Ye Wanning was in high spirits. “Four portions each of thousand-layer cake, tofu pudding, crispy fried meat, and sweet rice wine.”
“Elder sister, you’ve ordered so much. Can we finish it all?” Ye Wanyu was also delighted. She knew her own temperament well. Her mother hoped she would rise from the branches and become a phoenix, but how was that possible? Especially after this trip to the palace, where she learned how strict the palace rules were, she became even more certain she wasn’t suited for it.
“We can finish it. There’s also Yunzhi and the others.” Ye Wanning sat by the window and happened to see Xie Bohuai passing by with his attendants.
Looking at Xie Bohuai again, Ye Wanning thought this man was indeed difficult to get along with, but as Jiang Si had said, he wasn’t as terrifying as the rumors suggested.
“Treacherous official!”
Suddenly, someone threw vegetable leaves at Xie Bohuai. “You treacherous official! Give me back my family’s lives!”
A teenage boy kept throwing vegetable leaves and stones. Xie Bohuai raised his hand to shield his face, but his clothes were soiled.
“Lord Xie, are you alright?” Qingshan drew his sword and stepped forward but was stopped by Xie Bohuai.
Xie Bohuai glanced at the crowd and left with Qingshan and the others.
Inside the teahouse, Ye Wanyu was curious. “Isn’t it said that Lord Xie is fierce and has the worst temper? Why didn’t he get angry when those refugees cursed at him? Elder sister, do you think he’ll seek revenge later?”
“He’s not that kind of person.” Ye Wanning didn’t know Xie Bohuai well, but she had an intuition about him. “If Xie Bohuai really wanted to deal with those refugees, he would have done it on the spot. He wouldn’t act behind their backs.”
Given Xie Bohuai’s methods and status, it wouldn’t be unreasonable if he had those refugees arrested.
A new carriage arrived. The two sisters had almost finished eating. When they left the teahouse, the crowd had dispersed, but those refugees were still sitting on the ground, crying.
“Powerful ministers hold sway, and heaven is unjust!” The boy sat on the ground. “My father worked diligently his whole life but was harmed by treacherous people. I have nowhere to seek justice. What kind of Son of Heaven is he? He’s nothing but… wuwu!”
The boy was muffled by a nearby snack vendor. “Heavens! This is Jingcheng! If you want to live, you can’t speak recklessly!”
“Wuwu… I… I’m not afraid!”
The boy struggled, but the vendor dragged him into an alley. “You’re so young, what do you know about right and wrong? What does your family’s matter have to do with Lord Xie? Stop this now!”
Ye Wanning watched the boy being led away before lowering the wooden window.
Some days ago, refugees from the south had come north to Jingcheng, but most were stopped outside the city walls. Wealthy families sent people daily to distribute porridge and perform charitable deeds.
The national treasury had allocated substantial funds for disaster relief, but some of the money had been embezzled. Xie Bohuai went south and arrested a large number of officials, which increased the discontent toward him in the court.
Ye Wanning had heard about these matters from Second Brother.
Before being confined, Second Brother roamed all over Jingcheng, and there was nothing he didn’t know. At that time, when Second Brother spoke of it, Ye Wanning merely treated it as casual conversation and forgot about it afterward. Now, having witnessed Xie Bohuai being cursed at firsthand, she felt differently.
Without knowing the full story, it was hard to judge. As for today’s incident, Ye Wanning would likely never learn the whole truth.
After returning home, her sister-in-law and grandmother were waiting. The family closed the doors to celebrate, and even Ye Mingyue was released.
“Thanks to Commander Xie this time, I suppose it was out of regard for Second Brother that he was willing to help me and Second Sister.” Ye Wanning couldn’t mention Xie Bohuai killing someone in her room, but since Xie Bohuai wouldn’t elaborate on palace affairs to her family either, her explanation would suffice.
Ye Mingyue, who had been forced to study, was now out for a breather and beamed cheerfully. “See? I told you Lord Xie is a good man. Back when we were at the academy together, even when he was struggling himself, he’d help other students in need. Sister-in-law, please persuade Eldest Brother for me. See, even without studying, I can still contribute to the family. There are countless paths in life—the Imperial Examination isn’t the only way.”
