"Hey, don't go." But Wen Shi grabbed Xie Yunfeng. She knew that her son was deeply favored by the old master. As long as he went to speak, perhaps the old master would agree to let him marry that Ye family girl. This wouldn't do, or else it would be her death sentence.

  "Alright, if you really like her, then take her as a concubine. Marrying her as your wife? I will never agree to that, even if you go ask your father. Tong Er, do you want to be an unfilial child who only wants a wife but not a mother?"

  "Take her as a concubine?" Xie Yunfeng was taken aback, then shook his head. "That Ye young lady is the legitimate daughter, and the Ye family would never agree to let her become a concubine."

  "Wen snorted: 'What's the big deal about being a legitimate daughter? With our family's status and your talent, it wouldn't be humiliating for her to be a concubine. This matter is settled then. You can take in the girl you like, and I'll find a suitable daughter-in-law. Neither of us will delay the other. As for the Ye family, I'll send someone to propose the marriage, and guarantee that Ye Erniang will be brought back home.'"

  Xie Yunfeng stood there, silent for half a day. Actually, he had also been subjected to the pressure from Guo's side since childhood, comparing himself with his older half-brother. He didn't want to marry a wife of low social status either, letting others laugh at him and making his own mother anxious. If it weren't for Ye Zhuo's elegant and refined temperament and her skill in Go, which had won his admiration, he would never have said he wanted to marry her. Now that his mother said she could bring Ye Zhuo into the family, that was the best outcome.

  Let's do it this way for now. If not, we'll discuss with Father again. Xie Yunfeng made a decision and nodded: "Alright. However, Mother, the sooner the better. If the Ye family has already arranged a marriage for Miss Ye, then things will be difficult."

  "Tomorrow, mother will send someone to propose. However, even if the engagement is agreed upon, you can't immediately move in; you have to wait until after you get married and then take a concubine, otherwise no good girl would be willing to marry you."

  "Alright then." Xie Yunfeng replied helplessly. Although he couldn't wait to bring Ye Zhuo home tomorrow, there were some rules that had to be followed.

  As for Ye Fu, Jiang Shi pretended to be unwell and let the three sisters return. Ye Zhuo took Autumn Moon back to Biyu Residence. On the way, Autumn Moon looked at Ye Zhuo's back, opened her mouth several times wanting to speak, but ultimately closed it again.

  "What did you want to say?" Ye Zhuo asked without turning his head.

  Finally got the chance to speak, although she knew it was not suitable for a young lady to discuss such topics, Autumn Moon still asked: "Miss, what do you think is the meaning of Mr. Xie's visit to our mansion today?"

  "Who knows what he means? It has nothing to do with us anyway." Ye Zhuo said calmly.

  Qiu Yue glanced at Ye Zhuo and bit her lip: "In my opinion, Xie Gongzi seems to have taken a liking to the young lady." As she said this, her spirits lifted, and her eyes sparkled brightly. "If the young lady can marry Xie Gongzi, then everything will be fine."

  Xie Yun Ting had just broken up with them not long ago, and now he's chasing her home. In her opinion, this already means a lot, that is, he has a crush on their own daughter. And Xie Yun Ting is of similar age and appearance to the girl, and the Xie family is wealthy, so for Ye Zhuo's current situation, being able to marry into the Xie family would be the best choice. As for being adopted by the main house, Qiu Yue felt that the difficulty was not ordinary; moreover, even if she were adopted, with the poverty of the main house, Ye Zhuo would not find a marriage like the Xie family's in the future. So this marriage is the top choice.

  "Even if he takes a liking to me, this marriage is still against my will." Yuezhuo said, "Don't mention this again from now on."

  "Miss..." Autumn Moon was shocked, "Why? I think Mr. Xie is quite good!"

  Ye Zhuo looked at the flowers and trees in front of him, but didn't say another word.

  In her past life, her marriage had failed miserably. So in this lifetime, unless absolutely necessary, she really didn't want to get married. She just wanted to rely on her own two hands to earn money and live a free and easy life, no longer having to look at men's faces or serve them. Moreover, this Mr. Xie, who seemed fine to Autumn Moon and others, was nothing special in her eyes; she really didn't think he had anything good about him.

  "Second Miss, Second Miss! Old Master is calling for you to go upstairs, he has something to ask you." Suddenly came the voice of Chuncao from behind.

  Ye Chuan sighed, stopped in her tracks, and turned around. She knew that after Xie Yunfeng left, Ye Yuzhang would definitely call her to ask questions. After all, only she had gone out today. She had only stayed in the main house for a short while before leaving, and it wouldn't take much investigation to find out.

  As expected, when they reached the upper house, Ye Yuzhang asked straightforwardly: "Zhuo'er, did you see Xie Gongzi today?"

