Lantern Festival
Light Bulb
After returning to the capital, Mo Xiuyao was busy dealing with the situation in the imperial court and the emperor's constant probing, while Ye Li was busy handling the affairs of the Wang Fu and training a group of elites under Hei Yunfeng. It wasn't until Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu came to visit Ye Li that he remembered the battle in Yongzhou had not been finished yet. Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu naturally came under the pretext of visiting the Crown Princess, and after returning to the capital from Biancheng, Murong Ting finally became Mrs. Leng's second wife after marrying Leng Haoyu with Murong Shen's persistence. Mo Xiuyao was definitely involved in Murong Ting's quick marriage to Leng Haoyu. For this reason, Ye Li felt a bit guilty towards Murong Ting, but when he saw that she was still radiant and happy, he put his mind at ease. It seemed that no matter what the situation, Murong could always make herself happy. With Leng Haoyu's infatuation with Murong Ting, he probably wouldn't bully her either.
"Murong, Leng Gongzi, I'm really sorry to have missed your wedding." Ye Li looked at Murong Ting, who was still wearing a red dress and looking radiant. Murong Ting waved her hand dismissively and smiled: "There's nothing to apologize for, it's all because of Father..." As she spoke, she glared at Leng Haoyu sitting beside her with an unfulfilled expression, but her eyes also showed a hint of coquettishness and femininity that had never been seen before. Leng Haoyu smiled good-naturedly at Murong Ting without refuting her. Ye Li looked on, shaking his head slightly and smiling faintly. It seemed that Leng Haoyu's tolerance for Murong Ting's temper was indeed very deep, which was surprising given Leng Haoyu's own temperament wasn't exactly known for being gentle.
Mo Ruo Ting was chatting with Ye Li, while Mo Xiu Yao and Leng Hao Yu were discussing something. Mo Ruo Ting looked at Leng Hao Yu and Mo Xiu Yao sitting not far away with a puzzled expression. She wasn't stupid, although it had only been less than a month since she got married to Leng Hao Yu, but somehow she felt that the private Leng Hao Yu was different from the person she used to know. Now seeing him talking to Di Wang with an unprecedented serious and focused expression on his face, Mo Ruo Ting became even more certain. If Leng Hao Yu was really a useless young master, even if it was for Ye Li's sake, Di Wang wouldn't be sitting there talking to him. "Mo Ruo, what's wrong?"
Murong Ting looked at her with some confusion and said: "Li'er... are you guys hiding something from me?"
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled at her, saying: "Who do you think is hiding something from you?"
Murong Ting said with some distress: "I feel that Leng Haoyu is not like the person I used to know, sometimes I even doubt if I really know him." Although after returning to the mansion, Leng Haoyu still acted as usual, loving to eat, drink and have fun, ignoring worldly matters. But as his wife, how could Murong Ting not know that many times Leng Haoyu stayed up late in the study room, although no one knew what he was busy with.
Ye Li's eyes gazed calmly at Murong Ting as she asked softly, "Murong, do you feel happy after getting married? How is it like living with Leng Ersha?"
Murong Ting was taken aback, her face slightly red as she avoided Ye Li's gaze, hesitating before saying: "This... maybe it's not that bad after all... yeah, what they said is right, anyway I'll get married sooner or later. He's the one Dad chose, although he's always been a troublemaker but Dad hasn't said anything about him, so he should be okay. And he's been pretty good to me." Ye Li smiled, it seems that Cold Second Master's persistence all these years wasn't without effect after all. Turning her head to glance at Cold Hao Yu who was chatting with Mo Xiu Yao not far away but still keeping an eye on this side, Ye Li said: "Since you're so curious, why don't you ask him yourself?" Murong Ting said resentfully: "He's been pretending to be crazy in front of me all these years, do I need to go ask him now? This young lady doesn't like that at all."
Others' husband and wife affairs are none of Yeli's business, she just smiled and asked: "Are you used to living in the Leng manor?"
