The First Jasmine - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Transaction and Cooperation

"If you want to drink tea, or if you are asking for my help, you must first defeat this young master!"

Looking at Fengyue Young Master staring at her with a provocative expression, Ye Li found it somewhat amusing in her heart. She naturally knew that Han Mingyue was currently not in Jiangnan, and she even knew where Han Mingyue had gone. Although Han Mingyue and Han Mingxi were brothers, Han Mingxi was clearly much easier to deal with than Han Mingyue. Due to various reasons, Ye Li did not want to meet Han Mingyue. "What does Young Master Han want to gamble on?"

Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "This young master won't take advantage of you. Weren't you quite formidable just now? Let's still gamble on rolling dice, comparing sizes."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and raised no objection. "Very well."

Han Mingxi smiled with satisfaction. "Good, straightforward. If you can win against me, no matter what favor you ask of me, I will help you accomplish it." Ye Li smiled, "There's no need for that. This humble person does not particularly like people who bite off more than they can chew. Even if I have a favor to ask, I won't let Young Master Han suffer a loss. After all... doing business requires mutual benefit to last long, don't you think?"

"Interesting," Han Mingxi said with a smile. "What if you lose?"

Ye Li said, "If I lose, today's matter will be treated as if this humble person never mentioned it. In addition, the two hundred and ten thousand taels of silver notes won at your establishment just now will serve as the stake."

"A single round to decide the outcome?" Han Mingxi asked.

"Please," Ye Li said, gesturing with her hand.

With a flick of Han Mingxi's sleeve, the guqin on the table flew out levelly and landed on a cabinet to the side. Han Mingxi retrieved a set of dice from the side, placed them on the table, and said arrogantly, "You may inspect the dice first." Ye Li shook her hand, pushed the dice cup back, and smiled, "This humble person trusts the reputation of Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower and Young Master Han. Young Master Han, please go first."

Han Mingxi curled his lip. "Comparing high or low?"

Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, "High."

Han Mingxi let out a light snort, grabbed the dice cup on the table, scooped the dice inside, and began shaking them leisurely and unhurriedly. Ye Li leisurely appreciated Han Mingxi's dice-shaking movements; she had to admit it was quite pleasing to the eye. The dice cup performed all sorts of tricks in his hands like magic, and finally, it was slammed heavily onto the surface of the table. Raising an eyebrow at Ye Li, Han Mingxi lifted the dice cup without even looking. Ye Li looked at the dice on the table with a calm expression. The original three dice had turned into six, three half-dice cleanly cut through the middle, neatly forming six pyramids resting on the table. "Young Master Han possesses remarkable internal energy, thirty-three points."

Han Mingxi was clearly in quite a good mood, looking at Ye Li with smiling brows and eyes. "It seems this one cannot be used anymore. Young Master Chu can use a new set. I trust Young Master Chu won't copy others, right?"

With a calm expression, Ye Li calmly accepted the new set of ivory dice handed over by Han Mingxi and tossed them into the dice cup. Unlike Han Mingxi's flashy shaking method, Ye Li simply held the dice cup and shook it conventionally, not even moving fast. The water pavilion was completely quiet, with only the sound of the dice rattling and colliding. However, Han Mingxi's initially slightly relaxed and casual smile gradually grew solemn. Even his lazily leaning posture straightened up, his gaze locked tightly onto Ye Li's calm face. He actually couldn't hear the possible points the dice might land on at all! However, he wasn't too worried about winning or losing; thirty-three points was already the highest score possible to roll. Unless this young man before him imitated his method, it was simply impossible for him to win.

Clack! Ye Li slammed the dice cup back onto the table, looking at Han Mingxi with a smile. "Would Young Master Han like to guess what the score is?"

Han Mingxi cast a disdainful look at her and said, "Whatever the score is, you still can't win against this young master. Open it. Let this young master see just how formidable Young Master Chu is."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Young Master Han is right."

She slowly lifted the dice cup. The three dice remained completely undamaged on the table. However... all three dice stood upright on a single sharp corner, leaning against each other along a slanted surface to cluster together. Two faces of each die pointed upward, and those two faces happened to be five and six. In other words, Ye Li also had thirty-three points. Ye Li smiled faintly, "Thirty-three points, it's a tie. What does Young Master Han think?"

