The First Jasmine - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: A Shocking Twist at the Wedding

Because the Prince of Li’s Manor had completely lost face during the previous wedding, Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao had likely mustered all her strength this time, determined to reclaim their dignity. The sheer scale and pomp of marrying a secondary consort was grand enough to rival the welcoming of a formal wife. However, considering Princess Ling Yun’s status as a princess of a nation, outsiders could not find any fault with it. This only caused Ye Ying’s already strained countenance to grow even more somber.

On the day of the wedding, Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao arrived together at the Prince of Li’s Manor. Mo Jing Li stood personally at the entrance to welcome the guests. Out of habit, Ye Li noticed that Mo Jing Li still maintained his usual poker face, devoid of even a shred of joy. Had it not been for that brand-new, bright red wedding robe, and had his face not been genuinely handsome, the passing guests might have genuinely wondered whether they should turn around, head home, and change into black-and-white funeral attire before attending this... wedding.

Now, Ye Li truly felt a genuine inkling of sympathy for Ye Ying. This fellow Mo Jing Li was not born cold and detached; he was just habitually putting on a certain front. If any man dared to display such a half-dead expression at her wedding, she would kick him to death without hesitation, whether in her past life or this one.

Signaling to Mo Jing Li that he did not need to mind them, Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li entered the Prince of Li's Manor under the escort of the manor’s chief steward. Mo Jing Li indeed had no leisure to pay them any heed. Perhaps to win back the face lost last time, Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao had not only extravagantly flaunted the wedding's grandeur, but had also invited the Empress Dowager herself to preside over the wedding for her son. To be able to flatter and cater to the Empress Dowager was naturally a heavenly opportunity to curry favor. Consequently, as long as they were noble and influential officials within the capital, whether they had received an invitation or not, they all thought of every possible method to come to the doors to offer congratulations. For a time, the Prince of Li’s Manor was a bustling scene, with guests arriving like clouds and the courtyard as crowded as a marketplace.

"What is the matter? What is Ah Li thinking about?" Seeing the somewhat strange and entangled expression on Ye Li’s face beside him, Mo Xiu Yao inquired with a smile.

Ye Li shook her head and smiled, "It is nothing. It is just rather strange—does the Prince of Li possess only a single expression all year round? Is today not a day of great joy? If it were anyone else, they might inadvertently assume he holds some dissatisfaction toward the Emperor's marriage alliance."

Mo Xiu Yao turned his head to cast a glance at Mo Jing Li by the entrance, smiling as he said, "Jing Li has disliked smiling since childhood; those familiar with him have long since grown accustomed to it."

Ye Li did not care overly much about this matter either. Before the wedding commenced, the male guests and female attendants were settled separately. Upon entering the manor, stewards came forward respectively to invite Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li to head toward their proper destinations.

The managing nanny of the Prince of Li's Manor guided Ye Li into the inner estate. The female guests attending the wedding banquet were currently gathered in the gardens of the manor and the small pavilion within the garden, resting and engaging in idle chatter. Passing through the gardens where noble ladies gathered in groups of twos and threes, Ye Li was led into an elegant small pavilion on the eastern side of the garden. Sitting inside were all female guests of noble status or advanced years, with Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao leading Ye Ying to personally keep them company to one side.

Beholding Ye Ying’s deeply resentful expression and the hidden dissatisfaction within the space between Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao’s brows, Ye Li let out a soft sigh in her heart. Ye Ying and Ye Yue were both Wang clan women, both born with thousands of charms and delicate graces, so how could they differ by so much? It appeared that the decision of Old Madame Ye and Minister Ye was correct; even if Ye Ying’s appearance might surpass Ye Yue's by a fraction, with her type of temperament, she feared she would have long since been torn into shredded pieces by others had she been sent into the palace.

"Greetings, Grand Imperial Concubine." Ye Li stepped forward to pay her respects to the Grand Imperial Concubine.

Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao made a gesture to rise and welcome her, but Ye Li naturally could not truly allow her to rise. Before she could speak, Ye Li smiled and said, "So many noble ladies have arrived, yet it turns out I am the latest to arrive. I must ask the Grand Imperial Concubine not to blame me."

Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao’s body shifted a fraction, but she remained firmly seated, speaking with a smile, "Not at all. For the Princess Consort of Ding to be capable of arriving at our Prince of Li’s Manor brings immense luster to our humble dwelling. I wonder where the Prince of Ding..."

Ye Li smiled, "The Prince has arrived as well, but he went to the front courtyard first. He will come to pay his respects to the Grand Imperial Concubine in a short while."

Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao’s face was full of smiles as she praised Ye Li without pause; naturally, neither of the two involved individuals took these praises as anything real. Although Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao was not young, by strict calculation, she was of the same generation as Mo Xiu Yao. She had never expected the Prince of Ding to truly come personally to pay his respects to her.

After a round of exchange of pleasantries, Ye Li cast a glance around the small pavilion; nearly everyone sitting inside was an acquaintance. However, Eldest Princess Zhaoyang, Eldest Princess Zhaoren, and Old Madame Hua had not yet arrived. Sitting in the front, the Madame of Southern Marquis rose to offer her seat to Ye Li, and Ye Li expressed her thanks with a smile. The Madame of Southern Marquis was the mother-in-law of the eldest young lady of the Ye family, Ye Zhen. Ye Li possessed a fairly decent impression of that eldest brother-in-law, so she engaged in a few words of casual chatter with the Madame of Southern Marquis with a smile.

While listening to the noble ladies casually chatting about some tellable gossip within the capital, Ye Li would occasionally interject a few words. With some doubt, Ye Li discovered that Ye Ying, who sat below Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao, virtually did not open her mouth at all. Sitting there completely solitary, she resembled a beautiful puppet even more. Because of today's occasion, Ye Ying’s attire also differed from her past deliberately pure, elegant, and unearthly style; she wore a formal princess robe of primary red embroidered with gold and interlocking peony branches, which conversely caused her entire being to appear immensely unnatural. Just looking at her left people with an inexplicably awkward feeling.

It had to be said that Ye Ying had been pampered by the Wang clan to the point of completely lacking the air of a legitimate daughter of a noble family. The Wang clan had taken all of Ye Ying’s intelligence and time to apply toward learning the zither, go, calligraphy, painting, poetry, lyrics, song, and dance; yet in reality, many noble young ladies within influential families did not comprehend these paths at all, or only selected one or two to learn. They possessed a sufficiently excellent family background and did not worry about failing to marry into a good family. Having the reputation of a talented woman to add embroidery to the beautiful fabric was naturally better, but given a choice between the reputation of a talented woman and the methods of managing affairs and holding power, anyone would only choose the latter.

"Speaking of which, the Princess Consort of Ding and Ying'er must have not had a good chat for a long while. It is also not good for us old crones to require the Princess Consort to sit here and keep us company in dry silence. Ying'er, accompany the Princess Consort of Ding to walk outside." Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao had naturally detected the gaze Ye Li dropped onto Ye Ying, and without making things difficult, she directly commanded Ye Ying.

Ye Ying looked at Ye Li, pursing her lips as she rose. Ye Li rose and smiled toward Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao, "Since it is so, many thanks to the Grand Imperial Concubine for her thoughtfulness. Everyone, Ye Li will take her leave first."

Watching the two sisters depart, the Madame of Southern Marquis smiled and said, "Speaking of which, this Princess Consort of Ding speaks with elegance and comports herself with proper measure. If she were the daughter of an ordinary family, it is unknown how much grievance she would have to suffer; no wonder Old Madame Hua also praises the Princess Consort of Ding addedly."

The crowd also echoed in succession. They were all individuals who possessed daughters; if the Princess Consort of Ding had not married, who knew whether it would be their own daughter's turn to marry into the Prince of Ding’s Manor. The lintel of the Prince of Ding’s Manor was indeed high, but currently, the Prince of Ding possessed not a shred of power within the court, and was furthermore a crippled individual who was unfit in walking. If their own carefully nurtured young lady married over, would they not be distressed to death? Therefore, toward Ye Li, who had taken the step ahead to marry over, they inevitably held a fraction more of sympathy and pity within their thoughts. Looking further at this young lady, who was merely fifteen or sixteen years old, yet could possess such a calm and composed temperament after marrying such a husband, she was truly a decent one.

