engagement
He Fangzheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, accepted the task of worshiping the God of Land on the Spring Festival this year. As there were many miscellaneous tasks, he brought his son He Lian and a group of students to help.
Ye Jiashu, the grandson of the former Minister of Justice, and He Lian are good brothers, so naturally they came to lend a hand enthusiastically.
After the two teenagers finished their sacrifice, they were about to go to the temple fair to enjoy the fun, when Ye Jiashu was suddenly hit by peanuts falling from the sky.
Looking at the plump peanuts that fell at his feet, Ye Jiashu looked up and looked around for the person who teased him.
After looking around, he happened to see the window of Fengdeng Tea House facing the railing. A woman wearing a hood was waving at him.
Ye Jiashu was somewhat puzzled. He turned to look at He Lian and asked, "Looking for you?"
The scholar immediately shook his head and said, "Impossible."
In broad daylight, the young man wasn't afraid. He said, "Let's go up there and see who dares to tease me!"
Qin Yousi looked at the two boys running up. Although they were not yet adults, they were tall and strong with long arms and legs. He couldn't help but feel emotional.
It’s been five years, and the two children have grown up so fast.
Ye Jiashu looked at the girl whose face was hidden by the hood. He originally thought that she was a relative or a sister he knew from a noble family who was teasing him, but when he saw that the girl had no maids or attendants around her and her clothes were too simple, he felt that it was not the case.
So he put away the joking look on his face and asked, "Who is this girl? Why are you looking for me?"
Qin Yousi took off his hood, tilted his head and smiled at Ye Jiashu and asked, "Qilang, do you still recognize me?"
Ye Jiashu widened his eyes and wanted to shout "Second Sister Qin", but he held back and realized that it couldn't be Qin Yousi.
Qin Erjiejie is not so thin. If she were still alive, she would not still look like a teenager.
Seeing Ye Jiashu and He Lian's faces full of surprise, Qin Yousi said, "I am Sang Liuniang, Sang Youzhi, do you still remember me?"
Now it was Ye Jiashu's turn to blush. Shocked, he managed to utter a few words after a long while: "You...you're still alive?"
Sang Youzhi and Ye Jiashu's mothers were close friends. They got married almost at the same time and became pregnant soon after.
As soon as the children were born, the two best friends saw that it was a boy and a girl, so they decided to arrange a marriage for the children and even had a formal engagement ceremony.
But later, Sang Youzhi fell ill and looked like he was on the verge of death. The two families no longer mentioned the engagement, and the two children did not spend much time together. They only made other arrangements after Sang Youzhi died young.
Ye Jiashu always knew that he had such a fiancée, because his favorite sister Qin Er would feed her blood once a year.
Because of the engagement and blood feeding, Ye Jiashu has disliked Sang Youzhi since childhood. The few times they met, he always called her "vampire" and "sickly girl", asking her to leave and stop bothering him and Qin Erjiejie.
Recalling the ignorant "bullying" behavior in his childhood, Ye Jiashu, a dashing young man, felt so guilty that he didn't dare to look at her.
He Lian, who looked frail but could handle a big situation, quickly composed herself and said, "So you're the Sang family's sister. I heard your wet nurse lost you and we haven't heard from you since. Your safe return is truly a blessing from heaven."
He looked around and asked worriedly, "Why are you alone? Where are the people from the Sang family?"
Although the Sang family was affected by the Qin family incident five years ago, its foundation was not damaged and it is still the number one family in Yangcheng.
If Miss Sang travels, she will definitely be accompanied by maids and guards.
Qin Yousi shook his head and said, "Not long ago, Lord Baili found me and brought me to the capital to wait for news of my mother. I have not returned to the Sang family, and I don't plan to go back."
He Lian and Ye Jiashu looked at each other. They were not children anymore, so they naturally understood how embarrassing Sang Youzhi's identity was for the Sang family.
He Lian nodded in understanding and said, "As long as everyone is safe, that's good."
Ye Jiashu took a long time to calm down, and finally adjusted his mood. He looked up at Qin Yousi and asked, "Did you come to see me today?"
Qin Yousi nodded and asked, "I just want to ask you, do you still recognize our engagement?"
This one sentence made Ye Jiashu blush again.
Ye Jiashu had long forgotten about Sang Youzhi. He had never intended to acknowledge this marriage when he was a child, let alone now.
How could she, a divorced woman who had been living away from home for many years and was not accepted by the Sang family, marry into the Ye family?
But he felt so guilty and remorseful that he couldn't even say no.
If she hadn't been desperate, why would she come to him?
Thinking of this, he didn't answer but asked: "Where have you been all these years? Have you encountered any difficulties? I can't make the decision on the marriage contract, but if you need my help, I will do my best to help you."
"Thank you, Qilang, for your righteousness." This was what Qin Yousi was waiting for.
Ye Jiashu, this little boy, was just a child in Qin Yousi's eyes. She was the one who taught him horsemanship herself. He treated her as his real sister just because she helped him catch a katydid. With such a relationship, she naturally didn't really want to confirm the engagement between him and the Ye Sang family.
But this engagement can help her do a lot of things.
First and foremost, it would allow her to escape from Baili Hongyuan's control.
Qin Yousi poured tea for Ye Jiashu and He Lian, lowered his posture, and showed a bit of weakness.
"Master Baili and I have no relationship, so staying with him would be inconvenient. Moreover, due to his position as an inspector, he cannot openly search for my mother's whereabouts. I don't know how long it will take to find my mother. So I thought that if I could ask the Ye Mansion to intervene, it might be more legitimate."
What she said was reasonable, but Ye Jiashu didn't dare to agree to it casually.
