Chapter 81 - Unrepentant Affection

ng no memory of this body and could only make judgments based on conjecture, which frustrated her."Mother Empress, you can’t just take Moon Sister like this; she…" The Fourth Prince was alarmed when h...Chapter 81: Unrepentant Devoted Heart

This "I will" was without any hesitation or thought. It was resolute and strong, leaving no doubt about her determination in the minds of those who heard it.

The light in Ye Tianyu's eyes brightened as he suddenly turned around, seemingly just noticing Zhao Kehan's arrival, and hurriedly went over to greet her with joy.

Ye Tianqing glanced at Yun Qianmo before following Ye Tianyu to look at Zhao Kehan.

Yun Qianmo thought that in ancient times, it was usually the woman who got hurt while the man would change his mind easily. She hoped that Ye Tianyu could live longer and that Zhao Kehan wouldn't regret her decision. Slowly turning around, she looked behind herself.

Aside from seeing Zhao Kehan at the North Gate during the Qiqiao Festival, this was the second time Yun Qianmo had seen her in a long while. When Zhao Kehan came in earlier, Yun Qianmo didn't see her on Princess Sixth's banquet table. She must have just arrived and come straight here. This woman looked much thinner than she did during the horse racing event on that day of the Qiqiao Festival. Back then, she was more athletic compared to ordinary women, but now she had a slight frailness typical of young girls. Nevertheless, her sharp features were still there, preserving her reputation as the daughter of a martial family.

It must be said that Ye Tianyu's taste was indeed good. Among the ladies in the capital whom he knew by name and respected, apart from Princess Seventh, only Zhao Kehan stood out to him. She had some appreciation for this woman.

"Hanan, why did you come so late" Ye Tianyu stepped forward, holding Zhao Kehan's delicate hand with an unusually gentle tone.

The corner of Yun Qianmo's mouth twitched slightly. When she heard Rong Jing speaking softly and sweetly, her heart felt warm, but hearing Ye Tianyu's tender voice made her feel goosebumps all over It seemed that the saying was true: when you like something, everything about it is pleasing; when you don't, nothing pleases you. Looking at Zhao Kehan, who clearly enjoyed this treatment immensely, she thought to herself, isn't there another saying, what's my poison might be your honey. Her own 'poison' seemed to be exactly this Miss Zhao's honey.

"I woke up late in the morning and decided to come play here. When I arrived and didn’t see you, the butler told me that you were in the back garden, so I came looking for you," Zhao Kehan allowed Ye Tianyu to hold her hand, blushing slightly, showing some shyness and coquettishness as she spoke softly.

"So it was like this! It's not too late. It’s good that you’re here," Ye Tianyu affectionately pinched the small calluses on Zhao Kehan's hands (likely formed from wielding weapons) before pulling her towards Yun Qianmo and Ye Tianqing.

Yun Qianmo and Ye Tianqing both remained seated as they watched them approach.

"This is my second brother, this is Mo Sister. There’s no need for me to introduce you two since you’re all family," Ye Tianyu said to Zhao Kehan.

Zhao Kehan blushed and glanced at the two of them with a wavering gaze, her shyness almost overwhelming but there was also a touch of sharpness in her voice as she called out, "Second Prince, Miss Yun Qianmo!"

"Since we’re all family, just call me Second Brother like you do Tianyu," Ye Tianqing smiled amicably.

"I never consider Ye Tianyu a brother, but Miss Zhao can certainly address me as Mo Sister the same way he does," Yun Qianmo looked at Zhao Kehan and also smiled warmly.

"Second Brother, Mo Sister!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Kehan's face flushed slightly, lowering her head obediently and calling them out.

Ye Tianyu was pleased inside as he pulled Zhao Kehan to sit down. Even though they were seated, he didn't let go of her hand.

Zhao Kehan felt somewhat awkward like a shy bride meeting the in-laws for the first time, but she clearly had an honest and straightforward nature, so although she was bashful, it came naturally to her.

