Chapter 17

The flower lantern market was lit up as bright as day.

The streets were crowded with people, and the noises of so many people. Jing Ye was wearing a dark blue robe, swinging a folding fan made of ivory and white silk, and walking through the crowd with a smile on his face.

Feng Ling walked side by side with him, while Ye Mao in a servant’s uniform followed behind him with a bitter face.

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Ye Gonggong: “Your Majesty…..Young Master, this market is full of who knows what unsavory…..”

Jing Ye: “Elder, how much are these candied haws?”

The old man in his fifties stood with the straw stick stuck with candied haws and said with a smile, “Five coins for a bunch. Today is the Thousand Autumn Festival so it sold well. There are only four bunches left. Does gongzi want to buy it all?”

Ye Mao leaned over to Jing Ye: “Young Master, let’s not eat this outside stuff…..” Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was stuffed with a stick of candied haws, “Uuuuuu!”

“Even food can’t stop your whining.” Jing Ye simply reached out and took the purse on his waist, poured the money out and saw that it was all pieces of silver, so he picked the smallest piece and handed it to the old man, “Do you have change for this?”

“Certainly.” The old man weighed the amount of silver, put down the straw stick with a smile, pulled a large pouch over, counted out some coins for a long time, and finally took out a few copper coins.

Was he kidding, just this?

Immediately, the old man stuffed the copper coins into his pocket, lifted the pouch, and handed it to Jing Ye.

The latter took it, and immediately stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

Jing Ye: “…..”

Feng Ling watched from the side and couldn’t help laughing, but recalling that this was the honorable emperor, he could only hold it in desperately. So when Jing Ye turned around, he saw a handsome face with bright smiling eyes.

Suddenly, a tall man walked out of the crowd, silently stepped forward and took over the bag of copper coins.

Jing Ye glanced at Ye Mao, who nodded to him, so he pulled out the remaining three sticks of candied haws on the straw, one for himself, the other for Feng Ling, and the last stick, he thought about it and then gave it to the man who carried the bag of copper coins for him.

“Your reward.”

The man said, “Thanking the young master.”

Jing Ye nodded and smiled: “Well, go ahead and eat.”

The man paused, and obediently stuffed the candied haws into his mouth. He originally had s stern face, but now he was biting a string of candied haws in his mouth. The cool guy’s aura had been completely destroyed, making Jing Ye want to laugh.

Suddenly there was a burst of laughter not far away. Jing Ye said: “It’s so lively, let’s go over there and see?” He immediately took Feng Ling’s hand and walked over.

“It should be the lantern dealer asking people to guess lantern riddles.” Feng Ling looked at him and smiled, “It occurs every year, the young master can just watch it from the outside the crowd lest you are influenced by those smells.”

“Am I so delicate?” Jing Ye frowned and shook the fan, but he still compromised, “Fine, I’ll listen to you.”

I’ll listen to you.

Feng Ling’s heart jumped when he said this, and his eyes softened unconsciously.

The four of them had just walked to the edge of the crowd when they suddenly heard screams, the sound of collapsing shelves, and the sound of horses’ hooves kicking violently.

Jing Ye frowned: “This is…..”

The sound quickly changed from far to near, and the crowd immediately surged to either side of the street. He was hit by the wall of people in front of him, and he couldn’t help staggering back, forced to let go of Feng Ling’s hand in the process.

Under the emperor’s feet, who dared to violate the law and ride a horse in a busy city! When he raised his head, he saw a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy sitting on a tall steed, with an arrogant and vicious expression on his face, which was comparable to that of the young emperor back then.

Jing Ye gritted his teeth, but his arm was suddenly grabbed by someone, and a man’s voice sounded behind him: “Gongzi, please follow this subordinate…..” However, he suddenly groaned and his hold loosened.

“What…..” Jing Ye was about to turn his head, but a hand hit the back of his neck, and his vision suddenly went black.

The person who came took advantage of the situation to grab and take him out of the crowd while the crowd was in chaos, and dodged into an alley on the side of the street.

There was already someone waiting against the wall inside, and when they saw him dodging in, they stood up straight.

“It’s done?”

“It’s done.”

Yonghua Palace.

“Seven black-clothed guards.” Gu Hong stood in the hall, “Including the head of the guard, yet managed to kidnap the emperor right under your nose.”

“Yuan Mo, it’s me who thought too highly of you.”

The man lowered his head and knelt on one knee: “This subordinate was negligent.”

“Negligent?” Gu Hong sneered, “…..Get out, when he comes back, you will go to the Prison Division to collect your punishment. Fifty whips and not one less.”

Yuan Mo leaned down and touched the cold ground with his forehead: “This subordinate is leaving.” Then he got up and stepped back silently.

“You’re angry.” Lin Xiaosheng’s voice came from behind the screen, “Gu Gongzi has never been so angry before.”

