Only after seeing off all the guests and leaving only his own people within the pavilion did Ye Yunting finally relax his shoulders and sigh deeply.
He glanced at Pan Yue’s lifeless body, and said, “Have someone bring Pan Yue’s corpse back to his manor.”
Although Pan Yue harbored malicious intentions, since he was already dead, there was no need to further degrade his remains; it would be better to return him to his estate.
Li Fengqi scoffed. “Do as you please.” He turned his wheelchair discreetly before stepping forward and placing himself between Ye Yunting and Yue Changgou, smiling as he looked upon the latter. “Was Brother Yue really responsible for releasing this wolf king? Such impeccable timing.”
His words spoke of impeccable timing, but this was obviously not what he thought in his heart. He studied Yue Changgou with a questioning look.
Yue Changgou let out a bright laugh, without hiding anything. “Teacher and I foolishly went searching for Shidi, but we ended up walking down the wrong path that just happened to lead near the courtyard where they were keeping the wolf. At the time, we heard wolf howls and the sound of a metal cage being struck, so out of curiosity, we took a quick look and saw the commotion here in the pavilion through the window. It seemed that the gray wolf was intent on protecting its master, so I decided to release it, if only to help my Shidi vent his anger.” he spread his hands. “Even if I didn’t vent my anger on my Shidi’s behalf, I still saved two lives, right?”
As he spoke, he reached out to pat the wolf king’s head.
The wolf king promptly shook his hand away and growled at him before moving to crouch beside Ye Yunting.
“Shidi, this wolf sure has quite the memory.” Yue Changgou’s eyes widened with surprise as he muttered his discontentment.
Li Fengqi remained silent, refusing to comment on their words. From his intuition, he had always felt that this master-disciple pair were no ordinary individuals. However, they seemed to have a very close relationship with Ye Yunting, and from what he could tell, they only sought to protect him. So Li Fengqi chose not to dig deeper and instead asked, “Where is Master Chang?”
“I climbed over the wall to get here, but Teacher thought that was the behavior of rodents and refused to accompany me, so naturally he would arrived later,” Yue Changgou explained.
“So you know it’s the behavior of rodents?”
Speak of the devil and he will appear.
Chang Yu’an ascended the steps, looking at Yue Changgou with a disconcerted expression.
Yue Changgou pretended to Ji Lian in front of himself, sticking his head above the boy’s shoulders, and wheedled with Chang Yu’an for mercy, grinning cheekily. “Teacher often says that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures—I was just adapting to the situation.”
Ji Lian, who had been watching the scene unfold from the sidelines, found himself shoved to the front as a shield and immediately pushed Yue Changgou aside in displeasure, exclaiming, “What are you pulling me for? I didn’t do anything wrong! I even performed a meritorious deed today!”
After that, he tore Yue Changgou off his body and pushed him toward Chang Yu’an, adding a complaint, “Teacher, please keep him in check!”
“…” Yue Changgou’s face turned green, and he muttered, “Why is he so strong? No wonder he eats a lot.”
Chang Yu’an glared at him, then walked around him and bowed to Li Fengqi. “This disciple is being difficult, please forgive him, Wangye.”
Li Fengqi shook his head, his expression gentle like spring breeze and rain. “We’re all family here; it’s unnecessary for Teacher to speak this way. Today’s incident occurred suddenly, so we weren’t able to properly entertain you both today. Once these trivial matters have been taken care of, I will invite Teacher and Brother Yue over for a drink.”
His tone was kindly, his manners courteous. Naturally, Chang Yu’an reciprocated with equal courtesy, exchanging pleasantries until they settled on staying at the prince’s manor for two days.
Chang Yu’an figured their presence in the affairs of the palace would cause inconvenience, so he took the initiative to suggest going ahead to the front hall.
Though reluctant, Yue Changgou followed behind him, his lips curling when he passed by Li Fengqi. He seemed to know how to judge people by their appearance, but why was it so different when it came to him?
Unfortunately, this Teacher and little shidi were both under the influence of some sort of enchantment, unable to see past the surface to this person’s true nature.
After they left, only Ye Yunting, Li Fengqi, Ji Lian, and the unusually quiet Ye Wang remained within the pavilion, along with servants who had arrived later.
After Ye Yunting ordered his subordinates to collect Pan Yue’s corpse and return it to the Pan’s family manor, he turned his attention back to Ye Wang.