Yun Qianmo sized up Zhao Kehan, looking at her intensely. She thought that this beauty with flushed cheeks like clouds was indeed graceful; it wasn't without reason that people considered her the most beautiful sight in the world, and seeing a beautiful woman blushing made for quite an attractive scene.

"Mo Sister, if you were not a lady, I would have insisted on having Hanan wear a veil today," Ye Tianyu waved his free hand in front of Yun Qianmo's face.

Zhao Kehan was originally very straightforward and大方，但被雲淺月這麼盯著看，還是羞得滿臉通紅。她抬眼看了看雲淺月一眼，又嗔了夜天煜一眼，低聲說道：“我哪裡用得著戴麵紗？倒是容世子最該戴的那個。”

Upon hearing this, Ye Tianyu burst out laughing. "That's right! The one who should be wearing the veil is Prince Rong. Since he isn't here now, if he were, Mo Sister would only look at him and not pay any attention to anyone else."

Ye Tianqing also laughed upon hearing this.

Zhao Kehan followed suit with a clear laugh of her own.

Yun Qianyue blushed and covered her mouth with her hand, coughing softly. She withdrew her gaze from Zhao Kehan's face, glanced silently at the sky, and found that this Zhao Kehan was also a woman who knew how to be humorous. After a moment, she brought back her sight, waved her hand, and said with a smile: "Seeing Rong Jing has already caused him aesthetic fatigue, but seeing Miss Zhao is still fresh."

Zhao Kehan stopped laughing and blushed again.

Ye Tianyu glared at Yun Qianyue, reminding her: "Little sister Moon, you should be careful that there may be ears on the walls. If Young Prince Jing hears it, your good days will come."

Yun Qianyue snorted and said to Ye Tianyu, "Today is still your good day; mine is far away!" "Second Brother, from Moon's tone, isn't she a complete shrew" Ye Tianyu asked Night Tianqing. Night Tianqing smiled without speaking, then turned to Yun Qianyue and said with a smile: "Why don't you two give it a try We can have our way today... turn the raw rice into cooked ones."

Zhao Kehan's neck turned red all of a sudden.

"I would like to, but unfortunately, the time isn’t on my side." Yun Qianyue sighed and said calmly without blushing or breathing heavily: "You guys go first; we'll follow later. We will settle things sooner or later."

Ye Tianyu thought that he could also see Yun Qianyue blushing, speechless in front of him. He was about to drink tea when Yun Qianyue said this unexpected sentence, and he coughed so hard that the tea spurted out.

Zhao Kehan was startled and hurriedly took a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe his face and pat his back.

Yun Qianyue looked enviously. It is said that it's hardest to endure the favor of a beauty; Ye Tianyu, this young man who had always been ambiguous, rarely found women devoted to him like Zhao Kehan was, which made him truly blessed. Compared with him, previously those women all valued Night Tianqing’s position as crown prince, but now that he was dethroned and his palace confiscated, falling from being a crown prince to a mere imperial son, the ladies-in-waiting vanished without a trace. This included even Xianqin王府's Lady Cold Shuli and Yongwang's Miss Rong Linglan. Later there was Qin Yucun, who went missing on her wedding day; Night Tianqing faced an assassination attempt which infuriated him but he did not break off his engagement with the Chancellor’s family. All this left his good days temporarily put on hold. In this respect, he fell short of Ye Tianyu because at least Ye Tianyu had a devoted woman.

Seeing these two people, Night Tianqing seemed to recall something and gradually hid his smile.

Aftr coughing for quite some time, Ye Tianyu recovered and said tenderly to Zhao Kehan: "Haner has worked hard!" Then he pointed at Yun Qianyue, asking, “Little sister Moon, are you still a woman”

"No cheating; genuine," Yun Qianyue replied with eight words.