On the contrary, that Princess of Li who had once caused the broad circle of influential young ladies within the capital to feel endless envy left people a modicum unable to look up to her. Was she not the number one beauty who was proficient in the zither, go, calligraphy, and painting? She did not even comprehend the advance and retreat of treating people and receiving objects; it was truly unknown what exactly the Prince of Li took a fancy to in her. She truly did not resemble someone emerged from the same manor as that Princess Consort of Ding. Naturally, everyone merely kept such evaluations within their hearts, absolutely never bringing them to speak before Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao.

Ye Li led Ye Ying as they walked one after the other within the garden. Although Ye Li tried her best to select secluded places to walk, because the two possessed differing statuses after all, they still attracted the attention of quite a few individuals. Fortunately, everyone consisted of individuals who understood proper measure, comprehending that the Princess Consort of Ding and the Princess of Li wished to recount old times as sisters, and did not step forward to disturb them.

Ye Li glanced at Ye Ying’s sorrowful and resentful appearance as she pinched her handkerchief, knitting her brows as she inquired with helplessness, "What exactly is the matter with you? Mo Jing Li’s secondary consort has not even been wedded through the doors yet; for whom are you displaying this face of a resentful woman?"

Ye Ying gave her a resentful, glaring glance, saying faintly, "Tell me... is the Prince truly and sincerely in love with me?"

Ye Li rolled her eyes in her heart. If he sincerely loved you, this current scene would not exist, alright?

"Back then... he clearly stated that he only liked me alone, and would only be good to me alone."

 

Ye Li tried her best to prevent her own numb countenance from becoming distorted, her mind imagining the scene of Mo Jing Li proclaiming his heartfelt devotion to Ye Ying with a poker face, a wave of twitching hitting the depths of her heart. A poker-face man who was even bankrupt of a single expression—young lady, just how excellent must your vision be to allow yourself to believe he holds a piece of sincere heart toward you?

"Why... why has everything become different ever since getting married?" Ye Ying inquired with a somewhat lost soul and scattered spirit.

"Regarding this..." Ye Li felt herself suddenly possessed by a holy mother, unexpectedly wishing to comfort Ye Ying. "Is there not a phrase that states something like... marriage is the tomb of love? Since you have already lain down inside the tomb, stop longing for the matters of the past. Die early and be reincarnated early. Love? Dispense with stupidity; that is a matter outside the tomb."

Ye Ying was startled into a blank by her sudden, strange words, lowering her eyes as she murmured blankly, "Tomb... I, I truly ought not to have gotten married?"

Ye Li only wished to slap herself on the mouth, continuing to spout nonsense with an unshifted countenance, "Naturally not. When a man grows up he ought to marry, and when a woman grows up she ought to wed. Even if you do not wade into this tomb, you still must enter another grave. At least this one is still relatively better looking, is it not? Look at these young ladies and young masters before marriage—they are all beneath the flowers and under the moon, with dense affection and sweet intimacy. But have you ever seen any storybook write about the matters of those talented scholars and beautiful ladies after marriage?"

Ye Ying blanked for an instant, shaking her head.

Ye Li said with a solemn face, "This is precisely correct. Before marriage it is two hearts in mutual delight, a singular devotion. After marriage it is firewood, rice, oil, salt, parents-in-law, and children. You should also not feel sorrowful; at least ninety-nine percent of the people within this capital live their days like this, and no one will mock you."

Ye Ying stared at Ye Li with a strange face, as though she had never known her before. Only after a long half-hour did she state with unwillingness, "How come you are not like this? Within the Prince of Ding’s Manor, there are only you and the Prince of Ding, two masters."

Yo, young lady, are you envying me?

Ye Li waved her hand and said, "Our situation is different. Look, if you were asked to marry our Prince, you definitively would be unwilling, correct? I guess the majority of people are unwilling. In this way... does the Prince not become mine alone?"

