Capital City Ode 28: Refusal

  Refusal

  The Jade Beauty Pearl... Ye Li thought of the most coveted item among the three prizes she had received, a bright green pearl that shone with a soft light. It was said that wearing the Jade Beauty Pearl would grant eternal youth. For women who loved beauty, this was more attractive than precious jewelry or fine clothes. However, for Ye Li, whose mental age was much older than her physical age of 15, it didn't have as much appeal. Everyone had a desire to be beautiful, and she was still young; as long as she took care of herself in the future, she could pursue beauty when her appearance matched her actual age. If at 50 years old she still looked like she was 20, Ye Li wasn't sure if she would really like that. Moreover, she was skeptical about the Jade Beauty Pearl's supposed "eternal youth". At least its original owner, Princess Zhao Yang, although younger than her peers, was far from being in the prime of her life. But... just because she didn't care about it didn't mean others could take it away!

  "Father, please forgive me, but Ziyu is no longer with Lili." Ye Lili said calmly.

  "How is that possible?!" Ye Ying exclaimed, then looked at Ye Li suspiciously: "Third sister, aren't you reluctant to part with the beauty bead? I'm also thinking for the sake of Consort Shao's well-being, after all, Consort Shao is our Ye family's reliance."

  Yeli sneered inwardly. Rely on? How many of the truly stable and enduring aristocratic families relied on relationships by marriage to maintain their position?

  "Fourth sister thinks too much. It's just a bright pearl anyway. I've already given it away."

  "Give it to someone? How could you possibly give the Beauty Pearl to someone?" Wang Shi shouted in a shrill voice. Which woman under heaven wouldn't want the Beauty Pearl? If she weren't thinking of her daughter in the palace, Wang Shi herself would probably also want to keep the Beauty Pearl for herself.

  Ye Li gave her a strange look and said, "Lier is only fifteen years old, still far from needing the beauty bead." She wouldn't think like ancient people that fourteen or fifteen years old was the most beautiful age for girls. Even if ancient women matured early, a girl of fourteen or fifteen would still seem too young. Even someone as beautiful as Ye Ying was actually not comparable to Yao Ji's unique charm at twenty years old. Old Lady Ye's eyes sank, looking at Ye Li and saying, "Who did Lier give it to? Let's see if we can get it back. Even if we exchange it for something even more precious, that's fine."

  Ye Li furrowed her brow, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Old Lady Ye, a hint of oddness in her expression. "Exchange it back?"

  Mrs. Ye had long been a shrewd person, so how could she not know that it was impolite to ask for gifts back after they had been given? However, the value of the Beauty Pearl to Consort Shao was just too great. She believed that once news of the upcoming Flower Festival reached the palace, Consort Shao would also ask them for it. Moreover, Mrs. Ye did not plan on asking for it back in the name of the Ye family; it would be best if Ye Li could personally go and ask for it back. Of course, Mrs. Ye actually suspected that this was just an excuse made up by Ye Li, who simply did not want to take out the item. Forcing a gentle smile, Mrs. Ye said softly, "Good child, Grandmother knows this is somewhat impolite. But you also know how important the Beauty Pearl is to Consort Shao. Consort Shao's days in the palace are difficult; if she had the help of the Beauty Pearl, she could gain more favor from the Emperor..." Ye Li furrowed her brow and said helplessly, "But Grandmother, I've already given the Beauty Pearl and the Snow Sound Zither to Eldest Uncle..."

