newbobooks Chapter 68 Returning Home
Chapter 68 Returning Home
Chapter 68 Returning Home
Outside the Dew-Drinking Garden, seeing Ye Pianran stroll leisurely out, Ouyang Shaoyu, who had been waiting for a long time, snorted coldly and called out:
"Ye Pianran!"
Ye Pianran glanced at him indifferently, but did not stop. Instead, she continued walking towards the palace.
Ouyang Shaoyu was surprised that she would be so disrespectful. He immediately chased after her, opened his arms to block her, and his handsome face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip from it.
Didn't you hear me calling you?
Seeing that she couldn't avoid him, Ye Pianran's eyes turned cold, all traces of the shyness she once showed when looking at him gone: "Oh, I wonder what business Brother Shaoyu has with me?"
Feeling extremely uncomfortable under such a gaze, Ouyang Shaoyu coldly said, "Let me ask you, what exactly do you mean by this today!"
"I simply fulfilled Brother Shaoyu's wish and called off this engagement," Ye Pianran said calmly.
"I do want to annul the engagement, but that's a matter between the two of us!" Ouyang Shaoyu said angrily. "How could you say such a thing in front of His Majesty!"
"What do you mean?" Ye Pianran suddenly realized. "Is Brother Shaoyu talking about Sister Bijun? Sister Bijun disregarded her reputation and expressed her feelings to Brother Shaoyu in the main hall, even going so far as to scratch her own face. Isn't that a testament to her deep affection for Brother Shaoyu? Where exactly did Ran'er go wrong?"
"Nonsense! I don't know her at all!"
"When Sister Bijun confessed her love to Brother Shaoyu, everyone in the hall heard it. Why is Brother Shaoyu denying it now? Could it be that he wants to be a shameless man who plays with women's feelings?" Ye Pianran said sarcastically with a cold smile.
"Ye Pianran!" Ouyang Shaoyu was furious. He grabbed Ye Pianran's wrist and pulled her in front of him.
Ye Pianran was startled and struggled to break free from his grip, coldly rebuking him, "Let me go! I am no longer your fiancée. Men and women should not touch each other. Please, Young Master Ouyang, have some self-respect!"
Ouyang Shaoyu was very strong, and the pressure on her wrist caused her a sharp pain. He stared intently into her eyes, gritting his teeth as he said, "Ye Pianran, I never knew you were such a vicious woman who was good at playing tricks! Actually, you weren't injured at all, were you? Just like the rumors say, you were having an affair with another man, and you deliberately staged this scene to humiliate me so you could run off with that other man, right?"
Ye Pianran laughed in anger at his words, and used the hand that wasn't being held to directly lift the veil from her face. In the dim morning light, a thick, dark scar now ran across her beautiful face, making her look particularly terrifying.
Upon seeing this scene, Ouyang Shaoyu was so frightened that he immediately released her and took two steps back.
Seeing the obvious disgust on his face, Ye Pianran curled her lips and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Ouyang Shaoyu, look at me. Do you want to marry me?"
Ouyang Shaoyu swallowed hard, unsure how to answer. Ye Pianran already knew his answer and said coldly:
"That's perfect, I don't want to marry you either."
Coming to his senses, Ouyang Shaoyu looked extremely embarrassed: "You..."
Ye Pianran put her veil back on, chuckled softly, and said, "Since we dislike each other, let's never meet again. Farewell, Young Master Ouyang."
As she brushed past him, Ye Pianran walked a short distance before suddenly stopping, turning back with a slight smile, and said, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell Young Master Ouyang. Although Sister Bijun is from a collateral branch of our Marquis's family, she is also the legitimate daughter of my third uncle's family. I hope Young Master Ouyang will not disappoint her devotion. I am at the Marquis's residence, waiting for Young Master Ouyang to come and propose marriage to Sister Bijun."
What marriage proposal? He doesn't even know that damned Ye Bijun! Ouyang Shaoyu was speechless and could only watch angrily as Ye Pianran walked away.
