Under the guidance of their eldest brother, Xu Qingchen, the Xu family's young masters held a cordial meeting with Lord Ye and Old Madam Ye. As for Wang Shi, who sat to the side and repeatedly tried to interject but was ignored, she was deliberately overlooked. The fifth young master of the Xu family later remarked that he had no interest in conversing with other people's concubines. Indeed, the Xu family had never acknowledged Wang Shi's status as the legitimate wife. Setting aside the enmity between Wang Shi and the late Madam Xu, the Xu family simply did not recognize the practice of elevating a concubine to the position of a wife—likely because, with very few exceptions, none of the Xu family's generations had ever taken concubines. Had Wang Shi truly been a virtuous and refined lady from a noble family, they might have shown her some respect. Unfortunately, Wang Shi clearly lacked such qualities.
Later, Xu Qingchen politely and tactfully expressed his father's longing to see his long-absent niece and requested that Ye Li stay at the Xu family estate for a while. Old Madam Ye naturally refused without hesitation, stating that Ye Li was soon to be married and needed to remain at home to prepare. Xu Qingchen then explained that due to their aunt's early passing, their grandfather feared that their cousin might lack the skills to manage household affairs after marriage and be looked down upon by her in-laws. Therefore, he had specifically instructed the second aunt to invite several of the capital's most accomplished ladies in household management to teach her. Additionally, several matrons had been sent to retrain their cousin in etiquette. After all... rumors had been circulating that the third young miss of the Ye family was a talentless, virtue-less, and plain-looking "triple-nothing" heiress. This clearly indicated that their cousin urgently needed strict guidance in manners, comportment, and speech.
Watching Old Madam Ye fall silent with a pained expression, unable to voice her grievances, Ye Li once again affirmed that dealing with shrewd elders like her required finesse rather than outright confrontation. Just look at how elegantly and courteously her cousin had spoken—who wouldn’t believe he was a gentle and respectful junior earnestly seeking his elder's advice? But given Old Madam Ye's far-from-pleased expression, what objections could she possibly raise? Even her final attempt to have Ye Shan and Ye Lin accompany Ye Li to the Xu family estate was smoothly deflected by Xu Qingyan's smiling remark about propriety between men and women, which might tarnish the young ladies' reputations. Thus, she could only watch helplessly as Ye Li was escorted out of the Ye residence by the Xu family's young masters.
Once they left the Ye household, everyone visibly relaxed. Even the perpetually stern Xu Qingze wore a faint smile. The unfamiliarity that had lingered between the cousins after years of separation seemed to vanish in an instant. As for Xu Qingyan, who had been too young to remember Ye Li, he was naturally sociable and soon grew as close to her as if they had been siblings raised together.
Since the current head of the Xu family—Xu Hongyu, the father of Xu Qingchen, Xu Qingbai, and Xu Qingyan, and Ye Li's eldest uncle—wished to avoid excessive attention, he had chosen not to stay at his younger brother's Censor's manor but instead settled in a modest Xu family estate in the capital. Thus, Ye Li and the others headed directly there.
"Eldest Uncle..."
Seeing the middle-aged man before her, whose scholarly grace and gentle demeanor remained undiminished, Ye Li called out in a choked voice.Xu Hongyu also looked at his beloved niece, her face bearing a striking resemblance to his long-departed younger sister yet carrying a stronger resilience. He sighed softly and beckoned to Ye Li, saying, "Li'er, you've had a hard time these years. Your uncle knows everything that happened in the capital. With me here, no one will dare trouble you again!" Ye Li felt her eyes sting but forced a smile, "With Second Uncle here, who would dare bully Li'er? Li'er just misses Eldest Uncle and Grandfather."
Xu Hongyu shot a dissatisfied glance at his younger brother sitting nearby and remarked, "If he had been more capable, would those two from the Ye family have been so smug?" Xu Hongyan, familiar with his elder brother's temper, could only smile wryly and admit, "Elder Brother is right. It was my fault for not taking better care of Li'er."
"Eldest Uncle!" Ye Li protested, shaking his arm without hesitation. She had no qualms about acting spoiled with him—after all, she had been doing so since childhood. Back then, she had been a genuine child, and moreover, the only one in the entire Xu family unafraid of her formidable eldest uncle.
Xu Hongyu affectionately ruffled Ye Li's hair and chuckled, "Alright, your uncle was just teasing. You little thing, after all these years apart, you only favor your second uncle now."
"That's not true! Li'er has always missed Eldest Uncle and Grandfather dearly."
"Then why did you dare refuse when your grandfather asked you to go to Yunzhou?"
...
