The First Jasmine - Chapter 104

Chapter 104 - Lantern Festival

After returning to the capital, Mo Xiuyao was busy handling the court situation and the Emperor's unceasing probings, while Ye Li was busy managing the estate's affairs and the training of that group of elites beneath Black Cloud Peak, thus setting other matters aside for the time being. It was not until Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu paid a visit that Ye Li suddenly remembered the war over in Yongzhou had not yet concluded. Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu naturally came in the name of paying respects to the Prince of Ding's Consort. Back in the border city, under Murong Shen's insistence, Murong Ting had finally married Leng Haoyu, and upon returning to the capital, she had transformed from the eldest young miss of the Murong General's Manor into the Second Young Madam of the Leng family. Mo Xiuyao was definitely not uninvolved in Murong Ting marrying Leng Haoyu so quickly. Because of this, Ye Li felt quite guilty toward Murong Ting, though she finally set her mind at ease upon seeing Murong Ting still radiating vitality. It seemed Murong could always allow herself to live happily and joyfully regardless of the circumstances. Given Leng Haoyu's infatuation with Murong Ting, he presumably wouldn't bully her either.

"Murong, Young Master Leng, I am truly sorry for missing your wedding." Looking at Murong Ting, who was still dressed in red and in high spirits, Ye Li smiled apologetically. Murong Ting waved her hand dismissively with a smile. "What is there to be sorry about? It's all my father's fault for forcing me..." As she spoke, she cast a resentful and indignant glare at Leng Haoyu sitting beside her, though that gaze distinctly carried a hint of unique, coquettish charm and a woman's exclusive flair never seen before. Leng Haoyu smiled good-naturedly at Murong Ting without refuting her. Seeing this, Ye Li merely shook her head slightly with a faint smile; since Leng Haoyu could be so indulgent toward Murong's temperament, it was clear his feelings ran extremely deep, especially considering Leng Haoyu's own temperament could hardly be described as overly patient.

Leaving Mo Xiuyao and Leng Haoyu to discuss matters, Ye Li pulled Murong Ting aside to chat idly. Murong Ting glanced somewhat perplexedly at Leng Haoyu and Mo Xiuyao sitting not far away. She was not a fool; although it had been less than a month since her marriage to Leng Haoyu, she still vaguely felt that the private Leng Haoyu was somewhat different from the person she had known before. Now, seeing him sitting together with the Prince of Ding and talking, the expression on his face carried an earnestness and focus she had never seen before, which made Murong Ting even more certain in her heart. If Leng Haoyu truly were a good-for-nothing profligate, the Prince of Ding would never sit there keeping him company and talking, even out of consideration for Ye Li. "Murong, what is it?"

Murong Ting looked at her somewhat perplexedly and said, "Li'er... Is there something you guys are keeping from me?"

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a smile. "Who do you think is keeping something from you?"

Murong Ting said with some vexation, "I feel like Leng Haoyu is different from the person I used to know. Sometimes I even doubt whether I really know him at all." Although after returning to the manor Leng Haoyu still put on his usual act of loving wine, merriment, and frivolity while ignoring worldly affairs, they were husband and wife—how could Murong Ting not know that most of the time Leng Haoyu was busy in the study until the middle of the night, even though no one knew what exactly he was busy with?

With serene eyes, Ye Li gazed at Murong Ting and asked softly, "Does Murong feel happy after marriage? How are you getting along with the Second Young Master Leng?"

Murong Ting was startled, her face turning slightly red as she avoided Ye Li's gaze. Hesitatingly, she said, "Well... it doesn't seem to be that bad either... Um, what the others said wasn't wrong anyway; I was going to have to marry sooner or later. He was the person chosen by Father. Even though he always acted up, Father didn't say anything, which means he... shouldn't be that bad, right? Besides, he treats me quite well." Ye Li smiled; it seemed Second Young Master Leng's years of pestering were not without effect after all. Glancing back at Leng Haoyu, who was talking with Mo Xiuyao not far away while never forgetting to keep an eye on their side at any moment, Ye Li smiled and said, "Since you're so curious, why don't you just ask him?" Murong Ting said resentfully, "He acted like a fool in front of me for all these years, and now you expect me to go ask him? This young lady doesn't like doing that."

Ye Li did not meddle in the internal affairs of other couples, but simply asked with a smile, "Are you getting used to life in the Leng Manor?"

