Hypatia had originally stretched out her ears, ready to satisfy her curiosity, but when she heard Yun Ye’s words, she snorted and left with Xinyue, carrying her daughter. Her son was already at Zhangsun’s place.

“Once upon a time, there was a man who had a very good brother. This brother had never let him down. But one day, when a despicable old bastard was preparing to trap this man, his good brother clearly knew what was happening but said nothing. The man who was trapped became extremely angry. It was expected that the despicable old bastard would trap him, because he was already a despicable bastard. But his good brother’s indifference was utterly unforgivable. What do you say, Qing Que!”

Li Tai carefully sat up straight, crossed one leg to guard against an angry Yun Ye lunging at him, and then said: “Actually, his good brother had his reasons for doing this. His good brother didn’t intend to let that man know about the unpleasant matter of killing surrendered prisoners. That path was soft and mushy, and after his good brother walked across it, he vomited until he was dizzy and disoriented, with no time to tell that man.”

Yun Ye, who had been about to lunge forward, heard this explanation and sat down in his chair, saying: “What am I to do? How humiliating! A dignified general was deceived and confused by a rotten old man. If this gets back to the capital, how can I show my face in our circle of brothers?”

Seeing Yun Ye settle down, Li Tai smiled and said: “You should think of it this way—the old man’s scheme can only deceive good people. If this trick were used to deceive Xue Wanche and the others, do you think it would work? Old Xue and his companions might even have the interest to examine those heads, or test whether their sabers are sharp enough with those heads. As the saying goes, ‘a gentleman can be deceived by fair means.’ From this alone, it’s clear that you, Ye Zi, are truly a sincere gentleman. I admire you, I admire you.”

Li Tai had become quite eloquent lately. This kind of consolation was indeed much more useful than Old Niu’s dogmatic approach. Seeing a smile appear on Yun Ye’s face, he struck while the iron was hot, saying: “Look, we brothers don’t distinguish between yours and mine. That line you just said, ‘The green mountains remain unchanged, how many sunsets have passed,’ is quite good. If no outsiders have heard it, why not give it to me? It would be quite impressive to recite it at a poetry gathering. And that excellent line from the immortal grandfather: ‘The tombs of the heroes of Wuling are nowhere to be seen, no flowers, no wine, only plowing the fields’—if no one knows that either, give it to me as well. Hypatia has recently taken a liking to poetry and has composed some nonsensical verses for me to critique. I can’t say they’re no good. I told her that the verses you just recited were all composed by me. Let her admire me, your brother, a bit, so I can take some advantage in bed.”

This was an important matter that must be supported. Yun Ye waved his hand magnanimously and gave them away. He had plenty of such lines. With the bright moon of the prosperous Tang and the joyous songs of the great Song dynasties, he had countless masters supporting him. Two unremarkable lines were a trivial matter.

“My father actually sent me to find out why you were crying. Give me a reason. If there isn’t a better one, I’ll use the excuse from just now to report back. I really don’t know—you cried your nose off, yet so many people are concerned.”

Li Tai talked a lot of nonsense with Yun Ye. In short, he kept stalling and was unwilling to leave. Xinyue had already poked her head in twice, but Li Tai pretended not to see and continued talking about meaningless things.

“Qing Que, are you also afraid of His Majesty? Do you feel uncomfortable all over when you’re with him?” Yun Ye simply asked directly.

“You feel this way too? I thought I was the only one. It’s somewhat unfilial to say this, but when I’m alone with my father, my whole body itches and I always want to scratch. But once I leave my father, I don’t have this symptom anymore.” Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to speak these words freely.

Yun Ye was speechless. The two stared at each other with wide eyes for a while, which also felt boring. Li Tai patted his cheeks, helplessly pointed at Li Er’s sleeping tent, smiled bitterly, lifted the curtain, and went out.

As soon as Li Tai left, Xinyue came in, with Na Rimu and Lingdang following behind her. They surrounded their husband, chattering and asking questions incessantly. Everyone was very anxious.

Holding the already crying Lingdang on his lap, he said resentfully: “Your husband has been bullied. Remember, the one who bullied me is that old bastard Wei Zheng. We will never let this rest with him.”

“I could tell early on that old man was no good. Husband, you should have less contact with him in the future. With his sour and impoverished appearance, rolling his eyes so much that his whites can’t return, he nearly went blind. If it weren’t for your great benevolence and righteousness in asking Doctor Sun to treat his eyes, he would have become blind long ago. He’s an ungrateful wretch that even dogs wouldn’t eat.”

Yun Ye looked at Xinyue in astonishment, like a teapot. When did she learn to curse so viciously? But since she was cursing Wei Zheng, it didn’t matter. He buried his head in Xinyue’s chest and said: “Your husband has suffered such great grievance. You must comfort me well, otherwise it will leave a shadow in my heart…”

The comforting went a bit overboard, and he heard the cracking sound of bone joints. That damned Li Er also ordered people to prepare food at the third watch and depart at the fifth watch. He planned to reach Jiming Post Station today. It wasn’t until the armor began clanging loudly that Yun Ye finally lifted his head from Xinyue’s chest. If he didn’t pack up now, Li Er would have his head.

