On Our Wedding Night, I Discovered the Crown Prince’s Hidden Illness
Chapter 409: There’s a Selfish Motive

Chapter 409: Chapter 409: There’s a Selfish Motive

He made her a comb, working until his palms were full of cuts; to prevent her from falling off the bed, he watched over her; at night, he covered her with a blanket multiple times...

Yet he never said he liked her, and thinking about it, Leng Yu Yan felt as if a needle were pricking her heart.

Indeed, their relationship was established on a basis of transactional cooperation, on mutual needs—how could there be real emotions?

He kissed her, he became engaged to her, driven nothing more than by a man’s basic desires.

Ye Yiheng’s fingers paused at the corner of her eye. This little woman had a face that could bewitch everyone and a figure that was extremely enticing. Not only that, her excellence, her kindness, attracted him incessantly.

Hearing what she said, his heart surged, and he lowered his head to kiss away the tear at the corner of her eye.

The man’s lips were unimaginably soft; the usually cool lips now held a startling warmth, leaving Leng Yu Yan stunned in place, letting his lips slide from the corner of her eye to the edge of her own.

Was he going to kiss her lips again?

Just as she was nervously wondering, he let go of her.

"I’ll take you with me; let’s go back to the capital together!" Ye Yiheng said, his eyes lowered in a gentle smile.

Yanyan, this is the last chance I’m giving you to leave me.

If you don’t take this chance, from now on, I will make sure to bind you to me tightly!

Without looking at him, Leng Yu Yan simply said, "This time when I return to the capital, at least one of my four brothers will go; my purpose for returning is not to follow you."

Ye Yiheng chuckled softly, "I see, it’s for your brothers."

"Not just for my brothers; I’m also concerned about the Northern Garrison. Besides, I have quite a few enemies in the capital city; I have to seek revenge..."

"Alright, alright, alright, it’s not for me."

"Mm."

Leng Yu Yan nodded vigorously; she just wouldn’t admit it was for him—what could he do about it?

They walked in sync towards the front courtyard, and just a few steps in, Ye Yiheng suddenly said, "Yanyan, can I sleep at your place tonight?"

Hearing that, Leng Yu Yan really got angry. He had kissed her without her consent just before, and now he was making this request!

"No, we are only engaged, not married."

"If we were married, we would sleep together directly; naturally, I wouldn’t have to ask you."

He laughed, a deep and pleasant sound.

"Playboy!" Leng Yu Yan grabbed his hand to twist the back of it but was caught by him instead.

With a simple flex of his arm, Ye Yiheng easily pulled her into his embrace: "May I kiss you? This time, I asked."

She flatly refused, "No, before we are married, you may not take liberties with me again!"

He shook his head with a low chuckle, about to say something when a servant came to invite them, saying that Old Prince was calling them over for a drink.

And so, they moved on.

--

On the following day, the ninth day of the first lunar month.

Lai Taihong summoned his son, grandson, and granddaughter to the study, including Ye Yiheng.

"Yan’er’s engagement ceremony with Your Highness was a great success. Now that this significant event is completed, what follows is the matter of the capital," pausing for a moment, Lai Taihong continued, "Today, we shall finalize our plans."

Lai Ran nodded and said in a deep voice, "The Northern Garrison’s duty is to guard the northern border of Tiancheng, and without an imperial edict, it cannot enter the capital. This is an ironclad rule."

"Just this point, if our Northern Garrison enters the capital in large numbers, this action, along the way, would not be conducive to public sentiment. The surrounding nations must harbor designs against Tiancheng, and Tiancheng would surely fall into great chaos."

"Currently, on one hand, we must avoid the ironclad rule of entering the capital without an edict; on the other hand, we need to help Your Highness smoothly retake the Crown Prince’s position. This is a difficult problem."

Lai Yuyue said, "To avoid the ironclad rule of entering the capital without an edict is to avoid bearing the sin of plotting a rebellion. Speaking broadly, once we bear this crime, even if Your Highness recovers the Crown Prince’s position, in the eyes of the people everywhere, this position would seem ill-gotten."

