CHAPTER 590: CHAPTER 458: DISPUTE ON THE STREET, ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH THE DIVINE DOCTOR

The day after the incident involving Princess Qing Bi, Xiahou Qi issued a decree, conferring the title of Princess Qing upon her as a concubine. On the very day of her investiture, Princess Qing Bi was cast into the cold palace, where she languished for decades, never to see Xiahou Qi again until her melancholic death within its walls.

And although no one from Beiqing came to see her again, the nominal alliance between Beiqing and Daxia managed to last nearly ten years.

It wasn’t until Xiahou Qi truly came into his own and Beiqing faced upheaval that Daxia finally annexed Beiqing. But, that is a story for another time.

On the same afternoon that Princess Qing Bi was invested into the palace, Xiahou Qi granted Ye Lingyue’s resignation from her position as Master, yet he retained her title as Yue Marquis and bestowed upon her a vast expanse of land encompassing the Xixia Plain from east to south, including the Ancient Forest, as her fiefdom.

"Minister Ye Lingyue thanks Your Majesty."

In the solemn assembly above the court, Ye Lingyue spoke with a resolute voice. The man seated on the Dragon Throne, having issued the Imperial Decree, seemed as though his soul had been drained; the once handsome and bright face was now devoid of all light.

He slowly closed his eyes, no longer uttering a word.

The civil and military officials filed out in silence, one after another.

They knew that at this moment, the heart of Emperor Xia was steeped in loneliness.

"Thank you, Xiahou Qi."

Ye Lingyue was the last to leave, whispering her thanks.

The moment she stepped out of the Golden Throne Hall, Xiahou Qi suddenly opened his eyes. The hall was eerily vacant, and Xiahou Qi felt an unbearable ache, as though he had lost his heart.

In the life of Xiahou Qi, Ye Lingyue remained the most beautiful dream he had ever had.

Since all dreams must awake, it was time for him to let her go.

Outside the Golden Throne Hall, the sunlight was perfect. Ye Lingyue took a deep breath, her radiant face breaking into a particularly broad smile.

Life became more leisurely for Ye Lingyue after resigning from her official post.

With the Hong Residence and Sha Sect annihilated, the Ghost Sect’s influence had been rapidly growing in Xia Capital.

Especially since Ye Lingyue had become significantly wealthier from her winnings at the gambling houses.

With Ye Lingyue preparing to take up her new duties in her fiefdom, Yan Che and Lai Gu began to transfer the Ghost Sect’s assets.

After marrying Nie Fengxing, Ye Huangyu discussed with her daughter Ye Lingyue and decided to stay in Daxia to assist Nie Fengxing with managing affairs of the Military Department.

Ye Lingyue did not force the issue; after all, one follows where marriage leads. As long as her mother was happy, that’s all that mattered.

Upon learning that her daughter was to go to the distant Xixia Plain, Ye Huangyu initially felt reluctant. However, considering her daughter’s talent, she realized that staying in Daxia would be a pity and thus, with a heavy heart, she consented to Ye Lingyue’s departure.

A few days later, the rest of the Ye Family relatives also arrived in Xia Capital one after another, preparing to settle down.

As for Ye Liuyun, after completing the Daxia Imperial Competition, he was to return to his sect to continue his training.

Ye Liuyun, who was not initially close with Ye Lingyue, had, after experiencing the Imperial Examination together, gotten along very well with his cousin. Being of similar ages and temperaments, they had become fast friends.

On the day of Ye Liuyun’s departure, Ye Lingyue and Ye Yinsuang personally saw him off to the Xia Capital City Gate.

"Sisters, this is far enough," Ye Liuyun said warmly, stopping in his tracks as he thought about something just before leaving.

"Ling Yue, if you really want to advance your Martial Arts cultivation, the best way is to join a sect. I heard from my master that every year, including the Three Sects, all the major sects recruit new disciples. If you’re interested, you might want to consider it," Ye Liuyun suggested, coming from a Second-tier sect himself.

But just this second-tier sect alone had already allowed Ye Liuyun’s cultivation to far surpass that of her peers.

That year, Ye Liuyun also joined the sect through a great stroke of luck.

"Thanks for the reminder, sister, but I’m a person who cherishes freedom. Sects, especially the big ones, have too many rules that really don’t suit me. I’d rather be my own free and unfettered Female Lord," Ye Lingyue smirked with a smile.

To each their own, seeing Ye Lingyue so firm in her decision, Ye Liuyun did not press the issue any further. After bidding each other a lingering farewell at the gates of Xia Capital, the trio of sisters went their separate ways.

After the two women returned to Xia Capital, they arrived just in time for the market, where the streets were bustling with people.

Ye Yinsuang loved the lively atmosphere and dragged Ye Lingyue into the crowd.

However, the crowd was indeed too huge, and it wasn’t long before Ye Lingyue became separated from Ye Yinsuang.

After walking a few steps, she heard a disturbance ahead, where many people had gathered and seemed to be quarreling over something.

"You hit someone, and you think you can just leave like that?"

Ye Lingyue had no desire to meddle, but the voice sounded very familiar. Upon reflection, she recognized it as Yun Sheng, Lady Ye’s.

On the night of the wedding banquet, Ye Lingyue was busy attending to the guests and by the time she realized, Yun Sheng had disappeared.

Ye Lingyue and Yun Sheng hit it off at once, and afterwards, she regretted not asking for Yun Sheng’s address in Xia Capital.

Her life and her mother Ye Huangyu’s were both saved by Yun Sheng, and she should have paid a visit out of courtesy.

Little did she know that today she would run into Yun Sheng again, and Ye Lingyue stepped forward.

The place where the quarrel arose was a lavishly decorated tavern.

Due to the disturbance, a crowd had already gathered in front of the tavern.

The scene was rather chaotic, with a child of four or five years old being held by a woman, both dressed in ragged clothes, clearly beggars from Xia Capital.

The woman was weeping bitterly, and the child had a gash on his forehead, seeming to have suffered a serious injury.

Looking at Yun Sheng again, she was stopping a young woman in her tracks.

That young woman looked somewhat familiar to Ye Lingyue, and upon recalling, wasn’t she the maid from the Dan Palace who accompanied Xue Pianran outside the Feng Residence that night?

It seemed that it was the maid who had injured the child.

"Hmph, that child stole something from our Heavenly Maiden, I just casually smacked him and who knew he’d be so frail, injuring his own head from a fall and then trying to blame it on us," said the maid with her nose in the air, holding her head haughtily like a proud peacock.

She considered herself affiliated with the Dan Palace and held no regard for the commoners of Daxia.

"Gouwa didn’t steal anything, he was just too hungry. When that bun fell to the ground and you were not eating it anymore, that’s when he sneakily picked it up," the woman holding the child cried out.

Looking at the child in her arms, his face was sallow and his body emaciated, nothing but skin and bones, and in his hand, he still clutched half a bun.

The bun was missing a small bite and was dirty, clearly discarded and unwanted.

"Pah, he picked it up to eat, so what? Why did he have to dirty our Heavenly Maiden’s clothes? Do you know how expensive our Heavenly Maiden’s clothes are? Even if you worked for ten lifetimes, you couldn’t afford to compensate," spat the maid harshly.

"How much? I’ll pay it for him," said Yun Sheng, her face showing a hint of ferocity upon hearing this.

She might not be a saint, but as a doctor, she couldn’t stand seeing the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled being bullied.