322 The Differences Between the Ye and Xu Families

mly, “He is the emperor; who can control when he wants to come” Tan Jizhi sighed helplessly and said, "That’s why everyone in this world wishes to be an emperor. I’ll take my leave now.” Seeing Tan Ji...The Difference Between the Ye and Xu Families

322. The Ye Family and the Xu Family

"Father."

Xu Hongyu and the other three successively paid their respects to Mr. Qingyun. Looking at his son, grandson, and the little great-grandson in Xue Chichen's arms, any lingering anger he had towards Ye Wenhua gradually dissipated. He nodded and said, "Come sit down and talk. When did Chichen come back"

Xue Chichen smiled and answered, "Grandfather, I just arrived. I was planning to pay my respects when I heard that guests were here, so Father and my uncles came over with me."

Mr. Qingyun nodded and said with a smile, "You’ve been through quite the journey; take it easy once you get home."

Because Ye Wenhua's group was present, Xu Hongyu and the others felt somewhat awkward about their seating arrangement. As an elder lady, Ye Old Lady naturally would not stand up to make room for anyone else. Thankfully, despite having been in politics for decades, Ye Wenhua wasn’t completely unaware of etiquette. He quickly stood up for Xu Hongyu, who was followed by Ye Wangshi and Ye Lin as well as the young man sitting on the other side. Only Ye Rong remained seated, looking around at his parents but refusing to get up. This infuriated Ye Wenhua, causing him to turn a shade of green before turning pale again. Xu Hongyu didn’t care about Ye Wenhua's expression; he looked at Ye Rong with a broad smile and said, "The Ye family has excellent upbringing."

Ye Rong felt even more elated after being complimented twice in such a manner. He was completely oblivious to his father’s displeased look. Although Ye Old Lady knew it wasn’t appropriate, she doted on her only male descendant over the years and couldn’t help but spoil him rotten. In recent years with no news of Ye Wenhua having another son, this thought had gradually faded from her mind. She was simply thinking that as long as they were at her granddaughter’s estate, there would be no issues.

Ye Li shook her head in resignation when she saw the expressions on the faces of the Ye family members. Although she did have some unresolved feelings towards them, she wasn’t someone who enjoyed rubbing salt into wounds. If Ye Wenhua had raised Ye Rong properly and sent him to Northwest Commandery, he might have achieved something there. It was a pity that the Ye family’s condition left much to be desired. While Ye Li wouldn’t take action against the Ye family herself, this didn’t mean she would play the role of a do-gooder by supporting relatives who couldn’t stand on their own feet; it would only tarnish her husband's reputation at Qingwang Manor.

Xue Chichen placed Mo Xiaobao on his lap and played with him while looking at Ye Wenhua with a smile. "When did Mr. Ye arrive in Li City"

Ye Wenhua’s smile was forced; previously, Xue Chichen had still given him some face by addressing him as “Uncle.” Now that the Xu family no longer recognized the marriage alliance with the Ye family, there was little point in maintaining this formality. The deceased Xu matriarch hadn’t left behind any male descendants for the Ye family except Ye Li. And now that she had already married out of the house, it wouldn’t be too unreasonable if the Xu family decided to sever ties with them.

"I’ve been here for over a month," Ye Wenhua said with forced cheerfulness.

Xue Chichen nodded and said, "During this period, Li-er and Qingwang were away on campaign. I was far at Feihong Pass. Father and Uncle are very busy with official duties; if there have been any slight offenses to Mr. Ye, please accept our apologies."

How could Ye Wenhua dare to complain about the Xu family’s perceived neglect He would feel intimidated even when he was a Grand Secretary in front of Xu Hongyu, let alone now. While he didn’t feel as inferior towards Xu Hongyan as he did with Xu Hongyu, there was still some sense of inadequacy. That's why during their years in Chu Capital, despite being the father and husband of an Imperial Concubine (Zhaoyi), Ye Wenhua never put on airs around Xu Hongyan. Who could have expected that now, Ye Wenhua felt even more inferior when dealing with the Xu family.

Ye Old Lady smiled before Ye Wenhua could speak and said, "How can there be any problem We’re all part of one big family; some temporary discomfort isn’t a concern. Li-er is a filial daughter who will naturally treat everyone like family."

