Good Luck Wedding 075

By the end of November, another heavy snowfall came.

The north wind swept across the land, carrying an overwhelming torrent of snow that covered half the capital. In the towns nearby, the many houses collapsed beneath the weight of the snow, leaving numerous people homeless and freezing to death in the streets. Reports of the disaster poured in from the various prefectures of the northern regions, one memorial after another piling up on the Emperor's desk.

Yet the Emperor still did not attend court. With one wave of his hand, he sent all the memorials to the Council of State Affairs and told them to discuss among themselves how to deal with the matter.

Good Luck Wedding 074

Li Fengqi, who had been quietly eating shelled pine nuts, finally looked up at him.

What business could Ye Boru possibly have with him?

He was becoming rather impatient. He even suspected that Ye Boru was trying to trick him again. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Ye Boru put on a troubled expression. “It concerns something important. Might I speak with Your Highness in private?”

Good Luck Wedding 073

Only two days after they returned from Chuyun Temple, the scout who had gone to investigate Ye Boru returned with news.

Ever since Ye Yunting realized that Ye Boru truly harbored ulterior motives toward Li Fengqi, he had started paying closer attention to the matter. The people who had gone to investigate previously had been sent by Li Fengqi, but this time, when the scout returned, it was Ye Yunting who listened most intently.

The scout hadn't been able to uncover much, just some basic information.

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 The Prince of Yong'an's carriage stopped Chuuyun Temple. Ye Yunting pushed Li Fengqi forward and, along with the Elder Wangfei, they entered the temple grounds.

Chuuyun Temple was the capital’s largest monastery, flourishing with incense offerings and frequented by countless dignitaries. Upon recognizing the emblem on their carriage at the entrance, the welcoming monk eagerly guided the three of them inside.

The Elder Wangfei, a devout Buddhist, had often visited Chuuyun Temple before her move to Rongyang. She excused herself to seek out familiar masters for spiritual discourse. Meanwhile, Li Fengqi and Ye Yunting strolled through the temple grounds.

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 True to his word, Ye Yunting took the empty food box and left.

For a long moment, Li Fengqi stared at the doorway. Finally, he picked up the plate of plum blossom cakes and dejectedly followed Ye Yunting back inside their room.

Wu Geng observed all this from his vantage point in the tree. He thought to himself, ‘So it was indeed Wangye who upset Wangfei. Such a good temper Wangfei has; even now, he sends cakes to the prince.’

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Ye Yunting returned from his conversation with Yin Hongye just in time to catch sight of Ye Boru hurriedly leaving.

“What’s wrong with him?” Ye Yunting thought that he looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Li Fengqi lifted his chin, casting a glance at Ye Yunting with an air of someone claiming credit. “He tried to seduce me, but I scared him off.”

He studied Ye Yunting’s face smugly, figuring that he’d be jealous.

Good Luck Wedding 069

 That day, Ye Yunting wore a dark red cotton robe embroidered with Buddhist motifs, and a cloud-patterned jade belt buckle around his waist. His feet were shod in sheepskin boots, while a black crane cloak draped over his shoulders. His long black hair was tied back by a white jade crown, leaving the ends to fall loosely down. This ensemble lent him an air of gentle elegance, but also exuded a sense of spirited vigor. Li Fengqi dressed in the same style, only in a darker black.

Though their outfits were similar, one exuded warmth and refinement, the while other nobility and aloofness. But when they went together, the pair seemed in perfect harmony.

Ye Boru watched as the pair approached slowly. His eyes seemed slightly enchanted, and he stepped forward to greet them with a smile. "Your Highness Prince, Eldest Brother." He looked at Ye Yunting with an expression of great joy. "I thought you wouldn't be coming today." He even reached out to take Ye Yunting's arm, ready to lead him inside.

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 The news that the Duke of Qi was planning to open the ancestral hall and recognize a new son quickly spread throughout the capital's aristocratic families. Everyone was abuzz, discussing where Ye  Zhili’s new son might have come from.

At that moment, the emperor issued an imperial decree: Ye Boru, second son of the Duke of Qi, was recognized for his meritorious service in protecting the Emperor and promoted to Assistant Minister of Personnel.  This Ye Boru, a son of a concubine with a humble background, rose to become the youngest official of fourth rank, a lucrative position within the Ministry of Personnel, envied by countless others.

The previously-contentious issue of his murky origins was now legitimized by the emperor's own edict.