Murong Ting's face fell, and she gazed at Ye Li with a resentful expression: "There are hardly anyone in this world who has as good luck as you, Ah Li. I only now understand why Leng Haoyu doesn't like the Leng family. That place is simply not suitable for normal people." As soon as Murong Ting mentioned her new husband's family, she was filled with resentment. Now that she finally had someone to confide in, she naturally wouldn't hide anything from Ye Li. She poured out everything that had happened since returning to the capital. The Leng family was a well-known and respected aristocratic clan in the capital, and this generation had produced a Leng Qingyu who became the commander of the Imperial Guard at the age of 26, making him the emperor's trusted confidant. Naturally, the entire Leng family placed high hopes on him. In comparison, the second young master Leng Haoyu was not valued. However, it wasn't until Murong Ting married into the Leng family that she realized just how little Leng Haoyu was valued. Even the servants in the manor who had some face dared to speak ill of Leng Haoyu behind his back. If the master of the house hadn't indulged them, they wouldn't have had the guts to do so.
Murong Ting's personality has never been one to tolerate humiliation, and naturally she couldn't stand these people. Over the past few days, who knows how many incidents have occurred? Coincidentally, the mistress of the Leng household, Leng Haoyu's nominal mother, had never taken their side regardless of right or wrong. And the fact that the original cold and aloof young master of the Leng household, whom Murong Ting had admired greatly, was ignoring his younger brother and looking down on him made Murong Ting feel stifled. Even if she was careless and oblivious, she could still see that the entire Leng household didn't have a place for Leng Haoyu, and living in such an environment would make anyone's temper worse.
Listening to Murong Ting's complaints, Ye Li smiled curiously: "I remember you used to have a good impression of Lord Leng, didn't you?" In the few times they met, it seemed that every time Murong Ting couldn't help but compare Leng Jingyu and Leng Haoyu. Ye Li had never been in contact with Leng Jingyu, but she had also heard about this famous cold-faced young master of the capital. However, since the Leng family was loyal to the emperor and clearly not on the same path as the Ding Wangfu, there was no need to make contact.
Murong Ting lay weakly in the chair, pitifully gazing at Ye Li. "Isn't there a saying that goes like this... 'can only be admired from afar, not to be trifled with'? From a distance, it's natural to think you're fine, but if someone were to scrutinize you from head to toe every day, even the way they look at you would be like looking at something filthy. You wouldn't be able to take it either." Ye Li raised an eyebrow interestingly and said, "Is this how Cold Jingyu treats Cold Er Gongzi?" Murong Ting shrugged and said, "Actually, except for Cold Hao Yu's father, the whole family is like that towards him. That place is really unbearable for me, unfortunately... now I also can't just run back to the Murong residence to live. Otherwise, if outsiders find out, who knows what rumors would spread? However, Cold Hao Yu told me that after the new year passes, he'll tell his father that we're buying a house outside and moving out to live on our own."
"Will General Leng agree?" Ye Li asked. It was well-known that the Leng family attached great importance to their family reputation, although except for Leng Haoyu, this unfilial son often made Old General Leng so angry that he jumped out of his skin. The most impressive thing about the Leng family in the capital was that Old General Leng was the only one among all the high-ranking officials who did not have a concubine. His two sons were both born to Madame Leng. However, many people also knew that Second Young Master Leng was actually not Madame Leng's biological son. The mother of Second Young Master Leng was a maid who served as an accompanying servant for Madame Leng, and she passed away after giving birth to Leng Haoyu, so Leng Haoyu was raised under Madame Leng's name from the moment he was born, also considered as the legitimate child of the General's Manor. It was just that Madame Leng spoiled Second Young Master Leng excessively, spoiling him into becoming the number one dandy in the capital.
Murong Ting rolled her eyes and said, "If Leng Haoyu says it's fine, then it should be fine. I don't want to go pay my respects every morning only to be dragged into discussing how useless and despicable Leng Haoyu is." Did those people really think Murong Ting was an idiot? Not to mention that Leng Haoyu wasn't as bad as they said he was, even if he was a spoiled and dissolute son, she had already married him, couldn't she even tell the difference between close and distant relatives? At worst, she could just throw Leng Haoyu into her father's army and let her father discipline him severely. She wasn't interested in following a group of idle women discussing how bad her husband was.
