As Huo Ling left the banquet hall to change, Ye Xiao, who had no one to talk to and was uninterested in small talk, also left the hall. Impatient, he wanted to find a quiet place.
Strolling through the flower-filled paths, passing through the winding rock paths, and marveling at the brilliant flowers and the occasional cloud-shrouded moon, Ye Xiao walked aimlessly.
However, to his surprise, despite his usual lack of appeal to women, he inexplicably encountered several noble ladies along the way.
Some were legitimate daughters, and some were from concubine families—usually distinguishable from their attire and demeanor—whether they were legitimate daughters or concubines. It's unclear whether this was by coincidence or design, but one woman who stumbled tried to lean onto him, causing Ye Xiao to avoid her, and as he turned a corner, he might stumble upon another beauty who felt her life was hard under the moon. His footsteps might lead him to yet another place where a coquettish maiden would hope for someone to guide her out of the maze.
One after another, the women displayed different characteristics, each with their own unique method of "encounter."
Despite never having had much appeal to women, if not for his astute assessment of these women's attempts to entice him, as well as his exposure to more advanced schemes by the Emperor's side, a nearly thirty-year-old single Ye Xiao would have believed his romantic fortunes were finally looking up.
The first noblewoman he encountered might have been an accident, the second an exception, but by the third... if Ye Xiao still hadn't caught on by then, he would not even be fit for his position as Commander of the Imperial Guards.
Even in his own household, Ye Xiao had plenty of subordinates at his command. When a brazen maiden, emboldened with courage, tried to approach Ye Xiao to ask for directions, a guard would swiftly appear and carry her off, shouldering her away. The guards' actions were swift enough to silence the maiden before she could even scream.
The same approach was used on most of the individuals whom Ye Xiao encountered.
Nevertheless, while the individuals trying to entice him did not achieve their goals, they did squander a considerable amount of Ye Xiao's time. By the time Ye Xiao was able to dismiss the beauties "accidentally" showing up after receiving the news that they were coming, Huo Ling had already handled the situation himself.
As he stepped into the courtyard where Huo Ling was, the scene that met Ye Xiao’s eyes could be described as "crystal clear."
The moon shone brightly overhead with the trees' shadows stretching across the ground.
While there were many people in the courtyard, there was no sign of revelry; in fact, it was rather "quiet."
Huo Ling, dressed in black, sat cross-legged on a golden nanmu chair, with the Lady of the World Prince, Liu Yue, to his left and Ye Xiao's mother, the Lady of the World Prince, Qin Shi, to his right.
On Qin Shi's side, the female attendants and servants were bound, and a certain Lady of the Superintendent Chamberlain, who had fainted numerous times due to Qin Shi's anger. On Liu Yue's side, there were several women who trembled and handed over silver notes, bracelets, or hairpins to the attendants by Liu Yue's side. Additionally, the Lady of Changning County was also present to assist with the registrations. In the middle, Huo Ling sat calmly, enjoying the moonlight that shone above his head.
When Huo Ling’s casual gaze wandered to Ye Xiao, he instinctively straightened himself up and sat upright in the chair.
With a light cough, Huo Ling beckoned Ye Xiao, "It's a shame, cousin, that you arrived late." Regretting that Ye Xiao had missed witnessing him in all his glory, Huo Ling had a great idea, "Even though you missed the excitement, I don’t mind telling you all about it."
As his glance roamed across the entire courtyard, Ye Xiao, who had already formed some guesses, walked over to Huo Ling and sat down on the stool that was brought over by an attendant, signaling his willingness to listen, "Alright, I'm listening."
"Let me tell you, the story..." Huo Ling sat upright and began to narrate loudly so that everyone in the courtyard could hear, "Well, the thing is…"
Huo Ling had a talent for storytelling; his rendering of an originally convoluted event made it feel even more dramatic and compelling. At some points, it made the listeners even begin to doubt their own feelings—perhaps the Royal Highness would have reacted even better with a surprise performance?
Though Ye Xiao, despite his keen wit, couldn't have imagined that Huo Ling would actually do such a thing. Despite the lack of personal interference, Huo Ling had managed to capture and hold all the women involved in the plot, their husbands coming to apologize and compensate each and every one of them. Those who didn't have a part in it but witnessed it just needed to pay a fee to leave, using valuable items they had on them as collateral.
Huo Ling hadn't even considered whether this action might disturb the Lady of Dingguo's banquet, because upon receiving the news, the Lady of Dingguo didn't mind at all. Not only did she not mind, she even wanted to come and watch the excitement. If not for the timely intervention of the Lady of Deyang, who remained rational despite worrying about her daughter Changning, Ye Xiao would not only have met his mother, but he would have also had the pleasure of meeting his grandmother here.
Most importantly, Huo Ling promised to share what he finally obtained with the Lady of Dingguo.
As a result, the Lady of Dingguo not only didn't mind that there would be fewer guests at the upcoming banquet, she also specifically conveyed a message to Huo Ling, saying, "Take your time, no rush."
