Imperial Capital 35: Leisurely Life vs. Hot Water

After arriving at the Xu family, Ye Li realized that when Xu Qingchen said that he needed to learn a lot of things when he was in the Ye Mansion, it was not just to appease Old Madam Ye. In fact, the second day after Ye Li moved into the Xu family's villa, her second aunt personally invited the wife of the Duke of Hua to teach her how to manage the household and the interpersonal relationships between the royal family and dignitaries. In addition, there was an old nanny from the palace to teach Ye Li the etiquette and rules of the palace. Then every afternoon, Xu Hongyu personally explained some strategies to Ye Li, and then Xu Qingchen taught her how to appreciate antiques and treasures, and also analyzed the various forces in the capital in detail. Ye Li always thought that she had lived a life longer than others, and should have learned a lot. Now I know that in the eyes of my uncle and cousins ​​in the Xu family, I am still far from being an excellent lady from a rich family. So Ye Li lived a life like in her previous life, taking various exams, trying to cram as much knowledge taught by her uncle into her brain as possible in just one month.

"Miss, Miss Qin is here." Ye Li was sitting in the pavilion playing chess with Xu Qingbai, while Xu Qingyan was watching. Qingshuang came in and reported. These days, not only was Ye Li receiving almost cramming-style learning, but even Qingshuang and Qingxia who came with her were really trained by Nanny Lin. Although the days were still short, Qingshuang had become much more stable than before.

Xu Qingyan's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Huh? Is it my future second sister-in-law?"

Xu Qingbai put down the chess piece and smiled at Ye Li, "Since the guests have arrived, let's continue tomorrow."

Ye Li naturally wanted it, and she actually liked chess more than Go. In Ye Li's opinion, Go is very emotional, requiring macroscopic planning, keeping still, and infiltrating each other. Chess is much faster, with horses and spears, and soldiers facing each other. In Ye Li's heart, she actually still likes the incisive and exciting pleasure of her previous life. As Xu Qingbai put down the chess pieces, Ye Li raised her head and smiled, "I'm not good at playing chess, I'm afraid that Fourth Brother has long been impatient?" Xu Qingbai stood up, shook his head and smiled, "Compared to Xiaowu, I would rather play with you." Xu Xiaowu, the first chess fanatic in the Xu family - a Go fanatic. He plays a bad chess game, but he is also very obsessed with Go. It's a pity that in the Xu family, even the servants in the family disdain to play chess with him. After hearing what Xu Qingbai said, Xu Qingyan looked at Ye Li with tears on her face. Ye Li couldn't help but twitched her lips. She really didn't know whether Fourth Brother was praising her or insulting her.

Qin Zheng was quickly invited in, and Xu Qingbai also took Xu Qingyan out.

"Li'er, it seems like you are living well in the Xu family?" Qin Zheng stood outside the pavilion and looked at Ye Li and said with a smile.

Ye Li's face was pale, and she pulled Qin Zheng in. "I never knew that I had so many things to learn."

Qin Zheng smiled and said, "Aunt Ye passed away early, so you have to learn more. Who among us has not learned since childhood? Besides, you are not marrying into an ordinary family, but into the Dingguo Palace. You can't blame Uncle Xu and his men for being so meticulous." Ye Li thought of the two absolutely huge books on military strategy that she still had in her study, and she couldn't help but frown. If you didn't know, you would think she was not getting married but going to war. However, compared to the books that Nanny Lin and the wet nurse brought that required women to behave properly, Ye Li wisely chose the more practical and interesting military books.

"Haha, let's not talk about this. Has my elder sister met my second brother?" Ye Li asked Qin Zheng with a smile.

Qin Zheng's face flushed slightly. She glared at Ye Li before whispering, "The eldest and second young masters are both out."

Ye Li sighed with some regret, that is, she had never seen them. After thinking for a while, she leaned over to Qin Zheng and smiled softly, "It doesn't matter, they will come back eventually."

