Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 105. Yaoji
105. Yaoji
Both were individuals with sharp senses and extraordinary skills. They had only taken a few steps when the old man’s low murmurs reached their ears. Ye Li glanced at Mo Xiuyao and said with a playful smile, "Prince, it seems our identities have been discovered."
Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "It’s nothing. I used to come here often. I just didn’t expect that old gentleman to recognize me." Mo Xiuyao’s life could be said to be demarcated by his seventeenth year, after which it took two completely different, almost opposite, paths. If one wasn’t intimately familiar with him, it would be truly difficult to connect the two personas. Ye Li looked down at the flower lantern in her hand, still exuding the scent of fresh ink, a faint smile touching her lips.
Carrying their flower lanterns, the two strolled leisurely along the street, much like many other young men and women. While their exceptional looks and bearing attracted numerous curious and envious glances, it was a far more pleasant experience than facing the probing and calculating stares found in the imperial court and among the nobility. Ye Li walked along, curiously observing the various small stalls lining both sides of the street. The items sold there weren’t necessarily of high quality; they were common things used by ordinary folk. Though simple and unadorned, they felt more natural and approachable. Mo Xiuyao, smiling, led Ye Li to a stop in front of a stall selling jewelry, rouge, and powders. The small stall naturally held no particularly valuable items. The middle-aged couple running the stall could also tell that the man and woman before them were clearly not ordinary people. Although they might not necessarily look favorably upon their goods, they still enthusiastically promoted them.
Mo Xiuyao picked up a simple and elegant pearl floral hairpin, held it up to Ye Li for a look, then shook his head and put it back.
A slender, jade-like hand picked up the floral hairpin again. Meeting Mo Xiuyao’s eyes, Ye Li raised her eyebrows and smiled, "What is it?"
Mo Xiuyao sighed softly. "This floral hairpin would only be outshone by Ah-Li. Ah-Li is suited for the most brilliant pearls. A few days ago, I ordered some luminous pearls at Fenghua Pavilion. Tomorrow, why don’t Ah-Li and I go take a look and see what style you’d like them made into?"
Ye Li twirled the plain hairpin in her hand and smiled. "Even if you’re not afraid of me squandering your family fortune, I’m afraid the noblewomen and young ladies in the Capital City will metaphorically kill me with their stares." Fenghua Pavilion’s jewelry was renowned throughout the Capital of Great Chu for being expensive, and it was a significant point of pride for young ladies from noble families to possess even a few pieces. But others didn’t know what Ye Li herself knew: ever since her grand wedding, almost all the jewelry she used had been custom-ordered from Fenghua Pavilion. No wonder that, even though Ye Li rarely went out and always tried to choose seemingly low-key jewelry when she did, many people’s gazes were still drawn to her adornments.
"If merely buying a few pieces of jewelry could squander the family fortune, it would only mean our family’s foundation is too thin," Mo Xiuyao chuckled. He took the hairpin from Ye Li’s hand, gently fastened it in her hair, and whispered, "I want Ah-Li to have only the very best."
Ye Li smiled faintly. "What one likes is the best. If one doesn’t like it, then even the best things are worthless."
A faint smile flickered in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes as he asked in a low voice, "So, does Ah-Li like it?" Just ’like it?’ It was unclear whether he was referring to this floral hairpin or something else. Ye Li’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away, murmuring, "It’s... not bad." They paid, listening to the stall-owning couple’s flattering words, neither of them paying much mind, then turned and left hand in hand. As they walked, Mo Xiuyao glanced sideways at the woman beside him. The unremarkable pearl floral hairpin seemed to shimmer with a captivating luster in her jet-black hair.
"What’s happening over there?" Ye Li asked, looking ahead. Over there, there was a lot of clamor, and most of the crowd was surging in that direction. At a glance, all one could see was a dense, churning sea of people.
Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "There’s probably some excitement. Let’s go take a look and we’ll know." Handing their two flower lanterns to an attendant following behind them, Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li towards the flow of people. Ye Li glanced back at the unfamiliar guard carrying their two flower lanterns and frowned, saying, "I almost forgot. I haven’t seen Ah-Jin since we returned." Ah-Jin was always taciturn and usually just pushed Mo Xiuyao’s wheelchair with an expressionless face when he was by his side. Now that Mo Xiuyao’s legs were fine, Ah-Jin seemed to have been forgotten by people.
Mo Xiuyao turned back and smiled. "I sent him to handle other matters. He’s grown up now; he can’t always remain by my side as just a guard." Ye Li nodded. Ah-Jin was Chief Steward Mo’s biological nephew. Chief Steward Mo had toiled his entire life for Prince Ding’s Mansion and was childless; Ah-Jin’s parents had also died for Prince Ding’s Mansion. It was understandable that Mo Xiuyao would take extra care of Ah-Jin.