Ye Li nodded, looking at Murong Ting and smiled: "You can believe him, Leng Er Gongzi said so, it means he can really solve it. Between husband and wife, mutual trust is the most important."
Murong Ting blinked her eyes, smiling at Ye Li and said: "Just like you and Ding Wang? Hehe... At Yonglin that time, Ding Wang appeared on the battlefield in a timely manner and saved the princess. When I was in Yonglin, I heard many people talking about it with great relish, I'm afraid now the whole Jiangnan has spread the news, at Yonglin City, those girls were so envious of Princess Ding."
Ye Li gave her a helpless glance.
On the other side, Mo Xiuyao and Leng Haoyu had finished discussing their business, so Leng Haoyu stood up to bid farewell. Murong Ting was a bit reluctant to part with them, but she understood that they were all adults now, especially Ye Li who was busy with her own affairs, so she also stood up to bid farewell together with Leng Haoyu. Leng Haoyu glanced at Mo Xiuyao standing on the side and smiled at Ye Li: "Princess, I heard that the new head of the Han family is preparing some new business ventures, but I don't know if I'll have a chance to get involved." Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao and smiled: "Leng Haoyu's information is really impressive." Leng Haoyu didn't mind and laughed: "As a businessman, it's natural to have some business channels, please forgive me, Princess."
Ye Li smiled generously: "Since Lord Leng is interested, why don't you go talk to Lord Han? I'm just a useless figurehead."
Leng Hao Yu smiled and said: "The queen's talent and ideas often surprise people, how can it be said that nothing will happen. So, I thank the queen. Farewell."
"Not sending."
Murong Ting looked at the two of them strangely, not quite understanding what Leng Haoyu wanted to do with his business. Since it was a deal with the Han family, why did he ask about Li'er? At least this proved that Leng Haoyu also intended to do legitimate business.
After sending off Murong Ting and Leng Haoyu, Ye Li turned around to look at Mo Xiu Yao, who had a somewhat unpleasant expression, and raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Did Leng Haoyu say something that made you unhappy?"
Mo Xiuyao stretched out his hand and pulled her into his arms, humming softly: "What else can there be besides the matter in Yongzhou? Liu Jingyun and Guan Kui, those two useless people, holding tens of thousands of troops, were actually beaten by Mo Jingli's mere 100,000 men without any chance to fight back." Ye Li raised an eyebrow, "100,000 men? Has Mo Jingli divided his army to advance east?" Mo Xiuyao nodded, "That's right. I summoned 200,000 troops from Yongzhou, wanting to occupy the entire area south of Yunlan River in the shortest time possible. Originally, it wasn't a big deal... but according to the message sent from Yongzhou, there seems to be an extremely formidable person in Mo Jingli's army. A few days ago, when Liu Jingyun and Guan Kui clashed with him, those two useless people lost three battles in a row. If not for General Murong's timely reinforcement, I'm afraid Yonglin City would have been destroyed by them."
"The Emperor has made up his mind and will not allow the Mo family army to march south to quell the rebellion, no matter how angry you get." Ye Li patted his arm comfortingly.
Mo Xiuyao sighed, "I know." He certainly knew that Mo Jingqi would rather give up the entire south of Yunlan River than let the power of Dingguo Wangfu be involved. So now the situation has become a series of defeats in the southern battlefield, with two useless people holding tens of thousands of troops but achieving no military merit. Meanwhile, the Dingwangfu faction, from Mo Xiuyao down, could only watch anxiously as they were unable to lead their troops south.
"Liu Jingyun has never fought a battle, let alone led tens of thousands of troops. That Guan Yu is also useless. The General who Guards the Country is currently unwell and resting at home, while the Old Duke Hua is advanced in age and not trusted by the Emperor. As for the generals under the banner of the Ding Wang Fu, it's even more unlikely that they would be allowed on the battlefield, even if Mo Jing Lei occupied the entire south." Ye Li thought to herself in a low voice.
