coobybook Chapter 138 Like being struck by lightning
Chapter 138 Like being struck by lightning
Chapter 138 138 Strikes Like a Thunderbolt
The warm atmosphere in the Xu residence vanished instantly due to that unexpected letter. Marquis Anshi and Ye Yanxun, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, soon set off back to the residence. Upon arriving at the residence, the two men were taken aback when they saw Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran waiting inside the gate. They quickly composed themselves, their expressions becoming quite complex.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Yanxun smiled and strode forward to greet Gongsun Yuan, saying, "Mother, your son is back!"
"It's good to be back," Gongsun Yuan smiled happily. She reached out her hand to Ye Yanxun, who grasped it knowingly. She said, "Are you hungry? Mother invited the chef from Zuixianlou to the manor to cook a delicious meal for you. You've suffered so much at the examination hall these past few days, you should make sure to nourish yourself properly."
Ye Yanxun stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Gongsun Yuan held him firmly and scolded, "Be careful, don't fall."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Anshi behind him hurriedly said nervously, "What are you saying? The results haven't been released yet, don't say anything out of the ordinary."
Gongsun Yuan turned around and glared at him, saying, "You don't even believe in your own son's abilities, but only in this nonsense. You're a marquis, yet you call yourself one."
Marquis Anshi was taken aback by her words and could only awkwardly say, "Alright, whatever you say."
Without a word, Gongsun Yuan led Ye Yanxun toward the dining room. Ye Yanxun dared not struggle, only feeling a dull ache in his stomach. He had eaten quite a lot at Xu Pingyue's place earlier, and if he ate any more, his stomach would probably burst.
Ye Pianran watched with great interest from behind. When they were about to reach the dining hall, she spoke up, "Mother, I think my eldest brother seems very tired. Why don't we let him go back and rest to replenish his energy before having his meal?"
Although he didn't have much affection for Ye Pianran, Ye Yanxun couldn't help but find her voice as beautiful as heavenly music. Noticing that Gongsun Yuan was looking at him, Ye Yanxun quickly nodded and said:
"Yes, Mother, I'm not hungry, but I'm a little sleepy. These days, I've been taking the exams in the examination hall, and the cells are so cramped and stuffy that I haven't been able to get a proper rest..." After saying that, he tilted his head back and yawned.
Gongsun Yuan truly felt sorry for him. She raised her hand and gently rubbed his tired face, saying, "Alright, Mother will have someone warm up all the food. After you wake up, I'll send someone to deliver it to your room."
Ye Yanxun laughed and said, "Alright, then I'll go back to my room to rest." With that, he turned and hurried away. After turning the corner and making sure that Gongsun Yuan could no longer see him, he breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand, and rubbed his stomach with a wry smile.
Why is the first thing a mother thinks of when she sees him to feed him? Does he look that hungry?
Shaking his head helplessly, Ye Yanxun slowly walked towards his courtyard. However, as he walked, he suddenly sensed something was amiss. But what exactly was wrong?
Ye Yanxun frowned as he observed the scenery around the Marquis's residence, racking his brains to figure out what was causing the strange feeling the residence gave him. When the third group of servants passed by him, he suddenly realized what was happening, grabbed the servant holding the wooden tray, glared at the baby clothes on the tray, and his face was terribly gloomy.
Who is this meant to be sent to?
The servant was gripped so tightly by him that it hurt. Knowing that he was extremely favored, the servant dared not be negligent and said tremblingly, "Yes, yes, it was sent to Aunt Meng's room for Young Master Fu'er to wear."
Aunt Meng? Young Master?
Ye Yanxun was struck dumb, his face showing obvious astonishment: "Aunt Meng—she gave birth? It's a son?"
The servant replied, "That's right, it was born the night before last, and it caused quite a commotion."
Ye Yanxun immediately turned and ran towards his courtyard. Once inside, he called out, "Youhe! Youhe!"
Youhe knew he was returning today and had been waiting in her room. Hearing his call, she immediately came out to greet him tremblingly: "Young Master, you're back..."
Ye Yanxun grabbed Youhe's wrist forcefully and dragged her into the house, asking in a cold voice, "How was Aunt Meng able to give birth to that child so easily? She was clearly cursed with 'Childlessness'! Why didn't you stop her? Do you know that it was a boy!"
