Meeting of Siblings

Princess Shao Ren, and Lady Huo were yet to arrive. The lady of Nan Hou stood up to offer her seat to Ye璃 who thanked her with a smile. Nan Hou’s lady was the mother-in-law of Ye珍, eldest daughter of...85. Reunion of Brother and Sister

Looking at the stone door closing once again, Xu Qingchen's eyebrows slightly furrowed—imperceptibly so. The Southern Frontier Holy Maiden was gradually losing her sanity; if everything went as planned according to what he had conspired with Princess Anxi over the past half year, it would be possible to seize control of both the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden and Prince Li's forces in the South without spilling any blood. He should now consider how to extricate himself from this situation since his objectives had already been met beyond expectations; staying here served no further purpose for him anyway, especially as things were only going to get more dangerous later on.

The stone door was pushed open again from the outside. Xu Qingchen said indifferently, "Miss, is there anything else you need"

"No, Brother Qingchen... I have something," a clear and delicate giggle sounded at the doorway. Xu Qingchen turned around quickly when he heard it. A comely woman dressed in pale yellow was standing by the slightly opened stone door with a smiling gaze fixed on him. "Liyi..." Ye Li stepped forward with an amiable smile, looking around the cave as she said, "Big Brother, you seem to be doing well here." Xu Qingchen smiled at her and asked, "Liyi What brings you here" Ye Li winked at him and pointed at the still slightly open stone door. She said with a laugh, "To welcome Mister Qingchen."

Xu Qingchen glanced thoughtfully toward the entrance. "Is there someone else outside"

Ye Li pulled Xu Qingchen along and said, "We'll worry about that later; let's leave quickly now. We wouldn't want that woman to come back here." Xu Qingchen nodded. "Liyi is right; we should talk about everything outside. Like my unexpected fiancée" A smile froze on Ye Li’s face before she laughed and said, "Brother Qingchen, remember I'm called Chu Liuyun after we leave the cave. Not knowing your own fiancée's name can easily make people suspicious." Xu Qingchen tidied up a few items from the table beside him and stuffed them into his pockets before walking out of the stone door with Ye Li. Dark Two was waiting outside together with two unfamiliar dark guards, all sighing in relief when they saw Ye Li and Xu Qingchen appear. "Mister Qingchen is indeed here. Miss, we’ll leave through the palace," said Dark Two.

"What about that woman"

Dark Two replied, "Princess Anxi took her people to the Holy Maiden’s Hall according to our information; with those dead bodies there, that woman will definitely be wary of Princess Anxi now. She must be waiting for an attack in the Holy Maiden’s Hall." Ye Li nodded happily. "The palace" Dark Two said, "Mister Han will create a ruckus in the palace when the time comes so we can slip out then." Ye Li agreed, "I hope Mister Han Mingxiu manages this task as well." Dark Two lowered his head and muttered with a grin, "Mister Han told Dark Three to tell us he won't let you down."

"We’ll just have to hope so," said Xu Qingchen.

The two dark guards protected Xu Qingchen while Dark Two and Ye Li led the way. As they expected, a long tunnel connected the Holy Maiden’s Hall with the palace. Though not as vast as the caverns of Luei Clan, several caves were dug out in this mountain behind the imperial palace to connect with the secret passage; one was where Xu Qingchen had been confined. With Ye Li leading the way, they soon arrived at the exit of the palace. Xu Qingchen asked frowningly, "Where is the exit" Dark Two said with regret, "It's inside King Nan Zhao’s bedroom. That mad Southern Frontier Holy Maiden, how dare King Nan Zhao build a secret passage in his own chambers Doesn’t he fear being murdered by her one day" Not surprised at all, Xu Qingchen said coolly, "Under normal circumstances, the Southern Frontier Holy Maiden would be absolutely loyal to King Nan Zhao." Dark Two was puzzled. "So what’s going on now then"

Ye Li interrupted, "Let's talk about it when we get back."

Aner Two hurriedly agreed and walked forward to carefully activate the secret passage mechanism. A heavy stone was moved aside, revealing a spacious palace room in everyone’s line of sight. Once all five of them had exited, Aner Two resealed the secret passage's mechanism. The two Dark Guards darted out first, conveniently pulling in two guards who came to investigate upon hearing the commotion. The two guards were silently and soundlessly rendered unconscious before they could even utter a groan. Xu Qingchen glanced at Ye Li, whose expression remained unchanged, then his eyes flickered slightly. He reached out to pull Ye Li beside him. Ye Li raised her head and gave him a faint smile, saying, "Big Brother, let's hurry up and get out of here." Xu Qingchen nodded in agreement.

