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.

 

With his back turned to Li Fengqi and eyes closed, Ye Yunting saw images in his mind: the destroyed body of the Elder Wangfei lying in a coffin, and Li Fengqi's grief-stricken expression.

These dream scenes replayed in his head. Ye Yunting wanted several times to turn around and warn Li Fengqi about the Shen family, but each time, he didn't know what to say.

For one thing, the matter with the Shen family was based on events that he had seen in his dreams, not in this life at all. Even if there really were such problems here and now, what proof did he have? The Shen family was related to the Elder Wangfei. If Ye Yunting told Li Fengqi about what he saw in his dreams, would Li Fengqi believe him or the Shen family?

One worry after another popped up, making Ye Yunting hesitate again.

Li Fengqi saw that Ye Yunting had rolled over onto his side, facing away from him. He hadn't moved for quite some time. Thinking he must be very tired—so much so that he'd fallen into a deep sleep—Li Fengqi reached out to tuck the blanket more securely around him , then blowed out the candle.

The bedroom became quiet. Apart from the whistling wind outside, only soft breathing sounds could be heard within.

Ye Yunting kept his eyes shut, but he wasn't sleepy at all. He tossed and turned for ages before finally drifting off.

But when he fell asleep, he started dreaming again.

In his dream, he was still in the Yong’an Palace, but this time it was for a funeral. White lanterns swayed in the breeze along the corridors, while suonas wailed mournfully, their notes growing more sorrowful with each strain.

Li Fengqi stood before the memorial hall with his back to Ye Yunting. In front of him lay a pitch-black coffin. On either side of the hall, soul-calling banners fluttered in the wind.

Ye Yunting approached cautiously, wondering if they were holding a funeral for the Elder Wangfei.

But as he drew closer, he saw that on the banner above the coffin, his own name was written:

---Ye Yunting.

His heart jolted, and his mind went blank. It took a long while to come to his senses. He realized that this was the time when he had mistakenly drunk poisoned soup and died.

In his previous life, when he was sent to the Yong’an Palace for the wedding, his situation hadn't been good. Fearful of Prince Yong'an's reputation and worried about Ji Lian being held hostage at the Duke’s Mansion, Ye Yunting had lost all interest in living. He had merely existed day by day in the manor.

The food there was poor; every day it was just plain congee and pickles. But he remembered that one day, a servant girl had brought an extra bowl of chicken soup. The chicken soup looked rich and tempting. He'd asked if she might have made a mistake and sent it to the wrong person. She said no, explaining that it was originally prepared for the prince, but since there was some left over, she'd brought him an extra bowl.

Without thinking much about it, he'd drunk the entire bowl.

Not even half an hour later, the poison had taken effect.

Before his death, Li Fengqi somehow learned of Ye Yunting's predicament and appeared at his bedside. Considering the earlier dream, it seemed that Li Fengqi should have already been cured of his poison. He'd likely feigned illness in the palace to avoid drawing attention.

Only after learning that Ye Yunting was poisoned and dying did he reveal himself. He explained that Ye Yunting had been implicated because of him, and asked if there were any last wishes he could help fulfill.

The poison Ye Yunting had ingested was incredibly potent. He only had another quarter of an hour, and in that time, he managed only to ask Li Fengqi to look after Ji Lian before completely losing consciousness.

He didn’t know what happened afterwards.

Ye Yunting hadn’t expected that after his passing in the previous life, Li Fengqi had arranged for a proper funeral for him.

As Ye Yunting pulled himself from memories of his previous life life, he saw an elderly monk with snow-white beard standing before the memorial hall. The monk wore a faded saffron robe, his hands clasped around a string of prayer beads. He bowed respectfully towards the altar, then sighed, "This humble monk has arrived too late."

Li Fengqi, still dressed in black, looked at him and said, "The gatekeeper said that you're acquainted with the Wangfei? Have you come to pay your respects?"

The old monk shook his head. Rising slowly, he gazed compassionately at Li Fengqi. "Acquainted is not quite accurate. This humble monk has been searching for the Wangfei for many years. Today, I finally found him—but alas, it is too late."

"Great Master, if you have something to say, please speak frankly," Li Fengqi said with a frown, impatient with this old monk's cryptic talk.

He'd been in a foul mood for days. Though he and Ye Yunting were only spouses in name, Ye Yunting had died because of him. And when he thought about how the poisoner's real target was himself, his mood soured even more.

"Your Highness, do you believe in fate?" the old monk asked, sidestepping Li Fengqi's question and throwing out another instead.

Li Fengqi's expression darkened further. He shot a glance at the old monk and snapped, "I have never believed in fate." With that, he turned to leave.

The old monk turned his prayer beads and called out from behind, "The Astrology Tower Directorate wasn't wrong. The Wangfei truly was meant to be your guiding star. Wangye is the Emperor Star, bringing war and strife, while Wangfei was the Auxiliary Star, bringing life and growth. Now that the Auxiliary Star has fallen, the Emperor Star's aura of violence grows stronger. I fear it may bring disaster upon the land..."

He had read the stars, glimpsing heaven's secrets. Seeing the dimming of the Auxiliary Star, he had searched far and wide, but alas, he had arrived too late.

Li Fengqi reached the doorway and glanced back, letting out a cold laugh. "Old monk, you've spouted much nonsense, but you did get one thing right: This lord will indeed ascend to the throne. As for everything else... what does it matter to me?" With those words, he turned without hesitation and left.