After chatting with her uncles for a while, Xu Hongyu instructed Xu Qingyan to take Ye Li to her prepared room and introduce her to the two waiting maidservants. Sensing that her uncles and cousins likely had matters to discuss, Ye Li obediently followed Xu Qingyan.
Her room had long been arranged in the quietest courtyard at the heart of the estate. Whether in the Censor's manor, the former Xu residence in the capital, or this estate, the Xu family's dwellings all shared the same refined, understated elegance—a style that suited Ye Li perfectly.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, two neatly dressed maidservants hurried forward, their eyes brimming with tears at the sight of her.
"Mama Lin... Wet Nurse..." Ye Li called out. Mama Lin had been her mother's personal maid since childhood and was now nearly fifty. Her wet nurse, also born into the Xu household, was in her forties. Ye Li still remembered how both women had knelt before her, pleading tearfully and refusing to leave when she had insisted on sending them back to the Xu family. Though she had lacked trustworthy companions from then until meeting Qing Shuang, Ye Li had no regrets. She knew all too well that in her state back then—her mind still fragile from regained memories and her body weak—she couldn’t have protected these two who genuinely cared for her.
"Young Miss... Young Miss..." The two maidservants rushed to her side. Mama Lin said through tears, "Young Miss has grown up at last... You look so much like the Eldest Young Lady..."
Mama Wei, who had raised Ye Li with her own hands, was even more emotional. "This servant failed the Eldest Young Lady... leaving you alone in that Ye household for so many years. Thank heavens... thank heavens you're safe..."Ye Li sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat awkward in such a situation and could only clumsily try to console the two mamas. Xu Qingyan, watching Ye Li's stiff demeanor from the side, secretly laughed while becoming even more convinced that the Ye family had mistreated his cousin. Ahem. "Mama Lin, Mama Wei, from now on you'll be staying by Cousin Li's side. There's no need to rush. Why don't we go inside and talk slowly?"
Prompted by Xu Qingyan, the two mamas quickly wiped their faces and nodded repeatedly. "Fifth Young Master is right, we were careless. Quickly, Miss, come see if you like your room. If not, we can change it."
Watching helplessly as Ye Li was dragged away by the mamas, the forgotten Xu Qingyan stood dumbfounded for a moment before rolling his eyes at the sky and walking off.
While Ye Li was pulled into her room to endure the mamas' enthusiasm, the atmosphere in the study of the estate's side courtyard was rather subdued.
Xu Hongyu sat behind the desk, looking at his younger brother with a faint smile that inexplicably sent shivers down the spines of Xu Qingfeng and Xu Qingbai, who were shrinking behind him.
"So, Prince Li believes Li'er is unworthy of him and has instead taken up with the Ye family's fourth daughter. And His Majesty thinks Li'er's reputation as a 'three or five thousand gold' and the shame of being abandoned by Prince Li make her the perfect tool to humiliate Prince Ding?"
The corners of everyone's mouths twitched. "Taken up with"... Uncle (Father), you're a great scholar of our time—couldn't you phrase it more elegantly?
Xu Hongyan nodded. "Indeed."
As if the pressure in the study wasn't low enough, Xu Qingchen, seated below, produced a letter from his sleeve with a smile even more refined than his father's. "Earlier today, Prince Li publicly declared at Chu Xiang Ge that no matter how much Li'er tries to court attention, he would never marry her."
Shiver... Xu Qingyan, who had just slipped in, subtly edged closer behind his fourth brother.
Xu Hongyu took the letter and read it silently for a long while. Just as Xu Hongyan was about to speak out of concern, Xu Hongyu suddenly laughed heartily. "Excellent... truly worthy of a daughter of the Xu family..." He then handed the letter directly to Xu Hongyan, who suppressed a smirk. Having stayed in the capital all this time, he knew full well that his niece was far from as refined as she appeared—but this level of... ferocity was rare. She must have been truly provoked by Prince Li.
"Was Prince Ding also present at the time?" Xu Hongyan folded the letter, ignoring Xu Qingyan's eager gaze as he tucked it into his own sleeve. He planned to study it later and figure out how to add more trouble for Prince Li—clearly, the man had too much free time if he was bothering Li'er.
"Li'er also seemed to have a conversation with Prince Ding. It appears the two have reached some sort of understanding," Xu Qingchen remarked lightly.
Xu Hongyu pondered for a moment before waving his hand. "Your grandfather speaks highly of Prince Ding. Since Li'er doesn't seem dissatisfied with the marriage, Qingchen, I leave the rest to you."
Xu Qingchen nodded with a faint smile. "Understood. It's been years since I left the capital—I haven't seen Prince Ding in a long time either."
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