“You don’t seem like a woman. Only that man can take it.” Ye Tianyu said indignantly.

<

"Flowers and the moon, passion, mutual affection, everything goes smoothly. It's not something to hide or make a fuss over," Yun Qianyue disdainfully looked at Ye Tianyu before lazily getting up. "Today is a good day for it; I’ll go and greet guests in front. You two have a warm red tent, hurry up and spend your night together!”

This time Zhao Kehan knew that her face couldn’t compare to Yun Qianyue’s and blushed so much she could hardly lift her head.

Yun Qianyue thought that this fire had burned enough for the day, so she turned around to leave.

"Little sister Moon, I'll go with you to greet guests in front." Night Tianqing also stood up.

"Alright!" Yun Qianyue nodded and walked away before turning back to Ye Tianyu and asked: "Where's White Pear Blossom"

“If not for knowing that you have better wine than my white pear blossom, I would really think your addiction is due to my white pear blossom." Ye Tianyu said with a smile. “In the cellar; you know where it’s at, go and get some.”

"Alright!" Yun Qianyue didn't speak anymore, left the pavilion under the blue tree and jade flowers, and headed for the wine cellar.

Night Tianqing also walked out of the pavilion to follow Yun Qianyue.

The two of them followed each other closely; their shadows overlapped.

Seeing the pair walking away, Ye Tianyu withdrew his smile and said leisurely: "If not for Second Brother’s confusion... maybe Little sister Moon... No, it probably wouldn’t be this way. Even if he wasn't confused, he still couldn’t compare with Rong Jing; no one could match Rong Jing..."

Zhao Kehan raised her head and looked at Night Tianqing and Yun Qianyue’s departing figures.

"What do you think of Little sister Moon" Ye Tianyu asked Zhao Kehan, withdrawing his gaze.

Zhao Kehan's blush had yet to fade, and after seeming to ponder for a moment, she shook her head. "I can't understand her; it’s hard to comment."

The night sky suddenly burst into laughter, his joyous laughter ringing out.

Zhao Kehan seemed to be stunned by the Night Tianyu's unexpected laughter and stared at him blankly.

"It's right that you can't understand her. None of us can. Perhaps only one person could understand her. It’s not because we don’t understand, but rather she doesn’t give us a chance to do so in front of us. She is completely different from the person in front of Rong Jing and everyone else," Night Tianyu's laughter stopped as his tone hinted at some emotion.

Zhao Kehan looked at Night Tianyu, her heart tightening. "I know there are many people who fancy Miss Shanyue, even when she was arrogant and notorious before; still, a lot of people liked her. Are you..."

"No matter how many others might be interested, I am not included," Night Tianyu suddenly smiled, the trace of emotion in his eyes vanishing as he bent down to scoop Zhao Kehan up in an embrace and whispered softly, "I admire Moon Sister's unrestrained way of living. She is unique and different from all other women, but I won’t develop any feelings for her. You can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kehan’s tense expression eased. Not because she enjoyed hearing sweet words; it was because instinctively, she believed him since she knew months ago that Emperor had wanted to arrange a marriage between Yun Shanyue and Night Tianyu, but he had refused. Regardless of whether the emperor's intentions were jesting or probing, if there indeed were any feelings involved, an opportunity like this would be hard to resist. Very few people could refuse such a chance. The sincerity in his tone now indicated that he truly didn't have any ulterior motives or that even if he once did, it had vanished in the blink of an eye. He knew precisely what was most important to him.

"Are you sure you agree with Moon Sister's suggestion" Night Tianyu asked gently again.

Zhao Kehan blushed and nodded resolutely.

"It’s a pity for you! If His Majesty agrees to our wedding, I will surely arrange an extravagant celebration to make up for it," Night Tianyu said as he carried Zhao Kehan towards his courtyard chambers.

"I don’t care about the grand ceremony. I love you willingly," Zhao Kehan murmured softly.

