NFBE Chapter 179 Does the Crown Prince not want to participate?
Chapter 179 Does the Crown Prince not want to participate?
"Eldest... eldest daughter-in-law?" Li Yao blinked hard, realizing he had misunderstood her, and quickly shook her head and waved her hands, "No, no, no... General, you misunderstand! I came here to seek refuge, not to be your daughter-in-law!"
"Seeking refuge?" Ye Gengxin frowned, scrutinizing her repeatedly. "Seeking refuge from what? You said your home is on the border. Are you an exiled criminal who escaped back on your own?"
"No, no, no..." Li Yao shook her head like a rattle drum.
"General, please don't frighten her." Ninth Aunt glared at Ye Gengxin, then walked up to Li Yao and said with a smile, "Miss Li Yao, since it was arranged by the eldest young master, you may stay in the manor. We can talk about anything else when the eldest young master returns."
Li Yao's eyes welled up with tears of gratitude. "As long as you don't kick me out, I'll do anything you ask!"
Ninth Aunt just smiled and didn't respond.
Although she hadn't been at the General's Mansion for long, she had gradually come to understand the temperaments of the Ye family father and son. Ye Shiting was calm and reserved, unlikely to cause trouble, let alone actively provoke women. If anyone was involved with him, there must be more to the story.
Since he personally agreed to let the woman stay in the general's mansion, there's nothing to question. Let's settle her in first.
She then discussed with Hao Fu about cleaning up the Plum Blossom Courtyard next to Tinglan Courtyard so that Li Yao could stay there temporarily.
She even personally selected two maids to serve her at the Plum Grove Courtyard.
After Li Yao left with Hao Fu, Ye Gengxin frowned, completely puzzled. "Ninth Aunt, what do you think Shi Ting is trying to do?"
Aunt Jiu glanced at him. "Young Master is a man of upright character. He would never bring a woman home for no reason. There must be a reason why this woman is receiving special treatment from Young Master. Don't let your imagination run wild, or you'll frighten the guest."
Ye Gengxin recalled the previous misunderstanding and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He laughed and said, "I thought Shi Ting had finally come to his senses. Otherwise, how could he let a strange woman into his home... Alright, I'm not going to get involved in this anymore. You handle it."
Aunt Jiu was speechless. What did she mean by "it's up to her"?
But thinking about it carefully, the visitor was a woman, and she was the only one in the general's mansion who could conveniently show up.
"General, if there's nothing else, you can go back to your study. I'll go check on the Plum Grove Courtyard."
"What's the rush? I just got back from court, can't you spend more time with me?" Ye Gengxin glared at her unhappily.
Just then, a gatekeeper suddenly came to report, "General, Marquis Yufeng has arrived."
Ninth Aunt covered her mouth and laughed, "Since Marquis Yufeng is here to talk to the general, I won't disturb you any longer."
Ye Geng watched her leave speechlessly, then turned to the guard and said, "Quickly invite the Marquis in."
Now that You Jianchuan has replaced You Jianbin as the Marquis of Yufeng, he visits the General's Mansion every few days.
Having been estranged from the You family for over a decade, Ye Gengxin was naturally happy and gratified that the relationship between the two families was beginning to repair.
……
Looking at the autumn mountains.
Ye Shishu and his group of five stayed in the mountains for three days before returning to the city.
Yu Chi Ling went to the palace.
Besides reporting to Yuchi Sheng about the preparations at Wangqiu Mountain, he also needed to personally explain to Yuchi Sheng the events that occurred at the Duke of Wei's mansion in Jizhou City and the matter of Min Wenqian being secretly hidden in the Zhihe General's mansion.
Ye Shishu didn't want to return to the Prince's Mansion alone, so she naturally went to the General's Mansion with her two elder brothers.
Upon their return, Ye Gengxin did not inquire about Wang Qiushan's matter, but instead directly summoned the eldest brother to the study.
After learning the whole story, Ye Gengxin praised his son's actions and joked, "So she's my savior! Luckily, I didn't make things difficult for her!"
After leaving the study, Ye Shiting went to the Meilin Courtyard out of politeness.
There was no one in the courtyard, but when he heard a noise coming from the flower hall, he went straight there.