  "I've seen him before. Today I went to Guangneng Temple to burn incense and ran into Xie Gongzi who was donating monk's robes." Ye Zhuo said.

  "Have you... talked before?"

  "Yes. I told Qiuyue that it would be great to meet Master Nengren and have him read my fortune. Coincidentally, Xie Gongzi was passing by and overheard our conversation, so he offered to introduce us."

  Ye Yuzhang's eyes lit up: "Have you seen Master Neng Ren?"

  "Yes. I went with Xie Gongzi to the Chan temple and met Master Nengren..."

  Ye Yuzhang hastily interrupted Ye Zhuo's words: "Can he help you with your fate? What exactly did he say?" If Ye Zhuo could also give birth to a noble fate, then the Ye family would be rich. At that time, what would the Xie family count for?

  "No. At that time there were other people there who could play chess with Master Nengren. I saw that they were all men, and it was inconvenient for me to stay there for a long time, so I just paid my respects to Master Nengren and left first."

  Ye Yu Zhang was extremely disappointed. However, he immediately perked up and looked at Ye Zhuo with a warm smile, nodding his head: "You being able to recognize Xie Gongzi is also your good fortune. For the next two days, stay home and don't go out. I'll tell your grandmother later to make you some new clothes." After finishing speaking, he took a look at the hair accessory on Ye Zhuo's head, "And have two more accessories made."

  Ye Zhuo's face remained calm and serene, without a hint of joy or shyness, and he simply bowed his head and slowly performed a courtesy: "Thank you, Grandfather."

  Yan Yuezhou's behavior was elegant and refined, with a dignified air about him. Ye Yuzhang nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, you can go back now. Don't bother submitting any embroidery this month, just take a good rest and don't strain your eyes."

  "Thank you, Grandfather, for your concern. I'll take my leave." Yu Zuo bowed again and then turned to leave with Qiu Yue.

  At this time, Ye Lin was sitting in Wang's room, her cheeks flushed as she looked at Wang, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  At that time, Ye Jiaming told Jiang Shi to take the three sisters to see Xie Yunteng. Wang Yiniang was beside Jiang Shi at that moment. Seeing her daughter like this, how could she not know what she was thinking? She raised an eyebrow and asked: "Liner, have you taken a liking to that young master Xie?"

  Yelín came here originally wanting her mother to help mediate this marriage, so although she was shy, she still nodded in agreement.

  "You should know that with your family background, you're not even worthy of the Xie family to begin with. And on top of that, as a concubine's daughter, if you want to marry into the Xie family, the only way is to be a concubine."

  "I... I don't care about status." Ye Lin said shyly in a low voice.

  "Ah, Lin'er, all these years you've seen your mother live a good life, not having to look at Zheng Shi's face or stand on ceremony in front of her, and even being able to show off in front of her. You think that's how all concubines live? Do you know what it means to be a concubine? It means standing while the wife sits, serving the wife food, and being scolded by the wife is a regular occurrence. And as for children, they may not even be able to raise them in front of their own eyes. That's a status only slightly better than a maid."

  Ye Lin opened her eyes in surprise and looked at Wang Yiniang: "How is that possible?"

  "How is it impossible?" Wang's aunt was amused by her words, "With the status of the Xie family, in the future, marrying a wife must be a high-ranking aristocratic family. Those cunning and clever means, just pointing a finger can destroy you. Moreover, the Xie family has a second concubine, that young master Xie will definitely have many concubines and mistresses in the future. The drama of competing for favor and fortune will be performed every day. You have never suffered at home, how could you understand those things? If you suffer from grievances there, with our family's status, we can't support you. You must think these things through clearly."

  Ye Lin stood there, not speaking for half a day. Wang Yiniang didn't urge her either, slowly sipping tea and waiting for her daughter to suddenly come to a realization.

  "But mother, that young master Xie is really handsome." Yelin thought for half a day, although she didn't want to recall the terrible days her mother had mentioned, but in her heart, she couldn't bear to part with that handsome and elegant young master Xie.

  "Good-looking, can good looks fill your belly?" Wang's wife glared at her, "Is your father good-looking? Your mother and grandmother are still protecting you. But look, I had to suffer this morning, kneeling down to serve tea to someone? You also have to call that unrelated person 'mother', as a concubine-born daughter, you can't get a good marriage, and if there's no good marriage, you'll be controlled by those lowly people! These men, as long as they're not cripples, it's fine if they're just passable, what's the point of being so good-looking? It's useless, and it will only attract trouble, bringing that fox spirit back home."

  Jian Ye Lin was still standing there motionless, Wang Yiniang's face turned stern: "Alright, stop lingering around. Your marriage, I will take care of it myself. I am your mother, everything I do is for your own good, would I harm you?"