"General Su and his wife are here. I should have come out to greet you myself," Ye Jingcheng said, cupping his fist in greeting.
Su Qingtian returned the gesture. "Today is Prince Lian's joyous occasion. How could I presume?"
"Your Highness only sees General Su, making me feel quite redundant," Xie Zhengping said with a playful jab.
"Minister Xie is now favored by His Majesty and will take office tomorrow. All the court officials say your future is bright, and I can certainly see it," Ye Jingcheng said, ushering him in.
His gaze then fell upon the little one in Xie Zhengping's arms, a look of surprise crossing his face. "And who is this?"
"The youngest daughter of the Su family, Su Yunmo," Su Qingtian said first, then shot Xie Zhengping a glare.
Xie Zhengping calmly added, "She is now also my adopted daughter."
Su Qingtian was stunned.
Ye Jingcheng seemed to understand, a faint smile playing on his lips as his gaze on Su Yunmo held a hint of amusement. "With rosy lips and white teeth, cute and spirited, she truly has the demeanor of General Su."
A sharp glint flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes as her fingers slowly clenched.
"We will be seated shortly. I shall take my leave first," Zhou Wanyou said, taking Su Yunmo.
The men stepped aside, allowing her to take the children to the back courtyard.
Ye Jingcheng's gaze remained on Su Yunmo until she was out of sight.
Many people had already gathered in the back courtyard.
Her cousin Zhou Zeli was there. Additionally, the Su family had received an invitation, and Su Youqing and Su Xiayue had also come to the banquet with their elders.
When the children met, they were naturally delighted.
While the adults chatted and conversed, the children gathered to play games, passing the time.
"One, two... ten. Are you all hidden?" Su Yunmo leaned against a pavilion pillar, raising her voice to call out.
Silence followed for a long time.
Su Yunmo sighed and pulled the blindfold from her eyes.
If possible, she would have preferred to sit at the adults' table.
"Heh heh~ It seems you're quite enjoying your current life," a playful voice remarked.
A murderous intent flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes as she spun around, her chin immediately being grasped.
Ye Jingcheng had appeared before her at some point, bending down to meet her gaze, as if appraising a precious artifact.
"The 'Liuli Suo' is far more powerful than I imagined."
Resurrected from the dead?
Such an impossible feat could actually happen.
If it weren't for the fact that only she could use that item, he would have truly wanted to seize this treasure.
Su Yunmo flung his hand away and took half a step back, a surge of hatred rising within her. "Your current life is also far too good!"
Ye Jingcheng heard her sarcasm and withdrew his hand, standing with his hands behind his back. "You're still the same as before, no... you've become even more interesting."
The esteemed leader of the intelligence organization, Liman Lou, Lin Niange, the legitimate daughter of a marquis, was playing games with children.
It was a rare sight.
"I truly regret killing you now," Ye Jingcheng said, flicking a speck from his slightly creased sleeve with an air of nonchalance. "After all, you were the most useful of all my pieces."
A crimson light instantly flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes as she swung her hand towards him.
Her will caused the pavilion to sway precariously, the pillar about to fall.
It would smash him to pieces!
"The banquet is about to begin. It's time for Imperial Brother to go," Ye Jingyu said, emerging from another pavilion and subtly taking Su Yunmo's hand.
The red light in Su Yunmo's eyes receded instantly, and she grit her teeth in anger.
Ye Jingcheng smirked, glancing at the hand Ye Jingyu held, and flexed his fingers. "Third Imperial Brother has always disliked attending banquets. It's quite timely that you've arrived now."
There was a hidden meaning in his words!
The mask on Ye Jingyu's face gleamed with silver, making his dark eyes appear even more cold and stern.
"Imperial Brother was the first among all brothers to be granted a title. Since His Majesty favors you, I naturally couldn't be late for the enfeoffment banquet."
"If you neglect important matters, I fear your title as Prince Lian might need to be changed."
Ye Jingcheng narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Was this brat threatening him?
He hadn't paid much attention to this younger brother over the years, but now he realized he had underestimated him.
"Your Highness, the banquet has begun. Please proceed," the attendant Luan Yi said, calling out to him.
Ye Jingcheng waved him away and looked at Su Yunmo.
"This is a hurried encounter. We shall speak of important matters next time. Until then, please take good care of yourself and don't be snatched away by a wolf."
This wolf was so ruthless that one couldn't help but take notice.
Ye Jingcheng cast a casual glance at Ye Jingyu and turned to leave.
Once he was gone.
Ye Jingyu turned to the little figure at his feet and said coldly, "If you have anger in your heart, go jump in the lake, or I can help you jump in."
To commit murder at a prince's enfeoffment ceremony, she actually managed to do it.
Su Yunmo took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and closed her eyes. Her chest heaved rapidly before finally calming. "It was a moment of anger. There won't be a next time."
Ye Jingyu stood with his hands behind his back, saying in a dark tone, "Remember, some people can be killed, and some don't even deserve to die!"
Su Yunmo's fingers trembled slightly, and she frowned, looking at him.
From this angle, she could only see his deep eyes, hidden behind the mask.
Utterly bloodthirsty, yet also incredibly restrained.
Her heart skipped a beat. "You..."
"Momo!" Su Siyuan ran over from a distance.
Su Yunmo swallowed the rest of her words.
Su Siyuan climbed onto the pavilion and took her hand. "We haven't seen you for a while. What are you spacing out about? The banquet has already started."
"Let's hurry, or they'll eat all the good food before we get there," Su Siyuan said, pulling her towards the front courtyard.
Su Yunmo was dragged away, but she could still see the young man standing on the pavilion from afar.
His mask gleamed with a chilling silver light under the sun.
The banquet had been lively all morning. In the afternoon, Ye Jingcheng had to go to the palace to express his gratitude.
After everyone dispersed from Prince Lian's mansion.
In the afternoon, Su Siyuan had to return to school, and Su Yunmo accompanied him.
Her withdrawal notice had already been issued and needed to be collected.
Collecting the notice wasn't a difficult task; she could have simply sent a servant. However, Ziyuan had gone and couldn't retrieve it.
The school had stated that the dean had decreed that the withdrawal notice for Miss Su must be collected in person.
That old man was too vengeful!
Su Yunmo went to the school, collected her withdrawal notice, and walked out.
A young man ran towards her. He appeared to be around Ye Jingyu's age.
He was running towards her at a rapid pace.
Su Yunmo dodged to the side. He was looking back at something, and when he turned back, his direction was slightly off.
They collided.
Su Yunmo stumbled back two steps, nearly falling. She looked up and saw the young man's features.
He had sharp brows, dark eyes, a pale complexion, and crimson lips. His features were sculpted, yet carried a hint of feminine beauty that sent a shiver down one's spine.
The young man also took half a step back after bumping into her. He didn't continue running but stood still, scrutinizing Su Yunmo without a word.
"Ye Jingkun, you stop right there, you prince!"
Four or five people rounded the corner from the direction the young man had come.
The one leading was about eight years old.
He was shorter and fatter than his peers, with a round face and wide eyes. Apart from his chubby cheeks, there was nothing particularly striking about him.
Su Yunmo had seen him once before.
He was Qin Pin's son, the Emperor's fourth prince, Ye Jingguang.
"You dead girl, get out of my way, or I'll beat you too!" Ye Jingguang chased after him.
His servants surrounded them, including Su Yunmo.