Han Mingxi stared fixedly at her for a good while before finally speaking in a deep voice, "You win. State your business." With a wave of his hand, the dice cup along with the three dice were sent away to a treasure shelf on the side. Han Mingxi called out loudly, "Serve tea."

Inside the water pavilion, Ye Li leisurely savored the top-tier fragrant tea that had just been brought up. Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower truly lived up to its name as the finest place for enjoyment in the world, and even the tea could almost rival the tribute tea of the imperial palace. Han Mingxi stared at Ye Li with a profound gaze. "Can Young Master Chu finally state what business you have with the Master of Tianyi Pavilion?"

Ye Li set down her teacup and smiled faintly, "Actually, it's nothing major. This humble person intends to make a trip to the Southern Frontier in the near future, so I require some intelligence. Since Tianyi Pavilion claims to be the best intelligence organization in Great Chu, this humble person had no choice but to brazenly come and seek your help."

Flattered by someone who was no less capable than himself, Han Mingxi's expression eased somewhat. He let out a light snort and said, "To be able to know the relationship between Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower and Tianyi Pavilion, Young Master Chu's own sources are already quite well-informed. How could you possibly need the assistance of Tianyi Pavilion?" Ye Li smiled helplessly, "Knowing this... was merely an accident. I hope Young Master Han will not fault this humble person for my presumption. Of course, since Tianyi Pavilion trades in intelligence for a living, this humble person will naturally offer remuneration that satisfies Tianyi Pavilion."

Han Mingxi narrowed his phoenix eyes, leaning back in a leisurely posture to appraise Ye Li. "Oh? Making Tianyi Pavilion satisfied... It seems Young Master Chu is very confident in himself."

Ye Li smiled slightly, "I trust that since Tianyi Pavilion is open for business, you wouldn't make exorbitant demands?"

"Hmph! Young Master Chu wouldn't happen to be planning to use the silver you won at my Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower to pay Tianyi Pavilion's bill, would you?"

"How could I dare. This humble person happens to own two shops in Guangling City as well. Although they were opened recently, I presume they should still catch Young Master Han's eye." Ye Li drank her tea calmly, looking at Han Mingxi with a smile. Han Mingxi frowned slightly, his dangerously charming and handsome features involuntarily exuding a captivating aura. Although Ye Li was unaffected by it, it didn't stop her from praising him inwardly. Clearly looking so similar to Han Mingyue, their temperaments differed far too much.

"Could the shop Young Master Chu is speaking of be that spice shop named Xunya Pavilion opened on Xuanwu Street half a year ago?" Han Mingxi asked with an obvious tone of probing.

Ye Li nodded and said, "Precisely. Young Master Han must know how much profit Xunya Pavilion makes. As long as Young Master Han can provide information that satisfies me, I can allocate twenty percent of Xunya Pavilion's annual profits to Young Master Han."

"Annually?" Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow and said, "Then can this young master understand what Young Master Chu is proposing as a long-term cooperation? Xunya Pavilion is indeed quite profitable, but it doesn't seem to have reached the level where it can become a long-term partner of Tianyi Pavilion." He certainly knew of Xunya Pavilion; in fact, the spices he used on his person currently came from Xunya Pavilion. Moreover, ever since he started using Xunya Pavilion's spices, no other spices could catch his eye anymore. Xunya Pavilion had only been open in Guangling City for half a year, yet its momentum had faintly surpassed all the long-established powder and spice shops in Guangling City. It was just that because the prices were more than three times higher than ordinary shops, it wasn't particularly favored by ordinary households. However, Han Mingxi dared to affirm that at least seventy percent of the young ladies of noble families and aristocratic matrons in all of Guangling City used spices from Xunya Pavilion. If Xunya Pavilion were willing to lower its prices, he believed that completely dominating the spice industry was only a matter of time.

Ye Li smiled and shook her head. "Does Young Master Han know whose money is the easiest to earn in this world?"

Han Mingxi frowned. "Wealthy merchants, of course." The astonishing annual income of Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower was provided by these wealthy merchants rolling in money. Ye Li extended the hand holding her folding fan and shook it slightly with a smile. "Incorrect, it is women."

