The last time the palace sent someone to the Duke's manor, it had been to deliver congratulatory gifts on behalf of the late Emperor, carried by his inner attendants, in honor of Ye Jiao's grandfather's elevation to Duke of Honor. But after the old Duke passed away, only a few courtiers came to pay their respects. As time went on, the palace grew increasingly indifferent toward the Duke's household, prompting the imperial kinsmen and ministers to follow suit. Eventually, even those whom the Duke himself had once promoted ceased all contact. And after the incident twelve years ago, the House of the Duke merely clung to survival.
Ye Rou called for her sister to join her in receiving the envoy. Ye Jiao, however, picked up her bow and headed toward the rear courtyard, waving her hand dismissively."I'm not going. Just tell them I'm ill.""You're perfectly fine—how can you speak such ill of yourself?" Ye Rou sighed helplessly, then, urged by the maids, left on her own.
To her surprise, the envoy turned out to be a young prince.
Ye Rou, ever proper and reserved, dared not steal a glance. But in the moments her eyes brushed past him, she noticed his fair skin, tall frame, and strong, chiseled features—like a young mountain peak beginning to rise. Still, it was evident: the prince was gravely ill.
She lowered her gaze and greeted him alongside her mother.
After introducing himself, the Ninth Prince offered an explanation."I beg Lady Ye's forgiveness. My elder brothers are all occupied with duties and unable to come. Though my own reputation is less than desirable, I have taken the liberty to visit nonetheless."
That reputation referred to the moniker "Living Corpse," a title born from both rumor and fear. Truthfully, his brothers had not been too busy—they simply wished to avoid entanglements with the House of the Duke.
Li Ce's voice was soft and velvety, evoking an inexplicable sense of pity.Lady Ye, smiling gently, replied:"Our family rose through valor, stepping over corpses and rivers of blood. We have never feared spirits or demons. His Highness the Ninth Prince tends alone to his ancestors at the imperial mausoleum—a paragon of filial piety. How could such virtue earn ill repute?"
Unaccustomed to praise, Lady Ye's rare compliment brought a faint, shy smile to Li Ce's lips, dimpling his gaunt cheeks and momentarily softening his austere visage into something astonishingly handsome.
"I wonder, is the second young lady at home? His Majesty has annulled her engagement as of today, and will, in time, find her a better match. I've brought several gifts from the palace which I must present to her in person."
Seeing Ye Rou's matronly hairdo, he guessed correctly that she was the elder sister, already wed. He had come to see Ye Jiao—to confirm a suspicion.
Li Ce had inquired thoroughly among the people present on Imperial Street yesterday. Based on their descriptions of her clothing and features, the girl who had hired porters in his name was likely the one who had loosed those three arrows.
Was that girl Ye Jiao?Had she impersonated a prince's name after discovering her betrothed in a scandalous affair?Had she, in fury, fired three arrows to drive Qin Baiwei into disgrace?
Because of her, Li Ce had borne the blame, forfeiting six months of his stipend. He needed to know who she was. Not least because… she had piqued his curiosity.
But Ye Rou gently shook her head and bowed."My younger sister is distraught over yesterday's events. Her health is poor, and she fears presenting herself in an unkempt state. I hope Your Highness will understand."
Though visibly disappointed, Li Ce gave a refined smile and nodded."In that case, here is the gift list. I leave it in your care."
Ye Rou exhaled quietly in relief, but then Li Ce suddenly asked,"As your House is famed for its martial legacy, may I ask if the second young lady is skilled in riding or archery?"
The question caught Ye Rou off guard. She turned nervously to her mother. Lady Ye, face composed and voice serene, replied:"My daughter is most accomplished in the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework."
Li Ce pressed again, unwilling to give up:"Has she ever… studied the bow, even a little?"
"Never," Lady Ye answered."She cannot even kill a chicken."
Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard, Ye Jiao was swinging an axe, splitting a tough mulberry log in two. Beaming, she turned to the servant beside her."This'll make a fine new bow!"
The man beside her was Feng Jie, in his fifties—once an officer under the Duke. Wounded in battle, he had lost feeling in one leg and could now only walk with a crutch. The court's pension had been meager, and with his disability, he could not earn a living. The Duke's household had taken him in. He had watched Ye Jiao grow up and taught her to ride and shoot.
"Uncle Feng," Ye Jiao said, testing the wood's elasticity, "should we secretly make a crossbow?"
Crossbows were lethal weapons—strictly regulated.
Feng Jie immediately shook his head."I taught you archery for self-defense. Your mother has scolded me several times already. If we make a crossbow, she'll have me thrown out."
Lady Ye had always believed young women ought to be refined and demure. Though Ye Jiao had long been engaged to Fu Mingzhu, the Fu family knew nothing of her archery skills.
"Impossible," Ye Jiao grinned."If Mother throws you out, I'll buy my own courtyard and keep you there—and find you a wife too!"
"You rascal!" Feng Jie feigned anger, swatting her with a wooden strip.
Ye Jiao laughed and bolted."Oops! Forgot the front gate's blocked."The envoy was likely still at the entrance.
So she chose to climb the wall. A peach tree grew nearby, heavy with ripe fruit. She plucked one casually, leapt onto the wall, and sat atop it peeling the skin.
"You could just use the back door, my lady," Feng Jie reminded her."No way!" she said, biting into the peach."I'm not walking all that way."
She dropped lightly to the ground—only to catch someone in her peripheral vision.
Li Ce had dismissed his attendants and was strolling slowly along the courtyard wall. He enjoyed walking—especially when troubled. That was when he spotted a figure vaulting over the wall. A glimpse of crimson in motion, then the figure landed with effortless grace.
A girl in a vivid red gown, cinched at the chest, her robe of frost-white silk fluttering in the breeze. She seemed to bloom midair like a streak of twilight fire.
What agility.
Li Ce's eyes lingered. The face struck him with familiarity: a soft, rounded oval, arched brows, upturned nose, eyes like springwater in blossom. She smiled slightly, chewing on her peach, lips glistening with juice, eyes like crescent moons—half dreamy, half mischievous. Even more alluring than she had been yesterday in fury.
It was her. The girl who had fired the three arrows.
He smiled.
The girl turned and caught sight of him. Her expression darkened. She strode toward him.
Was she going to greet him?
Li Ce stepped forward, but instead of a greeting, he was met with a firm shove. Ye Jiao's palm landed squarely on his shoulder, pushing him back until he hit the wall.
"What a narrow world," Ye Jiao said coldly."Yesterday you tried to extort gold from me. Today you're still lurking about?"
"You're Ye Jiao," Li Ce said calmly, leaning against the wall.
"I'm not." She denied.
"Then you must be some thief, climbing walls in broad daylight," he teased, lifting his chin as though to shout, "Guards—!"
But his cry was cut off as Ye Jiao stuffed the peach into his mouth.
Sweet nectar exploded on his tongue, flooding his mouth. He couldn't swallow. As he raised a hand to remove it, Ye Jiao grabbed his arm, holding him in place with surprising strength.
This… was no delicate girl.
In broad daylight, Li Ce found himself pinned against a wall, mouth stuffed with peach, looking like some grotesque mural etched onto a tomb.
"I'm warning you," Ye Jiao's voice was hot and close,"Stop prowling outside our manor."
As she spoke, her hand slipped into his sleeve, pulling out a weighty pouch.
To free her hand, she raised her knee, pressing it against his arm.
He could feel her—soft, warm, blazing like a winter hearth.
"This is mine now."
And with that, she released him.
Dazed and breathless, Li Ce hurriedly reached for—