Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Reconciliation

The resentful consort—no, the Prince of Chu—clutched the child tightly as he stepped into the private room, suppressing the flames of anger in his chest. He looked at the dazzling, charming woman and said, "What a coincidence."Indeed, a coincidence—as though fate itself had orchestrated this encounter, not a deliberate provocation. Ye Jiao smiled with gentle grace, clearly in a fine mood today. Resting her chin lazily upon her arm, she cast a fleeting glance at Li Ce and said with a playful lilt, "The child's recovered? Been fed? The Prince seems quite adept at childcare."Though her tone seemed complimentary, it carried a teasing undertone.Li Ce's heart warmed, though he merely snorted in reply. "Why is a child picked up by the Jingzhao Prefecture being raised in my household? Since we've run into each other, Marquis Wu may as well take him away now."As he spoke, he placed the child on the table like a parcel, albeit carefully avoiding the tea and pastries. Yan Congzheng hurried to move the teaware aside, the freshly brewed tea for Ye Jiao untouched.He frowned at Li Ce and Ye Jiao—not with schadenfreude, but quiet concern. Only those who care deeply quarrel with such childish pettiness.Though he and Ye Jiao now sat together, enjoying a meticulously arranged performance, and he had once shared childhood tales that made her laugh heartily, he could still sense her quiet melancholy.The storyteller's voice continued, weaving the tale of a play—yet the truest drama unfolded silently before Yan Congzheng's eyes.Ye Jiao reached out and tapped the child's cheek, then gave him a piece of preserved fruit. With only two tiny teeth, the boy suckled it while scrambling toward the fruit platter, trying to grab more.Yan Congzheng's eyes remained on Ye Jiao and missed the child crawling to the table's edge—until Li Ce warned sharply, "He's going to fall!"Startled, Yan Congzheng rushed to scoop him up, fumbling as the child grabbed his face and drooled all over him. Flustered, he sighed—this child really ought to be handed off to Liu Yan.As for Li Ce and Ye Jiao, they continued their petty squabbling, each trying to get under the other's skin."How is he ours, from Jingzhao Prefecture?" Ye Jiao shot Li Ce a glare. "I think he's quite fond of you. He even resembles you. Could he be an illegitimate son?""Only henpecked men need secret mistresses," Li Ce replied with feigned ease as he walked to Yan Congzheng's side, took the tea, and sipped. "I, however, merely require more concubines and consorts. Why bother with hidden women?"Ye Jiao nodded with feigned enlightenment and gazed past the curtain. "Ah, that explains why there's no prince in the play—too busy wedding wives and taking concubines. When you have a noble heir someday, do send a wedding card to Duke An's residence, so I may share in the joy."She paused, then looked at Li Ce again. A sudden thought crossed her mind. "No, by then I shall be married. There'll be no need for an invitation."Li Ce clenched his jaw. "Married? And which lofty branch does Marquis Wu hope to climb?"Ye Jiao's eyes sparkled mischievously. Her hand gently tapped the table. "Prince Zhao, Li Jing, perhaps. He's quite good-looking.""Good-looking and penniless," Li Ce scoffed. "His salary's been confiscated for the past two years."Everyone knew Miss Ye spent money like water. Who but the immensely wealthy could keep up?"Then perhaps Prince Wei, Li Chen," Ye Jiao offered with a lifted brow. "Sharp-witted and often praised by His Majesty.""Sharp?" Li Ce sneered. "He seems more like a fool to me."Fool or not, Li Ce would gift him a flaw regardless."That's only because your heart is full of schemes!" Ye Jiao slammed the table."How long do you intend to sulk?" Li Ce, too, wanted to slam the table but stopped himself. His words started with fiery volume but softened, melting into a gentle coaxing tone tinged with grievance.He stood in the private room like a man carved from jade and pine—elegant yet furious, his beautiful face no longer calm. His eyes blazed, but his words came out as if speaking to a wayward child.Despite the fury, he softened—for she was the one his heart ached for. He chided her, but more so himself—for failing to coax her into forgiveness.Outside the room, Qingfeng exhaled in relief. The Prince had not lost his reason. How could anyone quarrel with a woman like Ye Jiao? She was the one who once terrified Prince Zhao into stuffing stones in one sleeve and talismans in the other—men called her "the Demoness."No matter how mighty, in front of Ye Jiao, even the strongest men struggled to maintain dominance.Inside, they stood on opposite sides of the desk—Ye Jiao in her fiery red dress, her hair tied in a flying celestial bun; Li Ce in a dark blue robe with a white jade belt, just like the day they first met.In less than a year, they had drunk and composed poetry together, witnessed the glories of the Tang Empire, and crossed flames to cut down evildoers, staring into the abyss of humanity.She was, in his heart, the bright and bold woman of fire.And he, in hers, was the frail body shielding a soul ablaze with justice and courage.Why must they quarrel so, when no one understood them better than each other?Li Ce looked at her. He could still utter soft words to soothe her anger, but he had once spoken cruel ones too. If a gentleman must always keep his word, then he could no longer be called one.Ye Jiao bit her lip until it reddened with the threat of blood. She had already forgiven him—when he turned back to save the refugees at Yangquan Mountain, when she heard the truth about her birthday in Zichen Hall, when he returned, dust-laden, to the court to protect Duke An's household and rescue her from peril.She had forgiven him. He had broken into her heart, turned her world upside down like a ship on the Yellow River's waves—rising, falling—all for him.What she waited for, yet never received, was a promise.The promise Li Ce should have spoken, but didn't.The silence in the room was shattered by Bai Xianyu's hurried entrance."Bad news."He didn't bother brushing the snow off his robes. In a low voice, he said, "Something's happened.""What is it?" all three asked at once.Panting, Bai Xianyu squeezed in, picked up a teacup, glanced at the child in Yan Congzheng's arms, and steadied his nerves with a sip before speaking."Do you know whose child that is?""Whose?""The grandson of Imperial Censor Baili Xi," he said, face ashen.The truth had come to light. Baili Xi, opposing the Tang-Tubo peace, had framed the Tubo for stealing military secrets. When exposed, his family feared annihilation and sent their child away under cover of night.Yet the servant, tempted by silver, had abandoned the child not far from the estate.Today, the Court of Judicial Review found a child missing in the household registry and reported it. The Emperor flew into a rage, suspecting collusion and ordering an immediate investigation."The Minister just came from court and ordered me to find the child. The Baili family must identify and take him before His Majesty to confess and receive punishment.""Minister," of course, meant Liu Yan, Prefect of Jingzhao. A man of few words—he hadn't even spoken in their defense at court.Perhaps no identification was needed. A child abandoned and unsearched for could only belong to a doomed household.Li Ce turned, his earlier expressions wiped clean. His face calm and resolute, the kind of composure reserved for true crises."I'll go," he said, taking the child from Yan Congzheng's arms."I stopped him at the city gates. That's a story that will suffice."And with that, Li Ce walked out without even a glance back at Ye Jiao.Outside, the crowd buzzed.The storyteller had reached the part where "the lovely maiden weds the handsome general, red candles flicker on their bridal night."The guests cheered and clapped, steam from teacups curling in the air, and the servers bustled through the throng…