Murong Ting's face immediately fell as she looked at Ye Li with a grievance-laden expression. "There aren't many people in this world with as much good fortune as you, Li'er. Now I finally understand why Leng Haoyu dislikes the Leng family. That is simply not a place where a normal person can stay." The moment her new in-laws were brought up, Murong Ting was full of grievances, and now that she finally had someone she could confide in, she naturally wouldn't keep it from Ye Li. She rattled off everything that had happened since returning to the capital. The Leng family was considered a quite prestigious aristocratic clan in the capital, and this generation had even produced a Leng Qingyu, who became the commander of the capital's Imperial Guard at the age of twenty-six and could be regarded as the Emperor's most trusted confidant. Naturally, the entire Leng family pinned high hopes on him. By comparison, Second Young Master Leng, Leng Haoyu—the notorious profligate—was naturally unvalued. But it wasn't until Murong Ting truly married into the Leng family that she understood just to what extent Second Young Master Leng was unvalued. Even servants in the manor with a shred of standing dared to gossip about Leng Haoyu; if the head of the household hadn't condoned it, the subordinates would never have had such audacity.

Murong Ting's personality had never been one to swallow her anger in silence, and she naturally found these people unpalatable, causing no small number of scenes over the past few days. Yet the head matriarch of the Leng family—Leng Haoyu's nominal mother—never once stood on their side, right or wrong. Furthermore, the eldest young master of the Leng family, whom Murong Ting had previously admired endlessly, showed cold indifference, disregard, and disdain toward his younger brother, which also caused Murong Ting to bottle up plenty of frustration. No matter how careless she was, she could see it clearly: the entire Leng Manor simply had no place for Leng Haoyu. If anyone lived in such an environment all the time, they wouldn't have a pleasant disposition either.

Listening to Murong Ting's complaints, Ye Li asked with an amused smile, "I remember you didn't have a bad impression of the Eldest Young Master Leng before, did you?" In their few meetings, it seemed Murong Ting could never resist comparing Leng Qingyu and Leng Haoyu. Ye Li had never interacted with Leng Qingyu, but she had heard quite a bit about this famously cold-faced young master of the capital. However, the Leng family were diehard loyalists of the Emperor and clearly not on the same path as the Prince of Ding's Estate, so there was no need to seek out contact.

Murong Ting slumped powerlessly in her chair, looking pitifully at Ye Li. "Isn't there a saying like that... to be viewed from afar but not played with up close? Looking at him from afar before, naturally I thought he was fine. But having someone despise you from head to toe three times a day, even looking at you as if you were something filthy, is something nobody can stand." Ye Li raised an eyebrow with interest. "Is that how Leng Qingyu treats Second Young Master Leng?" Murong Ting shrugged. "In fact, aside from Leng Haoyu's father, their entire family treats him like that. I really can't stand staying a single day in that ghost place, but alas... no matter what, I can't just run back to the Murong Manor to live by myself, can I? Otherwise, if outsiders found out, goodness knows what rumors would start spreading. However, Leng Haoyu told me that once the wedding festivities are over, he will tell his father that we are going to buy a courtyard outside and move out to live on our own."

"Will General Leng agree?" Ye Li asked. As everyone knew, the Leng family placed an extremely high value on family reputation and morals, even though they had produced a rebellious son like Leng Haoyu who frequently made Old General Leng so angry that his soul almost left his body. One of the most striking things about the Leng family in the capital was that Old General Leng was the only one among all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital who did not have concubines. Both sons born to him were by Madam Leng. But at the same time, many people also knew that Second Young Master Leng was actually not born to Madam Leng. Second Young Master Leng's mother was a personal maidservant by Madam Leng's side who passed away right after giving birth to Leng Haoyu, so Leng Haoyu was raised under Madam Leng's name from birth, counting as a legitimate son of the Pacifying General's Manor. However, Madam Leng's excessive pampering of Second Young Master Leng had simply spoiled him into the capital's number one profligate and playboy.

Murong Ting curled her lip and said, "If Leng Haoyu said it's not a problem, then it shouldn't be. I certainly don't want to go pay my morning greetings every day only to be dragged along to sigh over how hopeless and bastardly Leng Haoyu is." Those people really took her, Murong Ting, for a fool. Leaving aside the fact that Leng Haoyu himself wasn't as bad as they claimed, even if Leng Haoyu truly were a profligate playboy, she had already married him—could it be she couldn't even tell who was close and who was distant? At worst, she would just dump Leng Haoyu into her father's army and let her father put him through a harsh training regimen. She had no interest in following a bunch of idle women around to discuss how terrible her husband was.