Xue Chichen raised his eyebrows as he looked at Ye Old Lady with a faint smile—was she still feeling slighted

Xu Hongyu asked, "What are the Ye family's plans for the future"

Ye Wenhua was about to say that they would leave it up to his elder brother when he heard Ye Old Lady smiling at Ye Li and saying, "It doesn’t matter if Li-er wasn’t home before. Now that she’s pregnant and Qingwang isn’t here, we naturally have to take care of her."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xu immediately erupted in laughter. She said coldly, "So the Ye Old Lady thinks we’re just decorations"

"Madam," Xu Hongyan calmly stopped his wife from getting riled up; it was pointless to argue with such a family.

Xu Erfu was also irritated by Ye Laofei's shamelessness, and upon being reminded by her husband, naturally suppressed her anger. She disdainfully glanced at Ye Laofei and stopped talking; if Lier’s birth mother were alive, it would be right for her to move into the王府to take care of her daughter, but bringing in a concubine who had been elevated to wife status along with an entire family was something only Ye Laofei could do.

Actually, Ye Laofei knew that what she said was somewhat inappropriate. But throughout her life, her experiences were truly ups and downs; starting as a widow from a remote area of the Great Chu Kingdom with her son, she later became the mother-in-law of Xu family when her son passed the imperial examination and married into the Xu family. Then she became the matriarch of the Shangshu Mansion, with several granddaughters becoming empresses or princess consorts. She was very proud of that period in her life. However, after Ye Wenhua was demoted to a commoner by the emperor, they returned to their hometown where their days were better off thanks to some family assets but incomparable to what it used to be in Chu City. How could she bear such changes Now that they arrived at Li City, although she had the status of Queen Dowager, many noblewomen in Li City did not give her much respect. Looking at the two Xu wives who were still being pursued by people even though one was young and the other old, wasn't this all because of Ye璃as the Queen This further reinforced Ye Laofei's desire to move into the王府.

Although Ye Wangshi did not speak, from her expression, it could be seen that what Ye Laofei said was also her thought. In this grand hall, besides the people from Ye family, who else were not sharp Naturally, they saw through their thoughts and thus looked down more on them.

Mu Xiaobao sat in Xu Qingchen's arms, puzzledly asked, "Mother, will Grandpa and Great-Grandma move into our house"

Ye璃smiled without answering and looked at her son with a smile, asking, "Do you like it, Xiao Bao"

Mu Xiaobao hesitated for a moment and asked in puzzlement, "Why do Grandpa and Great-Grandma want to live in our house Eldest Uncle prepared houses for them. Can’t they live there" Ye Laofei looked at Mu Xiaobao with affectionately and smiled, saying, "Your mother is pregnant, so Great-Grandma will stay in the王府to take care of her. Also, your grandpa can teach you to read. He used to be a Jinshi scholar. And your Uncle Rong, he can play with you."

Mu Xiaobao made an ungracious face and buried his little face in Xu Qingchen's arms. Young Master didn't want to play with such ugly people at all. Ugly was ugly, but also stupid. Even when Eldest Uncle ridiculed him, he still laughed foolishly! The young master would rather play with Second Cousin and Han Mingxi.

"What is a Jinshi scholar Is it very impressive" Mu Xiaobao blinked his eyes and asked.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly, "Your great-grandpa, uncle, and uncles are all Jinshi scholars." A Jinshi scholar might be impressive elsewhere, but in the Xu family, it was worth nothing at all. All the male descendants of the Xu family had achieved a minimum ranking on the first list as Jinshi scholars over the past century. In other words, passing the Jinshi examination meant they had accomplished their academic achievements in the Xu family. Hearing this, Mu Xiaobao sincerely looked at Ye Laofei and said, "Our family has one, two, three... eight Jinshi scholars! And... Great-Grandpa can teach me to read books. Is Grandpa more capable than Great-Grandpa"

Ye Wenhua was terrified with cold sweat all over his body; he hurriedly smiled and said, "Great-Grandpa’s literary achievements are the best in the world. Being able to learn from him is a huge blessing. How can Grandpa be compared to..."

Hearing Mu Xiaobao's words, Ye Laofei's face turned ugly too; she also disliked this grandson-in-law who did not give her any face at their first meeting. However, she still had some rationality and knew that Mu Xiaobao’s status was one she could not casually criticize.

