Read Novel Full CHAPTER 46 PART2
CHAPTER 46 PART2
In her past life, everything the Yin family owned… had eventually gone to Xiao Yanfei.
At the east gate of the city, a line had formed—not too long, but not short either. Their procession slowed down, waiting in line to enter the city.
“Luan’er!”
From the direction of the east gate came the clear, lively voice of Crown Prince Tang Yueze.
Clad in a blue robe, he rode his horse straight toward Xiao Luanfei, the hooves kicking up dust, exuding the confidence of a man in high spirits—elegant and bold, like the spring wind at his back.
He and his horse came to a stop beside her carriage. Tang Yueze smiled warmly and said, “Luan’er, come into the city with me.”
The tall, slender young man had deep-set eyes and refined features. He wore a lake-blue robe embroidered with green bamboo and a black silk sash at his waist. He looked poised and noble, every bit the son of royalty—so striking that it made people look twice.
Gazing at the noble youth through the window, bathed in the golden sunlight, Xiao Luanfei smiled and called sweetly, “Your Highness.”
It was like a drowning person clutching a floating branch—Xiao Luanfei felt a sense of safety settle in her chest.
She had deliberately sent a message to the Crown Prince the night before, telling him her mother was returning to the capital. She had hoped he would come to greet them, to give her face in front of the others.
Tang Yueze smiled brightly. “Luan’er, you mentioned in your letter that your grandfather had a stroke. Imperial Physician Lu from the Imperial Medical Bureau—” he began, referring to the physician known for treating strokes.
But halfway through the sentence, he noticed Xiao Luanfei’s eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of falling. She looked so aggrieved, so fragile.
“Luan’er, what’s wrong?” he asked, brows furrowing with concern.
Who was it? Who had dared to upset his Luan’er?
Tang Yueze’s heart ached as he watched her lift her delicate hand to wipe at the corners of her eyes and say sorrowfully, “Second Sister… she…”
“Enter the city.”
A cool, detached male voice interrupted Xiao Luanfei mid-sentence.
The voice was unmistakably familiar. Tang Yueze froze for a moment, turning toward the sound.
There, on a crimson horse just ahead and to the right, sat Gu Feichi, watching him with a faint, ambiguous smile playing beneath his mask.
The young man’s posture was utterly relaxed, his entire presence exuding a cold, unruly air—arrogant as frost.
Just one indifferent glance cast sideways was enough to choke off whatever Tang Yueze had been about to say.
His shoulders stiffened. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the reins and reached toward the folding fan his father had given him days ago in Qinghui Garden.
Xiao Luanfei: “……”
She looked between Gu Feichi and Tang Yueze, her fingers clutching the curtain so tightly she nearly ripped it from the carriage.
At Gu Feichi’s simple command, the convoy resumed its slow movement toward the city gates.
With him riding alongside, the guards at the gate didn’t even bother to check the Yin family’s travel permits. They simply waved the group through without a word.
Once inside the city, the procession continued westward, finally stopping at the Yin residence on Hulu Alley.
The row of carriages filled the narrow lane, making the quiet alley feel suddenly crowded. Curious neighbors and passersby gathered at the entrance, peering in.
Tang Yueze, long used to public attention as the crown prince, paid no mind to the stares around him.
After dismounting, he stepped forward gallantly and helped Xiao Luanfei down from the carriage.
Xiao Luanfei gave him a sweet smile, then turned to softly call out to the woman who had just alighted from another carriage behind them. “Mother.”
She approached Madam Yin alone, biting her lip before continuing, “A few days ago, Second Sister was practicing archery in the courtyard and accidentally injured her face with the bowstring. Later, she used the wrong medicine. The doctor said the wound became inflamed and began to fester. We had to summon several more physicians to treat her…”
“Thankfully, Second Sister is all right now.” She let out a soft sigh, lifting her delicate face ever so slightly. Her lashes trembled, her eyes glistening—on the verge of tears but not quite falling.
