When Yun Ye’s sail shadow appeared on the horizon, Guangzhou City fell into a frenzy. Countless merchants who had been eagerly awaiting sea goods surrounded the dock so tightly that not even water could leak through. Many shop assistants held up wooden signs covered with cargo names, desperately pushing forward. Only those wealthy merchants who needed spices sat calmly in the wine houses, seemingly unconcerned. There wouldn’t be too many spices, and everyone had already agreed on their shares. They would only make their move after the fleet had disposed of the miscellaneous goods.

Guangzhou Governor Yang Yuanyi, wearing a blue robe with his hands clasped behind his back, stood on the dock. He had come to welcome Prince Wei and Marquis Yun. Various imperial edicts from the capital had already nearly filled his desk, and the postal station was packed with messengers from all directions. Because they couldn’t contact Prince Wei and Marquis Lantian, they had no choice but to huddle in the postal station waiting for their return. The Lingnan climate tortured them until they wished for death—one imperial envoy had already died in Guangzhou.

The three warships that had departed in pristine condition returned battered and worn. Just looking at the holes riddling the enormous sails and the scarred hulls, one could tell how arduous this long journey had been.

The dark-skinned but more vigorous-looking soldiers revealed their true state the moment they stepped onto the dock. After living so long on swaying warships, they had grown accustomed to the deck’s constant rising and falling. Stepping onto solid ground without that floating sensation, they actually fell in droves.

Yang Yuanyi, thoroughly familiar with this scene, laughed heartily and ordered his subordinates to help those who had fallen walk slowly, only releasing them after they’d grown accustomed to the feeling of solid ground.

Li Tai had specially dressed up and descended from the ship with great satisfaction. He didn’t fall because his guard captain supported him step by step, only releasing him after Li Tai had received Yang Yuanyi’s greeting, at which point Yang Yuanyi took over.

Yun Ye didn’t suffer from disembarkation syndrome. He was already very familiar with this sensation and could switch freely between the feeling of floating and solidity. His subordinates from the Lingnan Navy naturally had no problems either.

Yang Yuanyi could only smile and nod apologetically to Yun Ye while supporting Li Tai. Yun Ye had no time to speak with him because he had spotted Feng Ang and Li Anlan. Compared to Yang Yuanyi, these two were more important.

“Marquis Yun, was your journey peaceful?” Feng Ang saw his son from afar carrying a large bundle off the ship. Though he clearly wanted to speak with his son, he had to greet Yun Ye first.

“Duke Feng, your heart isn’t with me either. You should go to your family’s younger generation first. You and I can have a good talk later—there’s much to discuss about this journey.” Yun Ye stepped forward, grasped Feng Ang’s hand, and teased him.

Old Feng Ang looked at Li Anlan behind him, raised his eyebrows, and said with a hearty laugh, “Very well, this old man won’t make himself a nuisance. Do as you please—this old man will go see what treasure Zhiyong brought back that requires carrying it himself.”

Li Anlan’s eyes were red as she watched Yun Ye approach with a grin. In such a public setting, it wouldn’t do for Yun Ye not to observe propriety. He casually cupped his hands and said, “Is Your Highness well?”

Li Anlan shot Yun Ye a reproachful glance and planned to go see Li Tai.

“What’s so interesting about that worthless brother of yours? The person you need to look at properly is me. Let’s go back quickly—with this sea of people here, it’s hard to make a move.” Yun Ye spoke boldly to Li Anlan.

How could a frail woman be a match for a man with his mind in his loins? Yun Ye forcibly dragged her onto the carriage. The people from the ship had already been assigned their tasks and all had their own business to attend to.

The Yun family also had a residence in Guangzhou. As soon as the carriage entered, it drove directly to the rear courtyard. Under the astonished gazes of the maids and old servants, Yun Ye carried the disheveled Li Anlan into the bedroom.

A whole year! He’d left before the New Year, and now it was almost New Year again. A group of grown men crammed into a tiny ship—they’d nearly gone mad. Finally reaching shore with beauty before him, who had time to worry about servants laughing at them?

The more urgent he was, the more troublesome the clothes became. Damn it, the waist sash had tied into a dead knot and wouldn’t untie no matter what. Breaking into a sweat from anxiety, Li Anlan took pity on him and came over to help untie the sash. As she untied it, she began giggling instead. Yun Ye paused, then burst out laughing as well. Li Anlan laughed even louder, her body softly collapsing onto the brocade couch.

Yun Ye lay beside her and said, “There’s nothing to be done—men are just useless. These past few days before returning, my heart was full of you all. I wanted to see you all sooner, preparing to hold you tightly the moment I saw you, wishing I could meld you into my own body. Who knew that when I actually saw you, I’d only want to ravage you fiercely, with none of those tender sentiments remaining.”

Li Anlan, her eyes brimming with allure, draped herself over Yun Ye and said, “This is exactly why I’m reassured. The more my husband is like this, the more delighted I am. It’s natural for women to observe chastity, but I’ve never heard of requiring men to do so. Since the sea voyage was lonely, why not find some beautiful foreign girls? Your wife isn’t someone who doesn’t understand propriety.”

Yun Ye flipped Li Anlan over and slapped her plump bottom, saying, “This kind of thing is only interesting when done with you all. Randomly finding people—what would that be? Only beasts do that. Though, I’m almost becoming a beast myself.”

Li Anlan found a dagger from beside the pillow and with one stroke cut through Yun Ye’s waist sash…

At dawn, Yun Ye awoke from the deepest sleep. The sky had already brightened. He and Li Anlan had been wanton since yesterday afternoon, only falling asleep from extreme exhaustion. Now embroidered, pearl-hung curtains hung on the chamber’s doors and windows. Orioles sang to each other in the grove, and two swallows under the eaves were coupling with interlocked wings.