No longer speaking, Night Tianyu tightened his hold on her slightly. He knew clearly that at this critical juncture when court affairs were tense, it was fortunate for him to have a woman who could say she wasn't afraid of any sacrifice and was willing. Although he carried some admiration, thoughts, and considerations about how advantageous her status might be, along with a sense of guilt for taking advantage of a woman's love, he had no choice but to take this step. In the world, not every marriage required deep mutual affection; they could also arise due to various reasons, which were common enough. Although he wasn't entirely upright, he was certain that in his lifetime, he would always treat her well.

Zhao Kehan didn’t hear Night Tianyu’s words and remained silent too. She felt lucky that he hadn't said "I won't let you down," because if he had, it would have proven that he was merely using her status as a tool, which wouldn’t be much different from a transaction. If so, she would feel half cold for being used and half warm for loving him with all her heart. She wouldn’t experience the warmth of being embraced like now.

She had liked Night Tianyu many years ago when Yun Shanyue drew his attention that year at an imperial banquet due to some altercation with Leng Shaozhuo. It was a fierce fight, and she could see that although Yun Shanyue knew martial arts, she didn’t use it against the unarmed Leng Shaozhuo; instead, she fought him bare-handed because of her bad mood. She happened upon them while passing by and stopped to watch. Soon enough, Fourth Prince arrived — whether he was alerted or just coincidentally passed by wasn't clear, but his arrival made them stop fighting. At that moment when Leng Shaozhuo lay bruised on the ground, while Yun Shanyue had only minor cuts and bruises, Night Tianyu didn’t care about Leng Shaozhuo's well-being; he anxiously dragged Yun Shanyue to the imperial hospital, despite her reluctance. His sternness compelled her to comply. It was that moment she could never forget.

At that point, Night Tianyu was more dazzling than even Crown Prince Night Tianqin whom Zhao Kehan had seen recently. She couldn’t help but admit that he had then captured a place in her heart which remained there over the years. Women fall for men in such odd ways; sometimes it's due to something insignificant that neither of them may remember today, yet an outsider remembers clearly.

Initially, she thought Night Tianyu liked Yun Shanyue too, but now that he didn’t like her anymore was even better. She wanted to hold onto these years' worth of affection, regardless of how fleeting it might be; she wouldn't regret any moment of it in this life.

Yun Shanyue and Night Tianqin were silent as they arrived at the wine cellar. Ten fine jars of Pear Blossom White were lined up outside as per Night Tianyu's instruction long ago.

Seeing these jars, Yun Shanyue turned to smile at Night Tianqin. "You take five; I’ll take five."

"Alright!" Night Tianqin smiled and readily agreed.

Yun Shanyue waved her hand, levitating a jar onto another one gently, then stacked them up until she had all five. She lifted the stack to rest on her palm with a flick of her wrist as if it were featherlight. Without minding how Night Tianqin was moving his share, she carried hers and left.

The wine cellar keeper watched in awe at Yun Shanyue carrying the jars out before turning his gaze to Night Tianqin who had followed suit after some initial astonishment. The smile on Crown Prince's face showed he found the task amusing despite his current low status, where servants usually handled such tasks.

Yun Shanyue glanced back at Night Tianqin, seeing him following her with a toothy grin as she turned around again. She was speechless — did carrying wine really make him so happy He looked like an infatuated fool, but perhaps he was happy for the newlyweds, especially since Night Tianyu's birthday banquet had become their wedding ceremony

The two were silent once more as they returned to the main hall.

The scenery of this scene was incredibly magnificent, so when the two people emerged with wine jars in hand, they immediately caught everyone's attention.

Yu Qianyue looked at the table where Leng Shaozhuo had earlier invited her. She saw that the three figures—Ye Qingran, Rong Feng, and Leng Shaozhuo—were no longer there, but Rong Jing was seated there holding a cup of tea and looking in her direction. Yu Qianyue scanned around; most faces among the guests were familiar, with a few unfamiliar ones as well, but she didn’t see Ye Qingran or the other three figures. Instead, she saw Night Tianyi and a couple of younger princes sitting at one table also looking in her direction. She then walked straight toward Rong Jing without regard for others.