Gu Hong turned around, and Lin Xiaosheng walked out slowly from behind the screen, his figure dashing, but his features gentle as spring water.

“He’s not as tall as you.”

“It’s no matter.” Lin Xiaosheng lightly tapped the makeup on his face, “When sitting, it won’t show as much. Those officials are too afraid and would never dare to look carefully. Did you find out who did it? The Zhao family?”

“Just a clown jumping on the beam, he doesn’t have such courage.” Gu Hong said softly, “The news just sent from the pavilion two days ago, two people from Pingyue City infiltrated the capital.”

Lin Xiaosheng paused: “Pingyue City?…..No wonder.”

Gu Hong looked at him: “Ye Mao is just outside the hall, tell him to be careful and don’t reveal any hints.”

“En.”

Gu Hong turned around and went outside the hall. The servant boy who was serving him hurriedly followed. Lin Xiaosheng laughed and said, “Be careful, your master is angry.”

The servant boy shrank his neck and nodded again and again.

To the north of the capital there was a cluster of jade mountains. Because the mountains were deep and dangerous, and wild animals often infested them, the area was deserted for dozens of miles.

In the mountains.

The treetops swayed lightly, and a squirrel nimbly jumped down from the branch, dug at the soil, and suddenly it seemed to smell something, raised its head and quickly escaped.

Not far away the entrance of a cave could be seen. A dying tiger fell to the ground and panted, its claws clawing at the ground twice, before gradually closing its eyes.

The man sitting idle watching the cave entrance smiled, took out a gorgeous and brilliant red gold earring from his pocket, and put it on his left ear.

“The fur of this big worm is so beautiful, it’s better to peel it off and make a jacket.”

“Skin it yourself.” The man who was starting a fire in the cave glanced at him, disgusted, “Filthy.”

“As if you are any clean, you’re the one who killed the big worm.”

“Mmmph…..” Jing Ye, who was sitting on the innermost side with his mouth blocked and his hands and feet tied, “…..Mmph.”

The man turned his eyes and saw tears glistening in his eyes, so he couldn’t help sneering: “This cowardly emperor actually cried.”

Jing Ye: “…..”

The man at the entrance of the cave walked in with a smile, stood in front of Jing Ye, leaned over and glanced at him, “A useless rice bucket he might be, but what a beauty.”

Jing Ye was born with a gentle and elegant appearance, and also possessed a dignity and self-control acquired since childhood. Therefore, compared with other good-looking people, it added an extra touch of charm.

“For the sake of this.” The man reached out and untied the cloth tied around his mouth, “Come, I’ll let you talk.”

“Bah, I…..” Jing Ye took advantage of the situation to move back, exhaled, and then looked at the two with sincere eyes, “…..I’m so hungry, do you have food?”

Man: “…..”

“No ingredients.” The man sitting by the fire turned his head, “How to cook.”

Jing Ye swallowed his saliva and turned his eyes to the dead tiger at the entrance of the cave, his eagerness obvious.

The other two: “……”

Feng Ling stood silently at the gate of the palace. After a long time, a little eunuch walked out quickly and said, “His Majesty is busy with state affairs, Lord Feng, please go back.”

“Since that’s the case…..” Feng Ling lowered his eyes, then raised his head again and asked, “Is His Majesty alright?”

The little eunuch smiled and said, “His Majesty has been in good spirits these past few days. No need for a servant to say anything, didn’t my lord meet His Majesty last night.”

“Yes.” Feng Ling pondered for a while, then smiled, “I thought too much.”

The little eunuch smiled: “Then…..my lord, please walk slowly?”

“En.” Feng Ling nodded and turned around.

The three walked to the foothills of the Jade Mountain.

Jin Jue let out a whistle, and called three sturdy horses from both sides of the road. Yu Heng got on the horse first, Jin Jue took the whip from his waist, pointed it at one of them, and smiled at Jing Ye: “This is Obsidian. Can you ride a horse?”

Jing Ye lifted the gauze veil on his head and looked at the dark horse that stopped in front of him. This horse’s fur was dark and shiny, its eyes were inky with specks of brownish-yellow, and its long face when facing Jing Ye seemed very tame.

He couldn’t help but feel moved. What young boy did not dream of such a thing. In the martial arts novels he read when he was a child, those knight-errants who roamed jianghu and danced on the edge of knives often rode such a good horse over thousands of miles, which was quite the enviable thing.

Jing Ye couldn’t help but put his hands on Obsidian’s face. This horse seemed very human-like, lowering its head and gently rubbing against his palm.

The two people on the side were surprised. If Obsidian was not too difficult to tame, he would not be without a master even now.

Jing Ye was deeply moved by comrade Obsidian’s behavior, he petted it in his arms excitedly for a long time, finally took out two fruits, and stuffed them into Obsidian’s mouth with a smile.

…..Wait, fruit?

