TL: Jalyss
Proofreader: Odyssey
Chapter 46 – The Ice Lord’s Life (part 4)
“Do you want to sow discord between the Feng and Ye families?” A light, indifferent voice echoed in the room. It did not give off a dangerous feeling.
“Yeah?” Bai Xi tilted her head and smiled. “Compared to what you said, my idea is nothing much.” A marriage between the two countries was a good thing, which can promote good relations. But, that was when Ye Zi Ning was perfectly intact. Now her feet were crippled, so this marriage may not be a good idea.
Would sending a crippled princess to the prince of another country be considered as an act of provocation?
Feng Ming picked up a white jade jug and poured a glass of wine. The sweet scent of osmanthus soon filled the glass, but instead of drinking it, he quietly looked down at the wineglass.
“Actually, even if the Feng family opposed the imperial family of Xi Yue, there is nothing the imperial family can do since the Feng family is very influential.” Ye Mu Li wasn’t that stupid. For the sake of Ye Zi Ning, no, for the empress dowager, the imperial family was at odds with the Feng family.
Besides, Bei Liang has slowly revealed their ambitions recently, they have not taken any action yet. From Ye Mu Li’s point of view, he would want to make use of this information and wait for an opportunity. Therefore, Ye Mu Li allowed the disabled Ye Zi Ning to marry into Bei Liang, not because he was afraid of the power behind the Feng family, but to make use of it.
He glanced at Bai Xi, who was sitting lazily. “When Old Man Bai surrendered his military power, why didn’t Ye Chen (the previous emperor) take it back?”
Ye Chen, the previous emperor of Xi Yue? She remembered that her older brother had said that the Bai family had a third of Xi Yue’s military power, making them the target of jealousy by the princes. In order to prove his loyalty, the old man had voluntarily handed over his military power in order to eliminate the fear the previous emperor had towards the Bai family. When she had first heard of the matter, she felt it was a more complex situation than she was told. Now that Feng Ming mentioned it again, she was convinced it was a complex situation.
Since the Bai family has always been the target of the imperial family’s jealousy, why did the imperial family not take back the military power? It was such a good opportunity for them. Could it be…? Bai Xi’s eyes brightened. “He didn’t dare to accept it.” This was the only explanation. She remembered that when she entered the palace for the first time, her older brother had told her that members of the Bai family could bully other people, and could never be bullied by others. At that time, she thought that her brother was just casually saying such a thing, but now it seemed like it wasn’t just a throwaway line.
“You’re not that dumb,” Feng Ming commented lightly. He looked down at the wine glass he was playing with.
“Do you know the real reason?” She bet this man knew.
“I don’t know.”
She should have known this man wouldn’t say anything. Bai Xi let out a low hum. She wouldn’t give up. “Are you familiar with the Bai family?”
“No.”
“Do you know that damn old man very well?”
“No.”
“What about my older brother?”
“No.”
“Huh?” He said he wasn’t familiar with her grandfather, but he still called him Old Man Bai and was familiar with the pathways in Mo Xuan Yuan. If he wasn’t familiar, how did he know all the paths in the Bai mansion? He actually had the audacity to say he wasn’t familiar with her family! Bai Xi rolled her eyes. Getting anything from this man was such a pain.
“I’m familiar with you.”
Familiar with her? What? They weren’t very close. At most, they had a master and student relationship.
“Why don’t you want to tell me the truth?”
“The truth can only be discovered by yourself. I don’t know if what you said is true.” The wine glass in his hand flew over to Bai Xi. Although he didn’t use much strength, some wine still dripped on her clothes when she caught it.
The scent of sweet osmanthus filled the air, making her temporarily forget her thoughts. She took a sip of wine and found it to be rich, a nice balance of sweet and sour, and the fragrance to be much lighter than the last time she drank it. Bai Xi finished the wine in one go.
“Compared to Little White Face, is it better?” Feng Ming asked out of the blue.
“What?” Bai Xi was confused. “Are you talking about this wine?”
Feng Ming stared at Bai Xi wordlessly, waiting for an answer.
“You seem to care a lot about what’s going on between him and I.” She already couldn’t remember how many times this man mentioned ‘Little White Face’, but it always popped up from time to time.
“No.”
“Really?” Was it not so? If not, then why did he always mention Little White Face to her? She shouldn’t be narcissistic enough to think that this man likes her, but… did he…?
“Stop your convoluted thoughts.” His arrogant expression did nothing to dampen his incomparably handsome face. He glanced at Bai Xi before turning his attention to the scene outside.
At this time, the waiter had cautiously appeared and set out the dishes. Bai Xi shook her head and smiled. Was this man that scary? The waiter was covered in sweat.
“You should smile more so they’re not so scared.” As soon as she said this, she remembered his smile from earlier in the morning. She was actually struck dumb by it.
Feng Ming ignored her and gracefully picked up the chopsticks to eat. Bai Xi sat across from Feng Ming and also began to eat.
“How did Ye Mu Li get you to promise him to be his prime minister for five years?” She was very interested since she heard about it. She wanted to know about the relationship between them.
Feng Ming continued to eat his meal quietly, as if he hadn’t heard her.
“You don’t want to speak? Was this memory too painful?” Was this man a part of Ye Mu Li’s plans and so chose to ignore the emperor’s status while in court?
Someone continued to ignore her existence.
“How about I exchange my lover’s hobbies and interests?” At the same time, she could use this to see if the idea she had just now was true.
“I’m not interested in Little White Face.”
As soon as he said that, his eyes dimmed. Was she wrong? Was he not gay? However, Feng Ming’s next words caused her to drop her chopsticks and the chicken on the table.
“I am interested in you.”