Chapter Forty-Six

  Yè Tiān Qīng watched the two leave, his handsome face suddenly as dark as a stormy mountain, with dense clouds gathering. You think I'm transparent, Cloud Shallow Moon? You actually ignored me and left just like that! His hand in his sleeve clenched into a fist, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

  It was a wonderful night, and Ye Tianyu was enjoying his meal when the two of them suddenly got up and left. He wanted to stop them but didn't even have the chance to react, and he couldn't help but stare at Yun Shang's retreating figure in surprise, saying: "Huh? When did Moon Sister's lightness skill improve so rapidly?"

  The dark face of the night sky was stunned, and only then did he notice that Yun Shang's figure was light and graceful, floating like the wind. Indeed, it was a world of difference from his usual self, and he didn't know how much better he had become. His thin lips pursed, and his black phoenix eyes narrowed into a slit.

  Just then, Yun Shang Yue suddenly seemed to lose control of her body and let out a cry of surprise as she fell towards the ground from three zhang high. Gone was her previous elegance and lightness, her entire person resembling a large shrimp as she appeared to have lost all control. A shrill cry for help echoed through the air, "Ye Qing Ran, save me!"

  Ye Qing Ran seemed to be startled as well, seeing Yun Qian Yue falling towards the ground. He immediately rushed over to her side with swift speed, barely catching her just as she was about to hit the ground. This narrowly prevented her from kissing the earth, and a scolding voice came, "You little girl, your lightness skills are not good yet you still dare to play at being ethereal? If I hadn't caught you, you'd be eating dirt!"

  Yun's hand patted her chest, her voice trembling with fear and weakness after being scolded by Ye in the middle of the night. A very small voice came through, "I thought it was pretty good, I don't know how I fell down. This broken martial art that Grandfather taught me, I won't learn it anymore."

  "It's your own fault for being stupid and learning badly, yet you still blame Grandpa Yun." Ye Qingran scolded her, "You're so stupid!"

  "You're the stupid one!" Yun Qianyue glared at him, dissatisfied. "Fine, I'm stupid then? Are you smart? All of you are so smart! Can't I be the only stupid one? Then I'll just keep my distance from now on and never come looking for any of you again."

  The words fell, and the shallow clouds and moonlight rushed forward, shaking off the light dye of night, and walked on.

  "Hey, I didn't mean it that way......" Ye Qianyan hastily chased after Yun Shangyue.

  "I knew you meant that!" Yun Qianyue ignored him.

  "You're not stupid, actually you're not stupid at all. Your posture just now was so beautiful... if you hadn't fallen down it would have been even more beautiful...... no, falling down is also beautiful..." Ye Qingran seemed to be coaxing Yun Shangyue and had become somewhat reckless with her words.

  "How dare you!" Yun Qianyue's face turned black with rage.

  "Alright, I won't say it anymore, I won't say it. Just now when you fell down, I didn't see it, absolutely didn't see it..." Ye Qingran made a surrendering gesture.

  "You'd better not have seen anything. If you dare to speak out, I'll go dig up your ancestors' graves. Whoever dares to speak out, I'll go dig up their ancestors' graves too." Yun Qianyue warned Ye Qingran with a hateful tone, seemingly glancing over at Ye Tianqing and the others, her voice loud and clear, obviously intended for them to hear. After speaking, she strode away.

  "Alright, I won't say anything. If anyone dares to reveal that you didn't use your lightness skill well and fell down, I, Xiao Wang, will go dig up their ancestral grave. And I'll do it with you." Ye Qing Ran immediately guaranteed, seemingly also glancing over at Ye Tian Xiang and the others, before hastily catching up to Yun Qian Yue and closely following behind her.

  "This is just about right!" Yun Shangyue exclaimed with a smile, seemingly as delighted as the child.

  Ye Qian muttered something inaudible and then both of them used their lightness skills to walk down the mountain.

  Ye Tian's eyes widened, a fish stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down. It wasn't until the two people walked far away that he seemed to have come back to his senses. He hastily swallowed the fish and looked at Ye Tian Qing, "Did my eyes just play tricks on me? I was wondering how she suddenly improved her lightness skill so much, turns out it was all fake."

  Ye Tianqin withdrew his gaze and the look of surprise disappeared, saying to Ye Tianyun: "You didn't just see things with your eyes, you saw nothing."

  Ye Tian Yun was taken aback for a moment, "Crown Prince, you wouldn't really be afraid that little servant girl would dig up your ancestral grave? Would she even dare to borrow some courage from you? Even if Ye Qing Ran were to die, he wouldn't dare, his ancestral grave is one with ours, who would dig their own family's ancestral grave?"

  "Anyway, you didn't see anything, and this matter is not allowed to be spoken of outside!"

  Ye Tian blinked his eyes, then blinked again, seemingly puzzled as he looked at Ye Tian Qing, "Crown Prince Royal Brother, are you covering up for Moon Sister again? You never did this before. Why are you doing it now?"

  "Shut your mouth!" Ye Tianqing seemed annoyed, his voice slightly sinking. "Fourth brother, the Emperor's orders are clear: I am to lead all the princes to Lingtai Temple to pray for blessings, and all the princes must listen to my commands and not be presumptuous. This includes you."

  Ye Tianyu immediately shut his mouth, hiding the sharp light in his eyes, and nodded respectfully, "Yes!"

  Ye Tian looked at Rong Linglan, Leng Xue and Qin Yujing with a faint voice that contained majesty, "You three are also not allowed to say a word about what just happened. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

  "Yes, none of us have ever seen it." The three women immediately lowered their heads.

  "Fourth brother, since you've eaten someone else's fish, you should help them clean up afterwards, put out the fire and get rid of the evidence. Don't let the monks in the temple find out." Ye Tianqing glanced at the place that had been messed up by Ye Qingyan and Yun Shuoyue, and threw a sentence at the fourth prince who was still eating fish, before turning to head down the mountain.

  If it wasn't for Huiyan's report that Yuelan had brought back the fragrance of the mountain spring and roasted fish, he would still be in Damo Hall listening to Rongjing and Lingyin Master discussing the Dharma. How could he have hurried over here? Now, he naturally has to go back to Damo Hall.

  Rong Linglan and Leng Xue's eyes both flashed with a hint of resentment. A woman's heart is the most sensitive, the Crown Prince was waiting in the Dharma Hall just fine, but suddenly he wanted to come to this Fragrant Spring Water to see half a branch of lotus, they had expected that something must be up, and followed him shamelessly, not expecting that it was actually for Yun Shuoyue. And now, he even warned them not to reveal a single word about the embarrassing incident where she used her lightness skill but lost control and fell from above, this was something the Crown Prince would never have done in the past, but now he did. Their hearts suddenly felt a little uneasy.

  The two exchanged a glance, and their eyes conveyed a certain message. They had to think of a way to capture the heart of Prince Taizi, otherwise, if Prince Taizi really wanted to marry Yun Shangyue, with his identity and Yun Shangyue's identity, the Emperor would definitely agree. The thoughts they had been hoping for all these years would be in vain. The two made up their minds and closely followed Ye Tianqing.

  Yu Jing looked at the distant back of Ye Qing Ran and Yun Qian Yue, her eyes were clear and quiet, as if she was thinking about something. After a while, she lowered her head, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she followed behind Rong Ling Lan and Leng Su with light steps.