Ye璃looked at her son snuggling in Xu Qingchen's arms giving her a small devilish look and smiled gently; she asked Ye Wenhua softly, "Father, is there anything you are uncomfortable with the place where you live now"

Ye Wenhua hurriedly said, "No, my brother arranged for us to stay in a house on Xuanwu Street which is spacious and suitable. There's nothing wrong." Years had passed since they last met; nowadays when facing this daughter Ye Wenhua no longer felt high and mighty as a father but instead felt somewhat guilty. Although Ye璃still seemed gentle and elegant, the experience of being an upper-level official and leading several military campaigns inevitably left her with a commanding presence that made others bow to her in awe. People who saw her daily might not notice this change much, but Ye Wenhua could clearly feel his daughter’s great changes.

Ye璃nodded, saying, "That's good then. If there are any issues you have with the place where we live now, Father should tell me right here to avoid others thinking that the King is treating elders poorly."

Ye Wenhua quickly said everything was fine. He knew this was Ye璃’s warning; if he stayed quietly in Li City, there would be no worries for food and clothing, but if he had any other thoughts, don’t blame her as a daughter for being heartless. Although it made him uncomfortable to be treated like this by his own daughter, the neglect of Xu Shi and Ye璃back then came back to haunt him when facing everyone in Xu family. This made him even more uneasy.

Seeing how Ye Wenhua acted, Ye璃nodded with satisfaction in her heart. Actually, Ye Wenhua wasn't a fool; although he once blindly sought connections and was unkind to his wife, he was still not stupid. If it were only him, Ye璃didn’t worry about him and didn’t mind providing for him a life of ease in Li City either, considering the blood ties. Unfortunately, Ye Laofei and Ye Wangshi were both restless, while Ye Wenhua had no control over his wife and mother; he could not help but send people to keep an eye on them to prevent any future trouble.

Xu Hongyu et al came just for a brief appearance; they were busy anyway and wouldn't chat with Ye Wenhua. After sitting down for a while, Xu Hongyu led Qingyun Scholar to rest, and Xu Qingchen took Mu Xiaobao away from his shoulder. Only Ye璃and Ye Wenhua remained chatting. However, despite this, Ye Laofei had no opportunity to approach Ye璃to chat intimately; as soon as the Xu family left, Qingshuang and Qin Feng came in to stand on both sides of Ye璃vigilantly watching over Ye family members. Originally, it was more than that; last time at Xi Ling Imperial City made Qin Feng et al quite afraid. Therefore, now Qin Feng et al truly treated Ye璃as a weak woman who couldn't tie up even a chicken. As long as there were outsiders present, one of Qin Feng, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han would always be within three steps from Ye璃. Although Ye璃was somewhat helpless about this, she knew they were worried for her safety so did not say much more.

The hall became quieter as a few people left, and Ye Wenhua's expression improved considerably after Qingyun and Xu Hongyu were no longer present.

The atmosphere in the room was quiet for a while before Ye Wenhua finally coughed lightly and asked, "Has Li'er been well these past years" Ye Li nodded slightly as she smiled faintly. "Thank you for your concern, everything is fine." With Xu's people gone, Lady Dowager Ye also relaxed significantly, looking at Ye Li and asking, "I heard that you followed the Ding Wang to war As a daughter, why would you leave home to go fight on the battlefield Others might think our family doesn't have good upbringing." Old Lady Ye hadn’t dared to vent her anger earlier when she was with Xu’s people, but there was no pressure now as she could scold Ye Li.

As soon as these words left her mouth, she saw Ye Li's smile fade slightly and knew something was wrong.

"Grandmother is overthinking it. Even if someone says anything, they will say that the Xu family’s upbringing isn’t good; it has nothing to do with the Ye family." Although everyone in the world knew that Ding Wangfei was from the Ye family, only a few people outside of Changjing's nobility actually knew which Ye family and who exactly were part of the household. In a few years’ time, even the noble families would probably forget about the once prominent Ye family; however, no one was unaware of Ye Li’s relationship with the Xu family. Ye Dowager had originally been stern but was now flustered by Ye Li's sharp retort and turned red in the face, unable to find words as she glared at her.