Youhe's face turned deathly pale instantly. Her legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground, saying, "Young Master, Consort Meng and that child should have been dead, but who knew that the Marquis sent someone to Lanxin Courtyard to invite the Eldest Miss? The Eldest Miss somehow managed to bring the dead child and Consort Meng back to life, and... and..."
"And what?!" Ye Yanxun's gaze was extremely terrifying.
"Moreover... the next day, when Guard Kou searched Jasmine's room, he found a bottle of medicine containing 'Child-Slaying' and some silver notes from the Song family. The Marquis executed her for the crime of plotting to harm the Marquis's heir!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Ye Yanxun took two steps back, his eyes widening suddenly. "How could she possibly have 'Childlessness'?" After saying that, he quickly turned around and searched through the cabinets and drawers in the room. He found a porcelain bottle with the word "Childlessness" on it neatly placed in the corner. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and sat down heavily in the chair as if all his strength had been drained.
He frowned, still unable to understand why Jasmine had "Child-Slaying Poison"? Only Ye Yingrou and he had this poison; there was no way Ye Yingrou would give it to anyone else!
"Young Master..." Youhe suddenly spoke up again, "There's one more thing... Youhe has something to report to you..."
Seeing that Youhe's expression was off, Ye Yanxun said angrily, "What else is there? Say it all at once!"
"On the day you took the imperial examination, a new maid named 'Yue'er' came to Miss's room. That maid is skilled in martial arts, and even the guards in the manor are no match for her. No one knows who she is, and she doesn't follow any rules. She even dares to stop the Marquis. With her by Miss's side, no one will be able to do anything to Miss in the future."
Ye Yanxun suddenly remembered what Ye Pianran had said to him alone before he entered the examination hall. A surge of rage welled up inside him. He ripped off the incense pendant hanging from his waist, threw it hard on the ground, and said hatefully, "Ye Pianran! I truly underestimated you!"
The pendant bounced a few times on the ground, and the openwork copper cover opened from the middle, releasing a brown incense pill that rolled all the way to Ye Yanxun's feet, covered in dust. Ye Yanxun's face twisted slightly, and he raised his foot as if to crush the incense pill to pieces. But perhaps because the copper cover was no longer there to block it, the fragrance emanating from the incense pill was even stronger than before. Smelling this fragrance that had helped him get through the grueling and long exam, he suddenly paused, finally lowering his foot and bending down to pick up the incense pill.
With a stern face, Ye Yanxun brushed the dust off the incense ball and placed it back in the copper cover. Looking out the window, he gritted his teeth and said, "One day, I will make her pay for all that she has done!"
In the study on the other side, An Shihou sat opposite and talked incessantly, while Ye Pianran stood quietly to the side, seemingly listening to An Shihou, but inwardly she tilted her head at the same time as 666 in the space, somewhat puzzled.
[Ye Yanxun's favorability +1, good/evil value +1. Ye Yanxun's current favorability is 61, and the host's good/evil value is 4.]
Logically, after returning to his room, Ye Yanxun should have learned from his maid about the recent events at the Marquis's residence—that Consort Meng had given birth successfully, that his spy Jasmine, planted in Lanxin Courtyard, had been eliminated, and that she now had a maid skilled in martial arts. Any one of these events would have made Ye Yanxun and Ye Yingrou extremely unhappy. But why… did his affection for her increase instead of decrease?
666 exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that we're wrong? It wasn't Ye Yanxun who did it, huh?"
"No, this matter must be related to him. After all, if the concubine in the manor gives birth to a child, he will no longer be the only candidate to inherit the title of Marquis Anshi. He and Ye Yingrou will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen," Ye Pianran replied in her heart.
"Ran'er? Ran'er? Ye Pianran!"
An Shihou's roar brought Ye Pianran back to her senses. Ye Pianran looked at An Shihou and asked with a smile, "What did Father just say?"
He glared at her with great dissatisfaction and said again, "The Fourth Prince said before that he would send someone to the Marquis's residence to pick you up after the autumn examination. Your Highness can forget about this, but we cannot forget. Tomorrow you will come with me to visit the Prince of Nanping's residence."