Chapter 93 Ye Family
The following days passed very uneventfully. Nothing special happened. Jiang Li explained to the teacher of Mingyi Hall that she was about to return to Xiangyang, and then waited to go back with Ye Mingxuan.

Madam Jiang called Jiang Li to Wanfeng Hall and gave her instructions several times, probably because she valued her relationship with the Ye family this time. Ji Shuran and her daughter did not come to make trouble for the first time. Jiang Li knew that Ji Shuran would not give up and was probably planning some new plan, but she was homesick at the moment and had no extra energy to pay attention to the mother and daughter.

Jiang Jingrui often came to Fangfei Garden, but he had not yet given up the idea of ​​going to Ye's house with Jiang Li. I don't know what he was thinking, he didn't stay in Yanjing City, but wanted to travel around all day. Ye Shijie also came once, but he didn't mention Xiangyang, but only talked about what happened to him recently when he was the deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Since Ye Shijie became the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, many people have been waiting to see which side he will belong to. With the relationship between the Ye family and the Jiang family, Ye Shijie should belong to the Prime Minister's faction. But everyone in Yanjing City knows that the Ye family and the Jiang family broke off contact many years ago, and guessed that Ye Shijie might join the Cheng Wang faction in the future, after all, Cheng Wang's power is growing. However, Jiang Li thought that it would be better for Ye Shijie to be loyal to Emperor Hong Xiao. For some reason, she had a feeling that although Emperor Hong Xiao did not seem to have much power at the moment, this young emperor who ascended the throne was not as simple as he seemed.

The days passed by, and ten days later, Ye Mingxuan came to pick up Jiang Li. They were about to leave Yanjing and head to Xiangyang together.

This time, Madam Jiang also came out of the gate to see them off. Still without seeing Jiang Youyao and Jiang Yu'e, Ji Shuran smiled and said to Ye Mingxuan, "Be careful on the way. Li'er is in your care."

Ye Mingxuan smiled and said, "Don't worry."

Ye Shijie said, "It's getting late. You should set off. If you leave a moment earlier and cover more distance, you can get back to Xiangyang earlier."

Jiang Li turned around, bowed slightly to Old Madam Jiang, and said, "Father and grandmother, don't worry. I will be back soon after visiting my grandmother."

"Of course." Ji Shuran's eyes were filled with love and kindness. She said, "We'll wait for you to come back."

Jiang Li smiled slightly and no longer hesitated. Tong'er helped her get on the carriage. The curtain was lowered, blocking the view of the Jiang family outside. Only Ye Mingxuan's voice of ordering the team could be heard. The carriage rumbled forward.

She felt relieved, but then became excited again.

This is... the way back home.

Although she was no longer Xue Fangfei, and had become the daughter of the Prime Minister, she finally embarked on the journey home.

……

It would take more than a month to travel from Yanjing City to Xiangyang if they hurried along the way. Fortunately, the road was not very rugged and was considered an official road, not as dangerous as the road from Qingcheng Mountain to Xiangyang. Ye Mingxuan was a cautious person and hired a convoy to protect Jiang Li's safety. Jiang Yuanbo also assigned some guards, so that even if they encountered robbers on the road, they could still escape unscathed.

Fortunately, the journey was safe and there was no danger. Ye Mingxuan thought that Jiang Li was spoiled and could not get used to the Changde Road. After all, the distance from Yanjing City to Xiangyang was farther than that from Yanjing City to Qingcheng Mountain. If Jiang Li was not used to the road, the whole team would have to slow down, and it would take much longer to get back to Xiangyang than before.

However, Jiang Li's performance was beyond everyone's expectations.

She was not picky and was easy to serve. Whether staying in an inn or riding in a carriage, she never complained. Sometimes at night, they couldn't find an inn and had to stay outside. When the guards went hunting and roasting rabbit meat, Jiang Li would watch with great interest. If the guards did something wrong, she would help a little. Ah Fu, the servant who followed Ye Mingxuan, was stunned and whispered to Ye Mingxuan, "Second Miss, you must have done this kind of thing a lot before. How come you look so familiar with it?"

