Upon reaching the front courtyard, voices could be heard speaking. Besides Old Mu, there seed to be two others, one of whom sounded like Mr. Luo, and the other was not hard to guess.
As he entered the room and saw the person, who else could it be but Baili Yan, followed by another attendant?
Just as he was about to bow in greeting, Baili Yan laughed and said, "There are no outsiders here, no need for such formality."
Despite this, Ye Zi’an insisted on performing a bow, for their statuses were different and it was better to be cautious.
After he finished bowing and looked up, he saw that Baili Yan was as ever, always with a gentle smile, yet there was an air of aloofness about him. In this aspect, Ye Zi’an was sowhat similar, but his aloofness depended on whom he was dealing with, whereas Baili Yan’s seed perpetual.
Before he could scrutinize him more subtly, he heard Baili Yan say with mild surprise, "It’s been a few years, how have you co to look like this? You didn’t use to be this way when I saw you."
Then, taking a closer look at Ye Zi’an, he continued, "Has that stinky girl Yang Chuxia been mistreating you? You look as if you’ve been deprived of food and clothing." The pallor of his complexion was so troubling one might think he had fallen ill.
"Your Highness, my commoner wife is very well indeed."
In Ye Zi’an’s heart, you could say he was fine, but not a word against his wife.
Seeing his response, Mr. Luo snorted coldly twice, showing real progress.
Upon hearing Ye Zi’an refer to himself as ’commoner’ and ’Your Highness’, Baili Yan’s head began to throb, "Better you speak as you usually do. Besides, like Linhao, you should call ’cousin’."
"Cousin!" Seeing that he referred to himself as such, Ye Zi’an likewise complied and called him cousin.
Hearing this, Baili Yan gave a light nod, smiling faintly.
However, the young eunuch behind Baili Yan couldn’t stop staring at Ye Zi’an while Baili Yan spoke to him.
How could such a small gesture escape baili Yan’s notice?
"Xiaolu, what are you looking at? Does your cousin’s face have flowers on it?"
"Your Highness, this servant ans no disrespect to Young Master Ye, it’s just that there seems to be sothing different about his face," the eunuch called Xiaolu quickly bent over to reply upon hearing Baili Yan’s question.
Baili Yan knew Xiaolu well, a eunuch who had grown up with him and earned his trust, intelligent and skilled. If he said there was sothing different about Zi’an’s face, it indicated there was indeed an issue.
Baili Yan’s gaze suddenly turned sharp, and in a few steps, he was in front of Ye Zi’an, reaching out to wipe the corner of Ye Zi’an’s eye. Seeing his finger co away with a dark smudge, his expression imdiately darkened.
"Go and wash your face clean!"
Yet Ye Zi’an remained motionless.
Mr. Luo chuckled and said, "Your Highness, there’s no use forcing him. I’ve asked him to wash countless tis along the way, but it has proven quite ingrained."
"Why is that so?" He pointed at Ye Zi’an, but the question was directed at Mr. Luo.
Hearing the question, Ye Zi’an glanced at Mr. Luo, hoping he wouldn’t bring his wife into this. The princely cousin had always been displeased with his wife, and if she were implicated, it would be troubleso.
Mr. Luo understood his concern and was also aware of Baili Yan’s dislike for Yang Chuxia.
So he changed his tone slightly and said with so evasion, "He is just trying to conceal his edge."
Baili Yan looked at Ye Zi’an again upon hearing this, obviously not convinced by the explanation, but he did not pursue the matter further.
Seeing this, Ye Zi’an quickly changed the subject and took out two pieces of paper from his bosom, handing them to Baili Yan.
"These are from my wife for cousin to peruse."
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