"Women?" Han Mingxi scoffed derisively. Women had no sources of income and were completely dependent on men for survival. This destined them to be unable to spend as recklessly as men. Furthermore, very few women could throw away a thousand taels of gold as boldly as men. Ye Li sighed softly, absentmindedly toying with the folding fan in her hand while smiling, "In this world... there are more women than men. However... not all men like eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, but it is destined that all women like being young and beautiful." Even among the female soldiers in her past life, no matter how much they matched men on the battlefield, when they went out onto the street, their absolute top priority was always clothing and cosmetics shops.

A stir went through Han Mingxi's heart. He didn't possess his older brother's astonishing talent and keen sense for business, nor did he have too much obsession with money. But that didn't mean he was a fool; naturally, hearing it put this way, he caught some underlying meaning. Giving Ye Li a look that told her to continue, Han Mingxi reached out to pour tea for himself and Ye Li, clearly showing an interest in this topic.

Ye Li didn't mind either. "The spice formulas produced by Xunya Pavilion are strictly confidential and cannot be blended by just any powder shop. To be honest, the quality of powders and spices currently within the borders of Great Chu leaves much to be desired, and I believe Young Master Han is equally dissatisfied, am I right?" Han Mingxi frowned. Originally, he hadn't felt strongly about it. But ever since Xunya Pavilion appeared, he felt that the spices he used before were not only single-noted in scent but also not nearly as pleasant. Although he privately had top-tier spices custom-made by people, the time and energy consumed definitely far exceeded the inherent value of the spices themselves. Occasionally, he would also take things from Xunya Pavilion to gift to his romantic confidantes, and those beautiful ladies had clearly displayed a partiality for Xunya Pavilion's scented powders. Han Mingxi didn't want to admit that he might have indirectly brought a lot of customer traffic to Xunya Pavilion. Ye Li watched with satisfaction as Han Mingxi lowered his head in thought, and continued, "Although Xunya Pavilion currently only has this one branch in Guangling City, from Young Master Han's perspective, is it possible for me to open such a shop in every large and medium-sized town across Great Chu, or... including Xiling, Beirong, and the Southern Frontier, or even places further away? After all... wherever there are women, there is no worry about failing to sell. What do you think?"

Han Mingxi felt that he was somewhat startled by this young man before him, who clearly hadn't even reached the age of fifteen. He believed that if his money-obsessed eldest brother were here, he would probably find plenty of topics to discuss with her. Opening a Xunya Pavilion in every town... it seemed like a rather grandiose notion. Han Mingxi began to imagine if he were to open a Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower in every town, then...

"Hehe, I advise Young Master Han not to think that way. Otherwise... Young Master Mingyue might just get angry." Watching Han Mingxi support his chin and gaze outside the water pavilion with glowing eyes, Ye Li guessed what he was thinking and quickly spoke up to stop him. The reason Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower could become the number one tower in the world was precisely because of its uniqueness. If they were opened everywhere, it wouldn't be quite as wonderful anymore. She certainly didn't believe that Han Mingyue hadn't opened brothels elsewhere; they were simply not as famous. Moreover, to be frank, the brothel industry didn't require much technical skill; it might become the pinnacle among them, but it was hard to say it could achieve absolute dominance.

"Powders and spices are consumable goods, while Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower... ahem, that is for relaxation. The two are completely different, aren't they? However... this humble person believes that on this single point alone, we can completely cooperate."

Han Mingxi had only been having a moment of hot-headed fancy; if he were really made to spread Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower all over Great Chu, he feared he would lose his patience and run away first. Hearing Ye Li's words, he didn't push back and raised an eyebrow to signal that he was all ears. Ye Li smiled and said, "For instance... the spices and powders used by the maidens of Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower can be entirely procured from Xunya Pavilion. What does Young Master Han think? As a token of sincerity for our initial cooperation, this humble person can gift Young Master Han a specially crafted spice and provide it with an indefinite free supply. How about it?"

Han Mingxi pondered for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "Since Young Master Chu is so sincere, if this young master were to refuse, wouldn't that be turning business away from the door? Very well, state whatever information Young Master Chu requires as soon as possible, and I believe this young master will make you feel that you're getting more than your money's worth." Ye Li nodded with satisfaction. "Splendid, then why don't Young Master Han prepare in advance, and this humble person will also make some preparations. In a few days, shall we gather again and casually sign the contract?"

