After that day, Nangong Ye was no longer hesitant. He would appear at Duke Ding’s manor from time to time. On the other hand, it was Nangong Xuan who started to feel that the Eastern Palace seemed a little empty.
Before then, apart from the aids and advisors that visited the Eastern Palace, the most frequent guests were his close friend, Jian Yu Yan, and his younger brother, Nangong Ye. There was also Yan Yi Ming.
He never thought of marrying Yan Yi Ming. However, having been constantly exposed to her beautiful visage, ordinary ladies were unable to enter his eyes. In addition, he vowed to only marry a princess consort that he loved. Hence, up until to date, the Eastern Palace was still without a mistress.
Yan Yi Ming was domineering and arrogant by nature. Just because Mother Empress praised her previously, she regarded herself to already be the Eastern Palace’s mistress and dropped by every day. Subsequently, Nangong Xuan expressed his impatience and Yan Yi Ming was astute to his dissatisfaction. She gradually learned to come up with reasons to drop by every few days in order not to trigger his irritation.
There were countless of times when he had told Jian Yu Yan that the day Yan Yi Ming stopped coming to the Eastern Palace would be the day they experience some peace and quiet. Back when he said those words, he had said them jokingly as it never crossed his mind that there would truly be a day when Yan Yi Ming no longer stepped into the Eastern Palace.
This was because he remembered the words Yan Yi Ming once said. He did not remember when or where, but she had declared that as long as she could marry him, it would not have mattered if she did not hold the position of his princess consort.
To allow the di granddaughter of Duke Ding, who did not put others in her eyes, to say such words, Nangong Xuan knew at that very moment, Yan Yi Ming had completely set her heart on him.
Over the past few days, Nangong Xuan had naturally heard the news about Yan Yi Ming’s illness. But based on her track record of faking her sickness countless times in order to get him to visit her, and knowing what had actually occurred before she ‘fell ill’, Nangong Xuan was disinclined to believe it. He had simply assumed that this was another one of Yan Yi Ming’s tricks to lure him to visit her at Duke Ding’s manor again.
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Lydtsdt Dwyd plnalvzu akeknwzle bla yvvlxrv.
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Bdcljdsodpv vs bkxplzq, vbl hszyvkzl kaakvyvksd vbyv bye clld pokazkdt kd bkp blyav bye pweeldzu nyzxle esod.&dcpr;
Ohld Zyd Zk Ykdt oyp dsv yczl vs qsalpll vbyv Tkp Ssuyz Tktbdlpp vbl Uasod Vakdnl oswze pweeldzu qllz y zkvvzl zspv ewl vs vbl ycpldnl sq bla cskpvlaswp plzq kd vbl Oypvlad Vyzynl. Gqvla vbl ykep yde yehkpsap vssj vblka zlyhl, Lydtsdt Dwyd rknjle wr y cawpb bydtkdt sd vbl cawpb bszela. Gp bl oyp ekrrkdt vbl vkr kdvs vbl kdj, bkp tygl wdnsdpnkswpzu qlzz sdvs vbl eaytsd-vykz kdjpvsdl.
