Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 142

Although Qi Yun hadn't told Commander Ye about their arrival in the Capital, Commander Ye's subordinates weren't strangers. Those he had sent to protect his sister and brother-in-law were all General Ye's personal attendants, so naturally there were people in the Capital who recognized them.

Seeing them enter the city, Commander Ye quickly received the news.

Princess Huaning happened to be there as well, so the two of them came to find them together.

Commander Ye first went to the residence, but when he found they hadn't settled there, he came to the Qi Family Wine Shop and indeed saw the two had just gotten off their carriage.

Ye Da Lang had a straightforward personality. Though he usually had a stern temperament with a hard expression on his face, seeing Ye Jiao made him unconsciously smile. He strode forward with open arms, "Little sister, you finally came!"

He did this because in Commander Ye's heart, Ye Jiao was still that soft little girl who would hide behind him. But now she was already the mother of three children, with her husband beside her. Even as siblings from the same mother, it wouldn't be proper to be so intimate.

So Princess Huaning grabbed Commander Ye's arm, making him restrain himself a bit. Her eyes looked at Ye Jiao with a smile, "Jiao Niang, was the journey smooth?"

Ye Jiao first reached out and gently grasped Commander Ye's fingers, shaking them as a greeting, then after exchanging courtesies with Princess Huaning, she smiled and said, "Smooth, though I felt a bit uncomfortable on the boat, but that quickly passed."

Qi Yun also greeted Commander Ye and Princess Huaning, but didn't talk much.

It wasn't that Qi Yun had to be cold and distant in front of these two, but rather that his brother-in-law was Ye Jiao's real brother, and Princess Huaning was also family from her maiden side. He just needed to stand properly now. They surely had countless things to say to Jiao Niang, so he didn't need to keep interjecting.

And indeed, Commander Ye asked Ye Jiao a bunch of questions, like whether her health was good, whether the children were well, whether she had suffered any grievances on the road, and so on. From the moment they entered until they walked into the front hall, he didn't stop asking.

Finally, Princess Huaning glared at him, "Enough, stop chattering with all these questions. You're making my ears hurt. You men talk among yourselves. Jiao Niang and I have private things to discuss." After saying this, she took Ye Jiao's arm and went to the back courtyard.

Commander Ye watched their retreating figures longingly until they disappeared from sight, then finally sat down.

Qi Yun observed from the side, thinking that his brother-in-law probably wasn't just concerned about his sister. Looking at those eyes, he was clearly attached to Princess Huaning too.

It seemed this marriage would be very harmonious.

Since he thought of it, Qi Yun said, "I wonder when Elder Brother plans to prepare for the wedding? I can help too."

In terms of manpower, Commander Ye naturally wasn't lacking.

But as a brother-in-law, helping was also his duty.

When Commander Ye brought up this matter, he showed a smile and said loudly, "We have to wait until after the Imperial Examinations and the Imperial Beauty Selection before we can hold it. There are many things this year, with the metropolitan examination coming up, and after that there's still the beauty selection. There's no peace. His Majesty told me to wait until May to get married, to bring some good fortune."

Qi Yun couldn't help but calculate in his mind.

The March metropolitan examination was a fixed rule that couldn't be changed. When the results were announced at the end of March or early April, it would be immediately followed by the palace examination, then the parade through the streets on horseback and the Deer Cry Banquet. There would surely be quite a commotion for a while.

So where would there be time for beauty selection after that? Wouldn't this directly connect to Princess Huaning's wedding?

He had originally thought that whether it was the storytellers or other methods before, they should all have been at Empress Meng's instigation. But now it seemed their new emperor didn't take the beauty selection seriously at all and wasn't the least bit concerned about it.

However, this was ultimately the royal family's domestic affairs and had no connection to ordinary people like himself. So Qi Yun didn't say more, but instead said, "Thank you, Elder Brother, for helping with the shop and residence matters."

Commander Ye waved his hand, "I just found you a place. Everything else was managed well by you." As he spoke, Commander Ye raised his eyes and looked around, the smile in his eyes particularly genuine, "Second Brother, you're truly capable. I'm relieved that my sister is with you."

To be able to expand a wine shop to half a street's scale in the Capital, where influences were mixed and complicated, Qi Yun's mind was indeed extraordinarily clever.

Such a clever person, in Commander Ye's thinking, should serve the court, become an official. With Chu Chengyun's support, he would surely soar to great heights.

But on second thought, officials inevitably faced struggles, especially now when the court situation was unstable. The slightest carelessness could result in the entire family's destruction. It was better to be leisurely and comfortable now. After all, what Commander Ye wanted was for Ye Jiao to live well, and the current situation couldn't be better.

Qi Yun could see that Commander Ye seemed to be thinking about something and didn't disturb him. Instead, he got up to check on the few boxes he had brought.

Since they were only staying at the shop for one night and would move to the new residence tomorrow, these boxes didn't need to be unpacked, but they still needed to be handled carefully and couldn't be randomly touched.

Just then, Qi Ming came in with Liu Si.