Because of recent fight, Ye Wang’s hair and clothes were somewhat disheveled. He was silently biting his lip, looking rather childlike.
“Are you hurt?” Ye Yunting asked him.
Ye Wang shook his head, then hung his head listlessly.
“Thank you.” Ye Yunting gave his thanks, and his gaze softened considerably when he thought about how Ye Wang had rushed forward without hesitation to protect him earlier. In the past, because their parents hadn’t been so kind to him, Ye Yunting was distanced from and indifferent to his spoiled and favored younger brother.
But he’d seen Ye Wang repeatedly come to his aid, and he wasn’t someone with a heart of stone. Those unspoken grievances slowly vanished in light of Ye Wang’s pure protection.
Ye Wang continued shaking his head, then paused for a time before quietly saying, “I-I’ll be going now, otherwise Mother will come looking for me.”
He turned around to leave, face still pale.
Ye Wang had always been headstrong and did everything with great vigor; his sudden change… Ye Yunting frowned and reached out to grab at him, intending to ask after him carefully—but unexpectedly, Ye Wang suddenly cried out, “L-let go!”
Startled, Ye Yunting instinctively let go of him. Ye Wang covered his right hand that Ye Yunting had grabbed, his eyes red from the pain.
“What’s wrong with your hand?” Ye Yunting had initially thought that he hadn’t been injured, but seeing Ye Wang refusing to show his hand even as he held it gingerly, he grew somewhat anxious, scolding him sternly, “Show me.”
At this rebuke, Ye Wang’s shoulders slumped, and he hesitantly extended his hand out, face a little red. “It’s just a little hurt, I sprained my wrist a bit.” He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the swollen wrist.
He must have injured himself while hitting Pan Yue, causing damage to his own wrist instead.
Afraid to touch the injury, Ye Yunting took hold of Ye Wang’s arm and examined it closely. “A sprain could be minor or severe; you should still see a doctor,” he said.
“No need for a doctor.” Li Fengqi wheeled forward, clicked his tongue, and took Ye Wang’s arm from Ye Yunting’s hands, pressing lightly on the injury. “Don’t scream.”
As he spoke, he exerted pressure on Ye Wang’s arm, eliciting another loud cry of pain from the young man, whose eyes grew even redder, close to tears.
He had never experienced such agony before! He ducked behind Ye Yunting, clutching his hand and glaring at Li Fengqi, unable to speak despite his anger.
Li Fengqi nearly laughed at him. “Crying over such a minor injury—aren’t you embarrassed?”
Ye Yunting surreptitiously tugged on his sleeve, gesturing for him to keep quiet. Then he turned back to look at Ye Wang, who was looking down with a pitiful expression. He gently stroked the young man’s hair and said softly, “I’ll put some ointment on it when we get back; it won’t hurt anymore once it’s wrapped up.”
Head drooping, Ye Wang glanced up at him through lowered lashes, asking quietly, “Am I useless?”
He thought about how even that chubby boy Ji Lian could lift Pan Yue off the ground and throw him down, yet he couldn’t even manage a single punch without twisting his own wrist. He was really disappointed.
Ye Yunting was startled. “How could you be? We’re fortunate you arrived when you did today.” Realizing something, he asked, “Speaking of which, what were you doing here just then?”
He had been tipsy, feeling rather warm, and wanted only to cool down by himself, so he’d gone to Zhanran Pavilion. This pavilion was secluded, rarely visited by guests.
Ye Wang grew even more confused. “Didn’t you ask your servant to send word for me to come?” He lowered his voice, slightly embarrassed. “She said you wanted to speak with me.”
“…” Ye Yunting frowned and met Li Fengqi’s gaze before slowly saying, “I never asked my servant to send word for you.”
Ye Wang stared blankly, feeling increasingly disheartened. “So it turns out you didn’t want to see me after all…”
Ye Yunting saw the disappointment written plainly on his face, momentarily lost for words before eventually continuing. “That’s not what I meant; it’s just that I’ve never asked for any servant to send word for you. Do you recall anything about how that servant looked like? What did she say exactly?”
“I don’t remember what she looked like.” Ye Wang thought back briefly, but since the servant had whispered quietly at his side, he hadn’t paid much attention to her features. He could only repeat her exact words.
Only now did he realize something was amiss. “Then why would she lie to me?”
“Perhaps she didn’t mean any harm,” Li Fengqi offered.
