Ye Li was followed by Ye Ying in the garden. Though she had picked lanes where there were fewer people, their positions had drawn the attention of a lot. Fortunately, those onlookers all had a good sense of propriety. Knowing that the two sisters, Princess Ding and Princess Li wanted to talk in private, nobody came up and bothered them.
Ye Li glanced and frowned at Ye Ying, who was holding her handkerchief in bitterness. She asked speechlessly: “What’s wrong? Mo Jing Li hasn’t married his consort yet. Why are you acting like a wife full of resentment?”
Ye Ying glared at her with hatred and said bitterly: “Do you think... His Highness love me?”
In her mind, Ye Li was already rolling her eyes. If he did love you, this wedding wouldn't happen.
“At first... he did say that he only had me in his heart and would only love me.”
Ye Li tried hard not to let her face distort while imagining Mo Jing Li told Ye Ying how much he loved her with his cold expression in disgust. How blind was Ye Ying to convince herself that that man with such few expressions was truly in love with her?
“Why...why has everything changed after my wedding?” Ye Ying asked distractedly.
“Well...” Ye Li suddenly felt she was possessed by a saint and wanted to comfort Ye Ying, which was out of her own expectation: “Didn’t they say that... marriage is the end of love? You are already in your tomb so don’t think about the past any longer.” One can end one’s suffering by dying quickly and being reincarnated. Love? Don't be silly. That doesn’t have a place in the tomb of marriage.
Ye Ying was stunned by her abrupt and strange words. She lowered her eyes and muttered in a daze: “A tomb... it turned out I shouldn’t have got married, did I?”
Ye Li just wanted to give herself a slap and kept talking nonsense without changing color: “Of course not. A man should take a wife and a woman a husband. You’ll have to be in another tomb if you aren’t in this one. At least, this one is more good-looking, isn’t it? In books we read about women and men deep in love amidst flowers and in the moonlight before getting married. Have you ever read a book about the story after their weddings?”
Ye Ying stopped for a second and shook her head.
Ye Li said seriously: “That's right. Before getting married it's having feelings for someone and be each other's sunshine. After getting married, it's all about daily life, parents-in-law and children. Don’t feel bad about that. Almost all of those in the capital live their lives like this. Nobody will laugh at you.”
Ye Ying gazed at Ye Li with a strange look as if she didn’t know her for all those years before she finally said unwillingly: “Why doesn’t that happen to you? There are only you and Prince Ding who run Prince Ding’s Manor.”
Well, are you jealous of me now, girl? Ye Li waved her hand: “I’m different from you. Look, if I ask you to marry His Highness, you won't agree to do that, will you? I guess most girls won't want to marry him. That’s why... His Highness only belongs with me.”
“Is that so?” Ye Ying lowered her head pensively.
Ye Li wasn't interested in what Ye Ying was thinking about. She remembered that she wasn't here to comfort her. Seeing that Ye Ying was lost in her thought, Ye Li asked carelessly: “Come to think of it... I didn't expect that you would fall for Prince Li. I thought you are into refined and cultivated men.”
Ye Ying recovered to herself. Blushing, she bit her lips and stared at Ye Li: “So now are you blaming me for taking Prince Li away or are you having a good laugh at me?”
No, I’m here to thank you. Ye Li took Ye Ying’s hand and pretended her affection: “Though we aren’t born to the same mother, we are sisters after all. Do you really think I’ll turn against you because of a man, forth sister? In the past, I was only mad at you since you didn’t tell me the truth. Even if we haven't been getting along since we were little, do you recall any occasions where I took anything you like from you? If you told me about it properly at first, we could have solved this problem in private instead of making a scene and losing face.”
Ye Ying looked a little suspiciously at Ye Li, who was sincere. Thinking back, she did take a lot of things from Ye Li since she was little but each time Ye Li didn’t say anything about it. (That's because Ye Li didn't bother.) Only at that time, she was eager to let the world know that Ye Li’s engagement was broken off in order to embarrass her. She had never thought that she would end up the one that was disgraced. Having thought of that, despite her pride, she started to feel a little uncomfortable. However, there was no way that she was going to admit it.