Good Luck Wedding 067

He sat there, his eyebrows relaxed, expression fearless. His icy eyes were lowered, as if he was truly prepared for death.

Li Zong's fingers hanging at side trembled faintly, and his jaw clenched hard, nearly gnashing his teeth. But he couldn’t say a single word.

Today, Han Chan had laid bare all his thoughts, leaving him without a shred of hope. He took several steps back, then turned and strode away. When he reached the doorway, he saw that Cui Xi had arrived with the Shence Army, waiting outside the door.

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Upon leaving Prince Duan's estate, Li Zong mounted his horse and galloped towards the Imperial Tutor’s manor. His face was as pale as snow, eyes dark and lifeless, shrouded in an aura of barely-contained anger.

The horse’s hooves clattered against the bluestone pavement, sending sprays of fine snowflakes into the air. Onlookers along both sides of the street could only watch as a magnificent steed flew past, with a young man clad in yellow rode astride it, hair disheveled, robes billowing wildly behind him.

Prince Duan's estate lay to the east, while the Imperial Tutor’s manor stood to the west. To reach one from the other required traversing the main street and navigating three narrow alleys.

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 After a long deliberation, Qiao Hairen decided to enter the palace and request an audience.

He had seen through Prince Yong’an's recent actions in the capital all too clearly. He was also increasingly certain that the emperor must be fine; otherwise, Prince Yong’an wouldn't have spread such baseless rumors out of nowhere.

But after the emperor returned to the capital, the emperor's condition seemed different from what he had expected. The Imperial Physicians wore solemn expressions and kept a close watch, as if the emperor truly wasn't doing well.

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 As Shen Zhongyu followed his escort to the main courtyard, he saw Li Fengqi seated by a window, closely examining a painting.

He approached and bowed respectfully. Glancing at the painting, he recognized that it depicted Emperor Zhao Kuangyin donning the imperial yellow robes. Immediately, he more clearly understood that the reply letter was indeed just a test. Prince Yong’an's ambitions were clearly laid out in this painting.

Seeing Shen Zhongyu's arrival, Li Fengqi casually rolled up the painting scroll and set it on the table. His expression grew serious as he took the initiative to speak. "What brings you to my palace, cousin?"

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During the days when Li Zong was away, the gates of the Yong’an Palace remained shut. Li Fengqi and Ye Yunting didn't step out of the palace once, spending their days brewing horse milk wine and watching the snow fall day by day.

On occasion, when they brewed too much wine to finish, they'd bottle it up and send Zhu Lie to deliver it to several nobles' manors one by one.

This made the observing officials even more anxious. Prince Yong’an was contacting these old ministers far more often than usual. It was clear that he was getting ready to take action!

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 Following Li Fengqi's instructions, Zhu Lie swiftly spread the false news that Li Zong was critically injured and dying.

Spreading information required skill and strategy. Directly broadcasting the news would be a poor choice. Anyone with half a brain would think twice upon hearing it, and wonder if it might be a trap set by the Prince Yong'an.

People would often only believe what they "saw" for themselves.

Good Luck Wedding 061 - Reply

 Min County.

An army thirty thousand strong galloped from Zaohe River toward Shangjing. Two thousand soldiers cleared the way ahead, while five thousand escorted Emperor Li Zong's personal entourage. The remaining troops were split into several groups, following close behind as escort.

At the center of the army, the emperor's massive yellow carriage stood out. Pulled by twenty-four docile horses, it resembled a giant moving house.

 

Good Luck Wedding 060 - Resurrection After Death

 

Ye Yunting’s his heart raced with anxiety as prepared to reveal the deeply-buried secret within him.

He had imagined countless scenarios and was prepared for the possibility that Li Fengqi might not easily believe him. After all, such bizarre claims could seem like baseless nonsense or utter absurdity to anyone else.

But he never anticipated these words from Li Fengqi:

If it's the Eldest Young Master saying something, then of course, I believe in it. But if the words come from other people, perhaps not. 

Good Luck Wedding 059 - Fate

 Ye Yunting felt very shaken, but he managed to keep himself smiling calmly. "It's nothing. I just got distracted thinking about the battle at Zaohe River."

Noticing Ye Yunting's weary expression, Li Fengqi assumed it was due to exhaustion from their journey. He said, "Let's rest today.  We can discuss these matters tomorrow." With that, he bowed respectfully to the Elder Wangfei before returning to the main courtyard with Ye Yunting.

