The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 78: Wealthy People (8)

"She's sleeping?" Ye Qingran paused in his steps.

"Yes!" Mo Li nodded.

"Why is she sleeping in broad daylight? Does she have too much sleep? Is she not feeling well? Step aside, I'm going in to check on her." Ye Qingran sidestepped Mo Li and walked forward.

"Prince, please wait. After all, it's the young lady's private quarters. It would be inappropriate for you to enter!" Mo Li blocked Ye Qingran again.

"Is she really going to sleep in the middle of the day without changing clothes?" Ye Qingran shot Mo Li a glare, sensing that something was amiss. He waved his hand, "Then go wake her up and tell her I want to take her out to play. The half-branch lotus and magnolia in the back mountain are blooming beautifully; we should go take a look. We can also catch some fish in the river. The fish raised in the fragrant spring water here are exceptionally delicious. I'll make her grilled fish. My grilling skills are top-notch—most people can't even taste it."

Hearing Ye Qingran mention grilled fish, Yun Qianyue felt half of her drowsiness lift. Yet, wrapped in her warm blanket, she still felt too lazy to get up. Sleep or grilled fish? Her brain was in a battle of indecision.

"Why are you hesitating? Go wake her up!" Ye Qingran glared at Mo Li, who appeared indecisive.

"Prince, you're a man, and I'm a man too. How can we enter and wake the young lady?" Mo Li replied promptly.

Ye Qingran frowned, "Where are her maids? Why isn't anyone out here? Are they all sleeping too?"

"The young lady sent her maids out to play. She likely has no interest in going out with you, Prince." Mo Li had observed lately that the young lady had developed a habit of sleeping a lot, seemingly trying to make up for all the sleep she had missed in the past. She would seize every opportunity to sleep, often dozing off at the table while studying with the Young Master.

"She really has a talent for it! What a waste of such beautiful weather to be sleeping! If you don't go wake her, I will!" Ye Qingran pushed Mo Li aside and stepped forward.

Mo Li quickly blocked him again, "Prince, you should wait until the young lady wakes up before looking for her!"

Ye Qingran hadn't expected Yun Qianyue's personal guard to be so formidable. He pushed once but didn't budge her. Although he only used half of his strength, that should have been enough to push anyone else. He looked at Mo Li curiously and asked, "Are you from the hidden Mo family?"

"Yes!" Mo Li nodded.

"That explains it. I didn't know that Old Master Yun could invite someone from the Mo family to protect Sister Qianyue." Ye Qingran waved his hand, looking at the tightly closed door, "I'll wait for her to wake up; she'll probably sleep until dark. Don't worry, I won't go inside, I'll just call her from outside, I won't tarnish her reputation."

Mo Li still hesitated.

"Are you sure you can stop me?" Ye Qingran raised an eyebrow.

Mo Li stepped aside. Although his martial arts were decent, he knew he couldn't stop this prince. This prince's skills and his fearsome reputation were equally intimidating; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so unruly for so long. Even if he could stop him, he would end up waking the young lady anyway, so it was better not to stop him. Moreover, this prince seemed to have genuine regard for his young lady, so he likely wouldn't do anything harmful.

Seeing that Mo Li was sensible, Ye Qingran ignored him and strode up to the door. "I don't believe you're still asleep. Get up quickly. If I wrap the freshly caught fat fish from the spring water in half-branch lotus leaves and roast it over the fire, the fragrance of the lotus will seep into the fish. It'll make your mouth water even before you eat it! Once the fish is cooked, it will be tender and fragrant. One bite will make you crave a second!"

Ye Qingran finished speaking, but there was no response from inside. After waiting for a while, he sighed, "I haven't eaten that in seven years! If you're not going to wake her, I can't hold back; I won't wait for you. Just keep sleeping!"

With that, he really turned to leave.

The door creaked open from the inside, and Yun Qianyue glared at Ye Qingran's retreating figure. "Wait, who said I'm not going?"

"Oh, you're coming! That's even better; we can grill fish together. Let's go!" Ye Qingran stopped and turned back to smile at Yun Qianyue.

Mo Li felt his young lady's face flush with embarrassment; she was easily tempted by a simple grilled fish. It was really lacking in dignity and restraint.

Yun Qianyue reached up to touch her hair. It wasn't messy, indicating that Rongjing had indeed done a good job of styling it. She looked down at her clothes, which were unwrinkled despite her rolling around; it seemed that Yun Muhan had purchased a really good outfit. She felt quite satisfied and said to Ye Qingran, "Let's go! I haven't eaten breakfast yet, so you need to grill me a few more fish."

"Absolutely! You can have as many as you want!" Ye Qingran looked at Yun Qianyue with admiration, as if she had changed every time he saw her. He looked her up and down and said, "I heard you've been learning to read with Yun Muhan these days? Even the Emperor has given an edict about it? I thought you wouldn't like to learn. I wanted to rescue you, but the Emperor arranged a position for me in the military headquarters, and I had to go. I had no choice but to leave. You've lost weight these days; it's perfect for you to eat more and regain your strength."

"Yeah! I was locked up for half a month." Yun Qianyue realized that Ye Qingran had originally wanted to rescue her. Alright, she could forgive him for not coming to her aid. She walked past Mo Li and waved her hand, "You don't have to follow me."

Mo Li nodded and quickly stepped back.

Yun Qianyue couldn't help but admire his agility; it truly was impressive! Unfortunately, even though she had it too, she didn't know how to use it. She resolved to practice secretly in the future.

Just then, she heard Ye Qingran grit his teeth and say, "That Yun Muhan, so ruthless to his own sister, really deserves a beating. When we return, I'll help you teach him a lesson." He sounded as if he were the one who had been locked up for half a month.

Yun Qianyue chuckled and glanced at him. She readily nodded, "Alright, you can punish him for me! It'd be best if you could teach him to the point where he can't teach me how to read or keep account, then I'd be very grateful to you."

"Leave it to me!" Ye Qingran immediately patted his chest in assurance.

Yun Qianyue's spirits lifted instantly, feeling that the future looked promising! Only then did she take a good look at Ye Qingran. His broad shoulders and narrow waist, adorned in his brocade robe, made him look like a handsome tree standing tall. His looks could surely dazzle many women. She couldn't help but click her tongue, recalling Rongjing's words and sighing inwardly; no matter how great he was, he was already taken. Thankfully, she had no plans for romance or marriage; otherwise, she might have had feelings for this boy.

She turned her head and asked, "Is the military headquarters fun?"