Ye Mingxuan was also surprised. Even his own son Ye Rufeng, who had been naughty since childhood, did not do better than Jiang Li. Jiang Li was a rich lady, but she did these things without any discomfort, as if she was used to it.

When asked about Jiang Li, Jiang Li just smiled and said, "When I was in the nunnery in Qingcheng Mountain, I often went outside with Tong'er to catch wild rabbits to eat. Vegetarian food was not enough to fill me up, but fortunately there were plenty of rabbits in the mountains."

Although Tong'er was wondering when she and Jiang Li had gone to catch rabbits, she didn't show it on her face and nodded seriously. Ye Mingxuan didn't say anything, but just smiled and sighed, not knowing whether it was a sigh of admiration or pity.

The journey was smoother than Jiang Li had imagined. Therefore, when they were about to reach Xiangyang City, it was only a month later. According to the original plan, the journey would take about another half a month. But because Jiang Li did not make a fuss along the way, the convoy did not stop and moved very fast.

When the convoy arrived at the gate of Xiangyang City, Ye Mingxuan asked someone to show the pass token to the young soldiers guarding the city. Tong'er pulled up the carriage curtain, looked out curiously, and murmured, "This is Xiangyang City. It looks quite lively."

Jiang Li looked at the scenery outside, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

Tongxiang is a small county under the city of Xiangyang. Xue Huaiyuan used to come to Xiangyang only during festivals to buy things for Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao. At that time, she and Xue Zhao looked forward to coming to Xiangyang every year. Xiangyang was much more lively and prosperous than Tongxiang, and there were many more delicious and fun things to do. But such opportunities were rare. She had been married to Shen Yurong for three years and left Tongxiang. As for Xiangyang, she hadn't seen it for seven or eight years.

The Xiangyang in front of us still looks familiar, but it is more lively, more prosperous and more desirable than seven or eight years ago.

If Xue Zhao were still here, he would definitely laugh and drag her to visit Xiangyang City again...

Just as he was thinking about it, the young general guarding the city saw the order and let the convoy go, and the convoy continued to move forward.

After about an incense stick of time, the convoy gradually slowed down. After an unknown amount of time, the carriage stopped and Ye Mingxuan's voice came from outside the carriage, smiling, "Ali, get off, we're here."

When the doorman saw Ye Mingxuan, he immediately opened the door and called the servant into the house to report, shouting all the way: "Second Master is back! Second Master is back!"

Tong'er helped Jiang Li jump off the carriage.

The Ye family is the richest family in Xiangyang City, or in other words, the family wealth of the Ye family is well-known even in Yanjing City. Therefore, the Ye family mansion is also renovated in a very grand manner. It is said that it has been lived here since the old master Ye. The red door has large tiles and the pillars at the door are carved with fine patterns. Even the hanging lanterns and the white gauze covered are the swallow-wing gauze of Jiangnan.

Tong'er and Bai Xue stood at the gate of the Ye family, their eyes widened. The Ye family's generosity was completely different from the exquisite elegance of the Prime Minister's Mansion. For ordinary people, such a simple and luxurious renovation was naturally more eye-catching.

Ye Mingxuan said: "Ali, this is your first time to the Ye family, right? How is it? Do you think it's okay?"

"Very good." Jiang Li smiled.

She and Xue Zhao had come to Xiangyang City to play before, and had heard of the Ye family's reputation and walked past the gate of the Ye family's mansion. Xue Zhao even sighed that it would be great if she could go in and see what it looked like inside. But she didn't expect that now she could actually walk in through the vermilion gate openly and take a look at the style.

Ye Mingxuan smiled and said, "Let's go."

Jiang Li and Ye Mingxuan approached together.