Qi Ming had completely missed the Ye family reunion scene earlier. He had been holding a book and reading seriously, and by the time he came to his senses, there was no one outside.

When he entered and saw Commander Ye, Qi Ming showed a smile, "Elder Brother Ye."

Commander Ye also stood up to greet him, then remembered another matter from his trip.

He took a letter from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "This is from Third Prince for you. Remember not to let others see it, and burn it after reading."

Qi Ming was somewhat puzzled and wanted to ask why, but soon he showed a look of realization.

It must be that his sworn brother's family affairs were troublesome again. He needed to be careful now, and naturally Qi Ming should cooperate with him to protect his sworn brother's safety.

Having imagined a bunch of palace intrigue scenarios in his head, Qi Ming solemnly accepted the letter and earnestly said to Commander Ye, "Please, Elder Brother Ye, take good care of my sworn brother's safety." Then he went with Liu Si to find his room with a somewhat serious expression.

Commander Ye looked confused, while Qi Yun had some understanding of his third brother's thoughts and patted Commander Ye, saying, "It's nothing. Third Brother just likes to overthink."

This made Commander Ye somewhat worried, "He won't guess... that person's identity, will he?" Chu Chengyun had told him to keep it secret. Although Chu Chengyun had a good temper, it wouldn't be good if Qi Ming really discovered it.

Qi Yun's expression was calm, "He won't."

"Second Brother, why are you so certain?"

"Third Brother is very innocent. Don't worry."

Commander Ye: ......

Meanwhile, in the back courtyard, someone had led Ye Jiao and Princess Huaning to the back hall. After everyone withdrew, Princess Huaning immediately stood up and ran toward the three children.

She loved children. When she was still a princess, Princess Huaning didn't have many younger brothers and sisters. Even when there were some, relationships between princes and princesses often involved their respective mothers' complications, so Princess Huaning could only look from afar and didn't dare approach them.

Now seeing three adorable children who were also family, she naturally couldn't move away.

But which one to hold first made Princess Huaning hesitate.

Xu Bao was well-behaved and loved to smile, Ruyi was lively and cheerful, and Ning Bao... lying there soft and cuddly was also very fun.

So she simply sat beside the soft couch, touching this one and coaxing that one, having a wonderful time.

Ye Jiao walked over and sat on the other side, reaching out to hold Xu Bao, who had been preparing to bother Ning Bao, on her lap. She had Nanny Mo make milk cakes to feed him, while her eyes looked at Princess Huaning with a smile, "They recognize people now. If you call their names, they'll respond."

Princess Huaning had already learned the three children's names from Commander Ye and was immediately eager to try.

When she called Xu Bao, he immediately responded with a crisp "Eh!"

When she called Ruyi, Ruyi moved her head. Though she didn't respond, she knew to look toward the source of the sound, then reached out to grab and study Princess Huaning's sleeve.

When she called Ning Bao, this child just opened his eyes. Seeing it was someone he didn't recognize, he immediately curled into a ball and rolled around to the inside of the soft couch, avoiding Princess Huaning. Then he cautiously watched her with his eyes, clearly indicating that if she spoke again, Ning Bao would roll even farther away.

This behavior made Princess Huaning somewhat stunned, then she burst into laughter and directly climbed up wanting to catch him.

Ning Bao was still small, wobbly even when sitting, and couldn't crawl yet. Seeing Princess Huaning coming, he could only keep rolling. Fortunately, soft quilts surrounded the area, so even rolling to the edge wouldn't hurt from bumping into anything.

In the end, Princess Huaning couldn't bear to tire the little one out. She sat back down, laughing so hard she was out of breath, and said to Ye Jiao, "Your three children are all quite clever, especially this one. He definitely can't be carried away by bad people. He's truly sharp."

Ye Jiao had never seen Ning Bao behave like this before. Seeing it now, she was also very curious, and even cheered him on from the side when Ning Bao was rolling around.

Xu Bao, on the other hand, habitually only listened to compliments. As soon as Princess Huaning finished speaking, he proudly puffed out his little chest and said crisply, "Little brother, smart!"

Princess Huaning teased him, "What about little sister?"

"Little sister smart too!"

"Compared to Xu Bao?"

Xu Bao showed a smile, "Xu Bao smartest," then added, "Read books to little brother and little sister."

Princess Huaning immediately hugged Xu Bao and stuffed a small gold ingot into his hand, saying it was a meeting gift for him.

For the twins, Princess Huaning had also prepared two beautiful small gold locks with jade inlays in the middle. Gold and jade together had an excellent meaning.

Ye Jiao was already used to this princess's habit of giving gold at every turn and accepted them with a smile.

After playing for a while, the two little ones got sleepy, and Xu Bao was also rubbing his belly saying he was hungry. Ye Jiao had Nanny Mo take them aside to eat and sleep as needed, while she went to the table with Princess Huaning to drink tea.

Princess Huaning drank her tea and composed herself, finally finding an opportunity to discuss serious matters, "Jiao Niang, arrange your household affairs well these days. When things settle down a bit, come with me to the palace. Empress Mother wants to meet you."