Glory

Ye Yaming did not ask what dispute Liu Yuzhang was handling.

Ye Yayin and Ye Yayu, having spent the past few years experiencing the hardships of the world, running shops, and dealing with various matters, had encountered all sorts of people. They were completely different from the naive Ye Yaqing of the past. They had their own perspectives on people and situations, and Ye Yaming felt quite reassured about them.

Li Shu had the endorsement of the Imperial College and Ye Yayin's approval. Liu Yuzhang was his close friend, and the two were cut from the same cloth. Now, Ye Yayu also held Liu Yuzhang in high regard. This indicated that both were decent individuals. Their character and conduct were likely not an issue.

The only problem now was the poverty of the Liu family. If not for the incident with Song Yifeng, the Ye family might not have considered this a problem. But now, they were like startled birds, avoiding children from poor families, fearing they might encounter another "Husband from a poor family."

"Not every poor scholar is like Song Yifeng," Ye Yaming said. "Let's not rush this. We should first inquire about their family's character."

"I don’t want to rush either, but Yayin and Yayu will turn seventeen this year. If we wait another year or two, it will be too late," Yin Shi remarked.

Such were the societal norms. Typically, matches were considered around fourteen or fifteen, and those with good prospects were often settled by sixteen or seventeen. Those left behind usually had some flaw or another.

Ye Yaming thought for a moment and said, "We’ve observed the Li family for quite some time. Since everyone agrees they are suitable and the two are fond of each other, we can finalize Yayin’s marriage first."

"As for Yayu, the situation with the Liu family is unclear. We don’t even know how Liu Yuzhang feels about Yayu. If he looks down on our family for being merchants or resents our wealth and has no intention of forming a marriage alliance, then all this is pointless."

"Who would resent us for being too wealthy?" Yin Shi chided Ye Yaming with a glance.

In the past, the Ye family was indeed looked down upon as merchants. But after Ye Yaming married into a marquis’s household and the Ye family’s tea became Tribute Tea, Yin Shi and Ye Hongsheng frequently mingled with the top aristocratic families in the capital and no longer felt inferior.

For a Ye family daughter to take a liking to Liu Yuzhang was a stroke of luck for him. How could he possibly look down on them?

"If he marries Yayu, his entire family would be accused of living off her wealth. Wasn’t that the case with Song Yifeng? He resented our family for being merchants and too wealthy, hated how others mocked him, yet had no choice but to rely on us, which twisted his mind."

Over the past year or two, Yin Shi had been running a pastry shop and socializing with noblewomen. Gathering with groups of women, she had heard plenty of unsavory gossip and had become quite worldly.

Hearing Ye Yaming’s words, she nodded in agreement. "That’s exactly why I don’t think much of the Liu family. If Yayu marries into their household, wouldn’t the entire family depend on her support? And even if she supports them, they might not feel grateful. Instead, they might grow resentful and try to belittle her to assert their superiority. People can change. Song Yifeng—your grandfather and your maternal grandfather both thought highly of him at first."

"In the future, she might have to support his parents, and even his siblings’ marriages might rely on her. If Liu Yuzhang passes the imperial exams and becomes an official, who knows how he might treat Yayu then? And Yayu, with her temperament..."Although Ye Yayu had become more open and outgoing over the years, her upbringing still greatly influenced her. Compared to the lively and spirited Ye Yayin, who was like a little chili pepper, Ye Yayu appeared more quiet and reserved, with a somewhat soft personality, displaying traits of a people-pleaser.

This last trait was something Ye Yaming had asked the instructing matron to correct for a long time, and she herself had counseled Ye Yayu many times, but it never seemed to change.

"You help her see if there are any other suitable candidates. We should also discreetly learn about the Liu family's character. If Yu'er insists on marrying him, we won't be able to stop her. We'll just have to support her more in the future. As long as we show her more care and take a firm stance, we can prevent the Liu family from bullying her."

As for whether Ye Yayu would live happily or not, that was beyond their control.

The path was chosen by Ye Yayu herself; they couldn't force her to choose someone else under the guise of "doing what's best for her."

Moreover, they weren't her biological parents or older sister, and Ye Yayu had a sensitive and overthinking nature. She might even suspect that they were trying to use her for a marriage alliance. "Let's set this matter aside for now and discuss it after I return to the capital," Yin Shi said.

She wouldn't be going back to the capital anytime soon after this return—at least not until after Ye Yaming had finished her postpartum confinement. That would be around mid to late September.

"Have you found a wet nurse for the child?" Yin Shi asked, noticing that the maids had withdrawn to let the mother and daughter talk privately. She lowered her voice and added, "When did Bai Rui and Lve E get married? Who did they marry? Are they pregnant? If they could serve as the child's wet nurses, you'd feel much more at ease."

"They got married together in May. Bai Rui married Xu Zan, and Lve E married Ma Yun," Ye Yaming replied.

Bai Rui and Xu Zan had long been fond of each other. As for Lve E and Ma Yun, they grew closer after Ye Yaming's marriage and eventually developed feelings for one another.

"They've only been married for two months, so I really don't know if they're pregnant or not," Ye Yaming said, glancing outside.

Bai Rui and Lve E were her right-hand women; she couldn't bear to have them stay home just to care for her child.

"Then, have you found a wet nurse?" Yin Shi asked again.

"Yes, Grandmother arranged it. She found one from among our household serfs."

When Ye Yaming got married, Old Mrs. Ye had already thought ahead and arranged marriages for several maids of the right age, hoping they would become pregnant around the same time as Ye Yaming.

Since many had married at that time, several indeed became pregnant and had recently given birth or were about to. A few days ago, Ye Yaming personally made her selection and finally settled on two candidates.

These wet nurses only needed to have breast milk, be of good character, gentle temperament, and not mistreat the child. As for their education and upbringing, not much could be expected.

Ye Yaming planned to have them only breastfeed the child. For the child's education, she intended to select someone else separately.

After that, Ye Yaming continued her routine of eating and sleeping. Although her body felt uncomfortable, the days passed one by one.

As August approached, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although the due date was in mid-August, delivering ten days or half a month early wouldn't be considered premature.

As it turned out, the two children were quite steady, remaining safely in Ye Yaming's womb until the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August.Ye Hongsheng, worried about his daughter, returned from the capital at the end of July. Meanwhile, Lu Guanyi, who had initially said he could return in early August, was still nowhere to be seen by the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Ye family feared upsetting Ye Yaming and didn’t dare mention him in front of her.

Although Ye Yaming was used to being independent in her previous life, she still felt somewhat disheartened. After all, childbirth was like walking through the gates of the underworld, and the child belonged to both of them. Now that she had to bear it all alone, with the other person not even showing his face, she naturally felt unhappy.

However, if there were military conflicts at the border, as a general, Lu Guanyi truly couldn’t leave his post—this she could understand.

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