The old monk watched his retreating figure and murmured, "As I suspected... When the emperor loses his guiding star, bloodshed will be unending—a sign of calamity upon the world..."

As the monk's words grew more cryptic, Ye Yunting frowned. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to check on Li Fengqi first. But as soon as he moved, the old monk's gaze suddenly snapped over to him. "Who is spying in the shadows?"

Startled, Ye Yunting froze and looked around, thinking there might be someone else hiding in the memorial hall. But after looking around, he realized the old monk was staring straight at his direction.

“?” His heart was startled. He thought for a moment, hesitated for a second more, before slowly stepping forward. As he did, the old monk's eyes followed him, clearly aware of his presence.

Ye Yunting felt waves of panic wash over his heart. He stood still, too afraid to move.

The old monk searched the area in confusion for several moments but found nothing. Scratching his head, he muttered something about strange occurrences before striding off after Li Fengqi.

Seeing him leave, Ye Yunting let out a breath. Then suddenly, dizziness washed over him. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the study.

It was dark, with only burning candles lighting the room.

Li Fengqi sat behind a desk in black robes, while another person stood respectfully before the desk, hands clasped behind their back, as if waiting for instructions.

"You're saying that the person who poisoned him is connected to the Shen family?"

The man replied, "All the clues we've found so far point to the Shen family."

"It wouldn't be surprising if it was the Shen family." Li Fengqi lowered his eyes in thought for a while before letting out a scoff. "This isn't the first time Shen Zhongyu has used such despicable methods."

And he had also guessed the purpose for the Shen family’s actions.

Li Zong feared for his reputation, and assumed that he would be dying sooner or later from the poison, so he hadn't acted against him yet. But Shen Zhongyu wanted to express his allegiance to the emperor, and so had his mother killed. As long as he lived, Shen Zhongyu wouldn’t be able to rest easy. He might have finally decided to act because he couldn't hold back any longer. Li Zong might not have known about this plan, or he might have known but pretended ignorance to allow Shen Zhongyu to carry his actions out.

But at this point, knowing or not knowing  was no longer important.

Since Li Fengqi survived, he would definitely make them pay with their own blood.

Li Fengqi's expression was full of anger as he tapped his fingers on the table and said calmly, "Carry out our plan. Do it cleanly and carefully—don't leave any traces."

"Yes." The subordinate took his orders and left, leaving Li Fengqi sitting alone in the study. The flickering candlelight cast deep shadows across his face.

Ye Yunting, however, was stunned by what he'd just learned: the poison that killed him in his last life was actually linked to the Shen family.

--

In his half-dreaming and half-awake state, Li Fengqi suddenly felt his arm being clutched tightly. He opened his eyes groggily, and after adjusting to the darkness, he saw Ye Yunting hunched over with his forehead pressed against Li Fengqi's shoulder. Muffled sounds of fragmented speech came from his throat.

Li Fengqi propped himself up on one elbow and lit a candle with his free hand. As he leaned forward for a closer look, he noticed Ye Yunting's brow was furrowed deeply, both hands wrapped tight around Li Fengqi's bicep, as if he had suffered another nightmare.

Li Fengqi raised his hand, gently patted him on the back and softly called his name.

After repeating himself several times, he finally roused Ye Yunting from his troubled sleep.

Ye Yunting lifted his head and looked at him dazedly.

Li Fengqi was about to ask what had happened when Ye Yunting abruptly sat up. He looked at Li Fengqi solemnly for a moment before saying, "Wangye, there’s something I need to tell you."

"What's so serious?" Seeing Ye Yunting's solemn expression, even Li Fengqi couldn't help but sit up straight, ready to listen.

Recalling what he saw in his dream, Ye Yunting pursed his lips. He pondered for a long while, carefully choosing his words before slowly beginning, "It has to do with the Shen family..."

He had been dreaming for half the night, and his voice was still a little hoarse as he spoke, "That letter from the Shen family might be a trick."

Li Fengqi frowned slightly. "What do you mean?" He thought Ye Yunting had found something suspicious in the letter.

Instead of answering directly, Ye Yunting asked a question similar to the one posed by the old monk in his dream: "Does the Prince believe in fate?"

"Of course I do," Li Fengqi replied, momentarily taken aback before breaking into a smile again. "The Astrology Tower Directorate said that the Eldest Young master is my lucky star. We complement each other perfectly; our match was destined by heaven itself!"

Ye Yunting had been asking seriously, but unexpectedly received an answer completely opposite from what he'd expected based on his dream.

He was stunned for a moment, then looked away hesitantly. "That's not what I’m talking about..."

Seeing how serious Ye Yunting seemed, Li Fengqi thought for a moment before saying, "Whether I believe in fate or not depends on who is speaking. 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."

The concept of fate was mysterious and unfathomable. Compared to such intangible notions, he believed in himself more.

However, when it came to Ye Yunting, he would willingly accept the words of the Astrology Tower Directorate. He truly believed that he and Ye Yunting were a heaven-destined union, bound together across lifetimes.

 

=== Author’s Notes ===

77: I believe everything my wife says =3=

Tingting: …

=== Translator’s Notes ===

Makes me feel bad for original-timeline!Li Fengqi. ☹