The storyline in the original text said that the younger brother lacked scholarly refinement, which made the great scholar dislike him, and in contrast he favored Ye Weiting from the Second Branch for his talent and focused his teaching on him.
But… that could not possibly be true.
From Ye Yunmian’s perspective, it was more likely that Ye Weiting had some scheming of his own—he recognized the great scholar’s abilities and insisted that the Old Madam keep the man in the household.
Under Scholar Wei’s guidance, Ye Weiting indeed gained real skill.
But he was also greedy. He wanted both ability and reputation, so while learning from the scholar, he also took several rare manuscripts to curry favor with famous literati outside. In the original plot, after a series of schemes, he eventually gained a reputation as a “talented scholar of the capital.”
At present, there were seven or eight students in the private school.
Besides Ye Weiting, there was the sixth young master of the Lin family, children from the Second Aunt’s maternal relatives, and several of Ye Weiting’s friends.
The great scholar who was supposedly brought in to “retire in peace” had instead become a tool for others.
At this moment, when Ye Weiqing heard that he had to attend school, he of course was unwilling.
“I… I’m not feeling very well. Maybe I should rest for a while…” he quickly said.
But the next moment, Ye Yunmian grabbed his wrist. After feeling his pulse, she said directly, “There are indeed some issues. Do you often feel restless and uneasy, and in your dreams see hills and plains that make you afraid and unable to calm down? It’s not serious though. Just a minor condition. If you speak of it, it can be treated. I’ll prescribe you some medicine tomorrow—take it regularly and you’ll recover in a few days. This minor illness won’t stop you from going to school.”
“…Do I really have a sickness?” Ye Weiqing froze.
“Don’t worry, little brother. With me here, even if you’re at death’s door, I can pull you back,” Ye Yunmian patted his shoulder.
“Remember to go to school early tomorrow. Once I finish dealing with these trivial matters, I’ll also go see Scholar Wei. He even held me when I was born.”
“That’s such an old thing… how could you remember it?” Ye Weiqing muttered.
But as he said it, he suddenly realized something was off.
His elder sister… didn’t she know too much?
She hadn’t been in the capital for years, and he hadn’t even properly explained things to her, yet she seemed to know everyone and everything as if she were familiar with them all.
Had he mentioned it in his letters before?
He didn’t even remember.
While Ye Weiqing was still puzzled, Ye Yunmian was already preparing to send him off. After hesitating for a while, he still didn’t want to go to school.
“Elder sister, Scholar Wei doesn’t like me. I… I don’t really need to study for exams. It might be better if I just stay home and read books quietly… The books you sent me before, I’ve memorized them all. If you don’t believe me, you can test me!”
He didn’t like memorizing books, but they were his sister’s intention.
Sometimes he thought it wasn’t good to keep bragging to her about his abilities, so when he didn’t want to go out, he would read a bit to feel better.
But he couldn’t understand those books—he could only memorize them.
Ye Yunmian sighed helplessly.
“Then who do you think Scholar Wei likes?” she asked patiently.
“Of course it’s my cousin, and the sixth young master of the Lin family is also good. They’re smart, learn quickly, and are obedient. Scholar Wei never scolds them,” Ye Weiqing said, his face slightly red.
Normally he wouldn’t care, but in front of his sister, it felt like his embarrassment was being exposed.
“You’re wrong,” Ye Yunmian said seriously. “Scholar Wei likes you the most.”
Ye Weiqing froze.
“You are a posthumous child—you were born after our father passed away, so you don’t know what kind of man he was. You resemble him. Your intelligence and temperament are like his too. Scholar Wei treated our father like a son. That’s why Father invited him to stay and retire here. Otherwise, with his reputation back then, he would have long been honored as a grand scholar in a major academy. Why would he stay in this small private school?”
Ye Weiqing was surprised.
“In the original story, it said I lacked scholarly virtue and that the great scholar disliked me…” he muttered.
“That’s impossible,” Ye Yunmian said flatly.
“He got angry with you because he wants you to study. The reason he treats other students calmly isn’t because they are smarter, but because he doesn’t care. He has seen too many so-called geniuses in his life. The Second Branch’s so-called talented one isn’t even worth his attention.”
Scholar Wei teaching them patiently was not because he cherished talent.
He was a man of deep loyalty. He also knew that in the current household situation, if he refused to teach, the foolish Old Madam would likely send him away.
He could leave—but he could not abandon the children of his old friend.
Although she had been away from the capital for years, she still remembered clearly the way her father smiled when he carried her, a babbling infant, to meet Scholar Wei.
“So you mean… I’m actually a proper student? The scholar only wants to teach me?” Ye Weiqing asked in disbelief.
“Not only you. There’s also our elder brother, second brother, and me,” Ye Yunmian said with a smile.
“Elder brother occasionally visits Scholar Wei, but I heard every time he does, the scholar gets so angry he falls ill. So he gradually stopped going. Second brother… is missing. If what you say is true, then Scholar Wei must have placed all his hopes on me?” Ye Weiqing still couldn’t believe it.
“Do you trust me or not? Tomorrow go see him, apologize properly, and promise you’ll never be late or leave early again. He will be very happy,” she said.
After some hesitation, Ye Weiqing finally gave in. Compared to school, his sister felt even scarier.
“Fine… I’ll go listen for a couple of days,” he said reluctantly.
“You’re such a good boy,” Ye Yunmian smiled. “After three days of classes, I’ll give you a gift.”
Ye Weiqing felt strangely pleased.
In his life, apart from his sister, no one had ever praised him like this.
He left in a daze, promising to get up early the next day.
But Ye Yunmian did not rest. Instead, she changed into black clothes and slipped out of the residence, heading toward Scholar Wei’s home.
Scholar Wei had also been restless these past two days.
He had heard that the eldest young lady of the Ye family had returned.
He still remembered the little girl’s pink, obedient face when she was born. When her father returned to court and saw his few-month-old daughter, he could not stop smiling. The happiness of that couple was unforgettable.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye. That girl should now be grown into a graceful young woman.
Unfortunately, at the age when she should have been cherished, she was now said to be single-handedly supporting the dignity of the main branch.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard movement outside.
When Scholar Wei opened the door, he met those eyes and immediately recognized her—it was that little girl.
“Grandpa Wei, Yunmian apologizes on behalf of my father and brothers.”
Without hesitation, Ye Yunmian knelt and bowed deeply, her forehead touching the ground.
Back then, it had been her father who promised the old scholar a peaceful retirement—but instead, he had made him worry for more than a decade.
So this bow was sincere and heavy.