It’s the leftovers he ate earlier…..

The dark horse had already started to chew happily, but in the next second, the horse’s mouth opened wide, and he sneezed in an earth-shattering manner!

Jing Ye, who was sprayed with saliva: “…..”

The three had not yet reached the city gate, but the sky had already darkened. Yu Heng stopped in the front and turned around, saying, “It’s late, find a place to rest?”

Jin Jue reigned his horse and smiled, “Just go to the inn where we stayed in, the boss is honest.”

“There should be no rain tonight.” Yu Heng raised his head and looked, “It’s better to stay the night in the wild.”

Jin Jue frowned: “Are you serious? Did you forget when we came…..”

This remark had obviously stepped on someone’s weak point, and the man turned his head: “Go to the inn.”

Four days later, Tianyu, Zhenbei General’s Manor.

That night.

The hall was full of song and laughter. Xu Ming sat high in the main seat, with his official wife Madam Yang on the right, and Lady Dong Ling on the left.

Gu Yun and Li Tingqiu sat chatting together with the aristocratic sons from Tianyu. When Gu Yun raised his head, he saw the daughter of the Xu family who was sitting beside Yang shi looking at him, so he smiled back at her, and the face of young lady Xu instantly turned red.

Yang shi had already noticed it, so she leaned into her daughter’s ear and said, “You like him?”

Young lady Xu blushed for a while before nodding lightly: “Yes.”

Gu Yun and a few young gongzis exchanged cups for a while, before pulling Li Tingqiu’s sleeves.

The latter turned his head slightly: “What?”

“It’s time to go back.” Gu Yun raised his cup with a smile, and said softly, “If we don’t leave, a pool of spring water will be shattered.”

Li Tingqiu raised his eyebrows: “That young lady of the Xu family?”

“You saw it too?” Gu Yun touched his nose.

“The so-called looking through the autumn water.” Li Tingqiu raised his cup and took a sip, “No one could not see it.”

Gu Yun got up: “Then let’s go quickly…..”

“Gu Gongzi.”

The two looked up and saw a docile looking maid walking over and said, “The Madam has an invitation.”

Gu Yun: “…..”

Li Tingqiu drank the cup of wine, dropped the wine cup and got up and said, “I will take my leave first.”

Gu Yun nodded helplessly.

Walking in front of Yang shi, the young lady of the Xu family leaned against her mother shyly, peeking at him from time to time, the demeanor of a little girl in love completely obvious to all with eyes.

Gu Yun cupped his hands and said, “Madam, greetings.”

“Gu Gongzi.” Yang shi looked at the third young master of the Gu family with a smile and was very satisfied, “This is the first time Gongzi had come to our General’s Manor, the flowers and trees in the garden happened to be newly renovated. There is a lot of noise at this banquet, so why not go to the garden for a walk and relax?”

As Yang shi had already spoken, it was inconvenient for Gu Yun to dismiss them, so he nodded with a smile.

Yang shi couldn’t help but smile even deeper: “Then let my little girl bring the servants and lead Gu Gongzi to go for a tour.” Her daughter beside her became more and more shy, but her eyes lit up.

Gu Yun felt exasperation in his heart, but he could only cup his hands again: “Then I must trouble the young lady.”

The garden of the General’s Mansor could be considered as properly trimmed and maintained, but it was far inferior to the gardens of the Gu Manor. After all, the Gu family had a second young master who was famous for his artistic cleverness.

Thinking of his cheap second brother at home…..Gu Yun couldn’t help clenching his teeth, if it wasn’t for him shirking his duties, why would he be forced to stand in the cold wind facing this young lady of the Xu family who had a pool of spring water in her heart! Even drinking with Li Tingqiu was better than this!

The young lady of the Xu family stood with her sweetheart who she fell for at first sight, and the redness on her face never once faded. After thinking about it for a long time, she said softly, “I heard that Gongzi is good at playing the flute, could…..could you play it for Yuying?”

Gu Yun smiled lightly and said, “I went out in a hurry, and I didn’t bring my bamboo flute. My lady, forgive me.”

“Yuying, Yuying…..has a jade flute, which has been kept in the box and no one has ever used it.” Xu Yuying raised her head, her expression adoring. “Can Gongzi make do?”

Gu Yun could only smile and say, “The young lady is so kind, I don’t dare to disobey.”

Xu Yuying’s heart skipped a beat, and recalling that the jade flute was very precious, she curtsied slightly and said, “Gongzi, please wait a moment, wait for Yuying to fetch it.”

Gu Yun nodded, and she shyly took the maid and turned away.

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Gu Yun watched her walk away, twitched the corners of his mouth. Having nothing to do, he simply lowered his head to look at the rose garden beside him.

Under the moonlight, the faint scent of roses surrounded him.

After an unknown amount of time, a distant sound of the guqin seemed to come from a distance.