"It's a deal."

Leaving Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower and returning to the unassuming small courtyard in Guangling City where the five of them were temporarily staying, An San finally breathed a sigh of relief. Facing his brothers who were looking at him with strange expressions, he numbly pulled out a thick stack of silver notes and tossed them onto the table. An Er, who was responsible for managing the finances, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Where did all these silver notes come from?" They had only brought twenty thousand taels out from the capital in total, and this imperial princess consort took Third Master out for a spin and managed to multiply it tenfold?

An San glanced at Ye Li, who was sitting to the side waving her folding fan and drinking tea, and said woodenly, "Won from the gambling house." After saying that, he still looked at Ye Li with lingering fear and said, "My lord, today this subordinate truly didn't expect that we could walk out of there safely." Ye Li glanced at him and smiled, "No need to worry. If Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower were to cause trouble for us over a mere two hundred thousand taels, then they simply wouldn't be high-class enough."

A mere two hundred thousand taels? Even if Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower took in a mountain of gold every day, two hundred thousand taels was definitely not a small sum.

Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower?! An Yi, An Er, and An San twitched the corners of their mouths and shared a tacit decision to forget about this matter. They were the imperial princess consort's secret guards, so they absolutely, positively would not tell the prince that the imperial princess consort took An San to visit a brothel.

Ye Li was not in a hurry to look for Han Mingxi. To completely conceal her own whereabouts while needing intelligence on the Southern Frontier, Ye Li actually hadn't planned on seeking out Tianyi Pavilion originally. Although both Han Mingxi and Han Mingyue appeared very easy to get along with, even after having met them only once, Ye Li knew clearly in her heart that the scholarly Young Master Mingyue was more than ten times harder to deal with than his romantic outlaw younger brother. If she hadn't happened to know that Han Mingyue was currently not in Great Chu, Ye Li would never have contacted Han Mingxi.

However, although Han Mingxi seemed somewhat unreliable, Tianyi Pavilion's intelligence network was still quite swift. Just as Ye Li finished touring every corner of Guangling City, Han Mingxi had already come knocking on her door.

Watching Han Mingxi, dressed in dark red robes and failing not a single moment to exude his wicked and charming aura, leisurely sitting in the reception hall and teasing the young maid who brought the tea, Ye Li waved his hand to dismiss the blushing and flustered young girl. Smiling faintly, she said, "A few days unseen, and Young Master Han's demeanor remains as dashing as ever." Han Mingxi smiled, "Not at all. On the contrary, I wonder if Young Master Chu finds the spring scenery of Guangling to your liking these past few days."

Ye Li hadn't expected that Han Mingxi wouldn't send people to monitor her, nor did she get angry. With calm composure, she smiled, "An ancient capital of three dynasties, with scenery as picturesque as a painting—how could anyone say it is not to their liking?"

Han Mingxi smiled, "Speaking of which, Young Master Chu left some things behind the other day, and since I happened to be coming over today, I brought them along for you. It also demonstrates this young master's sincerity in our cooperation."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, looking at Han Mingxi, who was smiling with a mischievous glint in his eye. Han Mingxi raised a hand and clapped lightly, and before long, a beautiful woman dressed in purple appeared at the doorway. "This lowly one, Rumei, pays respects to my lord, pays respects to Young Master Chu." This woman was precisely the head croupier who had presided over the gambling house a few days prior. A hint of a bad feeling suddenly arose in Ye Li's heart. "What is the meaning of this, Young Master Han?"

Han Mingxi snapped open his folding fan, his handsome features half-hidden behind it as he smiled. "According to the rules of Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower, whoever wins against the croupier and top-ranked courtesan claims her. Young Master Chu's gambling skills are superb, and Rumei is utterly convinced. Starting from today, Rumei will no longer hang her name at Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower, nor is she a person of Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower any longer. She belongs to Young Master Chu now. If Young Master Chu takes a fancy to her, it's fine to take her as a concubine; if you don't care for her, she can just be a maid who pours tea, washes clothes, and cooks meals."