Mo Xiu Yao said in a low voice, "As long as General Murong is watching Guan Yu, that useless thing can hold on for a few more months. But... once Mo Jing Lei really occupies the south and turns back to deal with him, it will be his death sentence." Ye Li frowned and said, "At Mo Jing Lei's speed, by the time that happens, you should still be in Bei Rong, right?" Mo Xiu Yao shook his head and hummed angrily, "Forget it, let them stir up trouble if they like. This king doesn't have time to bother with them now. Mo Jing Qi has some things to attend to, so he won't be stuck staring at the Ding Wang Fu all day." Ye Li smiled helplessly and said, "I'm afraid that even if there were more things to do, he still wouldn't forget about the Ding Guo Wang Fu."
"Since he likes staring at the Ding Wang Fu, I'll let him have a good look. A Lian, shall we go for a walk?" One hand wrapped around Ye Lian's slender waist, Mo Xiu Yao chuckled softly and turned to lead her out. Ye Lian looked at the sky outside with a puzzled expression, "It's almost dark, where are you taking me for a walk?" Mo Xiu Yao smiled, "You'll know when we get there."
Walking in the endless stream of people, Ye Lian had lived in Chu Jing for so many years and never knew that Chu Jing's night could be so lively. This was not a place where the nobles of the capital liked to go, but a street market where ordinary commoners gathered. At night, when the lights were first lit, the streets on both sides were filled with all sorts of lanterns, some simple and some exquisite. On the streets, people strolled in twos and threes, laughing and chatting. It was indeed a peaceful and joyful scene. Ye Lian looked down at the hands clasped together by the two of them, although there were lanterns everywhere, but it was still not as bright as daytime. Since most of the people on this street were ordinary commoners, the two of them walking in the crowd did not attract too much attention. At most, someone would occasionally glance at Mo Xiu Yao's mask and exclaim over the couple's elegant demeanor.
"What day is it today?" Ye Li looked at the joyful and noisy crowd and curiously asked while leaning on Mo Xiu Yao's chest.
Mo Xiuyao lifted his hand and carefully wrapped Ye Lili in his arms, chuckling softly: "It's not a special day. In the capital city, every month there is a night market lantern festival, and on this day the curfew will be two hours later than usual. So it's also a lively day in the capital. This is the tradition of the capital, didn't you know, Ye Lili?" Ye Lili was silent, she really didn't know that the capital had such a day. Mo Xiuyao turned his head to look at her and smiled: "Playing with these common people is completely different from those officials and nobles. When I was young, I almost came here every month. So I've always wanted to bring you here too." Ye Lili lifted her head to look at him, smiling lightly: "Then in the future, if we have time, let's come every month. The capital is really quite boring."
Looking at the beautiful face of Ye Lian under the lamplight, Mo Xiuyao pulled her into his arms and leaned on her shoulder, smiling softly, "Alright, if you like it, we'll come here every month from now on."
Passersby looked at a handsome and outstanding man carefully holding a delicate and elegant woman in his arms. Judging from the woman's dress and hairstyle, she was obviously a married woman, and to everyone's eyes, this couple must be newlyweds. They couldn't help but reveal kind smiles one after another.
Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li through the crowds, familiar with the route. Although it had been many years since he last came, the Lantern Festival seemed to have changed very little. Mo Xiuyao still easily found his target - a small, somewhat shabby stall selling lanterns. The vendor was an elderly man with white hair, carefully hanging up the finished lanterns one by one on the rack above. However, the old man was no longer young, and holding a beautiful lotus flower lantern, he trembled as he tried several times to hang it in the highest place but couldn't. Mo Xiuyao stood beside him, took the lantern from the old man's hand, and hung it up for him. The old man was taken aback at first, then turned around to see a handsome and extraordinary couple standing in front of him. The old man looked at Mo Xiuyao and furrowed his brow, saying: "Thank you, young master... this young master looks somewhat familiar, I seem to have seen you somewhere before..." Mo Xiuyao smiled lightly: "I also came here often a few years ago, and bought many lanterns from Mr. Old Man. It's no wonder that Mr. Old Man finds me familiar."
