The First Jasmine - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Family and Kin

"Auntie, let us not stand by the entrance any longer. Let us go inside to partake of a cup of tea."

Hearing the words of the niece she loved like her own biological daughter, the smile upon Madam Xu's originally cold face instantly grew a fraction warmer. Grasping Ye Li's hand, she let out a sigh of tender affection, "My fine child, you have suffered grievances." Ye Li offered a flat smile without speaking, taking Madam Xu's arm as they walked into the courtyard, not forgetting to turn her head toward her father who stood to the side with an embarrassed countenance. "If Father is not overly occupied, why don't you join us to sample some of your daughter's tea?" Only then did Ye Wenhua force a smile, nodding as he said, "Then let us sample some of Li'er's tea."

The originally somewhat tense atmosphere finally relaxed a fraction. Just as the entourage was about to step into the Courtyard of Clear Serenity, Madam Wang came stumbling over from a distance, supported by her attendants. Beholding Ye Rong being pinned down and howling spectacularly under the execution of the board, Madam Wang let out a sorrowful shriek and flung herself forward, taking Ye Rong into her embrace to shield him. As the primary mistress of the household, since she had personally intervened, the surrounding servants naturally did not dare continue delivering blows and could only stand to the side. The moment Ye Rong beheld Madam Wang's arrival, it was as if he had located an absolute mountain of support, grasping onto her as he wailed in pain, not forgetting to point a finger at Ye Li. "Mother, she caused Son to be beaten! You must certainly exact vengeance on behalf of Son! It hurts so much... waaa..."

Madam Wang held Ye Rong as she knelt across the ground, questioning Ye Wenhua with a face full of sorrow, grief, and absolute resentment, "Master, what exactly did Rong'er do wrong that you must beat him in this manner? He... he is still so small, and he is your sole remaining son! Waaa... Third Miss, even if Rong'er has offended you in some manner... you are still biological siblings after all..."

"Li'er, accompany your Aunt into the room. What sort of monsters and demons are running rampant within this manor? If this were to spread externally, what would it look like? If things truly remain completely untenable, your uncle shall submit a formal petition to the Emperor, allowing us to receive you from the Censor's Manor for your grand wedding. I expect your grandfather can still dictate the terms of your marriage alliance, and our Censor's Manor will by no means humiliate the face of the Prince Ding Estate." Beholding Madam Wang kneeling on the ground not far away, weeping with a face full of absolute grievance, Madam Xu's expression instantly darkened once more. Grasping Ye Li's hand, she strode inward. The mother and daughters of the Ye family, along with that Imperial Concubine Ye in the palace, truly possessed the exact same disposition. Yet while it was one thing for Ye Ying and Ye Yue to weep in this manner, this Madam Wang was already of a substantial age, yet she still remained entirely devoid of any sense of propriety.

Ye Li nodded, turning her head to address Madam Wang flatly, "Madam speaks too heavily. Rong'er was punished by Father. However, speaking of which, Rong'er indeed requires a fair measure of absolute discipline, lest outsiders claim our Minister's Manor lacks basic upbringing." Having finished speaking, she paid no further heed to Ye Wenhua's unsightly expression, taking Madam Xu's hand as they entered the inner courtyard. Following behind them, Xu Qingfeng swept a thoroughly amused glance at Madam Wang a few times, laughing as he remarked, "Uncle's successor wife... is truly fascinating. I have fundamentally never seen a primary mistress of any household bearing such a disposition." The primary mistresses of illustrious, established clans would eternally maintain absolute grace and dignity before outsiders regardless of how they acted in private. This woman's mournful and aggrieved manner of weeping while concurrently using her charms to flatter was transparently the disposition of a concubine. Then again, wasn't this woman originally elevated from a concubine? Having finished speaking, he likewise turned around to follow his mother and cousin inward, leaving the exterior to be resolved by the Lord Minister, whose face had already turned as black as ink.

Within the清雅幽静 (elegantly arranged and tranquil) reception hall, Ye Li presented the tea she had personally brewed to her aunt and cousin, who still harbored traces of absolute anger.

