Chapter 21 - New Year Together

 Pei Xiuyan didn't expect that what he did that day would lead to this result. He suddenly felt the need to explain clearly.

"I am helpless about the Ye family's affairs. The twists and turns are not as simple as you think."

Ye Chuyan looked into the distance blankly, sighed faintly, and interrupted him.

"Pei Xiuyan, even if the emperor has long disliked the Ye family, he doesn't have to destroy the Ye family. You are doing this just to get quick success and gain, and to better distance yourself from the Ye family in front of the emperor."

"Besides, even if you really can't save the Ye family, you have many ways to frame the Ye family, but you chose to use the palace defence map I gave you to do it, which makes me feel guilty and sleepless every time I think of this matter in my life."

She retracted her gaze and smiled at Pei Xiuyan, but her eyes were like frost.

"If the matter of the Ye family was out of helplessness, then throwing me down in the attic and making me kneel in the snow to admit my mistakes, was someone forcing you?"

Pei Xiuyan was speechless.

"The Ye family was raided, and you still threatened me with the women of the Ye family, making me stay by your side, watching you and Zhao Yujiao love each other every day, and humiliating me. Was it also out of helplessness?"

Ye Chuyan lowered her eyes slightly. "Pei Xiuyan, what else do you want to say?"

Pei Xiuyan found that he had nothing to say in the face of Ye Chuyan's words. He did use the worst way to deal with the matter of the Ye family, and it was his instinct to punish Ye Chuyan for Zhao Yujiao. Now he was completely unable to explain.

The sound of the night watch came from afar, and the new year had arrived. This was the first time Pei Xiuyan and Ye Chuyan spent the new year together. Ye Chuyan bowed slightly to Pei Xiuyan.

"At the beginning of the new year, I wish you to stay by your side forever and enjoy endless prosperity from now on, second only to the emperor and above all others."

Pei Xiuyan subconsciously reached out to help Ye Chuyan, but Ye Chuyan took a step back without making a sound.

"If you are all right, go back to bed early."

Pei Xiuyan's hand was left hanging in the air.

A beam of light suddenly shot out from the dark night sky, exploding into a large flower cloud in the air. Before one flower went down, another flower instantly rose up and merged with the previous fireworks cloud that had not yet disappeared. He doesn't know which family is setting off fireworks so grandly, lighting up the entire street outside the Qing Palace.

Ye Chuyan and Pei Xiuyan couldn't help but look at the fireworks in the sky at the same time. The surprise and understanding in Ye Chuyan's eyes flashed instantly, and they were just caught by Pei Xiuyan.

In a flash, Pei Xiuyan came up with a strange guess. The fireworks were set off by Wu Mu for Ye Chuyan to see.

"Wu Mu is in Kyoto, did you know?" Pei Xiuyan suddenly blurted out a question.

Ye Chuyan was stunned for a moment, turned her head away, and said lightly, "I don't know..."

Pei Xiuyan carefully stared at every tiny expression on Ye Chuyan's face, trying to capture the truth of this answer from it.

She knows!

Before the marriage, Ye Chuqing got drunk and pulled him to say that if Ye Chuyan hadn't insisted on marrying him, he especially hoped that Ye Chuyan would marry Wu Mu. Ye Chuqing also said that Ye Chuyan and Wu Mu had similar personalities and were in tune with each other.

These days, he has blocked all of Ye Chuyan's external contacts. How did Ye Chuyan know? Could it be that Ye Chuyan and Wu Mu were really in tune with each other? Possessiveness and anger soon filled his heart. He pulled Ye Chuyan into his arms with a slightly annoyed tone in his voice.

"Don't you want me to go to bed, Princess? I'm staying in Jianjia Garden today!"

Ignoring Ye Chuyan's struggle, he forcibly took her into the house. Leaving Bai Zhi petrified on the spot.

