Chapter 3: The Beauty of Southern Xinjiang

  Yun Mu Han walked closer, looking at Yun Qian Yue with an unpleasant expression, his eyes fixed on her injured arm, his tone slightly sinking, "Why are you standing here in the rain? Don't you know you need to rest and recover?"

  "Brother, every time you see me, it's either a cold face or scolding. When can you say something nice to me?" Yun Shallow Moon looked at Yun Mu Han, seeing that he was exhausted and hadn't slept well in the past two days, probably due to chasing after the murderer. She couldn't help but feel some sympathy for him. "If the murderer can't be found, then they can't be found. If it were easy to find them, they wouldn't have dared to openly assassinate me and Rong Jing. People aren't made of iron, you're always scolding me, don't you know that you should take care of yourself too?"

  Yun Mu's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

  "I know you care about me, I'll take good care of myself, you should hurry back to sleep too!" Yun Shangyue said another sentence, turned around and left with an umbrella. After coming out for a while, she felt a bit chilly, it's more comfortable to go back to bed. It would be best to drink a bowl of ginger soup, she thought to herself.

  Yun Mu Han watched as Yun Qian Yue left, standing still and silent, his eyes flickering between light and dark. Until Yun Qian Yue's figure disappeared into the distance, he still didn't withdraw his gaze, remaining motionless for a long time.

  "The Crown Prince, Princess Qingyuan is causing a big commotion. The Emperor requests that you enter the palace once again!" Yun Meng hastily arrived, urging Yun Mocheng who was panting with cold air, "You must go quickly!"

  "Don't go!" Yun Mochan withdrew his gaze and threw out two words before turning to leave.

  Yun Meng was taken aback, "Young Master, where are you going?"

  "Go back to sleep!" Yun Mochan said as he walked towards his own courtyard without looking back.

  "This... how can this be... it's hard to explain to His Majesty..." Yun Meng hastily chased after Yun Wuhan.

  Yun Mu Han's footsteps didn't stop, coldly saying: "I said I wouldn't go and I won't. If I were to die, would it be easier for the Emperor to explain? Tell those who come, report to the Emperor, say that I'm exhausted from illness and need to rest in bed now. As for Princess Qing Wan, let him invite someone else!"

  Yun Meng only then discovered that Yun Wuhan was extremely exhausted, his face looking particularly terrible. He thought that the young master had been investigating the murderer day and night for the past two days, and indeed looked worn out. He stopped in his tracks and respectfully said: "Yes, Young Master should rest well, I'll go and respond to the visitor."

  Yun Muhan no longer paid attention to Yun Meng and walked away with a distant stride.

  Yun Meng turned around and hastily walked towards the gate.

  Yun Shangyue returned to the Shallow Moon Pavilion, where Cai Lian, Zhao Mama, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu were waiting at the door with umbrellas. Seeing her return, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on their faces. She smiled and glanced at the crowd, saying: "I just went to Grandfather's place for a trip, why are you all making such a fuss?"

  Zhao's mother, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu didn't say a word. Cai Lian couldn't help but complain: "Miss, you said it yourself! The look on your face when you just left was really scary for me. I thought something had happened!"

  "It's nothing serious! Go back to the house! I want to drink some ginger soup, add some brown sugar and dates to stew a pot for me and bring it to my room." Yun Shangyue instructed while walking towards the house.

  "Yes, I'll go right away!" Zhao's mother hurriedly ran downstairs upon hearing this.

  Cai Lian followed Yun Qianyue into the house, she stole a glance at Yun Qianyue's face and found that the young lady seemed to be in a good mood. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak but hesitated.

  "Speak up if you have something to say! You're not suited to keeping secrets." Yun Shangyue turned her head and glanced at Cai Lian.

  "Miss, what about Jing Shizi? You... you just drove Jing Shizi away. What if Jing Shizi doesn't care about you?" Cai Lian was indeed someone who couldn't hold back her words, and she originally didn't dare to say it out loud for fear of ruining Yun Shang Yue's mood, but since Miss let her speak, she immediately became uninhibited.

  Listening to the snow, listening to the rain also followed behind, perked up their ears to listen. They have already regarded Jing Shizong as one of their own in these days. Now it's natural that they still hope Miss and Jing Shizong will be fine. Because Jing Shizong is good in every aspect, if Miss really likes Jing Shizong, they would naturally be delighted.