Seeing her meaningful smile, Qin Zheng's face turned redder. She was so angry that she stretched out her hand to pinch her. Ye Li quickly begged for mercy and dodged, "Oh, Sister Qin, I was wrong... I know I was wrong... Spare my life..." Qin Zheng glared at her fiercely before saying, "You girl! You... You didn't have any..." Ye Li's calm performance that day still left a deep impression on Qin Zheng. Qin Zheng once again compared her uneasy mood that could not be calmed down at this time, and couldn't help but feel a little frustrated and uneasy.

Ye Li touched her nose in embarrassment. How could she have the nerve to tell the girl in front of her that she was no longer at the age where she would blush at a good-looking guy?

"Ahem, well... just keep a normal mind. It's no big deal. It's the first time for everyone and no one is any worse than anyone else." Ye Li advised without saying anything meaningful.

Qin Zheng rolled her eyes at Ye Li in annoyance. She finally understood that this weirdo Ye Li didn't understand her daughter's delicate and beautiful thoughts at all.

Ye Li cried out: Who doesn’t understand...

While Ye Li was living a busy and happy life in Xu's villa, the Ye family and Prince Li's mansion were in dire straits. The events of Chuxiang Pavilion that day spread through various channels in the capital, of course, with all kinds of speculations and inferences from the masses. In the gambling houses, some people were even betting on when Prince Li would abandon Fourth Miss Ye again. The scandal of Prince Li and Princess Qixia also spread inexplicably: Princess Nanzhao and Prince Dachu fell in love at first sight, but they parted because of their respective status. The princess could not forget her old love, but her lover had already found another beautiful woman... Such a sad love tragedy was almost written into a storybook and sung in teahouses and wine shops. Ye Ying went to Mo Jingli to cry about this, but Mo Jingli was in a state of panic, and the two of them parted unhappily. As a result, the rumors spread even more.

"Your Highness, the Queen Mother invites you."

Mo Jingli stepped into the palace with a gloomy face, and the steward who had been waiting for a long time hurried forward to report.

Mo Jingli nodded, and turned around to go to Concubine Xianzhao's courtyard.

"Mother."

Concubine Xianzhao sat on the couch with her forehead propped up, looking a little ugly. It was only when Mo Jingli came in that she forced a smile and said, "Li'er is here, come and sit down."

"Does mother have any instructions?" Mo Jingli walked over to the concubine and sat down and asked.

The Concubine Dowager shook her head and said, "Mother is just asking you how things are going. The wedding date is coming soon, and if something goes wrong, it will not be good for the Emperor." Mo Jingli said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, mother, it's just some rumors, it will be nothing." Concubine Xianzhao frowned and said, "Mother did not agree with you marrying that Ye Ying, but seeing that she is Ye Zhaoyi's sister, I tolerated it. Now it's so outrageous. She is... Will she be able to support the reputation of Prince Li's Mansion in the future?" Mo Jingli's cold eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and he said respectfully: "She is ignorant, and Concubine Lao will teach her well in the future." Concubine Xianzhao waved her hand and said with some annoyance: "Forget it, things have come to this point and this is the only way. Tell Ye Ying to wait for marriage quietly for me these days. Since she wants to be the princess of Prince Li's Mansion, she must have the manners of a princess. Especially... don't provoke her third sister!"

"Mother?"

The concubine sneered, looked at Mo Jingli helplessly and said, "Li'er, you really misjudged me this time. Although I can't tell the depth of Miss Ye San at the moment, how could that woman really be a worthless daughter as others say? Besides... even if she is really a worthless daughter, as long as she is not a fool, she is much more valuable than Ye Ying. I heard that Xu Hongyu, the head of the Xu family, and several young masters have all arrived in the capital. Now you should know how much the Xu family values ​​Ye Li."

Mo Jingli snorted coldly and said, "No matter how great the Xu family's family background is, they have already withdrawn from the court. Moreover... that Ye Li has no virtues at all and is unfit to be the principal wife of Prince Li's mansion."

The concubine sighed and nodded, "Forget it, just keep it in mind."

Mo Jingli didn't know that the recent days were just the beginning of his bad luck. Even if he had already retired from the court, the power of the aristocratic family that spanned two dynasties for hundreds of years was not something that a mere prince could resist.