lf." Empress Xu had no favor or children but she still managed to hold her position in the palace despite being surrounded by powerful enemies. Even Imperial Concubine Liu did not dare offend her easi...426. Birthday Ceremony Preparations

426。 Before the週歲宴 (Note: "Zhou sui yan" is a traditional birthday celebration for one-year-old children in Chinese culture.)

Chen Xiufu and Lei Tengfeng stepped out of the main gate, when two figures emerged from around the corner of the corridor. One man was dressed in snow-white attire, while the other wore clothes as red as fire. Feng Zhiyao frowned and asked worriedly, "Would there be any issues entrusting the Western Capital affairs to Scholar Xi Ting" It wasn't that he didn't trust Chen Xiufu's loyalty towards Prince Ding; it was just that Chen Xiufu originally hailed from Western Capital, making such an assignment inherently more problematic than if it were given to a regular subordinate of Prince Ding. This could potentially put Chen in a difficult position.

Xu Qingchen shook his head slightly and replied calmly, "With Scholar Xi Ting's capabilities, handling this matter is nothing out of the ordinary. His integrity can certainly be trusted as well, which is why Prince Ding entrusted him with it. As long as he resolves this issue smoothly, he will secure his position as Left Chancellor without anyone being able to say anything against him."

Feng Zhiyao nodded in agreement; after all, when it came to understanding human nature and such matters, both Mo Xiurao and Xu Qingchen were far more adept than he was. Since these two believed there would be no issues, then indeed everything should proceed smoothly. "The ritual is about to begin. However, the parents are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps we should remind them" This way, guests won't have to wait long.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "They're in the study right now. I'll go fetch Lin'er and Xiner from the inner courtyards; you can inform them." As Feng Zhiyao watched Xu Qingchen leave gracefully, he shrugged and headed towards the study himself.

The birthday ritual at Prince Ding's residence was scheduled for after lunch, with guests able to proceed straight from watching the ceremony of young Princes and Princesses into attending the evening banquet. Truthfully, such a celebration held little importance for a one-year-old child; it would only involve adults anyway. The most crucial part was still undoubtedly the ritual itself.

Inside the inner courtyards, Hua Tianxiang and others were fussing over the two babies incessantly, fearing they might fall asleep due to fatigue from the morning. When Xu Qingchen arrived, both children had just woken up and were in high spirits. Especially Lin'er, who was quite lively, kept crawling around and even attempted to climb things, causing his wet nurse and other ladies-in-waiting to keep a close watch on him for fear of any accidents.

Xiner, however, remained relatively quiet as she sat obediently on the soft couch. She clapped her hands excitedly while watching her brother crawl around and walk about. Hearing Xiner's cheerful call, Lin'er became even more animated in his antics.

"Ya... nine, uncle..." From atop the couch, Xiner pointed towards the entrance with joy and called out. All eyes turned to see Xu Qingchen standing there smiling at her. Mo Wuyou pinched Xiner's little cheek and laughed, "You’re so clever, even calling Uncle now."

When Xu Qingchen entered and picked up Xiner in his arms, he asked with a smile, "Xiner, are you calling me uncle"

"Giggle, giggle. Uncle!" Heart clearly adores this big uncle and laughs uncontrollably in Xu Qingchen’s arms. Ling looks at his sister, then at the standing Xu Qingchen, wobbles over to him, tugs on his clothes, and says, "Pick me up, Sister…."

Xu Qingchen glances down at Heart in his arms and then at Ling pulling at his clothes with pleading eyes, his expression freezes. Everyone watching the elegant Xu Qingchen holding a child while another one is tugging at him finds the scene rather amusing. It seems that Xu Qingchen has absolutely nothing to do with this sort of situation.

Mu Wuyou rests his head on Hua Tianxiang’s shoulder and stifles a laugh with his hand.