Ye Li nodded, looking at Murong Ting with a smile. "As long as you can trust him; since Second Young Master Leng told you this, it shows he is indeed capable of solving it. Mutual trust between husband and wife is the most important thing."

Murong Ting blinked and looked at Ye Li with a beaming smile. "Just like you and the Prince of Ding? Hehe... During that incident in Yonglin, the Prince of Ding appeared on the battlefield at the critical moment and happened to save the Princess Consort. When I was in Yonglin, I heard plenty of people talking about it in vivid detail; I'm afraid the entire Jiangnan region is spreading it around by now. Back in Yonglin City, those maidens were green with envy over the Prince of Ding's Consort."

Ye Li gave her a helpless, sideways roll of her eyes.

Over on the other side, once Mo Xiuyao and Leng Haoyu finished discussing their business, Leng Haoyu stood up to take his leave. Although Murong Ting felt a bit reluctant to part, she understood that they were both married people now, and especially since Ye Li had a mountain of official duties, she decided not to linger and stood up to take her leave alongside Leng Haoyu. Leng Haoyu glanced at Mo Xiuyao standing nearby and smiled at Ye Li, "Your Highness, Haoyu has heard that the Han family's new head is currently preparing some rather intriguing new business ventures. I just wonder if this humble one might have the opportunity to get a foot in the door?" Ye Li glanced sideways at Mo Xiuyao and smiled faintly, "Second Young Master Leng's sources of information are truly exceptionally well-informed." Leng Haoyu didn't mind and smiled, "A businessman naturally has some channels for business, making Your Highness laugh at me."

Ye Li laughed magnanimously, "Since Young Master Leng is interested, why not go talk to Young Master Han? I'm simply a hands-off manager who doesn't know how to do anything."

Leng Haoyu smiled, "The Princess Consort's talent and ideas consistently amaze people; how can you claim you don't know how to do anything? In that case, this humble one thanks the Princess Consort. Farewell."

"I won't see you out."

Murong Ting looked strangely between the two of them, not quite understanding what kind of business Leng Haoyu wanted to do, and why he had to ask Li'er if he was doing business with some Han family. However, at least this proved Leng Haoyu intended to get down to serious business, right?

After sending off Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu, Ye Li turned back and raised an eyebrow at Mo Xiuyao, whose expression looked somewhat displeased. "What is it? Did Leng Haoyu say something unpleasant?"

Mo Xiuyao reached out to pull her into his embrace, letting out a light huff. "What else could it be besides matters over in Yongzhou? Liu Jingyun and Guan Ting, those two good-for-nothings holding over a hundred thousand troops, actually allowed themselves to be suppressed by Murong Jingli's mere one hundred thousand men to the point of being beaten with no room to counterattack." Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "One hundred thousand? Murong Jingli split his forces to advance east?" Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Indeed. Mo Jingli recruited two hundred thousand troops from Lingzhou, wanting to occupy the entire region south of the Yunlan River in the shortest time possible. Originally it wouldn't have mattered much... but judging by the reports sent from Yongzhou, a formidable figure seems to have emerged in Mo Jingli's army. Having clashed with Liu Jingyun and Guan Ting over the past few days, those two good-for-nothings suffered three consecutive defeats. If General Murong hadn't reinforced them in time, I'm afraid Yonglin City would truly have been ruined in their hands."

"The Emperor is absolutely determined not to let the Mo Family Army march south to quell the rebellion, so no matter how angry you get, it's useless." Ye Li raised a hand to pat his arm in consolation.

Mo Xiuyao let out a deep sigh. "I know." He naturally knew that Mo Jingqi would rather cede the entire south of the Yunlan River to Mo Jingli than ever let the forces of the Prince of Ding's Estate stick their hands into it. Thus, the current situation had turned into a series of successive defeats on the southern front, with two good-for-nothings holding over a hundred thousand troops yet utterly failing to achieve a single military merit. Meanwhile, the faction of the Prince of Ding's Estate, starting from Mo Xiuyao down, no matter how much they wished to deploy troops southward, could only remain idle in the military and fret anxiously from the sidelines.

