Good Luck Wedding 068

 The news that the Duke of Qi was planning to open the ancestral hall and recognize a new son quickly spread throughout the capital's aristocratic families. Everyone was abuzz, discussing where Ye  Zhili’s new son might have come from.

At that moment, the emperor issued an imperial decree: Ye Boru, second son of the Duke of Qi, was recognized for his meritorious service in protecting the Emperor and promoted to Assistant Minister of Personnel.  This Ye Boru, a son of a concubine with a humble background, rose to become the youngest official of fourth rank, a lucrative position within the Ministry of Personnel, envied by countless others.

The previously-contentious issue of his murky origins was now legitimized by the emperor's own edict.

Ye Zhili, who had remained silent on the matter until then, finally came forward to explain that this second son was born to a concubine.

The story went back to over a decade. At the time, Ye Zhili had taken a new wife from the Yin family. Concerned about their daughter's tender age and her ability to assert herself among the established concubines in the estate, the Yin family made a firm request: that all previous concubines be sent away. Grateful for the Young Lady Yin's genuine feelings, and mindful of how much younger she was than him, he decided to honor her wishes out of respect and care. Thus, he dismissed the two or three concubines residing in the manor.

Among those sent away was Lady Feng. Unexpectedly, however, she turned out to be already pregnant. It wasn't until several months later that her condition became obvious. By then, however, Ye Zhili and Madam Yin had just married. Unwilling to distress his new wife, he chose instead to keep Miss Feng away from home, and never brought her back in all the years that followed.

Ye Zhili, ever cautious with his words, shook his head helplessly as he spoke. "Bringing her back now is hardly my choice.  The situation of our youngest son in Yunrong remains uncertain... Though it may not sit well with my wife, a Duke of such a great country must have an heir..."

His plea was heartfelt and sincere, eliciting sympathetic sighs from those who listened.

As the current favored official at His Majesty's side, and considering the ongoing investigation by the Court of Judicial Review, many other officials were eager to cultivate a good relationship with Ye Zhili. If any unexpected trouble arose, having him as an ally meant that he could speak for them before the emperor. Upon hearing this, they quickly chimed in agreement, "The Duke of Qi has been most considerate towards his wife."

"That's right. The Yin family's rebellion marks them as traitors. If he were an ordinary husband, he would have divorced his wife and distanced himself from that matter long ago..."

Someone else said, "Besides, the second young master is exceptionally talented. At such a tender age, he's already attained the rank of fourth-grade Assistant Minister within the Ministry of Personnel. He has a bright future ahead of him."

Ye Zhili felt comforted by these remarks but continued to shake his head. "You're too kind.  Boru is still young and has much to learn." He added, "Please don't forget to join us for drinks on the eighteenth."

The assembled officials immediately replied, "Of course, of course."

Only after parting ways with his colleagues did Ye Zhili finally let his smile fade. He sat down in his sedan chair and headed back to the Duke’s estate.

Upon arrival, his expression darkened. He asked the head steward, "How is the Madam today?"

The steward replied with embarrassment, "She's still in a bad mood, Sir."

When Ye Zhili decided to let Ye Boru come to the ancestral home, Ye Zhili had foreseen this day arriving. However, he wasn't overly concerned: now that the Yin family had been branded as rebels, no matter how much they stirred up trouble, their influence was limited. If she could see reason and understand the situation, he might yet show some consideration for old ties. But if she continued to stir up trouble...

A stern look flashed across Ye Zhili's eyes as he strode towards the main courtyard. "I'll go take a look."

As he approached the entrance of the main courtyard, he found the yard in utter disarray: flowers and plants had been torn out by their roots and thrown around haphazardly, while shattered porcelain fragments of various colors lay scattered across the floor. It was impossible to tell just how many had been destroyed.

Ye Zhili frowned deeply and barked out: "Preposterous!"

