Chapter 93

At the Idle Cloud Residence, the night was still filled with the sounds of singing and dancing. Although the cold wind and snow raged outside, the building was filled with the fragrance of beauties and the warmth of spring. Ye Mingzhi was now in the room of Furong, enjoying the pleasure that had not been fully satisfied during the day.

After several rounds of pleasure, the two leaned against the head of the bed, embracing each other, and occasionally exchanged sweet words. Ye Mingzhi looked down at Furong in his arms, the deformed peaches seemed to be about to burst out, and the deep and shallow ravines suddenly made him feel excited again.

"You little demon, you were really wild just now..." Ye Mingzhi extended his finger and gently tapped the beauty's delicate nose.

Furong seemed to enjoy it very much, and her jade arms tightened around Ye Mingzhi even more. Then, with a pitiful and gentle voice, she said, "Sir, you really tortured me a lot during the day!"

"Hehe! With your skills, many men would probably be defeated..." Ye Mingzhi thought of the events of the day and couldn't help but feel a bit troubled.

After a sweet smile, Furong naturally noticed Ye Mingzhi's troubled expression. She gently moved her body, her red lips slowly moving up along Ye Mingzhi's neck until they reached his ear, where she whispered, "Sir, it seems you have something troubling you?"

"What's the point of telling you?" Ye Mingzhi said casually.

At this moment, a knock came from outside the room, followed by a man's voice, "Brother Ye, why didn't you call Li Mo to join you for fun at the Idle Cloud Residence? You're really not being fair!"

Ye Mingzhi recognized the voice as Li Mo's. He quickly put on some clothes, got out of bed, and opened the door to welcome Li Mo in.

Li Mo walked into the room, glanced at Furong, who was slightly exposed, and teased Ye Mingzhi, "It seems I came at the wrong time, interrupting Brother Ye's enjoyment!"

"Brother Li, you came just in time. I was feeling a bit bored and was thinking of finding you for a drink to relieve my worries!"

"Hehe! I've also been feeling troubled lately, which is why I came here to drink and seek some fun. I heard from the madam that Brother Ye was here, so I came to visit. I didn't expect you two to be... well, hehe, I hope Brother Ye doesn't mind!"

Ye Mingzhi waved his hand dismissively, showing a generous attitude, "It's better to meet by chance than to be invited. Since we're both here, why don't we drink and enjoy ourselves?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Alright! Furong, go tell the madam to prepare a good feast. Li Mo and I will drink and chat here!"

Furong put on a revealing silk robe and smiled seductively, "Please wait a moment, I'll go..." She then left the room, leaving a trail of fragrance.

Soon, the room was set with food and drinks. As they drank and chatted, Ye Mingzhi raised his hands in a salute and said, "Brother Li, the exam period is approaching. I wish you success in the imperial exams!"

"Ah! I appreciate Brother Ye's good intentions, but I lack confidence in this exam, especially with Ye Yu participating. It's really..."

At the mention of Ye Yu's name, Ye Mingzhi felt a surge of anger, "Ye Yu! That bastard!" He continued, "Every time I think of him, I get angry. Today, my father even asked me to go and congratulate him, to show weakness to that bastard! Brother Li, how can I swallow this?"

Li Mo's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he asked, "Is this what's troubling you, Brother Ye?"

"I have deep enmity with Ye Yu. The thought of showing weakness to him... humph!"

"But to be frank, Brother Ye, what can you do if you don't show weakness? As I said in the teahouse, Ye Yu is not the same as before. Why do you have to keep fighting with him?"

"Hmph! I hate him so much that I want to eat his flesh!" However, thinking of the failed ambush in the forest, Ye Mingzhi's expression darkened, "Unfortunately, that bastard is well-guarded..."

Li Mo smiled slightly, playing with his wine cup, and said thoughtfully, "That's not necessarily the case!"

"Oh? What do you mean, Brother Li?"

"As the saying goes, 'two fists cannot defeat four hands, and even a tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves!' Even if Ye Yu has bodyguards, if a strong person sets a trap and ambushes him, he will have no way to escape!"

Ye Mingzhi nodded but did not respond, as he had thought the same before, but the results were not as expected. He asked with little enthusiasm, "What do you suggest, Brother Li?"

Li Mo took a sip of wine and then said seriously, "If Brother Ye can afford the price, I have..."

In the room, only the two of them were whispering. Under the lamplight, their expressions were particularly strange. When Li Mo finished speaking, Ye Mingzhi's face lit up with joy, and he clapped his hands, praising, "I didn't expect Brother Li to have such extensive connections!"

"Brother Ye flatters me. I just have some connections with these people. But I wonder what Brother Ye thinks..."

"Very good! Money is not a problem, but this matter must not go wrong!" Ye Mingzhi hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Brother Ye, rest assured!"

"Ha ha ha!" The two then looked at each other and laughed heartily, the room echoing with their laughter.

When it was nearly midnight, Ye Mingzhi quietly left the Idle Cloud Residence, leaving Li Mo alone to drink.

