Second Marriage

Translator: tarararawr

Editor: Larkspur

Chapter 23 Part 2

After Ye Shen returned to the palace, he instructed the people outside of the palace to find out about Xiao Youning’s movements.

He knew very well that she had given silver rewards to the servants of the Xiao Family’s Second Branch and had also contacted a restaurant to hold a banquet. For the first time, he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.

What should this be regarded as? Beating her opponent with money?

How arrogant and domineering! 

Jian Yin was the one to tell him about her. After he finished, he clicked his tongue and said with mixed emotions, “The Li Family is probably not as great as she is. Who can afford to support a girl who can throw money at every disagreement?”

Ye Shen listened and didn’t know why he raised an eyebrow and an idea came to his mind.

The Li Family could not afford to support her, but he was never short on money. The Emperor’s rewards alone were piled up into a small mountain in the storage room, and he had hardly touched it.

However, what he had in mind were purely thoughts that at a deeper level was a contest between men.

It was like when he saw Huo Mingwu yesterday.

Xiao Youning was entrusted to his own hands by his mother. Even if he brought her under his wings, this was the first time in his life that he was protecting a person like this and he was still somewhat forced to do so. However, he still had an overbearing and possessive desire to occupy his territory like a beast.

No one could move when they were in his territory. If they did, he would be annoyed and they would feel like they had offended him.

So when Xiao Youning asked Huo Mingwu to help her, it made him really unhappy.

It was only today that Ye Shen understood how his temper got to him yesterday. He also felt better when he heard about her might today.

“You go to the small storage room and take a look. I remember there are a lot of pearls. You can pick out the good ones, and I’ll bring them with me when I go out another day.”

Ye Shen thought of what he said to Fu De in the morning. He still had to give her a gift.

Jian Yin stared wide-eyed like he had seen a ghost. He finally left but was full of questions.

Who does Master want to give the pearls to? It can’t be that little girl, right? 

How can Fifth Master help the little girl with her spending from today?

What Ye Shen did not know was that Xiao Youning went out the next day to look for a house and was asking around about one thing.

There were people in the capital who specialized in collecting information about selling houses, but what Xiao Youning wanted was an inch of land, which was very expensive. It was not easy to find even if it was small, and there was nothing suitable for the time being. However, she was not disappointed, but asked the middleman, “Do you know where there is a Daoist Temple that is selling?”

The middleman was amused by her. “Young Miss, don’t joke with me. Where will you find someone willing to buy a Daoist Temple? It’s the opposite. Some people will buy a secluded small courtyard.

A courtyard like that was usually a place for one’s own spiritual practice.

Rich people would donate money to famous Daoist Temples and would ask for a large courtyard for their spiritual practice. There were also people who did not want to go to places where there was smoke and fire1, so they bought their own land and built it by themselves.

The Qingfeng Daoist Temple she went to was built by someone, but she didn’t know who built it.

However, because of Ye Shen, Xiao Youning was unwilling to find out and reveal the nobleman because of his wealth. It was very likely it was Ye Shen’s current master.

“It is okay to have something like that.” Xiao Youning thought it was fine.

Places like that were mostly good fengshui2, suitable for spiritual practitioners, and just right for Ye Shen.

Yuan Guo thought it was strange. “Young Miss, what are you going to do with a place like that?”

Xiao Youning thought to herself that she wanted to give Daoist Priest Wu Ye a gift of thanks, but she just smiled and didn’t say it.

The place that was selling was a little too far away, and she didn’t go out until noon. It was too late now, so she made an appointment with the middleman to go out of the city tomorrow to look at it.

The middleman was a little unsure about her. He was afraid that she was a little girl who was playing with him, so he indirectly tried to ask about Xiao Youning’s identity.

Xiao Youning did not avoid his questions at all. Her eyes curved when she smiled and said, “Everyone was talking about me a while ago. My surname is Xiao.”

