Chapter 48: with translation of chapter title

Han Xing Leng Yue nodded in unison, "Since that's the case, let Ye Huanhuan bounce around for a while longer."

Fu Qianchi was listening on the side, stunned.

I always feel like they are looking for someone…

Looking for whom?

Could it be Mo Xiaohu?

He was full of curiosity.

But his tsundere nature wouldn't let him ask.

Meanwhile, Ye Huanhuan returned to Mudan Yuan.

Mudan Yuan is the finest courtyard of the Ye Residence besides Ting Yu Xuan.

Even so, Ye Huanhuan was still very dissatisfied.

"Damned bitch! How does she have the right to snatch my Ting Yu Xuan!"

Ye Huanhuan swept the teapot and cups off the table onto the floor, her face full of malice, her once pretty visage already twisted.

The outsiders had already been turned away; those left in the room were all her confidants. So she needed no longer conceal anything, fully unleashing her nature.

In the room, two servants dared not even breathe.

At that moment, someone reported that Miss Lin Yue of the Lin Family had arrived.

When Lin Yue entered the room, Ye Huanhuan had already composed herself considerably. However, being close to Lin Yue, she did not hide that little thought.

After hearing Ye Huanhuan's words, Lin Yue also wore an angry face: "That damned waste Ye Qingran, how does she get to live in Ting Yu Xuan? There's a saying that the capable should reside there; that principle applies everywhere. Ye Qingran, a waste, should be caged with pigs and dogs! Only a genius like you, Huanhuan, deserves to live in Ting Yu Xuan."

Ye Huanhuan's mood improved slightly.

"Ye Qingran, just wait and see; I'll get Ting Yu Xuan back soon!"

Lin Yue gave a cold smile, speaking with ill intent: "His Majesty has just issued an edict, ordering officials of the Ministry of Rites to set up a Welcome Banquet at the Western Suburban Palace, to hold a Welcome Banquet for the Crown Prince."

Ye Huanhuan's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Of course, the Thirteenth Princess said it; it won't be false."

Ye Huanhuan lowered her gaze slightly, a calculation gradually surfacing in her eyes.

Lin Yue, knowing what Ye Huanhuan was thinking, smiled and said, "The incident of Ye Qingran publicly humiliating the Crown Prince has become all the talk. The Crown Prince's reputation has been severely affected, and he will surely bear a grudge against Ye Qingran. As long as Ye Qingran attends the Welcome Banquet, the Crown Prince will not miss the chance to punish her. Then we'll sabotage from within, add fuel to the fire; Ye Qingran will definitely be unable to escape this time!"

"From your tone, it sounds like you have a good idea—let me hear it."

Lin Yue leaned close to Ye Huanhuan's ear and whispered her plan…

After hearing Lin Yue's plan, a smile of delight appeared on Ye Huanhuan's face.

"The most urgent thing right now is to ensure Ye Qingran will attend the Welcome Banquet."

Ye Huanhuan pulled at her lips dismissively: "That's easy; leave it to me."

When Ye Qingran received an invitation from Guoshi Fu to view flowers, she was completely stunned.

She now suffers from a condition where hearing keywords like 'Guoshi Fu' or 'flowers' makes her heart race.

Reluctantly taking the thin invitation from Fu San, Ye Qingran felt it as heavy as a thousand pounds!

"Um… may I refuse?" Ye Qingran wore a professional fake smile.

Fu San took it as if she were embarrassed. After all, she is just a weak maiden still in the boudoir, and Your Majesty had been forward.

"Miss Ye, you may decline." Fu San said seriously.

Ye Qingran let out a long sigh; it would be best not to go.

However, Fu San's next words instantly froze the smile on her face.

"My lord has said, if you are unwilling to go, he will personally come to visit Ting Yu Xuan."

Damn!

This National Master is literally a werewolf!

Ten thousand alpacas raced through Ye Qingran's mind.

In the end, after weighing going to Guoshi Fu against the National Master's visit to the Ye Residence, Ye Qingran chose compromise.

If I go, I'll go—who's afraid of whom?

As long as I keep my little vest on, the National Master won't recognize me!

The National Master of Donglin Country has always been legendary.

It is rumored that every National Master is a formidable figure, and before stepping down, chooses a suitable successor to abdicate the position.

The current National Master took office six years ago.

He rarely appears, extremely mysterious.

Because a few years ago, he quelled the fundamental plague that caused the nation's turmoil, gaining fame throughout Donglin.

Guoshi Fu is low-key yet retains its majesty.

Surveying the familiar gate before her, Ye Qingran wanted to cry but had no tears.

The tears now at the corner of her eyes are the water that entered her brain back then.

It's all her own carelessness; she didn't properly investigate Guoshi Fu and entered alone to steal the Imperial Flower.

In the end, she didn't even lay a finger on a real flower; the National Master's living High Ridge Flower was the one she ended up picking!

The battle at the bathhouse that day replayed vividly in her mind, and Ye Qingran's pretty face flushed with a sudden pink hue.

With a nervous heart, guided by the National Master's guards, she passed through the winding corridors and arrived at… a familiar backyard.

Then, at a glance she saw that Five-colored Emperor Flower.

Surrounded by multicolored aurora, its center straight, no vines or branches, noble and coldly beautiful, like an empress!

The coveted Imperial Flower was right before her, yet she no longer felt the previous excitement.

If it weren't for this Imperial Flower, could she have fallen to this point?

Fu San was waiting here, and when he saw Ye Qingran arrive, he led her to sit in the pavilion beside him.

"Miss Ye, please wait a moment; our master will be here shortly."

Ye Qingran nodded, and saw that aside from the guards of Guoshi Fu, there was no one else around.

Shouldn't a Flower Viewing Banquet like this invite a crowd of people?

A sudden ominous premonition flashed through her mind.

"It won't be just me alone, will it?"

It won't, right? It won't?

"The master prefers quiet, so he invited only you, Miss Ye."

Hope shattered!

Ye Qingran nodded and smiled, while in her mind a phrase—MMP— lingered, unsure whether she should say it.

When she received the invitation, she instinctively thought that even if it wasn't a large-scale banquet, there would still be other guests.

She never expected that she was invited alone.

"National Master, something's off!"

She would never narcissistically assume the National Master coveted her beauty; after all, the National Master himself is stunningly handsome.

Could it be…

Ye Qingran's pupils trembled.

"Surely they haven't been discovered?" Ye Qingran thought inwardly, feeling as if she were sitting on a bed of needles.

"Miss Ye, you are gracious to honor my humble abode; the humble thatch shines brightly," came the National Master's pleasant voice from behind.

Ye Qingran's back stiffened.

Returning to a familiar place felt like a nightmare.

She rose slowly, smiling in a formal manner: "The National Master is being modest. It is my honor to be your guest. Moreover, the scenery of Guoshi Fu is picturesque and delightful; I love it very much."

"Please, don't bestow this honor upon me!"

"Oh?" Fu Hanxiu raised an eyebrow slightly: "I wonder which part of my residence's scenery Miss Ye finds pleasing?" Then he extended his perfectly slender finger, pointing at the bamboo grove.

"Could it be this bamboo grove?"

Ye Qingran felt a sudden thump in her heart.

The Five-colored Emperor Flower grows within that bamboo grove.

She suspects the National Master is subtly mocking her!