  Ye Tian Yu watched as the few people left, then looked down at the burning dry firewood and the scattered incense packets on the ground. He suddenly let out a cold laugh, threw away the fish bones in his hand, and didn't follow Ye Tian Qing's instructions to handle the traces left by Yun Qian Yue and Ye Qing Ran. Instead, he headed down the mountain in the direction that Ye Qing Ran and Yun Qian Yue had taken when they left.

  After several people left, the remaining dry firewood continued to burn, crackling and popping constantly.

  At this time, Yun Qianyue and Ye Qingran had already walked down the mountain. She turned her head to take a glance, and snorted with a smile. Earlier, she wanted to get away from the annoying person and forgot about the concerns of lightness skill. Fortunately, she heard the Fourth Prince's words later, so she immediately pretended to fall from three zhang high. She knew Ye Qingran would catch her, so she completely released her true energy, making it impossible for anyone to detect any pretence.

  Ye Qingran also turned back to take a look, smiled lightly, and tapped Yun Shangyue's head with her hand, "Little girl, who said you're stupid? I think you're more clever than anyone else!"

  "I was originally very smart! It's you who always says I'm stupid." Yun Qian glared at him.

  "Yes, I was wrong." Ye Qingyan thought back to earlier and couldn't help but find it amusing.

  Just then, he heard Ye Tianyu's words and was shocked. He thought that Xiaoyao's skills were deep and feared that she would be exposed. Unexpectedly, this little girl reacted so quickly and soon made a fool of herself. Otherwise, with Ye Tianqing and Ye Tianyu's cunning, they would naturally investigate and might have discovered that this little girl actually possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, but had been hiding them all along. She was already being watched closely, and it would be even more troublesome if that happened! Now those two men probably can't imagine that she was pretending, while the three foolish women are likely mocking her in their hearts.

  Yun Shallow Moon's mouth corners curled up, this kind of pretending was a piece of cake for her.

  The two of them walked back quickly to the rear mountain villa.

  Outside the courtyard gate, Yun Shang yawned lazily and said to Ye Qingran: "Aren't you going to Dharma Hall? Go ahead! I'm going back to sleep."

  Ye Qing looked towards the west wing of the house, furrowed her brow, and remained still. "How did you end up living in the same courtyard as that weak and beautiful person? Was it also his arrangement? I don't know what Cloud Grandfather was thinking, entrusting you to that wolf in sheep's clothing."

  "Hmm, who knows what that old man is thinking. But it's quiet around him, just right for me to sleep." Yun Shangyue said indifferently.

  "I live in a Zen temple on East Mountain, it's also quiet, or you can come and stay with me!" Ye Qingran said again.

  "I'm too lazy to move." Yun Qian Yue waved her hand, "Go quickly! I'm dead tired."

  "Why don't I move here too?" Ye Qing's eyebrows twisted into a knot.

  "There are only two courtyards here, where else can you go? Just staying for a few days, he can't eat me, and I've eaten him, it's still okay." Yun Qianyue was too lazy to continue nagging, stepped into the courtyard, and waved at Ye Qingran, "Why don't you hurry up? If you're late, I'm afraid the front will be dispersed. You also help me see how Rong Jing is going to make a case, it's best if you can think of a way to let him enter the empty gate. Help us get rid of a great disaster, then you are the meritorious official of the entire Tian Sheng."

  Yè lightened his originally furrowed brow, and responded with relish, "Alright, I'll think of a way to get him out of the house no matter what. That weak beauty has been wanting to escape into the empty gate for a long time."

  "Good luck! I wish you all the best!" Yun Qianyue waved her hand until she was tired and then withdrew it.

  "Then go to sleep! I'll come find you early tonight." Ye Qingran said.

  "Let's call it a day, I'm going to sleep in. See you tomorrow!" Yun Qianyue said.

  "Alright, I'll take you out to play again tomorrow. We'll go to Nanshan to see the Guangyulan." Ye Qingran looked at Yun Shangyue, who was walking in a daze, her eyes half-closed, and couldn't understand why this little girl loved sleeping so much. In an era where people would squeeze their brains to come to Lingtai Temple to listen to the Buddha's teachings, it seemed like nothing to her. Now, how many people were crowding into this temple to hear the sermon? She was the only one who came to sleep. Probably in the entire Lingtai Temple, she was the only one like that.

  "En, okay, let's go see Guang Yulan tomorrow." Yun Shangyue responded with a single word.

  At night, Qing saw her nod in agreement and turned around to head towards the hall of Bodhidharma's ancestor.

  Yun Qian walked to the door, stretched out her hand to push it open, and both inside and outside the yard were quiet, apparently those three girls had not returned yet. She stepped into the house, thought for a moment, and then softly called out, "Mo Li!"

  "Miss!" Mo Li appeared in response.

  Yun Shang Yue looked at Mo Li, thinking that this kid was indeed responsible and obedient. He lazily instructed, "I'm going to sleep. Even if the Emperor himself comes, no one is allowed to disturb me unless I come out myself."

  "Yes!" Mo Li responded loudly.

  Yun Shallow Moon closed the door with satisfaction, walked a few steps to the bed, and threw herself onto the big bed, muttering: "Eat and sleep, sleep and eat, play after eating, sleep again after playing... Ahhh, if it weren't for Yun Wuhan forcing me to recognize characters, if it weren't for this messy thing, this life would be simply divine..."

  Mo Li slapped his face heavily outside the door and hid away.

  The cloud is shallow and the moon is full, enough to be contented, closing his eyes with satisfaction, he will soon go to see Lord Zhou.

  Before long, the fourth prince walked to the rear mountain villa. He first measured a glance at the west wing courtyard, and then looked at the east wing courtyard. A pair of phoenix eyes were deep and profound, and it was unknown what he was thinking about. After a moment, his mouth corner contained a hint of a smile, and he stepped into the yard.

  "The Fourth Prince, please stop in your tracks!" Mo Li appeared and blocked Ye Tianyu's path.

  "Huh?" Ye Tianyu was taken aback, "Who are you?"

  "Below is Miss Shallow Moon's personal guard. The young lady has just instructed that she wants to sleep and no one is allowed to disturb her." Mo Li said expressionlessly.

  "You are her personal bodyguard, why have I never seen you before?" Ye Tian Yu looked at Mo Li with confusion.

  "The young lady has never summoned me before. So, it's normal that the fourth prince hasn't seen me either." Mo Li said expressionlessly: "If the fourth prince wants to see my family's young lady, he can wait until she wakes up and come again. If he has something to discuss with my family's young lady, go down and report to the fourth prince."

  "It turned out to be like this, Moon sister hid you deeply." Ye Tianyu nodded and glanced at the tightly closed door and window, the curtain was blocking the view, he couldn't see what's inside. He withdrew his gaze, "I don't have anything important! Just wanted to come over and sit for a bit. Where is Ye Qingran?"

  "Little King Wang sent Miss to the door and went to the Dharma Ancestor Hall." Mo Li said.

  "That's good, since she's sleeping I won't disturb her. I'll go to the Dharma Ancestor Hall and wait for her to wake up." Ye Tianyu threw out a sentence and turned around to leave the other courtyard. The doubts in his heart were dispelled at this moment. Since Old Master Wang had arranged such highly skilled hidden guards by Cloud Shallow Moon's side, her martial arts skills must not be good. So it seemed that the lightness skill she had displayed earlier by the Fragrant Spring Water was just a facade after all.

