step by step

Chapter 291 The Beginning of the Autumn Hunt
"Naturally, my deal with Mr. Zhuo is mutually beneficial."

Zhuo Mingxuan was slightly startled, and then smiled, "You are the daughter of the Ye family, no matter whether you go to Qing Palace or Zhuo Palace, you will not be wronged, besides..."

"And what?"

"The Ye family will be handed over to you sooner or later," he smiled indifferently: "With such a family background, it is inevitable to marry Xungui."

Ye Zhaoyan smiled and said nothing, his expression seemed to be mocking the other party's self-questioning.

The other party obviously believed that she had the intention of clinging and making friends, rather than just exchanging benefits.

"Miss Ye might as well make a decision earlier."

"Decision? This move violates the legacy of our ancestors, and my Ye family must not disobey it." She looked up at him, "I hope Mr. Zhuo can understand."

"What does Miss Ye mean?" Zhuo Mingxuan raised his eyebrows and asked back.

Ye Zhaoyan glanced at him: "It's inconvenient to tell you the inside story. However, the Ye family has no intention of marrying with the aristocratic family, and there is no attachment to Qing Wang Zhuo Wang and his ilk. Can Mr. Zhuo understand this?"

Zhuo Mingxuan's eyes changed, he was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked: "What do you want to do?"

Ye Zhaoyan lowered his eyes and smiled lowly: "It doesn't matter what I want to do, the important thing is what Mr. Zhuo wants to do. The Ye family has never had any distracting thoughts, let alone ambition. The most they can do is to seek self-protection in troubled times."

Ye Zhaoyan had already planned this.

Zhuo Wang's Mansion and Ye Family have always kept water from wells and rivers, and if there was no matchmaking by Xue Family in the previous life, the Ye family would not be targeted by King Qing and become victims.

In the previous life, the Zhuo Palace was an accomplice. In this life, in order to avoid history from repeating itself, Ye Zhaoyan could only turn the situation around with one dangerous move, turning it into a bargaining chip against King Qing.

If the balance of interests is tilted towards the side that is supposed to be the helping hand, will the originally strong alliance remain the same as before?
"This condition, Zhuo is naturally satisfied, but—" Zhuo Mingxuan lowered his voice, "I wonder if Ye Mansion sincerely wants to help Zhuo Palace?"

"Whether it is sincere or not, there will be a conclusion soon."

"Then I will trust Miss Ye once, and hope that no matter what happens in the future, Miss Ye will keep her promise."

"nature."

The time for the autumn hunt is approaching, and the nobles of the noble families who have been invited have also arrived one after another. Emperor Donglin summoned everyone in the main hall behind the garden in the western suburbs, and let people announce the specific rules for this autumn hunt.

The hunting grounds are surrounded by many soldiers guarding them tightly. They hold weapons and patrol the shade of the trees with sharp eyes. Occasionally, the autumn wind blows and the branches rustle.The palace guards and imperial guards also lined up neatly, ready to go, with a sense of killing and cutting vaguely mixed with their solemn majesty.

On the wide lawn directly in front of the hunting ground, there are five desks, each of which has a guard or military officer sitting in charge. They are tall and strong, with dignified expressions, and they are the five principals who supervise this autumn hunting. From this, we can also get a glimpse of how much the Eastern King attaches importance to this autumn hunting.

When Ye Zhaoyan arrived, some dignitaries and officials' wives had already sat down with their families, and many people looked at her strangely after noticing her.

"Isn't this Ye Zhaoyan, the prostitute daughter of the Ye family?"

"That's right, it's her. I heard that she and King Qing are getting close, so why did the Ye Mansion's carriage come with the Zhuo Wang Mansion's carriage?"

"This is strange. Could it be that the Ye family has some connection with the Zhuo Palace?"

"This...how is this possible? It is said that this autumn hunt, apart from the Nanyue princess, belongs to His Royal Highness Prince Qing and is under the care of His Majesty. How could the Ye family have anything to do with the Zhuo family?"

"makes sense……"

Almost everyone glanced at Ye Zhaoyan suspiciously, not knowing what they were whispering.

Ye Zhaoyan has sharp ears and eyes, so he naturally heard these arguments clearly.

Zhuo Mingxuan got out of the carriage long before entering the arena, and was not seen by everyone.At this moment, he stood in the distance, looked at Ye Zhaoyan with a half-smile, and then walked slowly to his desk and took a seat.

The location of the Ye family is very good. Not long after Ye Zhaoyan sat down, he noticed that the noble ladies around him were a bit unusual. Some of them had strange faces. They must be the young ladies of the family who had just been rewarded recently. They either had good looks or were dressed up , all sat safely in their original places, waiting for the start of the autumn hunting.

As for the male guests, although it was not as clear-cut as the female guests, there were a few men who frequently glanced at her with rather unkind eyes.

Ye Zhaoyan glanced over indifferently, and those eyes instantly moved away from her, not daring to look at her.

Sure enough, they are some dudes.

There are quite a few playboys in Jindu City among this group of male guests. They not only covet wealth and power, but also bully the weak and fear the strong.And Ye Zhaoyan's family background is prominent, and he never pretends to speak, so he naturally became the curious target of those men, but Ye Zhaoyan's temperament is cold and arrogant, and he doesn't care about them at all, so those people dare not be too presumptuous.

Among these male guests, only King Qing is the most conspicuous. He has already held a high position at a young age, and his martial arts and martial arts are top-notch. The object of pursuit of noble ladies.

Ye Zhaoyan glanced calmly at Prince Qing who was sitting upright, and then at another man standing beside him.

Upon seeing this, she was startled. This man was tall and slender, his complexion was as pale as paper, his eye sockets were sunken, and his thin lips were tightly closed. Folding fan with a handle, the whole person has a feminine taste, which makes people unconsciously stay away from it, unwilling to take half a step closer.

Ye Zhaoyan could recognize this face even after a lifetime—his identity was the chief culprit who killed Ye Wenxuan in his previous life, King Qing's aide, Xiao Yuanmo.

He stood there straight, with an indifferent expression, as if the noise and hustle and bustle around him were far away from him, and he just observed his surroundings quietly.

The Xiao Yuanmo in my memory is a member of the royal family living in a foreign country. His identity is unknown. He was raised in the ancestral hall since he was a child.

And the timing of his appearance happened to be half a year before Ye Wenxuan was coldly abandoned by Emperor Donglin.

Since his appearance, the Ye family has accelerated its decline.

The betrayal of Xue Huaidan, the collusion between King Qing and King Zhuo, the cold-eyed acquiescence of Emperor Donglin, and the internal and external cooperation of the three parties finally pushed this brave general who has been on the battlefield for more than [-] years to a desperate situation.The Ye family was also completely defeated and then destroyed.

Ye Zhaoyan lowered his eyes to hide the coldness in his eyes.

A moment later, a familiar figure ignored everyone's gaze and walked up to her. It was Ji Sinian.

He seemed to be in good spirits. After sweeping away the gloom and anxiety of that rainy night, his whole person became a bit more icy, but when he looked at Ye Zhaoyan, his eyes were soft again.

　There will be more tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)