Inside the Dew-Drinking Garden, having overheard every word of their conversation, Chunyu Shan tapped his palm with the handle of his fan and smiled meaningfully:
"This Miss Ye is quite an interesting person."
Chunyu Yang remained silent, merely retracting the leaf that had been poised to strike between his fingers. If Ouyang Shaoyu were to actually attack Ye Pianran, he would likely be covered in wounds in the next second.
"Now that Miss Ye is a free woman, Third Brother, do you really not have any thoughts about her at all?"
Chunyu Yang strode towards the exit of Yinlu Garden, his voice low and firm: "I have no plans to take a concubine for the time being."
——※※※——
When Ye Pianran returned to the palace, Marquis Anshi, Ye Yanxun, and Ye Shanzhu were waiting for her outside the Flowing Water Pavilion. Marquis Anshi's face was already gloomy, but it became even more unpleasant upon seeing her. He coldly uttered, "I'll settle the score with you properly when we get back to the Marquis's residence," and then flung his sleeves toward the gate of Qionglin Garden.
Ye Pianran remained completely unmoved by his threats, following him without batting an eye. She was utterly disappointed and heartbroken by this father. She was far more interested in reading a few more pages of a medical book than in receiving his concern.
Ye Yanxun, on the other hand, seemed to want to say something to her the whole way, but seeing that he was being indecisive, Ye Pianran said, "Big brother, just say what you have to say."
“Ran’er, you were really too willful tonight. Your father is very disappointed in you now.” Ye Yanxun said with a frown. “When you return to the Marquis’s mansion, you must remember to serve him tea and apologize.”
Ye Pianran sneered inwardly and asked softly, "Does elder brother also think Ran'er did something wrong?"
"Marriage is a major event that should be decided by parents. What you said in front of His Majesty today, without considering your parents' thoughts at all, is extremely disrespectful," Ye Yanxun said hypocritically.
What a blasphemous act! Are they trying to label her as unfilial?
"In the Marquis's mansion, one should naturally respect one's parents. But in the palace, my elder brother should know better than Ran'er who is the most honored," Ye Pianran said meaningfully. In terms of offense, disrespecting the emperor is far more serious than treason.
Having suffered a silent loss, Ye Yanxun gritted his teeth and stopped trying to get Ye Pianran to talk, instead focusing on walking his own path.
Ye Pianran is quite a celebrity in Qionglin Garden now. Upon learning of her departure, Eunuch Wang, leading several junior eunuchs, respectfully stepped forward to guide Marquis Anshi and his entourage. As they walked, Eunuch Wang showered Ye Pianran with compliments, and Ye Yanxun initially managed to maintain his composure, but by the end, he was starting to lose his nerve.
Fortunately, the exit of Qionglin Garden was soon in sight. After escorting the group from the Marquis of Anshi's residence to the door, Eunuch Wang finally stopped talking, cupped his hands, and smiled:
"My lord, Miss Ye, until we meet again."
By this time, it was already broad daylight. Having received news that the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was over, carriages had long been parked outside Qionglin Garden to pick her up. Ye Pianran had just stepped out of the gate when she suddenly felt a hostile gaze directed at her.
Her brow twitched, and following her intuition, she looked in that direction. There she saw Ye Yingrou standing in front of a carriage that looked almost identical to the one in the Marquis's mansion, coldly staring at her.
Meeting her gaze without flinching, Ye Pianran suddenly smiled, her eyes sparkling, and nodded to Ye Yingrou in a gesture of acknowledgment.
Ye Yingrou trembled with rage at her response, clenching her fists tightly to suppress the urge to rush forward and tear Ye Pianran's face apart. Youwei witnessed all of this and couldn't help but wonder: How could that woman leave Qionglin Garden unscathed? Could it be that Miss's plan has failed?
Turning around and climbing into the carriage, Ye Yingrou angrily shouted at the driver, "To 'Red Lotus Pavilion'!"
Youwei asked, "Miss, aren't we going back to the manor?"
