17 Family and Relatives
as nowhere to be seen. In fact... Mo Xiuyao had never truly been gentle and refined before, but it didn't bother him until now when Ye Li saw through his act. With the mask removed from his face, the...The Imperial Capital Ode 17. Family, Kinship
17. Family, Kinship
"Aunt, don't stand at the door. Let's go inside and have a cup of tea."
Hearing her affectionate niece speak to her like this, Lady Xu’s originally cold expression immediately softened with smiles. She held onto Ye Li’s hand, sighed pitifully, saying, "Good child, you’ve been wronged." Ye Li smiled faintly and did not respond. She wrapped her arm around Lady Xu's as she walked into the courtyard, but didn’t forget to turn back to her embarrassed father standing by the side and said, "If Father is not busy, why don't you taste my tea too"
The originally tense atmosphere finally eased somewhat. Just as they were about to enter the Courtyard of Purity and Elegance, Wang Shi was seen being supported and stumbling over towards them from a distance. Seeing Ye Rong, who was being beaten with a cane while shouting loudly, Wang Shi cried out in anguish and rushed forward, shielding Ye Rong in her arms. As the head matriarch, when she stepped forward, no one dared to continue their actions; they merely stood by the side.
Seeing Wang Shi arrive, Ye Rong immediately grabbed onto her as if he had found a protector, wailing and pointing at Ye Li: "Mother, she caused me to be beaten. You must take revenge for your son. It hurts... Waaaaah..."
Holding Ye Rong in her arms as they knelt on the ground, Wang Shi looked up with sorrowful resentment towards Ye Wenhua and questioned, "Sir, what has Rong'er done wrong that you have to beat him like this He’s still so young... He's your only son… Waaaaah… Miss Third, even if Rong'er offended you in some way... but you two are siblings…"
"Lily, go into the house with Aunt. What kind of ghost and devils are these people here If this gets out, it would be a disgrace to our reputation. If necessary, your uncle can report it to His Majesty and have you marry from the Censorate Mansion instead. I believe that as long as it’s about your marriage, your grandfather has the final say. The Censorate Mansion will not dishonor the face of the Prince Ding王府的臉麵。”徐夫人看到不遠處跪在地上哭得一臉委屈的王氏，頓時再次沉下了臉，拉著葉璃就往裡走。“璃兒，隨舅母進屋去。這府裡都是些什麼牛鬼蛇神？傳了出去像什麼樣子。若是實在不成，讓你舅舅奏明瞭皇上，接了你從禦史府出嫁就是了。想來你的婚事你外公還是做得了主的，咱們禦史府也不會辱了定國王府的臉麵。”看著不遠處跪在地上哭的一臉委屈的王氏徐夫人頓時再次沉下了臉，拉著葉璃就往裡走。這葉家王氏母女還有宮裡的葉昭儀倒都是一個德行，但是這葉瑩和葉玥哭一哭也就算了，這個王氏都一把年紀了也不知道羞恥。”
Ye Li nodded and turned back to Wang Shi, saying coolly, "Madam is being too harsh. Rong兒 was punished by her father. However, it's true that we should take better care of Rong兒 so others don't say our Shangshu Mansion lacks discipline." She then ignored the expression on Ye Wenhua's face and took Lady Xu’s hand to enter the courtyard together. Xú Qīngfēng followed behind with a curious look at Wang Shi, saying, "Uncle, this co-wife of yours… is quite interesting." No other lady he had seen before ever acted like this. A respectable wife from an established family would always be dignified and composed in public, while her miserable yet seductive demeanor clearly resembled that of a concubine. Indeed, she was not originally a concubine, right Finishing his remark, Xú Qīngfēng followed his mother and cousin out of the room, leaving the Shangshu Minister to deal with the situation alone, his face as dark as ink.
In the elegant and tranquil floral hall, Ye Li served tea to her still-angry aunt and cousin from Xu Family.
Lady Xu took a sip of tea before looking helplessly at Ye Li. "Look at your temper! Even an adopted son dares to bully you." Ye Li was unfazed, smiling calmly as she said to the overprotective aunt, "She is not only the head lady of our Ye family but also the mother of a Zhaoyi in the palace. Besides, I didn’t suffer any losses at all. Didn't Aunt say so"
Xú Qīngfēng frowned and said, "Today we came to visit; your father had no choice but to punish Rong兒 in front of others. But if it happened on another day, how easy would that have been Don’t think I don’t know—the beating was supposed to be twenty strokes, but when Wang Shi arrived, the punishment she actually gave was just a few not-so-serious strikes. If Ye Wenhua hadn't instructed them to do so, wouldn’t the servants dare defy orders"
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "I’ve caused worry for Cousin and Aunts and Uncles. He is my father's only son; of course he would be treated differently. But I’m not someone to be trifled with either; if he really crossed me, wouldn’t it be difficult for him to escape" In Ye Li’s view, Rong兒 was just a spoiled brat who wasn't very likable. Being too concerned about him would make things rather uninteresting.