  Ye Shangshu's face sank, and he glared at Ye Li: "Nonsense! What use does your uncle have for the Jade of Retaining Youth?" If it were someone else, Ye Shangshu could still send someone to intercept it. But as for things given to his late wife's brother, Ye Shangshu really didn't have the guts to intercept them. Mr. Qingyun had two sons and one daughter, with his second son, Xu Hongyan, currently being the only member of the Xu family still in office. However, the person who made Ye Shangshu feel the most pressure was actually his brother-in-law, Xu Hongyu, who had left the capital ten years ago. He was also the most renowned and wealthy scholar under heaven. Unlike Xu Yushi's refined yet slightly sharp and principled demeanor, this great scholar of the world was known for being forever gentle and elegant in manner, but if he looked down on someone, that person would be miserable beyond death. This was also why Ye Shangshu didn't dare to send Ye Rong to the Lushan Academy despite their familial relationship over the years. This brother-in-law was not as proper as he seemed on the surface; he had a deep understanding of human nature.

  Ye Li smiled and said, "A few days ago, my uncle mentioned in his letter that Grandfather's Songfeng qin was broken, so I immediately sent it to him as soon as Snow Sound Li got excited. By the way, I thought of sending the Stay Youth Pearl to Aunt as well since it's not useful for me to keep it. Of course, I also sent the purple jade hairpin that is said to have health benefits to Second Aunt."

  Ye Shangshu's face twisted again, and for some reason, when he heard that his daughter had broken the松风琴 sent to her father-in-law, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and a hint of inexplicable guilt rose in his heart. Therefore, he couldn't muster up a strong attitude towards Ye Li either, only managing a somewhat forced reprimand: "You... this child, why didn't you discuss it with your father and mother first?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow nonchalantly in her mind - was this father of hers too used to being an official that his brain wasn't working properly anymore, or did he really think Wang Shi was virtuous and kind? Did he need to consult with his concubine-turned-wife about sending gifts to his former father-in-law? Would the gift still be sent after consulting her?

  "It was Lier who didn't know what to consider. It was all Big Uncle said that Grandfather's temper wasn't light. Lier couldn't show filial piety in front of Grandfather, and now she had gotten the Snow Sound Zither, so in a moment of excitement, she immediately had someone send it away." Ye Lier lowered her head in shame.

  Ye Shangshu forced a smile and said: "Father knows that Li'er is a filial child."

  "Dad..." Ye Ying cried out anxiously.

  Ye Shangshu's expression turned solemn, and he waved his hand: "This matter will be dropped. There is no need to say more. Turn back and send more silver tickets to Yu'er in the palace. The upper and lower levels of the palace cannot be stingy."

  Although Wang was resentful, she had followed Ye Shangshu for twenty years and understood her husband better than anyone else. As soon as she saw his expression, she knew that this matter was not up for discussion, and she couldn't help but feel resentment towards Ye Li and the late Mrs. Ye. It's always like this! Every time Xu's family is mentioned, her husband will never think of himself, is Xu's family his maternal family, and isn't Wang's family his too?

  As she walked out of Rong Le Tang, Ye Li let out a soft sigh and turned to look at Ye Ying who was following closely behind her. "Fourth sister, I'll head back first."

  Ye Ying seemed to have not heard Ye Li's words, and smiled softly: "Third sister is really generous, such a priceless treasure was given away without even looking at it."

  "Fourth sister smiled. Grandfather and two aunts are not outsiders after all. Moreover, the two uncles and aunts took good care of my sister, but although she was born in the Shangshu Mansion, everything around her wasn't hers to own. Now that she finally has some things to show for it, she naturally wants to be filial to her elders. After all... shouldn't people have a grateful heart? And you, these years eating and using my mother's dowry money, have you ever thought of her even a little bit?"

  "Third sister is right, little sister has learned her lesson." Ye Ying said through gritted teeth.

  Ye Li smiled, "I'm a common person, I only know how to repay my elders' kindness with these trivial things. Can't compare to Fourth Sister's elegance and indifference to worldly possessions. Fourth Sister, slow down."

  "Third sister, take care!"

  No longer paying attention to the changing expression on Ye Ying's face, Ye Li walked calmly towards Qing Yi Xuan, "Qing Feng, tell Zhao Niang that her days are numbered. Find something for the madam to do. I don't want to see them recently."

  "Yes, miss."