Once they squeezed into the crowd, they saw that a stage had been erected at the street corner, decorated with colorful silks, making it vibrant and eye-catching. There was no one on the stage yet, but the crowd below was clearly in high spirits. Ye Li looked at the middle-aged man next to her, whose face was flushed with excitement, and asked softly, "What’s happening here?"
The man turned his head and was momentarily taken aback by the beautiful woman with an extraordinary bearing standing beside him. He then answered pleasantly, "Miss Yaoji, the Capital City’s number one courtesan, is going to perform a dance here, and she’ll also be tossing an embroidered ball for..." He trailed off mid-sentence, seeming to remember he was speaking to a beautiful woman, and his face reddened, his following words becoming somewhat indistinct.
Although he hadn’t finished clearly, it didn’t prevent Ye Li from understanding. Slightly startled, Ye Li turned back to look at Mo Xiuyao, puzzled, and asked, "The... Yaoji he mentioned, it couldn’t be the one I know, could it?"
"It seems so," Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly.
Ye Li frowned. Although she had only met Yaoji twice, she held a rather favorable impression of that woman. Speaking of which, Yaoji was not just a dancer but also the owner of the Capital City’s foremost Qingcheng Workshop. Although dancers belonged to a lowly profession, Yaoji’s personal wealth was probably no less than that of some of the Capital City’s wealthy merchants. For such a woman, whether it was tossing an embroidered ball to recruit a husband or choosing a distinguished guest, it was clearly completely unnecessary. And she chose this location; although there were many people here, most were ordinary commoners. If Yaoji wanted to leave her profession and marry an ordinary man to live a normal life, she shouldn’t have been so high-profile.
Mo Xiuyao, seeing her furrowed brow, smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "It’s said that Yaoji has a very close relationship with Mu Yang. Next month, Mu Yang is to marry the granddaughter of Lord Sun, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. I wonder if this has anything to do with that?"
"Yaoji and Mu Yang?" Ye Li still remembered having seen Mu Yang two or three times. Although they hadn’t spoken, from a distance, he also appeared to be an extremely outstanding man. Ye Li had also heard the rumors about Yaoji, Mu Yang, and Feng Zhiyao, but based on her understanding of Feng Zhiyao, those rumors were likely somewhat exaggerated. She hadn’t expected that while the one about Feng Zhiyao was false, the one about Mu Yang clearly had some substance.
Mo Xiuyao nodded. "Yaoji became famous in the Capital City at thirteen, so it has been nearly ten years now. If Third Feng and Mu Yang hadn’t protected her all these years, it wouldn’t have been so easy for a weak woman like her to support Qingcheng Workshop and avoid harassment from the powerful and noble. Those influential figures in the Capital City are not to be trifled with."
Ye Li nodded in understanding. Yaoji’s beauty definitely ranked among the top five in the Capital City. More importantly, compared to the dignified grace of ordinary Miss Nobles, the dance-skilled Yaoji possessed another kind of bewitching, seductive charm. How could such a peerless beauty, who was also in the demimonde, not become an object of contention for high officials, nobles, and prodigal sons? Even if Yaoji maintained her chastity, how could a powerless, weak woman fend off those lecherous men without help?
Ye Li couldn’t understand Yaoji’s way of thinking. Even if it really was related to Mu Yang, using this method to decide her own future was somewhat too irresponsible of her. If it were a martial arts contest to recruit a groom or selecting based on literary talent, at least it could test the other party’s abilities. But tossing an embroidered ball was purely a gamble on luck. Ye Li vaguely remembered some TV dramas from her previous life where a Miss Noble would toss an embroidered ball, only for it to be caught by a beggar – such melodramatic plots. Yaoji had specifically chosen this kind of place; even if it wasn’t caught by a beggar, it was more likely to be caught by some ordinary commoner. But if an ordinary commoner were to properly marry Yaoji, it wouldn’t actually benefit either party.
"Don’t worry. Mu Yang couldn’t possibly be unaware of this," Mo Xiuyao said softly.
Ye Li nodded and looked around, but unfortunately, she didn’t see Mu Yang anywhere. Matters between men and women were inherently hard to judge. Regardless of whether Mu Yang appeared here or not, no one could say if he was right or wrong. After all, he was to be married next month. He not only had to be responsible for Marquis Muyang’s Mansion but also for his fiancée.
"Miss, is this man next to you your brother or..." the man standing beside Ye Li suddenly asked in a low voice.
Ye Li turned her head and noticed that many men around them were looking at Mo Xiuyao with less-than-friendly gazes, and she couldn’t help but smile faintly. Although Mo Xiuyao wore a mask, the half of his face that was exposed was also rarely seen handsome, and his tall, outstanding figure made him stand out like a crane among chickens in the crowd. How could the surrounding men not feel a sense of rivalry? Holding Mo Xiuyao’s hand, Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "We’re just here to watch the excitement. My husband won’t try to snatch it."
