After lunch and two cups of tea, Wen Ye instructed her servants to prepare for the journey back to the Duke's residence.
She had initially considered bringing two geese back for Madam Lu and the others to try, but after some thought, she decided against it, fearing it might startle them.
Such hardships, she thought, should be borne by her alone in the future.
Although the snow had stopped, the road was still difficult to traverse, and the carriage moved slowly.
Wen Ye leaned against Yun Zhi in the carriage and took a nap. By the time she woke up, they had already entered the city.
The sky was growing dim, and when Wen Ye asked for the time, Tao Zhi replied, "It's already past Shen hour (3-5 PM)."
Wen Ye paused for a moment and said, "Tell Uncle Qiu to hurry up as much as possible."
Uncle Qiu was the son of Auntie Qiu, both of whom had been given to Wen Ye as part of Madam Shen's dowry.
The Duke's residence usually served dinner at You hour (5-7 PM), and while it wasn't a big deal on ordinary days, now that the Eldest Aunt had returned to the capital, they would surely have to dine in the main hall these days.
Fortunately, despite the rush, the carriage managed to arrive at the Duke's residence just before the sixth mark of Shen hour.
The servants waiting at the main gate quickly turned back to inform the household.
Wen Ye pretended not to notice and headed straight for the western courtyard.
Meeting the elders for the first time required grace and composure.
Wen Ye asked Yun Zhi to bring out the moon-white winter robe she had prepared, intending to change into it.
"The moon is pale, the wind is clear, and the sky is like water," the faint blue of the robe gave her a gentle and serene appearance.
Wen Ye looked at herself in the mirror and almost didn't recognize herself at first glance.
This winter robe was the one Concubine Chang had personally made for her, every stitch filled with her hopes for Wen Ye.
Tao Zhi complimented, "Madam, you look beautiful."
Wen Ye replied confidently, "Your madam looks beautiful every day."
When one is deeply engrossed in something, it's easy to lose awareness of one's surroundings.
As Yun Zhi placed a jade hairpin that matched the robe in Wen Ye's hair, she caught a glimpse of Xu Yuejia, who had suddenly appeared. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, "Madam, the master is here."
Hearing this, Wen Ye turned her head and silently observed the man who had appeared out of nowhere.
Was it a tacit understanding? No, it was a coincidence.
She and Xu Yuejia had somehow ended up wearing clothes of the same color scheme today.
"When did you arrive?" Wen Ye asked casually.
Xu Yuejia glanced at her new outfit and replied, "I've been here all along."
Wen Ye paused for a moment, then realized what he meant and continued to look at him. "Were you in the western study?"
Xu Yuejia gave a slight nod in confirmation.
No wonder no one had come to announce his arrival—he had been in the room the whole time.
However, Wen Ye didn't have the audacity to think that Xu Yuejia had been waiting specifically for her.
Hadn't she noticed the book in his hand?
Once she was fully dressed, Wen Ye stood up and said, "Let's go, Master."
By the time they left the western courtyard, it was almost You hour.
Wen Ye kept half a step behind Xu Yuejia, using the time to gather her thoughts and rein in her wandering mind.
She reminded herself silently that she was now back at the Duke's residence, no longer in the countryside estate.
Every time she repeated this to herself, Wen Ye couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
When they arrived at the main hall, Wen Ye straightened her posture and followed Xu Yuejia inside.
She glanced around and noticed that everyone except the children had already gathered. Only she and Xu Yuejia were missing.
Madam Lu's expression showed no signs of displeasure, and her tone was even gentle as she said, "You've had a busy couple of days."
From the moment she entered the room and saw no trace of anger or dissatisfaction on Madam Lu's face, Wen Ye had already begun to form her own plans.
However, even so, when Madam Lu said she had "had a busy couple of days," Wen Ye almost lost control of her facial expression.
Thankfully, she managed to maintain her composure.
Wen Ye replied, "It wasn't too much trouble. It was my duty."
