Eternal Night - Chapter 65
Prince Duan looked Yongye up and down. The high collar of his inner robe covered his neck, and his body was slender. Yongye, who had been raised as a boy since childhood, was indeed handsome. The heroic spirit between his brows and the graceful manner in his every move made him look like a refined gentleman.
"We cannot touch Li Yannian, nor can we touch the Peony Courtyard," Prince Duan gave his answer.
"I didn't say I was going to harm them. I was just going for a stroll. Is that not allowed?" Yongye bargained, relying on the fact that he had just been whipped.
Why did Yongye insist on going to the Peony Courtyard? Prince Duan hesitated for a moment, then his mind cleared. He frowned: "Is it because of that brat again?"
Upon hearing the unusual tone in Prince Duan's voice, Yongye gently shook his hand, saying, "Save them to the end..."
Prince Duan remained unmoved and said with a stern face, "I did not agree to release him."
Yongye released his grip, took two steps back, and said calmly, "Alright, let's not lie. Did you really only realize I knew Yuepo after meeting Master Huihun?"
"You brat, you're on guard so quickly?" Prince Duan was both angry and resentful. This was the only one he truly loved, his heart and soul. Though inwardly furious, his face remained impassive. "Fine, I'll hear the truth from you today. Why did you hide it from me? When you came back, you said you stayed in the stone chamber for three years. At first, I thought they had imprisoned you for three years, but upon closer inspection, that didn't make sense. If they had imprisoned you, wouldn't they have been able to tell if you were male or female? There's only one answer: you were learning martial arts from your master in the stone chamber, just like… that Moon Soul!"
"Father truly lives up to his legendary reputation for having a tiger-like face and a sharp mind!" Yongye clapped his hands and looked leisurely at Prince Duan, saying, "Anything else?"
Prince Duan looked at him and suddenly sighed: "You've been keeping this from me, and you must have your reasons. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. You don't know martial arts, so I'll naturally protect you. You do know martial arts, so why would I abandon you? It's good for self-defense. But... the Youli Valley forces have been infiltrating the court time and again, and I must eliminate them. I also absolutely forbid you from getting involved with the people of Youli Valley. This is for your own good, to save you trouble in the future."
A hint of tenderness appeared on Prince Duan's face. Even heroes have always found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman; he himself had been no exception. If Yongye were to fall in love with someone from Youli Valley, how would he choose to face the future?
Yongye no longer needed to hide her skills. Since Prince Duan didn't ask, she naturally chose not to speak. Because they cared, neither of them asked or spoke.
“Huihun said that from now on Yuepo is no longer a member of Youli Valley, and Youli Valley will not care if Li Tianyou kills him.” Yongye chuckled. “Father also said that Li Tianyou will come to take him away tomorrow. Father only needs to hand over the person, and you don’t need to worry about anything else. Yongye’s feelings for him and his feelings for Yongye are just brotherly affection.”
"What if I object and insist on getting involved?"
"After all these years, I believe Father can handle Youli Valley without Yongye. Yongye was never the heir."
Prince Duan glanced at him with interest, then laughed loudly, "As expected of my daughter, you are the only one in the world who can openly threaten me!"
Yongye's eyes also showed great interest: "Doesn't Mother count?"
Prince Duan said disdainfully, "She's just a paper tiger! Her claws will go weak at the slightest coaxing."
"It seems Father admires Yongye? He's agreed to transfer her to the Capital Garrison?" A sly glint flashed in Yongye's eyes. She thought to herself, "I'll ask Mother why she called her a paper tiger later." Who could be a paper tiger? Her smile grew sweeter.
"What wicked scheme are you plotting? Getting me to agree is simple. First, you have to make sure it's flawless." Trying to negotiate with me? Prince Duan thought to himself, "It's not that easy."
"Yes, of course I can't let anyone know that I did it."
"Secondly, make that brat leave Anguo. He must have no further dealings with you." Before Yongye could answer, Prince Duan added, "A person who survives will inevitably be reused by Youli Valley. A discarded pawn isn't necessarily useless forever! Remember this: you are still my daughter. How can you be associated with someone who was once an assassin from Youli Valley?!"
Yongye sighed and said, "If I fall in love with a commoner in the future, will Father King do something to separate us?"
“Yongye…you’ve been away from home for ten years, and you’ve spent far less time living in the palace than you did outside. How much affection do you have for me and your mother? When you do things, do you consider us? If you don’t, it doesn’t matter who you want to marry,” Prince Duan said calmly.
If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have hidden the fact that I am the Assassin Star Soul. If I didn't care about you, I could leave the Valley of Wandering and live a secluded life in the city. I don't need martial arts skills; I can still make a living by doing business. But I can't. Yongye laughed: "Is it my responsibility to arrange a marriage between powerful families? Father, you'd better choose a good person. Don't let me send him to the Yellow Springs so easily."