Watching Han Mingxi wink at her with an ambiguous smile, Ye Li felt a headache coming on. "Young Master Han is too polite. This humble person was merely relying on a momentary stroke of luck, and furthermore... this humble person did not play a separate gambling match with Miss Rumei, so it cannot be counted as having won against Miss Rumei. Therefore, you should still take Miss Rumei back."

Han Mingxi closed his fan and tapped it absentmindedly against his palm. "Does Young Master Chu mean to say that you don't care for Rumei?"

Upon hearing Han Mingxi's words, the charming face of Miss Rumei turned deathly pale. She cast a resentful glance at Ye Li, stood to the side with lowered head, and silently shed tears. Ye Li gave Han Mingxi an annoyed glare. "Young Master Han, since we both have sincerity, why must you toy with this humble person like this? This humble person has strict family upbringing, and Young Master Han's kind intentions can only be declined with thanks."

Han Mingxi let out a long sigh, looking at Ye Li with a complaining expression. "A heart of stone, truly. Very well. Rumei, it seems Young Master Chu truly doesn't care for you, so step down." Rumei let out a soft huff, stamped her foot, glared hatefully at Ye Li, and turned to leave. Ye Li smiled wryly and bitterly in her heart; if she really brought a brothel woman back, not to mention how her grandfather and uncles would react, she feared even Mo Xiuyao would fly into a rage. Mo Xiuyao... Thinking of how the person had tried his utmost to conceal it upon her departure yet still failed to hide the desolate look in his eyes, Ye Li sighed softly in her heart.

"Is Young Master Chu thinking of someone?" Han Mingxi rested his chin on his hand, gazing curiously at Ye Li. If he wasn't mistaken, just moments ago, he had caught a glimpse of longing, worry, or attachment deep within the eyes of this shrewd and mysterious young man.

"Is Young Master Han here to discuss such private matters with this humble person?" Ye Li glanced at him and asked indifferently.

Han Mingxi shrugged nonchalantly and twitched his brow. "There's no harm in talking about it now that we have nothing else to do."

"That's just as well. Why doesn't Young Master Han also share your own... romantic history? This humble person has recently taken quite an interest in popular vernacular tales; how about I write one called... The Tale of Fengyue Young Master?" Ye Li squinted and smiled.

"You truly are a boring person," Han Mingxi muttered. Since this Chu Junwei could figure out the relationship between Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower and Tianyi Pavilion, it wasn't so strange for him to know that Young Master Mingyue's younger brother, Han Mingxi, was the notorious Fengyue Young Master. However, knowing his reputation without showing the disdain and contempt typical of ordinary people made Han Mingxi feel that this person was still quite interesting. "We can be considered acquaintances by now. Keeping up the formalities of calling each other Young Master is also rather dull. How about we address each other by our given names instead? I'll call you Junwei, and you can call me Mingxi."

Ye Li blinked lightly. Junwei? Mingxi? Why did she feel that this form of address was somewhat strange?

"Brother Han," Ye Li warned, staring fixedly at him to remind him that they ought to discuss serious business.

"Very well, is Junwei feeling shy?" Han Mingxi blinked his soul-captivating seductive eyes with a smile, then before Ye Li could flare up, put on a serious expression and said, "I've roughly had everything you asked for investigated. But as you know, we are in Great Chu while the people and matters you want to investigate are mostly in the Southern Frontier. Therefore, there is only a portion here, and the rest will be sent to your hands successively once you enter the Southern Frontier. However... I am rather curious, Junwei, you are still young, so why on earth would you want to go to the Southern Frontier for no good reason? Even if you're going traveling... it seems completely unnecessary to even investigate the royal family of Nanzhao and the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier so thoroughly."

With a completely unchanging expression, Ye Li said, "To be frank, this humble person is going to the Southern Frontier to seek a certain medicinal herb, and this herb seems inevitably bound up with the Nanzhao royal family and the Southern Frontier."

Han Mingxi raised an eyebrow, a teasing tone in his voice, "Junwei, your generosity in spending money means your elder brother isn't stingy either. Whatever medicine you need, just say the word and I'll have someone fetch it back for you. Why bother making a thousand-li journey to go yourself? You surely can't be aiming for the Southern Frontier's supreme treasure, the 'Netherworld Luo Flower,' could you?" Ye Li nodded seriously. "Indeed."