Mbkp eaytsd-vykz kdjpvsdl…
Lydtsdt Dwyd alxlxclale bso Zyd Zk Ykdt rlapsdyzzu ralpldvle vbkp valypwal vs bkx. Ohld rlsrzl qasx vbl asuyz qyxkzu ayalzu byhl vbl nbydnl vs nsxl ynaspp pwnb y tsse kdjpvsdl, yde ulv, ds sdl jdlo bso Zyd Zk Ykdt xydytle vs tlv bla bydep sd vbkp eaytsd-vykz kdjpvsdl. Rv oyp zyvla sd vbyv bl blyae qasx svblap vbyv Xze Pwjl Pkdt clnyxl bsrrkdt xye yp bkp taydeeywtbvla xkprzynle sdl sq bkp ralnkswp valypwalp.&dcpr;
Lydtsdt Dwyd nswze dsv wdelapvyde obyv oyp oasdt okvb bkxplzq. Mblpl rypv qlo eyup, Zyd Zk Ykdt bye nsdpvydvzu clld yrrlyakdt kd bkp xkde. Tl alnyzzle vbl blyavcasjld zssj vbyv nszsale bla pvwddkdtzu clywvkqwz qynl. Tl yzps alxlxclale bla pryajzkdt lulp yp pbl tygle wr yv bkx kd ydvknkryvksd, bsrkdt vs rzlypl bkx.&dcpr;
Lydtsdt Dwyd nswze dsv blzr nbwnjzkdt psqvzu vs bkxplzq. Tl oyp pwal vbyv Zyd Zk Ykdt oyp ralvldekdt vs cl pknj vs zwal bkx kdvs hkpkvkdt bla ytykd. Gde ulv, vbkp vkxl yaswde, bl qswde vbyv bl oyp dsv yp srrsple vs vbl kely yp bl ralhkswpzu oyp. Mbkp nywple bkx vs alnyzz vbl svbla vkxlp vbyv Zyd Zk Ykdt ralvldele vs qyzz kzz. Fbl oswze qyjl bla kzzdlpp qsa y qlo eyup, yoykvkdt bkp yaakhyz. Tsolhla, yqvla y qlo eyup yde bl eke dsv vwad wr, pbl oswze clnsxl kxryvkldv yde qkde blaplzq ralvldekdt vbyv dsvbkdt bye byrrldle obkzl xyjkdt bla oyu cynj vs vbl Oypvlad Vyzynl.&dcpr;
Thinking about this, he found himself thinking that she also had a silly and cute side. In a few more days, it would not hurt to fulfill her wish and make a trip down to Duke Ding’s residence to visit her.
The person who was occupying the Crown Prince’s mind, Yan Yi Ming, was currently finding herself with nothing better to do in Duke Ding’s manor. Hence, at that moment, she was lazing at the pavilion located at the center of the lake with a fishing rod at hand. Suddenly, Little Apple exclaimed, “Nangong Xuan’s favorability has increased by another five percent!”
Yan Yi Ming was startled by Little Apple’s sudden outcry that the fishing rod in her hand jerked, causing the fish that was able to bite the bait to dart away. Hating iron for not becoming steel, she pointed her fishing rod at Little Apple and rebuked, “You’re already the 100th generation of Apple iPhones. How can you still be so easily excitable?”
Little Apple probably also agreed that its behavior just now really put the Apple family to shame, hence it murmured in embarrassment, “Actually, I’ve already tried my very best to compose myself, but my emotions still fell out of control.”
Yan Yi Ming lifted the fishing rod out of the water and tossed it aside. With a smile, she asked, “Fine then. Since you couldn’t control yourself, then you don’t have to. So tell me, you said that Nangong Xuan’s favorability increased by five percent? Why is that so?”
Little Apple shook its head powerlessly as it dejectedly told Yan Yi Ming, “I’m a system derived from the game where all the main story plotline revolves around Jian Yu’er as the main protagonist. So I’m only able to check on people and things that happened around Jian Yu’er. Furthermore, these two days, Jian Yu’er main interaction target was Jian Yu Yan and she did not come in contact with Nangong Xuan. Therefore, I don’t have any news about Nangong Xuan’s happenings.”
Since she was unable to check up on Nangong Xuan, Yan Yi Ming reluctantly watched how Jian Yu Yan meticulously took care of his ‘biological sister’. Seeing that nothing exciting had happened after watching the clip from start to end, she closed the viewing tab with dwindling interest.
