Ye Songyan was equally angry. After all, Ruhuan was his biological sister, and they had always been close. Seeing that his father and grandfather were busy scolding the Prince of Qinghe, he said:
"Grandfather, Father, although the Crown Prince of Qinghe was not convicted of any offense against me, Your Majesty has sent me out of the palace overnight. I'm afraid I'll be eliminated from the selection. This matter concerns my reputation and must be handled properly."
Ye Zelin had a calm expression after finishing his speech, but upon hearing Ye Songyan's words, he suddenly became displeased and asked, "How should this be handled properly? Do you mean marrying Ruhuan into the Qinghe Palace?"
Ye Songyan knew he had spoken out of turn, "Second brother, that's not what I meant."
Ye Zelin said: "I think this is what you mean."
Ye Songyan said: "That's really not what I meant."
Ye Zelin mocked, "You are quite interesting. Your sister was bullied, yet you wanted to marry her to the person who bullied her. As expected, she is not Concubine Xu's daughter, so she is not your biological sister."
The old general's expression was unfriendly. Ye Zelin's words were clearly meant to highlight that he was the legitimate son of the wife, while Yan'er was the illegitimate son of a concubine. The old general raised his hand to interrupt the two brothers who were about to argue and scolded Ye Zelin, "What are you arguing about? Yan'er didn't say anything, but you are the one who talks too much."
Hua Fushu stepped forward and pulled Ye Zelin's clothes, signaling him not to argue with the old man.
Ye Zelin followed Hua Fushu's instructions and said nothing more.
Ye Shiheng glanced at Ye Zelin and said to the old general seriously, "Father, I asked you to come here just to tell you about Huan'er. I am her father and will seek justice for her. No matter how important her reputation is, it is not as important as her lifelong happiness. It is impossible for the Ye family to marry into the Qinghe Palace. My daughter can marry anyone, but not the Prince of Qinghe."
The old general's face turned pale. In his opinion, what Ye Shiheng said was to tell him that Ruhuan's marriage had nothing to do with him and that he, as a grandfather, did not need to interfere.
Ye Shiheng naturally didn't know what the old general was thinking. In his opinion, reputation was a false thing. Even if marrying into a royal family brought endless wealth and honor, and a noble status, it was not as important as his daughter's lifelong happiness. Moreover, if the Ye family really married into the Qinghe Palace, it would definitely drag the Ye family into the court's factional struggles.
He said, "It's getting late. You and Xiao Si should go back to bed."
The old general said, "I can't sleep."
How can he sleep well when his only granddaughter is being bullied and his son doesn't allow him to interfere in her marriage?
"If you can't sleep, then don't sleep. Your son has gone ahead."
Ye Shiheng bowed and went back to the bedroom to see his daughter.
"Yan'er, go with grandpa to see Huan'er." said the old general.
"Yes." Ye Songyan said.
The old general and Ye Songyan had just taken a few steps, before they even stepped out of the main hall, when Ye Shiheng's voice drifted over, "Father, you'll see Huan'er tomorrow. Huan'er has gone to bed, and the lights are out."
The old general and his grandson stopped abruptly.
At this moment, Ye Zelin chuckled and said, "Grandfather."
The old general turned around, and the bright candlelight shone on Ye Zelin's body. He could clearly see the contempt, disdain, and ridicule on Ye Zelin's face.
Seeing the old general looking at him, the contempt in his eyes grew instead of diminishing. Ye Zelin addressed the old general by his full name, "Ye Changting, you've lived for most of your life, and now you're old enough to smell the incense of a coffin. Have you ever considered why your father, who was so strongly against Ruhuan's participation in the imperial concubine selection, changed his mind in just a few days and supported your sending Ruhuan to the selection?"
The old general frowned, "Did you do anything?"
Ye Zelin sat down on the pearwood chair behind him with a swagger, leaning back against the chair and crossing his legs, looking like a young man from a wealthy family who only knew how to enjoy himself. If he were offered a glass of Biluochun, it would be even more like that.
