutching her wrist, and her face similarly sank. "Your Highness Prince Li, please conduct yourself with self-respect!"
"Self-respect?" Mo Jingli let out a cold, disdainful laugh. "Who do you think you are? Merely a woman this Prince did not want. Do you believe that clinging onto Mo Xiuyao is enough? Tell me... if someone were to come over and witness this right now, would you still possess the face to marry Mo Xiuyao? Or perhaps, even that waste Mo Xiuyao would find you loathsome, would he not?"
A flash of danger darted through Ye Li's half-veiled, clear eyes. "Your Highness Prince Li, please release me."
"What can you do if this Prince refuses to release you?" Mo Jingli laughed coldly, looking upon the delicate woman before him as though he were examining a small bird trapped inside a cage.
Unfortunately, he did not know that this seemingly delicate, gentle, and graceful woman before his eyes was internally a hunting falcon capable of devouring a man alive. The corners of Ye Li's lips hooked up slightly. "What can I do? This!"
Her other free, pristine hand nimbly and forcefully clamped down upon Mo Jingli's arm. With merely a slight exertion of force, a wave of piercing pain instantly struck his heart. Before Mo Jingli could even react, he had already been floored by a shoulder throw. And even more unfortunately, because the two were standing beneath the artificial rockery, the back of Mo Jingli's head collided heavily against the stone structure, causing him to black out and lose consciousness right on the spot.
Ye Li had also not expected such a scenario to occur, so her subsequent attacks were instantly retracted. Bending down to inspect Mo Jingli's condition and ensuring there was no major harm, she then stood back up. Raising her foot, she delivered several swift kicks to Mo Jingli's body to appease her own fury. Her former profession rendered her far more familiar with human anatomy than the vast majority of people; naturally, she was perfectly clear on how to make a person experience greater pain without leaving behind any visible bruises or marks.
Having pacified the anger within her heart, Ye Li could not help but knit her brows. Knocking out Prince Li inside the Prince Li Manor was truly no good matter, particularly on the very day of Prince Li's grand wedding. However, it wasn't a trouble entirely devoid of explanation either. Casting a glance at the unconscious, unlucky bastard upon the ground, Ye Li calmly stepped over the obstacle and walked out with absolute composure.
Departing from the rockery and traversing a turn or two, she beheld Hua Tianxiang and Murong Ting waiting there with expressions covered in worry. Beholding Ye Li's arrival, they hastily stepped forward to welcome her. "A-Li, are you perfectly fine? Did Prince Li do anything to you?" Murong Ting grasped Ye Li in extreme anxiety.
Ye Li laughed and replied, "Look at me, am I not perfectly fine? What could he possibly do to me in broad daylight?"
Murong Ting let out an embarrassed laugh and said, "It was my thoughts that went amiss. However, it is still best for you to remain a bit further away from Prince Li."
Hua Tianxiang nodded her head in agreement, inquiring with mild curiosity, "How did you finish speaking so rapidly?"
Ye Li spread her hands. "There was fundamentally nothing to speak of to begin with."
"Let us cease speaking of these disappointing individuals; we should rather go sit down and sip some tea. I truly envy Zheng'er; Master Qin never forces Zheng'er to attend banquets she dislikes."
Ye Li nodded her head, joining hands with the two as they headed toward the crowded areas in front.
The subsequent wedding ceremony commenced according to the scheduled timeframe. This allowed the wedding—which had been touched by a trace of slight embarrassment due to missing the auspicious hour for welcoming the bride earlier—to finally look forward to a successful conclusion, provided one could ignore His Highness Prince Li's countenance, which resembled someone attending a funeral more than a wedding.
Seated beside Hua Tianxiang, Ye Li beheld Mo Xiuyao looking toward her from the opposite side with eyes carrying a trace of a smile. Following that, his gaze swept a full circle around Mo Jingli, who was currently walking over side by side with Ye Ying while holding the red silk ribbon, and the smile within his eyes deepened further. Almost instantly, Ye Li understood that Mo Xiuyao bound to have already learned of the occurrence that transpired upon Mo Jingli's person this afternoon. Yet looking upon Mo Xiuyao's gaze, Ye Li also felt that matters might not be entirely finished yet.
Thus, when the ceremony reached its midpoint and the master of ceremonies conducting the wedding shouted for the husband and wife to bow to one another, followed by a loud thud as the groom collapsed to the ground entirely unresponsive, Ye Li did not display even half a shred of surprise. Instead, a sensation of as expected arose within her. At this very moment, Ye Li absolutely believed that Mo Jingli would probably never wish to conduct a wedding ceremony ever again in his entire lifetime. Any individual who collapsed into unconsciousness three times within a span of less than twelve hours before and after their wedding would inevitably develop a certain psychological shadow toward weddings.
"How... how could it turn out like this?" Murong Ting was so astonished her mouth lacked but a fraction to close entirely.
Hua Tianxiang was equally open-mouthed and dazed. "This..." She also did not know what exactly she ought to say. In truth, she was beginning to feel a touch of sympathy toward Ye Ying. Missing the auspicious hour for welcoming the bride was one thing, but for the groom to collapse during the wedding ceremony...
"Whew... A-Li, this Prince Li's physical health is simply too poor. Fortunately..."
The crowd of guests was entirely stunned by this abrupt transformation. It was Grand Dowager Consort Xianzhao who reacted first, hastily directing people to deliver the groom and bride back to their chambers while simultaneously ordering servants to summon the imperial physicians. The groom had collapsed, yet the wedding feast still had to continue, though the guests rather felt the food lacked any flavor.
While the noble ladies speculated about the genuine cause behind Prince Li's collapse, they simultaneously pondered in their hearts over the latest gossip that would emerge within the capital tomorrow. Ye Li, on the other hand, mentally deduced the various consequences of rendering Mo Jingli unconscious this afternoon, and feeling there was no major issue, she peacefully enjoyed the delicious and exquisite delicacies alongside Hua Tianxiang and Murong Ting.
Upon catching sight of a certain man standing in an inconspicuous corner who was laughing with absolute complacency as he raised his wine cup to toast her from afar, she nodded her head slightly to return the courtesy. This wedding... was indeed highly interesting.