  Mo Li saw the fourth prince leave and once again hid himself and retreated.

  Yun Qianyue knew that the fourth prince had come, and she woke up in a daze. She listened to the sound of footsteps walking away, and then fell back asleep in a daze.

  No one else will disturb you again.

  Before long, Cai Lian, Ting Xue and Ting Yu returned to the other courtyard. The three of them started chattering about the interesting things they had seen that day, but when they walked into the courtyard and heard the silence inside, their voices immediately became softer. Cai Lian walked to the door and gently pushed it open to take a look inside, then signaled to the other two with a hiss. They understood and thought to themselves, "The young lady can really sleep!" Cai Lian closed the door tightly, and the three of them tiptoed back to their own room.

  At night, the bell of Lingtai Temple rings out.

  The cloud was shallow and the moon woke up, opened her eyes, and the sky had already darkened. She stretched comfortably, pushed open the quilt, sat up, got out of bed, walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and drank it all at once. After quenching her thirst, she walked to the window, pulled open the curtains, and saw a strip of moonlight shining in through the window, with stars filling the sky outside.

  "Miss, are you awake?" The voice came from outside, and Cai Lian heard the movement in the house.

  "Hmm!" Yun Qianyue responded with a murmur.

  Cai Lian pushed open the door and walked in, adjusting the wick of the lamp on the table. The room suddenly brightened up. She looked at Yun Shang Yue's figure standing by the window and smiled: "Miss, you're really a good sleeper! We've been back for half a day, but we didn't see you wake up."

  "When you guys came back, I knew it wasn't long after I fell asleep, and Ye Qingran took me to the back mountain to roast fish." Yun Shangyue recalled that the roasted fish they had today was indeed as fragrant and tender as Ye Qingran said, and she couldn't help but want to eat more.

  "It turned out that Miss and the young master were roasting fish in the back mountain, almost setting the whole mountain on fire?! It's said that someone set up a fire to roast fish in the back mountain, but when they left, they didn't put it out. The fire ended up burning all the dry wood around, nearly burning down the mountain! Luckily, some monks from the temple discovered it, or else the consequences would have been unthinkable!" Cai Lian exclaimed.

  "Huh?" Yun Shangyue was taken aback and turned her head to look at Cai Lian.

  "Yes! When I heard about this at the time, I was thinking which bold person dared to kill in the sacred place of Buddhism. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Miss and Prince Xiao Wang. If it were you two, then it wouldn't be strange." Cai Lian immediately said.

  Yun Qianyu furrowed her brow and pondered for a moment before remembering that she and Ye Qingchen had not extinguished the fire when they left. She guessed that Ye Tianjing and others had also not put out the fire when they left. She asked, "What happened later? How did things turn out?"

  Here is the translation:

  "The Lingyin Master, Jing Shizi, and even Ciyun Fanzhang were all startled! Fortunately, they discovered it early and put out the fire, so there was no loss. Originally, Ciyun Fanzhang was angry and wanted to investigate, but Jing Shizi said that today is a prosperous era, someone killed fish to pray for blessings, since no big trouble was caused, there's no need to pursue it. If there's another time, they will definitely be pursued without mercy. Lingyin Master also agreed, so Ciyun Master naturally didn't pursue it, and the matter passed. However, he ordered the monks to strictly guard against it and not allow anyone to roast fish again."

  Cailian smiled and said: "Miss, Jing Shizi must have known that you were involved, so he helped you out. Otherwise, this would be a blasphemous affair against the Buddha. You and Young Master Wang are really too reckless. If it gets to the Emperor's ears, who knows what will happen to you and Young Master Wang?"

  "Oh no, can't roast fish anymore! What a pity!" Yun Qianyue exclaimed.

  Cai Lian helplessly looked at Yun Shangyue, who said a lot but only heard that Miss couldn't roast fish again, and didn't listen to anything else. She repeated again: "Miss, I'm saying that Jing Shizi helped you."

  "Hmm, he's been entrusted with a task and is loyal to it. In order to report back to Grandfather, he naturally helped me cover up as well. Otherwise, he would also be implicated." Yun Shangyue was skeptical.

  "Miss, didn't you say that you and Jing Shizi had no relationship at all? How come now you're admitting that if something happens, you can't get rid of him?" Cai Lian smiled. Her family's young lady was inexplicably not on good terms with Jing Shizi. Other girls would be over the moon to receive his favor, but their young lady was different, as if she wanted Jing Shizi to stay far, far away.

  Yun Qian Yue hummed and didn't feel embarrassed at all about her self-contradictory words, avoiding the question and changing the subject: "What about Ye Qing Ran? Wasn't she in the Dharma Hall that night?"

  She remembered that when Ye Qing sent her back, they had gone to the Dahmo Hall.

  "Xiao Wangye went to the Dharma Hall, but left soon after. I saw him go in high spirits, but he couldn't sit for a while before yawning continuously and struggling to keep his eyes open. Later, he walked out while still yawning. I reckon he went back to sleep just like you did." Cailian thought of Ye Qing's appearance at the time and found it amusing. Xiao Wangye probably didn't listen to the Buddhist scriptures attentively.

  "Yao Ye and I are indeed kindred spirits!" exclaimed Cloud Light Moon.

  Cai Lian burst out laughing, "You and Young Master Wang are kindred spirits!"

  "Hmm!" Yun Qianyu nodded in agreement. She turned back and her gaze fell on the west wing of the courtyard, where it was pitch black. She asked: "Is Rong Jing still discussing Buddhist scriptures with that old monk, or has he already returned to rest?"

  "It's said that Jing Shizi and Master Lingyin discussed the Dharma, but in reality, most of it was Master Lingyin speaking. However, Jing Shizi occasionally interjected a sentence or two that hit the nail on the head, adding the finishing touches. Even Master Lingyin couldn't help but repeatedly praise Jing Shizi's high Buddha-like heart and exceptional understanding, saying only that it's a pity he wasn't someone to be accepted by the Buddha. Jing Shizi was born to live in the mortal world, so he had no affinity with Buddhism."

  Cailian said: "After their discussion on Dharma, Master Lingyin invited Jing Shizi to his residence for a game of Go. I'm afraid he's still at Master Lingyin's place and hasn't returned yet!"

  "So it seems that Ye Qing's plan didn't work out today!" Yun Shangyue sighed. That dead monk, always going against her!

  "Miss, what did you say about Young Master Wang's success?" Cai Lian asked.

  "Nature is trying to find a way for Rong Jing to enter the empty door." Yun Qianyue said.

  "Oh my, good miss, didn't I tell you? It's impossible for Young Master Jing to become a monk. He is the only heir of the Rong royal family. You can't expect him to become a monk just because you don't like him! Young Master Jing has been so good to you, and yet you're treating him this way, it's too inhumane." Cai Lian scolded Yun Shangyue with a glare.

  Yun Qian Yue hummed softly, she was expecting someone to come out of the house, but since it wasn't proper for her to do so, she remained silent.

  However, today after I returned and saw that Miss was sleeping, I wanted to go to the prayer tree to pray for blessings for Miss and my grandmother. Unexpectedly, I saw the Crown Prince questioning the Fourth Prince. So I secretly hid behind a rock, only hearing the Crown Prince say that he had clearly told the Fourth Prince to extinguish the dry firewood for roasting fish, why did it almost burn down the mountain? The Fourth Prince said he forgot. The Crown Prince seemed very angry, but also couldn't do anything about the Fourth Prince.