Before he could take another step inside, Yin Hongye suddenly strode out to meet him. Upon seeing Ye Zhili, she let out a sneer. "My Lord has finally found the courage to visit me at my residence today?"

"Why wouldn’t I dare see my wife?"

The feigned warmth on Ye Zhili's face vanished. He had put up with Yin Hongye for years. With the fall of the Yin family, he now had no further scruples.

"I stayed away these past few days so that you can calm down and think things through properly." He emphasized, "So... have you come around?"

As she gazed upon that strangely unfamiliar expression, Yin Hongye clenched her hands in her sleeves. Naturally, she had heard the recent rumors, but there were more pressing matters at hand than nursing jealousy. Gritting her teeth, she lifted her chin high, and said, "I've thought it through. Bring whichever harlot you please into this manor; recognize any bastard son as yours. I don’t care. Just let me go to Yunrong to find Wang'er."

Ever since hearing of the Yin Family's rebellion, Yin Hongye had felt as if her heart was being constantly fried in oil and seared by fire. She worried not only for Ye Wang's safety but also feared that should the Yin Family Army suffer defeat, it could endanger her family.

She sent numerous letters to Yunrong, hoping to contact her father and plead with him to secretly bring Ye Wang back home. However, every letter was intercepted by Ye Zhili, who forbade any contact between them and Yunrong.

Counting the days, Ye Wang first went to Yunrong over a month ago, and there had been no word or news of his whereabouts since then. She dared not even imagine what he might be going through now. All she could do was pray daily, hoping that both her father and grandfather would show some mercy on her behalf and treat Ye Wang well.

But just as one crisis seemed to stabilize, another wave crashed down.

Since the onset of the Yin Family's rebellion, Ye Zhili appeared to have transformed entirely. The man she once knew had been gentle and refined, always attentive towards her needs. Even when she lost her temper and made a fuss, he would patiently soothe her rather than display anger.

But now, he had her confined within her courtyard, preventing her from sending messages to Yunrong and refusing to dispatch anyone to inquire after Ye Wang's situation. And recently, a concubine and a son materialized seemingly out of thin air.

This illegitimate child was nearly nineteen years old—only slightly younger than Ye Yunting himself!

Yin Hongye suddenly realized that she had never clearly seen the man she shared a pillow with all these years. She was furious, but more so, she felt worried for her son.

She repeated, "I don't care what you do, just stay out of my way. If you don't worry about Wang'er's life or death, then I'll find him myself."

Ye Zhili let out a cold laugh, pulled out several letters from his sleeve and tossed them at her feet. "It seems you haven't thought this through yet. Take a good look at these: they're all letters between your father and grandfather with me over recent days!  And don’t worry about the third young master Ye anymore; he won't be coming back."

Yin Hongye’s heart skipped a beat.  She bent down hastily to gather the letters, and read each one carefully.

All the letters were written by her father, Yin Chengwu, urging Ye Zhili to cooperate with them in launching a surprise attack on Shangjing from within. At the beginning, the words were cordial enough, but later on the tone sharpened. Later letters even mentioned Ye Wang, and the threat was evident in the words.

"How could this be..." Yin Hongye's heart twisted in agony, and she dropped the letter from her trembling hands. She fell to the floor before abruptly rising again to grasp Ye Zhili's sleeve. "Please," she begged. "Let me write a letter to my father. I'll go and beg my father. He’ll let Wang'er come back."

"And have me implicated by you associating with traitors?" Ye Zhili shook off her hand impatiently, his words carrying a warning. "Once His Majesty has regrouped, he will send troops again to wipe out the rebel faction. Give up on this idea. Focus on being a good Madam of this Duke’s estate instead."

After saying this, he addressed the anxious maidservant standing nearby. "Clean up the courtyard thoroughly. The ancestral hall ceremony is scheduled for the eighteenth. We can't afford any embarrassment from outsiders." With that, he cast a deep look at Madam Yin once more before adding, "Think about it carefully. If you've made peace with it, compose yourself and oversee the banquet preparations like a good Madam."