"Is it like this?" Ye Ying lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Li possessed no interest in knowing what she was thinking about; she still remembered that she had not truly arrived to accompany Ye Ying to chat and perform psychological counseling. Watching Ye Ying thinking absent-mindedly, Ye Li inquired in an unconcerned manner, "Speaking of which... I truly never expected you would like the Prince of Li. I assumed you would like a gentle, elegant, and refined young master instead."

Ye Ying returned to her senses, her face turning red as she bit her lip corner and stared at her, saying, "Are you currently arriving to blame me for snatching the Prince of Li, or are you arriving to watch my joke?"

"Don't, I arrived to thank you." Ye Li held her hand while assuming an affectionate posture. "Although we were not born from the same mother, we are still sisters, are we not? Could it be that Fourth Sister truly assumed I would turn faces with you because of a man? In the past, I was merely angry that you had not told me the truth, that is all. Although we have not gotten along well since childhood, when have I ever snatched the items you liked from you? If you had spoken to me properly back then, we could have resolved the marriage contract in private, and it would not have caused those subsequent matters to erupt and leave everyone devoid of face."

Ye Ying looked with some suspicion at the face full of sincerity of the Ye Li before her. Looking back to think from childhood to adulthood, she had indeed taken quite a few items from Ye Li, yet every time Ye Li had spoken nothing (that was because she was too lazy to pay heed to you). It was merely that at that time, she had wished nothing more than for the matter of Ye Li’s marriage annulment to be made known to every single person so as to let her lose face; how could she have thought that in the end, the one who lost face would conversely be herself?

Thinking in this way, even within Ye Ying’s arrogant heart, she unconsciously felt a modicum uncomfortable, but she absolutely would not admit it.

Ye Li also did not look to see what caliber of expression she possessed, sighing with pity to one side, "Speaking of which, I always assumed Fourth Sister definitively would be matched with someone like the number one talented scholar of the capital in the future, a match of talented man and beautiful woman, a perfect union. Truly... the matters of the world make fools of people."

Ye Ying’s face flushed with shame. She had naturally also once fantasized about what caliber of appearance her ideal husband would possess. She had also once fantasized about a certain handsome, elegant, white-clothed man gently holding her hand and gazing into her eyes with deep affection. It was merely that later on, after getting to know the Prince of Li, the status of the Prince and the pleasure of trampling Ye Li beneath her feet caused her to gradually forget her former dream. By the time she truly fell in love with the Prince of Li, she conversely felt that it was merely a childish thought from her youth, nothing more. But now, the ideal husband of her sincere love treated her in this manner... if... if it were someone else, they definitively would not treat me like this... Ye Ying thought with a somewhat blurry mind within her heart.

"You... you truly do not hate me?" Ye Ying looked at her with hesitation.

Ye Li let out a shallow smile, "Did you not state last time as well that it was the meaning of Father? Perhaps Father felt that I was not suitable for the Prince of Li. But looking at it now, Father was correct; the Prince of Li and I are indeed unsuitable. I am very satisfied with my current life, and the Prince of Ding is also very good."

Gazing at Ye Li’s warm and tolerant smile, the hesitation within Ye Ying’s eyes gradually fanned away, and she bit her lip corner with a touch of grievance, saying, "Could it be that Father knew the Prince of Li would be like this and only then let me marry the Prince of Li? Mother always states that the ones Father and Grandmother value most are you. Father must have felt the Prince of Li was bad and only then wanted me to replace you!"

Ye Li looked toward the sky. That was your mother wishing to make you dislike me, okay? How come I failed to discern that those two at home valued me? Turning her head to look at Ye Ying, Ye Li felt a micro-fraction of pity for Minister Ye. This was the precious daughter he held within his palm to pain and spoil.

"Who does not know that Father spoils you the most? Presumably, there are times when anyone misjudges. Do you still recall what Father spoke to you at that time?"

Ye Ying lowered her head, speaking in a soft voice, "Father... Father stated that Eldest Sister the Imperial Consort and I are biological sisters, so Eldest Sister naturally would pain me a bit more. If I married the Prince of Li, I could also assist Eldest Sister a bit; with Eldest Sister present, others would also not dare to bully me. Furthermore... if I did not marry the Prince of Li, I could only select the young master of an official within the court for a marriage alliance in the future." If that were the case, with Ye Li married to the Prince of Li to perform the role of a princess consort, would she herself not eternally be a head lower than her?

