Chapter 51: Good Taste

Ye Heng shot a quick glance at Ye Chutang and immediately refuted her: "How can that work? No matter how good another academy is, how can it compare to the Imperial Academy? Enough, you don't need to say more. My mind is made up on this matter!"

Having just been promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, many people were watching him closely, both openly and covertly, looking for any slip-up. Naturally, he had to be careful in everything he did to avoid giving anyone cause for gossip.

If they went and couldn't keep up... that would be the problem of the two brothers themselves, and would have nothing to do with him as their second uncle.

By then, they might even be unable to endure it themselves and proactively request to withdraw from school.

Seeing Ye Heng's determined attitude, Lady Gao found it difficult to say anything more.

Ye Chutang nodded and bowed politely.

"Thank you, Second Uncle."

...

With this, the issue of A-Yan and A-Feng's schooling was resolved, and since they didn't have to pay tuition, Ye Chutang was quite satisfied.

Just as the group walked out of the courtyard, they bumped into Ye Mingze, who had just returned.

He had been unable to swallow his anger the previous day and had spent the night at the Chunfeng Pavilion; even now, he carried a heavy, lingering scent of alcohol.

Seeing Ye Chutang and the Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng behind her, the fire in Ye Mingze's heart flared up again, and he glared at them fiercely.

"Get out, get out! Get the hell out of my house!"

Ye Yunfeng stepped forward, but was quietly restrained by Ye Chutang.

She clasped her hands together, appearing unperturbed by his words: "Mingze, you are drunk."

Hearing the commotion, Ye Heng, who was sitting in the room, hurried out, his brow twitching.

"What nonsense are you babbling! To dare stay out all night, your audacity is truly growing!"

Lady Gao hurriedly pulled him aside: "Master! Anger harms the body! Besides, Mingze has only had a bit too much to drink; how can one take drunken words seriously? Chutang, don't you agree?"

It was as if if Ye Chutang were to get angry, she would be the one being overly petty.

Ye Chutang smiled slightly: "Second Aunt is right. I see that Mingze has drunk quite a lot; it's best to let him return to his room and rest early."

The words "return to his room" once again provoked Ye Mingze. He gritted his teeth: "You shouldn't have come back! If it weren't for you, I—"

Lady Gao immediately shot a look at Yu Hong: "Quickly, take Mingze back! And go brew a bowl of sobering soup for him!"

Yu Hong responded repeatedly and called two more servants; the three of them worked together to pull Ye Mingze away.

The rest of his words were swallowed in sobs and never made it out.

Of course, everyone present knew exactly what he was going to say.

Ye Shixian said with a face full of apology: "Cousin, Mingze didn't mean those things, please don't take them to heart."

"How could I?"

The corners of Ye Chutang's lips curled upward.

Ye Heng was strict, Lady Gao was doting—a spoiled young master who had already been ruined would only bring endless trouble.

She was more than happy to watch the drama unfold; why would she mind?

...

After returning to tidy up briefly, Ye Chutang led them out.

A-Yan and A-Feng had not been back to the capital for a long time, and when Xiao Wu left, she was only a little over a year old, so she had no real memory of it. Now that they had finally returned, they naturally had to have a good look around.

Ye Chutang politely declined Ye Shixian's offer to accompany them.

Ye Shixian hadn't really wanted to go with them anyway, so after being rejected, she didn't insist and stayed behind under the pretext of looking after Ye Mingze.

As the siblings walked onto the streets, they looked at the bustling and prosperous thoroughfares, each with a different state of mind.

Ye Jingyan sighed softly: "After three years away, the capital doesn't seem to have changed much; it is still as noisy as before."

Ye Yunfeng was visibly much more excited: "Yes! Such a grand sight can only be seen in the capital! If we were still in Jiangling, how could we ever see this?"

Holding Xiao Wu, he pointed in a certain direction: "Look, Xiao Wu! That's a sugar figurine maker! Do you want me to buy you one?"

Xiao Wu's large, dark eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously.

Ye Yunfeng immediately walked over while holding her: "Boss! One sugar figurine, please!"

The elderly sugar maker looked up at Xiao Wu and smiled: "Alright! Then—should I make one just like the little girl?"

With practiced movements, a plump, cute little girl sugar figurine appeared in his hands in no time.

Xiao Wu watched with unblinking eyes.

Soon, the old man handed the figurine over: "Here! Hold it tight, little one!"

However, Xiao Wu shook her head and seriously made a "four" gesture with her fingers.

The old man froze for a moment, only then noticing Ye Chutang and Ye Jingyan following behind, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He wondered which noble family these young masters and ladies belonged to, as every single one of them was so exceptionally good-looking!

He asked Xiao Wu with a smile: "You want four, right?"

Xiao Wu nodded hurriedly.

"Fine! Coming right up!"

In a short while, four sugar figurines were finished.

They were vivid and lifelike.

Ye Chutang also watched with great interest.

When she had come to life as the second young lady of the Ye family, it was just a few days before Ye Zheng was demoted to Wuzhou. The original owner's body was frail, and she had spent several days recuperating in bed before gradually improving and digesting the memories left by the original owner.

But in truth, the original Ye Chutang had not grown up in the capital.

Ye Zheng had passed the imperial examinations in his youth and was exceptionally talented. Later, when he entered officialdom, he was continuously promoted and assisted by influential people.

However, for the first ten-plus years, he did not hold office in the capital, meaning his entire family lived in other regions.

It wasn't until four years ago that he was transferred back to the capital.

Unfortunately, Xiao Wu had only just been born at the time, and since the original Ye Chutang's health was poor, they had temporarily stayed in Jiangnan to recuperate.

Six months later, when the weather warmed, Ye Zheng finally brought the family to the capital.

However, after arriving, she could not adapt to the climate here; her illness relapsed, and she spent another six months resting in bed.

Therefore, she did not have many specific impressions of the capital.

While A-Yan and A-Feng perhaps felt nostalgia, Ye Chutang felt more curiosity.

At that moment, Xiao Wu stopped Ye Jingyan's movement to pay. She pulled out her own purse, took out a piece of broken silver, and handed it over, then held the four sugar figurines in her hands as if they were precious treasures.

—Big sister! Third brother! Fourth brother! And her! The whole family is here, all together!

...

By the time they finished their stroll and returned, it was already afternoon.

Xiao Wu was inseparable from those four sugar figurines.

Ye Chutang sat at the table, lost in thought.

Since she had returned to the capital, she needed to think about how to make money.

After all, there were many places where money would need to be spent in the future.

Opening a medical clinic was not very realistic; her current identity brought many inconveniences.

She would have to find other ways.

On the street today, she had taken an interest in the locations of three shops, but she hadn't decided which one to take yet.

"Xiao Wu," Ye Chutang beckoned to her and tossed three crumpled pieces of paper onto the table, "pick one."

Xiao Wu ran over with pitter-patter steps. Although she didn't know what her sister was doing, she obediently picked one.

Ye Chutang opened it and smiled.

As expected, she had picked the one with the most expensive rent, located on the same street as the Lanyue Pavilion—a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

"This is the one."

...

In the evening, Lian Zhou hurried back to the manor.

"Master, there is currently no movement from the Lanyue Pavilion side."

Shen Yanchuan was not surprised: "Keep watching."

Lian Zhou complied, but his expression was somewhat strange. "Master, there is one more thing..."

Shen Yanchuan said indifferently: "Speak."

Lian Zhou hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice.

"It seems Physician Ye has taken an interest in that cloth shop diagonally opposite the Lanyue Pavilion. What do you think..."

Shen Yanchuan's brush paused, and he let out a light chuckle.

"Her taste is quite good."