She knew this look always tugged at the Crown Prince’s heart.
The Yin family was merely merchant-born. But with the Crown Prince on her side, they would surely treat her with respect.
With him as her shield, she could support the Marquis of Wu’an’s household and even offer protection to the Yin family.
All she needed was a plausible explanation.
What was so wrong with letting a misunderstanding take its course?
Madam Yin said nothing. Her expression remained serene, her phoenix eyes still and unreadable, as deep as a quiet pool.
Old Madam Yin, having followed her daughter off the carriage, gently interjected, “Ah Wan, let’s go inside before we talk.”
Just then, one of the tall, broad-shouldered guards carefully lifted Old Master Yin down from the carriage and placed him back in his wheelchair.
Xiao Luanfei immediately rushed to his side, murmuring to the guard, “Careful… don’t bump him.”
Old Madam Yin gave a small shake of her head and leaned close to Madam Yin, her voice low—audible only to her.
“This child,” she said softly, “how did you raise her to be like this?”
“So much calculation behind such a sweet face…”
Madam Yin’s heart gave a sharp jolt. She said nothing—but her mind was already turning.
Lately, she had sensed something was off—her daughter’s temperament was growing increasingly skewed.
Still, girls grew up, and once they reached the age of marriage, having a few thoughts of their own wasn’t unusual. As long as she guided her patiently, her daughter would come to understand.
But—
Old Madam Yin’s comment about Luanfei echoed in her ears, abruptly sharpening her awareness. Indeed, when had her daughter’s words and actions become so… calculating?
Madam Yin’s heart gradually sank. All of a sudden, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
Above the alley, the dense canopy of leaves filtered the sunlight, casting shifting shadows on the weathered walls—and across Lady Yin’s face, where a mix of emotions passed like ripples over water.
Soon, everyone began escorting Old Master Yin in his wheelchair toward the gates of the residence.
Tang Yueze instinctively stepped forward to follow. But just as he took a few strides, Gu Feichi casually extended an arm, blocking his path.
“…” Tang Yueze frowned, his chiseled features darkening.
Gu Feichi said coldly, “Your Highness, the second young lady has been injured. The Yin family has matters to attend to. It would be best if you return for now.”
What? Second Miss Xiao is injured?! Tang Yueze froze, all his earlier sharpness dissolving. He instinctively turned toward the carriage where Xiao Yanfei was, just in time to see her stepping down, a veil hat obscuring her face.
He instantly recalled how, at the city gates, Luan’er had looked at him with tear-filled eyes and softly mentioned her “second sister.”
So—Luan’er had been trying to tell him that her sister’s face was injured?
That must be it. Tang Yueze felt a surge of clarity and urgently asked, “Who… who did this?”
Who would dare hurt Luan’er’s sister?!
“Marquis Wu’an,” Gu Feichi replied icily, his tone laced with frost. “Quite bold of the Wu’an household.”
“It seems they don’t think much of… our Duke Weiguo’s estate.”
A cold smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Beneath the eerie black mask, the effect was chilling—his whole presence turned sinister. The sight sent an involuntary shiver down Tang Yueze’s spine.
He turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he looked toward Xiao Yanfei, his expression darkening.
It only took him a moment to piece it together.
The Marquis of Wu’an must be dissatisfied with the imperial marriage arrangement. By scarring Second Miss Xiao’s face, he hoped the Duke Weiguo’s family would take the initiative to withdraw—thus avoiding defying the emperor’s decree directly.
This wasn’t about rejecting Duke Weiguo’s house. This was blatant contempt for a royal marriage decree!
Especially since it had been his idea. He had spoken in favor of the match before the emperor himself.
Even His Majesty had thought highly of it. So who was this Marquis to object? What right did he have to be dissatisfied?
The more Tang Yueze thought about it, the colder and more furious he became, like a blade encased in frost.
No wonder Luan’er had looked on the verge of tears just now—she must have felt torn between her parents and her sister, blaming herself for not protecting Yanfei.