Ye Li nodded. If it had not been for the situation of the Prince of Ding and herself being truly exceptional at that time, the Emperor absolutely would not have allowed two daughters of the Minister’s Manor to both marry royal princes. But... was it merely this? Ye Li always felt something was not right. Did her father truly merely because of excessive partiality instigate his youngest daughter to snatch his eldest daughter’s fiancé? No matter how she pondered it, it was unreasonable; there must definitively be something she did not know in existence.

However, looking at Ye Ying’s appearance, she likely would not know any truth. For such a long time, Ye Li had long since comprehended a fact. This chick Ye Ying looked arrogant and proud, and her character was truly self-serving and profit-seeking. But if it came to a real clash, her lethality was feared to be not even as large as Ye Shan and Ye Lin's. She had been spoiled too much by the Wang clan, a typical character who remembered the food but not the beating. Even after being caught and educated several times by Old Madame Ye, she would return to her old habits after no days.

Having thought a bit and realizing she could not fish out any useful words from Ye Ying, Ye Li prepared to rise and depart, but was grabbed firmly by Ye Ying, "What ought I to do?"

"I am not your mother." Ye Li endured her patience, "You are the formal Princess of Li; even if it is Princess Ling Yun, she cannot surpass your status. As long as you pull tight Mo Jing Li’s heart and do not let Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao dislike you, the days will also not be that hard to pass."

Ye Ying glared at her in dissatisfaction. She did not want her days to be not hard to pass; she wanted to pass comfortable days!

Ye Li let out a helpless, deep breath, saying, "For example right now, you ought to properly go accompany the Grand Imperial Concubine to receive the guests, letting others know that you are the righteous and properly-named formal princess of the Prince of Li’s Manor. Comprehend? If there are any further problems, go back to consult Grandmother; you would not assume that I, an individual who just got married and lacks parents-in-law standing in need of serving, would comprehend more than Grandmother, right?"

 

Diverting the disaster eastward, Ye Li held not a shred of guilt. In any case, the Old Madame was definitively willing to guide her. "However, if you possess any unhappiness, you can write a letter to inform me. If there is anything you cannot think through to comprehend, I can also quietly assist you in coming up with ideas. After all, we are sisters, are we not? Therefore, if there is any matter within the Ye family or the Prince of Li’s Manor, you must absolutely quietly inform me."

Having coaxed Ye Ying away, only then did Ye Li let out a long, long breath of air. Having spent such a long half-hour engaging in blind nonsense with Ye Ying, she had failed to ask out a single item.

"Third Young Master Feng, if you have listened enough, why not emerge?" Glancing at the tree branch to one side, Ye Li spoke calmly.

"Hehe..." The densely leaved branch was pushed aside, revealing a magnificent red robe inside. "Princess Consort of Ding, we meet again. Truly a fortunate encounter. However... how did the Princess Consort know it was this internal person?"

Ye Li glanced at him with a wooden expression. If Third Young Master Feng could refrain from dressing so brightly and dazzlingly, and furthermore making himself aromatically striking to people.

"Aromatically striking?!" Feng Zhi Yao’s eye corner twitched, lifting his own sleeve to take a sniff. The latest, most elegant magnolia scent from the Suhe Shop—how could it be aromatically striking? Was it not that without drawing close, one fundamentally could not smell it at all? He, Third Feng, was a tasteful, romantic young master, not one of those vulgar idiots who wished nothing more than to dump all the scented powder onto their bodies.

Looking at Feng Zhi Yao’s stiff, unsightly countenance, Ye Li lowered her brows in a shallow, detached smile. Feng Zhi Yao inspected his own attire for a round, and upon discovering there was not a single location that detracted from his image of an elegant young master, he attributed his exposure to Ye Li accidentally catching sight of his clothing corner. He smiled with a face full of intoxication and self-love, "Never expected the Princess Consort to actually care so immensely toward this internal person; just by seeing a tiny clothing corner, you could guess this internal person’s identity. Truly... an extreme honor..."