At this moment, Furong swayed her slender waist and walked in, her jade arms lightly hooking Li Mo's shoulder, and she said in a seductive voice, "Sir, how did the talk go?"

"That fool has agreed..."

Furong smiled, teasing, "Sir, your strategy of using someone else's knife to kill is truly brilliant. It's a pity that Ye Mingzhi doesn't realize it yet!"

"Did you eavesdrop?" Li Mo's brows furrowed, and he asked sternly.

"Sir, rest assured. I only have you in my heart and won't gossip!"

Li Mo's face darkened slightly, then he pulled Furong into his arms and whispered, "I don't want to cause trouble. I have a career, and if I hire someone to kill, and it's reported, it will ruin my future! Now, using Ye Mingzhi's fool to get rid of Ye Yu, isn't that great?"

"But you incited..."

"Who can prove it? Hehe, I don't even know those people..." Li Mo took out a banknote from his pocket, "I won't treat you badly. Here, it's a thousand taels!"

Furong's beautiful eyes lit up at the sight of the banknote in Li Mo's hand. She was about to reach out to take it, but Li Mo dodged, lowering his head to kiss her delicate nose and said with a lecherous smile, "Aren't you going to serve me?"

"Serving Sir is my honor..."

Furong's hand gently slid down to his waist, lightly kneading the bulge, and her red lips pressed against Li Mo's body, then started to kiss him wildly...

...

The next day, Ye Mingzhi, following his father's instructions, visited Ye Yu. Although the entire process was tedious and brief, Ye Yu did not rush to respond to the peace overtures from Ye Mengxin and his son.

Now that he was in a dominant position, how could he easily back down? As the saying goes, "Pursue the defeated enemy, do not be like the overlord who shows mercy." He did not want to be like the overlord who showed mercy.

Moreover, he knew his uncle's character better than anyone. To deal with such an old fox, he had to keep pressing and not let up. So, Ye Mengxin had misjudged this time, as Ye Yu had no intention of making peace.

No matter how deeply rooted, what could he do? Ye Yu was young and had plenty of time. Besides, his business was just beginning, and he would definitely have the strength to swallow Ye Mengxin's tea business in the future. However, his ambiguous attitude made Ye Mengxin, who was lying on his bed, feel uneasy every day.

In recent days, Ye Yu's household had been busy, with everyone focusing on preparing for his trip to the capital for the imperial exams. They were busy preparing carriages, selecting books, and choosing attendants...

This trip to the capital was not a short one, so Qiulan, who had been with Ye Yu for a long time, insisted on going with him, as she was reluctant to be separated from her master.

Ye Yu naturally could not agree to this request. He thought that if it were any other time, having a beautiful companion would not be a bad thing. But this was a trip to the capital for the imperial exams, and having a beautiful attendant by his side would make it hard to focus on his studies.

After some persuasion and comfort, he finally calmed Qiulan down.

As the day of the trip to the capital approached, Ye Yu attended many farewell banquets. Especially Yue Lin and Fan Dacheng, who encouraged Ye Yu multiple times, hoping he would bring glory to Chuzhou.

For this trip to Lin'an, Ye Yu did not bring many people, only She Tongcheng and the servant Akuan. Although it was cold outside, the iron carriage was warm inside, and a red-hot charcoal stove further drove away the winter chill.

"Brother Tongcheng, how much longer until we reach Lin'an?" In the carriage, Ye Yu, dressed in a green velvet robe, asked with his eyes closed.

She Tongcheng lifted the curtain and peeked through the gap, then said, "We're almost at Xiaogushan. After we pass Xiaogushan, it will take two more days to reach Lin'an!"

"Alright! Akuan, speed up the journey and try to pass Xiaogushan by nightfall!" Ye Yu's slightly closed eyes moved slightly, and he instructed Akuan outside the carriage.

"Alright! Master, please sit tight!" Akuan shouted and whipped the horses to speed up the carriage.

"Brother, do you think Xiaogushan is not safe?"

"Since ancient times, mountains have been home to bandits, and ships passing by isolated islands have encountered pirates... It's better to be cautious."

"Brother is right!"

The carriage returned to its previous silence, and the wind and snow raged outside. In the quiet world, the carriage moved forward alone in the wind and snow.

Xiaogushan is about a mile in circumference and over a hundred meters high. The bamboo and trees on the mountain were mostly withered and buried under the snow.

Legend has it that Yu the Great, when he was controlling the floods, inscribed his achievements on a stone here. Qin Shi Huang, during his eastern tour, also inscribed on the stone. Xiaogushan is named for its isolation. The mountain shape resembles an ancient woman's hairpin, and it is uniquely beautiful. From the east, it looks like a pen; from the west, it looks like a grand chair; from the south, it looks like a bell; and from the north, it looks like a dragon roaring to the sky.

When the carriage reached the foot of Xiaogushan, it was already evening, and the sky was dark. As the carriage continued to move forward, a group of people appeared ahead...

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