"Since he could write yesterday, he should be able to do the same today."
Although the voice was as clear and pleasant as jade shattering on Mount Kunshan, coming from Yi Yuan's mouth, it was as cold as ice in winter.
Yi Yaofeng turned his head sullenly and remained motionless.
This was the scene Ye Xi saw when she arrived.
Butler Chen cast a helpless glance at Ye Xi, coughed lightly, and said,
"My lord, Miss Ye is here."
The big one and the small one both turned to look at her, and an almost invisible smell of gunpowder filled the air.
Tsk~ Ye Xi sighed inwardly. This task was indeed not an easy one.
Pretending not to notice the confrontation between the two, Ye Xi smiled faintly,
"I didn't expect that His Highness the Prince of Yu'an, who is specially permitted by the Emperor to participate in politics and highly regarded, is so busy with official duties. Yet he still doesn't want to neglect the young lord's studies and even sets aside his official business to accompany the young lord in practicing calligraphy in person."
"Your Highness's attention to the young lord is truly evident."
After her words, the expressions of both of them softened a bit.
Yi Yaofeng quickly glanced at Yi Yuan, showing suspicion.
"Sai Xing," Ye Xi called out. "I imagine the young lord must be tired from writing. Bring out the gift I've prepared for him."
Ignoring the blank paper without a single drop of ink, Ye Xi fabricated a story without batting an eyelid.
Yi Yuan gave Ye Xi a cool look but didn't expose her.
"Yes, miss."
Butler Chen had already neatly cleared away the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table. Sai Xing carried a box and respectfully placed it on the table.
Ye Xi walked over and sat down in front of Yi Yaofeng, quietly getting closer.
"These are some little gadgets I've found," Ye Xi said as she opened the red-lacquered round box with plum and orchid patterns, revealing all kinds of interesting toys inside.
Yi Yaofeng took a quick look. Seeing only ordinary things, he immediately lost interest.
[Don't like them, don't like them. I've played with all of these before.]
Yi Yuan had no interest in children's toys. He simply gave a calm order,
"Butler Chen, keep an eye on things here. I'll come back later."
"Yes," Butler Chen replied respectfully. He was secretly worried for Ye Xi. The young lord was never short of such little gadgets. It seemed that today she wouldn't succeed in winning his favor.
However, Ye Xi was neither hasty nor flustered. Like a magician, she took out an unremarkable brocade pouch from a hidden compartment in the round box. When the pouch was opened, there was a pile of oddly shaped wooden blocks inside.
Yi Yaofeng had never seen such strangely shaped wood before. His curiosity was immediately piqued, and he stared intently as Ye Xi fiddled with them.
The scattered wooden blocks gradually took shape. It was actually a majestic tiger!
Ye Xi gently twisted the tiger's left ear, and the tiger actually started moving, walking a few inches forward.
Yi Yaofeng's eyes widened in surprise. Even Sai Xing and Butler Chen beside him were extremely amazed.
"I want this."
The clear childish voice was a bit hoarse, presumably because he hadn't spoken for a long time.
"Young... young lord?"
Butler Chen was already stunned by the exquisitely crafted wooden tiger. Suddenly hearing Yi Yaofeng speak, for a moment he thought he had misheard.
"Young lord, you spoke? Did this old servant hear correctly?" Butler Chen was very unsure. He looked at Ye Xi and her maid for confirmation,
"Is it the young lord speaking?"
Ye Xi was also a bit surprised. She deliberately showed Yi Yaofeng the ordinary toys first and then took out the tiger, aiming to create a contrast for Yi Yaofeng so that he could let down his guard more quickly.
She never expected that Yi Yaofeng would be so delighted that he would speak.
Ye Xi gently patted the excited Butler Chen, who was on the verge of tears, and pretended to be confused,
"What did the young lord say? I didn't hear clearly."
Yi Yaofeng stared intently at the tiger and blurted out without thinking,
"Want this."