"Third Young Master Feng." Ye Li lifted her head and smiled beautifully, "Has no one taught you what is meant by 'a friend's wife must not be trifled with'? Or... ought I to convey your words to the Prince? Furthermore, the reason I am certain it is Third Young Master Feng is because within the entire capital, except for the groom, there is no male who would dress so... coquettishly."

Gack—

The smile upon Feng Zhi Yao’s face instantly froze, nearly failing to stand steadily and tumbling down from the tree. Shrugging his shoulders with helplessness, he reached out his hand to rub his stiff face, saying, "Fine, Third Feng acknowledges his mistake. I must ask the Princess Consort to extend sea-like tolerance."

Ye Li nodded with tolerance, while Feng Zhi Yao turned his face away, his handsome countenance distorting. He finally knew why Mo Xiu Yao would marry Ye Li; people of a family do not enter separate doors. He had never seen a woman who could put on a front better than Ye Li, and naturally, he had also never seen a man who could change faces faster than Mo Xiu Yao! "Speaking of which... the Princess Consort’s deduction just now was truly ten-thousand-fractions brilliant. Marriage is the tomb of love? Mm, mm?" Recalling the words he had just heard, Feng Zhi Yao gained a touch of pride once more. "Do not know if Ah Yao knows his dear Princess Consort’s thoughts?"

Ye Li held not a single half-fraction of a guilty conscience, nodding with a serious demeanor, "Third Young Master Feng must believe this Princess Consort. This sentence is absolutely a cautionary proverb that has gone through thousand-fold smeltings and ten-thousand-fold drillings. I believe Third Young Master Feng also agrees with this sentence of this Princess Consort; otherwise, with the young master’s such advanced age, how come you have still not wedded and married?"

Bullshit! This young master is of the same age as Mo Xiu Yao, alright?

Rubbing his nose, Feng Zhi Yao let out a bitter smile, "I conversely desired to enter the tomb, but unfortunately, people looked down on me." A strand of detached gloom flitted across his romantic and unbridled handsome face. Regarding individuals of lost love, single love, or secret love, Ye Li also did not know how to comfort him, capable only of saying, "Where within the edges of heaven lacks fragrant grass?"

Feng Zhi Yao cupped his hands toward her with a bitter smile to express his thanks for the comfort. Ye Li was also not well-positioned to disturb someone’s sorrowful sentiments, saying, "Then I will not disturb the young master first; farewell."

"Sigh..." Feng Zhi Yao looked at the woman who turned around and departed without a single hesitation, freezing for a brief instant before saying, "Your Prince requested me to come inspect you, requiring you to be a modicum careful."

"Many thanks." Careful? Ye Li strolled away while pondering along the way.

Feng Zhi Yao hatefully released the tree branch to conceal his own silhouette, complaining in a murmuring voice from his mouth, "What caliber of person has this young master nearly become? Even this type of minor matter stands in need of employing me. If he is worried, why could he not come inspect for himself? Mo Xiu Yao, the compensation you render had best be capable of matching this young master’s contribution toward you; otherwise..."

Just upon returning to the garden, Hua Tian Xiang pulled Qin Zheng and Murong Ting along as they happily lunged over. "Li'er, are you well?" Qin Zheng pulled Ye Li’s hand, inquiring with concern.

Hua Tian Xiang smiled and said, "Zheng'er, I long since stated to you to refrain from blindly worrying your mind. Can this fellow not be well? Currently within the capital, who is unaware of the roaring, majestic prestige of the Princess Consort of Ding? A character who, using mere fright, could frighten the Western Liang princess into crouching onto the ground to weep."

"Ah Li, an excellent specimen!" Murong Ting patted Ye Li’s shoulder in admiration, praising loudly and feeling incomparable regret. "Truly a pity. The matters of that day—this young lady actually unexpectedly failed to witness them. Ah Li, switch to another day when we have leisure, let us compare archery skills."

Ye Li waved her hand and smiled, "Dispense with it. It was merely frightening a young girl. I would not dare to compare archery skills with General Murong’s beloved daughter. Would that not be displaying one's incompetence before an expert?"

