Yu Changxuan snapped, “Get out!”
Wu Zuoxiao promptly shut the door and scurried away with a chuckle. Yu Changxuan sat on the sofa in the heated chamber, gingerly shifting his left arm. A sharp intake of breath escaped him as pain shot through it, fueling his irritation. Then, as if adding fuel to the fire, the telephone rang. His brow furrowed tightly as he snatched the receiver. “Who is it?”
From the other end came Li Boren’s laughter. “Fifth Master, such a temper!”
Yu Changxuan replied impatiently, “Cut the nonsense!”
Li Boren chuckled heartily. “I’m calling to let you know—my men have caught a Japanese spy. Care to see for yourself?”
Yu Changxuan retorted, “Since when does Elder Brother meddle in Special Service Division affairs? And what does your catching a spy have to do with me? I’m busy.”
Li Boren laughed again. “I’m only doing this for your sake, Fifth Master. Let me be frank: this fellow’s surname is Jiang, studied abroad in Japan, and he’s none other than Miss Ye’s sweetheart. Now that he’s in my hands, his fate—life or death—rests entirely on your word.”
Yu Changxuan froze for a moment, his eyes suddenly sharp as lightning. “What do you mean? Is he really a spy?”
Li Boren replied, “Whether he is or isn’t, it’s all up to us. I’ve already sent Jiang to the Special Service Prison. You know how ruthless they are there. Once someone enters that place, how many ever make it out alive?”
There was no need to hear more—Yu Changxuan understood perfectly. This was clearly Li Boren’s deliberate setup. He had entertained such thoughts before but always hesitated, plagued by unease. Yet now, at this critical juncture, she had told him she intended to marry another. What choice did he have left?!
His gaze drifted absently to the side, where his discarded Military Uniform lay. Beside it rested a soft, pale pink chiffon scarf—the one she had hurriedly left behind in his car. He reached out and grabbed it. The scarf felt light, almost as if it still carried the warmth of her skin. His heart began to pound uncontrollably. He stood there, lost in thought for a long while, before slowly closing his hand around the delicate fabric.
Was he truly expected to be so magnanimous, to stand by and watch her pair up with this Jiang fellow?!
Yu Changxuan held the receiver silently for a long moment, then lowered his eyes slightly. He hadn’t expected his heart to race so fiercely in that instant. Struggling to steady his voice, he said, “Make the arrangements. If Ye Pingjun wants to visit that fellow in prison, don’t stop her. Let her go!”
Another day passed. As evening fell, a slight breeze picked up, bringing a chill to the air. Madam Li had just reached the outside of the guest room when she saw a maid emerging with a tray. The food on it remained untouched. Madam Li asked, “Has Miss Ye not woken yet?” The maid shook her head. Dismissing her, Madam Li looked up and saw Li Boren coming upstairs. She beckoned him over. When he approached, she said resentfully, “You people are truly ruthless, making me accompany her to that place. That wasn’t a prison—it was the Hall of the King of Hell! The wailing and howling nearly scared me to death.”Li Boren laughed heartily, "That's my fault for frightening Madam so badly she lost her composure. What about your sister?" Madam Li replied, "What do you think? The moment she entered that place, her tears wouldn't stop. Before taking more than a few steps, she saw people everywhere covered in blood and flesh... she fainted on the spot."
Seeing Madam Li's pale face, Li Boren chuckled again, "You haven't even gone deeper inside - it's even worse there. Let me put it this way: the dogs there never need to be fed."
His words made Madam Li's heart race with fear when suddenly a "thud" came from the guest room. Hearing this, Madam Li hurriedly pushed the door open and saw Ye Pingjun had fallen from the bed, her face covered in tears as if she were about to suffocate, gasping desperately on the floor. Madam Li quickly approached, saying, "Sister Pingjun, what's wrong with you? Come lie back on the bed."
Pingjun reached out and tightly grasped Madam Li's wrist while staring at Li Boren, tears streaming down her face. Her lips trembled as she said, "You want to drive me to death, I know it, you want to drive me to death..."
The sharp hatred in her tearful gaze made even Li Boren lose his composure. He suddenly shouted angrily, "What nonsense are you talking? You were the one who came begging at our doorstep, and we kindly helped you. Are you complaining we haven't worked hard enough? Let me tell you the truth - if you don't hurry and plead with the right person, but keep delaying here, I'm afraid Jiang Xueting's limbs will end up in dogs' bellies!"
These words nearly made Ye Pingjun's soul leave her body. She threw her head back, two streams of tears falling, almost fainting on the spot. Li Boren stormed off, leaving Madam Li behind to comfort her with soothing words. She personally helped Pingjun sit before a gold-powdered dressing table with openwork carved patterns, opened the Cameo Ivory Vanity Case, took out a fine-toothed comb to style her hair, and gently comforted her:
"Sister, you're an intelligent person. Not to mention anything else, just consider the twenty-one provinces south of Xi River - is there anything Fifth Master wants that he can't obtain? He's heaven's favored son - that he took a liking to you is your good fortune. By stubbornly resisting like this, you're only asking for trouble, and even implicating your brother. Now there's no escape - why not just devote four or five years of your youth to him? When he releases you after a few years, you'll still be young, and he won't shortchange you financially. If you carefully calculate this account, you're not losing anything."
This speech was utterly seamless. Ye Pingjun sat there, motionless as if carved from stone. Madam Li took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, smiling slightly, "If anyone's to blame, it's Sister Pingjun's exceptional beauty. If I were a man, I'd snatch you up too." She paused, then added with another smile, "Bo Ren has invited him over tonight. You see, you'll need to accompany him then. Don't wear such a bitter expression - if you upset Fifth Master, who knows how much more suffering your beloved will have to endure."Ye Pingjun sat there, listening to everything Madam Li had said, then slowly closed her eyes. Two streams of tears rolled down from her eyelashes. These past few days, she had lost count of how many tears she had shed. Now, she only felt her cheeks stinging from the constant flow. She knew her face must be a mess from all the crying. Suppressing the boiling anguish within her, she spoke quietly, "Madam Li, could you lend me some creamy foundation? I need to freshen up."