  "Hmm!" Yun Shangyue nodded. Thinking that perhaps the Fourth Prince didn't even care about that fire!

  "The prince left with a flick of his sleeve, and the fourth prince also left. I didn't go to the prayer tree later because I thought about coming back to tell you, miss." Cailian said in a low voice: "I feel that the prince's words seem to be protecting Miss and Young Master Wang very much!"

  Yun Qian let out a cold hum, "He'll protect me? I doubt it. He's probably afraid that if something happens, the Emperor will question him. After all, his identity is at stake. If the Lingtai Temple on Xiangquan Mountain were to catch fire during this festival, it would be a disaster. Although Night and I have our troubles, he also has the responsibility of being lax in his supervision. It's probably Fourth Prince's plan. Just another fight between princes. If Fourth Prince can't even remember small matters, then he wouldn't have survived this long in the palace."

  Cai Lian suddenly sighed, "No wonder the slave saw the fourth prince laughing coldly when he saw the crown prince. It turns out it's like this. The young lady is indeed clever."

  "The fourth prince is still not ruthless enough. If I were him, what's the point of not extinguishing that fire? He should take this opportunity to add fuel to the flames and burn Xiangquan Mountain to ashes. That way, he'll benefit greatly, and it won't just be me and Ye Qingran who are at fault - even the Crown Prince will lose his position. And it won't just be a small commotion like this, it's not even worth mentioning!" Yun Shangyue said calmly.

  "Miss?" Cai Lian was startled.

  Yun Shallow Moon only then realized that she was too much, immediately turned her head and smiled at her, "I was thinking that if this broken place really burned down, it would be better. No need for a group of monks to eat their fill and have nothing to do every day, reciting scriptures, annoying me to death, I couldn't even sleep."

  Cai Lian let out a sigh and advised Yun Shang Yue somewhat helplessly: "Miss, the Praying Festival is only three days. You can stay in this temple for at most a few more days, right? Can't just burn down Xiangquan Mountain because you can't sleep well for these few days! Think about it, how beautiful are the mountains and waters here? How gorgeous are the Half-branch Lotus and Guangyulan flowers? And what about the roasted fish you ate, if everything is destroyed, won't the fish in the river be ruined too?"

  "Ah, indeed! Fortunately, the fourth prince isn't that cruel!" Yun Shangyue thought of that tender and delicious roasted fish and sighed, if it really burned down the mountain, what a pity that would be.

  "And there's the young lady too! If something really happens today, and after what happened with the fire at Wang Chun Lou, if another fire breaks out at Xiangquan Mountain Lingtai Temple, you'll be in real trouble. The Fourth Prince seems to still be on good terms with you. I reckon it's because he's being cautious that he hasn't taken action yet. The Fourth Prince isn't really stupid, nor is he really soft-hearted. You've forgotten, when he said 'kill the slaves', his eyes didn't even blink!" Cai Lian whispered.

  "Hmm, you're right too. The Fourth Prince doesn't seem like a soft-hearted person. However, he may not necessarily care about me and might have some other idea in mind! In that case, even if Night Light Stain and I are guilty, Night Sky Tilt would at most get off scot-free without being investigated. Since Night Sky Tilt ordered him to put out the fire, then he also has a share of responsibility for not doing so. He wouldn't do something that would drag others down with him without benefiting himself." Cloud Shallow Moon nodded and said.

  "Hmm! I also think so. That's why the Fourth Prince didn't add fuel to the fire." Cai Lian also deeply agreed.

  "Ugh, forget about them, how annoying! I'm hungry, where's the food?" Yun Qianyue waved her hand, Night Sky and Fourth Prince's you-die-I-live quarrel was their own business. She ate her fill and then went to observe them with a full stomach.

  "The servant of Young Master Jing came earlier to inform us that Young Master Jing said you should go over for dinner together. So I didn't prepare anything." Cai Lian said softly, "Miss, if you're hungry, I'll go check if Young Master Jing has returned to the west wing? If not, I'll go look for him at Master Ling Yin's place? After all, Master Ling Yin's quarters are just next to ours."

  "Who's eating with him? No! You go now." Yun Qianyue waved her hand at Cai Lian.

  "Miss, Jing Shizi said that we don't belong to the temple, so we don't need to be careful about our diet. He ordered someone to make a dish of steamed fish with egg whites in his small kitchen. The fish is from the river in Xiangquan Mountain! Are you sure you won't go and eat? Even if I tried my best, even the cooks in our mansion can't make it. Zhao Mama also can't make steamed fish with egg whites!" Cai Lian asked, looking at Yun Shangyue.

  "Eat! Why don't you go eat? You can just call him back for dinner." Yun Qianyue said immediately.

  "Yes, I'll go right away!" Cai Lian giggled and ran down, thinking that as long as it was about eating, playing or sleeping, Miss would be more enthusiastic than anyone else. Jing Shizi probably knew that Miss didn't want to go to his place to eat, so he said that.

  Yun Qianyue had already begun to imagine the flavor of Fu Rong's roasted fish. Was it more fragrant than Ye Qingran's lotus leaf roasted fish? As soon as she thought about it, she couldn't wait any longer. The moment Cai Lian left, she pushed open the door and walked out.

  The temple in the mountains at night is still nestled among the hills and waters, with a sense of coolness.

  She gently pushed open the courtyard door behind the west wing, and found it was pitch black inside. She sniffed with her nose, but didn't smell any fishy smell, and furrowed her brow in displeasure. Searching around, she found no one in the courtyard, not even a shadow of a person. She turned to leave, but then thought that since Rong Jing said there was fish to eat, there must be fish to eat. If there wasn't any, it wouldn't do. She had to make him conjure up some steamed fish with pickled mustard greens! So she made up her mind and walked straight towards the main house.

  She pushed open the door and entered the room, a refreshing and clean air wafted in. This room was exactly the same as hers, with no excessive decorations, but it was spotless. She walked to the table to light the lamp, only to find that she didn't have anything to light it with. Fortunately, moonlight shone through the window, so the room wasn't dark. She gave up and walked over to the soft couch, plopping herself down on it.

  Before long, Cai Lian entered the west wing of the house. The sound of laughter came before she arrived, "It really was as Young Master Jing said, he said that Miss would definitely be in his room waiting for him at this time, and told me not to go back to the east wing, but to come back and tell Miss that he will be right back."

  "Hmm! He's a mind-reader, he knows what others think." Yun Shangyue curled her lips. Thinking, why didn't this guy just call himself Zhuge Liang?

  Cai Lian walked in, took out the flint from her bosom and lit the lamp, adjusted the wick, and the room brightened up. She said to Yun Shangyue: "Miss, are you waiting for Jing Shizi? We servants don't have the good fortune to eat stir-fried fish with lotus, I and Ting Xue, Ting Yu went to the front temple to have a vegetarian meal, this Lingtai Temple's vegetarian meal I had at noon was also extremely delicious."

  "Hmm!" Yun Qianyue waved her hand. Thinking of Rong Jing, that petty and stingy person, it's already good enough if she can eat the Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens that I made. Definitely won't have any leftovers for Cai Lian and the others.

  Cai Lian turned and walked away.