The Ye family's house looked more spacious and bright than the Prime Minister's Mansion. Compared with the strictness of the Prime Minister's Mansion, it had a bit more of the liveliness of the market. The clothes worn by the servants and maids were also made of high-quality materials, comparable to those worn by Tong'er and Baixue. It was enough to show that the Ye family had a rich family property. When these servants saw Ye Mingxuan, they all saluted. When they saw Jiang Li and his group following Ye Mingxuan, they all looked at him curiously, guessing Jiang Li's identity.

There were several people standing in the Jinhua Hall at this moment.

"Dad is finally back." A boy of about fourteen or fifteen said, "I wonder what good things he brought back from Yanjing City this time?"

"That's all you know." The bookish woman beside him said angrily, "Normally, you have plenty of things in the mansion. You have everything that Yanjing has."

"Sister, please don't blame Rufeng." Another round-faced woman said with a smile, "Rufeng is a little childish. If Shijie were here, he would be the same."

Next to Ye Rufeng stood a beautiful girl who looked a little older than Ye Rufeng. She asked worriedly, "I wonder how things are going over there, big brother? Now that he's a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue, can he still handle it?"

The middle-aged man in a blue shirt standing in the center said nothing and just drank his tea in silence.

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard a servant's voice outside: "The Second Master is back!"

The thinner woman immediately stood up in delight, and saw the curtain of the Brocade Hall being opened. Ye Mingxuan laughed and said, "Brother, Madam, I'm back!"

"Dad!" The boy rushed over.

Jiang Li stood behind Ye Mingxuan. She was also very unfamiliar with the people of the Ye family. However, even if the real Miss Jiang came here, she would probably feel the same as her. You know, they haven't seen each other for ten years.

The young man was Ye Mingxuan's son Ye Rufeng. He suddenly caught sight of Jiang Li standing aside, and immediately stepped out of Ye Mingxuan's arms, asking in confusion, "Who is she?"

Jiang Li stood behind Ye Mingxuan with a smile. Judging from her clothes and appearance, she did not look like a servant, so she could not be the maid that Ye Mingxuan picked up on the road.

Zhuo, the tall, thin, bookish woman, Ye Mingxuan's wife, saw Jiang Li and her face turned pale. She probably thought that Jiang Li was a woman Ye Mingxuan picked up on the road. This happened to many wealthy businessmen. When they went out to do business, they would bring back a strange woman and a so-called son every three to five years. It was impossible for Ye Mingxuan to have a son after being away for several months, but it was not impossible for him to pick up a woman on the road.

Men are always careless in such matters. Ye Mingxuan hadn't noticed that his wife's expression was wrong, but Jiang Li had already seen it and guessed Zhuo's identity. In order to avoid misunderstanding, she had to step forward and called Zhuo with a smile: "Aunt."

The word "Aunt" actually startled Zhuo. Her pale face immediately faded, replaced by confusion. She asked, "Master, who is this girl? Why is she calling me aunt?"

Ye Mingxuan laughed loudly, and said to the man in blue shirt who stood up, "Brother, I didn't come back alone this time. Look who this is, can you recognize him?"

Everyone was puzzled. Only Ye Minghui noticed that Jiang Li had called Zhuo "Aunt" before, and guessed something in his heart.

"This is Zhenzhen's daughter, A Li." Ye Mingxuan said with a smile, "The last time I saw A Li, she was still a little girl, but now she is a girl. A Li, this is your uncle Minghui, your aunt."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Uncle Minghui, Aunt."

Ye Minghui and his wife Guan were both stunned. Guan was a little at a loss, but Ye Minghui frowned.

There was silence in the room.

After a moment, Ye Rufeng suddenly spoke. He looked at Jiang Li with disdain and said, "She is my aunt's daughter, the eldest lady who despised our merchants and made my grandmother sick?"

Zhuo quickly pulled Ye Rufeng to her side. Ye Rufeng looked sharp and said bluntly, "You've already done it. Why are you afraid of what others will say?"

Everyone in the room fell silent instantly and the atmosphere became very awkward.