"Liu Jingyun has never fought a battle, let alone commanded over a hundred thousand troops, and that Guan Ting is likewise a good-for-nothing. General Pacifying the State is currently in poor health recuperating at home, and Elder Grand Duke Hua is advanced in age while also lacking the Emperor's trust. As for the commanders under the Prince of Ding's Estate, needless to say, even if Mo Jingli occupied the entire south, the Emperor would never let them take the battlefield." Ye Li murmured in thought.

Mo Xiuyao said in a deep voice, "With General Murong keeping watch, that good-for-nothing Guan Ting can at least hold out for a few months as long as he doesn't try to be too clever. But... once Mo Jingli truly occupies the south and turns back to deal with him, that will be his time of death." Ye Li frowned. "At Mo Jingli's pace, by the time that actually happens, you should still be up in Northern Rong, right?" Mo Xiuyao shook his head, emitting a slight, angry huff. "Forget it, if they like tossing things about, let them toss. I don't have the time to bother with them right now. Having something to do will at least keep Mo Jingqi from staring fixedly at the Prince of Ding's Estate all day long." Ye Li smiled helplessly, "I'm afraid no matter how many things he has to do, he will never forget the Prince of Ding's Estate."

"Since he likes staring at the Prince of Ding's Estate without letting up, this Prince will give him enough to look at. A-Li, let's go out for a stroll." Wrapping one arm around Ye Li's slender waist, Mo Xiuyao smiled softly and turned to lead her outside. Ye Li glanced doubtfully at the darkening sky outside. "It's getting dark, where are you going for a stroll?" Mo Xiuyao smiled, "You'll know once we get there."

Walking among the endless stream of flowing crowds, having lived in Chu Capital for so many years, Ye Li had never known that the nights of Chu Capital could be so bustling and lively. This was not a place frequented by the capital's nobility, but rather a marketplace gathered by ordinary commoners. As night fell and the lanterns were lit, all sorts of lanterns—some simple, others exquisite and ornate—were hung along both sides of the street. On the streets, people strolled and laughed in twos and threes. It truly was a scene of peace and prosperity. Ye Li looked down at their intertwined hands; although there were lanterns everywhere, they ultimately fell short of daylight's brightness. Most people on this street were ordinary commoners, so the two of them walking in the crowd didn't attract too much attention. At most, someone would occasionally look at the mask on Mo Xiuyao's face and marvel at the couple's appearance and bearing.

"What day is it today?" Gazing at the joyful, bustling crowd, Ye Li leaned into Mo Xiuyao's embrace and asked curiously.

Mo Xiuyao raised his hand, carefully shielding her within his embrace, and smiled softly, "Nothing particularly special. There is a night market and lantern festival in the capital every month, and on this day, the curfew is lifted two hours later than usual. Thus, this is also one of the capital's liveliest days. This is a tradition of the capital; did A-Li not know?" Ye Li fell silent; she truly had not known there was such a day in the capital. Mo Xiuyao turned his head to look at her with a smile, " Playing and enjoying oneself with these commoners is completely different from mingling with those high-ranking officials and nobles. I used to come here almost every month when I was young, so I've always wanted to bring you along to see it too." Ye Li raised her head to look at him, smiling faintly, "Then if we have free time in the future, let's come every month as well. The capital is truly rather dreadfully boring."

Gazing at Ye Li's exquisite and delicate visage under the lantern light, Mo Xiuyao pulled her into his embrace, rested his head against her shoulder, and laughed softly, "Alright, if A-Li likes it, we will come every month from now on."

Passersby watched as a tall, striking, and outstanding man carefully shielded a delicate, graceful woman within his arms. Judging by the woman's garments and hair styling, she was clearly a married woman. In everyone's eyes, this matched pair of jade must undoubtedly be a newlywed young couple. They could not help but successively reveal good-natured smiles.

Holding Ye Li's hand, Mo Xiuyao familiarly threaded through the crowds. Although he hadn't been here for several years, the lantern festival hadn't changed much, and Mo Xiuyao skillfully found his target: a rather crude-looking stall selling flower lanterns. The stall owner was an elderly man with graying hair who was meticulously hanging finished flower lanterns one by one onto a rack at the side. However, the old man was quite advanced in age, and holding a lavish lotus lantern high up, he trembled as he tried several times without managing to hang it on the highest hook. Mo Xiuyao stopped beside him, reached out to take the lantern from the old man's hand, and hung it up. The old man was stunned at first, but upon turning his head, he saw an extraordinarily refined and distinguished couple standing before him. Looking at Mo Xiuyao, the old man couldn't help frowning slightly as he said, "Many thanks, young master... This young master looks somewhat familiar; this old man feels as though he has seen you somewhere before..." Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly. "I used to come here often in past years, and I actually bought quite a few lanterns from you, old sir. No wonder you find me looking familiar."