"Go back to the manor? If we don't hurry to Xiangfang, Ronghua Tower might be doomed!" Ye Yingrou said through gritted teeth.
Youwei was startled and dared not say another word. She followed Ye Yingrou into the carriage. The carriage swayed, and the horse reared up, carrying them away from Qionglin Garden.
Watching Ye Yingrou's carriage disappear into the distance, Ye Pianran's smile gradually faded. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice calling from all around her:
"Ran'er!"
Ye Pianran was startled and looked up in the direction of the sound. She saw Gongsun Yuan and Prime Minister Gongsun standing side by side in front of their Marquis's carriage, looking at her with worried expressions, with two maids, Ling Shu and Ling Yi, by their side.
Upon seeing her most familiar family, the resilience she had maintained throughout the night instantly transformed into boundless grievance, causing Ye Pianran's eyes to redden instantly. She threw herself into Gongsun Yuan's arms, choking back tears as she said, "Mother..."
Gongsun Yuan hugged Ye Pianran tightly, her face full of tenderness at having her back. "Good child, it's good that you're back."
"Father-in-law." Marquis Anshi first greeted Prime Minister Gongsun, then softened his expression and said to Gongsun Yuan, "Lanzhi, you have only just recovered, you should rest more at home."
"Rest? After such a big incident, do you think I would feel at ease if I didn't see Ran'er come out of there with my own eyes?" Gongsun Yuan looked up at him and said coldly.
Marquis Anshi glanced at Prime Minister Gongsun with a flicker in his eyes, then forced a smile and said reassuringly, "It's not as serious as you think. It's just a misunderstanding."
"I think you've misunderstood, Lord Marquis," Gongsun Yuan said with a sneer. "Lord Marquis, do you know what Ran'er encountered on her way to the banquet at Qionglin Garden? Do you know that your daughter almost lost her life in the western suburbs and would never come back!"
Upon hearing Gongsun Yuan's words, Marquis Anshi, Ye Yanxun, and Ye Shanzhu were all shocked. Ye Shanzhu couldn't help but ask, "What happened to my cousin?"
"She was deliberately led out of the city by the coachman. After leaving the city, the coachman abandoned the carriage and fled, letting the frightened horse take her to a small desolate mountain. There she encountered several lecherous men who had ulterior motives, and she was almost forced to fall off a cliff to her death!"
Although Gongsun Yuan didn't describe the scene in detail, her few words were enough to give a glimpse of the perilous situation. Ye Shanzhu then understood why Ye Pianran, despite setting off before them, was the last to arrive—it was simply because she had narrowly escaped death!
Marquis Anshi could not believe that such a plot to harm his master could have happened in the Marquis's mansion. He hesitated and said, "The coachmen in the mansion are all carefully selected and have never had any accidents. Could that coachman have been someone else pretending to be a coachman?"
“No, that man is Li Daniu, who usually drives the carriage for Miss! I absolutely cannot mistake him!” Lingyi said firmly.
Ye Shanzhu nodded and said, "I also saw the coachman when I left. He was indeed from the Marquis's residence."
"But why would he suddenly want to harm Ran'er?" Marquis Anshi still refused to believe this fact.
His indecisive attitude was like hot oil poured on Prime Minister Gongsun's furious heart: "You'll have to ask your people! Who knows whose money he took, or who he was working for! Ye Xingguan, do you remember what you promised me in Qionglin Garden? Hmm?"
Cold sweat beaded on Marquis Anshi's forehead. He quickly and respectfully said, "Father-in-law, please calm down. Of course, I remember. It's just that this matter is too strange, so I wanted to ask for clarification..."
"Have you decided what to do?" Prime Minister Gongsun pressed.
"Of course we must investigate this thoroughly!" said Marquis Anshi. "The Marquis's mansion will absolutely not let this wicked servant, who has committed treason and plotted to harm his master, off the hook!"
"Very well, I'll be waiting for your good news at the Prime Minister's residence," Prime Minister Gongsun said coldly, then turned and left.