latelenovela Chapter 104 104 Influence
Chapter 104 104 Influence
Chapter 104 104 Influence
Chunyu Jingxuan had been lonely for many years, and now that he had finally gotten a playmate, he was so excited he almost jumped for joy. Thinking of the rabbit in Lanxin Courtyard, and perhaps even seeing Ye Pianran, he felt a surge of excitement and turned to Chunyu Yang to ask:
"Father, may I go outside to play with... with my younger brother Kang?"
Chunyu Yang knew exactly what was going on in his little head. He looked at Gongsun Yuan questioningly. Gongsun Yuan smiled, put Ye Yankang down, gently pushed him forward, and said, "Go on, Kang'er."
Ye Yankang was staggered and pushed in front of Chunyu Jingxuan. Chunyu Jingxuan coughed twice, put his chubby little hands behind his back, and said to Ye Yankang with a serious expression:
"From this day forward, you will be my study companion. Wherever I go, you must follow closely behind, understand?"
He said those words merely for show, and everyone expected Ye Yankang to respond with his usual silly grin. Instead, Ye Yankang reached out and grabbed Chunyu Jingxuan's sleeve, saying happily, "Fu~ Fu Fu~"
Ye Yankang was missing a front tooth, and his tone of voice was very strange. Marquis Anshi didn't hear him clearly and couldn't help but ask, "What is Kang'er saying?"
Unlike the others' reactions, Chunyu Jingxuan understood what he said, and his eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, "You still recognize me?"
Ye Yankang didn't respond to him, but instead tugged at his sleeve and walked outside, muttering, "Fu~ Fu~"
"Wait, I already said you have to stay right behind me!" Chunyu Jingxuan stumbled after him towards the outside of the main hall, finally realizing that he couldn't reason with a little fool. He had no choice but to resign himself to grab Ye Yankang's hand and whisper, "Alright, I'll hold your hand. Let's go find my sister to see the rabbits together."
Gongsun Yuan curtsied to Chunyu Yang and Marquis Anshi, said "This concubine takes her leave," and then chased after the two children.
Chunyu Jingxuan led Ye Yankang towards Lanxin Courtyard. On the way, he leaned closer to Ye Yankang and whispered, "Silly boy, is your sister inside?"
Ye Yankang blinked his bright, innocent eyes and followed him, saying, "Ah, Sister~"
"I was asking if my sister was there... Never mind, asking you is pointless, I might as well check myself," Chunyu Jingxuan muttered. However, Chunyu Jingxuan, full of anticipation, still found nothing at Lanxin Courtyard. Squatting on the ground, teasing the two rabbits, Chunyu Jingxuan drooped his head, looking just like some listless animal.
Suddenly, Ye Yankang, who was beside him, stood up and ran back, calling out softly, "Sister~"
Chunyu Jingxuan immediately stood up and looked back, only to see Ye Yankang rush into the arms of Ye Pianran, who was wearing a veil. She had clearly just returned from outside, her cloak still on, looking travel-worn. But even in this state, she was still incomparably beautiful and radiant.
She gently patted Ye Yankang's back, then looked up at Chunyu Jingxuan, her gaze gentle and calm, her eyes crinkling with a smile:
"The young master has arrived."
Chunyu Jingxuan's face suddenly turned red. He walked up to Ye Pianran with his hands behind his back, pretending to be serious, and said, "This young master has come to see those two rabbits."
"It's kind of you that the young master still remembers them," Ye Pianran said with a smile. "If the young master likes them, how about I give him a rabbit?"
Chunyu Jingxuan quickly shook his head: "No need, no need!" If he took the rabbit away, what reason would he have to run here?
He paused, then looked up at Ye Pianran and said, “Sister, now that Brother Kang is my study companion, I can come and go to the Marquis’s mansion to play with him. Then I can come and see your rabbits again. There’s no need to bring them back to the Prince’s mansion.”
Ye Pianran was somewhat surprised. She looked up at Gongsun Yuan, who was sitting under the tree brewing tea. Gongsun Yuan nodded at her, tacitly agreeing with what Chunyu Jingxuan had said.
Ye Pianran returned from her medical studies at the clinic. As soon as she arrived at the Marquis's residence, she saw the carriage of the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion outside the gate. She guessed that someone from the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion had come, so she was not surprised to see Chunyu Jingxuan. However, she did not expect that Chunyu Jingxuan had come to find Ye Yankang to be his study companion. This young prince of the manor, like his father, always did some unexpected things...
Ye Pianran's expression faltered, and her thoughts drifted away without her realizing it.
The young prince definitely didn't come alone, which means the Third Prince came too? How could he agree to let Ye Yankang be the young prince's study companion? Kang'er looks so foolish…
"Sister? Sister?" A few calls brought her back to her senses. She came to her senses and found Chunyu Jingxuan, like Ye Yankang, practically lying on top of her.
"Young Master, please don't call me that anymore." Ye Pianran looked at him with a wry smile. "Our statuses are different, and this form of address will confuse my seniority with the Third Prince."
Chunyu Jingxuan's bright eyes immediately welled up with tears. He looked at Ye Pianran pitifully, as if he was about to cry at any moment.