Among the four male protagonists, the romantic relationship between Jian Yu’er and the genius grand secretary, Jiang Yi, and with her ‘brother’, Jian Yu Yan, had the slowest and least progression. With Jiang Yi, it was mainly because of his reserved personality. While with Jian Yu Yan, it was due to his restrictive status as her ‘brother’. On the other hand, Nangong Xuan had always been one to do whatever he wanted, and Shao Jing Yu’s action ability was off the charts; hence, he would immediately take action when he thought of doing it. Therefore, for these two other male protagonists, their romantic routes had always been imbued with erotic connotations, allowing their relationships with Jian Yu’er to progress more smoothly.
“Humans are sensory animals. Men, who had a taste of skinship would have the desire to conquer, and women, who were subdued through physical contact would inevitably become emotionally dependent on the other party. So when human’s sensory aspect is satisfied, emotions and good feelings will naturally increase.” Yan Yi Ming had a long discussion with Little Apple on reasons why Jian Yu’er was more emotionally moved by Shao Jing Yu and Nangong Xuan. “Thus, do you know where is the best place for romance to grow?”
Little Apple sincerely asked for guidance, “Where?”
“On the bed,” Yan Yi Ming licked her teeth and continued, “Just before Shao Jing Yu departed from the capital to the battlefield, he gave Jian Yu’er a goodbye kiss that she could not forget… As for Nangong Xuan, I remember that there was a story scene where Jian Yu’er fell into the water and since he rescued her, they had physical contact. And who knows? Maybe the dried wood sparkled a fire and something more occurred between the two? Even if Nangong Xuan’s EQ is low, he’s still the darling son of the game creators, allowing him to be many steps ahead of most. So this is why…”
Deep within, Little Apple felt that what she said was wrong and wanted to refute. But after much contemplation and not being able to pinpoint exactly what was wrong, he could only dazedly continue from where Yan Yi Ming left off, “So this is why, what…?”
Having not caught a single fish all morning, Yan Yi Ming leisurely raised from the lounge chair. “So this is why for my next identity, I want one that would allow me to utilize my creativity. Although the game is already very unrestrained and unscrupulous, a young aristocratic lady from the boudoir wouldn’t be able to do much other than pay some lip services. Isn’t this just making my job of capturing targets more difficult?”
Little Apple, “…”
It had chosen this identity out of the many thousands as it was worried that its host would not be satisfied. In the end, the identity that he ultimately settled on was thoroughly despised by its host! It promised itself that for the host’s next identity, it would choose an identity whose background was so unrestrained that it can shoot for the stars.
“Host, where are we going now?”
Yan Yi Ming grinned, making the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye look dazzling. “I’m going to dress up prettily and go tease that little wolf pup, where else can I go?”
Before Nangong Xuan had the chance to visit Yan Yi Ming, he was summoned to Kunning Palace1<坤宁宫> A palace where the Empress stayed also known as the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. by his Mother Empress.
The Empress of the current dynasty married the Emperor back when he was just a Crown Prince. After the Emperor successfully ascended the throne, part of the reason for his smooth ascension was due to the aid offered by the Empress’s natal family. The Empress’s natal family was also sharp-witted and had immediately handed over their authority to the Emperor once he ascended. In turn, it greatly moved the Emperor, making him more willing to use the Empress’s natal family once more. This could be considered a well-played strategy of retreating in order to move forward.
The Empress was a benevolent and intelligent person. Over the years, she and the Emperor had treated each other with respect and kindness. She gave birth to two princes and a princess and her position as the head of the harem was stable and strong. However, seeing as her sons grew older and had yet to marry, let alone even having an imperial concubine beside them, had caused her to be inevitably anxious.
Especially Nangong Xuan, who would be having his coronation ceremony at the end of this year.
Although the capital was filled with many aristocratic ladies, the ones with strong backgrounds and would be of use to her son could only be counted with one hand. Unsurprisingly, Yan Yi Ming was one of the few.
The Empress had always had a good impression of Yan Yi Ming. Despite Yan Yi Ming being a bit hot-tempered, she was beautiful and came from a scholarly and reputable family. She was smart and well-pampered by her family and most importantly, this child was infatuated with her son.
