Chapter 2.3

The Ye Family was in a high position with heavy authority. Master Li’s angry desire to denounce got entirely restrained by this family name. This family name was just like a vine forcefully gripping his neck, strangling him so much that he couldn’t breathe.

Xiao Youning, on the lower side, coldly watched the Li Family’s husband and wife pair. How they interacted with each other was unrelated to her, she just wanted the justice the Li Family owed her! She raised her voice to speak again. “A large fire burned it down? Madam Li, do you dare say to everyone why that fire started burning? Why was it, among all the rooms, in my room that the fire began?!”

She, as to who started the fire, neither refuted nor admitted. What appeared right actually sounded wrong, leaving some space for the people’s imagination.

“Look at this sharp mouth!” Madam Li, at her cunning, was almost annoyed to the point of collapsing.

“Make way, first make way.”

Both sides were at a critical point of confrontation when guards wearing soft armor pushed aside the crowd, creating a path. An inconspicuous blue sedan was brought forward from behind the crowd.

Xiao Youning followed the movement and, as she watched, her expression suddenly changed.

The sedan chair looked ordinary, but when illuminated by the lanterns in the hands of the attendants standing on either side, there was a hidden flowing water pattern on the curtains. The embroidery was sewn with silver-colored threads making it look as if it were ordinary. But which common family’s sedan chair had hidden patterns embroidered on the curtains? Even more, these guards wore soft armor in the same style of the ones worn by the imperial guards from the palace.

Xiao Youning recalled something and her expression clouded over as she pursed her lips. Lifting her gaze, she stared at Madam Li again.

Madam Li, who had been like a defeated rooster just now, stared in surprise at the sedan chair and shouted: “Is this fifth brother?”

Madam Li’s fifth brother, now Ye Family’s most well-regarded person, had followed the prince to live in the palace since he was young. He was deeply favored to this day. Although he had yet to officially receive the mission, everyone said he currently worked at the emperor’s side doing something similar to the Brocade Clad Guards’ job, frequently going in and out of the imperial prison.

Xiao Youning, when Madam Li shouted after her fifth brother, immediately stared fixedly at that sedan chair, wondering what this Fifth Master of the Ye Family had come for and whether it had something to do with her father and elder brother’s matter. Fifth Master Ye couldn’t leave the palace for no reason, let alone to speak for the Li Family. At the very least, she and the Li Family had never heard of him coming to visit in the past few years.

Xiao Youning’s thoughts went through innumerable twists and turns. A few moments later, she held tightly on Yuan Guo’s hand, vigilant towards the crowd that had retreated to the side.

However, under Madam Li’s questioning, there was absolutely no movement transmitted outwards from within the sedan chair. The excited Madam Li’s expression immediately became somewhat embarrassed, then she resentfully stared at Xiao Youning.

Xiao Youning was still hanging her head as she stared over, pondering about something. Suddenly, she raised her head just in time to see Madam Li’s gaze. She immediately faced that poisonous gaze and smiled sweetly.

As Madam Li stared blankly, Xiao Youning, at that moment, pulled on Yuan Guo to turn around and immediately run.

“Quickly! Stop her!” When Madam Li came to her senses, she discovered that she couldn’t see even the person’s shadow. Her first reaction was to demand that the person be caught, then ruthlessly give them a beating and teach them a lesson.

“Stop!” Master Li, however, raised his hand, blocking the person. Then he lowered his voice and said, “Do you think the Li Family hasn’t lost enough face yet?”

Leaving these words behind and not at all concerned over the fact that his wife was trembling with anger at how many times he had embarrassed her, he directly walked down the steps. Arriving in front of the sedan chair, he politely cupped his hands in greeting. “Is this Fifth Brother?”

From the quiet inside of the sedan chair, someone answered at last, strictly voicing a command to depart. “Back to the palace.”

The sturdy men outside the sedan chair steadily lifted the palanquin at once, carrying their master out of the crowded alley, with the frowning Master Li in their wake.

This wife’s younger brother from the Ye Family always treated people indifferently. He, contrary to expectations, was used to it. But what was the meaning behind him coming and leaving so suddenly?

Xiao Youning pulled Yuan Guo all the way as they ran down the alley, nervously squeezing into other bylanes, just in time to hear again the voices of the people outside shouting to make way. Just a moment ago, Fifth Master Ye had arrived just like that.

Her heart was beating furiously and she couldn’t help peer out the alley to see. Her quick look immediately met the gaze of Fifth Master Ye through the lifted curtains of the sedan chair.

”

”

Undoubtedly, the sedan chair and she were separated by quite a distance, and she also was unable to see clearly the opposite party’s appearance. But it was crystal-clear that the other party’s line of sight fell on her. No matter how far, she was still able to sense this. Even though she didn’t know what deep intentions that look held, she suddenly broke into shivers.

“Miss, it seems like no one came to chase us.” Yuan Guo gasped for air, pulling back her little miss’s body that was half exposed from the alley opening. “What do we do next? Don’t you also need to demand your dowry back?”

Only then did Xiao Youning come back to her senses with a jolt. Speaking of dowry, she dropped her head and pursed her lips, saying, “The Li Family will send it back! It cannot be missing a part, they’ll send it back to me here!”

She fled, not entirely because she was afraid of Fifth Master Ye’s arrival.

The sedan chair that was gradually getting further away had already lowered its curtains. Someone walked to the sedan chair’s side and softly spoke to the young person inside: “Fifth Master, that Miss Xiao, did she drag us into her scheme?”

A low chuckle came from inside the sedan chair as if responding. Indeed, the Xiao Family’s young miss was extremely daring. Her botched scheme, could it be that she thought he wouldn’t be able to see it clearly?

A moment ago she had been arguing with the Li Family for the return of her dowry, then she turned on her heels and ran away. In the eyes of others, she, by the Li Family’s and Ye Family’s power, got intimidated and fled in defeat.

The author has something to say:

Xiao Youning: The Li Family and Ye Family are both bastards!

Ye Fifth Lord: The pot comes from the sky, and must be caught steadily.