Hearing Yi Yaofeng speak again, Butler Chen slapped his thigh in ecstasy,
"It's the young lord. The young lord spoke! Hurry, hurry and send word to His Highness the Prince."
Compared to the extremely excited Butler Chen, Ye Xi was much calmer.
She smiled gently and said,
"This was originally meant for the young lord. The young lord can take it. But..." Ye Xi gave a playful smile, reached out to pick up the wooden tiger, quickly disassembled it on the table, and then continued,
"The young lord has to assemble it by himself. Moreover, there are other small items that match this Qianji Tiger, and they are very useful. However, the young lord is still too young, so I can't give them to the young lord for now."
"I'll only give them to the young lord when he grows up and understands things. But if the young lord can study hard every day, he might be able to match them up by himself in advance."
[Okay! I must assemble them by myself.]
Yi Yaofeng's young voice was full of determination.
"Does the young lord agree?" Ye Xi ignored Yi Yaofeng's self-assured response and tried to encourage him to say more.
"Um."
Yi Yaofeng was fiddling with the pile of wood and answered without looking up.
Yi Yuan, who had just arrived outside the door, happened to hear this "um".
The woman in front of him was smiling brightly. Her face was still heavily made up, looking rather ugly. Only her eyes made him momentarily lose his focus.
"Your Highness," a young servant from the outer courtyard suddenly reported. "Miss Ye, the eldest daughter of the Ye family, requests an audience. She says she's here to visit Miss Ye, the second daughter."
Yi Yuan suddenly came back to his senses and felt a bit uncomfortable. As he walked into the room again, he asked,
"Shall we see her?"
Since he had no impression of Ye Jueyao, and Butler Chen, who had almost received the wrong person that day, naturally didn't dare to say anything, Yi Yuan wanted to hear Ye Xi's opinion.
"Ah?" Ye Xi had thought that Yi Yuan would make the decision directly. For a moment, she didn't realize he was asking her.
"Shall we see her or not?" Yi Yuan asked patiently again.
"Of course we should see her," Ye Xi said, putting away her surprised expression and smiling gently. "Elder sister has always cared about me the most."
Seeing Ye Xi smiling happily, Yi Yuan didn't think much about it. After getting her opinion, he motioned for Ye Jueyao to be let in.
[This piece... goes here...]
Amid Yi Yaofeng's muttering, Ye Jueyao came over gracefully in a white dress.
"Sister..." Ye Jueyao coquettishly walked straight towards Ye Xi, as if she hadn't seen Yi Yuan beside her.
When she got closer, she suddenly seemed to notice Yi Yuan and let out a charming exclamation,
"Ooh~ Your Highness the Prince." Ye Jueyao took two helpless steps back, looking delicate and pitiful,
"This little girl is Ye Jueyao. Greetings to Your Highness the Prince."
Everyone in the Prince's Mansion had seen such acts too many times. They all averted their eyes, pretending not to see.
Yi Yuan didn't want to pay attention at first, but then he remembered that she was Ye Xi's elder sister.
Didn't she just say that this elder sister cared about her the most?
So Yi Yuan reluctantly showed a relatively good expression and said,
"Alright, there's no need for so much formality."
Ye Jueyao couldn't help showing a delighted expression on her face.
She had tried to talk to Yi Yuan before, but Yi Yuan had always been as cold as an ancient glacier, not even giving her a sideways glance.
Today he was so much more gentle. It seemed that she had indeed caught the eye of the Prince of Yu'an at the Four Seasons Flower Banquet.
Ye Jueyao's smile became even broader. She said coquettishly,
"I thought the young lord and sister must be tired, so I made some snacks."
As she spoke, she placed the food box in her hand on the table.
"Since Your Highness the Prince is here too, please have a taste."
[It's in the way! Annoying!]
Yi Yaofeng's angry voice rang in Ye Xi's ear. The next moment, he forcefully pushed away the food box that Ye Jueyao had just placed on the table.
"Smack!" The food box fell to the ground.
Then there was the crisp sound of porcelain shattering, and the delicate pastries inside rolled all over the floor.