The eldest son beside her looked up and asked, "Mother, is Auntie Four talking about me when she says 'little rascal'?"
At the noon welcoming banquet, Wen Hui had introduced the Wen family members to her five-year-old eldest son. It hadn't been long since they finished lunch, so he naturally hadn't forgotten Wen Ye yet.
Seeing that Wen Hui didn't respond, he continued, "Then what is Father?"
Wen Hui: "......"
Wen Ye couldn't hold back and chuckled, "Your son is indeed much cuter than you."
Wen Hui swallowed her frustration and finally managed to retort, "Not everyone is like you, an old maid who didn't marry until she was twenty!"
After saying this, she deliberately patted her eldest son's head and boasted, "My son is exceptionally smart in his studies. Come, Mingyou, recite a few poems for your Third and Fourth Aunts!"
Wen Hui's husband's family name was Du. Five-year-old Du Mingyou, upon hearing his mother's request, immediately began reciting poems with practiced ease.
Indeed, as Wen Hui had said, he was quite intelligent.
At the very least, he was far brighter than his mother.
While listening, Wen Ye didn't stay idle either, occasionally showing a mix of approval, satisfaction, and a stern, authoritative expression.
Du Mingyou's voice grew softer as he recited. He couldn't help but feel that Fourth Aunt's expression resembled his schoolteacher's.
A natural sense of awe washed over Du Mingyou, sending a shiver up his spine.
Fortunately, he didn't make any mistakes while reciting the ten poems.
When he finished, Du Mingyou quietly let out a sigh of relief, a small child with a big sense of relief.
Other people's children were always fun to tease. As soon as he finished, Wen Ye clapped and exclaimed, "Well done!"
Du Mingyou's eyes widened in surprise at such direct praise.
Wen Ye paid no mind and turned to Wen Hui, saying earnestly, "This proves that your son really doesn't take after you."
Wen Lan, who had been listening nearby, curved her lips slightly and smiled.
Wen Hui, still not catching on, continued proudly, "My son takes after his father in looks, and of course, in his studies too—"
Halfway through her sentence, she finally realized what Wen Ye meant and glared furiously, "Wen—Ye—!"
Five-year-old Du Mingyou quickly covered his younger brother's ears and instinctively ducked his head, closing his eyes. The nanny behind them had already turned away, holding the youngest brother.
The commotion between the two sisters went unnoticed by the men discussing court matters in the front hall. However, Nanny Han, who had witnessed it, mentioned it to Madam Shen.
In the main courtyard, Wen Yuwan was chatting with Madam Shen, accompanied by her two children.
Upon hearing Nanny Han's report, she was astonished and asked Madam Shen, "Mother, have they always been like this?"
Wen Yuwan used to live in the Fangfei Pavilion near the main courtyard, far from where her younger half-sisters resided. Moreover, Madam Shen had high expectations of her back then, so even if she had wanted to play with her half-sisters, she wouldn't have had the time.
Over the years, her impressions of her three half-sisters had remained vague and unclear.
Madam Shen took a sip of tea and said, "Your second sister loves to show off. When her mother, Madam Bai, was still around, she always gave her bad advice. Over the years, aside from me, only Wen Ye has been able to keep her in check."
Wen Yuwan's memory of Wen Hui was more vivid than the other two, mainly because of her contentious and noisy mother.
"Wen Ye can keep her in check?" Wen Yuwan couldn't help but doubt. To this day, she still thought of Wen Ye as a gentle and obedient girl, perhaps a bit clever, but certainly not as timid as Wen Lan.
Madam Shen didn't feel the need to explain further and simply said, "You'll understand once you spend more time with them."
Wen Yuwan nodded, not pressing the matter.
She then remembered the task her mother-in-law had given her before leaving and said, "I have a set of gold hair accessories that look quite nice. I'd like to give them to Fourth Sister as a wedding gift."
Madam Shen saw right through her, "Your mother-in-law gave them to you, didn't she?"
Wen Yuwan smiled and asked her children to go play outside. Once they were gone, she replied, "Mother, you really can guess everything."
The set of hair accessories had indeed been given to her by her mother-in-law, the Countess of Yongcheng.
"I suppose your sister-in-law's marriage has been settled," Madam Shen accurately guessed again.
Wen Yuwan couldn't help but admire her mother's insight and asked, "My mother-in-law has been keeping this under wraps. How did you know?"
Madam Shen glanced at her daughter and said, "I know your mother-in-law well."
Wen Yuwan wholeheartedly agreed. If it weren't for her mother's deep understanding of her mother-in-law, her life wouldn't be as comfortable as it was now.
"Which family is it?" Madam Shen asked again.
Wen Yuwan didn't hide it, "The eldest son of the Marquis of Peaceful Distance."
Madam Shen nodded, "That is indeed a good match."