Ye Tianqiong paused his steps as he followed Yu Qianyue towards Rong Jing.

"I am so tired; you just watched and didn’t come to help," said Yu Qianyue when she reached Rong Jing's table, giving him a reproachful look before setting down the five wine jars in her hands.

"Seeing how much you love your wine, I couldn't bear to take what you cherish," Rong Jing smiled gently and waved his hand lightly. The five stacked wine jars scattered and lined up neatly at his feet. This move of scattering flowers and shifting shadows was accomplished with just a flash of his cloud-patterned sleeves.

Yu Qianyue chuckled and sat down beside Rong Jing, whispering into his ear, "I brokered a good marriage today; praise me!"

Rong Jing's eyes flashed slightly as he smiled lightly, "Do you need my praise"

"Of course!" Yu Qianyue nodded and huffed at him, “How many days have we not seen each other And I haven't even seen that you miss me.”

"Aren’t you becoming clingier now I thought after three days without seeing you, you would be unable to resist coming for me. But unexpectedly, after twenty days, I didn't see the door of my Purple Bamboo Courtyard being knocked open; thinking about it made me resentful and how could I still miss you" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow at her.

Yu Qianyue recalled that day when he threw her off the carriage. Though time had passed, she still thought this person was hateful. But hearing him speak like this, she wanted to roll her eyes dramatically. She changed the subject, "Don't you want to know what good deed I did"

"Today is a happy day; anything that brings joy can happen," Rong Jing smiled and leaned closer to whisper in her ear as she had done before, “You are always thinking about others' happiness. When will you think of ours”

Yu Qianyue coughed lightly, seemingly very depressed, "The time is not on my side; how can I think of it"

"There's a saying: if the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain," Rong Jing said as he looked at her with his eyes sparkling.

"But there has to be a mountain for you to go to!" Yu Qianyue glared at him. "I can’t even see your mountain; how am I supposed to help"

“Oh, true. But always think about going to the mountain and solutions will come up,” Rong Jing nodded seriously. Then he moved slightly away from Yu Qianyue and called out to Night Tianqiong, "Prince Er can sit here! You've worked hard carrying wine for her; you must have a drink to make it worthwhile."

Ye Tianqiong was about to leave after placing the wine jars down when he heard Rong Jing's invitation and stopped. He smiled at Rong Jing, "I thought Prince Shizhi didn’t like others disturbing him."

"It varies with circumstances," Rong Jing said coolly.

Ye Tianqiong no longer hesitated; he sat down opposite to Rong Jing. Smiling at Yu Qianyue, he said, "Sister Moon, even ten jars of this wine won't be enough for the three of us."

"I'll take what's left," Yu Qianyue picked up a jar and twisted off its stopper; pear blossom fragrance wafted over. She sniffed it happily, saying, "This is real pear flower white liquor. Mm, it’s been such a long time since I had this."

"Little girl, there's no way you can take the leftovers; one person drinking five jars is enough," Ye Qingran’s voice sounded.

Yu Qianyue looked up to see Ye Qingran and Rong Feng returning. They were both sweaty with slightly disheveled hair but moved lightly as if they'd just had a sparring session. She scolded Ye Qingran, "You’re exaggerating!"

"When have I ever exaggerated" Ye Qingran sat down beside Yu Qianyue and snatched her jar to take a big drink, then said with a whistle: “Though not the best of wine, it has its own unique charm.”

"If you don't exaggerate, you won’t be afraid of being stuffed; I still wouldn’t want you to waste this fine liquor," Yu Qianyue took another jar and opened it, passing one to Ye Tianqiong. "We are all real men at this table—we can drink straight from the jars!"

