Xie Shi felt especially embarrassed at this moment.
Miss Ye was working so hard to treat her mother’s illness, yet her elder brother had gone and caused trouble for her. It was truly humiliating.
After Xie Shi explained the situation, Old Madam Xie also understood, and she almost couldn’t keep the expression on her face.
If she sided with her son and said he had done nothing wrong, then she would be implying that Physician Ye was at fault. But if she thought Physician Ye was in the wrong, why had she come begging this same physician for help? Wouldn’t that make her shameless?
But if she admitted that her son was wrong… then it would mean her son had acted without knowing right from wrong.
For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Fortunately, the old lady couldn’t see, so she didn’t have to witness Ye Yunmian’s expression. Xie Shi, however, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She could only awkwardly add, “Perhaps… there is some misunderstanding here?”
Ye Yunmian wasn’t surprised.
Lord Xie was a censor; he had offended many people. After all, it was the duty of a censor to speak out. Even if the Emperor himself left something for others to criticize, a censor would still raise his voice and admonish him.
However, the Xie family had been too quick to believe rumors regarding the Ye family in recent years. Their handling of the matter had been somewhat foolish.
“I heard from Madam that your sister-in-law and my so-called step-grandmother have spoken quite a lot. I wonder, after returning home, how did they describe me?” Ye Yunmian asked curiously as she slowly packed away her writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. There wasn’t a trace of anger on her face.
Xie Shi smiled awkwardly.
“Well… Miss Ye is still young. Some things are better left unheard.”
In other words, the things said about her had been unpleasant.
“They say family scandals should not be spread outside the home. If some ugly incident happened among the descendants of the Xie family, would Old Madam Xie invite people over specifically to talk about it? Or have someone bring the matter before the imperial court?” Ye Yunmian asked slowly.
The mother and daughter of the Xie family immediately understood what Ye Yunmian meant.
In ordinary families, even if a descendant committed a grievous crime, the family would close the doors and discipline the person privately. Even if they beat the offender to death, they would still preserve the family’s reputation in public.
Who would deliberately invite outsiders to watch?
Yet the old madam of the Ye family had sought out the family of a censor and made the matter known in court. She clearly wanted Miss Ye to lose face in the capital and to humiliate the Duke of Dingguo as well.
Perhaps it was true that Eldest Miss Ye did not respect Old Madam Ye, but that didn’t necessarily mean Old Madam Ye herself was a good person.
“Miss Ye, it was my son and daughter-in-law who acted rashly. This old woman will definitely give you an explanation!” Old Madam Xie said at once.
Miss Ye might not have blamed them aloud, but how could she possibly not mind it in her heart?
“Your health is poor, Old Madam. You should avoid getting angry. Lord Xie is indeed an upright and incorruptible official. I have heard before that he has repeatedly impeached my elder brother for his lack of moral conduct. Even when my brother pointed at his nose and cursed him, he never retreated in the slightest. Such integrity is not something ordinary people possess. As for the past, my elder brother offended him on many occasions. I hope, Old Madam, that you will convey my apologies to Lord Xie on behalf of this junior,” Ye Yunmian said, having no intention of avenging her own family.
Lord Xie truly was rash and straightforward, but her elder brother… was by no means innocent.
After Lord Xie first impeached him, her brother had secretly taken revenge by luring Lord Xie’s son into a gambling house.
Lord Xie had a stubborn temperament as well. Upon discovering that his son had taken up gambling, he had nearly broken the cane from beating him, forcing the boy to abandon the habit. But ever since then, the young masters and young ladies of the Xie family rarely went out, afraid of suffering further retaliation from the Duke of Dingguo’s household.
After all, her elder brother’s methods of revenge were rather underhanded.
As Old Madam Xie listened to Ye Yunmian’s words, her curiosity about the girl only grew.