Being able to marry a young lady from a prominent family would indeed be of great help to her son, but if the young lady’s heart was constantly leaning towards her natal family then there was the probability of problems arising in the future. On the other hand, with how much Yan Yi Ming loved her son, Yan Yi Ming was a person that would be easily controlled by her son.
The only issue was that the Crown Prince did not take a shine to Young Lady Yan. The Empress had once asked the Crown Prince for his opinion of Yan Yi Ming and he had told her that Yan Yi Ming’s personality was too brash and he preferred a lady with a softer temperament.
As the Empress loved her son, she knew that her son might seem aloof on the outside, but he actually had a tender heart on the inside. He had always wanted to save the Princess Consort position for the lady he truly fancied. Unfortunately, having been born into a royal family, having a sincere relationship was not easy to come by. Although Nangong Xuan currently held the Crown Prince position, he still had an elder brother above him. Despite the fact that the law stated that the Crown Prince need not be the firstborn but must be the di son, the current Emperor himself was not the di son.
What the Emperor had in mind, no one else would be privy to it.
Now that the Crown Prince’s coronation ceremony was approaching, the sooner they could settle on the Crown Princess Consort, the more reassured she would be.
How could Nangong Xuan not understand this principle? Now that Mother Empress brought up Yan Yi Ming again, he found that he was not as disgusted with the suggestion as he previously was. After hearing what his Mother Empress had to say, he waved the servants away before asking, “What does Mother Empress think of Jian Cheng Xiang’s di daughter?”
“Jian Yu’er?” The Empress was surprised. After seeing her son nodding, she thought for a while, recalling that Jian Yu’er was indeed a gentle young lady. It was no wonder the Crown Prince liked her.
Jian Yu’er’s identity was no worse than Yan Yi Ming’s. Even though her looks could not compare to Yan Yi Ming’s, she had a softer temperament and was more amicable. When the Crown Prince ascended the throne, with Jian Yu’er’s personality, she was indeed more suited to helm the imperial harem.
Although it was not stated clearly, the Jian family already stood on the Crown Prince’s side. It would be a waste of the Princess Consort’s position if the Crown Prince were to marry the Prime Minister’s daughter.
But this was the young lady her son fancied…
The Empress had never considered Jian Yu’er before. But now that the Crown Prince mentioned her, the Empress started to seriously contemplate this and came to the conclusion that Jian Yu’er was indeed not a bad candidate. Unfortunately, neither of the families would agree to have their daughters marry in as a concubine, even if it was the Crown Prince’s imperial concubine. Those two prominent families were too reputable to do that to their daughters. After pondering on this matter, the Empress could only sigh in regret. There was no solution where they could have the best of both worlds.
The mother and son had a long chat. They soon reached the topic of his younger brother, Nangong Ye. Aside from Yan Yi Ming, who was currently pretending to be sick and did not show up at the Eastern Palace, his younger brother, who had long treated his palace as his own, was also nowhere to be seen.
The Empress immediately tittered upon hearing Nangong Xuan’s question, “Ye’er just dropped by my palace yesterday. I have to say, your Father Emperor just bestowed a pair of exquisite jadeite bracelets to me but Ye’er took it without telling me what it was for.”
Even if Nangong Ye did not mention it, as a person who had experienced youth before, how could the Empress not be able to tell? Her youngest son must have fallen for some young lady. Thinking of all the ways to make her happy, he was even daring enough to have designs on her things.
Nangong Xuan also chuckled when he heard this. “No wonder lately I haven’t been seeing that kid around. It just so happens that I don’t have anything of importance to attend to today. I’ll drop by his residence and probe him on which young lady he took a shine to.”
LOL anyone else getting a sense of foreboding on what Yan Yi Ming’s next identity would be?
( ❛ᴗ❛ )
Nangong Chan’s brain pit is just… amazing