At that moment, a cheerful voice rang out in the hall, "This must be the second niece-in-law, right?"
Wen Ye turned toward the voice and saw a woman around forty years old with a full face and bright, lively eyes.
Beside her stood a younger woman, whose gaze at Wen Ye was filled with barely concealed curiosity.
When their eyes met, the younger woman quickly lowered her head, slightly embarrassed.
It was easy to guess the identities of these two women. Wen Ye turned to the older one and curtsied, "Greetings, Aunt."
She then exchanged greetings with the younger woman as well.
No matter how she felt inside, Wen Ye would never allow herself to make even the slightest mistake in etiquette when in public.
The younger woman addressed her, "Cousin-in-law."
Wen Ye responded in kind.
The Eldest Aunt's son was the same age as Xu Yuejia, though a couple of months younger.
The Eldest Aunt praised, "You two make a good match, very fitting for Zitan."
She was known for her straightforwardness, especially among close relatives.
Wen Ye wasn't sure how to respond, so she simply maintained her smile.
After they took their seats, Madam Lu asked a few more questions about the estate. While Wen Ye couldn't say she answered flawlessly, she didn't miss anything important.
Perhaps because her expectations weren't too high to begin with, Madam Lu gradually began to look satisfied. Finally, she said, "Have some tea."
Having spoken so much at once, Wen Ye was indeed thirsty, so she lowered her head and took a sip of tea.
At that moment, Xu Yuxuan and his two older brothers came in from the western warm chamber. Upon seeing Wen Ye, Xu Yuxuan let go of Xu Jingrong's hand and ran straight toward her.
With so many people watching, especially the Eldest Aunt, whom she wasn't yet familiar with, Wen Ye decided it was best to play it safe. She gave Xu Yuxuan a gentle smile.
To her surprise, Xu Yuxuan, who had been running toward her, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
After a moment, he began to slowly inch his way toward her.
Wen Ye wasn't sure what this meant. Had her smile not been gentle enough?
Xu Yuxuan looked left and right, and when Xu Jingrong caught up, he quietly asked Madam Lu, "What's wrong with Yuxuan?"
Madam Lu didn't respond because she didn't know either.
Just as Wen Ye was feeling puzzled, Xu Yuxuan's little mouth moved, and he called out to her, "Mother?"
His tone was clearly uncertain.
Before anyone could react, he shook his head and said, "You don't look like her."
Wen Ye immediately understood and fell silent. So, he thought she was being too gentle.
Wen Ye decided that, as a mother, she should occasionally indulge her child's whims.
She instantly dropped her gentle demeanor and adopted a more mischievous expression, "Yuxuan."
The familiar tone brought a sparkle to Xu Yuxuan's eyes, and he called out, "Mother!"
This time, his voice was much more energetic.
The others were left confused, but Xu Yuejia's gaze subtly swept over Wen Ye's serene, water-like appearance in her new outfit.
Xu Yuxuan threw himself into Wen Ye's arms, but his eyes were fixed on the pastries on the table.
Wen Ye glanced at them and used the teapot to block his view.
Unable to see the pastries, Xu Yuxuan looked up at her and whispered, "Mother," his cheeks puffing out in frustration.
Wen Ye couldn't resist the urge and pinched his cheeks without hesitation.
Xu Yuxuan immediately forgot about the pastries that had been tempting him and started playing with Wen Ye's hand, laughing gleefully.
Madam Lu, who had been watching the entire scene, couldn't help but smile slightly. She then instructed the maids to begin serving dinner.
*
The next day, after paying her respects at the main hall, Wen Ye left with a pure white fox fur coat and a small brocade box that Madam Lu had given her.
Xu Yuxuan tagged along as her little shadow.
When they returned to the western courtyard, Tao Zhi brought the fox fur coat to Wen Ye and said, "Madam, this fur has no impurities at all."
Yun Zhi added, "Madam Lu is really kind to you."
