Glory

After Song Yifeng left, Ye Chongming came over from the next room. Qi Ji said to Ye Chongming indignantly, "They say you can see the big from the small and know the whole from a part. Someone like Song Yifeng, who is ungrateful and treacherous, holds no value for gratitude or righteousness in his heart. How can he be loyal to his sovereign? The scholarly atmosphere in Lin'an should also be rectified..."

Master Wu suddenly coughed, interrupting Qi Ji's impassioned speech.

Although Qi Ji's father was the prefect, scholars were under the jurisdiction of the educational commissioner and the director of the Imperial Academy. Qi Ji's words were highly inappropriate. If they were to spread, not only would they fail to solve the Ye family's problems, but they would also cause trouble for Prefect Qi.

Lu Guanyi, who had remained silent until then, spoke up, "Master Wu, I presume you often attend poetry gatherings and literary meetings in Lin'an? You must be acquainted with quite a few Recommended Men. When the time comes, you should inform your friends about Song Yifeng's true nature. It would be unfortunate if they were deceived by him, unable to see his real character."

"Exactly, exactly," Master Wu immediately clapped his hands and said, "I was thinking the same thing. Young Master Lu's thoughts align perfectly with mine."

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji had collaborated with the Ye family and had taken action against Meng Chengwei. Now, facing a mere ungrateful Recommended Man like Song Yifeng, it was only natural for them to do the Ye family a favor and side with them.

As Prefect Qi's advisor, Master Wu was also inclined to support the Ye family against Song Yifeng. By pointing this out in front of the Ye family, Lu Guanyi was ensuring that the Ye family would owe him a favor.

This Young Master Lu's emotional intelligence was truly worlds apart from his own young master's.

Ye Chongming and the others were overjoyed upon hearing this.

Ye Chongming bowed deeply to Master Wu, "I thank you in advance, Master Wu."

"Haha, no need for such courtesy. It's mainly because I can't stand the way that Song fellow behaves. We scholars, having studied the classics of the sages, should be more principled than others. How can we be ungrateful and still put on a hypocritical face? It's a disgrace to us scholars. My actions are to uphold justice and to ensure that the scholars of Lin'an are not deceived by Song Yifeng's sanctimonious facade."

"Regardless, we must thank you, Master Wu," Ye Chongming said.

Ye Yaming, who had been keeping her head lowered, stood up and bowed to Master Wu, "Yaming thanks Master Wu for standing up for me."

Master Wu was taken aback and quickly waved his hand, "No need for such formalities. It was just a small effort."

Ye Yaming raised her head and said seriously, "However, for me, the most important thing is to break off the engagement. Though it may seem impolite, I would like to ask you, Master Wu, to refrain from revealing Song Yifeng's actions to others until after the engagement is officially called off. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course, of course," Master Wu quickly replied, "Your reminder is very necessary."

As outsiders, they might not have considered everything carefully. If they inadvertently revealed the information and Song Yifeng learned that the Ye family was collaborating with the sons of a marquis and a prefect, he would cling to them like a stubborn plaster.

After all, Wang Wenzhi was merely an educational commissioner, an eighth-rank official, and in terms of administrative hierarchy, he was a direct subordinate of the fourth-rank Prefect Qi.

Someone like Song Yifeng would cling to such a person as if he had found a treasure, let alone someone like Qi Ji, the son of a fourth-rank prefect and a scion of an influential family.

He added, "You are right. The most important thing now is to break off the engagement. Miss Ye, with your refined and intelligent nature, Song Yifeng is not worthy of you. It's best to end the engagement with someone like him as soon as possible."Then he turned to Ye Chongming and said, "Old Master Ye, once you have broken off the engagement with the Song family, please send someone to inform me."

"Very well. Thank you, Master Wu." Ye Chongming bowed once more.

Ye Yaming returned to her seat.

Qi Ji said enthusiastically, "Miss Ye, rest assured. Not only will Master Wu inform those Presented Scholars and Recommended Men about Song's matter, I will also have my mother speak with the wives of officials. That Song fellow is in such a hurry to break off the engagement with you, probably because he wants to climb the social ladder. I'll make sure his efforts come to nothing."

He slapped the armrest of his chair indignantly and added, "A woman as outstanding as you, Miss Ye—that Song fellow must be blind not to cherish you."

Master Wu had been serving as an advisor to Qi Zhibei for over a decade and saw Qi Ji almost as his own nephew.

Seeing that Qi Ji was becoming increasingly inappropriate in his remarks—and that Miss Ye would likely feel extremely awkward if he continued—Master Wu quickly shot Qi Ji a warning glance. He then smiled at Ye Chongming and said, "I wonder if the feast at your residence is ready? I'm starting to feel rather hungry."

Though his words were somewhat abrupt, they rescued the Ye family from an awkward situation, as they had no idea how to respond to Qi Ji's earlier comments.

Ye Chongming gave Master Wu a grateful look, stood up with a hearty laugh, and gestured, "The banquet has long been prepared. Please, everyone, come and be seated."

Thus, everyone moved to the side hall to begin the meal.

Men and women were seated separately in two side halls adjacent to the main hall. Ye Yaming and Old Mrs. Ye entertained Madam Wu alone in the same side hall where Ye Chongming had earlier spoken with Song Yifeng.

Madam Wu was a tactful person. Worried that Ye Yaming might feel awkward or upset, she avoided any mention of Song Yifeng or the broken engagement during the meal. Instead, she shared amusing anecdotes and news from Lin'an Prefecture. The three of them chatted and laughed, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

As a young woman who had just had her engagement broken off, Ye Yaming remained demure and composed throughout. She smiled when Madam Wu spoke to her and remained silent otherwise.

The Ye family had put great effort into preparing the feast. Though not extravagant, it was thoughtfully arranged. Since Lu, Qi, and Master Wu were all inclined to foster good relations with the Ye family, the men's table enjoyed a harmonious and cheerful meal.

After the meal, once they had personally seen the guests off, Old Mrs. Ye excitedly said to Ye Yaming, "This matter is settled."

She leaned close to Ye Yaming's ear and whispered, "Your grandmother has been keeping an eye out these past few days. I will definitely find you a good groom for a matrilocal marriage."

Ye Yaming was startled and quickly replied, "Grandmother, there's no hurry. I don’t wish to consider this for now—at least not for another year or so."

Old Mrs. Ye fell silent, assuming that Ye Yaming was too heartbroken by Song Yifeng to think about marriage anytime soon. She could understand that.

She said, "Very well, I won’t pressure you. We can discuss it later." But in her heart, she was determined to start scouting for candidates.

Her granddaughter was so outstanding—even in a matrilocal marriage, she deserved an exceptional match. First, he must be handsome; second, he couldn’t be too dull-witted, or it might affect the children. After all, her granddaughter was both talented and beautiful—any children she bore would surely be exceptional and must not be held back by mediocre genes.

Lastly, the man’s character had to be upright, with no bad habits.

With such criteria, finding a suitable candidate would be challenging.

So, she needed to start planning early.

While Old Mrs. Ye was pondering how to find a husband for Ye Yaming, Ye Yaming’s thoughts were occupied with Ye Yaqing’s marriage prospects.