Partaking of a sip of tea, Madam Xu felt her anger subside a fraction before she looked helplessly upon Ye Li, saying, "Look at this disposition of yours; even a concubine-born young master of a successor wife dares to trample over your head." Ye Li paid the matter no heed, her smile remaining entirely serene as she looked upon her overprotective aunt. "She is, after all, the managing mistress of the Ye family, and the biological mother of an imperial concubine within the palace. Furthermore, your Li'er has by no means suffered any loss. Would Auntie not agree?"

Xu Qingfeng knitted his brows and remarked, "It is only because we arrived today that your father felt compelled to mete out punishment before outsiders. If it were ordinary days, how could it ever be this simple?" Don't assume he was blind to the fact that the execution of a mere twenty strokes of the board had been dragged out so deliberately until that Madam Wang rushed over; the blows that had truly landed upon Ye Rong's frame were merely a few superficial, non-substantial slaps. Had it not been for Ye Wenhua's implicit instruction, how would the subordinates ever possess the absolute audacity to engage in such underhanded compliance?

Ye Li arched her eyebrows and smiled, saying, "I have caused Cousin, Uncle, and Auntie to worry. He is, after all, Father's sole remaining son, so it is only natural that he harbors partiality. However, your Li'er is by no means a soft entity either; if someone truly crosses my boundaries, how could I ever permit them to extricate themselves so easily?" Within Ye Li's view, Ye Rong was merely a thoroughly spoiled, unlikable child. To lower oneself to calculate excessively against him was instead immensely tedious.

Recalling a certain individual who had been plagued by catastrophic events during this recent period, Xu Qingfeng could not help but feel a wave of absolute amusement. Yet he still could not restrain himself from instructing his cousin to maintain absolute caution in all matters.

Madam Xu placed a sealed letter directly into Ye Li's hand. Feeling the distinct thickness of the envelope, a wave of warmth surged within Ye Li's heart. Lifting her head, she met Madam Xu's gentle, loving gaze. Ye Li's heart turned slightly sour. "Auntie..." Ever since her mother's passing, had it not been for her uncle and aunt offering constant support and care, she would fundamentally have been incapable of living through these past years with such ease and leisure. Without waiting for her to utter words of gratitude, Madam Xu reached out to grasp her hand, smiling as she said, "Silly child, regardless of all else, you still carry the bloodline of the Xu family, do you not? Your uncle has possessed only your mother as his sole sister in this lifetime; what sort of excessive effort does performing these matters truly require?"

"Auntie..." Ye Li lowered her eyes, unwilling to permit Madam Xu to behold the glint of tears within her gaze.

Perceiving that the atmosphere had turned somewhat sorrowful, Xu Qingfeng hastily laughed and said, "Mother speaks entirely correctly; our Xu family possesses only Li'er as our sole daughter in this current generation. By the time Li'er's grand wedding takes place, Eldest Uncle, along with Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Fourth Brother, and Fifth Brother will all enter the capital altogether. Had it not been for Grandfather's physical indisposition this year and the physician barring him from long-distance travel, he would have desired to come as well."

Ye Li likewise suppressed the tumbling thoughts within her heart, asking hastily, "Grandfather's health is poor? Then Eldest Uncle and the others..."