Preoccupied with thoughts about the Shen family, Ye Yunting went through his evening routine absentmindedly, then settled down for the night early.

Good Luck Wedding 058 - True or False

 

After three straight days of drinking the medicine, Li Fengqi's face was green with disgust. He suspected Ye Yunting was taking revenge by adding extra huanglian herb to the mixture.

This left him feeling very miserable.

Meanwhile, Ye Yunting looked perfectly happy watching over Li Fengqi each day as he drank his medicine.

Li Fengqi gritted his teeth and wanted to teach Ye Yunting a lesson so that he could be a good husband, but he also enjoyed seeing Ye Yunting smiling and acting so carefree around him. In the end, he couldn't bear to win this battle; all he could do was sacrifice himself to please his beloved.

Good Luck Wedding 057 - Taking Some Medicine

 

The villa was nestled halfway up the mountain, isolated from the world below. Fresh ingredients were sent up daily from the bottom of the mountain, to be cooked by skilled chefs into different dishes for each meal.

With good food and no worldly worries, life was comfortable. After eating, Ye Yunting took walks and then read books inside the house—the steward had collected all the old books from the previous owner and delivered them to Ye Yunting’s room.

Every day, he'd light a small stove, warm a pot of tea, pick up a book, and let time slip away in comfort.

Good Luck Wedding 056 - The Hot Spring Villa

The carriage reached the foot of Liu Mountain, and the two switched to sedan chairs for the ascent.

Snow-covered stone steps stretched up into the distance, and pine branches on either side were covered with thick layers of accumulated snow, piled high like waves layering and crashing against each other.

Ye Yunting was bundled in a heavy fox fur coat and wore a neck warmer around his neck. He held a small coal stove close as he gazed excitedly about him, his cheeks tinged pale by the cold mountain wind.

From his seat in another sedan chair, Li Fengqi observed Ye Yunting's expression and knew that the trip had been worth it.

Good Luck Wedding 055 – Competing for Favor

 

Qi Shao tried to subtly probe for more information, but he couldn't get any from Li Fengqi. In the end, he had no choice but to leave empty-handed.

After dealing with Qi Shao, Li Fengqi sat thinking by the window for a while, before turning his wheelchair towards Ye Yunting.

Ye Yunting was training the wolf.

Good Luck Wedding 054 – The Emperor Takes Command

Li Fengqi’s prediction was quickly proven correct.

As expected, Li Zong did not follow Qiao Hairen’s suggestion, but instead sent another envoy to the frontlines to supervise the battle. At the same time, he issued two imperial decrees ordering Jializhou and Luzhou to dispatch troops to provide assistance without delay.

At Zaohe River, Chen Yun met the envoy and received the imperial decrees, leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and continue to fight.

Good Luck Wedding 053 - Call Me Teacher

After the urgent report from Yunrong, Li Fengqi did not go to court again. He claimed to be ill and recuperating in his mansion. He closed the door to all guests and turned away all the courtiers who came to visit him.

Chen Yun, the commander of the Shence Army, had mobilized 50,000 soldiers and horses to rush to Zaohe River. According to the latest battle report, due to the heavy snowfall of the past several days, the surface of the Zaohe River had frozen over with thick layers of snow, allowing the rebels to cross the river. The rebel leader, Yin Xiaozhi, was overall in charge of the rebel forces, while Yin Chengwu led a small team to cross the river and clashed twice with Chen Yun's troops.

Good Luck Wedding 052 - Rebellion

Since the first flurry of snow, the capital city experienced ten days of continuous falling snow. There were gray skies above, snowy grounds, and occasionally birds glided across the horizon, wings stirring up drifting snowflakes, their calls echoing far off into the distance.

The atmosphere of the capital mirrored the sky above, solemn, cold, and turbulent beneath the surface.

After several rounds of debate, the long-delayed case against Yin Chengru came to its conclusion.

Good Luck Wedding 051 - It's All Your Fault

When Ye Yunting said this, he was stunned at first.

He thought he would feel some hesitation or internal conflict, yet the words that slipped from his mouth were so swift they surprised even him. Though he believed he hadn't made his decision, unbeknownst to himself, he had already reached one. It was just that he had been lying to himself, unwilling to admit it until now.

Afraid of experiencing feelings he'd never felt before, Ye Yunting had wrapped himself tightly and refused to advance.