usatvline Chapter 534 Exactly the same
Chapter 534 Exactly the same
Ye Qing'an understood what the Third Aunt meant and followed her gaze: "The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Because they have experienced the bitter cold, they know how to endure, which is why they are now blooming on the branches with a fragrant aroma."
Third Aunt chuckled and nodded gently: "Yes."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "In the spring when all the flowers are in bloom, I won't join the crowd. Otherwise, with so many flowers blooming, people will be overwhelmed and won't notice me. I will bloom in the harsh winter, when the cold wind is howling and the snow is falling, so that I can be seen at a glance."
"Even if I were to make a plum blossom, I would want to be the very top one, so that it would be seen by others and less likely to be picked."
“That makes sense.” Ye Qing’an knew that the Third Aunt’s words were implying the current situation in the mansion, so she just smiled softly and agreed.
After saying this, the two fell silent.
Not long after returning to the courtyard from the garden, Zixiao came to report: "I heard that several concubines went to the master's place today, bringing clothes, books and tonic soup, but the master chased them all away."
"Their intentions were far too obvious. Ye Qinghao isn't stupid, so how could he fall for it?"
Zixiao nodded, then continued, "I heard that Seventh Aunt spent the whole day at the mourning hall today."
"Ah."
Seeing that Ye Qing'an didn't react much, Zi Xiao knew that Ye Qing'an had probably forgotten, so she whispered a reminder: "I heard from Granny Wei that Seventh Concubine's current behavior is exactly the same as Liu Xueying's back then."
"Huh?" Ye Qing'an looked somewhat confused: "The same as what?"
"Granny Wei said that after the lady... that is, the young lady's mother, died in childbirth, Liu Xueying stayed in the mourning hall for several days."
Ye Qing'an narrowed her eyes: "Is that so? How come I didn't know?"
"It was probably because Miss was young at the time and had to take care of the newborn second young master. I didn't enter the manor at the time, and I only learned about this from Granny Wei."
Ye Qing'an leaned back on the soft couch and searched through the depths of her memory.
Actually, probably because the situation was too chaotic at the time, the original owner couldn't remember much about what happened after Su Wan's death.
All that could be heard was her own utter panic, the people coming and going, and Ye Feiran's sobs.
She remembered that she did go to keep vigil for Su Wan at first, but she fainted in front of the coffin and was sent back.
Later, because Ye Feiran had no one to take care of her, she worried that something might happen to the child her mother had risked her life to give birth to, so she stayed by Ye Feiran's side.
I did go to the funeral hall a few times...
Ye Qing'an narrowed her eyes, as if Liu Xueying had indeed been keeping watch at the mourning hall when she went there.
At the time, she didn't think much of it, because Liu Xueying was just a concubine, at most a slightly favored one, so she didn't pay much attention to her.
Ye Qing'an's lips curled up slightly. Come to think of it, what Liu Xueying did back then was indeed quite good.
When her mother suddenly passed away, just like now, many people must have flocked to fawn over Ye Qinghao.
In this way, Liu Xueying, who always stayed by her mother's spirit tablet, stood out even more.
Moreover, as a concubine, her dedication to her mother earned her a good reputation both inside and outside the Ye household.
Seventh Aunt probably chose this method because Liu Xueying did it back then and it worked so well.
It's a pity that the first person to do something like this might succeed, but the second person to imitate it will certainly not have a good ending.
Ye Qing'an waved her hand: "It's alright, don't worry about her."
Ye Qing'an lowered her head: "I don't want to interfere with the position of Madam Ye. Let them fight for it."
If nothing unexpected happens, the position of Madam Ye should fall to...
Ye Qing'an thought to herself, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Sure enough, the very next day, Ye Qing'an heard the news that Fourth Aunt had mentioned to Ye Qinghao that Seventh Aunt had been keeping vigil at Liu Xueying's mourning hall, praising Seventh Aunt for her dedication to Liu Xueying. She also casually mentioned, as if by accident, that Liu Xueying had done the same when Su Wan passed away.
"Upon hearing this, the master's face turned extremely grim. He told Seventh Concubine directly that if she truly couldn't bear to part with the mistress, she could..."
Thinking of the news she had heard, Granny Wei felt very pleased: "You can go down and take care of Madam."
Ye Qing'an chuckled. The Liu Xueying of today is different from the Su Wanke of back then.
Su Wan died in childbirth, and Ye Qinghao must have liked her after all, which is why he was moved by Liu Xueying's dedication to Su Wan.
However, Liu Xueying is different. Liu Xueying is the Night Demon, yet she has deceived Ye Qinghao for so many years. She even used illusions to bewitch Ye Qinghao, causing him to give the position of his wife to Liu Xueying. During her time as Ye's wife, she did countless things using the Night Demon's illusions. Now, Ye Qinghao probably hates Liu Xueying to the core.
Seventh Aunt, this is completely a case of running into a knife's edge.
A smug glint flashed in Granny Wei's eyes: "According to the servants who were there at the time, Seventh Concubine's face turned pale and she hurriedly begged for mercy. But the master ignored her and only ordered that Seventh Concubine be thrown out of the mansion."
"Seventh Aunt only has one daughter, who is just over two years old. Now that Seventh Aunt has been thrown out and that little girl has been given away to be raised by someone else, I'm afraid Seventh Aunt will never have a chance to turn things around."
Ye Qing'an smiled and looked up at Granny Wei: "Granny, do you dislike Seventh Concubine very much? Why do you seem so happy that Seventh Concubine is in trouble, judging from your tone?"
“It’s because I don’t like her.” Granny Wei smiled. “Although Seventh Concubine has only been in the household for seven or eight years, I still remember her. Among those who fawned over Liu Xueying and helped her bully Miss and Second Young Master, Seventh Concubine was the one who jumped the highest.”
"When I went to get food for Miss and Second Young Master, I didn't know how many times I was harassed by Seventh Aunt."
"Fourth Madam and Seventh Madam can both be considered Liu Xueying's two dogs, acting like foxes borrowing the tiger's power. Now it's just perfect..."
Ye Qing'an raised an eyebrow: "Really? I don't recall it."
"It's normal that Miss doesn't remember, after all, she spent most of her time in the courtyard taking care of the Second Young Master back then."
Ye Qing'an nodded: "Yes, we'll just watch what happens between the concubines and not get involved."
"Okay." Granny Wei replied, then remembered that she still had something simmering on the stove and hurriedly went out.
Ye Qing'an tapped her fingers lightly on the table, then looked up and instructed Shen Qingdai, "Go and keep an eye on them, see where they took Seventh Aunt."