Xu Qingchen looks helplessly at the two children in front of him. Although Xu Qingchen is famous throughout the world, he has not been particularly lucky when it comes to forming bonds with children. For example, Xu Zhirui from the Xu family and the tricky Cold Junhan are not very close to Xu Qingchen. However, clearly the children of the Ding Prince王府的孩子們顯然都非常喜歡這位大舅舅。

無奈，徐清塵隻得將心兒放下來，自己蹲下來摟著兩個興奮不已的小娃娃，在懷裡含笑安撫著。

"Elder Brother, what are you doing here" Ye Li smiles as she looks at the group by the door. Behind her, Mo Xiuyao glances at the two children in Xu Qingchen’s arms and approaches them. He stretches out his hand to Heart, saying, "Heart."

Heart blinks her lively eyes and gives Mo Xiuyao a pure smile. "Daddy… pick me up. Mother…" Mo Xiuyao proudly picks up his daughter and Ling, leaning against Xu Qingchen’s arms, watches him with blinking eyes. Feeling slighted that he was ignored while his sister was picked up by Mo Xiuyao, he pouts and turns his back to Mo Xiuyao.

Mo Xiuyao leans down, picks up Ling from Xu Qingchen’s arms, and says with a smile, "Smelly brat, are you so young that you already know how to compete with your sister" As he is hoisted by the collar of his clothes, Ling does not feel uncomfortable but instead wiggles his body and laughs. Mo Xiuyao usually picks up girls gently and tenderly, but boys like Ling were carried around much less delicately when they were younger. Ye Li steps forward to take Ling from him with a reproachful look before turning to Xu Qingchen with a smile, "Is Elder Brother free now He actually came here."

Xu Qingchen glares at Mo Xiuyao and says impatiently, "Who has time like you guys do Outside there are Father and Uncle Two as well as Manager Mu keeping watch. I’m just resting for a while. Also, the auspicious hour is approaching; I came to see if Ling and Heart are ready."

Muo Xiuyao doesn’t care, "What’s there to get ready Just put them in front of a table with items on it and let them pick whatever they want."

Xu Qingchen smiles but says nothing. He walks over and sits down, looking around the room as he asks, "Isn’t Little Treasure here" Hua Tianxiang replies, "They said that it was boring inside, so they went out to look at things."

Xu Qingchen frowned and nodded, saying, "Tell them to be more careful. There are quite a few people today."

Mò Xiuyáo smiled and said, "I have already assigned someone to follow them around. They will be fine."

Before long, the auspicious time for the ritual arrived. The ceremony was set in the main hall of the Dingwang Mansion's front courtyard. By the time Mò Xiuyáo and Yè Lì arrived with the two babies, the main hall was already filled with guests. All foreign envoys like Lei Tengfeng, Mò Jǐngyú, Yelü Hóng were present. Even Pū'ā, who had just been injured from worrying about Princess nxī's and Little Prince n’s safety, had come over despite his pale complexion. The officials of the Dingwang Mansion in Li City also made it to the ceremony. Naturally, at the topmost seat was Qīngyún Scholar with his white hair and beard.

When everyone saw Yè Lì and Mò Xiuyáo arriving together, they immediately stood up to pay their respects.

"Grandpa," Yè Lì walked over to Qīngyún Scholar with a smile. Qīngyún Scholar took the jade boy from her hand with a smile and said, "It’s been a month since I last saw you. The two of them have grown quite a bit." Yè Lì nodded and smiled, saying, "Children grow fast. It won’t be long before they can run around everywhere. Jade Boy, call Grandpa."

Although the jade boy was still young, he was very intelligent. Furthermore, during the past year, Qīngyún Scholar hadn't been a stranger to him either. As expected, he clutched at Qīngyún Scholar's snowy white beard and called out happily, "Great-grandpa…"

A benevolent smile appeared on Qīngyún Scholar’s wrinkled face as he said, "Good boy… Jade Boy is well-behaved."

"Great-grandpa!" Mò Xiuyáo's jade girl in his arms was not to be outdone either.