After all, Luan’er had always cared deeply for her younger sister.
The thought made his heart ache even more. His gaze trailed anxiously after Luan’er, who stood ahead, looking dazedly at Madam Yin.
Her delicate face was full of turmoil, eyes filled with sorrow.
Tang Yueze felt a pang like a needle stabbing his heart. A surge of fire lit within him.
He could not let this go. If he did, who knew what more the Marquis of Wu’an might try—how else he might hurt Luan’er?
The Yin family was just a merchant clan—unlikely to be able to stand behind Lady Yin and Luan’er when the time came.
No. This responsibility fell to him.
“Lord Gu, I understand.” Tang Yueze cupped his hands toward Gu Feichi, then swiftly mounted his horse. With a sharp nudge to the flanks, he rode off down the narrow alley of Hulu Lane.
The crisp clatter of hooves echoed sharply between the walls, fading only as his figure disappeared into the distance.
Xiao Yanfei glanced back at Tang Yueze’s retreating figure.
She hadn’t heard exactly what Gu Feichi had said to him, but she had a vague sense of it—and her intuition was confirmed the moment she met Gu Feichi’s gaze, not too close, not too distant.
He curved his lips in a faint smile, affirming her guess.
Xiao Yanfei lifted a hand to gently brush aside the gauzy veil draped from her hat, revealing half of her delicate face. Her eyes curved like fox’s crescents, sparkling with mischief, and silently gave him a look that said: Don’t worry.
Then, without another glance, she turned and followed Madam Yin and the others into the Yin residence.
Gu Feichi remained where he stood, watching as the young woman stepped lightly across the threshold.
He wasn’t worried at all.
His little fox had never been some clinging vine relying on others—she was a creature of the wild, clever and sharp-eyed, clear in thought, quick to act, and more than capable of borrowing a tiger’s might to achieve her goals.
And besides that—she was beautiful.
Gu Feichi smiled faintly as she crossed into the courtyard, but not before glancing back at him over her shoulder. The breeze lifted the soft blue veil like mist or mountain haze, revealing the smooth curve of her pale chin and her full, cherry-pink lips beneath the sheer fabric.
She waved a tiny hand at him.
“Yanfei!”
Ahead of her, Madam Yin called gently.
This time, Xiao Yanfei didn’t look back again.
This old Yin residence had sat unused for over ten years. Back then, when Madam Yin married into the capital, Old Master Yin had purchased this house specially for her. Over the years, only a few servants remained behind to keep watch.
Now that the old couple had moved to the capital for good, Madam Yin had arranged for renovations to be completed six months in advance. The house had been thoroughly refurbished, the garden restored, and even the flowers replanted anew.
Following the Yin family into the courtyard, Xiao Yanfei admired the garden’s renewed charm with great interest. Just then, she heard Madam Yin’s gentle voice: “You all rest for a while.”
Old Madam Yin herself pushed Old Master Yin’s wheelchair toward the west side hall adjacent to the main hall.
Yin Huan, the eldest son, realized that his parents likely had matters to discuss with his sister, so he tactfully offered, “Mother, I’ll have someone fetch a physician to examine Father, and also prepare some hot water so he can wash up and refresh himself.”
With that, he quietly motioned to his wife and withdrew.
The door to the west side hall was gently closed behind them, sealing off both sound and sight.
Old Madam Yin turned to her daughter, not bothering with small talk. Her first words were direct:
“Ah Wan, when you gave birth to Luan’er, do you recall anything unusual?”
Old Madam Yin, seated across from her mother on a round-back chair, widened her eyes slightly.
She had been in a daze this entire journey.
Her mind was a storm of confusion—she had tried to piece things together, yet couldn’t seem to settle on any clear thought.
Now, this one question struck her heart like a hammer.
She opened her mouth, lips trembling, and asked with difficulty, “Are you saying… Luan’er… isn’t my child?”
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