NFBE Chapter 68 The Prince's Rogue
Chapter 68 The Prince's Rogue
Because the wedding was rushed, the Gu family didn't have time to prepare a large dowry for Gu Simo. The eldest daughter of the Grand Secretary's mansion only had a dozen or so loads of dowry.
The Gu family treated their daughter's marriage like a child's play, but the Ye family's wedding banquet was anything but shabby.
Many powerful officials from the court have arrived.
The Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Prime Minister Zhu Zhishun, and his wife Nangong Ru all attended.
After offering her congratulations, Crown Princess Zhu Huaning asked Ye Gengxin, "General, where is the Third Miss?"
Ye Gengxin replied apologetically, "Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort, please forgive me. It's not that my daughter didn't want to come out to greet guests, but Prince Cheng arrived early this morning. Since Prince Cheng has difficulty walking, I had my daughter stay with him in his courtyard."
The Crown Princess then said to Yu Chi Rui, "Your Highness, it's still early before the auspicious time. Why don't we go to the Third Miss's courtyard and have a chat with Prince Cheng and the Third Miss?"
Yu Chi Rui nodded.
Ye Gengxin pursed his lips slightly, but he couldn't refuse, so he could only instruct his servants to lead them to Yuexin Courtyard.
Here at Yuexin Courtyard.
At night, Shu was serving tea to a certain master in the pavilion.
"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Looking at the light blue circles under her eyes, Yu Chi Ling asked directly.
"Ah."
"Why?"
"Marriage should be a joyous occasion, but the thought of my second brother's marriage being manipulated makes my heart ache for him." Ye Shishu looked at him intently and suddenly asked, "Your Highness, if you cannot marry the one you love, will you regret it for the rest of your life?"
Yu Chi Ling's eyes narrowed instantly. "What do you mean by that?"
Just as Ye Shishu hesitated about how to speak, Wen Yan, who was keeping watch not far away, ran over and said quickly in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have arrived!"
Ye Shishu couldn't help but pull a long face.
God knows how much she loathes that couple right now!
Let's not even talk about what happened at Lanxia Palace last time. The Crown Prince is a complete beast who disregards morality!
Her second brother's marriage to the daughter of the Gu family was arranged by the Prime Minister's wife, the mother of the Crown Princess. Can you say that this matter has nothing to do with the Crown Princess Zhu Huaning?
Yu Chi Ling could clearly feel the hatred emanating from her, and suddenly grabbed her hand.
How could Ye Shishu not understand his meaning?
She suppressed her hatred and smiled slightly, "Your Highness, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
"I never imagined that my second brother and Miss Ye would have such a good relationship. It's truly enviable!" The smiling woman's voice was the first to reach their ears.
Ye Shishu turned around and greeted them from the pavilion, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Princess!"
Zhu Huaning helped her up, smiling generously and gently, "We're practically family now, Miss, please don't be so formal."
Yu Chi Rui looked at the man in the pavilion and joked with a smile, "I didn't expect my second brother to arrive so early. He's already taken over his wife right away. Are you afraid someone will snatch her away?"
His words were nothing short of a blatant provocation. Ye Shishu couldn't help but feel a chill when she thought of how he had brazenly poached her brother's girlfriend at Lanxia Palace.
She hadn't expected that the man in the pavilion would laugh instead of get angry. "Your Majesty is right. My princess is from a distinguished family, has an unparalleled beauty, and is of pure character. If I don't keep a close eye on such a perfect beauty, and if those scheming hypocrites set their sights on her, I'm afraid I won't even have a place to cry."
His words immediately drew cold looks from Yu Chi Rui and Zhu Huaning.
Ye Shishu couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
To say she is a peerless beauty is to imply that Zhu Huaning, the Crown Princess, is inferior to her.
He also went on to criticize the crown prince as a hypocritical and scheming man.
"Your Highness!" she said coquettishly as she entered the pavilion, feigning shyness. "You know how good I am, how could I praise you in front of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess?"
He's already showing so little respect to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, so how could she, as his wife, possibly hold them back?
You want to annoy them? Can't they annoy people too?
Yu Chi Ling held her hand and said gently, "We're all family, why be shy about praising someone? Besides, what I'm saying is the truth. If you don't believe me, look at the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, have they refuted me?"
Ye Shishu obediently glanced shyly at the couple outside the pavilion; their faces were practically turning liver-colored.
