At these words, Ye Jingyan’s eyes sharpened. Ye Yunfeng froze for a moment.

"Who?"

Xue Ran was clearly also surprised that Ye Chutang had guessed the visitor’s identity so quickly.

"Yes. You already knew, Second Miss?"

’That shouldn’t be possible.’ Prince Lie had only brought one attendant and was being extremely low-key. If Xue Ran hadn’t met him once before, he probably wouldn’t have recognized him so quickly either.

’Who would have thought that Second Miss would guess his identity right after returning, without even seeing him?’

Ye Chutang took a sip of tea. "At a time like this, there are very few people who could be called a distinguished guest, and fewer still who would require you to come and ask for my instructions personally."

From Xue Ran’s demeanor, the visitor had to be extraordinary. Princess Qingyang’s status was a clear benchmark, and one could count on one hand the number of people in the entire Capital City more distinguished than her. As for the Second Prince, he had just gotten into trouble not long ago, so he certainly wouldn’t be making an appearance now.

That left His Highness Prince Lie, who had returned triumphantly last month, as the most likely candidate.

Xue Ran was filled with admiration. He felt he had truly underestimated this seemingly gentle and serene young woman.

When Yunlai Tavern opened, she was outside the Capital City. Afterward, she left the capital directly for Qingzhou. After all this time, she was stepping foot in here for the first time, yet it was as if she already knew everything like the back of her hand.

Xue Ran lowered his head slightly, his tone growing even more respectful. "You are right, Second Miss. In that case, would you like to go..."

Ye Chutang shook her head. "There’s no need to disturb him."

"Yes."

Xue Ran acknowledged the order and retreated from the room.

The moment he left, Ye Yunfeng immediately turned to Ye Chutang. "Big Sis, are you sure you don’t want to go see this Prince Lie?"

The current Holy Emperor only had four princes. The eldest died young. The Second Prince, Prince Qi, was skilled in both scholarly and martial arts, and his mother was of high birth. He had always been the most likely candidate for crown prince.

It was only in the last two years that Prince Lie, through his continuous military achievements and growing prestige in the army, had faintly begun to rival him.

They had never met this particular prince.

Ye Chutang shot him a look. "What, you want to go?"

"Not really." Ye Yunfeng grinned. "I’m just a little curious."

Ye Jingyan saw right through him. "If you want to join the army, just say so. It’s not like Big Sis will stop you."

Since he was little, Ye Yunfeng had loved playing with swords and spears. Making him sit down and read for an hour was like a death sentence, but when it came to military campaigns and battles, he was always full of enthusiasm.

He could list famous ministers and veteran generals as if they were family treasures, and he was extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of battles, big and small.

Whenever the topic came up, he would imagine what he would do in their place—how he would have strategized and fought better in that time and situation.

The hot blood surging in his veins always boiled for it.

Having his thoughts exposed, Ye Yunfeng wasn’t embarrassed at all. After all, Big Sis and Third Brother already knew about his aspirations.

But—

"I can’t do that. Big Sis hasn’t given me the thing she promised yet. How could I leave now?"

Ever since Big Sis promised to give him the Military Book their older brother had once read upon their return to the Capital City, it was all he could think about. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Of course, the main reason was that he wasn’t even fourteen yet this year. Even if Big Sis agreed to let him go, no army would take him.

Ye Chutang used a handkerchief to wipe some pastry crumbs from the corner of Xiao Wu’s mouth, then said unhurriedly, "Now that we’re back, we’ll meet him sooner or later."

...

「In another private room on the second floor.」

A young man dressed in indigo brocade sat alone by the window. He swirled the white porcelain wine cup in his hand and retracted his gaze from the world outside.

He was lost in thought for a long time, then a smile touched his lips.

’It’s rare to see someone back Murong Ye into a corner.’

’Then again, even that old fox Ye Heng suffered a major loss at her hands. Let alone anyone else.’