18 eccentric grandmother

ion. The harmony in the Prince Ding Manor made them very respectful towards Miss Ye. Now that her mistress had returned from visiting her maiden family, what else could two nurses be unsatisfied about...The Emperor's Capital Ode 18. The Favoritist Grandmother

18. The Favoritist Grandmother

Even after Ye Li personally saw off her cousin and his mother, Minister Ye did not reappear. Clearly, Lady Xu no longer had any hope for the rules of propriety in the Ye family. If it were not for Ye Li, who was still a member of the family, the Ye family would have had nothing to do with the Xu family after causing her daughter’s death. Ye Li did not get angry. As she turned around and returned to Qingyi軒 (Xuan), she gave Lady Wang’s Fangyi Hall a faint glance, her lips curling into a rare mocking smile: Was Lady Wang trying to intimidate her

"Third Sister..."

Before entering the Qingyi軒 (Xuan), Ye Ying arrived in an unsteady manner, clinging onto a maidservant's hand. Ye Li stopped and calmly observed the renowned beauty before her. It seemed that even though she appeared fine on the surface, these few days had been difficult for Ye Ying as well. Her once delicate and beautiful face now looked pale and haggard, and her watery eyes held more sadness and moisture than before, making Ye Li involuntarily shudder. "Her appearance is sorrowful, her figure weak with illness... Tears glistening, faint breaths..." Without reason, Ye Li recalled the description of a fairy from the great masterpiece Dream of Red Mansions, but upon seeing the occasional glint in those watery eyes, she realized there was not a trace of the noble and ethereal spirit of the Crimson Pearl Fairy.

"What's wrong with you, Fourth Sister" Ye Li asked softly. "Why aren't you resting if your body is unwell"

“Thank you for your concern, Third Sister, Ying'er is fine,” said Ye Ying in a soft voice, but her dejected and aggrieved expression did not seem to match the claim.

Ye Li nodded knowingly. "Since nothing's wrong, Fourth Sister can continue walking slowly; I'll be returning now."

"Third Sister..." Seeing Ye Li about to turn and leave without hesitation, a trace of anger flashed in Ye Ying's eyes but quickly vanished. She bit her red lips and looked at Ye Li: "Ying'er just wanted to ask Third Sister if she has received the invitation for the Hundred Flowers Festival"

Ye Li nodded; she had received the invitation yesterday morning. The Hundred Flowers Festival was scheduled to take place seven days later in the largest peony garden in the capital city. Looking at Ye Ying's expression, Ye Li thought of what Ye Ying wanted from her. "Has Fourth Sister not yet received the invitation"

Ye Ying shook her head with a look of grievance but harbored resentment for the Ye Li before her. If it weren't for her uncle’s impeachment of their father in court, how could she, as the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Households and future wife of Prince Li, not receive an invitation to the Hundred Flowers Festival "Third Sister, you... aren’t going this year" Ye Li laughed silently; did Ye Ying plan on using her invitation to enter the peony garden But then again, since she was the future Prince Li's consort, even if someone recognized that the name on the invitation wasn't hers, no one would dare chase her away.

"I feel much better this year, so naturally I will attend." After Ye Li finished speaking, she clearly saw Ye Ying’s expression darken. Not wanting to prolong their interaction, Ye Li said: "I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t keep Fourth Sister company anymore."

"Third..."

Seeing that Ye Ying wanted to say something more, Ye Li raised her eyebrows and said: "Fourth Sister might want to seek an audience with the Virtuous Elderly Empress Dowager. This year’s invitations were personally distributed by Princess Changyang. If I don’t attend, won't it make Princess Changyang think our family isn’t showing due respect" Hearing this, Ye Ying finally suppressed her urge to speak out. The current Emperor's aunt and the sole daughter of the late Emperor's first Empress, Princess Changyang was infamous for her bad temper; sometimes she wouldn’t even give the current Empress or even the Dowager Empress face, so Ye Ying dared not act up in front of her. She had yet to receive an invitation, which clearly showed that Princess Changyang was displeased with her.

"Third Miss and Fourth Miss, the Old Lady requests your presence at the Hall of Honor and Joy."

Just as Ye Li was about to return to her room, a nanny from beside Madam Ye’s old matriarch came over to deliver the message. Today when Lady Xu visited, the old matriarch directly claimed she wasn’t feeling well and didn’t even send someone to check on things. Naturally, Ye Li knew that the old matriarch was dissatisfied with the recent actions of the Xu family; she nodded calmly: "I understand, thank you for delivering the message." The nanny repeatedly declined and then turned around to return to the Hall of Honor and Joy.