The smile on Han Mingxi's face froze, and he sighed helplessly. "You are really... The Netherworld Luo Flower is the supreme treasure of the Southern Frontier, personally guarded by the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier. Let alone ordinary people, even the King of Nanzhao might not necessarily be able to get it if he wanted to. Junwei, are you certain you want to go?" Ye Li nodded firmly. "If not for this, why else would I spend such a heavy price to buy intelligence from Tianyi Pavilion? The trip to the Southern Frontier is imperative, so I must trouble Brother Han to help me prepare the information comprehensively, lest little brother goes and never returns, causing you to lose a business partner."

"As far as I know, although the Netherworld Luo Flower is said to have the effect of bringing the dead back to life, whether anyone has actually used it to bring someone back to life is something I don't know, but those who want to get their hands on it all end up dead without a trace—that I do know. Is Junwei trying to save someone?" Han Mingxi asked with some worry. "What kind of illness or poison is it? Perhaps I can help you inquire if there are any other alternative methods."

Seeing Han Mingxi so concerned, Ye Li felt a twinge of guilt in her heart and quickly said, "There's no need, I am merely doing my utmost. If it truly doesn't work out, I won't court danger and throw my life away." Han Mingxi nodded, and while instructing her, said, "It is best if you truly think that way. That place called the Southern Frontier is not like our Central Plains; it always carries a certain eerie aura. Even our Tianyi Pavilion often finds its hands tied and unable to operate freely in the Southern Frontier."

"I understand. Thank you, Brother Han." Ye Li nodded in response, taking out a delicate and compact glass bottle from a box placed on the side of the table. Inside it was over half a bottle of pale green liquid. "This is what I previously promised to give Brother Han, and I hope Brother Han is satisfied."

Han Mingxi took it curiously, and as soon as the glass bottle was uncapped, an elegant floral fragrance drifted out and permeated the hall. Han Mingxi said joyfully, "This is... orchid scent..."

"Although this scent doesn't seem quite suited to Brother Han's preferences, for now we can only make do with it." Ye Li actually couldn't quite understand what meaning there was in a man making himself smell like flowers, but she still decided to respect the personal hobbies of her newly acquainted business partner.

Han Mingxi didn't mind in the least, cradling the small glass bottle as if it were a rare treasure. "How could that be? It's simply wonderful, thank you, Junwei. Let's settle the matter of the powders and spices for Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower and Xunya Pavilion that Junwei mentioned earlier. From now on, all spices and powders needed by Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower will be ordered from Xunya Pavilion." Ye Li nodded and smiled faintly. "Then many thanks, Brother Han."

"No thanks, no thanks, we can be considered mutually beneficial after all. Junwei, can you provide a slightly more concentrated scent next time? This one seems much better than regular spices; if it were placed in Xunya Pavilion to be sold, it would definitely earn even more money."

Ye Li twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "This is rather difficult to make; including the bottle in Brother Han's hand, Xunya Pavilion only has five bottles in total. Furthermore... Brother Han, actually I've always had a question I wanted to ask."

"Ask away, as your elder brother I know everything and will tell you everything without reservation," Han Mingxi said, waving his hand carelessly with an exceptionally good mood after obtaining a fine item.

Ye Li looked at him and said, "Does someone in your... profession... really find it convenient to make yourself smell so fragrant?" If it were an ordinary household, it would be one thing, but if you went flower-picking in a heavily guarded place or a household with martial arts practitioners, wouldn't such a scent be detected as long as one's nose wasn't broken?

Han Mingxi was startled, taking a long while to figure out what profession Ye Li was referring to. Giving her an annoyed glare, he said, "You're still just a little brat who doesn't understand a man's refinement. The beauties love this young master's fragrance to no end."

Ye Li was speechless. Hadn't she ever seen men? The five Xu brothers, plus Mo Xiuyao and Feng Zhiyao, including Mo Jingli as well—at most, they only fumigated their clothes with some faint fragrances, such as dragon-saliva scent, musk, or sandalwood. Mo Xiuyao probably only carried a faint scent of ink because he spent long hours in the study. She had never seen any man use such a flashy fragrance; why didn't he just turn himself into a giant incense burner?

After promising that once she returned from the Southern Frontier she would see if she could blend an even better fragrance to gift him, she sent off the reluctant Han Mingxi. Only then did Ye Li sit down to look over the materials Han Mingxi had sent across.