  Yun Shallow Moon's eyes wandered lazily around the room, finally settling on a book placed at the head of the bed. She remembered that this book seemed to be the one Rong Jing was reading in the car when they came. She walked over and picked it up, flipping it open to find that it was actually a miscellaneous book.

  This book is different from the interesting stories of Jianghu that Yun Mochan read, but a book of Tianxia Tu Zhi. She flipped through it casually and saw that it not only recorded the mountains and rivers of various places, but also the strange news and anecdotes that occurred in various places, as well as the names of the prominent families and clans in each place, how they made their fortunes and what status they held in the local area. In addition, it also records the famous people living in the local area, including a brief overview of the celebrities.

  Yun Shallow Moon was amazed, thinking that Rong Jing still had such a good book in his hands. She naturally wanted to take a look.

  Holding the book, she walked back to the soft couch and leaned against it comfortably. She started reading from the first page. The skills she had cultivated in her past life had already been deeply ingrained, so Yun Shang Yue read extremely quickly, with one glance covering ten lines, each line being carefully scrutinized yet memorized effortlessly.

  She had only been awake for a day when she was caught by Yun Wuhan and locked in the Shallow Moon Pavilion. Recognizing characters was already enough to give her a headache, let alone finding books to read. Most of what she knew about this world came from occasional questions she asked Cai Lian, and all she knew was that it wasn't an ancient civilization from the world she lived in, but rather a strange and unprecedented time-space from history. Now, this book happened to give her a general understanding of this world.

  Originally, this continent was surnamed Murong a hundred years ago. Later on, the descendants of Murong only knew how to enjoy themselves and trusted treacherous officials, which led to the decline of the country's fortune and the people's suffering. During this period, various regional kings became powerful, and later their power surpassed that of the imperial court. The regional kings plotted against each other, leading to the downfall of the previous dynasty. Later, the Heavenly Saint founder emperor, Ye Zhuoluan, who rose from humble beginnings, defeated the regional kings one by one and seized the world. After he gained control of the world, he did not kill the hares and boil the dogs, but instead rewarded his loyal generals and brothers who followed him, and generously enfeoffed them, resulting in the present-day Rong Wang Fu, Yun Wang Fu, Xiao Qin Wang Fu, and De Qin Wang Fu, the four great imperial families.

  When the First Emperor unified the world, he did not eliminate all the local vassal kings, but instead implemented a recruitment policy. As a result, some of the small countries established by the vassal kings at that time still exist today. These small countries willingly acknowledge allegiance and pay annual tribute to the Heavenly Kingdom.

  Yun Shang Yue thought that the founding emperor must have been a wise and intelligent person, for how many emperors in history had such broad-mindedness? Which one wasn't able to share hardships but couldn't enjoy glory together with their loved ones? And what was most praiseworthy about this founding emperor wasn't his great achievements, but his foolish devotion. Because the Yun Wang Fu had produced his only empress and the only woman he deeply loved, truly a harem without consorts. Therefore, for the sake of this woman, he passed down an ancestral decree, ordering his descendants to all marry daughters from the Yun Wang Fu as their empresses. Only then did she have her current identity and the unclear troubles with the imperial family.

  Now that a hundred years have passed, the small countries in various places are becoming increasingly powerful. Although Tian Sheng has been prosperous for a hundred years, it is no longer as lean and efficient as it was a hundred years ago, with corrupt officials indulging in pleasure-seeking, and since there have been no military coups for a hundred years, even occasional small wars are not enough to shake the foundations of Tian Sheng's power, so it is simply a time of universal peace and prosperity.

  In this situation, the surrounding small countries are making great efforts to govern themselves and gradually becoming stronger. Especially, the fastest-growing small country is called Nanliang, which has now become the second-largest country after Tiansheng. There are also Xiyanguo, Beiqiguo, and several other small countries that have not developed yet. The small countries are far away from Tiansheng and do not receive much attention, so in order to survive, they can only rely on Nanliang, Xiyanguo, and Beiqi, which are developing rapidly. Therefore, although it seems that Tiansheng is still a great power, in reality, those small countries have already formed an alliance with Nanliang as the leader.

  Yun Shallow Moon watched and praised at the same time. This ancient era is quite interesting too!

  "It seems you still like reading books after all! You just don't like it because it's not to your taste." Yung Jing's voice came over.

  Yun Shallow Moon heard the sound and immediately raised her head, only to see Rong Jing already sitting in the chair at the table, sipping tea. She was startled, wondering if she had been too absorbed in her thoughts or if this guy's martial arts skills were too high to enter the room without making a sound? If he had come to take her life, she would have been killed eight or ten times over by now. Her vigilance seemed to have been left behind along with Li Yun's identity and lost in Java. Suddenly feeling a chill in her heart, she glared at him angrily, "Don't you know how to knock on the door when entering a room?"

  Rong Jing glanced at her and said slowly: "This seems to be my room."

  "Hmm, it wasn't until then that Yun Shangyue remembered that she was indeed on someone else's turf and that she was the one who had entered uninvited. She immediately put on a long face and said discontentedly: 'Why did you just get back? Where's the steamed fish with hibiscus?' "

  "I'm doing it right now!" Rong Jing said.

  "What? You've just started cooking? Do you want me to starve?" Yun Shangyue's eyebrows immediately shot up upon hearing this.

  "You had so much fish for lunch, and then slept for half a day. I have to give you some time to digest, don't I? Otherwise, how can you eat the Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens?" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow.

  "Why didn't you say I hadn't eaten breakfast? The lunch was digested in the morning!" Yun Shangyue glared at him with a white eye.

  "Didn't you have breakfast this morning? You didn't say anything, so how would I know?" Rong Jing's expression was innocent.

  "Aren't you supposed to be clever and calculating? You can calculate that it was me and Ye Qianyan who were roasting fish on the back hill and almost caught fire, and you can also calculate that I was waiting for you in your room. How could you not have calculated this?" Yun Shangyue said with a bad tone, thinking that this man must be doing it on purpose.

  "Even the cleverest calculations can't predict everything, just like when you said you were coming back to sleep and I believed you, who knew you'd actually go with Ye Qingchen to the back mountain to roast fish. If I had calculated it earlier, I would have taken you along to listen to Master Lingyin's sermon and bathe in the Buddha's light. That nearly got you burned down the entire Xiangquan Mountain and committing a great sin?" Rong Jing put down his tea cup.

  Yun Qian Yue was suddenly blocked, but thinking about being blocked by him made her feel a bit unwilling, so she added: "It wasn't me who wanted to go barbecue fish, it was Ye Qing Ran who pulled me there."

  "Uh-huh, I know it wasn't you who wanted to go, but Ye Qingchen dragged you there." Rong Jing nodded.

  "That's right! So, it's not my fault." Yun Qianyue didn't expect this guy to be so understanding, so she shamelessly pushed all the blame onto Ye Qingran. After all, he was the little demon king! And he was also Dye Xiao Wangye! With him taking the fall, she was just an accomplice, or rather, the coerced one. So even if they found her out, she would still be innocent.

  "Hmm, so I sent someone this afternoon to deliver a letter to Grandfather Yun, informing him of the great calamity that almost occurred when Ye Qianyu was dragged away by Nie Qingcheng to go barbecue fish in the back mountain. I especially emphasized in the letter that it wasn't your fault, but rather all because of Nie Qingcheng."

  "What? You actually told Grandpa?" Yun Shangyue's eyes widened immediately.