As the eldest son, he would inherit the title, and her daughter would become the Marchioness of Peaceful Distance upon marriage. No wonder the Countess of Yongcheng was so pleased.
Originally, the Marchioness of Peaceful Distance hadn't considered the Yongcheng family's daughter for her son. However, after the Wen family's marriage to the Xu family was finalized, the Yongcheng family became indirectly connected to the Duke Xu's household.
This connection prompted the Marchioness of Peaceful Distance to take a closer look at the Yongcheng family. Of course, she wasn't the type to casually ruin her son's future. The Yongcheng family's daughter was indeed well-bred, and her father and brothers were accomplished. Otherwise, even with the connection to Duke Xu's family, she wouldn't have considered the match.
However, Madam Shen knew that without Wen Ye's marriage to Duke Xu's second son, the Marchioness of Peaceful Distance would never have taken the initiative to learn about the Yongcheng family's daughter.
Seeing that Madam Shen didn't object, Wen Yuwan asked, "Should I leave the hair accessories here?"
Madam Shen calmly replied, "Leave them. I'm sure your Fourth Sister won't refuse."
*
Wen Ye, of course, wouldn't refuse. In fact, she hoped such opportunities would come her way more often.
The set of gold hair accessories sent by her elder sister, Wen Yuwan, was something she couldn't afford even if she saved for three years without eating or drinking.
However, when the accessories were delivered, Wen Lan had gone to bid farewell to her mother, Madam Gui, while Wen Hui was still around.
Wen Ye couldn't understand why Wen Hui was lingering.
The thousand-tael worth of hair accessories naturally sparked envy in Wen Hui, who snorted, "Mother is so biased!"
Wen Ye gleefully accepted the entire set and retorted, "That's because I'm marrying the second son of Duke Xu's family."
She wasn't shy about using her future husband's status to her advantage, her expression completely unapologetic.
"Do you think marrying Xu Yuejia is such a great thing? Let me tell you, countless girls in Sheng Jing have their eyes on him. Just wait and see how you handle it in the future!" Wen Hui's words were laced with frustration, though the sharpness had dulled somewhat, perhaps due to Wen Ye's earlier remark.
Before Wen Hui married, she had a close friend who had been infatuated with Xu Yuejia for years. Even after marrying someone else, her feelings hadn't changed.
After returning to Sheng Jing, Wen Hui reconnected with her friend and found that she had divorced and become somewhat strange. She remained as infatuated with Xu Yuejia as ever, but Wen Hui couldn't help but notice a hint of bitterness in her tone whenever they spoke.
"Well, it doesn't matter if they're interested. He's about to be mine," Wen Ye said, admiring the gold hairpin and tassel.
Besides, a little competition wouldn't hurt.
Wen Hui, unable to argue further, blurted out in frustration, "Can't you just let me have this one?!"
Wen Ye didn't even turn her head, "Give you an inch, and you'll take a mile."
Wen Hui, infuriated, threw the box in her maid's hands onto the table and stormed off.
Wen Ye made no effort to stop her.
Wen Hui was the type who needed someone to keep her in check. Otherwise, if left unchecked, she could cause chaos in an instant.
Madam Shen had gone to great lengths to find the Du family, a household full of intelligent and clear-minded individuals. Only such a family could prevent Wen Hui from turning out like her mother, Madam Bai.
Indeed, after breaking free from Madam Bai's influence, Wen Hui's only remaining flaw was her explosive temper.
However, even so, Wen Ye's dislike for her hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Perhaps their father's genes were strong enough to ensure that Wen Hui didn't follow Madam Bai's path completely.
Otherwise, her life in the Du family wouldn't have been so smooth, and she wouldn't have had the leisure to return to the Wen family to pick fights with Wen Ye.
As for the past, when a young concubine's daughter suddenly had the chance to become the Ninth Prince's concubine, who wouldn't seize the opportunity to climb higher?
Coupled with Madam Bai's encouragement, it was only natural for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl to be swayed.
After all, at the time, nearly everyone in Sheng Jing believed the Ninth Prince would ascend the throne.
But in the end, he lost, and looking back now, it seemed as though all the blame fell on Wen Hui.
Wen Ye nipped that budding thought in Wen Hui's heart, ostensibly for the sake of the Wen family.
But deep down, she knew she wasn't that noble. Her main concern was ensuring that her current and future carefree life remained free of any destabilizing factors.
After all, struggles for the throne were always unpredictable.
Wen Hui had been looking out for herself, and so had Wen Ye.
In the end, it was simply a matter of who won the gamble.
After sending the guest away, Wen Ye opened the brocade box left behind. Inside was a pair of exquisite jade bracelets with a rich, translucent quality.
Wen Ye clicked her tongue lightly. She was in a good mood today, and as for her dislike for that certain someone, she could continue with it tomorrow.