Qīngyún Scholar’s smile deepened. Whether it was the Xu family or the Dingwang Mansion, girls were rare and cherished even more as a result. Qīngyún Scholar nodded repeatedly and said, "Good children… Jade Boy and Jade Girl are growing well." Qīngyún Scholar took out a pair of jade pendants, giving each child one.

Yè Lì lowered her head to take a look. They were jade pendants in the shape of qilins and phoenixes respectively. The jades were top-grade white sheep fat jade, pure and snow-white with no impurities visible. Moreover, the craftsmanship was exquisite, and Yè Lì felt that she had seen them before. She remembered having received a piece like this as well when she was born, only that hers had been carved into a magnolia flower in green jade. Her grandfather had given her that one too, saying it was his handiwork. People only knew that Qīngyún Scholar possessed unparalleled talent but did not know that he also excelled at various other skills like carving. Even general scholars wouldn't be particularly interested in the art of carving, yet Qīngyún Scholar could still be considered an expert.

Clearly, these two jade pendants were handcrafted by Qīngyún Scholar himself. At his age over eighty years old now, it was truly not easy for him to craft such exquisite pieces. Yè Lì’s eyes turned red as she looked at Qīngyún Scholar and said softly, "Grandpa, Jade Boy and Jade Girl are still young… You don’t have to…"

Qīngyún Scholar shook his head, while playing with the jade boy in his arms. He said, "It’s not a good idea for children to wear ancient jades. This piece is fine. What’s wrong with giving them jade pendants"

Xin'er was still in Mo Xiu Yao's arms, holding the jade pendant and waving it excitedly as she waved at Mr. Qingyun, "Eunuch... Grandfather Eunuch... Xin'xin wants to hug..." While saying this, she kicked her little legs trying to get closer to Mr. Qingyun. Mo Xiu Yao helplessly had no choice but to put her in the seat next to Mr. Qingyun. Fortunately, the seat was very spacious; it had been specially fitted with thick padding for Mr. Qingyun due to his age, so there was no need to worry about Xin'er bumping into anything.

Seeing how close his great-granddaughter was to him, even a person like Mr. Qingyun couldn't help but smile.

The people seated below watched this family scene and couldn't help feeling moved. Whether it was Ye Li or Mo Xiu Yao, as well as the Xu family members, they were all very attractive figures. Now that so many people gathered around Mr. Qingyun chatting amicably, one felt that heaven really did have a bias. Then there were the two baby boys seated next to Mr. Qingyun, who made everyone involuntarily reveal both envy and jealousy.

Standing by Mr. Qingyun's side, Ye Li was taken aback when she looked down. She saw Ye Wenhua alone in an inconspicuous corner not far from the hall entrance, looking at her with a complex expression... or rather, watching Lin'er who was holding his hand and making sounds excitedly. Since coming to Li City after the death of Lady Shu, Ye Wenhua rarely went out and seldom socialized with others, so there weren't many people who knew him.

Seeing that Ye Li had been stunned, Mo Xiu Yao also looked over and saw Ye Wenhua. He gently hugged Ye Li and whispered, "Li'er, if you have anything to say, go talk to him." As for Ye Wenhua, Mo Xiu Yao didn't really hold any strong feelings towards him. The most he felt was a sense of grievance about the past where Ye Li had suffered so much. Although it couldn't be said that all of it was due to Ye Wenhua, at least as her father, his treatment of her, his only legitimate daughter, wasn't good. In recent years in Li City, Ye Wenhua has been rather well-behaved and hasn't taken advantage of being the father of the Ding Wangfei to have any unreasonable aspirations. Therefore, Mo Xiu Yao's attitude towards him had improved somewhat; occasionally sending gifts on holidays and festivals. After all, even though Ye Li was closely related to the Xu family, she was still from the Ye lineage. Compared to the destitute and struggling natal home of the Ding Wangfu, spending money to ensure that Ye Wenhua could enjoy a peaceful old age clearly would be better for her reputation. Of course, this all depended on whether Ye Wenhua remained well-behaved and knew how to behave appropriately.