  "I don't care, I won't care about him either! So what if he has a temper?! Yun Shangyue hummed and waved her hand at Cai Lian and the others, "You all don't have anything to do, so stop hovering around me. Also, stop meddling in things that aren't your concern. Hurry up and prepare, in two days it's my mother's death anniversary. Now that I've injured my hand, I won't be able to embroider anything. Each of you, please embroider two prayer symbols for me, so I can take them to show filial piety to my mother's spirit."

  Cai Lian and the other two immediately dropped their idle thoughts, nodded in unison, "We'll go and embroider right away!" As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them hurried back to their own rooms to get busy.

  Yun Qian Yue sent the three people away, let out a breath of relief, looked at the somewhat deserted house, furrowed her brow, pushed open the quilt and lay back on the bed. After sleeping for a day and night, where was there still any sleepiness? She then picked up the book that Rong Jing had thrown on the headboard and started reading from where he had left off.

  He couldn't help but curl his lip after taking a glance, it turned out he liked third-rate romance novels! How embarrassing for someone who looks so refined and dignified!

  Although it's a third-rate romance novel, it's good enough to pass the time.

  Zhao's mother brought over some ginger soup, and Yún Qiǎn Yuè drank it, feeling warm and cozy in her stomach. Just as she was about to praise Zhao's mother for her cooking skills, she heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching from outside. She thought that Yún Mèng, the chief manager, must be working very hard every day, walking at least 80 miles a day.

  "Miss, the little princess of Nanjiang Wang has come to visit you. Others who came to visit me were all turned away, but this person is special, so I've come to inform you specifically. Do you want to see her?" Yun Meng stood outside the door and bowed to report to Yung Shallow Moon.

  "Princess of Nanjiang Wang? Are you referring to the number one beauty in Nanjiang, Ye Qian?" Yun Shangyue was taken aback.

  "Nanjiang Wang has only this one little princess, and it's indeed Ye Qian!" Yun Meng nodded.

  "Is she here to visit me?" Yun Shangyue was taken aback for a moment, thinking that Ye Qian wasn't brought to the capital by Ye Qingchen just yesterday? Today she's already come to see her, do they have a relationship or something?

  "Yes, she is waiting at the door now, saying she wants to pay a visit to Miss." said Yun Meng.

  "Come in!" Yún Qiūyuè thought that since they were delivered to her doorstep, she might as well invite them in for a meeting. She was also very curious about Ye Qian, especially since she was not only the daughter of the King of Nanjiang, but also had a deep connection with the person who used the Lí Shī Soul Technique to assassinate her and Róng Jǐng. Moreover, she was also the female lead in the complicated relationship between Yè Qiūyuè and Nán Líng Ruì.

  "Yes, this old slave will go and invite Young Mistress Ye to come in!" Yun Meng received the order and hastily turned around and left.

  "Miss, I heard that Nanjiang is skilled in the art of insect curses. Now that Jing Shizi has left, you're meeting with Ye Xiaogongzhu like this... what if..." Zhao Mama looked at Yun Shangyue disapprovingly.

  "It's nothing, who would harm others and still run to their doorstep? Go down! I'll meet her." Yun Shangyue handed the empty bowl to Zhao Mama, smiling.

  Zhao's mother thought for a moment and then silently took the empty bowl and walked away.

  Before long, Yun Meng led a person to the Shallow Moon Pavilion. Yun Shang Yue heard the footsteps and looked out. She saw a woman following behind Yun Meng, holding an umbrella, walking towards her. The woman was wearing a bright red dress with a unique cut, the color was vibrant, the long skirt trailed on the ground, the fabric of the red skirt looked very soft and smooth, not wet, nor would it get stained with mud because of trailing on the ground. Her face couldn't be seen, but her gentle steps had an elegant demeanor.

  Yun Qian's heart secretly praised her, and without seeing her appearance, she was already impressed by her. She thought again about Ye Qingran and Nan Lingrui, what kind of people were they? The vision of the women they liked was naturally not bad.

  "Miss, Ye Xiaogongzhu has arrived!" Yun Meng stopped in his tracks at the doorway.

