Glory

"Can she stay at home?" Old Mrs. Ye asked with pleasant surprise.

If Ye Yaming weren't pregnant, she would certainly have objected. It was unheard of for a married daughter to live with her natal family for an extended period—it would seem as if she had been divorced and sent back.

But Ye Yaming was pregnant, and with no one in her husband's household to care for her, it made sense for her to return to her parents' home.

Although Lu Guanyi's residence wasn't far from the Ye family home, it still wasn't as convenient as staying right there.

"Of course she can," Ye Yaming said with a smile. "I'm the one who calls the shots in our household."

Old Mrs. Ye shot her a sidelong glance but didn't voice any disagreement.

"By the way, aside from my parents, let's not tell anyone else about this for now," Ye Yaming continued. "You know that Lu Guanyi's divorced stepmother is still alive. She was always determined to have her own son become the heir to the marquisate, and even though she's been divorced, she hasn't given up. If she hears I'm pregnant, she might send someone to harm me."

Old Mrs. Ye grew anxious upon hearing this. "Didn't she return to her rural hometown? How could her influence reach so far?"

"Her dowry was returned to her. Money can make the devil turn the mill—it can certainly hire people to do her bidding. Besides, there's also her future daughter-in-law."

Ye Yaming explained the situation with Chu Yuehua to the elderly couple and said, "Don't be too alarmed, but do stay vigilant. Be careful with the inner household and the people around you, so no one can take advantage."

Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye exchanged worried glances and nodded.

Ye Yaming also felt helpless.

She didn't want to worry the elderly couple. But if she only shared good news and hid the troubles, given the Ye family's ordinarily peaceful life and lack of vigilance, it would be easy for others to exploit them.

Just as she was about to comfort the two elders, a maid entered and announced, "Fourth Master and Fourth Madam have arrived."

Only then did Ye Chongming remember the matter concerning his fourth son.

He signaled for the maid to wait and asked Ye Yaming, "Your fourth aunt wants to accompany your fourth uncle to Huizhou. What do you think?"

"That's wonderful," Ye Yaming said happily. "Just look at my mother—women need to get out more, see more of the world, and run their own businesses. It broadens their horizons and minds, not only helping them support their husbands but also greatly benefiting their children's upbringing."

She avoided talking about women's self-reliance and independence.

Ye Chongming, being a man, would certainly disapprove; Old Mrs. Ye, having spent her entire life in the inner quarters, had long-held traditional views.

Thus, she could only emphasize how women going out into the world would benefit their husbands and children, making it easier for them to accept and strongly support the idea.

As expected, Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye nodded in agreement.

Their second daughter-in-law had previously been the most inconspicuous in the household. But over the past year or two, she had changed the most. When she first opened a shop in Lin'an, it wasn't so noticeable. But after spending a few months in the capital, it was as if she had been reborn—she became confident and poised, and her speech and demeanor were completely transformed.

Indeed, experience and self-assurance were incredibly important.

"Very well, then let them go," Ye Chongming said, nodding to the maid.

Shortly after, Ye Hongrong and Zhang Shi entered.

After they paid their respects, Ye Chongming said, "Ming'er and I have discussed it, and she fully supports your wife accompanying you to Huizhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi glanced gratefully at Ye Yaming.

Like Tao Shi, she had the same concern—fearing that Ye Hongrong might take a concubine in Huizhou or even play the game of having two principal wives.As the eldest daughter-in-law, Tao Shi had to manage the household in Lin'an, so it was understandable that she wouldn't accompany them to the capital. But as the younger daughter-in-law, staying home served no purpose. Moreover, the capital was close to Lin'an, and Ye Hongchang returned for every festival. Huizhou, however, was so far away that Ye Hongrong likely only came back once a year.

With the couple separated for long periods, their relationship wasn't particularly strong, and she genuinely worried that Ye Hongrong might develop wandering affections.

Ye Hongrong smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandfather and Ming'er. Three days from now is an auspicious day for travel, so we'll set off then."

Old Mrs. Ye sat there, pursing her lips. "The journey is long, and I'm not sure if Ning'er can endure it. Rui'er is studying well at school—what kind of education can he get in Huizhou? The same goes for Xuan'er. Why not leave them here with me?" She couldn't bear to part with her grandchildren. Besides, with the second branch going to the capital, if the fourth branch also took the whole family to Huizhou, the house would become cold and deserted.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to forbid her daughter-in-law from going to Huizhou, so she tried to keep the grandchildren.

"I've been the one caring for them all along; they've never been apart from me. If they can't find me, they'll surely cry and fuss," Zhang Shi said, lifting her head to plead with Ye Yaming with her eyes.

She knew that if Ye Yaming said just one word, Old Mrs. Ye would drop the matter.

But Ye Yaming lowered her head to sip her tea, pretending not to notice.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak up for Zhang Shi, but hierarchy mattered—this household wasn't hers to rule yet, and Ye Chongming should speak first. She also had to respect Old Mrs. Ye and not openly contradict her. Moreover, Zhang Shi had only made this mild remark without strongly insisting, and Ye Hongrong hadn't spoken up either.

One had to consider the poor transportation and medical conditions of the time. The youngest, Ye Jianing, was only three or four, and the eldest, Ye Jiarui, just ten. If she rashly suggested the children go with them before the couple had clearly stated their intentions, and something happened to the children on the road, the couple might end up resenting her.

Besides, she had other things to say.

Ye Hongrong spoke up: "We'll travel slowly and hire an Herbalist to accompany us. With proper arrangements, there should be no issues. Also, there are schools in Huizhou. Since Rui'er doesn't need to take the imperial exams anyway—just learning some characters and arithmetic—a Licentiate there would be more than capable of teaching him."

"Since everything is arranged, let them all go together," Ye Chongming declared.

Ye Yaming set down her teacup and smiled. "Long-term separation between husband and wife, or parents and children, is never good. I think it's admirable that Fourth Aunt is willing to take the children and accompany Fourth Uncle to Huizhou, despite the hardships. However..." She turned to Ye Hongrong. "We have a Housekeeper managing affairs in Minzhou. Similarly, we could send a Housekeeper to oversee Huizhou. If Fourth Uncle is willing to stay here and assist me, handling some tasks on my behalf, we could promote someone you trust in Huizhou to take over your responsibilities. Of course, if Fourth Uncle feels Huizhou suits you better, forget I said anything."

Based on reports from the Housekeeper in Huizhou about Ye Hongrong's performance over the past two years, he had become increasingly capable.

Ye Hongchang had previously been the most capable descendant of the Ye family, but in Ye Yaming's view, he was too conservative and complacent, content to run a teahouse day after day, following a routine. Such seasoned slackers were the type Ye Yaming least preferred to employ.Ye Hongrong was different. Unlike Ye Hongchang, who had been brought up by Ye Chongming's side and trained in business for over a decade before being sent out independently—thus having his thinking constrained by the older generation's influence—Ye Hongrong was young, flexible-minded, energetic, and willing to endure hardship. Comparatively, Ye Yaming preferred to cultivate Ye Hongrong.