The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 157: The Fated One (5)

Ye Tianqing was momentarily taken aback, seemingly surprised to find Ye Qingran in the courtyard. He had received reports that Ye Qingran had entered Yun Qianyue's room and that Yun Qianyue had disregarded the propriety expected of a woman in her quarters by allowing him to stay. Unable to contain himself, he hurried over.

"Little Prince! Why are you here at Lingtai Temple in the middle of the night?" Yun Wangye also rushed over after hearing that Ye Qingran was at Yun Qianyue's courtyard. He was concerned that the young prince's lack of decorum could tarnish their reputations.

"I couldn't sleep and was eager to see Jing Shizi, so I came to check on him. I didn't expect to mistakenly wander into the wrong courtyard and disturb Sister Yue," Ye Qingran replied smoothly, not a trace of embarrassment on his face. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Isn't the Crown Prince and Uncle Yun also unable to sleep, coming to see Sister Yue at such an hour?"

Yun Qianyue, hidden under her covers, couldn't help but twitch her lips at Ye Qingran's bold-faced lies.

Yun Wangye was taken aback and stammered, "So, it turns out the little prince was here to visit Jing Shizi!"

Ye Tianqing clearly did not believe Ye Qingran's fabrication, but given the circumstances, he couldn't say much more. With a stern expression, he reprimanded, "Qingran, you're becoming increasingly reckless! It's one thing to leave the military camp without permission, but to trespass at night without informing the temple master and causing such a ruckus is unacceptable! I will report this to our father and Uncle De Wang so they can properly discipline you."

"I understand! Crown Prince, you wouldn't really want to stand here at Sister Yue's door and lecture me at this hour, would you? If you plan to inform our uncles, that should wait until morning!" Ye Qingran waved dismissively. "Look, the lights in that weak beauty's room are still on; she must be waiting for me. I'm off!"

Without waiting for a response, Ye Qingran turned and swaggered toward Rongjing's courtyard.

Ye Tianqing glared at Ye Qingran's retreating figure, his expression darkening. But he found himself at a loss, watching as Ye Qingran entered Rongjing's courtyard and then his room, clearly unhindered by the guards, who had evidently received permission from Rongjing. His eyes darkened further. "Since the young prince has wandered into the wrong courtyard, let's return to rest. Sister Yue is likely still asleep," Yun Wangye said, observing the darkness surrounding Yun Qianyue's courtyard, feeling relieved.

Ye Tianqing, unable to deal with Ye Qingran, could only nod in agreement as they turned to leave.

Once Ye Tianqing and Yun Wangye had departed, the tranquility of Lingtai Temple returned, allowing Yun Qianyue to settle back down and attempt to sleep again.

Just as she was about to doze off, she suddenly heard Ye Qingran's raucous laughter echoing from the west courtyard, breaking the stillness. Moments later, his triumphant voice rang out, "Ha ha! Weak beauty, you have your comeuppance now, having lost your martial arts! Heaven truly has eyes! Let's see if you dare to provoke me again! If you do, I'll skin you alive and feed your hide to the dogs... Ah ha ha!"

Yun Qianyue was jolted awake again, her lips twitching in irritation. Even without seeing his face, she could easily imagine the wild, unrestrained smile on Ye Qingran's face. She strained to listen, realizing there was no response from Rongjing, and she remembered that with his martial arts gone, he would naturally lack the confidence to confront Ye Qingran.

After Ye Qingran's laughter faded, there was a brief silence before Yun Qianyue heard Xian Ge's cold voice warning, "Qingran, my master may have lost his martial arts, but I am still here. While my skills may not match yours, my master taught me a technique specifically to deal with you. You haven't defeated him in the last ten years, and you won't win now. You certainly can't handle me either; tossing you out to feed the fish would be a piece of cake!"

Such ferocity! Yun Qianyue couldn't help but twitch her lips again. She knew that Rongjing was not one to let others mock him without retaliation. It was only to be expected that he had a backup plan! But she worried that loud bang she heard meant Ye Qingran had made quite a mess of the courtyard.

"Ouch, this little prince is going to be flattened! Truly a black-hearted dead fox..." Ye Qingran moaned as he complained, "Oh you, Xian Ge, I'll engage you in battle for three hundred rounds today so you can know my might!"

"If the young prince wants to be thrown around, I'll be happy to oblige!" Xian Ge replied without fear.

"Let's see who throws whom! I'll throw you before I deal with your black-hearted fox!" Ye Qingran shouted angrily, getting ready to strike at Xian Ge.

Xian Ge immediately responded, and the two clashed, filling the west courtyard with the sounds of their intense brawl.

Yun Qianyue covered herself with her quilt, but the sounds of their brawl penetrated through her window and into her ears. After enduring for a while, realizing that the battle was escalating, she threw off her covers, got out of bed, and stormed outside. "If you want to fight, go somewhere else! If you keep making noise and disturb my sleep, I'll throw both of you into the river to feed the fish!"

There was a moment of pause in their fighting as they glanced her way, but neither of them halted their actions.

"Hey! Are you guys listening to me?" Yun Qianyue shouted, hands on her hips.

Yet the ruckus continued as if they hadn't heard her at all. Anger bubbled up within her—was it because they knew she had lost her martial arts and posed no threat? She fumed, thinking that if only she still had her abilities, she'd charge over and toss both of them into the fragrant spring waters. But she couldn't do anything now. She had no power, but that didn't mean she couldn't command her servants. Fuming, she ordered, "Mo Li, go up and give those two noisy troublemakers a good thrashing!"

"Yes, Miss!" Mo Li replied, sounding oddly eager, and darted toward the ruckus.

Yun Qianyue felt something was off as she heard Mo Li's tone. When Mo Li reached the scene, she indeed heard her give one of them a good smack, which pleased Yun Qianyue. But it wasn't long before she realized something was wrong. The three of them seemed to be fighting even more fervently. Though her own martial prowess had faded, her eyesight remained sharp. Watching them exchange blows, it was clear they weren't really fighting; they were practically playing, their spirits high and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Yun Qianyue's expression darkened. Did this mean they were going to fight until dawn? Did she have to forgo sleep entirely? Just as she was about to shout again, the window of the main room in the west courtyard swung open, revealing a half-visible Rongjing. He spoke calmly to the trio, "If you keep this up, I'll summon all the monks in this temple to let you practice on them. There are thousands of monks here. You'll be able to fight to your heart's content, and they'll all be skinned alive!"