Originally, when Ye Mingxuan returned to Xiangyang, he did not mention Jiang Li's return. The Ye family did not know that Jiang Li would come, and now she suddenly came, they did not know how to deal with it. You have to know that Jiang Li's words many years ago hurt the heart of Mrs. Ye and the hearts of the entire Ye family. From then on, Jiang Li was just a person who did not exist, who knew that she would suddenly appear. Ye Minghui looked at Ye Mingxuan reproachfully, scolding him for not explaining this matter earlier. Ye Mingxuan looked innocent, but he could not help but look at Jiang Li's reaction.

Jiang Li insisted on going back to Xiangyang with him, so she should have expected this result in advance. The Ye family would not have no grudges, so what would Jiang Li say and do?
Jiang Li looked at the situation in front of her, the smile on her face not changing at all.

Tong'er was embarrassed and aggrieved. She also knew what happened to Jiang Li. Although she admitted that Jiang Li was wrong, her daughter was only five years old at that time. So much time has passed. Why should she hold on to an old thing? If she had known this would happen, she should not have returned to Xiangyang. She came back to see Old Madam Ye with good intentions, but ended up getting rejected. She was really upset.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Jiang Li's gentle voice: "Yes, I am 'that' Jiang Li."

The Ye family was stunned.

Ye Mingxuan almost choked on his own saliva.

When Jiang Li spoke, she was gentle, kind, and smiling. It is said that you should not hit a smiling person, let alone a beautiful girl with a lovely smile. It is even more difficult to slap her. Except for Ye Rufeng, everyone else in the Ye family felt embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.

This girl is really able to cope with all kinds of changes with the same attitude. Ye Mingxuan sighed in her heart, and suddenly remembered what Ye Shijie said to her, "Jiang Li is an unexpected person." This sentence is true. She is indeed unexpected. It seems that the shame, embarrassment and helplessness of ordinary people have never appeared on her. She can always deal with various situations in a particularly calm manner.

Including now.

Ye Mingxuan suddenly felt like laughing. He thought that his elder brother, who was always calm and dignified, was also caught off guard by this situation. Fortunately, he knew his identity as a member of the Ye family, so he pretended to clear his throat and said, "This is your second aunt." He introduced his wife to Jiang Li.

Jiang Li smiled and nodded to Zhuo: "Second aunt."

Zhuo smiled back subconsciously, and was a little dazed after she realized what was happening. The little girl's smile was too sincere. When she went to Yanjing City to pick up Jiang Li, Ye Minghui's brothers, Ye Shijie and the old lady were all there, but she didn't see it with her own eyes. But the rumors about Jiang Li were known to everyone in the Ye family. Ye Minghui and Ye Mingxuan couldn't lie, and there was no need to lie about this matter, so no one suspected that Jiang Li was a hypocritical, heartless, and ungrateful young lady. But after seeing it with her own eyes, Zhuo couldn't help but feel that maybe what happened back then was a misunderstanding. How could such a lovely and gentle girl be the kind of person they said she was?

"This is your cousin Jiaer and cousin Rufeng." Ye Mingxuan continued.

Ye Jiaer was one year older than Jiang Li. She was graceful and generous. To be honest, she didn't look like someone from a merchant family, but more like a well-educated official lady. There was curiosity in her eyes about Jiang Li, but she still nodded to Jiang Li with a smile.

Ye Rufeng was not as friendly as Ye Jiaer. He snorted and turned his head away without even looking at Jiang Li.

"Your uncle Mingyu will be back in a few days, he is not here yet." Ye Mingxuan said.

Jiang Li nodded: "Grandma..."

"The old lady hasn't been feeling well lately," Ye Minghui hesitated for a moment before saying, "If she knew you were coming, she would be excited. Let's tell her after a while. What do you think, Ah Li?"

Before Jiang Li could answer, Ye Rufeng said coldly: "Don't see her. If grandma sees her, what if she gets angry and sick again?"

"Like the wind!" Zhuo warned him.

Ye Rufeng stopped talking, and Jiang Li said, "I'll listen to Uncle Minghui."

