Golden Age Legitimate Fei

Chapter 49: Out of Danger, An Eventful Night in the Capital (2)
Translator: Night Fury
Xu Manor

Ye Li finally managed to convince her two uncles and five cousins that she was unharmed. After they left, Ye Li on one hand felt it appalling and exhausting to deal with so many people while on the other hand was overwhelmed by the warmth and delight of being cared by families.

Mo Xiu Yao sat quietly watching the girl sitting opposite him. He suddenly found himself unfamiliar with his fiancée. In fact, his fiancée was still less than 16 years old this year, but she was surprisingly strong, decisive and mature.

“What was I doing at the age of 15 or 16?” he wondered.

Rarely would Mo Xiu Yao think of the past, but looking at the girl wearing gentle smiles in front of him, he suddenly felt that it was not so painful to recall the old days.

When he was fifteen or six years old, he was eager to make a young man’s ambition, galloping freely in capital, unrestrained and vigorous. It was known to the whole world that the youngest son of Prince Ding’s Manor (Ding Guo Wang Fu, literally means the manor of Prince of Nation Pacifying) was a youth of talents and wisdom, a young general who swept through southern territory, his military prowess like that of a God and his unrestrained manner not a bit affected by the blood and kills on the battlefield. But this girl, at the age of fifteen, had already gone through something that most women would never experience in the whole lifetime. Mother dying young, a broken off engagement, schemes of stepmother, bleak reputation, a bestowed marriage that everyone desperate to avoid, being secretly plotted against and kidnapped… But it seemed that she never panicked. Even after encountering such a terrible thing this day, she did not cry nor anger after she escaped from danger. And she even smiled and apologized to him, “Sorry, I’ve made you worry.” Put in her shoes, by no means could he take all these so leisurely at her age. As his thoughts came to that, Mo Xiu Yao couldn’t help but heave a faint sigh in heart.

“A Li, I’m sorry for what happened to you,” apologized Mo after quite a while of silence.

Ye Li looked up at him and smiled, “This is not something you can control. I wasn’t vigilant. But… I’m afraid in the capital tomorrow there will…I’m afraid the reputation of the Prince Ding’s Manor will be implicated because of me.”

Mo Xiu Yao looked at her, his gaze unfathomable, “I am the Prince Ding’s Manor, it doesn’t matter as long as you don’t regret the marriage.”

Ye Li blinked and instantly understood what he meant. “He has the final say of Prince Ding’s Manor, so no matter how worse my reputation becomes, it will not affect our marriage. Is that the case?” Thinking about it, she smiled helplessly, “I guess if I regret it… probably I can’t marry anyone else in my life. So what about we two make do with each other as a couple?”

The lips of Mo Xiu Yao slightly curved into a faint smile barely palpable, “That is best. I also feel that if you regret it, it is not easy for me to find a suitable princess in my life.”

Ye Li looked at him and smiled, “Since Your Highness doesn’t mind, let’s make do with each other.”

Looking at the girl sitting at the window who turned back and said to him ‘Let’s make do with each other’ Mo Xiu Yao suddenly felt a little enchanted. Under the candlelight, the slightly pale face of the girl seemed to have a faint glow that made his heart skip a beat. Mo Xiu Yao looked away very quickly, with a hand supporting his forehead, “Han Ming Yue will send something to you in the following two days. Just accept no matter what it is.”

Ye Li asked out of surprise, “Will he really give me ten percent of this year’s earning from Tian Yi Pavilion?”

Tian Yi Pavilion was the top information organization in Great Chu, ten percent of its one year earning of selling information would be an appalling large sum of money.

Mo Xiu Yao nodded and looked at Ye Li, a bit hesitant with the words sprang to his lips.

Ye Li smiled gently, “Say no more of what happened during the day. You’ve already made a deal with Han Ming Yue. I have no intention to set myself against him even though I have no idea how influential Tian Yi Pavilion and Cool Breeze, Bright Moon House are. However, only this time. If I find the one behind this plotting against me again, I won’t accept any sort of begging for mercy.”

“Of course.” Mo Xiu Yao promised in earnest after a moment of silence, “Now that you don’t regret the marriage, we’re family from this moment on and anyone trying to harm you is my enemy.”