  "Princess Ye, please come in!" Yun Qianyue spoke politely, with a very welcoming demeanor.

  Ye Qian closed her umbrella and handed it to Yun Meng. Yun Meng immediately took it and helped her lift the curtain, and she stepped into the house.

  Yun Qian Yue only then saw Ye Qian's appearance, and a flash of admiration flickered in her eyes. She thought to herself that Ye Qian was indeed worthy of the title of the number one beauty of Nanjiang. She had already considered Qin Yu Cong to be very beautiful, and this person's appearance was also extremely beautiful. She didn't think it would be possible to find another beauty, but Ye Qian's appearance still left her astonished.

  Her eyebrows are like crescent moons, her face is as white as jade, and her skin is as smooth as congealed fat. Her red lips are not painted but naturally rosy. The five features of her face are so perfectly proportioned that adding or subtracting a single detail would make them either too plump or too thin. Especially her beautiful eyes, which seem to have been washed clean by the spring rain of March, are crystal clear and bright. Her fiery red dress not only doesn't overpower her complexion but instead makes her whole person shine even brighter.

  Yun Qianyue thought that perhaps in this world, there was no one else who could wear red as perfectly as she did, just like how in the whole world, except for Rong Jing, no one dared to wear that moon-white brocade robe. She looked at Ye Qian, not hiding the admiration in her eyes.

  Yun Shallow Moon sized up Ye Qian at the same time, and Ye Qian didn't rush into the house either, standing at the door to size up Yun Shallow Moon. Although her eyes also contained a hint of admiration, compared to Yun Shallow Moon's pure admiration, there were more complex emotions.

  The two of them sized each other up for a long time, and it was Yun Shang Yue who spoke first. "I've been curious about Princess Ye for a long time, and now that I've met her, she's indeed as famous as people say. Thank you, Princess Ye, for coming to see me. As I'm currently bedridden with injuries, I couldn't get up to greet you, please forgive my rudeness."

  "You've also made me curious for a long time, perhaps even longer than you've been curious about me." Ye Qian put away her gaze at Yun Shangyue and walked in, directly to her bedside, smiling brightly at her. "What's with the 'Princess Ye' business? I can handle others calling me that, but hearing it from your mouth makes me feel awkward. Just call me Ye Qian. And I'll call you Yun Shangyue."

  Yun Qian listened to what she said and felt that this must be a straightforward and unconventional woman, with an extremely good first impression. She also nodded straightforwardly, "Alright! Then it's Ye Qian. If you don't mind, I'll let you have half of the bed, and we can chat."

  "What's that? What are you talking about?" Ye Qian stood still, smiling at Yun Shallow Moon.

  "For instance, why have you been curious about me for so long? How long has it been? Also, those hundred assassins who tried to kill me and Rong Jing two days ago, how did they come across your legendary Soul Separation Technique that's not known outside of Nanjiang? And another thing, were you already in the capital city pretending to be mysterious or did you really just arrive yesterday from thirty miles away? All these need someone to clarify for me, and you're the perfect person." Yun Qiu Yue tilted her head, smiling faintly at Ye Qian.

  "I'm curious about you, not because of your notorious reputation as a useless waste known to all under the sky, but because there was someone I really disliked who always mentioned you in my ear. It's been over ten years, I think! At first, I found it annoying, but later I became curious." Ye Qian said.

  More than ten years? Yun Shallow Moon was stunned, "Who?"

  "Since you're someone I dislike, did you think I'd say anything?" Ye Qian gave Yun Shangyue a cold glance, suddenly lifted up her quilt, swiftly kicked off her shoes, and in an instant got onto Yun Shangyue's bed. Before the latter could react, she said: "Move in a bit, give me some space."

  Yun Qian Yue let out a "heh" and laughed, thinking that she was indeed not polite, so she shifted some things inside to make room for Ye Qian.

  Ye Qian pulled over the quilt to cover herself, then threw off the pillow and rearranged it, getting into a comfortable position before turning to Yun Shangyue and saying: "It's still more comfortable here, the bedboard at Night Light Dye's place is hard as a rock, no matter how I lay down it was uncomfortable, I didn't sleep well last night."

  Yun Shallow Moon raised an eyebrow, "You stayed at Ye Qingran's residence yesterday?"