A maid rolled up the silk curtains and added more incense to the brazier. In the atmosphere of wafting fragrance, Li Anlan sat before the mirror applying makeup. The jade-green canopy blocked the sunlight streaming through the window, casting dappled shadows on the mat. Li Anlan’s movements were gentle and graceful. Wearing only a bodice, her fair shoulders under the morning’s thin light were as smooth as ivory. The roundness below her waist once again stirred Yun Ye’s desire. He quickly stopped himself—continuing would be truly wanton.

Shifting his attention outdoors, he discovered that this courtyard was actually quite beautiful. Deliberately planted weeping willows swayed beside the lotus pond, and several upright small trees were covered with yellow blossoms, scattering their shadows and fragrance through the canopy.

Yun Ye stretched luxuriously. How comfortable and pleasant all this was! In such an environment and atmosphere, not sleeping again would truly be failing himself. Yun Ye hugged Li Anlan’s pillow and burrowed deeper into the bedding, planning to sleep until the end of time. On the ship, he hadn’t slept peacefully for a single day. Now that the dust had settled, he could sleep however he wanted.

Li Anlan gently shook Yun Ye and said softly, “Husband, get up—you can’t sleep anymore. The imperial envoy from the capital has been waiting quite a while. If you don’t go out, it would be discourteous.”

“Don’t bother me. If you keep provoking me, watch out—I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed this time tomorrow. What do matters from the capital have to do with me? I’m just an idle official—things go on the same with or without me.”

Li Anlan slapped Yun Ye with a sour face, washed a towel in the water basin, and covered Yun Ye’s face with it in one motion. This was ice-cold well water—this stinking woman was attempting to murder her husband! Yun Ye sat up with a start.

“Compensate me for my sleep.” Yun Ye stared directly at Li Anlan.

“After you receive the imperial envoy and have something to eat, you can sleep as long as you want. If you want your wife to accompany you, I’ll accompany you—we can sleep right into the coffin together for all I care.” Li Anlan indicated that receiving the imperial envoy was more important than sleeping.

“Compensate me for my sleep!” Yun Ye bellowed and pushed Li Anlan down onto the bed, messing up the makeup she’d just finished applying and loosening her hair. Then he stripped her bare like a white lamb and spanked her bottom twice before laughing heartily at the ceiling, getting dressed, and going to the front hall to receive guests.

The imperial envoy was an unfamiliar sixth-rank official. Yun Ye knelt on the ground listening to him read the imperial edict, though he didn’t clearly hear the content at all. After the envoy finished reading, he received the edict, made his signature on the receipt, and heard the official say, “I wonder when Marquis Yun will depart to return to the capital?”

“Return to the capital?” The befuddled Yun Ye suddenly became alert. He ordered the maids to serve tea, invited this capital official to sit, and then asked, “I haven’t yet asked the envoy’s esteemed name. Yun Ye has been discourteous.”

“You’re too kind, too kind. Marquis Yun is too polite. This humble official is Cui Hao, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. I’ve been in Lingnan for over half a year.” Hearing this fellow complain, Yun Ye said with a smile, “The sea’s wind and waves are unpredictable, with frequent disasters. Pirates, rainstorms, hurricanes—none of these can be resisted by human strength. This time we even encountered an undersea volcanic eruption and nearly burned to ashes, so it was impossible to set a return date. I apologize for making the envoy wait so long.”

“However, though the sea is dangerous, the harvest was quite rich. We obtained quite a bit of spice this time. When the envoy returns, you might as well take a few jin with you to please your family’s women and children when you get home.”

Cui Hao was naturally delighted at getting spices. Marquis Yun’s mention of “a few jin” was surely just polite talk. If he could bring home a hundred jin of spices, waiting half a year in Lingnan wouldn’t have been in vain.

“Might the Vice Minister know what matter His Majesty has summoned me to the capital for?” Since they’d already mentioned returning to the capital, he needed to ask what it was about. A hundred-some jin of spices couldn’t be given for nothing.

“Marquis Yun may not know—this edict wasn’t issued by His Majesty but by Capital Guardian Fang Xuanling through the Three Departments, obtaining the Empress’s consent before being issued.”

Hearing it wasn’t Li Er’s edict, Yun Ye jumped up from his chair and hurriedly asked, “What virtue or ability does Fang Xuanling possess that he can issue imperial edicts? Where is His Majesty? Where is the Crown Prince?”

Cui Hao was so frightened by Yun Ye’s actions that he dropped his teacup. Seeing Yun Ye’s fury erupting, he hastily explained, “Marquis Yun, don’t be alarmed! His Majesty has gone to Goguryeo, preparing to pacify Goguryeo in one battle. He ordered the Crown Prince to transport grain and provisions, the Empress to oversee the nation, and Minister Fang to assist her, which is why Minister Fang can use the imperial seal.”

Yun Ye sat back down. Whatever matters were happening in the capital, by the time he returned, this affair would already be over a year old. The Emperor was campaigning in Goguryeo—he didn’t know if he could succeed. In any case, historically Li Er had been badly defeated. Now with gunpowder and fire oil, he didn’t know if they could win.

“Where is the Lingnan Navy?” Without the navy’s seal, Yun Ye naturally didn’t know where the navy had gone.

“In response to Marquis Yun, when His Majesty went on campaign, he nearly emptied the Ever-Normal Granaries, so the Lingnan Navy is everywhere transporting grain to fill the warehouses.”