And the action even managed to save Ye Yunting from danger, if only temporarily. If not for this timely interference, given their vastly differing strengths, Ye Yunting likely wouldn’t have fared well against Pan Yue.
Ye Yunting also wished to understand the situation better.
This servant was merely a messenger, so who else had sent her to relay this message? How did they know Ye Wang would arrive just in time to save him from his predicament?
After much thought, he couldn’t think of any suitable candidates. Yet somehow, that familiar face flashed before his eyes—Cui Xi’s enigmatic smile.
He shook his head; there was no evidence to suggest that Cui Xi secretly helped him.
Since he couldn’t think of anyone fitting for the role, he decided to set aside this matter for now.
“Never mind, if they aren’t our enemy and don’t wish to reveal their identity, we needn’t pry further either.” Ye Yunting turned toward Ye Wang. “Let’s get you treated first.”
Ye Wang obediently nodded and followed behind him. Meanwhile, Ji Lian lifted Li Fengqi’s wheelchair down the stairs with the help of servants.
As soon as everyone began moving, even the wolf king, which had been crouching quietly on the side, stood up and strode after Ye Yunting step by step. It seemed harmless when it stayed still, but the moment it rose, its fierce and wild aura became impossible to ignore. Its large, sturdy body coupled with sharp canines made anyone watching shiver in fear.
Ye Wang kept some distance away, both a little afraid and a little jealous. “When did you raise a wolf? What happened to my falcon?” He once again adopted a sarcastic tone. “You won’t toss it aside because it’s useless, will you?”
Ye Wang thought with such a mighty and domineering wolf, Ye Yunting must have forgotten about the falcon he’d gifted him.
Taken aback, Ye Yunting shot him a surprised glance. “A-Qing has helped us a lot; of course I keep it well cared for in our courtyard. How could I toss it aside?”
At this response, Ye Wang’s spirits lifted. He glanced at the wolf king with his chin raised high and said, “Then you should take care to keep it well fed, because A-Qing isn’t any less impressive than this wolf king.”
Ye Yunting didn’t understand why Ye Wang suddenly pulled out the falcon to compare it with the wolf king, but seeing as he seemed to have recovered some energy, he decided to take it as childish mischief, and gave a “hmmm” sound in response.
Li Fengqi watched from behind them, then murmured, unhurried, “Second Young Master Ye ought not keep such fierce birds like falcons in the future. Otherwise, if you get accidentally scratched, your arm may hurt far more than today.”
“???”
Ye Wang glared at him from the side, unconvinced. “Today was just an accident! I’m not afraid of pain!” He secretly glanced at Ye Yunting and said in a muffled voice: “Besides, I’m going to join the army soon. Never mind scratches from falcons, even injuries from weapons are gonna be a small matter!”
“You want to join the army? “Ye Yunting was more surprised, and frowned again: “Did Father and Mother agree?”
Ye Wang grew up coddled and spoiled by his mother. Although Ye Yunting held no ill feelings toward him nowadays, he also had to admit that Ye Wang’s personality might not suit military life.
Moreover, weapons had no eyes, and life or death on the battlefield was unpredictable. His noble status as the young master of the Duke of Qi’s household would be of no help to him in the battlefield.
“I’ve already convinced my parents,” Ye Wang said with some pride. “Mother agreed to let me train with my grandfather’s troops to gain experience.”
When Ye Yunting heard he intended to join the Yin family, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but he still warned him anxiously, “There’s no need to force yourself, there may be opportunities for you here in the capital as well.”
“I know both of you worry,” Ye Wang replied, “but I’ll show you all what I’m made of.” He bit his lip, his face youthful yet determined, innocent and naive.
“Yin Xiaozhi? That's hardly a good choice.” Li Fengqi observed him, lightly tapping on the handrest as he watched Ye Wang. “If you truly wish to enlist, I can arrange a place for you. Or perhaps directly within the Northern Border Army?”
Ye Wang secretly scoffed at this suggestion, thinking, I’m not going there.
But outwardly, he remained polite. “Many thanks, Wangye, but Mother has already arranged everything for me.”
Li Fengqi didn’t press further upon hearing this response. “Fine, then. You should get your injury treated first.”
=== Author’s Notes ===
Ye Er-Dog-Zi: I am still the doggy whom my dear brother loves most!
77: ? You wish!
=== Translator’s Notes ===
Dying at YYT’s brother relations having Thoughts about LFQ.
Also Ye Wang being a good boy,
No comments:
Post a Comment