Ye Li nodded with a smile, saying nothing about his promise. Out the window the crescent moon gradually set down the roof of the house, while in the room the girl looked up at the falling moon, which added a touch of tranquil glow to her fine face. Behind her the youth in wheelchair looked attentively at her slim back, something unfathomable accumulating in his gentle gaze.

***

Han Ming Yue fell into a secret stronghold of Tian Yi Pavilion, frightening the one in the room.

“Brother, what happened?” Young Master Feng Yue, the one hated by parents and loved by countless girls in boudoir, was dazed before he hurried to hold his elder brother’s falling body. Han Ming Yue waved his hand in helplessness, letting his brother help him to sit on the soft bench. He managed a wry smile, “Offended a demon.”

Although he had back measures prepared in advance, he was seriously injured by the protruding branches when jumping off the cliff despite his extreme caution. However, he bore no grudges as he knew Mo Xiu Yao did pull his punches. Or anyone of Hidden Could Soldiers could shoot him, a man with all his inner energy lost, dead.

“You met Ye family’s Third Young Miss?” asked Han Ming Xi as he felt his elder brother’s pulse.

Han Ming Yue struggled to sit up and narrowed his eyes, “How did you know that? Don’t tell me that this Miss Ye is the reason why you are wanted by Mo Xiu Yao.”

Han Ming Xi touched his nose out of embarrassment and smiled apologetically, “Dear brother…Ye Li got me once using the same poison. And…I owe her a favor. So can you please just leave her alone?”

“You owed the favor in the name of Tian Yi Pavilion?” sneered Han Ming Yue.

Han Ming Xi lowered his head down in shame and muttered as he played with his own fingers, “That girl is indeed a cunning one. She saw through the connection between Tian Yi Pavilion and Cool Breeze, Bright Moon House even before I said anything! And she had my jade pendant, I didn’t have a choice.”

“That’s mine! Give it back to me, or you’ll make more trouble.” With that, Han Ming Yue reached out. Daring not to disobey, Han Ming Xi obediently handed over the pendant as he was not a bit interested in either Tian Yi Pavilion or Cool Breeze, Bright Moon House. He just took his elder brother’s jade pendant for fun.

“Brother, is it serious? I’ll send for a doctor.”

Han Ming Yue’s attitude softened a bit when he saw the worry on his defiant brother’s face. Gently he said, “Don’t worry. No need to send for a doctor, I just can’t use inner energy. Anyone visited in my absence?”

Han Ming Xi immediately pulled a long face and hummed, “Yes, a woman came and asked to see you this afternoon. But I drove her away.”

“Ming Xi…” Han Ming Yue’s voice sounded quite helpless.

Pacing impatiently in the room, Han Ming Xi said, “Brother, can we just get back to Jiangnan and stay out of all this? Last time I just played a joke with Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao nearly ripped my one arm and one leg! Yes, you are master of Tian Yi Pavilion, but he is Prince Ding. You want the whole Pavilion to die with you?”

Han Ming Yue’s lips moved as if preparing to say something but was stopped by his young brother’s complaints, “Stop that bullshit of friends! There is no such friend who would covet an engaged girl! Even a flower thief like me has morality. And don’t you forget what you guys have done to him! How dare you pick a fight with him again?”

“Ming Xi, you’ve grown up,” said Han Ming Yue gently as he saw his young brother pacing impatiently in the room, his usual defiance all gone.

Han Ming Xi blushed, turned away and left with a cold hum, “I’ll go get the woman.”

Seeing his young brother walking out of the room, Han Ming Yue touched his aching chest and frowned. Somehow Ming Xi’s words ‘Don’t you forget what you guys have done to him’ kept resonating in his mind. Darkness grew under his eyes as he gave a faint sigh barely perceptible, “I shall double the compensation tomorrow…”

“How did you get yourself haggard like this?” There came a deep voice of a woman. Looking up, Han Ming Yue saw a woman in loose black gown that hid her shapely figure. Her face was masked by black veil, leaving only a pair of eyes shooting cold and dissatisfied gazes.