“The matters of the past… cannot be explained in just a few words. But this time, my son was indeed in the wrong for dragging Miss Ye into this for no reason. Don’t worry; when I return, I will certainly give him a good scolding!” Old Madam Xie said solemnly.
Ye Yunmian merely smiled and accepted the old woman’s goodwill.
After that, she explained a few things they needed to pay attention to during the treatment.
By the time the mother and daughter left Ye Yunmian’s quarters, their feelings had become even heavier and more complicated.
Back in her own room, Old Madam Xie immediately instructed her daughter, “Since Physician Ye has told me to recuperate here, I won’t be moving about. Go back and have your elder brother come see me…”
She paused.
“No, a round trip would take too long. You can pass along my words instead.”
She removed the jade thumb ring from her hand and handed it over.
“Take this. If your brother refuses to listen, tell him to kneel in the ancestral hall!”
Her son could not continue being so stubborn.
The Ye family certainly had many problems, and it was a fact that Duke Dingguo, Ye Weiyin, lacked moral character. But among the noble families in the capital, how many were without problems? By constantly targeting the Ye family, wasn’t he trying to create a mortal enemy?
In the past, she had never concerned herself with her son’s official affairs. But this time, she felt that Miss Ye was right.
If the step-grandmother had truly been a kind person, she would not spend every day complaining and making sure everyone knew about it.
Old Madam Ye was only a few years younger than she was. Instead of befriending her, the woman had become close friends with her daughter-in-law, inviting her over every few days to gossip. Wasn’t it obvious that she thought her daughter-in-law was naive and easy to manipulate, using her as a knife against others?
And, to be selfish, now that she knew the Ye family had such an outstanding young lady, continuing to oppose them was clearly not a wise decision.
Eldest Miss Ye didn’t talk much, and her tone was calm and ordinary. Yet at such a young age, she remained utterly unfazed by praise or humiliation. Her temperament was truly exceptional. And her medical skills were so extraordinary as well.
She was definitely not someone who should be offended.
There was also a pharmacy in the Taoist temple. After ordering her servants to fetch the medicine, Old Madam Xie immediately urged her daughter to leave.
Afraid that her mother would continue to upset herself, Xie Yinlan hurried down the mountain.
Ye Yunmian sat in the small courtyard outside her room and leisurely poured herself a cup of tea.
Originally, she had only intended to earn some consultation fees. She hadn’t expected an unexpected bonus.
The Ye family had too many enemies; it really was necessary to reduce their number a little.
In her opinion, her elder brother was not stupid. She truly couldn’t understand how he had managed to squander all the connections and goodwill left behind by their ancestors to such an extent.
Throughout the entire capital, there were now scarcely any people willing to speak on behalf of the Ye family.
Xie Residence
By the time Xie Yinlan returned home, it was already late, and Lord Xie had also finished his duties and come home.
“What was said in court today? Did His Majesty punish Ye Weiyin?” his wife, Madam Xia, asked with great concern.
Ye Weiyin was vicious by nature. Simply because her husband had impeached him, he had targeted her son, nearly leading the boy astray and causing him to be severely beaten!
Even now, the child still bore the scars from that incident. She desperately wanted to see Ye Weiyin suffer and receive his retribution.
“His Majesty didn’t mention any punishment,” Lord Xie sighed. “His Majesty still has some affection for the Ye family. I heard that Eldest Miss Ye has returned, and he even seemed rather pleased. He only said that since she was raised on the border, she might not understand the rules here, and that in a few days he would select several governesses to properly instruct her.”
“That’s all? Then what about the Duke of Dingguo? She’s his own sister! If he hadn’t neglected her, she wouldn’t have turned out like this! I may resent their family because of our son, but Ye Weiyin truly is in the wrong. As a descendant, he doesn’t know how to honor his elders; as an elder brother, he doesn’t know how to guide his younger siblings; and as a duke, he constantly breaks the law while knowing it perfectly well. Is he planning to rely on his title and act tyrannically for the rest of his life?!”