Lin Shi let out a flustered “Ah” and looked helplessly at the grandmother. Old Madam Ye snorted, “When will you grow up? Your eldest brother only wants what’s best for you. Even Miss Jiang from the Jiang Family looks down on you. Without any scholarly honors, how will you support your eldest brother in the future?”
Old Madam Ye doted on her eldest grandson. As the saying goes, “the elder brother is like a father,” and her eldest grandson shouldered more responsibilities than a father would.
Fearing he might upset his grandmother, Ye Mingyue didn’t dare say more in her presence.
However, freed from studying indoors for the day, Ye Mingyue left De Rong Courtyard and went to complain to Ye Wanning.
“Sister, why don’t Grandmother and the others understand me?” Ye Mingyue propped his head on one hand, pretending to wipe tears that never fell.
“Enough, no need to put on an act around me,” Ye Wanning laughed. “Grandmother and Eldest Brother mean well, and it’s not wrong for you to have your own ideas. Broadly speaking, entering officialdom through the Imperial Examination is indeed the best path for a man—it brings the finest prospects and power.”
Seeing her second brother about to interrupt, Ye Wanning raised a hand to stop him. “But if you only talk about wanting to go into business, how can Eldest Brother and Grandmother trust you? Without tangible results, mere ambition is often seen as a flaw. Empty words won’t change their minds. Instead of arguing, why not yield outwardly while making plans in secret?”
“What do you mean, sister?”
“Second Brother, you have many friends—it shouldn’t be hard to find someone to cover for you at the academy.” Ye Wanning had Yunzhi bring the account books. “A while ago, I opened two shops. Business has been booming lately, but I can’t manage everything alone. Why don’t you take over running them for me? If you can make the shops famous throughout Jingcheng and present the earnings to Grandmother and Eldest Brother, proving your capability, they’ll have confidence in your future.”
Ye Mingyue’s eyes lit up. “My dear sister, I knew you were the only one in the family who gets me!”
“Don’t celebrate too soon. You must be careful—if you’re caught before succeeding, I won’t be able to help you again.” Ye Wanning was testing her second brother’s abilities; if he truly had the skill, this would be ideal.
The siblings agreed in secret, and Ye Mingyue cheerfully went to his eldest brother, declaring his willingness to attend the academy.
Ye Mingde was surprised but didn’t immediately believe Ye Mingyue genuinely intended to study.
“Staying home is too dull. I might as well go to the academy. You can’t keep me locked up forever, Eldest Brother. If I have to figure out the texts on my own, I’ll never pass the Imperial Examination.”
The logic was sound, so Ye Mingde had to agree, though he set a curfew and arranged for someone to fetch Ye Mingyue from the academy daily.
With the matter of studying settled, Ye Mingyue was in high spirits all day. Taking the account books Ye Wanning had given him, he began reviewing them through the night.
Meanwhile, the vendor who had pulled the young man away during the day was reporting back to Xie Bohuai. “Rest assured, My Lord, this humble commoner has settled him properly. He is from the Xu family—his father was a minor registrar whose entire household was implicated in a corruption case. Fortunately, Your Lordship is kind-hearted and did not hold it against him.”
Qingshan spoke up indignantly for his master. “That little brat doesn’t even have his feathers fully grown yet, yet he lets himself be manipulated without realizing it. When others claimed our master framed his family, he actually believed it! If not for our master’s goodness, he’d have been thrown into the Heavenly Prison long ago!”
The vendor agreed, mentioning that he too had received Lord Xie’s grace. At first, he had also found Lord Xie intimidating, until a powerful official’s son took a fancy to his daughter and tried to forcibly take her as a concubine. It was Lord Xie who stepped in to help his family, making him understand that seeing is believing. Since then, he had been assisting Lord Xie by keeping watch over those entering and exiting the Palace Gate.
Hearing that the matter had been handled, Xie Bohuai dismissed the vendor. Lowering his gaze to his sword, he thought to himself that having not drawn his blade for some time, these people truly mistook his patience for weakness.
His subordinates assembled in the courtyard, and Xie Bohuai led the way out. “To the Wang residence.”