  "Hmm, this matter can't be hidden. Do you think every move here can be hidden from the Emperor and those old men in the capital? Cloud grandfather entrusted you to me, I am responsible for taking care of you. Since it's not your problem, it means it's not my fault for not taking good care of you. It's actually Night who is too reckless and took you away, otherwise you would still be sleeping well in your room." Rong Jing looked at Yun Shang Yue, slightly raising an eyebrow, his beautiful face showing a subtle expression that was another kind of beauty.

  Yun Shallow Moon was speechless for a moment. Although she said so, she went voluntarily! But just now she herself also said that she was pulled away by Ye Qingran, and at this time, how could she regret it? She had the feeling of biting her tongue with her teeth. She opened her mouth, and although she was remorseful in her heart, she couldn't refute a single word. "The person who was sent out just came back and said that Grandfather Yun was extremely angry, scolding Ye Qingran for half a day, saying that he dared to take you on a wild adventure! What kind of place is Xiangquan Mountain? What kind of place is Lingtai Temple? Especially today, what kind of day is it? If the true fire really burns down Xiangquan Mountain and Lingtai Temple, then you will have committed a great sin. Not to mention that the old Taoists of Qintian Supervision will use this as an excuse to speak out, but also the ministers in the imperial court will use this as an excuse to speak out. Your reputation for being reckless and lawless has long been dissatisfactory to the ministers in the capital. Now, with everyone speaking out and the facts being clear, you two will certainly be unable to refute it. When the time comes, if the Emperor doesn't punish you, it's hard to calm down the public anger." Rong Jing continued.

  Yun Qian's eyes narrowed as she thought about the small matter of roasting a fish, which had escalated into a serious offense here. She should be grateful that the Fourth Prince had merely ignored her and not added fuel to the fire; otherwise, she and Ye Qingran would probably be languishing in the Ministry of Justice's prison by now. Where would they still be sitting here waiting for their steamed fish? The thought made her instantly lose her temper.

  "Grandfather Cloud has ordered me to take good care of you from tomorrow onwards. You're no longer allowed to sneak out at night with Night Light and get into trouble. So, since I'm giving you this opportunity and you can't sleep anyway, starting tomorrow, come with me to the Dahma Temple to bathe in the Buddha's sounds!" Yung Jing threw out a bombshell, his voice still warm and gentle.

  "What?" Yun Qian Yue suddenly stood up, "You want me to follow you to Dahmo Hall tomorrow?"

  "Hmm!" Rong Jing nodded.

  "No way!" Yun Shangyue thought of her refusal to see that Ling Yin, and added resolutely as she looked into Rong Jing's eyes: "I'd rather die than go!"

  "I knew you wouldn't go, so just now I agreed with Master Lingyin that tomorrow I won't go to the Dharma Hall to debate with him again. From now on, I'll stay by your side without leaving for a single step." Yun Jing nodded and said in a low voice.

  "You..." Yun Qian Yue glared again.

  "What? You actually want to go to Damo Hall to bathe in the Buddha's sound?" Gong Jing raised an eyebrow.

  "No!" Yun Qianyu gritted her teeth.

  "En, that's good, it's settled then." Rong Jing nodded and said in a gentle voice: "I heard Mo Li mention that tomorrow night Ye Qing Ran has invited you to go to Nan Shan to see the Guang Yu Lan? Since you want to see it, I'll accompany you there tomorrow! Ye Qing Ran won't be able to make it, I've asked Xuan Ge to take the letter Cloud Grandfather wrote for him to show him. In the letter, Cloud Grandfather says that in these few days at Xiang Quan Shan he's not allowed to come find you again, if he doesn't listen and still recklessly takes you on a wild adventure, then from now on he won't be allowed to see you again. So, Ye Qing Ran will definitely listen to Cloud Grandfather's words."

  "Y...". Yun Qiu Yue looked at Rong Jing, already unable to find words to describe him.

  "But even if it weren't for the emperor's decree, he probably wouldn't be able to come find you tomorrow to see Guang Yulan anyway. Just now, it's said that the emperor sent someone to deliver a decree, saying that something has happened at the military camp and he needs to return immediately to handle it. By now, he's probably already set off down the mountain. So, you don't need to feel guilty about him either. After all, he's played around on this Fragrant Spring Mountain countless times before; it won't make a difference if he misses one time." Rong Jing didn't look at Yun Shangyue, seemingly having said too much already, and poured himself another cup of tea.

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was full, but her anger was stuck in her throat. She couldn't swallow it down or spit it out. Her heart was itching with hatred for this person... This person was truly ruthless. His grandfather and the Emperor were working together to bring him back. He didn't believe that something would happen at the military camp just because of a coincidence, and even if something did happen, he might have had a hand in it. She was furious, and when she saw his calm and elegant face, she wanted to punch him, but she estimated that she wouldn't be able to hit him before he hit her first. Glaring at him angrily, she shouted: "I want to eat steamed fish with egg whites!"

  Yun Qianyue's voice was loud and clear, her anger and annoyance were not hidden at all.

  Rong Jing nodded and instructed outside, "Xian Ge, go take a look if the steamed fish with hibiscus is done yet?"

  "Hui Shi Zi, it's all right!" Xuan Ge's voice was light and quick, apparently having heard everything just now. His admiration for the young master of his household had increased even more. It seemed to have also dispelled the anger that Bai Ri Yun Shang Yue had been left speechless with earlier. His entire body and mind felt refreshed.

  "Then hurry up and bring it over!" Rong Jing instructed again.

  "Yes!" Xiang Ge immediately walked down.

  Yun patted her sleeves and rolled up her cuffs, she would not let this man off easily today! Otherwise, it would be unfair to his sinister actions.

  Before long, Xuan Ge walked up with a tray. His movements were quick and neat, not at all like those of a martial arts practitioner, but rather like Rong Jing's personal attendant. The way he presented the dishes was impeccable.

  Yun Shallow Moon stared at the tray held by Xuan Ge, there were six dishes on it, all of which were plain vegetarian dishes. Where was the Steamed Fish with Lotus? Not even a fish bone was in sight. She looked at Rong Jing, "Where's the fish?"

  "What about the fish?" Rong Jing asked Xuan Ge.

  "Hui Shi Zi, the fish is still in the pot! Have these vegetarian dishes served first," Xuan Ge said.

  Yun Shallow Moon no longer spoke, got up and walked to the table, sat down opposite Rong Jing, still a bit puffed up.

  Rong Jing ignored her and sat elegantly, still savoring his tea at a leisurely pace.

  He continued to sing, and soon he brought in another tray. This time the tray held two bowls of porridge. He gently placed one bowl in front of Rong Jing and the other in front of Yun Shangyue.

  Yun Shallow Moon took a look at Zhou, didn't say anything.

  Xuan Ge walked in again, this time without a tray, holding only a small plate with a single fish on it. It was an extremely small fish, not even one-third the size of the two-jin fish that Yun Shang and Ye Qing had eaten at noon and night.

  Yun Qian's expression changed instantly as she frowned and glared at Rong Jing, "Is this really the famous Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens?"

  Rong Jing looked at Xuan Ge.

  Xuan Ge nodded, "Tell Miss Shallow Moon, it's Fu Rong roasted fish."