Ye Li sighed softly and nodded.

Towards this father, she truly didn't have any feelings, neither love nor hate; only a sense of regret for her mother. Even compared to the parents in her previous life who had already been gone for over twenty years, Ye Wenhua's impression on her was less than that of her actual parents from her past life despite being busy and having little interaction when she was young, and meeting them even less after joining the military academy.

"Father." In the quiet side hall, Ye Li calmly looked at the somewhat aged Ye Wenhua. Although he wasn't yet fifty-five years old, his temples were already full of white hair, dressed in a simple scholar's robe that made him look more like an intellectual than when he was in Chu Capital. However, in just over a year, Ye Wenhua had aged visibly. It was understandable; with the consecutive deaths of Ye Yue and Ye Ying, two daughters whom he loved dearly, it would be impossible not to feel sad.

"Li... Li'er..." Seeing Ye Li walk in, Ye Wenhua's expression became somewhat awkward. A daughter who used to be an insignificant legitimate child, someone he had once hated, a daughter he had wished didn't exist, had grown up outside of his influence into a legendary woman admired by all under the heavens. In fact, as her father, he hadn't been able to help much anyway. Ye Wenhua gave a faint smile.

"Father please take your seat." Ye Li softly said. Actually, it was somewhat careless on the part of the Ding Wangfu's subordinates this time, forgetting to send an invitation for Lin'er and Xin'er's first birthday celebration to the Ye family. Of course, much of that also stemmed from Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao's attitudes towards him. Ye Wenhua nodded and sat down; a servant girl immediately brought tea and then withdrew.

They drank tea in silence for a while before Ye Li asked, "It's been a long time, has father been well"

"Alright, everything is fine. Your grandmother is also well." Ye Wenhua nodded. Ye Li smiled slightly; if she had no feelings for Ye Wenhua, her relationship with the Old Lady was even colder. At least Ye Wenhua had treated her kindly when she was young and occasionally helped her after her mother's death. However, the Old Lady had already despised her mother while she was still alive and never showed any emotions other than scheming and indifference towards her.

Ye Wenhua understood that Ye Li wasn't interested in this topic, so he waved his hand and took out a wooden box from his sleeve, placing it on the table. "Today is their birthday; this... This is a gift I got for them."

Ye Li accepted the wooden box from Qin Feng and opened it, looking at Ye Wenhua with surprise. Inside an old purple sandalwood box was a warm jade and a pair of jade bells. She had seen that warm jade before; it was said to be a family heirloom worth a fortune. When her mother was still alive, the Old Lady once showed off this jade. Her ancestors were also reputed noble families in the past. Later on, when Wang Shi gave birth to Ye Rong and wanted this jade, Ye Wenhua didn't give it to her. Although she had never seen those jade bells before, their value certainly wasn't less than that of the warm jade. The delicate bells carved from snowy white jade were intricately decorated with hollow patterns, creating a pleasant sound when shaken.

"This is too precious..." Ye Li said. Nowadays, the Ye family was no longer what it used to be in Chu Capital, and its foundation wasn't solid to begin with. The gifts that Ye Wenhua gave might even be more expensive than all of the Ye family's current wealth combined.

Ye Wenhua waved his hand to reject Qin Feng’s offer to return the box. "I only have these two items left that I can show to others. Giving them to the children is better; if they were kept in the Ye household, who knows when they would be lost. Besides... These jade bells are also your mother's遺物，就送給心兒玩吧。”

Seeing how insistent Ye Wenhua was, Ye Li had no choice but to accept them and softly said, “I will thank Father on behalf of the children.” Ye Wenhua shook his head without saying a word.