Ye Li didn't pay attention to Ye Ying's expressions and sighed sympathetically: “I’ve always thought you would marry the most talented man in the capital, forth sister. You would be an ideal couple, a perfect match. How... how does life play with us.”
Ye Ying blushed. She had indeed thought about what kind of man her Mr. Right would be. She had imagined one handsome man in white holding her hand and looking into her eyes affectionately. But later, she got to know Prince Li. His position and the sensation of stepping on Ye Li gradually make her forget her old dreams. When she was really in love with him, she increasingly felt her old imagination was merely a naive idea of a little girl. However, right now her Mr. Right who she was in love with treated her like garbage... If... it was someone else, he wouldn't treat me like this... An ambiguous idea occurred to Ye Ying.
“Don’t you... don’t you hate me?” Ye Ying looked at Ye Li hesitantly.
Ye Li smiled slightly: “Didn't you mention it last time, that it was father’s idea? Perhaps father thought I’m not the right person for Prince Li. Now it turns out that he has been right. Prince Li and I don’t fit. I’m happy with what I have now. Prince Ding is a good man.”
Looking at Ye Li’s gentle and forgiving smile, the hesitation in Ye Ying’s eyes slowly disappeared. She bit her lips with some grievance and said: “Did father ask me to marry Prince Li since he knew what kind of man he was? Mother always says that father and grandma value you over me. He must have asked me to take your place since he thought Prince Li was a bad man!”
Ye Li looked at the sky. Your mother told you that because she wanted you to hate me, okay? How come I have no idea that those two people valued me? Tilting her head and looking at Ye Ying, Ye Li suddenly felt sorry for Minister Ye. Ye Ying was the baby girl that he has spoiled and loved.
“Everybody knows that father loves you the most. It’s probably because everyone can make an error of judgment. Don’t you remember what father has told you at that time?”
Ye Ying lowered her head and said softly: “Father... father has said that Lady of Bright Deportment is my sister of the same mother so she loves me more. If I marry Prince Li, I could help her a bit and nobody will dare to take advantage of me when she’s there. Besides... if I don't marry Prince Li, I could only marry the son of an official.” If that happened and Ye Li married Prince Li, becoming a princess, she would have been one rank lower than Ye Li for the rest of her life.
Ye Li nodded. If it hadn’t been the distinct situation Prince Ding and she were in at that time, His Majesty wouldn’t have let both daughters of the same Minister marry princes. But... was that it? Ye Li felt something was off. Did her father encourage his little daughter to take away the husband of his big daughter simply because of preference? It wasn’t right no matter how many times she thought about it. There must have been something that she didn’t know. But it seemed that Ye Ying was nowhere near the truth. Ye Li had realized one thing a long time ago. Though Ye Ying appeared to be aggressive, proud, and selfish indeed, if it came to something for real, she might not be as useful as Ye Shan and Ye Lin were. She was spoiled by Wang-shi and was a typical case who was amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Though she was educated by Old Lady Ye for several times, she would return to her old self in a few days.
Having concluded that she couldn’t get anything out of Ye Ying, Ye Li stood up and was ready to leave when she was stopped by Ye Ying who asked: “What am I supposed to do?”
I’m not your mother! Ye Li held back her anger and said: “You are the legitimate Princess Li. Even Princess Ling Yun is below you. You’ll be all right as long as you have Mo Jing Li’s heart and don't give Consort Xian Zhao reasons to hate you.”
Ye Ying stared at her unhappily. She didn’t want to just be all right. She wanted to live happily.
Ye Li had no choice. She took a deep breath and said: “For example, right now what you need to do is to keep Consort Xian Zhao company while receiving those guests. Let them know that you are the genuine legitimate princess of Prince Li's Manor. Understood? If you have more questions, ask grandma. You don’t think that I, who just got married and don't have to attend to parents-in-law would know better than grandma, do you?” Ye Li didn’t feel guilty guiding the source of trouble to her grandma at all. Old Lady Ye was happy to help Ye Ying anyway. “But if you are not happy about something, just write to me. If you have any problems, I can give you ideas in private. We are sisters after all.” So you better tell me secretly about anything that happens to Ye Family or Prince Li's Manor.
