"Tsk tsk, just look at his sour face. I can see it even from this distance," Mu Shaoling remarked to Baili Yan from atop a tea house.
Baili Yan glanced at him indifferently and asked, "Are you pleased?"
"Of course, I am. If heās not happy, then Iām happy," Mu Shaoling replied with pride.
"Oh," Baili Yan let out softly before continuing, "The execution orders for the Li Family have come down. Apart from those sentenced to death, the rest will be exiled. I fear they might attempt to break out before that. These next few days, you should secretly keep watch. If anyone tries to escape, execute them on the spot."
"..." Mu Shaolingās mouth fell open.
He nearly choked on his saliva. Since when was this his job? Wasnāt this the Ministry of Criminal Justiceās responsibility? The Court of Judicial Review? The Ministry of Warās? He held no official title; although the Mu Family was an influential family and his father was an official in the court, he himself had yet to hold any position.
Seeing him as if in disbelief, Baili Yan, in a good mood, said, "You should know that I have always been overseeing this matter, and I will continue to do so until the Li Family is reduced to nothing but ash, so itās my call on who watches over them."
Mu Shaoling, "..." Youāre the prince, so you call the shots! But can I even object?
As he continued to stare, Baili Yan chuckled and said in a mellow tone, "Both you and Brother An are displeased, that makes me happy."
And with that, His Highness Baili descended the stairs!
Mu Shaoling poured himself a cup of wine, intending to drink it himself, when he spotted Ye Ziāanās horse passing by the window where he was sitting. He promptly tossed the cup of wine out the window.
Ye Ziāan, on horseback and acting on instinct, felt that something was amiss. Seeing that it was a wine cup, he couldnāt help but catch it, splashing some of the wine. To claim it hadnāt spilled would be a lie. However, there was still a few drops left to pour; following the direction of the wine cup, he saw Mu Shaoling standing at the window, looking quite dejected.
Thus, Ye Ziāan raised the cup in salute to Mu Shaoling, gently sipped the few remaining drops, then casually tossed the cup aside, where it was caught by someone else.
Watching from above, Mu Shaoling couldnāt help but laugh and curse, "Idiot!"
The bystanders witnessing their interaction suddenly went wild; they shrieked, threw handkerchiefs, tossed flowers. Naturally, countless people who knew Mu Shaoling was in that tea house hurried over; in the eyes of the legitimate daughters of prominent families and the true high-born noblewomen, a man like Mu Shaoling was the epitome of manhood.
By midday, the parade had finally concluded, and there was another banquet in the evening, one held in honor of the new Advanced Scholars. This banquet was none other than the Qionglin Banquet mentioned in the lyrics of the Huangmei opera, "I too have attended the Qionglin Banquet."
Because of this banquet, Yang Chuxia once suspected that this time and place had spun off the Song Dynasty.
Ye Ziāan had no intention of attending the Qionglin Banquet. After all, he had heard that the Emperor never attended and that there were quite a few others who would skip it too. Someone hadnāt attended three years ago, and there were precedents before that, so he wouldnāt be an exception.
So upon leaving the Ministry of Rites, he headed straight for his other residence.
But just as he reached the entrance, he saw a young lady standing at the door with a maid and two matrons.
He pretended not to notice and continued straight on to enter the house.
"Young Master Ye!"
He didnāt hear her; after all, she wasnāt calling him, Ye Ziāan reassured himself inwardly.
"Ye Ziāan, stop right there!"
She was so bossy, yet his own lady was far more charming, Ye Ziāan thought again.
At that moment, the woman had already blocked Ye Ziāanās path.