The old man waved his hands awkwardly. "This old man is unworthy of being called 'sir'. Is this young master taking his wife out to enjoy the lantern festival? Would you like to buy a lantern to play with and admire?"

The word "wife" evidently pleased Mo Xiuyao greatly. He glanced sideways at Ye Li, pointed to a pair of plain lanterns piled off to the side, and said, "We'll take these two." The old man looked at the two of them with some hesitation; although the garments of this young master and lady were not exceptionally lavish, he had spent the better part of his life selling lanterns and had naturally seen plenty of people coming and going. These two could tell at a glance that they were nobility; no matter how one looked at it, they didn't look like people who would take a fancy to such plain lanterns. Ye Li also understood the old man's thoughts and smiled faintly, "Let's take these two. They look simple and elegant, yet quite unique."

Seeing that the two of them genuinely seemed to want these simple lanterns, the old man nodded, picked up the lanterns, and handed them over. Ye Li took them in her hands; indeed, they were very ordinary lanterns, with passable workmanship, but compared to various other strangely shaped figures of flowers and birds, they were merely standard and conventional. Even the outer paper was made from ordinary white paper with some flowers and grasses sketched and pasted onto it. They were likely just a pair hastily cobbled together from leftover materials after finishing other lanterns. Mo Xiuyao took the lanterns from Ye Li's hands, inspected them, smiled at her, turned around, and picked up the writing brush and ink left by the old man on the side. After a moment, he stopped his brush, nodded with considerable satisfaction, and handed the lantern back to Ye Li. Ye Li looked down: taking advantage of the blank spaces left on the original floral and grassy sketch, he had painted a slender woman on each. One held a scroll while frowning, another plucked a flower while grasping a sword. Although they were drawn with just a few sparse strokes, they gave the impression that the women's graceful and beautiful appearances were leaping off the surface. The originally monotonous and uninteresting lantern instantly transformed into an exquisite beauty lantern.

Ye Li looked at the lantern in her hand, then looked at the other lantern set aside, and smiled with pursed lips. Taking up the brush, she began sketching on the other lantern. The time she took was evidently longer than Mo Xiuyao's, but Mo Xiuyao didn't mind, waiting patiently by the side until she finished drawing. When Ye Li handed the completed lantern back to him, Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. On the lantern, a man leaped on a horse with a leveled spear, radiating an extraordinary and awe-inspiring momentum. Ye Li hadn't painted multiple figures like Mo Xiuyao had; the entire scene featured only that man leaping through the air on horseback, exuding a sharp, overbearing aura akin to a war god descending to earth. This was precisely the scene outside Yonglin City that day. Looking at the lantern in his hand, Mo Xiuyao's smile deepened. "Was this how I looked in A-Li's eyes back then?"

Ye Li's pretty face flushed slightly as she minding her own business and raised her beauty lantern. "My work isn't as vivid as yours; if you don't like it, forget it."

Mo Xiuyao laughed, "How could I not like it? I will definitely cherish it properly." Looking at the figure on the lantern, Mo Xiuyao felt a surge of even greater delight in his heart; he had never known that in A-Li's eyes, he possessed such an extraordinary and razor-sharp aura.

Taking out coins to pay the old man who had been watching the two of them paint their own lanterns from the side, Mo Xiuyao took Ye Li's hand once more and continued walking forward. The old man, who had been watching them in a daze, lowered his head to look at the scattered silver pieces in his hand—enough to match his entire night's earnings from selling lanterns. His gaze flickered for a moment, as though suddenly remembering something, and his expression grew somewhat stirred. "It's... so it turns out to be..." What it was, however, remained unsaid. The old man gazed blankly at the retreating pair of figures. Several years ago, there had also been a high-spirited young master in brocade who came to buy lanterns from him every month. But each time, the youth would only pick the most ordinary and poorly made ones, yet every single time he would pay the full silver price for a top-quality lantern. As time passed, he finally understood that the youth saw he was elderly and alone, and worried that those poorly made ones wouldn't sell, which was why he picked the worst ones. It was just that a few years ago, that youth had stopped appearing altogether...