"What exactly is going on?" Emperor Ye Yao asked, his cold gaze fixed on Ye Yunshuang, his eyes deep.
Ye Yunshuang was startled by his look and her mind went blank, unable to respond.
Su Yunmo spoke up first, her voice raised, "Imperial Uncle, this bad person bullied Consort Liu, and she wants to drive Consort Liu away. She even fought with us just now."
"Oh?" Emperor Ye Yao narrowed his eyes, unmoving as he stood in front of Liu Lanxue. His gaze towards Ye Yunshuang was filled with annoyance. "Princess, you've become increasingly presumptuous. You dare to meddle in the affairs of my harem!"
Scolded, Ye Yunshuang felt indignant. "Imperial Brother, how can you depose the Empress for this woman? I'm having her leave here for your own good."
"If the world knows that Imperial Brother favors a concubine over his Empress, they will laugh at you. Moreover, she is merely a deposed concubine, and she once openly..."
*Slap!*
Emperor Ye Yao raised his hand and slapped Ye Yunshuang hard.
Ye Yunshuang's eyes widened in disbelief.
Emperor Ye Yao stared at her, his eyes bloodshot. "If your eyes are blind and you didn't see the imperial decree I sent to all the residences, then I'll have someone fetch the decree and read it to you now!"
Regardless of what Xue'er might have done in the past, the Empress daring to secretly try to kill a concubine in the harem was a violation of palace rules. Such behavior, let alone deposing her, would be considered lenient even if she were demoted to commoner status!
This matter was not for a married princess to come back and criticize him about!
Ye Yunshuang clutched her face, a look of terror crossing her features. "Imperial Brother..."
Why was Imperial Brother so angry? She had only spoken a few truths for the Empress.
"Guards, drag her out and give her ten heavy planks! From now on, she is forbidden from setting foot in this courtyard again!" Emperor Ye Yao commanded sternly.
Immediately, two guards stepped forward to seize Ye Yunshuang.
This time, Ye Yunshuang was truly terrified. She struggled and shouted, "Let go! Let me go!"
But the two guards ignored her struggles and dragged her away.
Soon, the sound of planks striking flesh could be heard from outside, interspersed with a few screams.
Eunuch Jiao returned with pastries and saw Ye Yunshuang beaten until her skin was torn and bleeding.
Emperor Ye Yao continued, "Send someone to Fengqi Palace to tell the Empress that my imprisoning her in the palace is already a courtesy shown to the Empress Dowager and the Luo family. If she dares to cause further trouble, I can kill her!"
Eunuch Jiao, having just witnessed the bloody scene, knew Emperor Ye Yao was in a foul mood and dared not ask any further questions. He quickly took two young eunuchs to deliver the decree.
The courtyard fell silent.
Emperor Ye Yao then turned to Liu Lanxue, reaching out to gently stroke her hair. "Are you alright? Were you frightened?"
Liu Lanxue shook her head, her grip on Su Yunmo's small hand tightening.
Emperor Ye Yao noticed her subtle movement and sighed inwardly.
After so many days, Xue'er still held a grudge against him.
"Let's go inside. It's cold outside," Emperor Ye Yao coaxed her into the house.
Liu Lanxue nodded, pulling Su Yunmo towards the room.
Emperor Ye Yao watched their hands remain clasped from beginning to end and rubbed his temples in helplessness.
Su Yunmo played with Liu Lanxue in the room all morning, sharing snacks, chatting, and even contemplating knitting a sweater.
Emperor Ye Yao sat by the side, watching them talk and play.
The weather outside was very cold, but the room was kept warm, making one's heart feel involuntarily warmer.
Watching them interact, Emperor Ye Yao even harbored a wish, thinking it would be wonderful to have another daughter with Liu Lanxue.
As they played until nearly noon, Liu Lanxue wanted to rest. She had originally wanted Su Yunmo to stay for lunch.
Su Yunmo, sensing Emperor Ye Yao's desire for some private time with Liu Lanxue, declined.
Eunuch Jiao escorted the little dumpling to the courtyard exit.
She then walked back alone the way she came.
A snowflake landed on her nose. She blinked and looked up at the sky.
It wasn't snowing; the wind had stirred snow from the trees, causing it to fall.
A warm, large hand reached out and pressed on her nose, melting the snowflake into water, cool and refreshing.
Su Yunmo paused, looking at the person opposite her in surprise. "Ye Jingkun?"
Ye Jingkun withdrew his hand, gazing at her with a smile.
After not seeing him for days, the usual gloom on the man's face seemed to have smoothed out a bit, and his eyes no longer carried the constant aggression from before.
Su Yunmo had heard that he was now doing quite well in the imperial court. Although not comparable to Ye Jingyu or Ye Jingcheng, his performance was not bad.
"I came to the palace today to pay my respects to my mother. I happened to run into you. Would you like to visit my residence?" His words were clearly more numerous than before.
Su Yunmo thought for a moment. She had nothing important to do today, so she nodded. "Alright."
She paused, then added, "But I'm not responsible for cooking this time."
A hint of a smile flickered in Ye Jingkun's eyes. "Of course, you are a guest."
He stepped aside, clearing the path for Su Yunmo.
The little dumpling skipped past him and walked ahead.
Ye Jingkun watched her retreating figure, the smile in his eyes flickering, a strange glint appearing in the depths of his eyes.
The carriage of Prince Kun's residence was waiting outside the imperial palace.
Ye Jingkun invited her into his carriage and sent the General's mansion's carriage away.
Linlang, worried, wanted to accompany her.
Su Yunmo thought it was just a meal and some play, so there was nothing to worry about. Moreover, Ye Jingkun was known for his eccentricities and disliked strangers, so she let Linlang return to the mansion for the time being.
The carriage drove into Prince Kun's residence.
The people in the mansion knew a distinguished guest had arrived. The servants lined both sides, bowing to Su Yunmo.
Su Yunmo observed the well-behaved servants in the courtyard and raised an eyebrow playfully. "Your residence is becoming more like a home. It's much livelier than when I last visited."
Ye Jingkun looked at her, his seemingly plain words carrying a hint of something more. "If you were here, it might be even livelier."
Su Yunmo didn't catch his implied meaning and smiled. "Then I should visit more often in the future."
Ye Jingkun's eyes flickered, and he said nothing more, instructing the kitchen to prepare more dishes.
He then took Su Yunmo on a tour of the mansion.
The scenery here was different from that of Prince Yu's residence. Compared to the extravagance and grandeur of Prince Yu's residence, this place possessed a more solitary artistic conception. However, pavilions and towers were all present and worth seeing.
After they had walked around and returned, the main hall's table was filled with wine and dishes.
It was lunchtime, and Su Yunmo was indeed a bit hungry.
Upon seeing the table full of food, she couldn't help but sniff the air and run to a stool to sit down.
"Shouldn't you wipe your hands first?" Ye Jingkun stopped her small hand as she reached for a chicken leg on a plate.
A servant stepped forward with a hot towel.
Ye Jingkun took her small hand and gently wiped it, his movements clumsy yet carrying a subtle, imperceptible carefulness.
Seeing him like this, Su Yunmo shrugged. "Sometimes I have to say you and Ye Jingyu are truly brothers. You're very similar in this regard."
It was the same when eating in front of that man; wiping hands was the priority.