"That's true, how come I didn't think of that? My Eternal Night isn't something an ordinary man can obtain."
The father and daughter smiled at each other, each with their own hidden agendas.
"You little brat, after you finish this business, go to the State of Chen to congratulate King Chen on his birthday. King Chen has already sent an envoy with a letter, wishing to meet his future son-in-law. I will instruct General Lin of the Leopard Cavalry to escort you."
When Yongye saw that Prince Duan had finally agreed to let him save Yuepo, he jumped up with joy. As he walked out the door, he turned back and smiled, "Yongye is a little brat. What is Father?"
Prince Duan was taken aback, but Yongye had already left with a string of laughter. Watching her retreating figure, Prince Duan couldn't help but smile as well. After a moment, he suppressed his smile and summoned his personal guard, instructing him: "Tell Lancui that if Li Yannian discovers Yongye's identity, kill him."
Leading troops to visit the Peony Garden
As soon as the Six Guards of the Capital Region caused a ruckus in the capital, the teahouses and taverns of the city immediately changed their topic of conversation, focusing on the extraordinary assassins from the Duan Prince's Mansion and the You Prince's Mansion, the handsome heirs, and the emperor's three sons.
The city gates of the capital were open, but a number of soldiers had appeared in the area around the brothels. They stood in neat formation along the street, saying nothing of purpose, not closing the street, and not questioning anyone entering or leaving. This caused considerable anxiety among the brothel madams on the street; how could any customer dare to come in with such a display? They all sent their maids to inquire about the situation. The news they received was that it was a capital security patrol, and they were told to do business with peace of mind.
According to the laws of Anguo, brothels are forbidden from soliciting customers outside the brothel. In the past, customers would enter the brothel, and beauties would lean against their red sleeves. How can we make those beauties' sleeves fly out of the brothel today?
The flower market was deserted.
The Peony Garden has been operating in Kyoto for over ten years, and this is the first time it has failed to make a single sale.
The young masters and ladies in the courtyard, though enjoying a rare moment of leisure, felt inexplicably uneasy. A person so accustomed to wearing a fake smile every day that even when forced to suppress it, must maintain a straight face and a hint of a smile in their eyes to feel natural, is bound to feel this way.
If one were to count the courtesans here, one would be astonished as to how many peerless beauties they have produced. The one currently leading the courtesan is none other than the Jade Gentleman, who received a plum blossom lantern on the night of the Eternal Night Lantern Festival.
Young Master Moyu was sixteen years old, with a fair complexion and eyes as black as lacquer. He was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Most remarkably, he was never picky when serving guests.
As long as you can afford the price, he will greet you with a smile, regardless of whether you are a beautiful woman or a humble laborer.
His worth was a thousand taels of silver. Even having a cup of tea with a guest was worth the same.
However, Young Master Moyu had a habit: he never got up to greet guests. He simply stayed in his courtyard, waiting for the person who had paid the money to come and visit.
Someone once placed a bet, with odds of 1 to 10, that Young Master Moyu would greet him at the entrance of the Peony Courtyard.
Someone then advised, "Young master, all you have to do is go out and show your face, and you can easily get ten thousand taels of silver. Why not?"
Mo Yu Gongzi casually said, "The ten thousand taels that Master Zhang lost, Mo Yu has paid out."
"Grooms are bound to have some temper," was the only advice everyone could offer to Master Zhang. Master Zhang was also generous; not only did he not ask Mo Yu to compensate him with ten thousand taels of silver, but he also went to Mo Yu's courtyard for tea for ten days with a beaming smile.
However, today, Young Master Moyu made an exception and left the Peony Courtyard, standing respectfully at the entrance with his hands at his sides. This action attracted the attention of everyone in the Flower Collection Workshop, including the soldiers on guard.
Stepping out of the Peony Courtyard, Mo Yu stood casually, her elegant bearing accentuated by her delicate features and gentle smile. Other brothels, finding no customers, began to peer out. Their gazes held a mixture of jealousy, envy, admiration, and astonishment. After half an hour, their curiosity settled on one question: Who was it? Who was Mo Yu waiting for?
Young Master Moyu stood from 9 AM to 3 PM without a drop of water or a grain of rice. His face was already showing signs of fatigue. Knowing that everyone in the entire flower market was watching him, he was even more unwilling to show weakness and maintained his graceful posture. The servants who served him were worried and ran up and down, bringing him hot towels to relieve his fatigue, but dared not utter a single complaint.
As the sun sets and Jihuafang is bathed in the orange sunlight, and the roof ornaments at both ends are tinged with twilight, a person strolls leisurely into the grand archway of Jihuafang.