Qin Sheng said, "Why did Aunt Ye leave the manor for no reason? Besides, even if she didn't recognize that she was a member of my aunt's family, she could have just listened to my aunt's words of advice. Why was she talking back? She really has no manners."
The servant was sweating profusely.
Yin Wenxiao went to Mingyue Pavilion with a gloomy expression.
His face was so ugly that the servants of Mingyue Pavilion were trembling with fear and dared not utter a sound.
"Where is Aunt Ye?" Yin Wenxiao asked, standing in the courtyard.
"She's...she's inside..." an old woman whispered. "The mistress came back crying, sir..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yin Wenxiao strode into the house with a dark face.
But I saw---
Ye Jiaoniang was changing her clothes. She wore a thin, bright red dance dress, and underneath was a pink bodice that barely covered her, embroidered with fluttering butterflies.
"..."
Yin Wenxiao's anger vanished instantly.
Although Jiao Niang was beautiful, she always maintained a modest and demure demeanor, and her clothing and appearance were never flamboyant or excessive.
"Husband?"
Ye Jiaoniang still had tear stains on her face. She was also taken aback when she saw Yin Wenxiao and subconsciously raised her hand to cover her chest.
Yin Wenxiao had already walked over.
His tone had softened unconsciously: "The servant said you had a conflict with your aunt's female relatives at the gate today. What happened?"
"..."
Mentioning this, Ye Jiaoniang's eyes reddened, and she quickly held back her tears as they were about to fall.
"It's alright. I was just blind and didn't recognize that was my aunt. It's only right that my aunt said I was a lowly concubine from the countryside."
This wasn't an exaggeration on Ye Jiaoniang's part.
Yin Wenxiao himself knew his aunt's personality. He heard that before she got married, his grandfather's several concubines combined were no match for his aunt. She hated the concubines and almost beat and scolded them.
"From now on, when you see your aunt, just avoid her."
The anger that had been burning on Yin Wenxiao's face when he arrived was long gone.
He knew in his heart that his aunt had taken a liking to Qin Sheng's brother and wanted to marry his cousin Xiuxiu to him.
Now, it is my aunt who needs their help. My aunt's husband's family is of average means and does not offer much benefit to the Yin family, so there is no need for them to be too obsequious.
His gaze then fell on Ye Jiaoniang, "This outfit—"
“I heard from Jingxin that there’s a clothing shop that makes really beautiful dance costumes. I’ve always wanted to go and see them. Today the weather was nice, so I went out for a stroll.”
There weren't any rules that forbade concubines from going out, but to prevent gossip, they would mostly wear veils.
Is it pretty?
Ye Jiaoniang looked at him hesitantly, her eyes filled with shy and timid affection.
This immediately reminded Yin Wenxiao of the time they spent together at Hushan, when she always liked to look at him like this.
She is innocent and shy.
Ye Jiaoniang took his arm and said, "I have deeply reflected on my actions. It is because of my lowly status that I am not worthy of you. That is why you married a woman of equal social standing. You were tricked and had no choice but to take Concubine Mei as a concubine. This was not your own choice. As the Earl of Pingyin, you have your own responsibilities. I cannot simply be domineering and force you to have no other women besides me."
"..."
Hearing her say that, Yin Wenxiao was stunned for a moment, and after a while he couldn't help but raise his hand and gently pull her into his arms.
He sighed softly, "Jiaoniang, you're the one who understands me best."
"My wife asks for nothing more than to amuse her husband when he is bored and to bear him children."
The more she said this, the deeper Yin Wenxiao felt guilty towards her.
He paused for a moment, then picked her up and looked down at her, saying, "Your dance costume is beautiful. Will you dance for me?"
Just like when we were at Hushan.
The night dances for him under the starry sky, on the grass, and with fireflies as a backdrop.
Ye Jiaoniang's eyes were full of sweet affection. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded shyly, "Okay."
...
Two days later, Yin Wenxuan came again, but she didn't disturb Qin Sheng; she went directly to her mother's place.
Old Madam Yin asked her, "Didn't you say that your son-in-law had already sent a visiting card to Grand Secretary Nian? Has he taken Zijin to pay him a visit?"
Speaking of this, Yin Wenxuan didn't hide anything from her, "We are Qin Sheng's sister and brother-in-law after all, so we are relatives to some extent. That year, the mansion was so nice that they just dismissed us with a simple 'Master is ill'."
"I heard that the Grand Secretary took the eldest son of the Marquis of Yongning's heir as a student that year. Bah! What a 'pure stream' scholar! He only knows how to treat people differently based on their status!"
How could you say something like that?
Madam Yin glared at her, "A family of scholars of high moral character, besides, seeking knowledge and becoming a disciple is never a smooth process. We need to be more patient."
Although she said that, in her heart, Old Madam Yin was indeed a little annoyed with Qin Sheng.
Yin Wenxuan took a sip of tea. "This isn't a matter of patience or impatience—" She changed the subject and looked at her mother. "I know now. Wenxiao took a concubine not long after his marriage. Is your sister-in-law angry with him?"
That's why they were unwilling to help.
Madam Yin remained silent.
That's what she thought too.
Actually, it wasn't just Wenxiao taking a concubine; so much has happened lately that no one knows what Qin Sheng is thinking.
"To be honest, it's because Wenxiao didn't manage his wife well."
Yin Wenxuan said disdainfully, "Now that Qin Sheng has married into our family, she is a member of the Yin family. Doesn't she ever think that if Zijin becomes successful in the future, he might forget the kindness of his aunt?"
"..."
Things are not as simple as she makes them out to be.
If Yin Wenxiao had been willing to accept this marriage from the beginning, and had abandoned Ye Jiaoniang early on, and devoted himself to Qin Sheng, none of these problems would have arisen.
But it's too late to regret it now.
Old Madam Yin had a headache. She waved her hand and asked, "By the way, how's the son-in-law doing? He said he's going to work in the Ministry of Revenue. Do you know what kind of position he will be in?"
Although there were already rumors, Yin Wenxuan didn't dare to go into too much detail until things were 100% confirmed.
The topic kept changing, but eventually it came back to Qin Sheng.
Yin Wenxuan was not giving up. "Mother, why don't I talk to my sister-in-law again? Perhaps she hasn't thought through the pros and cons yet."
"she?"
Madam Yin simply couldn't bear to hurt her daughter.
Is Qin Sheng such a clueless person? In the end, she's just arrogant. Wen Xiao treated her like that, so why should she help him nicely?
“She knows it very well.”
Madam Yin sighed, "Alright, don't go looking for her anymore. I'll give Ah Sheng a little more talking-to about this."
"..."
Yin Wenxuan wanted to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.
It wasn't that she wasn't cold-hearted; it seemed that no one in her family cared about such a big event as Zijin becoming an apprentice.
Yin Wenxuan left after sitting with Old Madam Yin for a while, as she was worried about Zijin who was still at home.
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