He said, "It was my grandson who did it. I persuaded my father to support you in sending Ruhuan to the palace for selection, because I knew that even if Ruhuan was lucky enough to be selected, His Majesty would not choose her as a consort."
The old general asked, "Why not?"
Ruhuan has a stunning beauty, how could any man not be attracted to her?
Hua Fushu watched her husband's performance quietly from the side.
Ye Zelin said, "Grandfather, what do you think His Majesty will think of this imperial concubine who comes from a distinguished family and holds military power?"
The old general was stunned and his face turned pale, as if he was thinking about something. There were many imperial concubines in the Song Dynasty whose maternal families had military power. Most of them ended up miserably. Among them, the most tragic end was Emperor Taizong's concubine Qi. Concubine Qi was ordered by Emperor Taizong to be beheaded for murdering the prince, and all nine generations of Concubine Qi's maternal family were executed for various crimes.
There was also Emperor Zhenzong's Consort Xian. More than 20 years ago, the competition for the crown prince was very fierce. Consort Xian and her son were the most favored by Emperor Zhenzong, and Prince Jin, born to Consort Xian, had the greatest hope of winning the crown prince. Unexpectedly, one day Emperor Zhenzong dreamed that Consort Xian and Prince Jin killed the emperor and their father in a plot to seize the throne. Emperor Zhenzong then executed Consort Xian and her son, and dismissed Consort Xian's mother's family from office and demoted them to a remote place in Lingnan.
Concubine Qi's fate was what she deserved, but the fate of Concubine Xian and her son seemed innocent.
"Your Majesty is merciful. If Ruhuan really pleases you, you will not treat her coldly," said the old general.
Ye Zelin sneered, "You're really getting more confused as you get older. The human heart is the most difficult thing in this world to fathom, especially the heart of an emperor. I don't mind telling you one more thing. Yesterday, the Prince of Qinghe asked the Queen Mother to ask His Majesty for permission to grant him a marriage. His Majesty disagreed, saying that a girl from the Ye family could marry into any family, but not into the royal family or the Qinghe Palace."
He paused deliberately for a moment, looking at the wrinkled old general. "Even His Majesty doesn't want to marry the daughter of the Ye family, would the Qinghe Palace dare to marry her? Would the Ye family really dare to marry Ruhuan into the Qinghe Palace?"
Glancing at Ye Songyan, Ye Zelin continued, "Grandfather, which is more important, my fourth brother's future or the descendants of the Ye family? If you get what you want, you may also lose what you have. You understand this principle better than your grandson, right?"
That was enough. Having said what needed to be said, Ye Zelin stood up, looked at Hua Fushu, stretched out his long arms, and his slender fingers had distinct joints, which looked very beautiful.
Hua Fushu smiled knowingly, held Ye Zelin's hand with her fair hand, interlocked their fingers, and went back to Guanju Pavilion.
The old general walked to a wooden chair and slowly sat down, his eyelids drooping and his expression somewhat dejected. He sighed for nearly a cup of tea and said, "After all, I am old. I can't see things as clearly as a young man."
Ye Songyan half-crouched, looked up at his elderly grandfather, and asked, "Grandpa, given the Ye family's status and position, Sister Ruhuan doesn't have to run for the election this time. You've always loved your sister, but you insisted on sending her to run. Is it because of Yan'er?"
The old general stroked Ye Songyan's head with his rough, aged hands, and gave all his remaining tenderness to the grandson he had raised. He said, "Yan'er, your father has never cared about you. Who else can plan for you except grandpa? Grandpa is old, and one day he will pass away. Send Ruhuan to participate in the election. If she is lucky enough to become the imperial concubine, Yunlu will be valued, and you will also benefit. Not to mention Ye Zelin. With the relationship with His Majesty, even if His Majesty does not consider Huan'er for his sake, he will be able to rise to the highest position in the future. You and Huan'er have a deep sibling relationship, and Yunlu and Ye Zelin have bright futures. Huan'er will not neglect to take care of you. In this way, even if Grandpa is gone, you and your mother can live more comfortably."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