  "Yong Jing! Are you doing this on purpose?! You're really playing me!" Yun Qiu Yue was thoroughly annoyed. She jumped up, pointing at Yong Jing. He could have just walked away with Ye Qing, he could have stuck to her side all day tomorrow, even if it was just to keep an eye on her. Not letting her sleep anymore was also tolerable. But why did he still have to be so petty and treat her like a small fish that could be swallowed in two bites? A plate of vegetarian dishes - didn't he know she was a carnivore?! No meat, no joy, what the hell!

  "What's going on with Xuan Ge?" Rong Jing's expression didn't change, but his voice was slightly low.

  Xian Ge immediately bowed his head, placed the small butterfly fish in front of Rong Jing, and hastily explained: "Hui Shizi, this is your lotus-flower roasted fish, not Miss Shallow Moon's. Miss Shallow Moon's fish is still in the pot, I haven't served it yet."

  "Go get it then! See how anxious she is." Rong Jing nodded, waving his hand at Xuan Ge, and spoke softly to Yun Shangyue, who had a furious expression: "I know you love eating fish, how could I let you not have enough? Sit down! Xuan Ge will go get it."

  Yun Qianyue thought to herself that it must be intentional, absolutely intentional! She had offended his little attendant today, and now the consequences have arrived! Her face was full of anger with nowhere to vent, as if a volcanic eruption was being suppressed by magma at its most critical moment. Suddenly, she stretched out her hand and slapped the table with a loud "slap", saying very forcefully: "I'm not eating anymore!"

  "It doesn't matter if you don't eat. Anyway, it's not good to eat too much at night, or you won't be able to sleep. I'll save the steamed fish with egg whites that I made for you, and you can eat it tomorrow, it will still be the same." Rong Jing nodded seriously.

  Yun Qian's face turned pale and she almost spat out blood, her body which was originally going to leave sat back down, her face stern as she said: "Who says I won't eat? I was just joking! Not only will I eat, but I'll eat a lot, even if I can't sleep at night I'm happy, no need for you to worry."

  "Alright, then let's eat more! In the worst case, I'll just stay up with you." Rong Jing seemed to sigh helplessly.

  Yun Qian Yue rolled her eyes fiercely, her small face as black as coal, too lazy to talk to this person again. She thought that she was still alive and not driven to death by anger was because of the protection of Gong Li. This guy is really hateful!

  "Miss Shallow Moon, this is your Steamed Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens!" Xuan Ge entered with a large tray, placing a fish of over three catties in front of Yun Shallow Moon. He didn't dare look at her expression and kept his body two steps away from hers, as if afraid she would get angry and slap him. His voice was cautious, "If this one isn't enough, there are several more in the pot! You can eat as much as you want, and if it's not enough, I'll instruct the cook to make more."

  Yun Qianyue hummed and picked up her chopsticks, using force to stab the fish. She was afraid that if she swallowed this fish, it would not go down well. She had some personal experience of what it was like when Ye Qingcheng ate his own horse meat that year. It must have been a teeth-gnashing, heart-bleeding affair.

  "This dish of braised fish may look simple, but it actually requires over ten steps to complete. I instructed the cooks to start preparing it when I arrived at the temple this morning, and after a whole day, it's just been taken out of the pot. Are you sure you want to mash it into fish paste?" Rong Jing put down his teacup, glanced at Yun Shangyue, and spoke slowly.

  "One day?" Yun Qian's hands, which were about to strike the fish, suddenly stopped moving.

  "First, we scooped up the live fish from the Xiangquan water and fed it the fresh juice of the hibiscus flower for half a day, allowing the juice to infuse into its skin, flesh, and blood. Then, we used a special broth made by simmering over a dozen precious medicinal herbs for two hours, followed by steaming it with the leaves of the lotus and Guangyulan for another two hours. Only then was it cooked. What's remarkable is that even after all this, the fish was still alive when it went into the pot. As you can imagine, every inch of its flesh is now incredibly tender."

  Yun Shallow Moon opened her big eyes, lowered her head to look at the fish in the plate, and only then discovered that the whole house was full of fragrance. She licked the corner of her mouth, still not quite believing that the fish could still be alive after so much trouble, and asked suspiciously: "Is it really that troublesome?"

  "Yes! It's even more troublesome than what I said!" Rong Jing said affirmatively.

  Yun Qian took a bite of the steamed fish, and instantly her mouth was filled with freshness. Although the lotus leaf roasted fish from tonight's dinner was delicious, it couldn't compare to this fish, where every inch of meat was incredibly fresh and tender. This fish was truly a masterpiece among all fish dishes. Her anger and frustration dissipated in an instant. She immediately smiled and said: "It's really delicious, I believe you now."

  "Hmm, then eat more!" Rong Jing's mouth corners slightly hooked, a faint smile.

  Xuan Ge turned around and walked out the door, thinking that Shallow Moon was really shameless! She could rival Dye Xiao Wang Ye from back then. Dye Xiao Wang Ye had found out that the Crown Prince had killed his precious horse, Hanyue Treasure, and had immediately gone to confront him with a vengeful attitude. However, after eating the meat of Hanyue Treasure, he suddenly smiled and said that he should have killed it himself first. He had despised Dye Xiao Wang Ye back then, but now here was another person just like him.

  "It's even more delicious than the lotus leaf roasted fish today!" Yun Shu Yue felt that although she had been holding a grudge, it was worth it now. She forgave Rong Jing after all. This dish made her realize that even if she learned for ten years, she probably wouldn't be able to make it, or maybe only this person could do it, and she wouldn't have known there was such a way to cook fish, nor would she have gotten to eat it.

  "Hmm, so if you want to eat fish in the future, don't look for Ye Qingran again. He really can't cook!" Rong Jingdao said.

  "Hmm!" Yun Qiu Yue nodded.

  As soon as Xuan Ge walked out the door, he stumbled and almost fell. His admiration for the young master of his household was no longer just a single layer, but had become like a mighty river flowing endlessly. First, he had sent Shallow Moon Miss down to the depths of the valley, destroying everything she had gained, and then he had lifted her up to the clouds, giving her new life. Xuan Ge shivered with excitement and quickly walked away.

  "Wow, a fish like this, after going through so many processes for a whole day, how much silver will it cost?" Yun Shangyue asked vaguely while eating. She really wanted to know.

  "About a hundred taels of silver!" Rong Jing reported a number and added: "A hundred taels for one strip."

  Pffft! Yun Shangyue almost got choked by a fish bone, she coughed and finally spat it out, pointing at Rong Jing with her chopsticks, "You're really good for nothing!"

  In this world, the most circulating thing is not gold or silver. The output of gold and silver is extremely small, and the commonly used currency is copper coins, also known as Wen. One Wen coin can buy a meat bun, and an ordinary family's annual expenses are only a few taels of silver. But this person spends hundreds of taels of silver on just one fish, isn't that extravagant?

  "Ah, yes, I'm indeed a spendthrift, so today's meal is on the house. Eat as much as you can, it's all free. But in the future, if you want to eat, you'll have to pay me silver coins. Otherwise, we don't have any relationship worth half a cent, and how could I let you eat for free every time?" Rong Jing said elegantly, taking a bite of fish and chewing slowly.

  Yun Shallow Moon suddenly choked, thinking that the little telegram sent by Xuan Ge was really fast. Obviously, even what she said was told to Rong Jing. She gritted her teeth, "Don't worry, I will definitely get my fill today. In the future, you want to invite me, I won't eat anymore."