Emerging from the magnificent bedroom of the Nan Zhou King, they encountered few guards along the way; any that were present were dealt with by Aner Two and the two Dark Guards. As they had planned their route beforehand, it did not take much effort for them to leave the palace and arrive at a secret location Han Mingxiu had prepared earlier.

"Jun Wei… I'm back! Why aren't you coming out to greet me" Before anyone could sit down or even catch their breath, Han Mingxiu's voice boomed from outside the courtyard. The moment he turned around, a shadow gracefully leapt over the wall and lunged towards Ye Li.

"Mr. Han!" Aner Three, following behind him, wiped his cold sweat and called out. Xu Qingchen and Aner Two immediately stepped forward to block Han Mingxiu’s view of Ye Li. Xu Qingchen smiled with a cool and refined demeanor, "Mr. Han, what are you doing" It was only then that Han Mingxiu noticed the person standing beside Xu Qingchen wasn’t his dearly desired Jun Wei brother but a charming young woman in a yellow robe.

“Uh… this…” Ye Li quickly retreated behind Xu Qingchen, leaving half her face visible. “Senior Brother Qingchen…”

Han Mingxiu was filled with embarrassment seeing the little girl seemed to be frightened by him. He had been a playboy for over ten years, when had he ever acted so rudely towards a beautiful young lady To maintain his image as a charming playboy, Han Mingxiu instantly broke into a trademark playful smile and raised an eyebrow at Xu Qingchen before turning back to the woman. "Miss, I'm terribly sorry. I am Han Mingxiu, did I frighten you just now Please accept my apologies."

Ye Li hid behind Xu Qingchen, her voice crisp, “No need for that; but please don't do such things in future as there should be a line between men and women.” The corners of Han Mingxiu's mouth twitched. He was not the kind of lecherous man people thought him to be; he simply mistook the person standing beside Xu Qingchen for Jun Wei. But on second thought, where was his dear brother Jun Wei

“Zhuo Jing! Where did my dear brother Jun Wei go All of you are here but why is he missing”

Ye Li couldn’t help looking up to the sky— who was this man's brother Aner Three wore a black line on his face, silently observing Han Mingxiu’s persistent attitude. "Sir didn't mention coming here."

Han Mingxiu frowned, “Why doesn't Jun Wei come”

Aner Three replied, "This place was prepared for Mr. Han by Sir to accommodate Mr. Xu."

Han Mingxiu glared at the elegant and graceful Qingchen with a sour expression, aggrievedly stating, “But this is meant for Jun Wei.”

Aner Three rolled his eyes, "Our master has a place to stay."

Han Mingxiu pursed his lips and said, "How could my preparation be as comfortable as where you are staying If I had known it wasn't for Jun Wei, I wouldn’t have made so much fuss." He glared fiercely at Xu Qingchen before leaving.

Xu Qingchen watched silently and gave a faint smile, “Many thanks to Mr. Han.”

As Hán Míngchí disappeared into the courtyard, Xu Qingchen turned around and smiled at Ye Li with a slight smile: "Sister, it seems that you have encountered quite a few things on your journey to the Southern Frontier" Ye Li smiled flatteringly at Xu Qingchen. Given Xu Qingchen's intelligence, he could naturally guess that Chǔ Jūnwéi and Chǔ Liúyún were actually the same person. Xu Qingchen watched as Ye Li stood there restlessly and nodded: "It just so happens that I haven't seen you for nearly a year either. Shall we go inside to talk" Ye Li blinked helplessly, made way for him, and whispered in a small voice: "Brother, please."

In the study, Xu Qingchen sat behind his desk and calmly looked at Ye Li who had an uneasy expression on her face. Lowering her head, Ye Li stood to one side, her eyes turning rapidly as she occasionally lifted her head to secretly glance at Xu Qingchen. Just like how the previous generation of Xú family members feared Xú Hóngyǔ, this generation's children were most afraid of Xu Qingchen, which included Ye Li who frequently visited when she was a child.

"Brother..." Seeing that Xu Qingchen calmly stared at her without saying anything, Ye Li softly called out with some grievance. Looking at her pitiful expression, Xu Qingchen sighed and said: "It's surprising how much Lí has grown; she even knows how to act pitiful in front of Brother" Blinking, Ye Li pursed her lips and said: "Brother... Lí wouldn't be pretending to look pitiful. Why would Brother get angry..."

Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and asked: "Lí doesn't know why Brother is getting angry"

Shaking her head, Ye Li said as Xu Qingchen pointed at the chair in front of him: "Sit down, sit down. We'll talk calmly." With a submissive expression, Ye Li sat down on the stool and then detailed everything that had happened since she was tricked by Yè Yuè in the capital until reaching the Southern Frontier to find Xu Qingchen without omission.