With these final words, he flicked his sleeves and left without a backward glance.

Yin Hongye watched his resolute figure disappear, and then thought of her son’s precarious situation. The despair in her eyes gradually turned into determination. Wiping her face with her hand, she said hoarsely, "Go fetch water. I need to bathe and change clothes."

--

On the eighteenth of November, the Duke of Qi’s mansion opened its ancestral hall early in the morning. In the presence of elderly members of the Ye clan, Ye Boru was recorded into the family registry.

Ye Boru stood tall and graceful, dressed in a dark red brocade robe embroidered with round floral patterns. Over his shoulders draped a black fox-fur cloak. His appearance bore a striking resemblance to Ye Zhili, who stood at his side. The elders, who had been somewhat unsure about Ye Boru's background, finally felt relieved and greeted him with smiles.

Having just been acknowledged by the family, Ye Zhili introduced Ye Boru to each member.

Throughout the introductions, Ye Boru maintained a gentle, humble and respectful expression without any trace of arrogance. Every word he spoke and every action he took was appropriate, earning further favor from the Ye clan elders. Compared to his taciturn and and unremarkable eldest brother and his spoiled and overbearing younger brother, this second brother seemed far more capable.

Though merely an illegitimate son, what did it matter? As long as he possessed the ability to support the Duke’s mansion and lead the Ye family to new heights, his status as a son of common birth seemed inconsequential.

After meeting all the clan members, Ye Zhili took Ye Boru outside to welcome the guests. Along the way, he instructed, "Today, follow my lead. I'll tell you which guests you should be close to, and which guests you should be wary of."

Ye Boru responded gently, and with curiosity, "Will Elder Brother come today?" After some hesitation, he continued, "Does... Does Eldest Brother hold a grudge against me?"

"If he doesn't show up, then he doesn’t show up."

Mentioning Ye Yunting left Ye Zhili feeling somewhat uneasy. After all, his eldest son had completely slipped from his control, and it seemed Ye Yunting now shared some friendship with Ye Wang.  He also worried that Ye Yunting would decide to interfere on behalf of Ye Wang. He said perfunctorily, "You're just like your little brother. Both of you care deeply for your Eldest Brother."

A flicker crossed Ye Boru's eyes, but his voice remained gentle and soft-spoken. "When Father was teaching me in the past, he mentioned Eldest Brother several times. I've always been curious about him and admired him. Now that we can finally meet, I can’t help but feel a little emotional." Changing the topic, he inquired, "Does Eldest Brother and Youngest Brother really have a good relationship?"

Ye Zhili couldn't recall ever mentioning Ye Yunting to this son, but since it wasn’t an important matter, he didn’t think much of it. Offhandedly, he replied, "It's mostly one-sided enthusiasm on your little brother's part."

He didn’t understand why the usually stubborn third son had suddenly grown close to Ye Yunting, but since it didn’t matter much, he said nothing about it.

As they talked, they reached the main gate. It had gotten late, and guests were arriving one after another. For each guest, Ye Zhili would lead Ye Boru forward to exchange a few words of greeting before welcoming them inside.

When nearly all the guests had gathered, an attendant announced, "The Prince of Yong'an and the Consort of Yong'an have arrived—"

Ye Boru swiftly turned around just in time to see a tall and handsome young man pushing a wheelchair slowly approach them.

 --

===Author's Notes===

77: I can smell the scent of tea from a far away (covers nose)

Tingting: ??? Is there anyone who can smell tea better than you?

 

===Translator's Note===

Wow, dad of the year right there. 

"And don’t worry about the third young master Ye anymore;" -- The term actually used here is Third Brother (referring to, of course, Ye Wang, being the third of the Ye brothers), but it's just awkward in English. I don't know if this is a good compromise for the translation.