Chapter Thirty-Six Introduction
"Madam." Under the gaze of everyone, Yun Yao and Butler Xing bowed and greeted her.
The fourth young master, who was engrossed in talking to his wife, suddenly noticed someone had entered. He turned around, exclaimed in surprise, and pointed at Yun Yao, saying with delight, "It's you! The one who's really good at reciting!"
At this point, he scratched his head, looking troubled, and said, "What's your name again? You guys left so fast yesterday, I don't even know your name yet."
He then asked with a grin, "Don't rush off later. Tell me how you did it yesterday. Do you have a photographic memory? Or do you have some kind of precognitive ability? Teach me, please."
At this moment, the lady seated above spoke gently: "What? You two met yesterday?"
Upon hearing the lady speak, the four young masters and ladies immediately turned their attention back to her, all adopting a respectful listening posture. Even the second young master stopped glancing around.
The young master replied respectfully to his wife, "Yes, Aunt, I met Steward Xing and his new apprentice yesterday."
After waiting for the eldest young master to finish speaking, the fourth young master couldn't help but say to his wife, "Madam, you don't know, Steward Xing's new apprentice is so amazing. He can memorize just a few pages from such a thick book, and he's so handsome too. Madam, could you ask Steward Xing to let him be my assistant for a few days? I have so much to memorize right now."
"Little Four, stop fooling around." The eldest young master frowned slightly as he listened from the side and scolded him in a low voice.
The third young lady tugged at the fourth young master's sleeve. They were both somewhat helpless about the fourth young master's tendency to say everything as soon as he saw the madam.
Xiao Si is the youngest among them, still in high school. He is also the most lively and straightforward. Because of his young age, he never hides his admiration for his wife and wishes he could be by her side every moment.
The second young master then whispered mockingly to the fourth young master, "What's so great about memorizing texts? You haven't seen enough people. Don't even mention the eldest brother, I'm surrounded by all sorts of geniuses. You want someone to teach you how to memorize texts? You don't need to find a little assistant. Your second brother can easily find one for you."
"Tch, Second Brother, that sounds nice, but who got slapped in the face yesterday?"
"Alright, be quiet in front of your aunt." The eldest young master stared at his two restless younger brothers with a stern look, and they both quieted down.
The lady didn't seem impatient at all. She had just guessed what had happened yesterday from what the group had said. She glanced at the second young master and said slowly, "Now that you have met, I will formally introduce you to each other today."
The young masters and ladies were somewhat confused. They didn't immediately realize who else could have someone of Madam's status personally introduce them.
Only the eldest young master's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Yun Yao, who was standing behind Butler Xing.
The lady's gaze softened, and she looked at Yun Yao with a smile, "Yun'er, come here."
Following the lady's gaze, the young masters and ladies looked at Yun Yao, who was standing discreetly at the back, and were instantly stunned. They were both shocked by the lady's rare display of affection, and even more so by the fact that it was directed at this person!
They immediately thought of a possibility: with such an extraordinary and stunning appearance, the only one who could make the lady so close and fond of him was that rumored new favorite.
The fourth young master was the least able to hide his emotions. He immediately stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "Huh? Really?!" He thought to himself, "Is this the ruthless vixen that my second brother was talking about? She's nothing like her!"
The Third Miss's gaze also became complicated. She truly hadn't expected that this "new apprentice of Steward Xing," who was as beautiful, intelligent, and neither humble nor arrogant as the bright moon, was actually the new favorite? The difference between the real person and the rumors was so great that it was truly a complicated matter.
The second young master was actually the most shocked among his siblings.
His earlier certainty that the rumored new favorite was a low-class woman stemmed not only from the Zheng brothers gossiping about Nan Hang's new favorite in front of him, but also from his knowledge of Qin Rao's background through his own network of connections. He had preconceived notions that they were cut from the same cloth.
However, it was only now that he realized that the beautiful woman who had piqued his interest so much yesterday was actually that wretched new favorite! The second young master suddenly felt annoyed at being tricked. He turned his back to his wife and looked at Yun Yao with anger and hatred. His gaze was like a sharp sword, but it also carried a strange and subtle heat that was more intense than before.
The most composed person here was the eldest young master. He didn't show much change in expression, but his gaze deepened as he looked at the low-key and dignified Yun Yao.
And so, amidst the astonished and strange gazes of the crowd, Yun Yao had no choice but to step out from behind Steward Xing and walk toward the Madam.
"Madam," Yun Yao called softly, and then he felt his wife's hand grasp his hand under the table.
The lady looked at Yun Yao with a smile and said gently to him, "Yun'er, there are several younger family members here today. Let me introduce you to them. You are all about the same age, so you should get along well in the future." As she spoke, the lady glanced at the young masters and ladies below.
Everyone immediately sat up straight, and no matter what they were thinking, they dared not show any unusual behavior in front of the lady.