Wang Cai had drunk a bit too much last night. When Yun Ye went to see him in the morning, Wang Cai was eating grass halfheartedly. It was all tender grass that the grooms had brought back. Seeing Yun Ye, he neighed and spat out the grass in his mouth, wanting to eat bean fodder. Yun Ye grabbed a handful of black beans and fed them to Wang Cai, satisfying his request, and only then did Wang Cai continue eating grass. Horses always need to eat some grass.

Di Renjie took Xiao Wu and traveled by boat. It wasn’t appropriate for the Yun family, returning from Lingnan with sleeves full of golden wind, to walk together with Li Er. Old Zhao had prepared a full twenty ships before barely managing to load all the cargo. There actually wasn’t that much wealth—the bulk was medicinal herbs. Sun Simiao had purchased a huge quantity of medicinal materials in Lingnan, and the Yun family handled all the accounts. The old man now had no concept of money. As long as it was something he needed, the Yun family’s stewards would search the world to purchase it, and they were happy to do so. Being able to run errands for the old immortal was an honor.

Although the water route was more comfortable, it required traveling four to five times the distance. However, Di Renjie and Xiao Wu were currently in the throes of passion. Who would care about the length of the journey? They would be willing to spend their whole lives like this.

Di Renjie had never dared to embrace Xiao Wu. Only when Xiao Wu lay on his lap wanting to look at the stars, and pointed at the Cowherd and Weaver Girl stars to tell stories, did he realize that Xiao Wu was basically already his wife. Looking at Xiao Wu’s pink lips, he suddenly mustered the courage to kiss her. He didn’t know how long he kissed her. When a fish jumped out of the water, it finally awakened him. He hastily separated his lips from Xiao Wu’s lips and closed his eyes, waiting for the storm to arrive.

He waited for a long time but the expected blow never came. Instead, his lips were blocked again by a soft pair of lips. His criminal heart arose, and he held Xiao Wu’s soft body and kissed her wildly again. This time the result wasn’t too good, because he used too much force and swelled Xiao Wu’s lips. Xiao Wu chased and hit him twice but then giggled with laughter. Her flushed cheeks were like blooming peach blossoms, and Di Renjie was momentarily intoxicated.

Di Renjie didn’t know why he handed his small box to Xiao Wu, nor did he understand why he signed his name on a ridiculously large piece of paper, nor did he know why his third child had to take the surname Wu. What he could least understand was why he also helped Xiao Wu open the treasure chest that their master had specially prepared, just because Xiao Wu said that box was prepared by their master for her. This was stealing from the inside!

The box clearly had four large characters written by their master saying “Do Not Open.” Xiao Wu simply tore off that seal, took out a key from her collar, and the brief glimpse inside her collar made Di Renjie daze again. After being given a white look by Xiao Wu, he helped her carry the box to the cabin. After opening the lock, Xiao Wu clasped her hands together and mumbled words. Di Renjie heard very clearly—she was praying for their master to fill the entire box with treasures for her.

After opening the box, Di Renjie’s eyes were dazzled. Under the candlelight, those colorful gemstones and pearls each emitted brilliant light. Such a box of treasures was enough to drive the world mad.

Xiao Wu’s eyes became bright green, like a cat’s eyes. She hung seven or eight pearl necklaces around her neck and held a large handful of gemstones in her hands, carefully examining them under the candlelight.

“Xiao Wu, you can’t identify jewels under candlelight. You can only do so in sunlight. Huh? There’s also a letter here!” Di Renjie saw the envelope had Xiao Wu’s name written on it and handed the letter to Xiao Wu.

“Wu Mei, my disciple, when you see this letter, you should have reached the Jiangnan region. Your nature is playful. Having given you the key, you would certainly seek out the lock. This small matter can’t stump you. Your master arranged a marriage for you, but afterward I felt somewhat unfair to you. If you don’t like Xiao Jie, or if you feel the time isn’t right, then take your dowry and go far away. With your wisdom, you will certainly live well.”

“Don’t think too much. Your master will explain things to Xiao Jie. You only need to live according to your own heart. You were originally a phoenix from the ninth heaven. Your master locked your feet and placed you in the mortal world. I cannot be certain whether I did right or wrong. I can only let you choose for yourself. This is your last chance to choose. Be cautious.”

Xiao Wu’s smooth face was covered with tears. She folded the letter, put it in the envelope, and hid it close to her body. After wiping the tears from her face, she said fiercely to Di Renjie: “You must never betray me in this life!”

Although Di Renjie didn’t understand why Xiao Wu was laughing one moment and crying the next, hearing Xiao Wu say he must not betray her, he quickly nodded and gave a big smile to show his determination. Only then did Xiao Wu smile sweetly and continue playing with that box of jewels. With this box of treasures, she would never lack food and clothing for the rest of her life.

The night deepened, and the fleet was still sailing on the river. Occasionally the sailors’ work chants could be heard. Di Renjie was unbearably sleepy, but Xiao Wu’s eyes remained bright. She laid out these treasures one by one. This was the first time she possessed such a large amount of wealth, and she simply couldn’t contain herself. Her mind was full of thoughts about what kind of jewelry these things should be made into. As for what their master said, Xiao Wu automatically took it as a kind of affection their master had for her.

In the autumn of the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, a generation’s empress, tempted by a box of jewels, willingly married Di Renjie.