After entering the house, Ye Chuyan gave up struggling and said with a fake smile, "Your Highness is in a good mood. I haven't recovered yet, but you want to torture me. Please be gentle."

After saying that, she gently broke free from Pei Xiuyan's arms, closed her eyes, and lay on the bed with an expression of fearlessness. Pei Xiuyan instantly understood what Ye Chuyan meant. Looking at Ye Chuyan lying on the bed, he felt like a lump in his throat for a while. He stood for half an incense stick of time, extinguished the candle in the room, lay on the bed, hugged Ye Chuyan tightly from behind, and rested his chin on the top of her head without any other actions.

Ye Chuyan's body was stiff, and she felt her back burning and uncomfortable all over. The hug she once longed for was now like torture to her.

"Don't move; stay with me to sleep for a while, and I'll give you the letter written by Old Lady Ye later." Pei Xiuyan's warm breath was slightly drunk.

Ye Chuyan frowned slightly and thought of her mother's letter, but she still endured it. Lying on her side with such a stiff body, there was silence.

"Ye Chuyan, don't embarrass Jiaojiao anymore, and I won't embarrass you anymore. You just need to be your Princess Qing."

Pei Xiuyan's voice broke the silence, a little hoarse.

Ye Chuyan's expression could not be seen in the darkness. Pei Xiuyan only felt that the stiff body of the person in his arms suddenly shook, and she smiled. She laughed so hard that tears came into her eyes, and she almost got a stitch in the side.

Finally, she forced herself to calm down and said lightly, "Pei Xiuyan, do you know? You are not only heartless, but also disgusting."

"Ye Chuyan! Don't forget that the lives of the women of the Ye family are still in my hands!" Pei Xiuyan's hand holding Ye Chuyan suddenly tightened.

Ye Chuyan felt his anger and asked softly, "Do you want to strangle me or slap me?"

Pei Xiuyan took a deep breath and said nothing.

The room was silent again.

Ye Chuyan curled the corners of his mouth and sneered silently.

The fireworks outside had finished, and the faint moonlight was reflected in the room. The incense burner was wispy, and the charcoal fire was warm. Everything was like warm water, so beautiful. Pei Xiuyan's eyes narrowed slightly in the darkness, and the dark waves were surging inside.

 

※

 

In the early morning, the sun rose. Today was the first day of the new year, and the weather was very good.

When Ye Chuyan woke up, Pei Xiuyan had already left, leaving a letter on the table. Ye Chuyan couldn't wait to open it. It was the beautiful small calligraphy of Mrs. Ye.

【Yanyan, we are all fine. Although the road to exile is long, it is not difficult. As long as we are alive, we will meet again. Take care of yourself, and don't miss me.】

A few short sentences made Ye Chuyan smile, and her eyes turned red. No matter how difficult it is, as long as you are alive, we will meet again. The Ye family is gone, but the people of the Ye family are still there. Bai Zhi brought toiletries into the house and saw Ye Chuyan holding a letter, crying and laughing, and hurriedly said, "Princess, what's wrong with you?"

Ye Chuyan put away the letter, took a breath, and pulled the corner of her mouth.

"It's okay; I'm fine. My mother wrote to me and said that she was fine."

Bai Zhi couldn't help but be overjoyed, and her eyes were slightly red.

"That's great, that's great; I knew that the old lady and the others were kind-hearted, and with God's blessing, they must be safe and sound."

The two smiled at each other.

For so many days, Ye Chuyan was like being crushed by a huge mountain, and she was almost crushed. Today, she can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After Ye Chuyan finished washing, Bai Zhi was combing her hair, and there was a quarrel outside the courtyard door.

"Miss Zhao, the master said that no one is allowed to enter or leave during the princess's confinement. I hope Miss Zhao will not embarrass me."

Zhao Yujiao looked at Yan Xue, who had an expressionless face, bit her lip, and said aggrievedly, "Guard Yan, I just want to go in and greet my sister. Is that not okay?"