  "Hmm, I just arrived in this holy city of Tianjing, and I met him once. Where does he live?" asked Ye Qian.

  Yun Qian thought to herself, she and Ye Qingran were already engaged, so it was only natural that she would move into the Ye residence. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and asking about it was almost pointless. She changed the subject, "You still haven't answered my question from earlier." "Answer what? I'm exhausted, we've been traveling for over ten days to get to this city, and as soon as we arrived yesterday Ye Qingran dragged me to the morgue at the Ministry of Justice. Later, without even resting, he took me to the imperial palace, and it wasn't until midnight that I was able to sleep. This morning, he forced me to look for evidence again, and now that I've finally managed to sneak away while he's not paying attention, do you think I have the energy to explain things to you?" Ye Qian raised an eyebrow.

  Yun saw that Ye Qian indeed had a hint of fatigue between her eyebrows, she fell silent for a moment, somewhat speechless, thinking that this night was too inhumane, even if it was someone close to her, they couldn't be treated like this. Who could endure it? She looked at Ye Qian with some sympathy and said helplessly: "Then go to sleep!"

  "Hmm! Then I'll sleep, and when Ye Qing comes, you help me block the door and say I'm not here. Don't say you can't hold on!" Ye Qian closed her eyes as expected.

  "I really can't stop him!" Yun Qianyue thought, recalling that Ye Qingran had always been good at sneaking into people's homes. He had snuck into her room more than once before.

  "It doesn't matter if it can't be stopped, just don't let him wake me up, okay? Can you do that?" Ye Qian said again.

  Yun Shallow Moon thought for a moment, nodded, and promised: "This point I should still be able to do."

  "That's good!" Ye Qian went to sleep contentedly. Before long, even breathing sounds came out.

  Yun Qian looked at Ye Qian, completely unguarded, and saw that the person who had lain on her bed, occupying her space, and sleeping soundly without a care in the world was probably one of a kind. She felt like laughing, but also thought this was just Ye Qian's personality - some people she had met countless times, like Yu Cong, were still impossible to get close to or like, while others, like Ye Qian, she had only met once, yet they could make her feel an instant connection and regret not meeting sooner.

  "Miss? This... Ye Xiao Gong Zhu..." Cai Lian and the others heard that Ye Qian had arrived, they all came out of the house, everyone knew that the insect curse technique of the Nanjiang side door was extremely powerful, afraid that Yun Shang Yue would suffer a loss. Unexpectedly, through the gap in the door, they saw Ye Qian actually lying on her bed sleeping. Everyone was shocked beyond measure.

  "It's alright! You all go and mind your own business! She's fine, she'll sleep here at my place." Yun Qianyue smiled and waved her hand to the outside, then turned to Yun Meng who hadn't left: "Uncle Meng, you can also go and attend to your own matters. If anything else comes up, I'll take care of it again."

  "Yes!" Yun Meng thought that Shallow Moon Miss was already unusual enough, but unexpectedly this Ye Little Princess was also extraordinary.

  The people gathered at the door all left, and outside became quiet again. Yun Qianyue continued to pick up the book and started reading it. However, in her mind, she was thinking about Ye Qian's words just now. There was someone she disliked very much who had been talking about her more than a decade ago. Who was that person? How many more secrets did the owner of this body have that were unknown to others...

  She felt a bit of a headache and stopped thinking about it.

  About half a time later, there were footsteps outside the Shallow Moon Pavilion again. These footsteps were extremely light and shallow, like a gust of wind blowing in. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at her room door.

  Yun Qian put down the book and thought that Ye Qian had fallen asleep quickly. She glanced at Ye Qian, who was still fast asleep, and smiled, saying to someone outside: "Be quiet! The person is with me and can't run away."

  The hand that was about to push the door open slowed down, and the door creaked open slowly. He walked in with a slightly darkened face, only to see Ye Qian sleeping on Yun Shangyue's bed. He couldn't help but pause for a moment before his expression turned angry: "She really knows how to find a place, running to your place!"

  "Let's just say it's one of our own! Is there a need to torment others so mercilessly? Can't you see she's already exhausted, yet you still won't let up. There's no rush to find the culprit." Yun Qianyue glared at Ye Qingyan.

