Hearing this, Ye's mother became even more furious: "You old geezer, don't forget how you got your title. If it weren't for my family helping you get a respectable job in the court, you would still be a poor scholar. Ye Xiao, how dare you talk back to me so arrogantly? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

Realizing he was in the wrong, Ye Xiao's anger subsided considerably. He quickly changed the subject: "Madam, please be reasonable. This matter cannot be entirely blamed on me! In all honesty, although Xi Yan is a daughter, I have raised her like a son since she was little. She has been provided with fine clothes, delicacies, pearls, and jewels. I have never deprived her of anything that the Marquis's mansion possesses. As for her selection for the palace, that was all done according to the rules. Although I am a nobleman, I have absolutely no say in this matter."

"Stop lecturing me with those high principles, I don't want to hear them!" Mother Ye said, hands on her hips, relentlessly pressing her point. "In short, we must get rid of Yu Qianqian as soon as possible. As long as she's around, Xi Yan will never have a peaceful day."

On the other side, the old Marquis, with his back to the wall, was panting heavily. "Alright, alright, calm down first, I'll try to think of a solution."

The couple were arguing, and bursts of quarreling came from the room. Ye Xiyan came out of the back room with a maid. Seeing that the two men were not in a good mood, one glaring angrily and the other looking disheveled, the mistress and maid hurriedly came over to smooth things over: "Father, Mother, please stop arguing. Be careful that the neighbors hear it and you will be laughed at. Now we can only think of a way to make the Emperor unable to leave our manor."

“Master and Madam, our young lady is right. There must still be a way to remedy this.”

"This concerns the interests of the royal family, how can we remedy this?" The old marquis took the opportunity to vent his anger on the little maid: "I have worked my way up in the officialdom for many years to get to where I am today. Now all the expenses of the marquis's mansion come from the palace. Even if the emperor is inconsiderate in any way, what can we do but endure it?"

Upon hearing this, Ye's mother immediately stepped forward, glared at him fiercely, and said, "Lord Marquis, have you forgotten that there is also Prime Minister Li who can rival the imperial power? As long as we make good use of this powerful relationship, dealing with a mere Yu Qianqian will be no problem at all."

"That's just a woman's view!" Ye Xiao said impatiently. "That cunning old fox Li Chunfeng has never gotten along with me. How could you possibly set your sights on him now? I think you've probably gone mad."

Ye Xiyan glanced at her mother casually, immediately realizing the implied meaning of her earlier words. She nodded knowingly and said, "Father, I also think Mother has some truth to her. Although our Marquis's Mansion has no close relationship with Prime Minister Li, everyone knows that he is quite ambitious and openly or secretly opposes the Emperor. After all, he is the current Prime Minister, and his power should not be underestimated. As long as we explain the implications to him, we are not afraid that he will not listen to us."

“My daughter is the most insightful,” Mother Ye immediately chimed in. “As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. This is the most common way of dealing with people, and it applies to officialdom as well.”

Ye Xiao agreed, saying, "Alright, but the most important thing right now is to keep the emperor calm. Xi Yan, you must remain calm after you return to the palace. After all, the current empress is the emperor's darling, so we should not provoke her easily."