Thinking of someone who had been plagued with misfortune recently, Xú Qīngfēng couldn’t help but smile. Nevertheless, he still felt the need to remind his cousin to be careful.
Lady Xu handed Ye Li a sealed letter. Ye Li held the clearly thick envelope and felt warmth in her heart as she looked up into Lady Xu’s gentle and loving eyes. "Aunt…" Since her mother passed away, if it weren't for the support of her uncle and aunt, she wouldn’t have been able to live so carefree these years. Before she could express her gratitude, Lady Xu held her hand and smiled warmly, saying, "You silly girl, no matter what you are still part of the Xú Family’s bloodline. Your uncle only has one sister, how difficult can it be to take care of you"
"Auntie..." Ye Li lowered her gaze, not wanting Aunt Xu to see the tears in her eyes.
Xu Qingfeng noticed the somber atmosphere and quickly said with a smile, "Mother is right. We Xu Family only have one girl this generation—Li'er. When Li'er gets married, Uncle and my elder brothers will all come to the capital. If not for Grandpa's health issues this year and the doctor’s advice against traveling far, he would also like to attend."
Ye Li quickly suppressed her thoughts, "Grandfather isn’t well Then regarding Big Uncle…"
"Don't worry. It's natural that Grandpa has minor illnesses due to his age. The climate in the capital is not as suitable for health maintenance as Yunzhou. As for my elder brothers, they originally planned to come to the capital next year for the spring examinations anyway. They're just advancing their trip by a few months because of your wedding date." Xu Qingfeng hurriedly comforted her, worried that she might think too much about it. Ye Li held back a laugh—now was merely late March; the Spring Examination in the following year was still nearly a year away. It seemed rather early to advance their trip by several months. Understanding his cousin's intention to console her, Ye Li changed the subject with curiosity, "Second Cousin and Fourth Cousin are also planning to take part in the spring examinations" This generation of Xu Family, Second Young Master Xu Qingze is nineteen this year; Fourth Young Master Xu Qingbo is sixteen, while Fifth Brother Xu Qingyan is thirteen. As for the eldest, Twenty-two-year-old Xu Qingchen had already achieved first place on the imperial examination list at fourteen and became the youngest juvenile imperial scholar since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty. However, Xu Qingchen disliked officialdom's intrigues and resigned from his post to travel and study at fifteen. At just twenty years old, he had become the youngest professor in Li Mountain Academy. This cousin was truly exceptional. Although Ye Li hadn't seen him for several years, she still remembered him vividly. However, with all three Xu Family young masters taking part in the imperial examination, considering their abilities, there was a low chance of them failing, wouldn’t they stand out too much
Xu Qingfeng shrugged and said, "Originally it was Fourth Brother who planned to take part along with Second Brother. Fifth Brother wants to join because he aims to surpass the title my elder brother gained at fourteen as a juvenile imperial scholar. My elder brother is born in February while Fifth Brother is born at the end of September. If Fifth Brother truly becomes an imperial scholar, then it would be indeed better than what Big Brother achieved back then, but the chances are slim."
He had always been fond of martial arts from a young age and even when reading books he preferred military strategy books; thus, he wasn't interested in becoming an imperial scholar. In fact, none of the Xu Family members were particularly enthusiastic about imperial examinations since they didn’t plan on holding official positions anyway. But if they did not participate in the examination or achieve a certain ranking based on their age, even though they might be extremely knowledgeable, it would be impossible for them to teach at Li Mountain Academy. How could those prodigies ever agree to have someone barely older than themselves as their teacher
Aunt Xu added with a smile, "In reality, only Qingze is truly taking the examination; Qingbo and Qingyan are just tagging along."
"Is Second Brother planning to stay in the capital" Ye Li asked.
Xu Qingfeng chuckled and praised, "Lily is still smart. However, my second brother will stay in the capital while I have to travel far."
Seeing Xu Qingfeng's excited expression, Ye Li was moved and said joyfully, "Doesn't Uncle Xu agree with Cousin then"
Xu夫人 nodded with a mix of helplessness and relief. "Isn't that the case This brat finally got what he wished for. Your uncle is planning to let him train in the military."
In fact, His Excellency Censor's thoughts were quite complex. He hoped that this son would suffer enough in the army to obediently return home and continue the tradition of Xu Family as a scholarly lineage. However, if Xu Qingfeng really dared to come back after several months, he wouldn't escape a good beating.
"Then congratulations to Cousin," Ye Li smiled.
Uncle Xu had always been against Cousin joining the military. Now that he finally agreed, it was no wonder Xu Qingfeng was so happy.
"Thank you for your auspicious words, Lily. When I become a great general, if Prince Ding dares to bully you, I will avenge you!"
Ye Li's face twitched. Even as a great general, it would be impossible to compete with Dachu's only hereditary prince, right Besides, by the time he became a general from a mere soldier, the flowers would have long wilted.tier...""It’s information that Tan Jizhi leaked to him," Mo Xiuyao said, "The Holy Land of Southern Frontier has always been in Shumanlin's hands; Princess Qixia is also Princess Anxi’s sister. It’s i...