"I never expected that my usually cold and reserved second brother could have such a romantic and carefree side!" Yu Chi Rui forced a smile and said with emotion, "A year ago, my second brother was injured by a woman and became depressed after returning to the capital. I was worried about him. I didn't expect him to get over his heartbreak so quickly. It's truly a cause for celebration!"
A cold glint resurfaced in Ye Shishu's eyes once more.
Last time at Lanxia Palace, Consort Lan and the Crown Prince used the same tactics to sow discord between her and Prince Cheng. I never expected that the Crown Prince would bring it up again in front of Prince Cheng today!
Isn't this just embarrassing her?
Just as he couldn't help but clench his fist, the large hand holding hers tightened as well.
Her gaze sharpened slightly as she looked at the man in the wheelchair. He smiled again and said, "That's all in the past. Everyone has a past. Now that Shu'er is by my side, I feel like I have everything. If I were to become depressed again, wouldn't I be letting Shu'er down?"
"Is it over?" Yu Chi Rui narrowed his eyes slightly, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
Just then, Wenmo ran in from outside the courtyard, bowed to Yuchi Rui and Zhu Huaning, and then reported with a smile, "Your Highness, the bridal sedan chair has entered!"
Zhu Huaning, having been subtly mocked by Prince Cheng, was already tired of staying any longer. Upon hearing that the bridal sedan chair had entered the gate, she said to Yuchi Rui, "Your Highness, let's hurry to the front courtyard to watch the ceremony."
Yu Chi Rui nodded, then turned around and looked at Yu Chi Ling in the wheelchair. His gaze fell on Yu Chi Ling's legs, and he smiled as he reminded him, "Second brother, you have difficulty walking, so you have to go slowly!"
Watching the couple walk away, Ye Shishu gritted her teeth.
Yu Chi Ling turned to look at her angry expression and said gently, "What's the point of getting angry with them? Besides, I'm only acting like this to amuse them. They'll be the ones who have the last laugh."
Ye Shishu glared at him irritably.
……
The front yard was bustling with activity.
After the newlyweds completed their wedding ceremony under the watchful eyes of a large group of guests, they were escorted to their bridal chamber amidst cheers and jeers.
During the banquet, the guests kept praising Ye Gengxin's good fortune, saying that his three children were all outstanding. This was something Ye Gengxin was already very proud of, and with these colleagues in the court praising him, his vanity, which he usually disliked comparing himself to others, couldn't help but rise. He drank one cup of wine after another, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Fortunately, he had a good alcohol tolerance and didn't get drunk or lose his composure by his colleagues.
In an inconspicuous corner, Madam Fan pulled her granddaughter aside and whispered, "Is everything ready?"
Fan Yunying smiled smugly, "Grandmother, don't worry, this time it will be absolutely foolproof!"
That place is usually only frequented by Ye Shiting, and with today's wedding banquet, no one else is likely to attend. All she needs to do now is keep an eye on Ye Shiting; as long as he goes, she's absolutely certain she'll succeed!
The banquet lasted until dusk, with guests leaving one after another.
Ye Gengxin was already shaking his head a bit, so he wanted to ask his eldest and second eldest brothers to see the guests off for him, but when he turned around and looked around, he only saw the second eldest brother and couldn't find the eldest brother.
"Shi Jun, where's your older brother?"
"Father, my elder brother was just talking to the son of the Minister of War," Ye Shijun said, glancing around. "They must have gone to my elder brother's courtyard."
"Then I'll go find him and ask him to come out and see the guests off with you, and maybe he can cool off a bit while he's drunk." After saying that, Ye Gengxin headed towards the eldest brother's Tinglan Courtyard.
Seeing that he was walking normally, and that Hao Fu and his servants were busy and couldn't spare the time, Ye Shijun let him be.
Meanwhile, Ye Shishu and Yu Chiling returned to Yuexin Courtyard after leaving the banquet.
Looking at the person lounging on her bed, Ye Shishu rolled her eyes countless times in exasperation.
It's just that his older brothers toasted him a few times. Last time, he pretended to be drunk and stayed overnight. This time, he's using the same trick again. He's really shameless and childish!
"Your Highness, please rest first. I'll have someone make you a hangover soup."
Just as she turned around, her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled onto the bed.
Ye Shishu was forced to lie on top of him, her face flushed red as she slapped his shoulder, "Stop being a pervert!"
Yu Chi Ling wrapped his arms around her slender waist, raised an eyebrow and smirked, "A hug is considered being a hooligan? Then what should I call it if I want to consummate our marriage now?"