In the Rongletang Hall, Grandma Ye slightly narrowed her somewhat blurry old eyes as she sized up the two granddaughters who had entered together. Since childhood, Ye Ying had been doted on and cherished; not only was she intelligent and gentle, but she was also exceptionally beautiful. Both Grandma Ye and Secretary Ye held high hopes for her. If it weren’t for Ye Yue already being in the palace as a Zhaorui (Imperial Concubine), Ye Ying would certainly have entered the imperial harem too. Now that she could marry Emperor’s own brother, Prince Li as his principal wife, it naturally brought more glory to the Ye family. As for Ye Li, who was originally the most esteemed first daughter of the Ye clan, Grandma Ye had always harbored a little resentment towards the original Lady Xu (the mother). After Lady Xu’s passing, she didn’t bother with this granddaughter anymore. Upon careful observation now, she found that this granddaughter wasn’t inferior to Ye Ying in any way. On the contrary, she seemed even more refined and composed, qualities inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side, who came from a prominent family. This was precisely why Grandma Ye disliked Ye Li and Lady Xu.

"Grandmother." Ye Li and Ye Ying greeted together.

With an affectionate expression, Grandma Ye motioned for them to sit beside her and asked softly, "The Flower Festival is coming up in a few days. Have your mothers prepared everything for you"

Ye Ying lowered her head with a somber look, "Granddaughter hasn’t received the invitation to the Flower Festival. My mother’s preparations are useless now."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked puzzledly, "Grandmother, what do we need to prepare for the Flower Festival"

Hearing this, Grandma Ye's eyes flickered with thought as she scrutinized Ye Li's expression. "Not much… Girls should always dress up beautifully when they go out. Have your mother make some new clothes and head ornaments for you."

Ye Li remained calm, allowing her to observe at ease. Dowager Wang indeed hadn’t prepared anything for her and hadn’t even mentioned it once. It was foreseeable that if she wore usual clothing on the day of the Flower Festival, she would be laughed at and humiliated. "Thank you for reminding me, Grandmother. Li will remember." Ye Li showed a hint of joy to express a daughter’s fondness for new clothes and accessories.

Grandma Ye nodded without further comment. She was not unaware of how Dowager Wang treated Ye Li privately, but she didn’t wish to interfere as long as it didn’t bring shame upon the Ye family in public. However, Ye Ying offered an apologetic smile to Ye Li and said, "Mother prepared all of your clothes and ornaments a while ago, but she forgot to send them over when Rong Er returned yesterday."

"So, there are still several days until the Hundred Flowers Festival. There's no need to rush," Ye Li smiled faintly. So the topic had finally turned towards Ye Rong.

The Old Lady’s originally smiling face darkened when she mentioned Ye Rong. She looked at them seriously and said, "Rong’er is still young. If he does something wrong, you two as his older sisters should properly guide him. Today your father gave him a beating in front of others; how can such a little boy bear it"

Ye Ying’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said with evident concern, "Grandmother is right. It's all because I didn't teach my younger brother well. But Rong’er has learned his lesson today. He was still crying out in pain when I left him just now. He definitely won’t dare to offend Third Miss again in the future. Please don’t blame him anymore, Third Miss."

“But didn't you say he wasn't hit much How can he be in so much pain Did a doctor examine him” The Old Lady was anxious as soon as she heard that her only grandson was unwell. She glared at Ye Li with an increasingly cold expression. Ye Ying quickly reassured her, “Grandmother, don’t worry. Mother has already taken him to see the doctor. He just needs some rest in bed for a few days. However, we’re worried it might delay his studies.”

The Old Lady frowned and glared at Ye Li angrily, "You are also an older sister; why can't you be more accommodating towards Rong’er Are you happy if he gets injured and falls behind in his studies"

Ye Li sneered inwardly but remained expressionless on the surface. She calmly replied, “Grandmother is right. In the future, Li’er will properly instruct Rong’er. His temper needs to be corrected; today’s incident was nothing serious. As siblings in the same household, Li’er will naturally yield to him. But what if he offends a high-ranking official or someone important one day”

Hearing this, the Old Lady's face darkened even more. However, she suppressed her anger and dismissed Ye Li as soon as she thought of Ye Li’s marriage arrangements. After turning around to take her leave, Ye Li heard Ye Ying cooing behind her about how everything would be fine with Third Miss and Prince Li around… Since the Old Lady wouldn’t listen to her words anyway, it didn't matter to her. She could only hope that Imperial Concubine Ye in the palace and Prince Li would truly take care of all of Rong’er’s problems for him.

Note: the woman in green on top of the city wall nodding to him as if speaking through their eyes, Prince Southern Command suddenly felt a strange unease seize his heart. But no matter how hard he tried, h...