On the carriage ride back home, as Ye Jiayao leaned against Chunyu’s arms, she began, “I heard that Qixuan’s being forced to marry.”

“Ah… yeah. Su Xiang’s actually looking for a wife for Su Yi,” Xia Chunyu replied.

“Why are they still forcing this issue? Everyone knows that those two are gay. Why can’t they let them go?” Ye Jiayao expressed. “One day, they’re gonna push too hard and force those two to elope.”

She had a feeling that Zhao Qixuan and Su Yi’s plan for the border trade involves finding a way out for themselves. It wouldn’t surprise her if they don’t come back.

Xia Chunyu shook his head. “Eloping wouldn’t be that easy. Knowing Su Xiang’s temper, he will chase Susu to the ends of the earth. Qixuan is the Heir-son Lord of the Yong An mansion, he has huge responsibilities. His father doesn’t care about his sexuality as long as he could give the mansion a son, but if he elopes…”

“How will Qixuan give them a son? Is he gonna marry a girl and keep her around as a decoration? Is she just supposed to be a vessel for his child? No family would dare subject their daughter to that,” Ye Jiayao protested.

“There is. As long as they reap the benefits of their daughter being married to an Heir-son Lord, they wouldn’t care whatever happens to her. Just like your father.”

“I don’t have a father,” she snapped. The mere mention of her family sets Ye Jiayao on edge.

Xia Chunyu tightened his arm around her, providing her with much-needed comfort.

When they got back to the mansion, the concierge reported, “Heir-son Lord, your brother-in-law is here. He’s in the lobby at the moment with Third Young Master.”

Ye Jiayao and Xia Chunyu exchanged a confused look.

“Is it Zhongyuan?” Ye Jiayao asked. “Is he alone?

The concierge replied, “He came alone and he brought many gifts.”

Xia Chunyu turned to her and asked, “Would you like me to come with you?”

She hesitated. If Zhongyuan came here, it must be under the orders of Ye Binghuai. It seemed as though her father was too much of a coward to see her himself so he sent someone else to do his dirty work. Was he trying to repair their relationship or was there another motive behind this?

“I’ll go alone,” she finally said.

When Ye Jiayao got to the lobby, she saw Chunfeng and Zhongyuan talking.

Upon seeing her, Chunfeng stood up and greeted, “Second Sister, you’re finally back.”

Ye Jiayao smiled and said, “Thank you for keeping my brother company. You can go about your business now.”

Chunfeng nodded and took his leave.

Zhong Yuan got up and bowed. “Big Sister.”

Ye Jiayao looked at her younger brother with a slight smile. He seemed to have grown so much taller than the last time she saw him. She also remembered him being indifferent to her. This new respectful attitude was a first for her.

“When did you come to Jin Ling?” she asked as she sat down.

“I just arrived this afternoon.”

“Have you visited your mother and your second sister yet?”

“They are both in Yangzhou. I just came to see you and give you some specialties from Yangzhou. I will be leaving tomorrow,” he told her.

Ye Jiayao smiled at him. “You’re very thoughtful. Thank you.”

Zhong Yuan opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it. He wasn’t sure how to act around Jinxuan since he’s never really even talked to her before. His parents said that he should be careful around her since she has a higher status now and has connections to high places. As he looked at her now, she did seem different from when she was living back at their home.

He also couldn’t understand the cautious and humble look on her face. Wasn’t she a noble now? His mother said that Jinxuan was simply pretending to be poor, wearing old clothes when she has perfectly good clothes at her disposal. She said that Jinxuan was also telling people that she has been treated badly. He knew that it was true, though. Second Sister even came up with a plan to get her killed.

That was the reason he was reluctant to come here. He felt that it was too shameless to appear just like this after all the horrible things his family has done to her. However, his father told him that he’s the only one from the Ye family that could talk to Jinxuan.

Ye Jiayao saw his hesitation and asked, “Where are you planning to stay? In your second sister’s home?”

Zhong Yuan shook his head and answered, “I was planning to go to an inn.”

