Noble's Woman Guide

Chapter 107 - Closure

There had been several rounds of snowfalls during this late cold winter and it was rare for such a clear day where the temperature warmed up and livened up everything. Hence with the support of Yue'ya, Ye Huaiyang went to the courtyard to bask in the sun. Feeling tired after walking several laps, she sat on the rocking chair and shut her eyes to rest for a moment. She did not block or cover the shedding halo of the light-golden sunlight that shone through the sparse green leaves into her eyelashes as she relaxed contentedly.

Thumping her legs by the side, Yue'ya remembered the recent rumors that have been circulating wildly in the imperial harem and could not help but ask in a low voice, "Niang-niang, do you think ... His Majesty is really trying to suppress the Ye family?"

Barely overnight, the matter of losing military power for both Ye Huaili and Meng Xuan spread widely in the city after that night's banquet. Some said Chu Jinglan was casting aside the bow once the birds were all killed* while others said this is what a wise ruler does. In short, there were mixed opinions about this matter.

[T/N: 鸟尽弓藏 (Niǎo jìn gōng cáng) – cast someone aside once he has served his purpose]

Both the Ye and Meng family did not react much. Ye Huaili went to report at the capital's battalion while Meng Xuan returned to Northern Land alone after handing over the matters at hand and his younger brother, Meng Gan, stayed in the royal court to continue serving Chu Jinglan in his place as well as presiding over the clan's important affairs. Everything is still very harmonious in general.

However, the calmness of the contenders in the game did not mean that the people watching the excitement were calm too. Some people have long been envious of these two families' dominance and happened to seize the chance to wreak havoc at this moment. Hence, the rumors in the imperial harem were spreading outrageously and some were even extremely unpleasant. Yue'ya dared not tell Ye Huaiyang lest her anger would affect her pregnancy but she still felt somewhat anxious and asked such a question.

Ye Huaiyang nevertheless just cast her a sidelong glance amusedly, "You finally ask after enduring for so many days?"

"Niang-niang ... " Yue'ya called out shyly and felt that her family Young Miss had procured an ingenious mind that nothing could be hidden from her.

"You ah, when can you learn from Ci Yuan? You can't even hide what's weighing on your mind and others can see it at a glance. Fortunately, there's only our family in the imperial harem. If we really have to strive for favors against others, won't I be infuriated to death counting on you to handle my affairs?"

Ye Huaiyang was just joking, but it sounded different when Yue'ya heard it — she even mentioned about striving for favors, is it possible that the Ye family is family failing fast?

Just when she felt terribly worried, a little palace maid suddenly came to report that Qu Fang asked to see her. Ye Huaiyang's eyes brightened up and promptly let someone bring her in.

Qu Fang had suffered a lot of torture since she got discovered when Chu Sanghuai sent someone to monitor her conversation with Ye Huaixin and had only recuperated recently. As it happened, she could not wait to come see Ye Huaiyang in Taiji Palace once she had just recovered. After all, she had kept everyone in the dark at that time and Qu Fang had grieved inconsolably when she heard the news of her death, so Ye Huaiyang had felt apologetic for this.

In the long winding corridor with a drifting faint scent, several upright figures drifted past under the flower windows and arrived before the eyes in a flash.

"Paying respects to Empress Niang-niang!"

Qu Fang knelt tremblingly on the ground with tears in her eyes, seemingly very emotional. When Ye Huaiyang propped her waist to stand wanting to help her up, she hurriedly came over to support Ye Huaiyang first while the palace maids and servants on the side all gathered closely around, lest there was some mishap.