Ye Qingran laughed loudly as a mouthful of wine flew out. Fortunately, he turned away in time; otherwise, he would have ruined all the dishes on the table. Afterwards, choking slightly, he began to cough.

Looking at the jar of liquor in front of him, Ye Tianqiong's lips twitched. However, he had been trained by Yu Qianyue’s earlier story and was therefore relatively composed.

Rong Feng slowly sat down, his face twitching as well. After a moment, he shook his head with a smile.

In comparison to the three people's different expressions, Rong Jing remained calm and collected; he didn't even blink an eye. With a leisurely tone, he said: "Yun Qianyue, if it's one person per jar for each person, that’s fine. But you’re not allowed to tell me again that you're a pure gentleman."

When Rong Jing spoke like this, Ye Qingran's coughing became even more severe.

Yun Qianyue fell silent for a moment and took one jar of wine to place in front of Rong Feng. Then she picked up another jar of wine for Rong Jing, and finally kept the last jar of wine for herself. After completing these actions, she nodded and said, "Alright, I won't say it again."

Rong Jing didn’t speak anymore; with his graceful hand, he twisted off the lid.

After Ye Qingran struggled to stop coughing, he looked at Yun Qianyue and said, "Little girl, if you’re a pure gentleman, then be a pure gentleman. You may not say that you're one, but your actions match those of a pure gentleman. Say whatever you want to say; why bother listening to this weak beauty"

"You have no choice but to listen, because he will be my breadwinner and source of wealth and happiness for the rest of my life." Yun Qianyue listed several reasons before concluding, "It’s wise to follow his advice."

Ye Qingran's face was covered in dark lines as he said, “You really have no shame. It’s like you can’t get married!”

"Yeah, besides him, I couldn't marry anyone else." Yun Qianyue didn’t feel ashamed but rather proud.

The dark lines on Ye Qingran's face turned into a waterfall of darkness as he fell completely silent.

Rong Jing’s brows were like beams of sunlight piercing through the clouds, dazzling and unparalleled. He reached out naturally to pat Yun Qianyue’s head with a gentle tone, treating her like his beloved pet, "So obedient!"

Yun Qianyue felt a chill but didn’t brush off Rong Jing's hand.

Ye Qingran seemed to also feel a chill; he quickly reached out and slapped away the goosebumps on his body. Then he angrily said to Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing, "Are you trying to ruin this perfectly white pear wine"

"You don’t have to drink it." Rong Jing didn't even glance at Ye Qingran.

Ye Qingran huffed, “If I’m not going to drink it, then so be it.” With that, he picked up the jar of wine and called out to Rong Feng: "Come on, for this enjoyable battle we just had, let’s down a big one!"

Rong Feng looked at the large jar in front of him without moving. “Can’t drink”

"Are you not a pure gentleman" Ye Qingran glared at Rong Feng.

Yun Qianyue looked up to the sky speechlessly. So quickly learning, he’s such an excellent student… This Ye Qingran...

"Not being a pure gentleman isn’t a big deal either." Rong Feng still shook his head.

Ye Qingran huffed again; with no one else joining him, he drank another large mouthful of wine. After setting it down, he asked Ye Tianqiong, "What about that brat Night Tianyu We’ve all come to celebrate his birthday. Is him hiding and not coming out considered what"

"Fourth Brother has some matters that prevent him from attending; we were told to start the feast first," said Ye Tianqiong with a smile.

Ye Tianyu frowned, looking at other tables where the Grand Steward of the Fourth Prince’s estate was passing along news that Night Tianyu would arrive later and for everyone to enjoy themselves. He curled his lips: "What's this kid up to Did he get so happy from being praised by Uncle Emperor after returning from Qingshan City that he can't come out"

No one responded.

"Little girl, didn’t you just see that brat" Ye Qingran turned to Yun Qianyue.

"Yes, I did see him, but only for a moment. Then he was called away by a beauty," said Yun Qianyue lazily.