“Don’t be silly, you can stay here. The mansion has a lot of empty rooms. I just thought that your mother has already made arrangements for you,” she said.

Zhong Yuan stayed silent. He would’ve rather stayed at an inn.

“I will have someone get a room ready, go rest first. I will have someone call you when it’s time for dinner.”

Ye Jiayao then called a servant to escort Zhong Yuan before walking out.

“Big Sister,” Zhong Yuan called.

She turned around and asked, “Do you need something else?”

Zhong Yuan knew that if he doesn’t say it now, he might never get another chance. “Big Sister… I hope that you visit Yangzhou after the new year. Your grandparents want to see you.”

Ye Jiayao chuckled humorlessly. Ye Binghuai thought that he could use her grandparents to manipulate her.

“Zhong Yuan, I… I have a lot more responsibilities now. I can’t just go anywhere whenever I want to,” she said perfunctorily.

“No matter what your responsibilities are, you still need to make time for your grandparents. Big Sister, they miss you very much,” Zhong Yuan said, his tone almost pleading.

Ye Jiayao resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Miss her? Ha! More like they wanted to exploit her new status as a noble. She knew that her grandparents were extremely sexist. If they could get away with it, they would only be acknowledging Zhong Yuan since he’s the only grandson. She knew that if she hadn’t married into a Marquis’ family, her grandparents wouldn’t have given any damn about her.

“Once Father has done what he’s supposed to do, I will return,” Ye Jiayao said firmly and then walked away.

Zhong Yuan was crestfallen. He knew that Big Sister was talking about his father divorcing his mother.

He knew that his mother did a lot of wrong things, but she was still his mother.

Xia Chunyu was waiting for her when she got to their room.

“What did Zhong Yuan say?” he asked her.

Ye Jiayao took off her cloak and handed it to Jiang Yue. She then took the cup of tea that Qiao Xi handed her before settling down. “He said that I should go visit after the new year. He said that my grandparents want to see me. ”

Xia Chunyu frowned. “Were you close to them? Did they treat you well?”

“They don’t live in Yangzhou. They seldom make a trip there, and when they do, they don’t care enough to see me. To tell you the truth, I can’t even remember what my grandfather looks like. It’s a bit obvious why they chose this time to reconnect with me.”

He stayed quiet as he thought it over.

Ye Jiayao, seeing the wheels in his head turning, said, “Don’t worry about it. I’m not going back while Ning is there.”

Xia Chunyu’s eyes narrowed a bit as he told her, “Go rest. I’m going to go see Zhong Yuan. He’s my brother-in-law and it’d look bad if I don’t at least welcome him here.”

“Just pay your respects. Don’t agree to anything,” she warned.

She might not have any grudges against Zhong Yuan, but he’ still Ning’s son. His loyalty lies with his mother.

In Liu Li and Chunfeng’s room, Liu Li complained to Chunfeng sweetly, “Why were you gone for so long?”

Chunfeng replied, “I had to welcome Second Sister’s brother since they weren’t here yet when he arrived.”

“Isn’t she disconnected from the Ye family? Why did he come?” she asked curiously.

He simply shrugged. “I don’t know. What I know is that Second Sister is very angry with her family for mistreating her and trying to have her killed. If I were her, I would not welcome any of them here.”

“I heard that they have already apologized to her,” she said slowly, testing the waters. “Why can’t she let it go? They’re still her family. Besides, it seems like they have learned from their mistakes. Don’t you think that Second Sister-in-law is just being too stubborn at this point?”

“That’s her decision. We also don’t know the whole story. But I know that Second Sister-in-law is not a vengeful person,” he defended.

Liu Li glared at him. “Why is she so perfect in your eyes?”

Chunfeng laughed. “It’s not like that! I was just stating facts.”

He was pleased with how their relationship was going. Liu Li has changed a lot and everyone has noticed it. He just hoped that they continue like this for the rest of their lives.

“Anyway,” Liu Li continued. “I could understand why Ye Ning always favored her own children. That’s simply nature. She gave birth to them, thus they have a natural unbroken bond. Second Sister-in-law, for all accounts, was the outsider that she didn’t want.”