The expressions of the crowd clearly screamed disbelief. Although this woman before them was no less beautiful than Miss Yaoji, what man would complain about having too many beauties? This young lady was elegant and noble, clearly a principal wife from a prominent family. Wouldn’t it be perfect to have a bewitching and charming concubine like Yaoji to embrace on both sides and enjoy all the sensual pleasures?
Mo Xiuyao was in a good mood and didn’t mind their rudeness. He pulled Ye Li in front of him and smiled at the man who had asked the question. "You can rest assured, I’m not here to snatch the embroidered ball. My wife can be very fierce..."
Ye Li’s face immediately darkened. She discreetly reached out and pinched him hard. Mo Xiuyao’s expression remained unchanged, as if Ye Li hadn’t pinched his flesh at all. He smiled at the man opposite them and said, "Besides, I don’t like overly seductive women. I prefer my wife, who is gentle and graceful."
His ’gentle and graceful’ wife secretly grabbed a bit of flesh on his waist and twisted hard. Mo Xiuyao gave a helpless, wry smile, raised his hand to cover Ye Li’s, and said, "My dear wife, I really won’t like other women."
Ye Li rolled her eyes and silently let go. What was that saying again? Ruffians aren’t scary; what’s scary are cultured ruffians. When someone who was usually gentle and elegant became thick-skinned, no one could handle them.
The surrounding men finally seemed to relax, collectively casting understanding smiles at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao wasn’t polite either, smiling and nodding to accept everyone’s goodwill one by one.
"Ah, Miss Yaoji is out?!" someone exclaimed. Ye Li looked back and saw a peerlessly beautiful woman on stage. Dressed in a five-colored cloud-patterned gown, with stunning makeup and a bewitching smile, her appearance immediately won a wave of gasps and cheers from the crowd. Yaoji nodded slightly towards the audience below and smiled enchantingly, causing the men below to become extremely excited and shout out one after another. When Yaoji’s gaze swept past where Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao were standing, she paused slightly, gave Ye Li a faint smile, then turned back and flicked her long water sleeves. The music by the stage started to play melodiously. Yaoji swayed her waist gently with the music, her flowing cloud water sleeves dancing, and she began to dance gracefully, drawing another round of applause from below.
Ye Li frowned, watching the woman on stage with a dazzling smile, and sighed inwardly. How was this Yaoji trying to toss an embroidered ball? This was clearly deliberately ruining her own reputation. Yaoji’s reputation in the Capital City wasn’t bad. Although it was rumored that her relationships with Third Feng and Mu Yang were ambiguous, these were only rumors, and no one had actually seen anything. Besides, not many people had actually seen Yaoji in person. But now that she was dancing and tossing an embroidered ball in such a place, probably after today, more than half the men in the Capital City would know what Yaoji looked like. After today’s events, whether it was influential officials wanting to take her home as a concubine or commoners wanting to marry her as a wife, their opinion of her would likely drop another level. Looking at the fleeting sorrow and grief that flashed across the woman’s face on stage, Ye Li silently shook her head. Was it really because of Mu Yang?
As the dance ended, the people below began to shout, urging Yaoji to quickly toss the embroidered ball. A middle-aged woman with a heavily powdered face and a broad smile walked onto the stage. She raised her hand to signal for silence below, and said with a laugh, "Everyone, you’re in for a treat today! Miss Yaoji herself is tossing an embroidered ball to recruit a husband. Whoever catches the embroidered ball will be our Miss Yaoji’s groom for tonight. This old woman wishes you all good luck here."
Ye Li’s heart sank. She had clearly heard the procuress’s phrase ’groom for tonight’. This meant Yaoji wasn’t truly marrying but merely choosing a guest for the night. It also meant that after tonight, Yaoji would no longer be a chaste dancer who sold her art but not her body. Looking at the peerlessly beautiful woman on stage with bright, expressive eyes, Ye Li sighed regretfully.
Mo Xiuyao whispered, "Ah-Li, what’s wrong?"
Ye Li shook her head. "Miss Yaoji’s actions are too drastic. Why must she do this..." If you asked Ye Li if she could go to this extent for a man, Ye Li knew very well in her heart that she absolutely could not do what Yaoji was doing. It wasn’t because she didn’t love, but... her love also had limits. If she had to abandon even her own dignity, such love was too heavy for Ye Li to bear.
Mo Xiuyao leaned close to Ye Li’s ear and whispered with a smile, "I would absolutely never let Ah-Li be like this. I will sweep away all obstacles to make Ah-Li Mo Xiuyao’s sole wife."
Ye Li raised her eyebrows. "Prince, you’re especially good at saying pleasant things today."
"If my wife likes it, your husband will say it to you every day," Mo Xiuyao smiled. "Don’t worry. That Mu Yang fellow is a bit slow-witted, but he’s a decent person. He will definitely come."
Ye Li nodded. So what if he came? Mu Yang couldn’t possibly marry Yaoji as his wife, nor could he give up Marquis Muyang’s Mansion for Yaoji. And there was also Miss Sun; she was actually the most innocent one.