The lady looked lovingly at the eldest young master who was closest to her and introduced him to Yun Yao: "This is my nephew, Chi'er."
Yun Yao glanced at the composed young master, and the two nodded politely to each other.
"This is the second son, a child from my cousin Xu family, whose given name is Zhi." The madam then introduced the second young master, and Yun Yao lowered his eyes and greeted him, "Second Young Master."
The second young master Xu Zhi's lips twitched slightly, but under the madam's indifferent gaze, he nodded in a friendly manner.
"This is the third young lady, her name is Mingxiao." The lady looked at the solemn third young lady with a hint of affection in her eyes. "This child is somewhat like you, Yun'er, both of you are quiet and reserved."
Yun Yao paused slightly upon hearing the Third Miss's name; his mother's name also contained the character "Xiao." He couldn't help but smile at the Third Miss and said gently, "Hello."
The third young lady stared at his smile for a moment, then nodded slightly to Yun Yao.
"This is the youngest, Xiao Si. You can call him Xiao Zhen, Yun'er. This child can be a little naughty sometimes."
"No way, Madam, I'm the best!" the Fourth Young Master couldn't help but exclaim.
Yun Yao smiled inwardly. This fourth young master looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, the youngest, and his personality was somewhat like Xing Yu's. So, Yun Yao patiently and gently greeted him, "Fourth Young Master."
The fourth young master glanced at Yun Yao, his face suddenly turning slightly red, and he gave a hesitant reply.
The lady smiled as she looked at Yun Yao, then turned to the four younger members of the family. Her gaze deepened, and she said slowly, "This is Yun Yao, as you all know. From now on, you should treat him as you would your own family. In this garden, you are all my closest people, and I hope you can get along well with each other."
At this point, the lady turned to the eldest son, "Chi'er, Yun Yao has come all the way here with me, so you should take good care of him in the future."
The young master lowered his eyes and nodded. "Okay, Auntie."
The lady looked at everyone again and said, "In a while, there will be a banquet in the garden. This time, Chi'er and Mingxiao will be in charge. Lan Yue Hall in the West Garden will be used as a venue for music and dance performances. Yun'er is the principal dancer of the Nanhang Dance Academy, so Lan Yue Hall will be used by Yun'er from now on. Yun'er will also be in charge of the dance performance for this banquet."
After speaking, the lady looked at Yun Yao and asked softly, "Yun'er, are you willing?"
Yun Yao nodded and said earnestly, "Madam, please rest assured, I will definitely do my best."
The lady smiled and patted Yun Yao's hand, then looked at the young masters and ladies.
Under the gentle gaze of the lady, the four young masters and ladies could not possibly have any objections, and the lady made the final decision on this matter.
After leaving the main courtyard of the madam, the four young masters and ladies fell silent. The ever-outspoken fourth young master suddenly sighed, saying with a touch of melancholy, "Sigh! That Yun Yao, he's actually one of the madam's people. So I can't ask him to help me memorize my lessons anymore… He doesn't look much older than me, and he seems quite well-behaved. Is it Third Sister?"
The third young lady did not answer him, but glanced at the eldest and second young masters, then turned back to look ahead and said softly, "Madam values him highly."
The second young master scoffed, "Well-behaved? Maybe she's just putting on an act. I've seen plenty of people like that. No wonder, without some kind of skill, how could she possibly win over someone like Madam?"
The fourth young master, however, did not buy into the second young master's words. "Whether he was faking it or not, I don't care. Anyway, everyone saw it today. Madam likes him very much. I like what Madam likes. If you two want to cause trouble again in the future, second brother, I won't participate! And eldest brother, Madam asked you to take good care of him in front of everyone today."
Seeing that everyone's attention had turned to him, the young master paused for a moment, then said calmly, "You all know what kind of person my aunt is; no one can go against her decisions. Since my aunt values him so much, let's not bring up what we discussed before."
"Big brother!" The second young master was getting anxious. "You clearly know that Yun Yao. What's his background? His biological father is in prison. He's the kind of guy a wealthy businesswoman kept for two years before suddenly offering to her. How could there be no ulterior motive here? And what's even more dangerous is..."
"Enough!" The eldest young master suddenly interrupted the second young master before he could finish speaking. He looked at everyone with a deep gaze. "Don't speculate about things that haven't happened yet."
He then looked at the second young master and said somewhat suggestively, "Xiao Zhi, I know you're worried. But you can investigate Yun Yao more thoroughly."
The second young master was taken aback. He frowned and said, "What's wrong, elder brother? Did you find out something again...?"
The young master did not answer, but glanced at his watch and said to everyone, "It's time, I have to go back to the army first." Then he left with his entourage and personal officers.
"Then we'll be going too." The third young lady left with the fourth young master.
The second young master, however, was somewhat distracted by the eldest young master's hint. He gritted his teeth, thought of someone, his eyes hardened, and he hurriedly left with his entourage.
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