Murong Ting would not take her set, "Humph, this young lady doesn't believe you! In short, we must absolutely compare!"

"Alright, Ting'er, can you speak of something else? Do you wish to be chased and beaten by General Murong again, is it not so?" Qin Zheng spoke with a headache.

Murong Ting hummed in dissatisfaction, "Zheng'er, you only know how to utilize my dad to frighten me."

Ye Li looked with curiosity toward Qin Zheng and Hua Tian Xiang, but unfortunately, both of them closed their mouths and uttered nothing under Murong Ting’s threatening gaze. Hua Tian Xiang imperceptibly delivered her a glance that indicated 'speak of it later', and Qin Zheng pulled Ye Li while smiling, "Ever since Li'er’s grand wedding, except for Tian Xiang, we have all not seen Li'er yet."

Ye Li smiled with apology, "Recently there have been some minor matters within the manor, and I have also not departed the doors. In a few more days, you all come to the Prince of Ding’s Manor to play, acceptable?"

The four individuals found a location with few people to sit down. Qin Zheng and the other two inquired with concern regarding the situation of Ye Li’s new marriage life. Ye Li also did not wish to cause her friends to worry, picking out some fun and happy matters to speak of.

Hua Tian Xiang said with envy, "It is still Ah Li who is most blessed. Those individuals who were scared to death of marrying into the Prince of Ding’s Manor just possessed blocked minds. Behold how comfortable Ah Li’s current days are passed. The moment she entered the doors she was the managing mistress of the family; the population is simple, lacking intrigue and infighting. The Prince does not even possess a single concubine or chambermaid..."

Murong Ting nodded in agreement, "Tian Xiang speaks correctly; the Prince of Ding is indeed an excellent specimen!" This person worshipped the Prince of Ding’s Manor with a complete absence of principle.

Qin Zheng looked at Ye Li, the depths of her eyes still carrying a fraction of shallow worry. Ye Li held her hand with a smile to express that she was very well, and only then did Qin Zheng nod her head slightly.

Several friends who had not met for a long while were currently chatting with great joy. Ye Li had also temporarily thrown those annoying questions behind her mind to accompany her three friends in laughing and joking, when suddenly, from an unknown location, a sharp shriek resounded. Murong Ting bounced up from her stool with a thud, looking around with vigilance to search for the source of the sound.

Ye Li knitted her brows, pointing toward a certain direction as she said, "It appears to have arrived from over there."

The four individuals looked at each other; over there appeared to be the location where the female guests rested. The ones who heard the shriek were not merely the four of them; at least a small half of the people within the entire garden had heard it, and by this time, quite a few individuals were already walking toward there with curiosity.

 

Murong Ting spoke in a low voice, "This time the groom and bride are fine, yet the guests have an issue again? The weddings of the Prince of Li’s Manor must have been looked upon with displeasure by Heaven, right?"

Qin Zheng clapped a hand over her mouth in a flash, glaring at her fiercely, "Can this type of matter be spoken of wildly?"

"Let us also go inspect a modicum," Hua Tian Xiang raised her eyebrows. The excitement of the Prince of Li’s Manor—not watching would be watching in vain.

Connected to the front courtyard from the garden was a refined small courtyard; the Prince of Li’s Manor had arranged the resting location for the female guests here. The completely independent small courtyard possessed only a single door that entered from the garden, which both avoided the guests of the front courtyard accidentally entering and colliding with the female guests, and would not allow the guests to thereby disturb the female guests residing within the manor. By the time Ye Li and the four individuals walked to the courtyard entrance, quite a few people had already entered. Ye Li stood by the entrance for a brief instant, measuring the surroundings.

Hua Tian Xiang inquired in a low voice, "Ah Li, what is the matter?"

Ye Li shook her head, smiling in a low voice, "Do not know what matter occurred. Just now that shriek—that female’s voice was truly grand. Within this type of courtyard, if it were inside a room, the sound fundamentally could not penetrate to be heard by half the garden. Therefore, the greatest possibility is that someone deliberately stood within the courtyard to shriek, wishing to draw people over."