  Yè qīng rǎn jiǎo bù dùn zhù, bù gǎn zhì xìn de kàn zhe yún qiǎn yuè, "Nǐ zài bāng tā shuō huà?"

  Translation:

  Night's footsteps stopped, looking at Cloud Shallow Moon in disbelief, "Are you speaking for her?"

  "Your ears aren't deaf, you can still hear that I'm speaking up for her. Be gentle with women, do you understand? If not, I'll teach you." Yun Qianyue looked at Ye Qingchen with a "you're an idiot" expression. Such a good woman was being tormented by this little demon king, she would be scared away sooner or later. Ye Qian hadn't run away yet, that's because of his great charm, but when his charm value is depleted, he'll just wait to be dumped!

  "What did she tell you?" Ye Qingran looked at Yun Qianyue.

  "What else can you say? You didn't even let her rest since she arrived!" Yun Qianyue glared at Ye Qingran.

  "She said I didn't let her rest?" Ye Qingran was furious upon hearing this, "What is she saying and why do you believe her? This woman is best at spouting nonsense. It's true that she hasn't rested since she arrived, but it's not to investigate the mastermind behind the scenes, rather she has been scouring the entire Tian Sheng City, specifically targeting brothels, wine houses, song houses, and gambling dens - wherever there's food, drink, and entertainment, she hasn't missed a single place. I've been chasing after her from yesterday till now, and when she got tired of playing, she actually came here to sleep! You say she's not despicable? And yet she's the first to play the victim!"

  Yun Shallow Moon was taken aback, "Is that so?"

  "What did you think it was? You silly little girl, stupid to death, being deceived by her and even helping her count the silver." Ye Qingran looked at Yun Shangyue with a gaze full of disappointment.

  Yun Shallow Moon glanced at Ye Qian, seeing that she seemed to be unaware of the night quietly approaching, and also didn't seem to know that they were talking about her in general. She was still snoring loudly and sleeping extremely soundly, leaving Yun Shallow Moon speechless as she looked at her.

  "This stinky woman! Get out of here at once!" Ye Qian saw that she was sleeping soundly and became even more enraged, taking a few steps forward to reach the bedside and stretching out her hand to pull her up. Just by looking at her posture, one could tell how extremely rude she was being.

  "Goodbye, let her sleep!" Yun Qianyue hastily stopped Ye Qingran, feeling both angry and amused.

  "No way! The emperor is still waiting for her to enter the palace, and she's sleeping like this! Something must be done quickly to give an explanation." Ye Qingyan was furious, with veins bulging on his forehead, clearly enraged.

  "Is this her first time coming to Tianjing City?" Yun Qiu Yue asked.

  "Hmm!" Ye Qing hummed softly.

  "That's it, if I were to come to this Tian Sheng City for the first time, I would also have a good time like her. She looks really exhausted, just let her sleep for a while! The corpses of those dead men weren't preserved by you using the method she taught you? Since they're well taken care of, investigating the murderer isn't urgent at this moment." Yun Qianyue said.

  "Is that all she's worth?" Ye Qian looked at her with a scowl, his eyes blazing with anger.

  "Just wait until she wakes up and then you can clean up as you like." Yun Shangyue said with a smile.

  Ye Qian slowly opened his hand, stared at the sleeping Ye Qian with a cold hum, "Just to spare her for your sake, wait till she wakes up, Ben Xiao Wang will make her pay!"

  Yun Shallow Moon thought her face was big enough! Smiling and nodding.

  Ye Qingran turned around and walked to the table, picked up the tea cup and gulped down several cups of tea in one breath without taking a break.

  Yun Qian Yue looked at Ye Qing Ran, seeing that he was exhausted, his clothes were still the same as what she saw yesterday, seemingly not changed for several days. His hair was disheveled and although his face was clean, she guessed he hadn't washed it either. She couldn't help but laugh and ask, "How many days haven't you rested?"

  Yè Qīng Rǎn put down the teacup, lowered his head and took a glance at himself, humming somewhat unnaturally, "I don't know either, probably several days now!"

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was speechless, and she was a little moved. Just because of her words that day to thoroughly investigate, let him and Yunmo Han rush back and forth for several days without taking off their clothes. She softened her tone and said gently: "You hurry back to the house to rest! How can it be done like this? Even if you can't find out, there's nothing to do with that. The murderer behind will eventually show his feet. It's not urgent at this moment."

