Free Web NovelChapter 1271: Chapter 1260: Illegitimate Son
"Here he comes, here he comes!" The servants watched the carriage in excitement; one quick-witted servant waited until it stopped, then immediately went to lift the curtain for Ye Qiu, looking up at him ingratiatingly.
"Respectfully welcoming Young Master back to the residence!" That servant knelt down, directly substituting himself for the carriage step.
"We don’t have that sort of rule here, get up." Ye Qiu wasn’t used to this, so he declined tactfully, but still handed the servant a wallet.
"Thank you, Young Master, thank you, Young Master!" The servant exclaimed in delight. Seeing him gain the Young Master’s favor, the other servants secretly cursed themselves for being so lacking in tact earlier, actually letting such a good chance to shine in front of their betters slip by.
The Li Family woman secretly despised these weathercock servants, while only Ye Siqi truly admired her household’s servants for their cleverness. As expected of servants from their residence—simply different from others.
Ye Sheng, however, had no mind to bother with his wife or those servants’ thoughts. The moment he saw Ye Qiu, he only felt boundless pride in his heart. The one being praised all over the city now was his son! Whose child at this age was as outstanding as his?
He stepped forward and patted Ye Qiu on the shoulder, affirming, "Not bad, you’ve gotten sturdier."
Ye Qiu gave a faint smile. "At least I did not betray the promise I made to you back then. Your son has not dragged down the Ye Family’s reputation."
"It was I who failed to see you clearly back then. I admit I was wrong about you in those days—you are very capable." Ye Sheng did not bother to conceal how shortsighted his former opinion had been. This was perhaps one of his few strengths—for the sake of power, for the sake of restoring the Ye Family’s glory, he could abandon many things, including his pride.
Back then he had been ruthless enough toward his two daughters; now he could just as readily bow his head to Ye Qiu, because he knew that if the Ye Family wanted to rise again, relying on Ye Qiu was the simplest and most direct way.
Ye Qiu disdained this behavior of his Father, yet there was nowhere for him to lodge an accusation. After all, if he stood in his Father’s shoes and thought it through, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.
Only, people’s pursuits differed, and so did their bottom lines. His Father could make demands of him, and he could just as well refuse—because he was no longer that bastard who could be manipulated at will. Power truly was a fine thing. He only held a second-class Marquis title now, and yet not only had his family’s attitude toward him undergone a total reversal, even those Princes had begun to try and win him over.
"Aunt, I’m back. Just as you said, I’ve come back safe and sound." Ye Qiu didn’t say much more to his Father; when he turned to look at Aunt Lan, his expression softened, as if he had shed all his sharpened barbs.
"It’s good that you’re back. Three whole years with no news at all—you worried your Aunt to death." Aunt Lan looked at Ye Qiu, wiping away tears, tears of joy.
"The border is a bitter, frigid place. When I first arrived I was only a common soldier, not qualified to send letters to the capital. Later, when the fighting grew intense, the barbarians intercepted many of our dispatches. I was afraid something might happen, so I simply never wrote. It won’t be like that in future." Ye Qiu explained patiently.
Aunt Lan’s face changed drastically. "In future? You still plan to go back to the border?"
"Of course. The barbarians will not surrender so easily. Aunt, in the future I will..."
"Enough, don’t say any more." Aunt Lan closed her eyes for a moment. "Go in first and wash the dust off properly."
"Yes, go in first, have a good wash and then eat something. Tonight there’s still the celebratory banquet the Holy Emperor is holding specially for you!" Ye Sheng said happily.
"Father is mistaken in saying that. The celebratory banquet is what the Holy Emperor is holding for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers. How could I dare claim such credit?" Ye Qiu corrected him.
Ye Sheng said with satisfaction, "You truly have grown up!"
"Ahem..." Seeing Father and son and Aunt Lan talking so cheerfully together, the ignored Li Family woman couldn’t help letting out a cough.
"Greetings, Mother." Ye Qiu’s manners were flawless, but that was all.
Yet Li Family woman was not displeased in the least. She looked proudly at Aunt Lan. So what if Ye Qiu was born of Aunt Lan? He still had to call her Mother. As the legitimate mother, she had the right to dictate everything about Ye Qiu’s life.
"Good child, we’re all one family, there’s no need to be so polite. Although you still have to return to the border, I’ve thought it over. This time you’ll be in the capital at least two or three months. We should take this chance to settle your marriage, and it’d be best if you could leave behind one or two children. Then your Aunt can set her mind at ease. I already have a few candidates in mind—you can see later which one you like."
Ye Qiu watched the well-prepared Li Family woman with a smile. There was no need to ask; these candidates were all her people. Once he married one of them, let alone showing Aunt Lan any filial respect, it would be good enough if they didn’t gang up to bully her.
"Your son thanks Mother for being so thoughtful." Ye Qiu gave a slight smile as he expressed his thanks.
Li Family woman felt completely at ease. As she’d said, how could a man reach this age and not think of women? Just wait for her to arrange his marriage—she would certainly get Ye Qiu a "good wife"!
She was about to go on, taking the chance to claim some credit in front of Ye Sheng, when Ye Qiu added, "However, there’s no need to trouble Mother with this matter."
Li Family woman frowned in displeasure. "What do you mean by that?"
"Your son means that there is already someone who has taken it upon himself to see to his marriage, so there’s no need for Mother to work so hard."
"Since ancient times children’s marriages have been decided by their parents. How can you arrange an engagement on your own?" The Li Family woman scolded. "The girl in question—what family is she from?"
"Enough, don’t make such a racket." Ye Sheng gave a mild rebuke at this point. "The boy hasn’t even gone inside yet and you’re bringing this up. He only said someone wants to act as matchmaker for him; he never said he’s already engaged. What are you getting worked up for?"
"I..." Having finally found a place to throw her weight around, she was immediately contradicted, which left the Li Family woman very dissatisfied. "I am his Mother. Isn’t it only right for me to be concerned about him? Secretly arranging a betrothal is no small matter. What if others seize on it as a handle to attack him in future? Truly, good intentions are taken for a wolf’s heart and dog’s lungs. When one prospers, all prosper; when one loses, all lose. Would I ever harm him?"
Hearing this, Ye Sheng was left with nothing to say. He could only look to Ye Qiu. "Qiu’er, why don’t you explain exactly what’s going on with your marriage?"
"Father and Mother are too agitated. It’s only that Old General Lin has shown me some appreciation and said he wanted to introduce a match to me. He never said which family it was, and perhaps he was only joking." Ye Qiu explained, seemingly unconcerned.
Ye Sheng was startled. "Old General Lin said this to you himself?"
"Yes."
Ye Sheng was overjoyed. "Old General Lin has never been one to joke. If he said it, then he must have meant it. With Old General Lin personally proposing to introduce a marriage, it certainly won’t be handled carelessly. This is truly wonderful!"
Ye Sheng at least had some self-awareness. What status did Old General Lin have, and what status did he have? In any case, he absolutely could not reach the people in Old General Lin’s circle. If his eldest son’s marriage was under Old General Lin’s patronage, with the wife’s family to support them in future, the Ye Family might well manage to rise.
But while Ye Sheng was delighted, the Li Family woman most certainly was not. If Ye Qiu married a formidable wife into the household, would she still have any standing in this family?