There was nothing she couldn’t face head on. The Li Family was a rat in the sewer and should be spit on!

The middleman’s jaw fell, and there was no more worry or hesitation. He smiled even more politely than before. He no longer wondered why she wanted to buy such a courtyard.

After being divorced, it was normal to go to that kind of place for one’s mental and spiritual practice. She was most likely trying to see through the world of mortals.

The middleman sympathized with Xiao Youning. He watched her graceful figure depart. Recalling her bright and beautiful face in his mind, he knew not if he should feel pity for such a wonderful beauty.

When Xiao Youning returned to Xiao Family’s house, she accidentally heard that Huo Mingwu had come and was now invited to sit in the front courtyard.

Her heart skipped a beat, knowing that there must be news. She quickly hurried over.

The young girl ran all the way to the front courtyard panting. Her cheeks were like red clouds, her eyes shining and charming.

Huo Mingwu rushed to stand up when he saw her. He saw how she was more attractive than usual, and shyly looked down at his nose with a smile.

“Brother Huo, do you have any news?” Xiao Youning was concerned about her father and did not find anything unusual about Huo Mingwu, so she took the lead in asking the question.

Huo Mingwu immediately put aside his other thoughts and nodded. “Yes, I have thoroughly asked around. You will have to go to Many Treasure Pawnshop in the future. He is a eunuch, less than twenty years old. I have drawn a picture of him for you, and you can use it to look for him. Every time he goes out of the palace, he goes to that place to exchange things for silver.”

He gave Xiao Youning the portrait.

She happily unfolded it. She stared down at the portrait for several minutes, and looked up strangely. “Brother Huo, are you sure this is what I should use to look for him?”

Huo Mingwu himself glanced at the portrait he had crookedly drawn. He was embarrassed and coughed. “I couldn’t find anyone else. I’m not good at drawing, but did you notice that rash under his neck? He wears a vertical collar in the palace to cover it up, but ordinary clothes can’t. He has to change his clothes to leave the palace, so you can just recognize this. You won’t get the wrong person.”

" "

Also, it was easy to tell who a palace eunuch was.

Xiao Youning could not help but smile while holding the portrait. Huo Mingwu’s face was slightly hot, but as soon as he looked down and saw her beautiful peach blossom eyes that curved at the end when she smiled and the sweetness that really provoked tenderness, he stared blankly. His face was so red.

“Thank you, Brother Huo!” Xiao Youning expressed her sincere thanks.

She looked up, and Huo Mingwu saw her face that was always beautiful, no matter whether she was angry or happy, become clearer and clearer, even the little eyelashes illuminated by the light were so clear that he paused to breathe, and his neck was as red as his face.

“I-I have to go first!” Huo Mingwu panicked. He bowed and ran away.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would not be able to stop himself from speaking his true feelings. This was not the right time. And when Xiao Youning was about to say she would send him off, he refused and ran away so fast like a ghost was chasing him.

Yuan Guo blinked a few times next to Xiao Youning. “Young Miss, you really have a talent for only repaying other’s kindness by putting your heart into a promise.”

“Then if there’s two of me, that talent can be divided up,” she replied in jest.

If she really wanted to put her heart into a promise, there was the Daoist Priest who saved her life.

She couldn’t afford to break the promise, she really couldn’t.

She made Yuan Guo laugh until she was bending over.

That night, the things Xiao Youning had asked about went back to Ye Shen.

When Ye Shen heard that she was looking for a kind of small courtyard for secluded spiritual practice, he frowned at first.

Does she want to submit to spiritual practice while still wearing her hair?

She’s so young, how can she think about something like that?

“Tomorrow, bring out what I told you to find. We will be going out of the palace,” he ordered.

Footnotes

烟熏火燎 (yān​xūn​huǒ​liǎo) – dusty and hot environment風水 (fēngshuǐ) – literally wind water. It’s the belief of harmony between individuals and the environment’s energy