"Back then, Master Qingyi was well - known far and wide. If you had gone to him, the curse on Eldest Sister would have been lifted long ago. That person... deceived all of you."
"Why didn't you go to Master Qingyi?"
"You... you... no..."
For the first time in more than a decade, upon learning the truth of that year, Qian Fangxue was extremely shocked. She was so incoherent that she couldn't utter a complete sentence.
[Curse? How could it be a curse? That person... deceived me?]
[Master Qingyi could have saved Yaoyao? Impossible, impossible... We did go to him. Master Qingyi never said there was a curse on Yaoyao. He just said she should be treated properly.]
[But Yaoyao never got better. It was that mysterious person who cured Yaoyao! Master Qingyi is the liar!]
"Hahaha... Nonsense!"
Qian Fangxue suddenly burst into laughter, looking almost insane.
"You're not going to deceive me! Aren't you just trying to disrupt my mind and trick me into revealing your background? Humph - you won't succeed! There's no such thing as a curse!"
"Serving as Yaoyao's life - savior is a blessing you've earned in eight lifetimes, you bitch! Otherwise, with your worthless life, how long do you think you could have lived?!"
"Pah - "
Qian Fangxue spat and said hatefully,
"I've raised you with great hardship for more than a decade, only to raise such an ungrateful wretch! Why don't you just go and... ah - "
"Slap!"
Yi Yuan's crisp slap landed cleanly on Qian Fangxue's face, making her swallow the last word "die" back.
Everyone present was stunned. No one saw when Yi Yuan had come over.
Unlike Ling Yan's slap which was a warning, Yi Yuan's slap was extremely heavy. Qian Fangxue's cheek instantly swelled and turned red, and the corner of her mouth was broken with a trace of blood oozing out.
"Xiaoxi is my future princess. Even a fingernail of hers is a thousand times more precious than you."
Yi Yuan slowly took the silk handkerchief handed by Mian Xiao to wipe his hands. His voice was as cold as ever.
"What are you? How dare you slander her dignity?"
Ye Xi's heart skipped a beat. Even though there were layers of gauze curtains, somehow she seemed to be able to clearly see Yi Yuan's extremely handsome face. His jade - like face and phoenix - like eyes were as deep as the sea and as bright as stars. Faintly, she could see her own reflection in them.
For more than a decade, she had thought she was the apple of the Ye family's eye and the beloved of Cao Sheng. Even before the relationship soured, no one had truly cared about her. No matter what happened, no matter how nice they spoke on the surface, it was always her who suffered and gave in. Because in their hearts, they all thought she was of lowly birth and didn't deserve anything.
Giving was her duty; receiving was a blessing she had earned.
But now there was someone who completely stood by her side. Someone who didn't care about her family background or her lowly status. Someone who truly thought she was precious and held her in the palm of his hand like a cherished treasure.
Ye Xi's lips quivered. Countless thoughts welled up in her heart, but when she opened her mouth, only two words came out:
"A Yuan."
With a faint smile, the ice on Yi Yuan's eyebrows melted away.
"Ask. Don't bother with her barking. I'm here."
"Okay."
Even through the veiled hat, the warmth and sweetness of being cared for in Ye Xi's voice could seep through the layers of gauze curtains.
But when she turned to Qian Fangxue, her voice suddenly changed, becoming cold and aloof to the bone.
"Where did you find Nanny Xi? Since she had no relation to any of you, why would she take the risk to help you?"
According to what Qian Fangxue had thought before, Master Qingyi had seen Ye Jueyao back then and said those words. It was likely that there was indeed no curse on Ye Jueyao at that time. And the fact that she hadn't recovered after long - term treatment was probably because of the tricks played by that mysterious person.
Qian Fangxue must have realized this too. The daughter she had tried so hard to protect was actually ruined by herself, which was why she was deceiving herself and refused to admit it.
However, if there was no curse on Ye Jueyao that needed to be suppressed, then that mysterious person must have come for her alone.
But what was the purpose of transferring that heavy curse away?
To save someone else? Or to harm her? If it was to harm her, she was just a three - or four - year - old child at that time. There were many ways to do it, but why choose the most uncontrollable and troublesome way?
Moreover, according to what the mysterious person had told the Ye family before, it didn't seem like they wanted to harm her. Instead, it seemed like they were protecting her.
So, was the transfer of the curse to save someone else?
No matter what the result was, Qian Fangxue must not know. Ye Xi only had the clue of Nanny Xi now, so she might as well directly ask about the interactions between Nanny Xi and the Ye and Qian families. Maybe it would be useful.
But Qian Fangxue, either because of the slap from Yi Yuan or the great shock of suddenly learning the truth of that year, coldly looked to the side and ignored Ye Xi.
But in her mind, she thought -
[What else? Naturally, it was for money. Don't you know that people die for money just as birds die for food?]
[How would I know where that mysterious person found that woman? She was just a lowly servant in a wealthy family. She brought you here, a baby in a coarse cloth shirt, and even your pendant was made of wood. How precious could you be? You're all worthless lives!]
[Humph! Just look at your shabby clothes back then. They were far inferior to the lotus - silk and cloud - brocade on Nanny Xi. Do you really think you're a noble lady from a high - ranking family just because Prince Yu'an said a few nice words to you?]
Ye Xi's eyes lit up involuntarily.
Lotus - silk and cloud - brocade? She wasn't very familiar with fabric materials, but she had Jiang Ning.
It was a useful clue after all. Ye Xi withdrew her hand and nodded to Yi Yuan.
But Yi Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He naturally took Ye Xi's hand that she had just withdrawn and carefully wiped it with the silk handkerchief.
[You touched something dirty. You need to wipe it clean.]
Ye Xi's eyes curved into a smile.
After ordering the official runners to "take good care" of the Ye family members, Yi Yuan then escorted Ye Xi back to the mansion.
But just as they reached the carriage, they were shocked to see an unexpected guest - Cao Sheng.
Seeing Yi Yuan carefully and attentively helping Ye Xi over, the mockery in Cao Sheng's eyes almost became tangible.
"Yo - Prince Yu'an is really considerate. If I hadn't seen you publicly hugging that peerlessly beautiful prostitute in Zuiyue Tower last night, I would never have thought that our noble and peerless Prince Yu'an could have such a two - faced appearance."
"How about it, Ye Xi? Back then, you used all sorts of means to break off our engagement. But you didn't know that you were just jumping into another fire pit, did you?"
Cao Sheng deliberately raised his voice. The common people who had been watching the Ye family's drama were now. Hearing what Cao Sheng said, all kinds of looks were instantly cast on Ye Xi and Yi Yuan, who were standing closely together.
"It's good that you know you're a fire pit."
Ye Xi was sharp - tongued.
"My A Yuan has always been very busy. There are always some things that need to be done in dirty places. I know he went to Zuiyue Tower. It was to help the Emperor rectify the corrupt officials who were indulging in lust and to purify the court. The matter of Lord Yan has spread far and wide. I'm sure no one is unaware of it."
"As for you, Young Master Cao, you once defied your father and elders, claiming that you were truly in love and willing to die for it. The woman you loved so much and couldn't control yourself around is right in the nearby mansion. You didn't even go to see her once, but you showed up in a place like Zuiyue Tower..."
"What, were you up to?"