The old man hastily waved his hand and said: "Little old man can't be called Mr., is the young master bringing his wife to stroll around the lantern festival? Want to buy a flower lantern to play with?"
The two characters "wife" obviously delighted Mo Xiu Yao, who glanced at Ye Li and pointed to a pair of simple and elegant flower lanterns piled up on one side: "Let's take these two." The old man looked at the two with some difficulty. Although the clothes of these two gentlemen were not very luxurious, the old man had sold flower lanterns for most of his life and had seen many people come and go. These two knew that they were noble people as soon as they saw them, but they didn't look like the kind of people who would appreciate such simple flower lanterns. Ye Li also understood the old man's thoughts and smiled lightly: "Let's take these two. They look simple and elegant, quite unique."
The old man nodded and handed over the lanterns after seeing that the two people seemed to really want these simple flower lanterns. Ye Li took one in her hand, and indeed it was a very ordinary flower lantern, with delicate workmanship but compared to other peculiarly shaped flower and bird patterns, it was just mediocre. Even the paper on the outside was made of ordinary white paper with some flowers and grass pasted on it. It might have been made with leftover materials after finishing other lanterns. Mo Xiu Yao took the lantern from Ye Li's hand, looked at it, smiled at her, turned around, picked up the brush and ink that the old man had placed aside, and drew a few strokes. After a moment, he stopped and nodded in satisfaction, then handed the lantern back to Ye Li. Ye Li looked down and saw that on the original flower pattern, a beautiful woman was drawn in the blank spaces. Some held scrolls or furrowed their brows, some picked flowers or grasped swords. Although it was just a few strokes, it made people feel that the woman's elegant and beautiful appearance jumped out from the paper. The originally dull and uninteresting flower lantern suddenly became an exquisite beauty lantern.
Ye Li looked at the lantern in her hand, then glanced at another one placed aside and smiled slightly as she puckered up. She took a brush and began to paint on the other lantern. It took her longer than Mo Xiuyao, but he didn't mind, patiently standing by and waiting for her to finish. When Ye Li handed him the finished lantern, Mo Xiuyao's eyebrows rose in surprise. On the lantern, a man was riding a horse and holding a spear with an extraordinary aura, Ye Li hadn't drawn several scenes like Mo Xiuyao did, but only that one man riding a horse in mid-air, exuding a sharp and intimidating air as if he were a god descending to earth. This was exactly what happened outside Yonglin City that day. Mo Xiuyao looked at the lantern in his hand with an even deeper smile on his face, "Was I really like this in your eyes back then?"
Ye Li's face turned slightly red as she picked up her own beautiful lantern, "I'm not as good as the young master at capturing the spirit of things in writing, if you don't like it then that's fine."
Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "How could I not like it? I will definitely treasure it well." Looking at the people on the flower lanterns, Mo Xiuyao's eyes became even more joyful. He had never known that in Ah Lian's eyes, he was actually so extraordinary and awe-inspiring.
He took the money and paid it to the old man who was watching them draw flower lanterns on one side. Mo Xiuyao re-held Ye Li's hand and walked forward. The old man, who was staring blankly, looked down at the silver coins in his hand, which could be exchanged for a whole night of selling flower lanterns. His eyes flashed, and he suddenly seemed to remember something, his expression becoming somewhat agitated, "Is... originally..." What it was, he still didn't say. The old man stared blankly at the gradually disappearing figures in the distance. A few years ago, there was also a young man with a heroic spirit who would come to buy flower lanterns every month. However, each time the young man would only choose the most ordinary and worst one made, but he would always give enough silver coins for a high-quality flower lantern. It wasn't until later that he understood, the young man was worried about him being an old man living alone, so he chose the worst ones to help him sell them. But several years ago, that young man never appeared again...