They had initially thought that after marrying into the Duke's residence, with Madam Lu being the daughter of a marquis, life would be much harder than it had been in the Wen household.
To their surprise, Madam Lu was far more amiable than they had expected.
Meanwhile, Wen Ye's attention had already shifted to the brocade box.
When she opened it, both Tao Zhi and Yun Zhi gasped in surprise.
It was filled to the brim with silver notes.
After a moment of astonishment, Wen Ye calmly began to count them. There were a total of twelve thousand taels.
Each note was worth five hundred taels, making twenty-four notes in total.
Even if her inspection of the estate had gone well, such a generous reward seemed excessive.
Wen Ye didn't like to speculate, so she asked Tao Zhi to prepare a pot of tea.
*
In the front courtyard study.
Although it was a day off, Xu Yuejia still had no time to relax.
Liuxin entered with tea and pastries, respectfully saying, "Master, the Wen family has sent a letter."
Xu Yuejia paused his brush, then set it down and asked, "For Madam?"
Liuxin confirmed.
Xu Yuejia then asked, "Where is the letter?"
Liuxin replied, "Liuya has already taken it over."
The letter addressed to the second madam would naturally be delivered directly to the western courtyard. Liuxin simply thought it was proper to inform him.
Xu Yuejia remained silent for a moment before saying, "I understand. You may leave."
Liuxin didn't question his response and, after a curtsy, left the study.
The work she did in the front courtyard was quite simple: she just had to brew tea at the designated times and deliver it to the study.
Her main responsibility, however, was to enforce the rules among the servants in the front courtyard, ensuring they didn’t disturb Xu Yuejia.
Not long after Liuxin left, Xu Yuejia stood up and walked out of the study.
When Liuya arrived at the west courtyard with a letter, Wen Ye was instructing Yun Zhi to put away some silver notes.
Liuya bowed to Wen Ye and said, "Madam, this is a letter sent from the Wen family."
Wen Ye was surprised. "A letter?"
Her mother, Concubine Chang, wouldn’t dare to send her a letter under the Wen family’s name, bypassing Madam Shen. It would be improper, and more importantly, Concubine Chang didn’t have the cunning or courage to do so.
And Madam Shen certainly wouldn’t go out of her way to help Concubine Chang and her daughter exchange letters just because Concubine Chang missed her.
So, this letter could only be from Madam Shen herself.
With a puzzled expression, Wen Ye opened the letter and skimmed through it, her brows furrowing.
It indeed had something to do with her mother—or more accurately, her younger sister.
After finishing the letter, Wen Ye was deep in thought when she heard someone outside call out, "Sir." Her brows immediately relaxed. Xu Yuejia had arrived just in time.
Wen Ye put the letter down and stood up to greet him. "Sir."
Xu Yuejia responded with a faint nod and asked, "I heard the Wen family sent you a letter. Are you facing any difficulties?"
Wen Ye was taken aback. "You came here just to ask about that?"
Xu Yuejia explained, "I’ve been making quite a few moves recently, and as the Wen family is connected to the Duke’s household, they might be affected by it."
Wen Ye understood the underlying meaning of his words.
If the Wen family were truly in trouble, he would step in to help. However, since Madam Shen’s letter didn’t mention anything, it seemed they were still managing.
Wen Ye asked Tao Zhi to pour Xu Yuejia a cup of tea and then dismissed everyone else.
Xu Yuejia’s arrival saved her a trip to the study.
Wen Ye said, "There are some things I’d like to ask you."
From her tone, Xu Yuejia could tell that the letter from the Wen family wasn’t what he had expected.
But since she still had questions, Xu Yuejia calmly replied, "Go ahead and ask."
Wen Ye pushed a box of silver notes that she hadn’t yet put away toward Xu Yuejia and said, "Madam Lu suddenly gave me so much silver. I don’t understand what it means."
Xu Yuejia glanced at it and immediately understood. "This is part of the profits from the shops under the second branch. It’s ten thousand taels."