Ye Minghui nodded, and said to Guan: "Go find an empty room in the yard and clean it up, and let Ah Li stay there for the time being." He then said to Jiang Li: "You and Lao Er have been traveling for so many days, you must be very tired. Don't think about anything today, just stay here and have a good rest for a while, and we can talk about it tomorrow if there is anything."

Jiang Li was startled. Ye Minghui's words were polite but distant, just like he was talking to a guest from afar, or a guest who was not so close. She sighed deeply in her heart. The gap between Miss Jiang Er and the Ye family was too deep, and it could not be solved in a short time. Even though Ye Mingxuan had been with her for so long, his suspicion of her was not completely dispelled. He still doubted whether her return to Xiangyang was the idea of ​​the Jiang family.

It’s a long way to go.

A genuine smile appeared on her face, and she said, "Thank you, Uncle Minghui."

Compared to the two uncles, the aunts seemed a little overwhelmed. They couldn't be as distant as the two brothers of the Ye family, nor could they be too close. They looked very contradictory. Jiang Li wanted to laugh. Fortunately, they didn't have to stay together forever. After Guan Shi vacated a clean room for her to live in, there was no one else around Jiang Li except the two maids.

Finally it's quiet.

Tong'er closed the door. The room that the Ye family had vacated for Jiang Li was nice, and there was nothing to complain about. Jiang Li sat down, and Bai Xue went to make tea. Tong'er whispered, "Miss, the people of the Ye family clearly didn't want you to see Old Madam Ye on purpose..."

Everyone can see that her second cousin Ye Rufeng's words were a bit harsh, but it was an indisputable fact. Old Madam Ye was not in good health, and she didn't know what it felt like to see her granddaughter for the first time. You know, everyone else in the Ye family was shocked today.

"Miss, if it really doesn't work, let's go back to Yanjing City after meeting Old Madam Ye." Bai Xue also said, "If all members of the Ye family are like this in the future, it will be awkward to live here."

The Ye family was well-mannered, so instead of kicking her out, they served her well and were courteous. But it was this courtesy that made her feel even more uncomfortable, as if she were a guest in a stranger's home.

"Nothing, we just arrived, we need a process to get to know each other." Jiang Li smiled, "Besides, I was wrong in the beginning, the attitude of the Ye family is much better than I thought. Let's wait a few days, let me meet the old lady first."

She came to Xiangyang this time, not to visit relatives, not to meet Old Madam Ye, but to inquire about Xue Huaiyuan. But she couldn't go out to inquire rashly, otherwise it would arouse suspicion. Even if she inquired, it would take a lot of trouble to overturn Xue Zhao's case. The Ye family was a big tree behind her, but now, how to build a good relationship with the Ye family and resolve the past grudges was the top priority.

It needs to be carefully considered.

……

On the other side, in Ye Mingxuan's room, Zhuo was interrogating him.

"Why would Jiang Li come here out of nowhere? What did you do? You didn't even inform me in advance. Even my eldest brother didn't expect it." Zhuo paced back and forth. "What should we do now? She lives in our house. If outsiders see her, they will inevitably gossip. This... you are really something!"

Ye Mingxuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "How can you blame me for this? She asked to go back to Xiangyang to see her mother. Even Old Madam Jiang and Jiang Yuanbo said so. What can I do? Can I stop my niece from coming back? It would be so embarrassing if outsiders saw it."

"Humph, it's nothing more than seeing that my eldest cousin has become a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue," Ye Rufeng sneered, "They say that we businessmen value profit, but I think the Jiang family, the current prime minister, is just as snobbish. When no one from the Ye family entered the government, they hurriedly distanced themselves from the Ye family, but now that they see that the Ye family has connections, they stick to them."

"Don't talk nonsense," Ye Jiaer stopped Ye Rufeng from speaking, "Even if my eldest cousin became a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Jiang family would not bother to curry favor with our Ye family. There are so many powerful people in Yanjing City, and those people still stick to my uncle. How could my uncle let Jiang Li come to Xiangyang just because of my eldest cousin?"

