Glory

She held many identities: the next head of the Ye family, the wife of the heir to the Xuanwu Marquis Household, and soon, the mother of her child.

In her previous life, she had devoted all her energy to her career. In this life, having chosen marriage and motherhood, she also wanted to allocate some of her efforts to her family and child.

But a person's energy is ultimately limited. She needed a capable assistant—not someone like Xu Zan or Bai Xin, but someone of common status who could represent her in negotiations and social engagements.

Ye Chongming was growing old, Ye Hongchang was mediocre, Ye Jiaxing was too inexperienced, and Ye Hongsheng was a technical expert who couldn't outmaneuver the cunning old foxes in the business world. Ye Hongrong, however, was a suitable candidate.

Both Ye Chongming and Ye Hongrong were surprised by Ye Yaming's words.

As one was his granddaughter and the other his son, Ye Chongming didn't beat around the bush and asked Ye Yaming directly, "Do you want your fourth uncle to stay and work here? Doing what?"

Ye Yaming replied, "For instance, if there's something in the capital that needs handling and I can't go, Fourth Uncle would go in my place. If matters arise in Minzhou or Huizhou where my presence isn't feasible and the servants lack the authority, Fourth Uncle would make the trip. Essentially, wherever there's an issue I can't attend to, Fourth Uncle would act as my representative."

She turned to Ye Hongrong, "This would be quite demanding. The tasks are varied and often tedious. Since you're scheduled to leave in three days, there's no need to reply immediately. Please think it over and let me know in a day or two."

Ye Hongrong indeed needed time to consider.

He nodded, "Alright."

Ye Chongming, however, understood the underlying meaning in Ye Yaming's words.

She was currently pregnant. Not only would she be unable to travel extensively during this year, but even after recovering from childbirth, it would be inconvenient with a young child. Moreover, after this pregnancy, she would likely have more children.

Additionally, she not only had responsibilities with the Xuanwu Marquis Household but also had to manage various affairs of the Ye family. She needed to stay in the capital or Lin'an to oversee everything, much like he did now.

With the Ye family's operations expanding, they had previously relied on Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji to handle some matters. But Lu Guanyi had gone to the border, and Qi Ji, as the son of an official, had only dabbled in business on a whim—he would never allow himself to become a merchant.

Thus, these business affairs ultimately fell to the Ye family and their housekeepers.

However, some matters, such as dealing with local officials or prominent figures, couldn't be handled by housekeepers and required a proper family representative.

Ye Hongchang was over forty and no longer young enough for such hustle; Ye Hongsheng, though he had made some progress, ultimately lacked the shrewdness and capability to outwit those cunning old foxes.

That left only Ye Hongrong and Ye Jiaxing.

Between them, Ye Hongrong had early on mingled with prodigals and people from all walks of life, gaining some insight into both legitimate and underground dealings. Having managed affairs independently in Huizhou for the past two years, he had honed his abilities. His approach to handling matters was flexible, employing any tactic within the rules, somewhat reminiscent of Ye Yaming's style.

In contrast, Ye Jiaxing, raised by him and Ye Hongchang to be obedient and proper, was too rule-bound and straightforward. He was unguarded against others and would easily be defeated by even the slightest underhanded tactics.

With this realization, Ye Chongming's view of his younger son shifted.He said with profound meaning, "Hongrong, your eldest brother has been confined to the teahouse in the capital for over a decade, his vision limited to that small space. If you also remain solely in Huizhou, your perspective will likewise be restricted to that narrow scope. Now that there's an opportunity to broaden your horizons, it would be a great pity to miss it. Of course, the choice is yours to make—I'm merely offering my thoughts."

He waved his hand. "Alright, you may withdraw now."

Ye Hongrong bowed and retreated from the room.

Zhang Shi followed him out of the main house and asked, "What did Father-in-law mean? Does he actually think what Ming'er proposed is a good assignment?"

She had been displeased upon hearing Ye Yaming's suggestion.

Wasn't this just making people run around? Ye Yaming would stay put as the head of household while dispatching Ye Hongrong all over the place? So she would reap all the benefits while Ye Hongrong did all the hard work? Treating him like an errand boy? If not for Ye Yaming's changed status, she would have confronted her directly.

But Father-in-law's words had left her confused.

Had this been the Ye Hongrong of three years ago, not only would he have struggled to grasp the implications in Ye Yaming and Ye Chongming's words—even if he had understood, he wouldn't have been willing to take on such a task.

The position had its merits, but it was genuinely arduous, and he'd have to follow Ye Yaming's directives in everything. How could it compare to the autonomy of being the head in Huizhou?

But now, having traveled back and forth to Huizhou and learned from Ye Yaming's example to make his journeys more comfortable, he didn't find trips to Huizhou or Minzhou particularly burdensome. On the contrary, he found more joy in traveling and seeing new places than in staying put in one location.

Moreover, he genuinely admired Ye Yaming's character and capabilities. Being able to work alongside her, learning her business acumen and methods, would greatly benefit him. Additionally, the significance behind this opportunity stirred his ambition.

He waved for the servants to withdraw before saying to Zhang Shi, "Taking on this assignment means that in the future, within Ye Jia, aside from Father and Ming'er, I would hold the highest authority. Of course, Second Brother is Ming'er's father, so I couldn't surpass him—but at least my words would carry more weight than Eldest Brother's."

Zhang Shi's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"

Ye Hongrong nodded.

Zhang Shi grabbed his arm. "Then what are we waiting for? Go back immediately and tell Father-in-law and Ming'er that you're willing. If you refuse, Eldest Brother and Jiaxing might snatch the opportunity away."

"But that would mean considerable hardship, and I'd often be away from home, with little time to spend with you and the children," Ye Hongrong said with a smile.

"Oh, what does that matter? Weren't we perfectly fine these past two years while you were away in Lin'an? As for the hardship—you're still young, so a little hard work won't hurt. Eldest Brother has been traveling to the capital all these years, and Second Brother stays up in the mountains for half a year at a time—they've both endured their share of difficulties."

She lowered her voice. "Ah Rong, Ming'er is ultimately part of the Marquis' household now—her children certainly won't become the head of Ye Jia. When she grows older and lacks the energy, it's uncertain who will succeed her as family head."

"Second Branch is out of the question—within the household, it's between First Branch and our Fourth Branch competing. If you become an influential voice in Ye Jia and suppress First Branch, and I carefully nurture Ruige and Ningge, perhaps one of them could become the next head of Ye Jia.""In the past, the eldest branch held the position of the firstborn son and grandson, so we had no right to contend. But now it's different. If you don't fight for your son now, do you want to be forever looked down upon by Father and Eldest Brother, and despised by Eldest Sister-in-law?"

These final words struck right at the heart of Ye Hongrong's concerns.