Ye Xiao:... besides kowtowing defeat, he had no idea how he felt about this turn of events.
Seeing Huo Ling's complete disregard for the parties involved, glancing at his mother, who was smiling at the Lady of the Superintendent Chamberlain with mocking amusement, and then sweeping his eyes over the Lady of the World Prince who was occasionally conversing with the Lady of Changning County, Ye Xiao suddenly realized that he really didn't have a place here.
Or did he? Ye Xiao thought he could still play a part, "Do you need a few Imperial Guards to help you?"
The Jinwu Guards are much more reliable than the guards and maidservants of the Duke Dingguo's mansion. Wanting to avoid unnecessary complications, Huo Ling directly and crisply responded, "Great." He stood up, patted Ye Xiao's shoulder while he was sitting on the stool, and said with a smile, "You truly live up to being my cousin, you are amazing! You really understand my thoughts and are considerate of my worries, good cousin!" Much more reliable than that little Anzi guy.
"That's what I should do." Ye Xiao looked at Huo Ling's sincere praise, feeling incredibly complex. After a moment of silence, he could only express that this was what he should do as a cousin and as a Wei Yinwei who cared for the prince, "Your Highness, rest assured, my subordinates are very capable. We will definitely not miss the banquet."
"I've always trusted you." Completely unconcerned with the possibility of missing the banquet, Huo Ling waved his hand casually and asked casually, "By the way, why did you come so late?"
Ye Xiao: "……" Not wanting to mention what happened when he arrived, Ye Xiao simply said, "I was delayed by some things."
Not planning to explain in detail the reasons for his delay to Huo Ling, but Ye Xiao did get some inspiration from Huo Ling.
Ye Xiao called his subordinates over and had them bring the several noblewomen who were initially knocked out and driven away to the courtyard, to join the women being watched over by the guards and maidservants. Even the two women who had sprained their ankles and were contemplating life under the moonlight were not neglected.
"I hope your family is wealthy." Facing the noblewomen who seemed unaware of what had happened, Ye Xiao, rarely lifting the corners of his lips, smiled at them and said, "No, I should say, I hope your families are not willing to give up on you." Unlike Huo Ling, who was certain to get the money, if these noblewomen's weight wasn’t enough—after all, if they had weight, they wouldn’t have been instructed to "coincidentally" encounter him—Ye Xiao might have been busy for nothing and gotten nothing.
Attempting to trip up Ye Xiao—but not opposed to forging a good relationship with him—only the two awakened noblewomen whispered to each other, "So this is the reason why Commander Ye is still single?"
The two noblewomen had just formed this question in their minds, their expressions had yet to change, before Ye Xiao, as if aware of their thoughts, flicked two pebbles at their sleeping points.
The two noblewomen went limp and fell to the side, inadvertently knocking into the wife of the Inspector General, severing her dream of trying to one-up Lady Qin and win over the Prince's Consort.
Huo Ling only saw the two noblewomen who were trying to plead suddenly fall onto the wife of the Inspector General, and did not see Ye Xiao's actions. But Huo Ling always felt as if something he didn't know about had occurred. "Ye Xiao, were you just being shunned?"
"Hmm?" Ye Xiao's gaze shifted, his expression unchanged. "Your Highness, why do you say that?"
Seeing Ye Xiao's calm, almost emotionless gaze, Huo Ling decisively chose not to pursue this meaningless matter further. "Maybe it's just my imagination, it's not worth paying attention to."
"Yes, that's right." Ye Xiao firmly agreed. "Your Highness is right."
When Ye Xiao withdrew his gaze from Huo Ling, Huo Ling, feeling inexplicably relieved, turned his head and called to the Prince's Consort sitting beside him, "A Yue, are you ready?"
"Just a moment, there's still one more."
The appearance of the Princess Deyang was too sudden, and her actions too fast. Zheng Yangwen, who was suddenly slapped, hadn't even reacted yet, let alone Huo Ling, who wanted to say a few harsh words but was suddenly interrupted by the Princess Deyang.
The Princess Deyang, who had always been conscious of her image, slapped someone in front of everyone, indicating that her remaining rationality was dwindling. Every mother protecting her children is not to be trifled with, especially the Princess Deyang, who now treats her two daughters as if they were her life.
Before Zheng Yangwen could react and question her, she raised her hand and delivered another slap, knocking out two of his teeth.
"Are you from the Zheng family? Just you wait for me."
Spitting out blood mixed with two teeth, and realizing he had lost his teeth, Zheng Yangwen, filled with hatred, said, "Princess Deyang!"
Huo Ling, who had also reacted, quickly stepped forward, blocking Princess Deyang and firmly grasping Zheng Yangwen's wrist, preventing him from doing anything foolish in a moment of desperation. "Master Zheng, calm down, please stay calm."
"You must remain calm. If you lose control now and cause irreparable consequences, then you won't be able to accept the 'serious consequences' I have prepared for you in time."