"My lord, when do we set off for the Southern Frontier?" An San and An Four were tinkering with the items Ye Li had ordered them to buy while looking at Ye Li, who was sitting to the side perusing the case files. Without raising her head, Ye Li kept her eyes fixed on the dossiers in her hand as she said, "Matters in Guangling have been handled more or less, and we will leave early the day after tomorrow. You guys should look over these things as well." She casually tossed out several slips of paper, which An Yi and An Er caught and took to the side to read with intense concentration.

"Also, I am leaving the day after tomorrow, but only one of you can travel with me."

The four of them simultaneously halted what they were doing, looking in astonishment at Ye Li's calm and composed features. "Imperial Princess Consort... My lord, this..." An Yi frowned and said. The Southern Frontier was not like the Central Plains; they were strangers in a strange land, and for the imperial princess consort to go with only one person was far too dangerous. Ye Li looked up and smiled at them, saying, "Don't you think the five of us traveling together is far too conspicuous? The people of the Southern Frontier are extremely xenophobic, and a large group of us would probably be targeted the moment we entered the Southern Frontier."

"But it's too dangerous for my lord to bring only one person. In case something happens..." An San said.

"Do you not trust me, or do you not trust yourselves?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

The four of them exchanged glances, unable to find any words to refute. Ye Li smiled and said, "Very well, that's settled. An San, you come with me. An Four, you stay behind to keep a secret watch on Clear Wind and Bright Moon Tower. If Han Mingyue returns or there are any movements, send word to me immediately. Be careful not to let him discover you. An Yi, you go to Suiqiu Pass and find a way to infiltrate the military camp. If I do not send word to you, you need not mind anything else. Whether you see any of us or people from the prince's mansion, just pretend you don't know anything. Pay secret attention to the situation in Lingzhou. An Er, depart tonight, and take my token to the Southern Frontier to find Eldest Brother. Once you find him, simply remain by his side."

Seeing that Ye Li had clearly planned everything out long ago, the four of them had no choice but to nod and comply. Ye Li looked at them with a smile, "Unless absolutely necessary, you are not permitted to contact the capital. I assume... you all know what 'absolutely necessary' means?"

The four of them helplessly acknowledged the order. An San wore a bitter expression with his head drooping, while the other three cast sympathetic gazes his way. He was definitely going to be hacked into pieces by the prince.

Ye Li had no mind to pay attention to the moods of her subordinates. Her gaze was fixed on the dossier concerning the Southern Frontier's Holy Maiden, and she fell into deep thought. The Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier was not merely an empty title with no real power as she had previously imagined; on the contrary, the Holy Maiden held considerable influence over the political affairs of Nanzhao, and in certain aspects, her influence even surpassed that of the Nanzhao royal family. It was simply that the Holy Maiden was not permitted to marry or bear children, and furthermore, whenever a new Holy Maiden appeared in each generation, the previous Holy Maiden had to enter the sacred grounds of the Southern Frontier to guard the Netherworld Luo Flower, forbidden from stepping out of the sacred grounds for the rest of her life and forbidden from ever seeing outsiders again. Because of this, the threat she posed to royal authority wasn't quite so sharp. The current Holy Maiden was named Shu Manlin, and she was twenty-three years old this year. According to the rules of the Southern Frontier, a Holy Maiden must step down from her position by the age of twenty-eight at the latest.

Ye Li frowned, silently guessing in her heart whether the reason the Southern Frontier's Holy Maiden might want to instigate a rebellion was precisely because of this. After all, forcing a twenty-eight-year-old woman in the prime of her youth, who had enjoyed supreme glory and honor, to be locked away in some unknown sacred ground and forbidden from seeing outsiders again—that would undoubtedly be a rather cruel fate for anyone.

"My lord, are we really going to go get the Netherworld Luo Flower?" An San asked with curiosity, seeing Ye Li staring at the dossier of the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier.

Ye Li answered absentmindedly, "If we can get it, naturally it's best to take it. However, the affairs of the Southern Frontier take priority for now." First, she would inquire whether the Netherworld Luo Flower was useful for Mo Xiuyao's physical condition before deciding whether or not to go retrieve it.