Ye Li was followed by Ye Ying in the garden. Though she had picked lanes where there were fewer people, their positions had drawn the attention of a lot. Fortunately, those onlookers all had a good sense of propriety. Knowing that the two sisters, Princess Ding and Princess Li wanted to talk in private, nobody came up and bothered them.
Ye Li glanced and frowned at Ye Ying, who was holding her handkerchief in bitterness. She asked speechlessly: “What’s wrong? Mo Jing Li hasn’t married his consort yet. Why are you acting like a wife full of resentment?”
Ye Ying glared at her with hatred and said bitterly: “Do you think... His Highness love me?”
In her mind, Ye Li was already rolling her eyes. If he did love you, this wedding wouldn't happen.
“At first... he did say that he only had me in his heart and would only love me.”
Ye Li tried hard not to let her face distort while imagining Mo Jing Li told Ye Ying how much he loved her with his cold expression in disgust. How blind was Ye Ying to convince herself that that man with such few expressions was truly in love with her?
“Why...why has everything changed after my wedding?” Ye Ying asked distractedly.
“Well...” Ye Li suddenly felt she was possessed by a saint and wanted to comfort Ye Ying, which was out of her own expectation: “Didn’t they say that... marriage is the end of love? You are already in your tomb so don’t think about the past any longer.” One can end one’s suffering by dying quickly and being reincarnated. Love? Don't be silly. That doesn’t have a place in the tomb of marriage.
Ye Ying was stunned by her abrupt and strange words. She lowered her eyes and muttered in a daze: “A tomb... it turned out I shouldn’t have got married, did I?”
Ye Li just wanted to give herself a slap and kept talking nonsense without changing color: “Of course not. A man should take a wife and a woman a husband. You’ll have to be in another tomb if you aren’t in this one. At least, this one is more good-looking, isn’t it? In books we read about women and men deep in love amidst flowers and in the moonlight before getting married. Have you ever read a book about the story after their weddings?”
Ye Ying stopped for a second and shook her head.
Ye Li said seriously: “That's right. Before getting married it's having feelings for someone and be each other's sunshine. After getting married, it's all about daily life, parents-in-law and children. Don’t feel bad about that. Almost all of those in the capital live their lives like this. Nobody will laugh at you.”
Ye Ying gazed at Ye Li with a strange look as if she didn’t know her for all those years before she finally said unwillingly: “Why doesn’t that happen to you? There are only you and Prince Ding who run Prince Ding’s Manor.”
Well, are you jealous of me now, girl? Ye Li waved her hand: “I’m different from you. Look, if I ask you to marry His Highness, you won't agree to do that, will you? I guess most girls won't want to marry him. That’s why... His Highness only belongs with me.”
“Is that so?” Ye Ying lowered her head pensively.
Ye Li wasn't interested in what Ye Ying was thinking about. She remembered that she wasn't here to comfort her. Seeing that Ye Ying was lost in her thought, Ye Li asked carelessly: “Come to think of it... I didn't expect that you would fall for Prince Li. I thought you are into refined and cultivated men.”
Ye Ying recovered to herself. Blushing, she bit her lips and stared at Ye Li: “So now are you blaming me for taking Prince Li away or are you having a good laugh at me?”
No, I’m here to thank you. Ye Li took Ye Ying’s hand and pretended her affection: “Though we aren’t born to the same mother, we are sisters after all. Do you really think I’ll turn against you because of a man, forth sister? In the past, I was only mad at you since you didn’t tell me the truth. Even if we haven't been getting along since we were little, do you recall any occasions where I took anything you like from you? If you told me about it properly at first, we could have solved this problem in private instead of making a scene and losing face.”
Ye Ying looked a little suspiciously at Ye Li, who was sincere. Thinking back, she did take a lot of things from Ye Li since she was little but each time Ye Li didn’t say anything about it. (That's because Ye Li didn't bother.) Only at that time, she was eager to let the world know that Ye Li’s engagement was broken off in order to embarrass her. She had never thought that she would end up the one that was disgraced. Having thought of that, despite her pride, she started to feel a little uncomfortable. However, there was no way that she was going to admit it.
