Three years ago, Ye Weiqing had always believed his elder sister would remain at the frontier for life. That was why he had dared to boast so freely in his letters.
When he thought she had “run away from the marriage” and disappeared, he had felt both worry and relief. He was afraid that if his elder sister ever returned to the capital for good, she would discover how timid and useless he truly was.
But he never expected that their first meeting would be under such circumstances.
She would definitely look down on him, wouldn’t she?
“You once wrote in your letters that you’ve already visited every garden and shop in the capital, and that your name, Third Young Master Ye, is known far and wide. I’ve spent years at the frontier and haven’t seen much of the world. In the coming days, I’ll have to trouble you to take me around. Would that be alright?” Ye Yunmian said gently.
Before she awakened to the plot, she had never doubted her younger brother’s grand claims.
He said he had made many friends who all followed his lead and that they drank and dined together in great harmony.
He said his step-grandmother was sometimes picky, but had raised him for many years and genuinely cared for him.
He even said he had a deep brotherly bond with his elder brother, and that he would study hard in the future so they could support each other…
Since childhood, he had always deceived her like this. And although her elder brother sent fewer letters, he often sent gifts, maintaining the outward appearance that “everything was fine.”
Ye Weiqing felt extremely guilty and wanted to refuse.
But he was even more afraid that his shameful past would be fully exposed, so he could only nod stiffly.
Yet at that moment, he truly wished the carriage would move slower—slower still.
He did not want his sister to see the chaos within the Duke’s residence.
However, reality did not comply. The sedan bearers, pleased with their reward, carried the sedan quickly and steadily, and soon they arrived.
Ye Yunmian slowly stepped down. Her expression seemed even gentler than before, and though she wore plain clothing, she still carried an air of quiet nobility as she followed behind Ye Weiqing into the residence.
Ye Weiqing was flustered. After entering, he mechanically instructed the steward to send word to his elder brother and the rest of the family to come and meet her.
For a moment, he even forgot that Ye Yunmian’s attire was “not proper.”
But Ye Yunmian did not care.
She sat in the main hall, ate a little refreshment to fill her stomach, and waited calmly for everyone to arrive.
In less than two quarters of an hour, everyone had gathered.
The Ye family was not large, consisting of only two branches.
The eldest branch’s son—her father—had passed away early. He left behind three sons and one daughter. The second branch belonged to her uncle, born of the step-grandmother, Madam Ge. Her second uncle had taken a minor, idle post in his early years and married Madam Fan, with whom he had a son and a daughter.
In the original storyline, Lin Mianmian was a descendant of Madam Ge’s maternal cousin. Madam Ge had once shared a past with that cousin. Remembering old times, she often sighed in nostalgia, believing that if not for his family’s decline, she would never have become a secondary wife. Because of this, she showed some favoritism toward Lin Mianmian.
At this moment, a group of people entered.
The air, once fresh, seemed to turn suddenly stale.
“So Qing-ge just said the eldest girl is back? Where is she? Let me see her.” The old madam at the front spoke as soon as she entered.
Although she was not yet sixty, her complexion was excellent and her voice booming. Supported on both sides, she walked briskly and her eyes swept across Ye Yunmian—then seemingly passed over her.
“Didn’t they say Yunmian returned? Qing-ge, don’t tell me you’ve mistaken some filthy stray girl from outside for your own sister and brought her back to fool this old woman.”
Yet even as she said this, she had already recognized Ye Yunmian at a glance.
Even dressed in coarse cloth, Ye Yunmian could not hide her striking beauty. Her brows and eyes resembled her late father’s—handsome yet refined, like cold moonlight, bright yet faintly distant.
“Grandmother… she really is sister,” Ye Weiqing said softly, head lowered.
“Oh? Then lift your head and let me have a proper look,” the old madam said, frowning as though preparing to expose an impostor.
Ye Yunmian was not angered. She looked straight at her and smiled lightly.
“Old Madam, your eyesight must be failing in your old age. I am not your biological granddaughter, so it is only natural you might mistake me for someone else. It’s just a moment of confusion—take a closer look and you’ll remember me in the future.”
Her tone was gentle and smiling, but her words carried a subtle edge, mirroring the old madam’s own sarcasm.
Facing each other directly, Ye Yunmian stood neither humble nor overbearing.
Up close, her face inevitably reminded the old madam of certain unpleasant memories.
Back then, after the death of the previous matriarch, the grandfather had been overwhelmed with military affairs and household duties. When urged to remarry, he feared a new wife of too noble a background might overshadow the legitimate heirs, so he chose Madam Ge, the daughter of a minor official.
Madam Ge had indeed behaved well in the early years, showing kindness and respect while the grandfather and father were still alive.
But once the eldest branch was left with only a group of children without protection, everything changed.
Of course, in the storyline, Madam Ge was not portrayed as a villain.
After all, how could someone who favored the heroine be considered evil?
The narrative described her as a woman of hardship—forced into a secondary marriage due to family pressure, unloved by her husband, and living under constant restraint. Her stepson was distant and cold; even her own son had to act submissively before him.
She was depicted as bitter, aggrieved, yet stubborn—unable to voice her pain.
At this moment, the old madam narrowed her eyes, suppressing her dislike.
“You do resemble my late eldest son,” she said coldly. “It’s good that you’ve returned. The frontier is no place for a woman. You’re not young anymore—you should learn proper etiquette at home, so you don’t bring shame to the Duke’s household in the future marriage market.”
“That is very true,” Ye Yunmian replied with a polite smile. “A person should indeed understand etiquette and rules, and must never be one of those shameless, ungrateful, dishonorable people who bite the hand that feeds them or even harm children. Though I only know a few words, I understand that the old madam speaks entirely out of goodwill.”
Her voice was slow but clear, every word sounding sincere.
The old madam glared at her, her expression darkening. “After all these years at the frontier, your temperament is becoming more and more like your mother’s!”
Ye Yunmian’s mother, Madam Mei, was famously sharp-tongued and intolerant of injustice—straightforward and unpopular, though her stepson had once called her “true-hearted.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Old Madam. It is natural for a daughter to resemble her mother. I also hear that my second uncle has performed his duties well these years—capable and talented, much like your wisdom.”
She pretended not to understand the implication and spoke without restraint.
Her second uncle actually held no significant position and relied entirely on the old madam’s support.
The old madam was left speechless, forcing herself to swallow her anger as she sat in the main seat.
Only then did Ye Yunmian finally look at the others carefully.
The first one that caught her eye was the eldest brother—Ye Weiyin.