Ye Li ignored her and glanced sideways at Ye Lin who sat at the back, smiling as she asked, "Is this my younger sister And this is…" Ye Li was somewhat restrained but seeing that Ye Lin approached hastily when she mentioned herself, she smiled as she asked, "Lin'er, I greet you. This is my husband, Shen Liang." The young man standing beside Ye Lin also quickly bowed towards Ye Li's skirt and greeted her, “Shen Liang greets Ding Wangfei.” He was somewhat awkward in his actions but it could be seen that he was an honest person. Recalling how cleverly Ye Lin had flattered and sought favor from Lady Ye Wenruo and Ye Ying back then at such a young age, she must not have been expecting this kind of husband.

But Ye Li did have to say that marrying someone like this man was likely good fortune for Ye Lin.

"Why didn't Fifth Younger Sister come" asked Ye Li. She wasn’t close with her half-sisters, Ye Lin and Ye Shan, but she also didn’t dislike them either; after all, they had followed Lady Wenruo to please Ye Ying back then in order to survive.

Ye Wenhua sighed softly as he spoke about the Ye family’s affairs over these past years. There wasn't anything major; only that when Ye Lin and Ye Shan returned home a few years ago, Ye Wenhua had married them off to two decent families in their hometown. Three years ago, however, Ye Shan died from childbirth; today, Ye Lin has a daughter but no son. Shen Liang was originally a wealthy merchant’s son in the local area, but as he was a concubine-born son, he could not inherit much of his family's wealth. Now that the southwestern border had been seized by Western Ling and things were chaotic there, Shen Liang had brought whatever money he received from the inheritance here to Northwest.

Unfortunately, Shen Liang was unlucky; originally thinking that being a daughter-in-law of Ding Wangfei, he could do small businesses in Li City and receive some benefits. However, once they arrived at Li City, Ye’s family didn’t stay calm and caused plenty of trouble. Since he was the concubine-born son, Shen Liang had learned how to read people from a young age as well; it wasn't hard for him to understand that in Ding Wangfei's eyes, his family weren't as important as they boasted about themselves. If they continued causing trouble and angered the Ding Wang’s household one day, he might also be dragged down with them. As such, Shen Liang decided to put off opening two shops temporarily; only if things turned bad would he consider moving somewhere else.

Ye Li listened calmly as Ye Wenhua spoke about these trivial matters and nodded her head before she smiled at Shen Liang, “If that's the case, then do well in business here. Li City may not be perfect but it is more stable than other places. If you have any difficulties, go to the Han family for help. Since Lin'er is my half-sister, if you’re doing well, I'll also be happy.”

Shen Liang bowed deeply when he heard this and thanked her, “Thank you, Wangfei. Under the rule of Your Excellency and his wife, Li City has thrived; how could it compare to other places” Receiving Ding Wangfei’s assurance, Shen Liang was reassured. He had understood that while Ye Wenhua and others were still part of the family, she wouldn’t hold any grudges against him. If he needed help in the future, she might be able to provide some support as long as he knew his limits. To receive a sentence from Ding Wangfei was already enough for him; since he was a concubine-born son, life wasn't easy and he didn’t want to be dragged down by his father-in-law’s family either. Seeing his wife looking at Ding Wangfei with some envy in her eyes, Shen Liang decided firmly that when they returned home, he would try to control her so she wouldn’t follow the others into causing trouble.

"Li'er…" The seated Lady Wenruo finally couldn't contain herself and spoke up. Ye Li’s eyebrows rose slightly as Qingsong snapped, “Lady Ye, it's fine that Lord Ye and Dowager Ye are seniors to our Wangfei. But you have no relations with her. Calling Wangfei by her maiden name might not be appropriate.”

Lady Wenruo flushed red at this and forced a smile as she said, "What do you mean I'm Li'er’s stepmother; how can calling her maiden name be inappropriate"

Qingsong sneered coldly before saying, “Lady Ye was only promoted from concubine to wife. Most reputable families wouldn’t recognize such a promotion and would not accept the new wife as their own daughter-in-law. You aren't even her stepmother; at best you are a concubine-born mother. Our Wangfei is now Ding Wangfei, also known as Ye Li in the Ye household; what right do you have to call her by her maiden name If she hadn’t been used to it before, others wouldn’t be able to say anything because of Your Excellency’s daughter being an Imperial Concubine. But now, Lady Ye still doesn't know how to behave” It was true that the Ye family had treated matters poorly in the past; even though Great Chu didn’t prohibit promoting a concubine to wife like previous dynasties did, reputable families also generally didn’t do such things. In Changjing back then, while people didn’t say anything out loud, they secretly looked down on Lady Wenruo.