"Your words are reasonable!" Ye Yiheng nodded in agreement, "Ye Gaoyun is exactly planning to use this to take back the military power of the Northern Garrison, and we must not give him this opportunity."

Lai Taihong pondered for a moment and then said, "Since we all have this judgment, I think that the elite soldiers who accompany the Crown Prince back to the capital should number six thousand. Just six thousand, not ten thousand, which would not be seen as the Northern Garrison entering the capital when they are merely protecting the Crown Prince on his return."

"Once we have entered the capital, we will immediately rescue the Emperor under the pretext of cleansing the court and seize control of all the private soldiers in both the capital and the Imperial Palace," Lai Taihong slapped the table, "Especially that Ye Gaoyun, who dared to issue a warrant for my granddaughter. You all will see to him when the time comes."

Ye Yiheng nodded and seemed to want to say something, but remained silent.

Leng Yu Yan noticed his concern and spoke up, "Grandfather, Father, brothers, His Highness is unaware of the capabilities of the Northern Garrison’s elite soldiers. He fears that there may be too many variables after returning to the capital, and I’m also not aware of how formidable the elite soldiers are."

"Look, she’s already protecting him after just getting engaged yesterday," Lai Taihong playfully tapped Leng Yu Yan’s forehead, then pointed at Lai Yuyue, "You tell your sister and brother-in-law."

Lai Yuyue straightened his robe and said to Ye Yiheng, "Let me explain properly to Your Highness. Our Northern Garrison’s elite soldiers are similar to the Hidden Guard of the Eastern Palace. Although they cannot be directly compared one-to-one with the Eastern Palace’s Hidden Guard, facing Ye Gaoyun’s private soldiers, they would have no problem taking on ten at a time."

Leng Yuqing added, "The elite soldiers are mentally agile, their members are efficient, they’re well-trained, and their combat power is extremely strong. Whether it’s individual combat or team operations, they have a significant advantage."

Lai Taihong spoke with a robust voice, "In this way, not only can we avoid the decree that prohibits entering the capital, but we can also maintain the stability of the capital to the greatest extent."

Upon hearing this, Ye Yiheng stood up and bowed deeply, "Thank you all!"

Lai Taihong laughed heartily, "Actually, I have a selfish motive."

"Ah, what is Grandfather’s selfish motive?" Leng Yu Yan asked curiously.

Lai Taihong pointed to his four grandsons, "Yan’er is engaged now, and all four of you elder brothers are single. I’m planning to start with the eldest. Doesn’t that Ninth Princess fancy him? This time, Ye’er will accompany His Highness back to the capital. Let’s see if we can marry off the Ninth Princess."

"What Princess Shang? She doesn’t exist to our Leng Family," Lai Taihong laughed heartily, "We, the Leng Family, aim to marry a princess, and these six thousand elite soldiers we’re bringing—they are our confidence!"

Hearing this, Lai Yuyue’s temples throbbed, "Grandfather, are you asking me to go for this reason?"

"What else? I am old, and there are many things to be carefully thought out," Lai Taihong laughed jovially, "For instance, sending out six thousand elite soldiers, gaining a grandson-in-law, then a granddaughter-in-law, the more I think about it, the more delightful it seems!"

Especially cost-effective!

Although the Leng Family does not wish for the Ye Family’s empire, if the Leng Family’s grandchild could become the emperor of the Ye Family in the future, and the Ye Family’s daughter could help the Leng Family flourish, it would be a very cost-effective deal, and not disappoint the Leng Family’s generations of loyal service.

Lai Yuyue covered his face with his hand, muttering softly, "Grandfather, Father, can it be one of my three younger brothers instead?"

Leng Yuqing waved his hands in refusal.

The twins jumped up, "No, no, we cannot snatch what others desire!"

Leng Yu Yan covered her mouth and laughed, "No matter which brother leads the troops, I’m going to follow anyway. Grandfather, Father, do you agree?"