Qin Yousi knew where he was hesitating, so he said, "I didn't propose the engagement just now to embarrass you. After I reunite with my mother, we can cancel the engagement under the witness of the elders. This will fulfill the Ye family's affection and avoid a lot of trouble in the future."
Ye Jiashu said, "Miss Sang, I already know your situation and difficulties. I will go back and inform my father, and then I will go and bring you to the palace."
He Lian looked at Ye Jiashu in surprise, but since he had already said it, he couldn't stop him rashly.
After Ye Jiashu found out where Qin Yousi lived, he took He Lian downstairs and returned to the Ye Mansion.
Qin Yousi saw the two off, lowered his head to sip his tea, and shook his head silently.
She used to like this cheerful and lively brother very much, but she didn't expect that he would become so mediocre after growing up, which was disappointing.
On the way to the Ye residence, He Lian worriedly said to Ye Jiashu, "How could you have so rudely promised Miss Sang? You're not in a good situation at home right now. If your father disowns you, what will become of you? And your stepmother will definitely make a fuss about this!"
Ye Jiashu's face no longer had the carefree look he had when he was visiting the temple fair, and now looked a bit lonely.
His mother, Yu, had passed away two years before, and his father had quickly taken a second wife. Although he was the legitimate son of the family, he had lost his support and his position in the Ye family was precarious.
In order to consolidate his status as the legitimate son, his aunt helped him to make connections and was discussing marriage with the Princess of Pingtung.
At this critical moment, a fiancée who was arranged to be married since childhood appears. How will this end?
He Lian felt a headache just thinking about him, so she could only pat her brother on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, I'm always by your side."
Ye Jiashu suddenly shuddered, slapped his hand away, and teased, "Come on, stop being so cheesy! It's just a small matter, the sky isn't falling! I can't really ignore Sang Liuniang, after all, she's the wife my mother chose for me, and the one Second Sister Qin risked her life to save. If they see me become a heartless and ungrateful little beast, I'm afraid they'll chase me into my dreams and scold me!"
"Oh." He Lian sighed. He was really worried about his good brother's current situation, but he was also glad that his good brother was an optimist.
Ye Jiashu's grandfather retired from the position of Minister of Justice due to health reasons. His father Ye Zhenglun was promoted to the Dali Temple the following year and served as a fourth-rank Shaoqing. He was considered a young and vigorous official in the court and was in the right position.
Taking advantage of a break in the evening, Ye Jiashu told Ye Zhenglun about Sang Liuniang.
Ye Zhenglun frowned upon hearing this and said, "These are all hidden dangers left by your mother!"
Ye Jiashu's heart sank. He was very unhappy that his father had said that about his deceased mother, but he didn't dare show it on his face. He could only say, "Now that things have come to this, I'm afraid we have no choice but to think of a solution first. If we ignore it, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of the Ye family."
Ye Zhenglun looked at his son and asked tentatively, "Do you want to acknowledge this marriage?"
He also truly loved his eldest son.
However, since his wife's death, his relationship with the Yue family has completely broken down. If the Ye family wants to continue to grow, it has to find other allies and train a new heir.
Today, Ye Jiashu has become an abandoned child of the Ye family. Whether he accepts the marriage proposal from the Sang family for the sake of reputation, or seeks support to discuss marriage with the Princess of Pingtung, it is of no importance in Ye Zhenglun's eyes.
Ye Jiashu said, "Judging from Sang Liuniang's words and actions, she only wants our help in finding her mother and has no intention of getting married. Once we find Aunt Qin, it would be best if we could part ways amicably."
Ye Zhenglun said, "Do you believe her? You're probably his best support right now, so how could he let you go?"
Seeing his son didn't answer, Ye Zhenglun didn't want to say more: "This is your own business, you make your own decision. But don't bring her home to upset your mother. You should explain to your aunt yourself, and don't let her come to the house to cause trouble again and say that we harmed you."
The "your mother" Ye Zhenglun mentioned refers to his stepmother Gu, leaving no room for his biological mother.
Ye Jiashu felt like an outsider and felt a little disappointed.
But he was already used to it, so he smiled nonchalantly and said, "Yes, thank you for your understanding, father. I will take care of it myself."
The next morning, Ye Jiashu came to Qingshan Lane to pick up Qin Yousi.
Uncle Zhou didn't dare to let him go easily, so he had to rush to Bailu Terrace to pass on the message.
After hearing the news, Baili Hongyuan sneered, "She's quite good at scheming."
Uncle Zhou asked hesitantly, "Are you really going to let my cousin go with the Ye family? Not even one of the Ye family's elders showed up, and only Ye Qilang and a few servants came over to move things. How can this be considered respectable?"
"She asked for it!" Baili Hongyuan didn't want to get involved, but when he thought about Sang Youzhi having to go to the Ye family and suffer under Qin Yousi's appearance, he felt suffocated, so he ordered Xin Chen: "Go back with Uncle Zhou and tell her about the situation of the Ye family. Let her make her own choice!"
When Qin Yousi learned about the situation of the Ye family from Xin Chen, he felt quite guilty towards Ye Jiashu.
Unexpectedly, his mother, Madam Yu, had already passed away. Despite being in such a difficult situation, he still agreed to her request. This young boy did not seem to be as ugly as she had imagined.
After Qin Yousi made his decision, he said to Xin Chen, "Please tell Lord Baili that I thank him for his kindness. I am fully aware of the Ye family's situation. Qilang and I will face it together through thick and thin."
Baili Hongyuan was almost laughing with anger after receiving the reply: "Sharing the joys and sorrows? What a pair of unfortunate little mandarin ducks. Since she chose this path herself, let her suffer it herself."
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