Second Marriage

Chapter 34

Translator: tarararawr

Editor: Larkspur

Chapter 34

Xiao Youning returned to her courtyard and waited for Yuan Guo to close the door. She was still in a trance.

She… How could she let Ye Shen into her home like this?

Her hands shook slightly. She poured herself a glass of water and vigorously chugged it down.

Yuan Guo came to her side and whispered, “Young Miss, did Fifth Master Ye place a gu1 on you? Why did you let him stay for the night? If this gets out…”

If this gets out, wouldn’t the people in the capital gossip behind our backs?

Xiao Youning knew what Yuan Guo meant, and it gave her a bit of a headache. It was at this moment that she put down the cup and her eyes were clear.

“A person who stands straight does not fear a crooked shadow! I’m already divorced. What else is there to be afraid of? Fifth Master and I are innocent and magnanimous, so how could we be afraid of rumors?!”

She nodded as she spoke, not knowing whether she was persuading someone else or herself.

Yuan Guo stood on the side and blinked. She thought, Young Miss is either really foolish or pretending to be stupid. Is it not obvious enough from the way Master Ye behaves towards her? You two are not innocent at all!

However, how could Yuan Guo know? It was just Xiao Youning herself who had not processed the transformation of Ye Shen’s identity. After all, in her eyes, Ye Shen was first a Daoist Priest and then an elder. With these two identities in front of her, she was still bound by the rigid societal rules. Even if she was attracted to him, she would not dare to take the first step.

What’s more, Ye Shen had not declared his love to her, so she firmly adhered to that boundary.

Xiao Youning forcibly cleared Ye Shen from her mind. She climbed into bed after taking a bath, and thought about how grateful she was to Ye Shen. No matter what, she had at least some news about her father.

As the night gradually went by, the lights were still on in the side room where Ye Shen was located. In front of him were two men in disguises who told him that something strange had happened in the house.

“This house is full of Young Miss Xiao’s servants, most of whom are loyal to her as the master. It’s just that there are two who were bribed and cannot be relied on.”

Ye Shen did not speak. Looking at his indifferent expression, Jian Yin knew that it needed to be dealt with. He gave the men a signal.

Although Young Miss Xiao was clever, there were servants who did things in the dark. They definitely could not compare to these men who were used to digging them out. By the time she found these servants, she would have suffered a loss.

Fifth Master really has his heart set on the Xiao Family’s Young Miss. He has even arranged the affairs of the inner house secretly behind her back.

“Fifth Master, it’s time to rest. You’ve been pushing it these days, and your body is very important.”

Jian Yin advised Ye Shen that he should not continue to push his limits like that. Ye Shen actually listened to him and went to sleep after washing up.

At first, Jian Yin was still at the side trembling with fear. He was scared that his Fifth Master would show his temper since his surroundings had changed. In the end, a quarter of an hour passed and he discovered that Ye Shen was breathing deeply and had fallen asleep.

Ye Shen also thought he would toss and turn, but when he thought how miraculous it was that he was spending the night with her in the same house, his body became very relaxed. Before he fell asleep, he thought, maybe I really am tired.

The night passed quietly and it was the next morning. Xiao Youning slept until the dew on the flower branches had dried from the sun.

Yuan Guo was already walking around the room for the fifth time. She looked at the curtains that did not move. She didn’t care about what Ye Shen commanded her anymore, lifted the curtain and shook her awake.

“Young Miss, you must get up quickly! Master Ye has been standing outside of the courtyard for half a shichen!”

Xiao Youning had been having a hard time sleeping but slept soundly last night. Even though she was dreaming of her father and brother, she was a child in the dream and was acting cute in front of her father and brother. She was trapped in the dream and didn’t want to wake up at all.

However, she still had to wake up from the beautiful dream. She opened her confused eyes. She was not completely awake until she was frightened by Yuan Guo and sat up.

“What do you mean Fifth Master Ye is standing outside the courtyard?”

Yuan Guo finally saw that her Young Miss was awake and said quite dumbfoundedly, “He came here early in the morning. The maidservant said you were not awake yet. He said it was not urgent and to not wake you up. The maidservant thought he would leave, but saw that he had been standing outside.”

“Why didn’t you know to wake me up earlier?”

Xiao Youning got out of bed in a hurry. A quarter of an hour later, she finally appeared in front of Ye Shen.

She poked half her head out to look at him. She was embarrassed and whispered, “I didn’t know the Daoist Priest was here and made the Daoist Priest wait a long time.”

She was still calling him Daoist Priest. Ye Shen looked at her, and simply replied, “It’s no bother. Did I disturb your dreams?”

The little girl who had just gotten ready had bright eyes. She was the one who was late and her cheeks flushed. The cinnabar mole under her eye became more dazzling.

Her shy appearance could only be described by the word “attractive”. She had a kind of purity that she didn’t realize about herself. So this is what they call ‘pure desire’.

He hid the light in his eyes. The color of his pupils slowly darkened, but his face did not reveal anything. “I’ve come to say goodbye to you. Thank you for letting me be in your care for the night. I need to go back to the palace.”

Upon hearing him, Xiao Youning came out from behind the door. She was wearing an elegant pink and white dress. She stood there like an elegant lotus flower.

She felt disappointed and smiled a little less than before. She nodded and said, “The Daoist Priest is too polite. The courtyard is reserved for you, and there is no need for you to be in my care or not.”

As soon as the words came out, she felt that there was something extremely inappropriate with them. They were so ambiguous that she quickly stopped talking and her face turned even redder.

Ye Shen genuinely listened to her. Oh, so she is saying this from the bottom of her heart, and she is finally able to determine her attitude towards me now.

He could not help but laugh lightly. “Then.. Is it too much for me to stay and have breakfast? Would Young Miss Xiao give me the honor of sharing a breakfast together?”

Xiao Youning was startled. Her ears were set on fire because of his laughter. They were burning.

“Second Young Master, Second Young Master! We better go back! If Madam finds out, then she is going to kill this servant!”

Li Qingzhi was outside of the alley. He could not wait for any news from Xiao Youning and could not hold himself back from running here.

Last night, he overheard a discussion from the servant girls who served his mother. They said that Eldest Princess Residence might be regretting the marriage.

If it were like that, then it was exactly what he wanted. He would tell Xiao Youning about it, apologize again and beg her to listen to his explanation.

She has always been the kindest. I’m sure she’ll listen to me.

Perhaps the things he could not obtain had become more precious, and it went without saying that the things he once had were lost, and he could not possess them completely. Xiao Youning became an obsession in Li Qingzhi’s mind that he would not let go.

Xiao Youning’s gate was knocked on when she was having breakfast with Ye Shen. The steward saw that it was her previous husband. He thought about it, and went to report to her.

Ye Shen was about to serve her some food when he heard that Li Qingzhi had arrived. He paused midair, his eyes sharply turned.

“What is he doing here…” Xiao Youning looked at the man in front of them. She pursed her lips and thought it was better to drive him away.

She put down her chopsticks and said to Ye Shen, “Please eat first, Daoist Priest. I’ll go and see what is going on.” She clearly communicated this to him.