"Beauty" Ye Qingran raised an eyebrow.

Yun Qianyue blinked her eyes, thinking that by now Nie Tianyu should have completed his minor official appointment. She said with a smile, "Isn't it Zhao Kehan, the daughter of the Minister of War Who else could be referred to as 'beauty'"

Ye Qingran was taken aback for a moment and then seemed to realize something, though the expression quickly vanished from his eyes. He waved his hand and said generously, "Since he has someone beautiful to enjoy with, we'll drink ourselves. We can't let any of these ten jars of pear blossom white wine go to waste."

Yun Qianyue couldn't agree more. She held a jar of wine in her arms and took a swig. Suddenly she thought about Leng Shaozhuo, asking the two people beside her, "What happened to Leng Shaozhuo"

Ye Qingran shrugged nonchalantly, saying, "Who knows Little miss, you’re really concerned for him"

"He was sitting here first. Where did he go now" Yun Qianyue looked at Rong Feng.

Rong Feng shook his head and said, "We left after you left. He was still here when we left."

Yun Qianyue frowned slightly and turned her head to look at Rong Jing. When she and Nie Tianqing arrived, only he had been sitting there.

Rong Jing shook his head, saying, "No one was here when I arrived."

Yun Qianyue felt strange about this and saw the head steward of the Fourth Prince’s Manor walk by. She immediately waved at him and asked, "Have you seen the young Marquis Cold from the Filial Devotion王府的冷小王爺冇看到嗎？他去哪兒了？”

那大管家想了想，連忙道：“冷小王爺說身體不舒服，似乎是先走了。”

"Body discomfort" Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow. Not long ago, Leng Shaozhuo's complexion had been good and he didn't seem to be suffering from body discomfort. She suppressed the questions in her heart and waved dismissively at the steward. As the steward walked away, she said indifferently, "I was just thinking about how we’re missing someone who could drink with us. Forget it, let’s keep drinking on our own."

No one objected.

For a while, there were various reactions among them: some were boisterous, others elegant; some quiet, and some dignified or casual. Forks moved lightly in front of each person as the wine jars passed around.

The other tables weren't affected by Prince Nie Tianyu's absence, with the atmosphere still lively as the guests mingled.

Halfway through the banquet, a loud shout was heard from the main gate of the Fourth Prince’s Manor: "The Emperor has arrived!"

The crowd was taken aback.

Yun Qianyue and her group were also affected by this. Everyone looked at the entrance simultaneously.

The shouts from the main gate continued for a moment, and guests clearly heard that it was the Emperor arriving. They quickly left their seats to welcome him. Prince Nie Tianqing and Ye Qingran, as well as Rong Feng, all stood up, while Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing remained seated.

Yun Qianyue looked at the crowd rushing out to greet the Emperor, holding her wine jar tightly in her arms. She said to Rong Jing, "I haven't had enough of this pear blossom white."

"Continue drinking," Rong Jing casually glanced outside and then turned his gaze back.

The old emperor receives news very quickly, but it’s probably too late to stop him!" Yun Qianyue snorted softly.

“It's just as well that you're fulfilling your role as matchmaker perfectly,” Rong Jing smiled, “but I doubt today’s events will be as smoothly executed as the affair involving the Second Prince and Miss Qin.”

Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

Rong Jing glanced at the wine jar in her hand. His tone was gentle as he said, "Everything should have a beginning and an end; once you’ve taken on the role of matchmaker, you must see it through to the end. Drink more pear blossom white now; later, use your alcohol-induced courage to give another push! Years ago, because of you, Lady Zhao lost her heart for the Fourth Prince. You can't just watch as she comes to harm today. I was indeed very hungry..." Li Yun lowered her head; she seemed to hear Róngjǐng's soft chuckle, which made her face turn red."Knowing that the Crown Prince Ji is coming, the estate has already prep...