Ye Li didn't pay attention to Ye Ying's expressions and sighed sympathetically: “I’ve always thought you would marry the most talented man in the capital, forth sister. You would be an ideal couple, a perfect match. How... how does life play with us.”
Ye Ying blushed. She had indeed thought about what kind of man her Mr. Right would be. She had imagined one handsome man in white holding her hand and looking into her eyes affectionately. But later, she got to know Prince Li. His position and the sensation of stepping on Ye Li gradually make her forget her old dreams. When she was really in love with him, she increasingly felt her old imagination was merely a naive idea of a little girl. However, right now her Mr. Right who she was in love with treated her like garbage... If... it was someone else, he wouldn't treat me like this... An ambiguous idea occurred to Ye Ying.
“Don’t you... don’t you hate me?” Ye Ying looked at Ye Li hesitantly.
Ye Li smiled slightly: “Didn't you mention it last time, that it was father’s idea? Perhaps father thought I’m not the right person for Prince Li. Now it turns out that he has been right. Prince Li and I don’t fit. I’m happy with what I have now. Prince Ding is a good man.”
Looking at Ye Li’s gentle and forgiving smile, the hesitation in Ye Ying’s eyes slowly disappeared. She bit her lips with some grievance and said: “Did father ask me to marry Prince Li since he knew what kind of man he was? Mother always says that father and grandma value you over me. He must have asked me to take your place since he thought Prince Li was a bad man!”
Ye Li looked at the sky. Your mother told you that because she wanted you to hate me, okay? How come I have no idea that those two people valued me? Tilting her head and looking at Ye Ying, Ye Li suddenly felt sorry for Minister Ye. Ye Ying was the baby girl that he has spoiled and loved.
“Everybody knows that father loves you the most. It’s probably because everyone can make an error of judgment. Don’t you remember what father has told you at that time?”
Ye Ying lowered her head and said softly: “Father... father has said that Lady of Bright Deportment is my sister of the same mother so she loves me more. If I marry Prince Li, I could help her a bit and nobody will dare to take advantage of me when she’s there. Besides... if I don't marry Prince Li, I could only marry the son of an official.” If that happened and Ye Li married Prince Li, becoming a princess, she would have been one rank lower than Ye Li for the rest of her life.
Ye Li nodded. If it hadn’t been the distinct situation Prince Ding and she were in at that time, His Majesty wouldn’t have let both daughters of the same Minister marry princes. But... was that it? Ye Li felt something was off. Did her father encourage his little daughter to take away the husband of his big daughter simply because of preference? It wasn’t right no matter how many times she thought about it. There must have been something that she didn’t know. But it seemed that Ye Ying was nowhere near the truth. Ye Li had realized one thing a long time ago. Though Ye Ying appeared to be aggressive, proud, and selfish indeed, if it came to something for real, she might not be as useful as Ye Shan and Ye Lin were. She was spoiled by Wang-shi and was a typical case who was amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Though she was educated by Old Lady Ye for several times, she would return to her old self in a few days.
Having concluded that she couldn’t get anything out of Ye Ying, Ye Li stood up and was ready to leave when she was stopped by Ye Ying who asked: “What am I supposed to do?”
I’m not your mother! Ye Li held back her anger and said: “You are the legitimate Princess Li. Even Princess Ling Yun is below you. You’ll be all right as long as you have Mo Jing Li’s heart and don't give Consort Xian Zhao reasons to hate you.”
Ye Ying stared at her unhappily. She didn’t want to just be all right. She wanted to live happily.
Ye Li had no choice. She took a deep breath and said: “For example, right now what you need to do is to keep Consort Xian Zhao company while receiving those guests. Let them know that you are the genuine legitimate princess of Prince Li's Manor. Understood? If you have more questions, ask grandma. You don’t think that I, who just got married and don't have to attend to parents-in-law would know better than grandma, do you?” Ye Li didn’t feel guilty guiding the source of trouble to her grandma at all. Old Lady Ye was happy to help Ye Ying anyway. “But if you are not happy about something, just write to me. If you have any problems, I can give you ideas in private. We are sisters after all.” So you better tell me secretly about anything that happens to Ye Family or Prince Li's Manor.