  "No way, I want to keep an eye on this woman!" Ye Qian shook her head and gave another stern glance at Ye Qian.

  "She can't run, I'll keep an eye on her." Yun Qianyue thought that Ye Qing, this little demon king, had always been a headache for others. Unexpectedly, it was true that one thing could subdue another, and now Ye Qian was giving him a headache.

  "You're staring at me with distrust. She's just a little fox, you silly girl, how can you be her match? She'd sell you out and you'd probably even help her count the money!" Ye Qingran shook his head again, reached out to pull off his outer robe and tossed it onto Yun Qianyue's soft couch, then plopped himself down on it.

  Is she that silly? Yun Shangyue raised her eyes to look at the eaves for a moment, then withdrew her gaze and suggested: "How about this! I have an empty room next door, which has been cleaned up long ago. You go to my next door to sleep, let my maid help you with water, take a bath and dress up. Change your clothes, this look of yours is not only scary for beauties, but also for old ladies."

  Ye Qingran furrowed her brow upon hearing this and looked down at herself with a skeptical expression, saying: "Am I really that sloppy now?"

  "It's really good now!" Yun Shallow Moon nodded affirmatively.

  Ye Qingran immediately stood up and walked out, disappearing from the room in an instant. Yun Shangyue heard him instruct Cai Lian: "Have Ben Xiao Wang go to De Qin Wang Fu to gather all my belongings, I will be living here from now on."

  Clouds shallow moon one stunned.

  Cai Lian was shocked and asked: "Young Master Wang, you want to stay at our young mistress's place?"

  "Uh-huh! You didn't hear wrong, hurry up and go!" Ye Qingran nodded firmly.

  "That's impossible, how can you live here? If this gets out, my young mistress..." Cai Lian shook her head.

  "That weak beauty can live here, why can't I?" Ye Qingran raised an eyebrow and waved her hand at Cai Lian, saying sternly without allowing any refutation: "Don't waste words, when you talk to the weak beauty, do you dare waste a single word? Don't think that Ben Xiao Wang is easy to talk to, if you say one more sentence, Ben Xiao Wang will sell you to the brothel. Even if your young mistress tries to intervene, it won't work."

  Cai Lian immediately fell silent. After a moment, she still plucked up the courage to say in a low voice: "But Jing Shizi just left and is no longer living here!"

  "You said the weak beauty left?" Ye Qing Ran was taken aback, as if he had just remembered that he hadn't seen Rong Jing.

  "Yes, I'm leaving. Back to Rong Wang Fu." Cai Lian said immediately.

  "Wouldn't it be better if he just left? I don't want to see him anyway." Ye Qingyan was impatient and ordered, "Hurry up and go!"

  "Little Prince, it's not that I don't want to go, but even if I went to the Duke's mansion, would the people in your mansion allow me to pack up your things?" Cai Lian said with a bitter face.

  "It's also!" Ye Qingran furrowed her brow, thought for a moment and said: "Then let Qi Lao go, he'll definitely be able to bring it back. Also, find two people to get a bucket of water for Ben Xiao Wang, I want to take a bath." As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Qingran pushed open the door to the adjacent room.

  Cai Lian knew it was useless to say more and could only look towards the house and listen to Yun Qian Yue's instructions.

  Yun Qian Yue finally spoke up, asking Ye Qing Ran: "Why do you want to live here? I only let you rest for a bit, didn't say you could move all your stuff in."

  "I want to watch Ye Qian, she slept sweetly here today, and tomorrow she will definitely not leave and stay here." Ye Qian gave a reason.

  So that's how it is! Yun Shangyue couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, then you can stay here!" As soon as she finished speaking, she instructed Cai Lian, "Go and do what Young Master Wang said!"

  "Yes, miss!" Cai Lian also roughly understood and knew that the young master was staying for Ye Xiao Gong Zhu, so she felt relieved and quickly went to prepare according to what Ye Xi had said.

  "What a stinker!" Ye Qian suddenly muttered.

  Yun Shang looked back at Ye Qian, seeing her frowning and pouting, couldn't help but smile, and said in a low voice: "You actually deceived me. You said that if I told her that you're awake now, how do you think she would react?"

