People came and went along the Southern Fragrant River. Everyone who crossed Skywater Bridge stopped to glance at the great residence on the distant riverbank, but unfortunately, leafy trees surrounded it, affording considerable privacy and making it hard to glimpse what lay inside.
Carrying a basket of vegetables, Ping'er walked slowly past the end of the bridge and looked toward the New Residence too. Zhe Yunli carried two jars of wine, casually looking around while listening to the conversations along the street:
"I heard Hero Ye has been back in the Capital City for a while. Why hasn't anyone seen him?"
"A figure like Hero Ye is a divine dragon whose head appears but whose tail is never seen. Why would he show his face just anywhere? Besides, I heard His Majesty and Prince Jing both have something going on with Hero Ye... you know. Now that he's back, he's naturally enjoying the three thousand beauties in the palace. Why would he run around the streets..."
"Tsk, tsk. If only I were a Martial Saint..."
"Look at that paltry ambition of yours..."
Hearing this, Ping'er turned back and quietly asked:
"Miss, is Young Master Ye really bullying palace maids when he goes into the palace?"
Zhe Yunli knew Brother Jingtang certainly wasn't bullying palace maids, but she couldn't say for certain about anyone else. She answered with a question:
"What do you think?"
"I don't think so. Young Master Ye is so handsome and so skilled at martial arts. What sort of girl couldn't he have? He hasn't even bullied a girl as beautiful as you, Miss, so why would he bully palace maids..."
Quite pleased with this, Zhe Yunli raised her eyebrows slightly:
"Who would have thought? After a year in the Capital City, you've even learned to