Wen Ye corrected him, "It’s twelve thousand taels."
Xu Yuejia paused and said, "The extra two thousand taels might be a personal gift from Madam Lu."
Wen Ye thought for a moment and asked, "Is it because I did well inspecting the estate?"
That didn’t make sense. She had only performed adequately, nothing extraordinary.
Could it be that Madam Lu’s expectations of her were even lower than she had thought?
Xu Yuejia could tell she was overthinking it.
He explained, "It’s out of guilt."
Wen Ye clearly didn’t believe it. "Guilt? But I didn’t notice that Madam Lu was pretending to be sick."
Xu Yuejia remained silent for a moment before saying, "Madam Lu felt that making you stay overnight at the estate was an inconvenience to you."
Wen Ye was speechless for a long time after hearing this.
Truthfully…
She had enjoyed herself.
Thinking of the estate, Wen Ye recalled the delicious braised goose she had for lunch the day before. It had been absolutely delightful.
Xu Yuejia glanced at her expression and realized she hadn’t been inconvenienced at all during her stay at the estate.
On the contrary, if her aunt hadn’t returned to the capital yesterday, she might have happily stayed there for a few more days.
At this thought, Xu Yuejia suddenly remembered Xu Yuxuan’s face and paused.
His aunt’s return was well-timed.
"Is there anything else?" Xu Yuejia asked, his gaze falling on the letter beneath her hand.
Wen Ye gathered her thoughts and said, "There’s one more thing. My mother wrote in the letter that His Majesty plans to select a few companions for Princess Changle. Have you heard anything about this?"
Xu Yuejia nodded. "I have."
Since the Wen family had sent this letter, it was likely that they had a suitable candidate in mind.
Meeting Xu Yuejia’s gaze, Wen Ye explained, "You might not know this, but in my generation of the Wen family, only my younger sister remains. She’s the most academically gifted in our generation, but the royal family is complicated…"
Xu Yuejia said, "You want to know what Princess Changle’s temperament is like?"
Wen Ye smiled. "You know me well, sir."
Xu Yuejia’s eyes flickered, and he looked away as he said, "If you don’t want her to be selected, just let your sister perform as usual."
Wen Ye was puzzled. "Why not have her hold back?"
"The Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent. As his elder sister, Princess Changle has spent a lot of time with him, so she’s likely…"
Xu Yuejia didn’t finish his sentence, but Wen Ye understood.
The selection of companions was probably just the Emperor’s way of pleasing Princess Changle. He would choose a couple of average daughters from court officials to enter the palace, allowing the princess to feel at ease.
But Wen Ye was curious. "How intelligent is he?"
She remembered the Crown Prince was either eight or nine years old.
Xu Yuejia said, "Though the Crown Prince is young, he’s already capable of assisting His Majesty with state affairs."
Wen Ye was shocked. "I must be too ignorant."
/Are ancient children really this competitive? But Xu Jingrong didn’t seem particularly mature.
Wen Ye glanced down at Xu Yuxuan, who was quietly resting in her arms.
This one was even less impressive.
Xu Yuxuan looked up at her with wide eyes and said, "Mother?"
After getting a general understanding from Xu Yuejia, Wen Ye decided to write a reply.
She patted the child’s little shoulder and said, "Let your father play with you for a while. Mother has something to do."
But Xu Yuxuan shook his head. "No, I’ll stay with Mother!"
Father wasn’t fun.
Even if Wen Ye was slow, she could sense the tension between father and son. She studied Xu Yuejia for a moment.
He remained unmoved.
Wen Ye didn’t let go of her suspicions, but she had more pressing matters at hand. So she said, "If you’re free, sir, why not teach Xu Yuxuan a few poems?"
His son, his responsibility.
Xu Yuxuan understood and quickly protested, "No poems! No poems!"
Wen Ye: "…"
What had Xu Yuejia done to Xu Yuxuan in the two days she was away?
Xu Yuejia: I’m also…