When Ye Li finished her account, she realized her mouth felt dry. Looking up, she saw Xu Qingchen handing a cup of tea over to her. Smiling faintly, Ye Li quickly took it and drank some water. After drinking the water and moistening her throat, Xu Qingchen looked at her indifferently and said: "I won't talk about you being tricked by Yè Yuè for now. Why did you specifically go looking for Hán Míngchí in Guangling And why bring him to the Southern Frontier"

Ye Li softly replied: "I didn’t want to alert anyone in the capital, so it wasn't convenient to use the Dark Guard of Ding Wang’s Mansion. Hán Míngchí came on his own initiative; I didn’t bring him."

Xu Qingchen looked at her with a smile and said: "Not wanting to alert people in the capital is indeed wise, but have you asked what relationship Hán Mingyue has with Ding Wang If your identity as Ding Wang’s consort disguising herself under another name were to be exposed by outsiders, how would you handle it Most importantly, if Hán Mingyue genuinely wants to investigate, could he not find out about your true identity If he obstructs the investigation, what will you do then"

Lifting her head and looking at Xu Qingchen’s handsome face still smiling, Ye Li said: "I left Dark Four to monitor the Qīngfēng Míngyuè Tower. If Hán Mingyue returns, he’ll notify me immediately. Moreover, I haven’t entrusted any important matters to Tiānyī Pavilion; I only want them to help divert some attention from the Dark Guard."

Nodding, Xu Qingchen asked: "Since you’ve passed this matter, then who made you provoke the sick scholar"

"Brother also knows about the sick scholar" Ye Li asked. Although the reputation of the sick scholar was loud and clear, he was a person in the martial arts world, so it piqued Ye Li’s curiosity that Xu Qingchen knew him.

Xu Qingchen looked at her indifferently and said, "The leader of the King’s Pavilion, Ling Tiehan, is my friend."

Ye Li was speechless. In her heart, she had been planning how to deal with the sick scholar when Xu Qingchen suddenly mentioned him. However, the sick scholar remained a dangerous existence. "Brother, if I do something to the sick scholar, will it affect your relationship with Pavilion Leader Ling" Ye Li asked, as Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows and said, "What do you want to do to him" Furrowing her brows, Ye Li told Xu Qingchen about the events surrounding the Flower of the Sky, in detail. After hearing this, Xu Qingchen remained silent for a moment before saying, "So, you are worried that he will obtain the Flower of the Sky and it may have an adverse effect on Duke Ding. You want to take preemptive action to remove this potential threat. Yet at the same time, you believe that the Flower of the Sky might be beneficial to Duke Ding’s condition and thus also hope to acquire it for him. You are certainly concerned about Mo Xiuyao. It is evident that you truly consider yourself the duchess of the Kingdom of Ding. Father and Uncle have always been worried that your personality is too passive, but I believe they don’t want to see you place too much importance on Duke Ding."

Feeling embarrassed when Xu Qingchen said this, Ye Li asked, "Brother, what are you talking about Mo Xiuyao has always treated me well. Since we got married, of course I hope that he is doing well. Don’t tell me Brother hopes for him to die soon so you can pity your cousin and make her a widow"

Seeing Ye Li’s stubborn expression, Xu Qingchen smiled gently and coughed lightly before saying, "Enough. Be careful when dealing with the sick scholar. As for Pavilion Leader Ling, I will communicate with him personally to ensure that King’s Pavilion won’t cause you any trouble."

"Thank you, Brother," Ye Li said with a smile.

Xu Qingchen looked at her and said with a faint smile, "No need to thank me, Cousin Li. Let us now discuss the matter of my fiancée. By the way, I have already sent a dove message back to the capital to inform those who should be informed."

"Ah… Nephew, how could you do this No, how could it happen so quickly" Ye Li thought about the numerous letters she would receive because of this matter and the lectures from her uncles in the future, which made her head ache.

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "In fact, I had someone send a message back to the capital on the first day I heard that my fiancée was coming to Nanzhao. Did you think it would be impossible for me to communicate with the outside world after being confined There will probably be a reply within five days. Little Yun…"

Ye Li couldn’t help but want to cover her head and groan; Brother is too…too wicked!

—— Extra ——

A new colleague has joined, teaching the new person. Sitting beside me, unable to write novels… Only half a chapter today, sorry~cks the right tree. To demote such an excellent general to become a guard was already a waste of talent. If one expected them not to complain about it, it would be too presumptuous. Even if He Su felt...