  "Hmm!" Rong Jing nodded.

  Yun Shallow Moon no longer spoke, and instead focused on savoring the food. The more he ate, the more delicious it became, and his entire body felt refreshed. As he ate, he thought about the 100 taels of silver, thinking to himself that this was truly a luxurious meal. No wonder Ye Qingran said that this guy would waste money! He had killed the汗血宝马 (a precious horse), sat in a sedan chair made of fragrant wood, and even spent 100 taels of silver on a single fish. It's likely that no one else in the world could waste money like him. But on the other hand, this person was also extremely good at enjoying himself!

  "This fish is delicious, but it's a bit salty." Yun Qianyue ate half of it and felt thirsty, so she picked up the porridge in front of her and took a sip. She thought the porridge was also incredibly tasty, and then changed the subject: "Paired with this porridge, it doesn't feel salty anymore."

  "Ah, this is lotus leaf congee. Made with half-stemmed lotus leaves." Rong Jing nodded and also took a sip of the congee.

  Yun Qianyue took another two sips, feeling the fragrance burst forth, and in an instant, she had finished a bowl of porridge. She put the bowl aside and shouted outwards, "Xuange, I want more porridge."

  "Yes!" Xuan Ge responded. It seemed that she had expected it all along and immediately brought in two bowls of porridge.

  "Give it all to her, I don't want it." Rong Jing shook his head.

  Xuan Ge placed both bowls of porridge in front of Yun Shang Yue.

  Yun Shallow Moon nodded in satisfaction, the freshly cooked porridge was hot and fragrant, seemingly more delicious than the one that had cooled down for half a day. She immediately started drinking again.

  Xuan Ge looked at Yun Shang Yue drinking porridge with a strange gaze, then turned around and walked away.

  "What's taking so long?! Pour me a cup of water!" Yun Shangyue suddenly felt that the two bowls of porridge had become salty. She put down her bowl and called out to Rong Jing.

  Rong Jing had already prepared a cup of water and handed it to her, reminding her: "It's a bit hot, drink slowly!"

  Yun Qian took the cup and drank it in one gulp, seemingly not feeling the heat at all. Only then did she feel a little relieved from her thirst. She put down the cup, picked up her chopsticks, looked at the fish in front of her, and suddenly felt full. She furrowed her brow, forced herself to take a bite, but it didn't taste as sweet as before. She sighed and said: "There's a saying that goes, 'When you're hungry, even bran tastes sweeter than honey; when you're full, not even honey is sweet.' Indeed, this is the truth!"

  "Then don't eat it, and you won't suffer," said Rong Jing.

  "No way, why can't I eat anymore? This fish costs 100 taels of silver! I had a fish over 2 catties for lunch today and shared another one that weighed 7 or 8 catties with Ye Qingchen. If it weren't for that annoying Ye Tianqing, I would have been able to eat more. In total, I should be able to eat at least 4 catties of fish. Now this fish is only over 3 catties and I've only eaten half of it, which is just over 1 catty. It's impossible! When did I become so unable to eat? Even if I'm not as good as before, I should still be able to finish this whole fish!" Yun Shangyue was puzzled, reaching out to rub her belly in an unladylike manner. Her belly was very full and round, she couldn't understand, could it be that the food from lunch hadn't been digested yet? But she had clearly been very hungry just now!

  Rong Jing looked at her helplessly and sighed, explaining: "You originally ate about one and a half catties of fish, then drank three bowls of porridge, and also drank a cup of water. Your stomach is already so big, where else can you eat?"

  Yun Shallow Moon suddenly came to her senses, staring at the three empty bowls and an empty cup in front of her, with endless regret. "Why did I drink porridge? Although this porridge is delicious, it's also ordinary! And water, they've taken up all the space!"

  "Hmm, remember this from now on, if you want to eat more fish, then don't eat congee." Rong Jing said.

  Yun Shallow Moon pouted, seeming to agree, and continued eating, fearing that she would burst her stomach if she ate any more. She could only put down her chopsticks and watch as Rong Jing elegantly ate, seemingly savoring the flavor even more. Suddenly, Yun felt a pang of jealousy and was about to leave the table when she suddenly reacted, standing up abruptly and slapping the table. "You did it on purpose!" she exclaimed angrily. "The first bowl of porridge was bland, but the next two bowls were salty. The more I ate, the saltier it got, and now I can only drink water. You... you..."

  "Earlier, that bowl was lotus leaf congee, later one bowl was荷叶粥, and another was orchid congee. The taste of lotus leaf congee should be slightly bland, while荷叶粥and orchid congee are better with a salty flavor. You asked me to find the lyrics yourself, how can you blame me? I poured water for you only because you asked me to." Rong Jing raised his head, looking at Shang Yun's face full of anger, and sighed softly.

  How much silver is a bowl of broken rice worth? How much silver is a fish worth? It's a loss! Yun Shang Yue immediately turned her head and shouted at the outside: "Xuan Ge, tell me, was it intentional?"

  "Miss Shallow Moon, it's not intentional. Only one bowl of lotus leaf congee was prepared for you and my family's young master. This calamus congee and orchid congee are what I and the kitchen maid were going to drink. It just came out, so I can only give it to you first. Nowadays we all have nothing to eat, we can only eat fish." Xuan Ge said from outside, his cold voice somehow tinged with grievance.

  "Ugh! Can only eat such expensive fish and still feel wronged? Yun Qianyue was so angry she almost slapped him, gritting her teeth: "Then go ahead and eat the fish, best if it bursts your belly!"

  "Thank you for your concern, Miss Shallow Moon. I will definitely remember and not let it burst my belly!" Xuan Ge said, finishing his sentence, and immediately retreated from the window.

  "It's indeed the master and servant! Cloud shallow moon gnashed her teeth, turned her head around, and said to Shang Rongjing's helpless face with hatred: "If you can't eat today, you'll eat tomorrow. In any case, don't think about running away!"

  "Don't worry, I'll make it for you whenever you want to eat, as long as you have enough silver." said Rong Jing.

  "Want money? Dream on!" Yun Qian Yue threw down a sentence and strode out of the room. Thinking that there was still a long way to go, she would wait and see, in the future, she would definitely come to find him every day to eat Fu Rong roasted fish, definitely wouldn't give him any money, would definitely make him penniless, make him poor, let him be black-hearted again, and arrogant.

  Thinking like this, she still felt uncomfortable in her heart. With a "clang" sound, she pushed open the door and started looking for Xuan Ge. She had a belly full of anger with nowhere to vent it, but she estimated that she couldn't beat Rong Jing, so first she would find this little guard to practice her hand. But after searching around, where was Xuan Ge's shadow? She saw that the kitchen had a small lamp lit up and walked towards it. She wanted to see which great chef made such delicious steamed fish with egg whites.

  Rong Jing raised his head to glance out the window, and his poetic face lit up with a smile. He lowered his head again, looking at the half-eaten fish on the opposite side of the table, three empty bowls, and an empty cup, and suddenly chuckled softly.

  Digression

  Thank you for the diamonds and flowers from everyone below!

  xiaozhu 100200 (1 diamond), melon123 (1 diamond), cai dyna (1 diamond), lü nainai (1 diamond), meng ling ruo ruyue liuli (5 flowers), zou6602xian (1 flower), 985115 (1 flower), mei mei, o (n＿n) o～