“I have no mother since I was a child… No one in the palace cares for me… No one plays with me… And my father is always away from the palace…”
He became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, and finally buried his face in Ye Pianran's arms and burst into tears. Ye Yankang, who had been sucking his fingers and grinning foolishly, heard Chunyu Jingxuan crying, his mouth twitched, and he also burst into tears.
Ye Pianran quickly squatted down to coax the two of them:
"Don't cry, don't cry. From now on, the young master will have Kang'er to keep him company, won't he? From now on, the young master will no longer be alone. If the young master feels bored staying in the palace, he can come here anytime. His mother and I will definitely treat him well."
“But you won’t let me call you ‘elder sister’…” Chunyu Jingxuan raised his head, his face covered in tears, which softened Ye Pianran’s heart.
“Alright, if the young master likes it, then call him that.” Ye Pianran took out a silk handkerchief to wipe away his tears and said, “But this title can only be used between you and me in private. If others hear it, it may cause unnecessary trouble, and your father will also be unhappy.”
"Yes, Xuan'er understands." Chunyu Jingxuan, having achieved his goal, responded with a smile through his tears.
After comforting Chunyu Jingxuan, Ye Pianran then tried to comfort Ye Yankang, but unexpectedly, upon hearing that Chunyu Jingxuan had stopped crying, he also sniffled and stopped crying.
Ye Pianran was greatly surprised and immediately felt that her decision to have Ye Yankang accompany Chunyu Jingxuan was indeed a good one.
Ye Yankang grew up by Gongsun Yuan's side and had never come into contact with anyone outside of Lanxin Courtyard, which is why he has maintained his foolish appearance all these years. If he could be subtly influenced by his interactions with the Crown Prince of Beiwu, perhaps his foolishness would improve sooner.
She believed that the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion's education of Chunyu Jingxuan must be rigorous and excellent, and perhaps one day, Kang'er could also become an extraordinary person like the Third Prince...
Frustrated to find herself thinking about someone again, Ye Pianran stomped her foot in frustration, went back into the house, and took out the pastries she had just made that morning to serve Chunyu Jingxuan, trying to use her busyness to erase that figure from her mind.
Just like last time, Chunyu Jingxuan snuggled up to Ye Pianran when he got tired of playing. He ate the pastries she made, drank the tea brewed by Gongsun Yuan, and teased Ye Yankang to imitate his speech. Before long, he fell asleep peacefully with Ye Pianran as his pillow.
On the other side, Marquis Anshi led Chunyu Yang around the manor, trying to strike up a conversation with him about matters of the court. Chunyu Yang remained silent the whole way, occasionally responding with a few words, but his thoughts had already drifted far away, landing in a courtyard where fallen petals were swaying.
Chunyu Yang only came to his senses when a figure unexpectedly appeared in the Hou Mansion garden and came face to face with them.
"This humble citizen, Ye Yanxun, greets the Third Prince."
Looking intently at Ye Yanxun, who was bowing in front of him, Chunyu Yang gave an ambiguous "hmm" and then offered no further response.
Since he didn't speak, Ye Yanxun naturally didn't dare to get up casually, and could only stand there awkwardly.
Upon seeing this, Marquis Anshi smiled and introduced him to Chunyu Yang: "Third Prince, this is my eldest son, named Ye Yanxun. You have met him before; he is the one who presented His Majesty with the painting 'Autumn Banquet at Qionglin' during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet."
Chunyu Yang said indifferently, "Is that so? I only remember that your cousin from the Marquis's mansion stole the show at the banquet that day."
Even Marquis Anshi was embarrassed. He chuckled dryly, "It was thanks to the Third Prince's intervention that day that things didn't turn out any worse. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to handle the situation." If Ye Bijun hadn't suddenly gone mad, Xun'er and Rou'er would have already made a name for themselves at the banquet. They wouldn't have ended up in this state!
Catching the fleeting resentment in Ye Yanxun's eyes, Chunyu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Get up. I am here as a guest. There is no need for such a grand ceremony."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Ye Yanxun stood up respectfully.
"Xun'er, why aren't you studying in your room? Where are you planning to go?" Marquis Anshi asked, seeing Ye Yanxun dressed as if he were about to go out.
"I heard that a foreign martial monk has come to the West Market and set up a fighting arena on the street. He has not yet met his match, so I invited a few classmates to go and see what's going on," Ye Yanxun replied respectfully.
"Oh? A foreign warrior monk?" Marquis Anshi looked at Chunyu Yang inquiringly, "Is the Third Prince interested?"
“No,” Chunyu Yang replied directly.
An Shihou suppressed the twitching of his lips and said to Ye Yanxun with a smile, "Go ahead, just remember to keep an eye on things from the side. The autumn examination is in two days, so don't get hurt and miss the exam."
"Yes, then I'll take my leave." Ye Yanxun cupped his hands in greeting to Chunyu Yang and Marquis Anshi, and left with his servant.
After Ye Yanxun left, Chunyu Yang said to Marquis Anshi, "It's getting late, I should take the young master back to the palace."
"I will send someone to bring the heir over immediately," Marquis Anshi said hastily.
"No need, I will go to fetch you myself. Lord Marquis, please lead the way," Chunyu Yang said.