The moment I stepped across the threshold, I froze.
It wasn't even mealtime yet, but a table was already laden with food: roast goose, roast duck, and braised pork knuckle—it was as lavish as if it were a major festival.
A woman was holding a roast chicken, head down, taking big bites, her whole face pressed against the chicken without her even realizing it...
"Greetings, Young Master." Two maids serving in the flower hall hurriedly stepped forward to greet him upon his arrival.
Li Yao raised her head, her mouth full of food, her cheeks bulging.
She paused for a moment, then chewed her food quickly, swallowed it forcefully, and then stood up to greet him while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Young Master, you're back?"
Ye Shiting's eyes twitched violently as he stared at her oily face and asked with feigned concern, "I wonder if Miss Li Yao is getting used to living here?"
"I'm used to it... I'm so used to it!" Li Yao grinned, pointing to the sumptuous dishes on the table, and said, "I've eaten wild game all my life. I saw these for sale on the way to the capital, but unfortunately I didn't have enough money to afford them. My aunt heard that I had never eaten domesticated poultry before, so she specially had a lot made for me. I've never eaten such delicious meat in my life!"
Ye Shiting had been to the Jiuli tribe and naturally knew their eating habits, so he wasn't surprised by her preference.
But seeing her eating like a starving ghost, he still found it hard to accept.
Out of politeness, he could only smile and nod, "I'm glad Miss Li Yao doesn't mind."
"Young Master, have you eaten yet? Why don't you sit down and eat with us?" Li Yao warmly invited him.
"No, I have something to do. Please enjoy your meal." Ye Shiting politely declined with a dry laugh.
The woman in front of him had changed into the clothes of their Great Ye Kingdom. The brand-new and beautiful ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) fully displayed her girlish purity and beauty. Compared with the night before when she was carrying an axe and was covered in dirt, looking like a refugee, she was much more pleasing to the eye.
But seeing her hands covered in oil, and not even a bowl or chopsticks on the table, he couldn't imagine himself eating with her...
"Alright then, since the young master has something to attend to, I won't keep you any longer." Li Yao didn't try to stop him and turned back to the table.
"..." Ye Shiting stared at her stiffly, unsure of what expression to make for a moment.
……
Consort Lan stayed in Jeju City for ten days.
Those ten days felt like an eternity to her. Fuming with rage, she didn't even go to see Yu Chi Sheng upon returning to the palace, instead using illness as an excuse to return to Lanxia Palace.
When Yuchi Sheng met the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, he not only praised the couple for their filial piety but also bestowed upon them many rewards.
"Why does the Crown Princess look so unwell? Is something wrong?" Seeing Zhu Huaning's pale face, Yu Chisheng asked her with concern.
"Father, I'm fine," Zhu Huaning replied, bowing her head.
But Yu Chi Rui couldn't contain his hatred and immediately began to complain, "Father, the Crown Princess was originally pregnant, but after she went to Jizhou City, Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng caused her to miscarry!"
A sharp glint flashed in Yu Chi Sheng's eyes, but the next moment, he asked in surprise, "When did the Crown Princess become pregnant? Why have you never mentioned it?" Then he glared at Zhu Huaning in annoyance, "And you, since you're pregnant, why did you go to such a far place with the Crown Prince? This is the eldest grandson of my Yu Chi family, and you've ruined him!"
He seemed not to hear his son's complaint.
Yu Chi Rui was about to say something in anger when Zhu Huaning interrupted, "Father, your daughter-in-law knows she was wrong. Your daughter-in-law will recover as soon as possible and strive to have children for the Yu Chi family."
"Father..."
"Alright, I know you've had a tiring trip to Jeju City. Go back to the East Palace and rest. I'm planning a hunting trip at Wangqiu Mountain and have invited many important officials and young masters from noble families. We'll depart the day after tomorrow. The Crown Princess just had a miscarriage and needs to recuperate, so she shouldn't go. Crown Prince, prepare well. This hunting trip has a big prize; as the Crown Prince, you can't afford to lose!"
"Hunting?" Yu Chi Rui was not only unable to file a complaint, but was also shocked by the sudden news.
"Is there a problem?" Yu Chi Sheng frowned at him. "Does the Crown Prince not want to participate?"