Sparse Shadows, Clear Waters, Severed Ties of Love
Ye Pingjun sat there, listening to everything Madam Li had said, then slowly closed her eyes. Two streams of tears rolled down from her eyelashes. These past few days, she had lost count of how many tears she had shed. Now, she only felt her cheeks stinging from the constant flow. She knew her face must be a mess from all the crying. Suppressing the boiling anguish within her, she spoke quietly, "Madam Li, could you lend me some creamy foundation? I need to freshen up."
Madam Li immediately beamed with delight and exclaimed repeatedly, "Good, good! I knew you were a clever girl, quick to understand. Don't just use powder—a little rouge would make you even prettier. Wait here, I have some unopened foreign cosmetics. I'll go fetch them for you."
Overjoyed, she stood up and went out to get her cosmetics. Seeing Li Boren still peering from the staircase landing downstairs, she walked down and poked his forehead with her finger, saying, "You! You're really something. Just to curry favor with Fifth Master, you came up with such a wicked plan, selling someone else's daughter. Enough, stop looking. I've already persuaded her."
Li Boren couldn't help but laugh. "I knew once you stepped in, nothing would be impossible. Just wait and see—one day, the world will belong to the Yu family. If I become Fifth Master's trusted confidant, we'll have endless benefits in the future." These words made Madam Li smile too. "Look how proud you are. Hurry up and invite Fifth Master to come over tonight."
Li Boren's heart leaped with even greater excitement. He promptly went to make the call. By eight or nine in the evening, a servant announced that Fifth Master had arrived. Li Boren hurried to the main entrance to greet him, smiling obsequiously. "Fifth Master, you're so busy—we're honored you could make it."
Yu Changxuan glanced at Li Boren's beaming face but said nothing. Li Boren added with a laugh, "Now everything is ready. We only await your presence, Fifth Master."
Yu Changxuan handed his Military Cap to the guard behind him and said indifferently, "Where is she?"
Li Boren quickly signaled to an elderly servant. "Take Fifth Master to the Secluded Courtyard." The old servant approached, and Yu Changxuan waved for the guard to withdraw. He followed the servant through two moon gates until they reached the entrance of the Li family's Secluded Courtyard. The old servant stopped there. Yu Changxuan lowered his gaze and proceeded alone along the Covered Corridor into the courtyard.The covered corridor was surrounded by splendid flowers and trees. Clouds drifted across the night sky, allowing moonlight to cascade down in overlapping layers, casting swaying floral shadows across the ground. The winding corridor seemed to pass through several deep courtyards, with the rustling sound of falling petals covering the secluded path. In the serene moonlit night, only the fragrance of flowers drifted through the air, evoking the poetic imagery of "sparse shadows slanting across clear shallow water, subtle fragrance floating under the twilight moon." He couldn’t help but feel waves of excitement, an inexplicable voice echoing in his heart—he was going to see her. The long journey only deepened his turbulent emotions. This scene, these feelings, this moment—even if a lifetime passed, he would never forget it, never.
On either side of the stone steps leading to the hall of the secluded courtyard stood a pear tree and a weeping willow, their branches lush and heavy with unripe fruit. Lights glowed inside the hall, and a calligraphy piece of Liu Yuxi’s "Willow Branch Song" hung on the side wall. In the center stood a glass partition adorned with patterns of hibiscus, golden chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, and other flowers representing the four seasons. She sat on a small sofa inside, her slender figure reflected on the partition window, graceful and delicate like pear blossoms under the moonlight or dew-kissed crabapple flowers.
Yu Changxuan could clearly feel his heartbeat quickening, his breath growing uncontrollably hurried. He walked around the partition, stepping onto the inch-thick carpet that muffled his footsteps. On a rosewood stand beside the sofa, a pair of double red painted candles cast a warm, spring-like glow across the hall.
She heard him enter and looked up. He saw her too—sitting there with visible effort, her delicate face pale and devoid of color, her dark eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
His heart stirred, and he whispered softly, "Don’t cry."
Ye Pingjun bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes as she glanced at him, as if using every ounce of her strength to hold herself together. "If I don’t cry, will you let me go?"
Yu Changxuan gazed intently at her face. "No."
She slowly turned her head away. The white pearl hairpin in her bun seemed as cold as frost, and her fan-like eyelashes drooped silently. With a bitter, tearful smile, she said, "Crying is useless, I know. I’ve been pushed to this point by all of you. Since I can’t escape it, it’s my fate. I accept it."
He watched her under the glow of the double red painted candles. Her figure seemed like a tender, dreamlike vision, her emotions subtly weaving into the depths of his soul. The immersion in this feeling was intensely real. He said, "Though the weak waters stretch three thousand miles, I’ll take only one ladle to drink."
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she slowly turned back to look at him. His dark eyes brimmed with deep emotion. "Ye Pingjun, whether you’re willing or not, I like you."The night had grown quite late, with the moon hanging high at the edge of the sky. Madam Ye was still in her room when she heard the sound of a carriage outside the main gate. She hurried out of the house and heard the courtyard gate creak open. Ye Pingjun had already entered and was closing the gate. She quickly asked, "What did Mr. Li and Madam Li say? How is Xue Ting? His brother came by this afternoon, saying that Xue Ting wanted to ask for help from some Mr. Mou... Oh, Pingjun, I'm almost worried to death. Say something quickly."
OpenNovel