Lady Wenruo’s expression turned ugly as she was hit so bluntly and she was about to argue back but Ye Wenhua said softly beside her, "Call her Wangfei."

Even if she wanted to, Lady Wenruo didn't dare to be disrespectful in front of Mother-in-law. She could only call out quietly, “Wangfei.”

Ye Li nodded slightly and asked, "Lady Dowager has something to say"

Lady Wenruo's face twitched and her expression stiffened as she was called Lady Dowager instead of the more familiar term. Although she hated Ye Li in her heart for this, she only forced a smile as she said, “Wangfei, my younger brother is almost coming of age now but he’s still at home. Can you give Rong’er some work to do It will help him progress.” Hearing this, Lady Dowager was also moved and looked up towards Ye Li.

Ye Rong gave Ye Yong a glance, and perhaps because he had been taught something before coming, Ye Yong did not act recklessly again. He looked at Ye Li obediently and said, "Third Senior Sister, as I grow up, I can help you and Brother-in-law ease your worries."

Ye Li smiled warmly at the chubby Ye Yong in front of her and asked with a slight curling of her lips, "Oh Then... what do you want to do, Yong"

Ye Yong's eyes lit up as he happily said, "I want to be the city’s guard commander!"

The corner of Qin Feng’s mouth twitched slightly unnoticed behind Ye Li. He looked up and down at Ye Yong’s fatty body and thought to himself: You still want to become the military leader of Li City Even a minor soldier could beat you into submission.

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "That's admirable, but why do you want to be the guard commander"

Ye Yong arrogantly said, "A few days ago I encountered a brat who claimed to be someone’s grandson. As soon as I become the commander, I’ll lead people to give him a good beating!"

"Yong!" Ye Rong shouted, but unfortunately, Ye Yong was too excited and did not hear his mother's voice.

"Wicked son!" Ye Wenhua angrily scolded.

Ye Li narrowed her eyes and coldly said, "So you want to take people with you to beat him up Do you know what punishment a guard commander faces for instigating trouble"

Ye Yong was stunned; he clearly didn't expect that taking someone to beat up someone else would get him punished. "What"

"Instant execution!" Ye Li coldly said, "Speaking of which, I remember you beating up the grandson of Commander Yuan a few days ago. Who gave you the guts to act so recklessly in Li City under the name of the Ding Prince’s王府名義胡作非為？！" The elderly Lady Ye hurriedly opened her mouth and said, "Li'er, this isn’t Yong's fault either; it was that boy who... "

Ye Li sneered and said, "Grandmother, do you know that the grandson of Commander Yuan is only ten years old How old is Ye Yong Is he even capable of beating a ten-year-old child And yet, he still dares to bully others under the name of Ding Prince's王府？ Furthermore, despite being over sixty years old, Commander Yuan is still fighting for the benefit and survival of the Ding Prince's王府 on the battlefield. Yet his grandson is bullied in Li City by someone from the Ding Prince’s王府？ How am I supposed to explain this to Old General Yuan!" As she spoke, Ye Li became increasingly angry and slapped the table hard, causing it to make a loud thumping sound as Ye Yong was visibly frightened.

Ye Yong was startled but still twisted his head around and said, "It’s not my fault; who told that brat to block my way I was in a hurry to..."

Slap! Finally unable to hold back, Ye Wenhua slapped Ye Yong across the face. After coming to Li City, he had stayed indoors all along and truly didn't know about such matters. "Wicked son, shut up!"

"My lord, you shouldn’t..." Seeing her son being hit, how could Lady Ye just stand by

"Shut up!" Ye Wenhua coldly swept a glance at Lady Ye and turned to Ye Li, saying, "Li'er, it’s all my fault for not raising this wicked son well. We should go back now; you need to... rest properly, we won’t disturb you."

Without caring about the expressions of Lady Ye and Elderly Lady Ye, he walked out first. Although Elderly Lady Ye was unwilling, her son was still her main support, so she could only follow him. change how painful it still was. She could only curse inwardly about how much worse her tolerance of pain had become compared to before."It's almost there! It’s coming... Quickly, bring in a basin!"...