Huo Ling tried to calm Zheng Yangwen down, but after speaking those words, he realized it was better off not saying anything.
"You, you all!"
"Don't bother, just pay up." Brushing away the hand pointed at him, Huo Ling noticed the Crown Prince's wife helping the Princess Deyang to the side. Feeling relieved, he took a step back and maintained a safe distance from Zheng Yangwen. "As long as you pay, you can leave immediately."
As Huo Ling finished speaking, the guards lifted the unconscious wife of the Governor over to them.
It was only at this moment that Zheng Yangwen realized, unconsciously, he had been surrounded by people from the Duke Dingguo's estate and Huo Ling's people. As for the family members of the wives and daughters under Duke Dingguo's control, some had already left without a trace, while others had retreated to a corner, preparing to see how Duke Dingguo would handle them and decide how to respond.
Facing the sudden onslaught without any advantage, and the prince, Huo Ling, who always seemed to act unpredictably but always had things work out in his favor, Zheng Yangwen suddenly remembered the advice that the Minister of Household Li had given him.
As a friend of Zheng Yangwen, the Minister of Household Li, who somehow got some inside information, encountered Zheng Yangwen on the way out of the palace after morning court and took the opportunity to remind him.
"I have not had any contact with the Crown Prince, but the old man Li Gongming sometimes makes sense. The Crown Prince is not someone you can judge with common sense."
"If you have made up your mind, then don't regret it."
At the time, Zheng Yangwen did not believe that someone who used to be carefree and was now in a high position as the Crown Prince could outsmart so many people. He believed that with the support of the Zhang family, the Zheng family, and other allied families, he could be safe and secure, so he dismissed Minister Li's warning.
Who would have thought?
The Crown Prince actually did not act according to common sense!
What was even more crucial was that the Crown Prince Huo Ling unexpectedly took actions that no one could have anticipated and still managed to get the most advantageous and even the best results.
Personally experiencing Huo Ling's capabilities, Zheng Yangwen at that moment suddenly felt the same confusion as the Emperor, who often wondered whether Huo Ling was really foolish or just pretending to be. It was so difficult that even silence felt strenuous.
Realizing that today might not end well, Zheng Yangwen attempted to provide valuable information about the Zhang family's plans, among others, in exchange for his own safety. However, regardless of how he implied it, Huo Ling's attitude remained unchanged, "Pay up and leave, or don't leave at all."
Unmoved by intimidation or enticement, Huo Ling's attitude remained unwavering, sticking to the original principle. This made Ye Xiaodong, who occasionally encountered subordinates being tempted, feel extremely proud - his Highness was indeed the best!
Ye Xiaodong turned to look at his deputy, Du Ruo, "Look at his Highness, and then look at yourself." Compared to Huo Ling, Du Ruo seemed completely lost when he discovered that the target of the mission was his ex-lover.
As a deputy carefully cultivated by Ye Xiaodong, Du Ruo instantly grasped the implication of Ye Xiaodong's words, and subconsciously looked in the direction where Huo Ling was.
Seeing Huo Ling's inflexible attitude, despite trying every means, Zheng Yangwen realized that he could not change Huo Ling's decision, so he simply chose to give up.
Zheng Yangwen took off the jade pendant hanging from his waist and handed it to Ye Xiaodong, "Your Highness, is this enough?"
Huo Ling did not reach out to take it; instead, one of his guards took the pendant. After assessing its value, the guard held up three fingers to indicate that the jade pendant was worth three thousand taels.
Three thousand taels in exchange for the wife of the Governor, and Huo Ling felt it was acceptable. He simply stepped aside, "You may leave, no need to see you off. Come again next time."
As Huo Ling made his move, the people from Duke Dingguo's estate, who had been surrounding Zheng Yangwen, also stepped aside as if they had not done anything extremely disgraceful.
Zheng Yangwen: "... I don't think there will be a next time."
Clutching his fist at his side, and under the resentful gaze of Princess Deyang and the calm look from Huo Ling, Zheng Yangwen maintained the dignity befitting a Governor, respectfully bid farewell to Huo Ling and his entourage, and left with the wife of the Governor, who had already awoken halfway and yet had not opened her eyes, from Duke Dingguo's estate.
The treatment received by the remaining family members of wives and daughters held in Duke Dingguo's estate was similar to that of Zheng Yangwen. Anyone could leave as long as they paid the requested amount.
As for those who had no money, didn't want to pay, and were attempting to play dumb and leave their wives or daughters in Duke Dingguo's estate, Huo Ling's solution was also quite straightforward.
"If you have no money and nothing valuable on you, then give an IOU. If you still refuse, I believe you have a sense of shame; you'll repay your debts."
"If you don't, I'll make sure those ten words 'So-and-so owes money and is shameless' appear everywhere. If you're still not satisfied, I can have them sung in the streets."
"I promise and can guarantee you, your Highness, that I will surely not disappoint you."
As for the reflection and demeanor a Crown Prince should possess, that was something that had to exist for sure, right?