Glory

"The most important thing is, you are the person I treasure most in this lifetime. No other woman will ever catch my eye besides you. So Ming'er, rest assured, I will never take a concubine. I only wish to grow old with you."

Ye Yaming only registered the first few sentences; as for this last declaration of love, she heard it but paid it no mind.

A man's sweet words, a man's vows of eternal devotion—they were pleasant to hear but shouldn't be taken seriously, or misfortune would follow.

It wasn't that they were necessarily lying; she believed Lu Guanyi was sincere when he spoke those words. But people and feelings change—if you took them at face value, you'd lose.

She smiled and nodded: "I hope you keep your word."

...

The third day was the traditional bride's return to her maiden home. Lu Guanyi had long prepared the gifts, showed them to Ye Yaming, and they set off early for Ye Jia.

"Third Elder Miss is back, Third Elder Miss is back!"

Hearing the servants rush to report, Ye Yaming raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but sigh.

"What's wrong?" Lu Guanyi tried to take her hand again.

Ye Yaming quickly hid her hands behind her back, glared at him, then said mournfully, "I'm no longer Third Young Miss, but Third Elder Miss. A married daughter is like spilled water—now I understand what that means."

Lu Guanyi laughed heartily: "Why don't you ask Grandfather and your father if they're willing to spill you out? You're the next family head—if they spill you out, what would become of Ye Jia?"

Just as Ye Yaming was about to retort, she heard a call: "Ming'er."

She looked up and saw the entire wedding procession gathered in the main courtyard, not a single one missing.

The caller was Ye Hongsheng.

Seeing his daughter glowing with health and happily bantering with her husband, their relationship appearing extremely harmonious, Ye Hongsheng felt relieved yet also an inexplicable emptiness.

His family's tender young cabbage had finally been dug up by a pig.

"You're back? Come inside quickly." He greeted them, then added with a smile, "Zi Mo, you probably don't recognize your grand-uncles yet, do you? I'll introduce them to you properly once we're inside."

With so many people in the courtyard, greeting everyone individually would keep them standing there half the day. Concerned for his daughter and son-in-law, he thought it better to continue indoors.

Lu Guanyi smiled: "We've met. Third Grand-Uncle and the other elders came to my humble home for the bed-setting ceremony. Zi Mo is eternally grateful."

Ye Chongxian was overjoyed, exchanging pleasantries with Lu Guanyi as they entered the main hall.

Inside, without needing Ye Yaming's introduction, Ye Hongsheng guided Lu Guanyi, introducing him to all the Ye family members.

Besides the Ye clansmen, Ye Ruhui with her husband and children, as well as Ye Yaxiu with her husband and children, had all come.

Both women had married into merchant families. Ye Ruhui's husband, perhaps because he was older, maintained his composure well; Ye Yaxiu's husband, however, was somewhat obsequious toward Lu Guanyi.

Though usually not much of a talker, Lu Guanyi now set aside his aloof demeanor among Ye Yaming's relatives, handling the Ye family's social interactions with perfect grace.

"Ming'er, let the men chat here. Come with us to the inner quarters." Yin Shi was eager to learn how her daughter was faring at the Xuanwu Marquis Household.

Ye Yaming nodded and followed the group of women to the rear courtyard.

"I'm doing quite well." Ye Yaming informed everyone that Lu Zhongyong and Lu Guanyu had returned to the border garrison. "Now there are only Zi Mo and I as masters in the Marquis household. No one in the residence gives me any trouble, so Mother, you can rest assured.""Oh, that's wonderful." Yin Shi, who had been worrying about her daughter for three days, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Ruhui and Ye Yaxiu were extremely envious of Ye Yaming.

Ye Ruhui said, "Ming'er is truly blessed to have married into such a good family."

"Indeed," Ye Yaxiu chimed in.

Ye Yaming smiled without responding.

During Ye Yaqing's wedding, Ye Yaxiu had heard her mother complain and ended up offending Ye Yaming with her words. Since then, Ye Yaming had always been somewhat distant toward her, not as close as she was with Ye Ruhui, and Ye Yaxiu deeply regretted it.

She had never dared to let her husband know about this. Not only did she keep it from him, but she also frequently boasted in front of her in-laws, sisters-in-law, and husband about how close she was with her third cousin.

Now, eager to mend their relationship and test Ye Yaming's attitude, she smiled and said, "Third Sister will be staying in the capital for over two months. It's a rare opportunity. I'd like to invite you to my home. Would you honor me with your presence?"

Ye Hongsheng had repeatedly reminded Yin Shi to shield their daughter from trouble. Now that their daughter had married into a prestigious family, there might be people making unreasonable requests, putting her in a difficult position.

Ye Yaming, being younger in seniority and newly married into a noble household, would risk offending others and being seen as arrogant if she directly refused. It would create a terrible impression.

As her parents, they ought to step in and play the "bad guys," shielding their daughter from such troubles.

Yin Shi rarely went out. Unless the Ye family hosted a banquet, she seldom socialized. Having grown up in a simple environment, she wasn't particularly adept at interpersonal interactions.

When Ye Yaxiu extended the invitation, Yin Shi wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not. But she knew Ye Yaxiu had offended her daughter and that her daughter disliked her. She suspected Ye Yaming wouldn't want to visit her home.

She immediately said, "How could Ming'er possibly have the time? The Ye family is opening a new teahouse in the capital, and she has to oversee it. Besides, the New Year is approaching. Year-end social obligations and various trivial matters are already cumbersome for families like ours, let alone for a marquis household. As the newly married wife of the Xuanwu Marquis heir, Ming'er is still unfamiliar with many aspects of the household. Who knows how overwhelmed she might be?"

Ye Yaming was surprised by how sharp her mother was today, actually stepping in to shield her from trouble.

She glanced at her mother with a smile, then turned to Ye Yaxiu and said, "My mother is right. I'm afraid I won't have any free time in the next two months—there's so much to handle. If I accept your invitation, Elder Aunt will likely want to invite me as well. Visiting one household after another—even if I agree now, I probably won't have the time later, which would only disappoint you."

Noticing a flicker of disappointment in Ye Ruhui's eyes as well, she added, "How about this? I won't be returning to Lin'an until after the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Before I leave, I'll set aside one day to host a banquet at the Xuanwu Marquis Household and invite Elder Aunt's family and Elder Sister's family. How does that sound?"

"Really?" Ye Yaxiu exclaimed in delight, then immediately felt she had been too effusive.

She covered her face with a handkerchief briefly but soon broke into a smile again.

She was overjoyed. It seemed Third Sister was broad-minded and hadn't held a grudge against her. With an invitation from Third Sister, she could hold her head high in her husband's household from now on, and no one would dare mistreat her.

Ye Ruhui was also delighted.During this period, her in-laws' attitude toward her had also changed significantly. The third sister-in-law invited her and her family to a banquet, clearly showing support for her. It seemed that her in-laws' attitude toward her would improve even more in the future.