  Yè Qiàn immediately opened her eyes, gave Yún Qiū Yuè a charming smile and whispered: "I knew you were good, that's why I dared to deceive you. If it were someone else, I wouldn't even bother to deceive them!"

  "You've been deceived by me once, and you're still happy about it?" Yun Shangyue raised an eyebrow.

  Ye Qian's pretty face turned slightly red with embarrassment, and she said in a soft, conciliatory tone: "I know I was wrong, and I won't deceive you again. That little demon king is really troublesome, what could I do?"

  Yun patted the moon and hummed in agreement, taking it as a sign that she had accepted her apology.

  Ye Qian continued to close her eyes and prepared to fall asleep.

  "By the way, Nan Lingrui also lives in my mansion. You know that?" Yun Shangyue suddenly spoke up.

  "What? You said he also lives in your mansion?"

  "Shh! The Night Light has heard that you're awake, I won't be able to protect you." Yun Qianyue stretched out her finger and placed it on Ye Qian's lips.

  Ye Qian immediately fell silent, but still looked like she had been struck by thunder, disbelievingly whispering: "How did he end up living in the Yun Wang Fu? Shouldn't he be at the temporary palace?"

  "Have you been playing since you arrived and didn't pay attention to anything else?" Yun Shangyue asked Ye Qian.

  Ye Qian nodded.

  "Nan Lingrui has been living in my mansion for several days now, even before I attempted to assassinate you. She comes to my courtyard every day to take a stroll. But she hasn't come today."

  Ye Qian immediately looked like she had seen a ghost, stretched out her hand to pull the quilt up and cover her head, "I'm dead, don't talk to me!"

  Yun Shallow Moon was taken aback, and suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing. She thought that Ye Qing, Nan Lingrui, and Ye Qian were absolutely hilarious! They definitely had the quality to entertain her.

  "Little girl, what are you laughing at?" Night Qingran's voice came from next door.

  Ye Qian's body stiffened suddenly.

  "Oh, I'm reading a book and it's getting to the funny part!" Yun Shallow Moon said to the next room: "Can't your ears be less sharp? Hurry up and take a bath and sleep! I'll keep an eye on you, you can't escape."

  "What book is making you laugh so hard?" Ye Qingran asked again.

  "Swan's pillow!" Yun Qianyu hummed nonsense.

  "What's so funny about a tattered old book?" Ye Qingran scolded with disdain.

  "Uh, I won't look anymore, there's nothing funny about it." Yun Shangyue nodded sincerely.

  Ye Qingran stopped talking, and the sound of running water came from next door.

  Yeqian suddenly pushed open the quilt and sat up, solemnly saying: "No way, I have to hurry up and leave!"

  Yun Shallow Moon smiled and looked at her, "Where are you going? Don't tell me you're going back to Nanjiang? Before you've given an account of yourself in Nanjiang, I won't let you go back."

  "It's not time to return to the south yet, Tianjing is so much fun, I haven't had enough of it!" Ye Qian got out of bed and put on her shoes in one swift motion, as agile as a guerrilla warrior.

  Yun Qian Yue looked at Ye Qian and suddenly had an idea, smiling and asking: "Do you like Ye Qing Ran or Nan Ling Rui?"

  "Nature likes gentle dyeing at night, who likes that flowery prince?" Ye Qian said immediately.

  "Hmm, then you'd better leave quickly! Take advantage of the night being light and the bath not being empty to catch you, I'll help you wrap things up." Yun Shangyue smiled and nodded.

  Ye Qian suddenly stopped her actions, the half-worn shoes were immediately taken off, she got back on the bed, pulled over the quilt to cover herself, closed her eyes and continued preparing to sleep. The movements were smooth and uninterrupted.

  "Why aren't you leaving?" Yun Shangyue asked in puzzlement, tilting her head to one side.

  "It's so comfortable here, I don't want to leave. I'll just sleep and ignore him. From now on, I'll live here." Yu Qian hummed a tune.

  Yun Qian Yue was speechless, when did this place become a popular destination? Everyone wants to move in?

  "Don't talk to me anymore, I'm going to sleep!" Ye Qian emphasized again.