"You keep calling me uncle, sister, you must have forgotten," Ye Rufeng said, "our uncle has already married someone else, and she doesn't think highly of our Ye family. You call me so affectionately, don't you want to take advantage of the Prime Minister's Mansion and become the eldest daughter of Yanjing City?"

"You!" Ye Jiaer was so angry that she couldn't speak.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Zhuo said with a headache, "The situation is already chaotic enough. If you two want to argue, go outside and do it."

At this moment, someone knocked on the door. It was Ye Minghui and Guan who walked in. Now, except for Ye Mingyu who had not returned home, all the people from both branches of the Ye family were gathered in this room.

"Second brother, what do you mean?" Ye Minghui asked as soon as he entered the door.

Ye Mingxuan rarely saw his elder brother so impatient. He was stunned for a moment before he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Why did you bring her back?" Ye Minghui frowned, "You didn't even tell me in advance, what the hell are you doing?"

"Brother, don't scold me like you're scolding the third brother." Ye Mingxuan said aggrievedly, "It wasn't my idea to bring Jiang Li back. It was Jiang Li who suggested it herself."

"She proposed it herself?" Guan was puzzled.

"Yes." Ye Mingxuan simply sat down and told the others what happened in detail. How he met Ye Shijie again in Yanjing City, how Ye Shijie mentioned Jiang Li, how he went to Jiang's house to see Jiang Li, and how Jiang Li asked to go back to Xiangyang with her. That's it, Ye Mingxuan spread his hands, "This is what happened, you listen, can you understand what our niece is thinking?"

No one expected that so many things would happen when Ye Mingxuan went to Yanjing City. No one expected that Jiang Li would become the topic of discussion again and again only half a year after returning to Yanjing City.

"She really became the top of the six arts in Mingyi Hall and was awarded by the emperor?" Ye Jiaer asked in surprise, "Didn't my cousin stay in the nunnery for eight years? There was no one in the nunnery to teach her, so how did she get first place?"

"Yes." Ye Minghui groaned, "Could it be that she is a genius?"

"There aren't so many geniuses in the world." Ye Mingxuan shook his head and smiled, "I think Jiang Li has a lot of secrets. When I went to visit the Jiang Mansion that day, I thought Jiang Li had just returned to Yanjing, and with Ji Shuran around, she would be more careful. Who knew that was not the case at all. Her status in the Jiang family is higher than I thought. Just think about it, to be able to reach this point in half a year, it is not something that ordinary people can do."

Everyone in the room was silent, chewing over Ye Mingxuan's words.

"She helped Shijie at the palace banquet, and she reminded Shijie about Li Lian before. Whether she is using the Ye family or has other plans, she will not hurt Shijie for the time being. I went to Jiang's house, and I wanted to see Jiang Li with my own eyes. After all, I know Shijie well. He said that Jiang Li has become very different, and that means she is very different. Who knew that after I went there, I found that she is not only different, but also completely different people."

"She proposed to go back to Xiangyang. At first I guessed it was the Jiang family's idea, but from the looks of Jiang Yuanbai and Old Madam Jiang, they didn't know about it. I wanted to find out what she wanted to do, so I simply agreed to her idea. As for why I didn't tell you on the way back? I left in such a hurry that I didn't pay attention."

After a moment of silence, Ye Minghui said, "You are right to do this. Since you don't know what she means, let's just walk and see."

The tone of his words did not treat Jiang Li as a relative, but more like a stranger whose purpose was unknown.

"But second brother," Guan said worriedly, "You brought her back. She said she wanted to come back to see mother. But mother's body can't stand the torment now. If she knew that Jiang Li was back, she might make trouble. This... what do you think, should she be allowed to see mother?"

Ye Mingxuan was stunned by the question and subconsciously looked at Ye Minghui.

Ye Minghui said in a deep voice: "Let her see him, but before that, you have to talk to mother first, so as not to scare her."

(End of this chapter)