"Do not fret. Grandfather is of a substantial age, so it is only natural that he suffers minor ailments. The climate of the capital is merely less suitable for nurturing health compared to Yunzhou. As for Eldest Brother and the others, they were originally destined to enter the capital to prepare for next year's spring imperial examinations anyway; at present, they are merely advancing their entry by a few months because of your wedding date." Fearing that Ye Li would ponder excessively, Xu Qingfeng offered hasty consolation. Ye Li restrained a smile; it was currently only the end of the third month, and next year's spring examinations were still nearly a full year away—this advancement was transparently far too early. Understanding that her cousin merely desired to console her, Ye Li followed his lead and shifted the topic, questioning curiously, "Second Cousin, Fourth Cousin, and Fifth Brother are all participating in the spring examinations altogether?" Within this generation of the Xu family, the second-ranked was Xu Qingze, currently nineteen years of age; the fourth-ranked was Xu Qingbai, currently sixteen; and the fifth-ranked was Xu Qingyan, currently thirteen. As for the absolute eldest, Xu Qing尘 (Xu Qingchen), he was currently twenty-two years of age, and had already achieved the rank of the top-tier thesis scholar upon the golden roll at the tender age of fourteen, becoming the youngest youth scholar to do so since the founding of Great Chu. However, Xu Qingchen disliked the friction of the official circles, resigning his post at the age of fifteen to travel and study across various lands. By the age of twenty, he had already become the youngest mentor within the Lishan Academy. To utilize the phrase "peerlessly brilliant and breathtaking" to describe this cousin was by no means an exaggeration. Though Ye Li had only caught sight of him a few times years ago, her impression of this cousin remained exceptionally profound. However, for three young masters of the Xu family to participate in the imperial examinations concurrently—given the capability of the Xu family, the probability of them failing was minuscule—would it not turn out far too conspicuous?

Xu Qingfeng shrugged and replied, "Originally, it was merely Second Brother and Fourth Brother. Old Fifth insisted on coming himself, claiming he desires to surpass Eldest Brother's title of the fourteen-year-old youth scholar. Eldest Brother was born in the second month, while he was born in the ninth month. If he truly achieves the top rank, it could indeed be considered surpassing Eldest Brother, though the probability is minuscule." Since his childhood, he himself had favored martial arts; even when reading books, he preferred military treatises, harboring absolutely no interest regarding whether he achieved the top rank. In reality, the individuals of the Xu family possessed sparse interest toward the imperial examinations altogether; in any case, they had no intention of becoming officials. It was merely that if they failed to enter the examinations to test themselves and achieve a certain ranking, given their youthful ages, even if they were truly replete with immense learning, they would remain fundamentally incapable of delivering lectures within the Lishan Academy. How could those exceptionally proud students ever submit to individuals of roughly their own age serving as their mentors?

Madam Xu likewise smiled and remarked, "In truth, the only one who truly intends to take the examinations seriously is Qingze; those two brats, Qingbai and Qingyan, are merely seizing the opportunity to join the bustling scene."

"Does Second Brother intend to remain within the capital?" Ye Li questioned.

Xu Qingfeng laughed in praise, "Li'er is still the most intelligent. However, while Second Brother remains within the capital, this cousin of yours is destined to embark upon a long journey."

Beholding Xu Qingfeng's radiant, high-spirited demeanor, Ye Li's heart skipped a beat as she said with delight, "Could it be that Second Uncle has finally agreed to Cousin's request?"

Madam Xu nodded with a mixture of helplessness and absolute gratification, saying, "Is that not so? This brat has finally achieved his lifelong wish. Your uncle is currently planning to have him enter the military to face tempering and refinement." In truth, the Imperial Censor's thoughts remained exceptionally complex; he concurrently hoped that this son of his would experience a period of tempering within the military and, unable to endure the hardship, return submissively to inherit the scholarly traditions of the Xu family. Yet if Xu Qingfeng truly dared to mingle for a few months and sprint back, I fear he would likewise be completely incapable of avoiding a severe beating.

"Then I must congratulate Cousin," Ye Li said with a smile. Her Second Uncle had consistently opposed her cousin entering the military; now that he had finally relented, it was no marvel that Xu Qingfeng was this ecstatic.

"I accept Li'er's auspicious words. Once this cousin of yours becomes a Grand General, if that Prince Ding ever dares to bully you, your cousin shall step forward to unleash fury on your behalf!"

... Ye Li's forehead was lined with an absolute black mesh. Even a Grand General was fundamentally insufficient to contend against the sole hereditary prince of Great Chu, correct? Furthermore, by the time he rose from a mere private soldier to a Grand General, the yellow flowers would have already turned cold.