  Yun Shang's eyelids flipped, and she nodded slightly, saying helplessly: "Alright, I won't say anything else, go to sleep!" As soon as her words fell, she heard the familiar footsteps approaching Shangyue Pavilion again. She looked up towards the window and said, "Speak of Cao Cao and he arrives." She gazed at Ye Qian with a pitiful expression and whispered: "I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep even if I don't talk to you. Nan Lingrui is here!"

  Yun Qianyue's words had barely fallen when Ye Qian suddenly flipped over, rolling from Yun Qianyue's body onto the big bed. With a swift tug of the quilt, she covered herself from head to toe in an instant. In a low voice, she warned Yun Qianyue: "Don't tell him I'm here. If you help me, I'll help you find the culprit behind your back. If you don't help me, I won't help you either. Even if the Emperor of Heaven himself orders me, it won't work."

  "Alright, I'll help you. But all I can say is that I'll try my best, if it doesn't work out, don't blame me." Yun Qiu Yue said with a smile.

  Ye Qian stopped talking, which was tantamount to acquiescence. From head to toe wrapped in a quilt, motionless, not even a single hair exposed. Just like a straight and still silkworm cocoon.

  Yun Qian smiled and looked out the window, seeing Nan Lingrui walking in with a beautiful woman holding an umbrella. She thought to herself that this person was truly elegant and unrestrained, able to bring out the beauty of women to perfection. There wasn't another person like him in the world. She didn't order anyone to stop him.

  Cai Lian and the others saw Nan Lingrui arrive, they perked up their ears to listen for any movement inside. After half a moment, they didn't receive any orders from Yun Shuoyue to stop him, so they also didn't go out to block Nan Lingrui. They had also gotten used to Yun Shuoyue's temper these days and knew that if the young miss really disliked someone, like Crown Prince Ye Tianqing, then not even a shadow of them could be seen near the door. The young miss was treating this Rui prince with courtesy.

  "The crown prince heard that Jing Shizi had left, and thought to himself, 'I wonder if you still want to hear the tune of Peach Blossom Smile?' So he came over. Nan Lingrui pushed open the door and entered casually, as if entering his own home, closing the umbrella with a "slap" sound, and smiled at Yun Shangyue while winking his eyes."

  Yun Qianyue wanted to say, "If you know that Rong Jing has left, then do you know that Ye Qian has arrived?" But she had just been warned by Ye Qian, so naturally she didn't dare say it. With a similar smile, she looked at Nan Lingrui and pouted her mouth, saying: "Your news is quite timely!"

  "The world knows that Jing Shizi is a black-hearted person, and I don't want my jade fan to be ruined in his hands." Nan Lingrui walked towards the inside, stopping halfway, her eyes fixed on Yun Shangyue's bed, and said in surprise: "There's still someone hiding on your bed? Who has such a big nerve to sleep in your bed without certain people's permission? Could it be that Jing Shizi came back again?"

  Yun Qian Yue thought about whether he could avoid mentioning Rong Jing, and gave him a white eye. "No one, just a big red cat!"

  The clouds were shallow and the moon was talking, Ye Qian's straight body trembled slightly.

  Digression

  Chinese New Year is approaching, and these days are extremely busy. I'm struggling to maintain updates. To those who have saved up their monthly tickets, please don't hold back! Holding back won't bring out the motivation!

  Thank you for the diamond rewards and flowers from everyone below!

  Grandma Lv (10 diamonds 1 flower), Blue Dye Dark Crystal (10 diamonds), lemoncase (10 diamonds), kikilovejie (3 diamonds), raphaellion (188 rewards 1 diamond), Lele Waiwai (1 diamond), Grandma's Little Wooden House (1 diamond 1 flower), shasha9997 (1 diamond), debbieshao (1 diamond), s Xiaoyu j (1 diamond), liaoshuiqing (100 rewards 1 flower), peter3320 (5 flowers), jolin0880 (5 flowers), Baby Dizzy (1 flower), tina19830306 (1 flower), pudong70 (1 flower), wodebaobeito (1 flower), Special Forces (1 flower), mmt12 (1 flower), Scorpion Thirteen (1 flower), Wind and Grace Thirty (1 flower), Phantom Dance Lianyue (1 flower), Momo, O (∩_∩)O~