"Let us walk near the rear; there is no need to rush to watch the excitement," Ye Li spoke in a low voice.

Hua Tian Xiang cast a doubtful glance at her; although she did not know why she spoke in this manner, she also did not oppose it. On the contrary, with a shared purpose, she and Qin Zheng grabbed Murong Ting, who wished to lunge forward, from the left and right.

"Heavens, how could it be like this?" Just upon stepping into the flower hall, they saw two young ladies with red faces exiting from within in a flurried and panicked manner, one of them still stating from her mouth, "Quickly have individuals go invite Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao."

The four individuals exchanged glances; a matter had truly occurred.

Murong Ting said, "Zheng'er, you guys wait outside; I will step inside to inspect first before speaking further."

Ye Li grabbed her with a single hold, speaking with a calm and composed demeanor on her face, "Murong, it is better if you accompany Zheng'er and Tian Xiang; I will go inside to inspect a modicum." Looking at those two young ladies whose faces were as red as apples, Ye Li had also nearly guessed what caliber of matter had occurred inside. No matter how it was spoken, she was an individual who had successfully married; if she allowed Murong Ting, a young lady who had not departed the chambers, to witness something she ought not to witness, that would be a modicum not too splendid.

Qin Zheng and Hua Tian Xiang were both individuals born with exquisite and intelligent minds; turning their thoughts around, they also comprehended Ye Li’s meaning. Hua Tian Xiang said, "Why do we not wait a bit further? Watching the excitement is also not urgent for a single instant."

Ye Li shook her head, "I will go inspect first." What she worried about most was still whether that idiot Ye Ying had performed something she ought not to perform. Furthermore, performing the role of the formal Princess of Li's biological elder sister, at this time when she had already arrived here, to still fold her hands to view from the side would be a modicum unable to pass the words. "No need to worry, you guys wait here. Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao ought to arrive very quickly."

Turning inside, by the entrance of one of the rooms stood quite a few individuals. Every single one stood by the entrance with a strange face, not knowing whether they ought to enter or retreat. Ye Li swept a glance; the majority consisted of young females, and there were also a few young wives. The ones of advanced years and noble status were all accompanied by Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao to converse, and some who could manage affairs and hold power stably had each found a location to gather and converse. At this time, the ones still playing outside were originally mostly young girls and young wives, that was all.

Witnessing Ye Li’s entry, someone finally returned to their senses, "Ding... greetings to the Princess Consort of Ding."

A female dressed in the attire of a young wife saw Ye Li and hastily executed a greeting; although she strove to achieve elegance and propriety, she still could not conceal a face full of distress and embarrassment.

"Greetings to the Princess Consort of Ding." The crowd only then hastily paid their respects.

Ye Li looked at the crowd who possessed varying expressions, hearing waves of ambiguous moaning and panting resound from within the half-concealed door. Stepping forward with extreme wordlessness, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she closed the half-concealed door entirely, speaking with a calm demeanor, "Depart outside first. Presumably, Grand Imperial Concubine Xianzhao and the Princess of Li will arrive very quickly."

The crowd flushed their faces in a wave of shame. The principle of 'what is improper to hear, do not hear' was not something they failed to comprehend; they were truly rendered stupid by this bizarre situation. It could not possibly be that everyone quietly arrived and then quietly departed, acting as though nothing had occurred, right?

"What the Princess Consort states is correct; let us quickly depart," a female spoke, and the others also echoed in succession.

Unfortunately, there just happened to be someone who did not desire to let this matter pass smoothly and peacefully. From an unknown location emerged a maidservant who lunged over while weeping and wailing, "Princess! The Princess is inside!"

Clang-bang!

The grand doors that were originally merely pulled shut were crashed open by that maidservant, and the vernal spring light within was displayed with a complete view devoid of remnants.

The females present were instantly rendered half-petrified. The Princess? Heavens... what caliber of matter had they actually encountered?

Ye Li looked with a calm demeanor at her own left hand that had grabbed at empty air, silently pulling it back. Fine, it was she who meddled in unnecessary business. But that dead maidservant actually dared to pinch her; was possessing martial arts a big deal?