Su Mingfeng

No matter what the East Courtyard did, Ye Lily began to deliberately distance herself from the Second and Third Houses.

She no longer clung to Ye Amy and Ye Cindy like before. At first, everyone in the Ye household thought she was just sulking like a child after the drowning incident.

But when Ye Lily started making her own decisions, people began to realize something was off.

Madam Gui kept advising Ye Lily not to quarrel with the East Courtyard. Occasionally, she would drop hints about how Prince Ding was the most outstanding man in Mingqi.

But whenever Madam Gui mentioned this person, Ye Lily would harshly scold her, leaving Madam Gui quite troubled.

However, the West Courtyard was now filled with people sent by the Second and Third Houses, many of whom were troublesome servants.

Gu Yu and the others originally thought that since Ye Lily had changed, she would tidy up the backyard properly. Surprisingly, Ye Lily ignored them completely.

Ye Lily naturally had her own plans.

These days, she attended Guangwen Hall more diligently. Although people still looked at her as the bottom rank, she didn't care.

Every day, she simply focused on her tasks. The more open-minded she was, the more boring it became for others. Thus, she managed to live some peaceful days.

One morning after the poetry class ended, Ye Lily felt a bit suffocated in her chest. She decided to take a walk in the garden of Guangwen Hall.

Although Guangwen Hall was a school, its area was quite vast. There were three levels: National One, National Two, and National Three.

Ye Lily, being of that age, was studying at National Two but inadvertently wandered into National One.

She happened to see a little boy sitting on the steps, wiping his tears.

The boy was about six years old, chubby and white. Perhaps due to his somewhat overly plump figure, he looked like a round ball.

He wore a light blue silk gown with silver threads, small cloth boots, and a round collar around his neck. He resembled a doll stepping out of a New Year painting.

Ye Lily was slightly startled, then walked over and softly asked, "Why are you crying?"

The boy probably didn't expect anyone to suddenly appear, so he was scared and fell off the steps with a "plop." But he didn't cry. Instead, he quickly sat up and stared blankly at Ye Lily.

He was chubby and white, with bright eyes. His head had a small tuft of hair, and his face still bore traces of tears, making him look incredibly cute.

Ye Lily couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The little boy called out in a baby voice, "Sister."

Ye Lily's heart melted at the sound of the boy calling her sister. In her past life, she gave birth to Xu Qing and Xu Yi, but when they were five years old, she was held hostage in Qin.

By the time she returned, both children already knew to call her "Empress Mother" properly. Ye Lily didn't know what her two children looked like before they turned five. This little boy, though six years old, seemed innocent and made her think of Xu Qing and Xu Yi.

Ye Lily squatted down slightly and patted his head, "Why are you crying?"

"The teacher asked me a question, and I couldn't answer it, so he hit my palm," the boy extended his hand, showing his red palm, and said pitifully, "It really hurts."

Ye Lily wanted to tease him a bit and asked, "What question did the teacher ask you?"

"The teacher wanted me to write the four characters 'rabbit dies, fox mourns,' but I couldn't remember them," the boy said with a sad face.

If a child at the National One level couldn't even remember characters, it was indeed unacceptable.

Setting aside Ye Lily herself, Xu Yi at this boy's age was already learning to handle political affairs in the court, albeit just pretending.

Although royal youths matured early, the children studying at Guangwen Hall were all from noble families and shouldn't have been so late in their enlightenment.

The boy continued complaining, sniffling, "If Father finds out when I go home, he will definitely scold me again. What's the point of living? I might as well just bump my head and die."

Ye Lily was startled by the boy's dramatic tone, feeling both amused and exasperated.

She wondered whose precious child this was and where he learned such theatrical expressions. She asked, "Whose child are you?"

The boy looked at Ye Lily. Though Ye Lily was only fourteen, with her childlike appearance, she didn't seem much older than this boy.

However, for some reason, she had an indescribable aura, as if she had weathered great storms and could calm people's hearts. Even this boy involuntarily quieted down and spoke clearly about his origins.

"I am the second young master of the Pingnan Earl family in the capital, Su Minglang. My father is Su Yu, the Pingnan Earl, and my elder brother is Su Mingfeng, the heir of the Pingnan Earl."

He spilled all his background information like beans falling out of a bamboo tube.

Ye Lily was taken aback. The Su family? The Pingnan Earl?

Whether in her past or present life, the Su family and the Ye family had no connections because their political views were opposite.

The Su family had a good relationship with the Xiao family. Su Yu, the Pingnan Earl, and Xiao Ding, the Lin'an Marquis, were close brothers.

Su Mingfeng and Xiao Jingxing were childhood friends. Their friendship was so strong that after Su Mingfeng died, only Xiao Jingxing dared to collect his body.

Yes, Su Mingfeng died. Or rather, the entire Su family perished. The former emperor found evidence that the Su family embezzled and secretly sold military horses. Once involved in military matters, there was no room for negotiation.

The imperial decree came suddenly and swiftly, without trial, directly leading to the confiscation of property and immediate execution. Under the clear sky, the blood of the entire Su family flowed from the east to the west of Dingjing City.

When Xiao Jingxing received the news, it was too late. No one from the Su family survived. None of their former friends stepped forward.

It was Xiao Jingxing who personally collected the bodies of the Su family members. Afterward, Xiao Ding pleaded guilty to the former emperor, requesting that the Su family be buried considering their past contributions to Mingqi.

The former emperor granted permission, and the Xiao family handled all the Su family's funeral arrangements. Ye Lily remembered very clearly that during the New Year, when Ye Xin returned and heard about this, he sighed deeply.

The Su family's downfall would occur in two months, very soon. This innocent and ignorant child in front of her would also die under that cold imperial decree.

Her expression suddenly turned a bit cold, and a hint of fierceness appeared in her eyes.

The little boy shrank back instinctively. When Ye Lily looked at the child again, her tone softened once more, "Su Mingfeng? Is he the heir of the Su family who recently achieved great success in managing the military horses?"

"Yes!" The boy proudly raised his head and replied, "Father said the Emperor will surely grant my brother a title."

Ye Lily smiled. She bent down slightly, leaned closer to the boy, and whispered, "Didn't you say your father would punish you if he knew you couldn't answer the teacher's question? I have a way to make sure he doesn't punish you."

"What is it?" The boy blinked his eyes.

"You must promise me not to tell him that I told you, then I'll tell you."

"Okay." The boy thought for a while and nodded.