Since the words had been spoken so seriously, how could the court officials dare to raise any objections?
They only shouted in unison:
"Your Majesty is sage."
Waving his bright yellow long sleeves, Emperor Zhaohuan said:
"If there are no more matters to report, then the court is adjourned. Prince Yu'an, you stay behind."
The court officials in the hall dispersed in twos and threes. Soon, the imperial edict sent to the Ye Mansion arrived.
Qian Fangxue had just woken up with great difficulty. The moment she heard the imperial edict, she fainted again.
Ye Pengcheng's face was ashen gray. He still tried to maintain his composure as he received the imperial edict, but his trembling hands betrayed him.
He had said that there was someone targeting the Ye family behind the scenes, but they had not taken drastic measures. Now, just as that bitch Ye Xi left the Ye Mansion, all the things he had done were exposed. What else did he not understand?
It was that bitch Ye Xi and that so - called Prince Yu'an who were up to something!
He never thought that he, Ye Pengcheng, who had been scheming all his life, would finally be outwitted!
He was still filled with indignation and unwillingness, but the guards from the Supreme Court of Judicature who accompanied the edict did not stop for a moment. They searched him, put on shackles in one go, and escorted him to the Supreme Court of Judicature.
Ye Jueyao's face was completely bloodless. She never thought that just a few private meetings with Cao Sheng would finally lead to such a situation.
The Ye family was finished... and so was she.
But how could she be willing... How could she be willing!
As long as she married Cao Sheng immediately, she would no longer be considered a member of the Ye family. Cao Sheng and the Cao family had promised to marry her.
They had promised!
Ye Jueyao stumbled to her feet and ran out like a madwoman to find Cao Sheng.
But she was immediately pushed back unceremoniously by the sword - wielding guards at the door and fell heavily to the ground.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The Ye family was in a complete mess.
Inside the Zhengming Hall -
"I heard that you publicly accepted Miss Ye Xi's horoscope and betrothal letter and intend to marry her?"
Emperor Zhaohuan sat upright behind the table and asked with great interest.
Yi Yuan's eyes softened involuntarily, and he rarely showed a look of embarrassment.
"Yes."
"It's really rare to see you like this," Emperor Zhaohuan said, looking at Yi Yuan curiously.
"I heard that Miss Ye Xi is not very good - looking and has a scar on her face. You haven't had a sweetheart for many years and keep a distance from women. People outside all say that you are extremely picky, and some even..."
Emperor Zhaohuan gave a playful smile and continued:
"Think that you have a preference for men. Now that you've suddenly betrothed yourself, and to a woman with a disfigured face who has become a commoner, I'm afraid there will be a lot of sad and unwilling young ladies in the capital."
Yi Yuan frowned slightly and pursed his lips. He said:
"I can't control what others think, but for me, Xiaoxi is the best.
"Appearance and family background are secondary. It's mainly about her as a person. Moreover, Xiaoxi is extremely beautiful. It's not what people outside say at all."
Emperor Zhaohuan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Such strong protection showed that he really cared about her. But "extremely beautiful"... Emperor Zhaohuan just thought it was a case of love being blind.
"You had a hand in a lot of things regarding the Ye family, didn't you?"
Emperor Zhaohuan suddenly changed the subject without dwelling on Ye Xi's appearance.
"Yes."
Yi Yuan admitted openly.
This matter definitely couldn't be hidden from Emperor Zhaohuan's eyes, and Yi Yuan didn't intend to hide it.
"But every crime Ye Pengcheng committed is true. I never framed him at all."
"I know,"
Emperor Zhaohuan gave Yi Yuan a meaningful look and leaned back on his chair as if he were a bit tired.
"You've often come in and out of the palace since you were a child. It's no exaggeration to say that I've watched you grow up. Although nominally you are my younger brother, I really regard you as half of my own son."
"I trust you."
"Since she's the girl you've taken a fancy to, treat her well. Find a time..."
"Your Majesty,"
Eunuch Zhang, the personal attendant, came in and interrupted Emperor Zhaohuan.
"Princess Zhen heard that Your Majesty had adjourned the court and made some soup and came to see Your Majesty."
"Zhen'er is here,"
A smile appeared on Emperor Zhaohuan's face. "Let her in."
"Then I'll take my leave first,"
Yi Yuan bowed.
Emperor Zhaohuan let out a soft "hmm" and waved his hand. "Bring her to the banquet some other day for me to meet."
Princess Yi Zhen of the Fourth Rank had already entered. After they exchanged greetings, Yi Yuan replied "Yes" and quickly left.
On Lanpu Street outside the Ye Mansion -
"Miss, it's really satisfying to see the Ye family end up like this,"
Saixing whispered to Ye Xi, who was dressed in the same way beside her, through the veil of her hat. There was an uncontrollable smile in her voice.
"Indeed,"
Ye Xi also felt satisfied.
"Lingyan, with such a big incident happening to the Ye family, have you found any suspicious people?"
"Reporting to the young lady, not yet,"
Afraid that Ye Xi would be disappointed, Lingyan added:
"But the young lady need not be discouraged. That mysterious person back then went to great lengths to find the young lady and send her into the Ye family, and kept so many secrets. Now that the young lady has left the Ye family and his goal has not been achieved, he won't give up easily. He may not have shown up yet because he hasn't received the news."
"Um..."
So many years had passed, and Ye Xi knew that she couldn't be impatient.
It was just that her own background and the gu worm transferred to Ye Jueyao were all closely related to that mysterious person. Perhaps the other long - standing and incurable gu worm on her body was also closely related to him.
Now that she had finally broken off the engagement with Cao Sheng and left the Ye family, the events of that year were still shrouded in mystery, and she couldn't find a clue.
Ye Xi always felt a bit uneasy.
"Let Yanxuan keep a good eye on things first,"
Then she turned to Saixing.
"The Qingyun Competition is approaching. In a few days, we'll have to go to register. And there's the matter of opening a cloth shop. I'll be very busy these days. Postpone the people who come to make an appointment for 'Asking for Fortune - Telling'. If there are really urgent ones, we'll decide according to the situation at that time."
Saixing and Lingyan replied in unison.
As the commotion at the Ye family gradually died down, thinking that time was pressing, Ye Xi didn't stay any longer. She led the others back to the garden.
Yi Yuan was waiting for her in the yard.
"You're back,"
He took a few steps forward to greet her and naturally took Ye Xi's delicate hand.
"Did you enjoy watching the show?"
Ye Xi gave a sweet smile:
"Yes."
As they walked and talked, Ye Xi told Yi Yuan all about the discussion with Jiang Ning about the cloth shop last night.
"This is easy to handle,"
When they reached the main hall, Yi Yuan stretched out his long arm, pulled Ye Xi into his arms, and let her sit on his lap.
"The prince's mansion originally had a textile and cloth - selling business. Everything is ready. I'll ask Steward Chen to transfer it to your name later. You can just go ahead and do it."
Ye Xi instantly froze in his arms and stammered:
"Ah, okay, okay. Thank you, Your Highness."
Yi Yuan was amused by Ye Xi's cute appearance and let out a loud laugh. He gently rubbed Ye Xi's delicate and smooth cheek and said:
"What are you thanking for? Now that you're my betrothed wife, these are all yours. And this garden, come up with a good name for it. Now it can be officially registered under your name."
"And, it's A Yuan."
"Oh, right, right," Ye Xi became even more stiff. "A, A Yuan."
"Your Highness,"
Lin'an's voice suddenly sounded outside the door, scaring Ye Xi, who didn't know where to put her hands and feet, and she immediately bounced up.
"The people who went to Hengfeng City to look for something are back."