Ye Li thought for a moment before asking, "Is Su Yun doing well" Last time Xu Qingchen returned from Jiangnan, he also brought back Mo Suyun. However, Mo Suyun was frail and timid. Neither Ding王府 nor the Xu family had someone to look after him specifically. Earlier, Ye Li had discussed with Xu Qingchen about sending the child to the Ye household.

Ye Wenhua sighed and said, "He's doing okay. He now goes by the name of Ye Suyun. That boy has suffered a lot and is really timid. Also... His health..." Mo Suyun’s body had been severely damaged; even Shen Yang and Dr. Lin shook their heads when they took his pulse, indicating that there was no guarantee he would live past twenty years old. In the past half year, Mu Wuyou had come to see him every two weeks, but only managed to keep him stable without much improvement. Since Mu Wuyou didn't know that Mo Suyun wasn’t actually Mo Jingqi's son, he felt a great deal of sympathy for this poor step-brother.

Ye Li said, "If his body needs any medicine, just let Wuyou fetch it from the Ding王府."

Ye Wenhua nodded. For a moment, father and daughter were at a loss for words. After some time, Ye Wenhua softly said, "Lily, about Ying's funeral..." Ye Li lowered her gaze and replied lightly, “Fourth sister didn't want to leave the Li王府; after she passed away, the Li王爺 buried her as if she was his wife.” Ye Wenhua sighed heavily. "That’s good… That’s good…" He spent most of his life pursuing fame and wealth but failed to raise his only son properly. Besides a concubine's daughter who lived a plain life, only this eldest daughter had led a happy life. However, such happiness was hard-won for Ye Li. Although Ye Wenhua hadn't left the house in recent years, he still knew everything that mattered. The things Ye Li had experienced over these years were even more than what ordinary women or most men could bear. As her father, there was nothing else to say but be proud of her.

Seeing Ye Wenhua’s aged and despondent appearance, Ye Li felt a pang in her heart. Sighing, she asked, "Father, do you remember Aunt Zhao"

Ye Wenhua was stunned for a moment before she remembered that there used to be such a favored concubine in her past. Zhao Concubine had indeed been quite favored for some time, otherwise Wang Shi wouldn’t have considered her a threat. However, Zhao Concubine’s status was too lowly and the period of time when she was close to Ye Wenhua was also very short; after over ten years had passed, Ye Wenhua no longer remembered her clearly.

“Didn’t… didn’t she go to Yun Prefecture” Ye Wenhua asked doubtfully, unsure why Ye Li would bring up a woman who hadn’t been heard from for more than a decade at this time.

Ye Li nodded. "That’s right, but back then… when she left, she was already three months pregnant."

"What!" Ye Wenhua couldn’t help getting to her feet in shock. Upon receiving Qin Feng’s warning look, she realized that she had overreacted, but the news about a child from Zhao Concubine shook her too much. "Li… Li'er"

Ye Li calmly nodded. "Yes, I knew back then as well. She came to ask me for help because she was worried that Wang Fu Ren would harm both her and the child. However, at that time, I was about to marry into the Ding Prince’s household and had no time to deal with her situation. Therefore, I advised her to go to Yun Prefecture where Xu Family could provide some assistance."

“So… is that child…” Ye Wenhua asked cautiously. Ye Rong had already disappointed him completely; if the child was a boy, he would naturally be Ye Wenhua’s last hope. But what if it were a girl Ye Wenhua felt uneasy.

Ye Li lowered her eyes and said calmly, "It is a boy, and he will turn twelve this year. After the child was born, Zhao Concubine wrote to me to ask about his name. I named him Ye Zian."

"Zian… that’s good… Li'er, thank you… for being such a filial daughter all these years…" Ye Wenhua said with red-rimmed eyes, looking at Ye Li in remorse. Ye Li shook her head and said, "The child is now studying at Mount Lishan Academy. After the Xu Family arrived in Li City, Zhao Concubine also sold Yun Prefecture’s courtyard and moved to Li City. She has purchased farmland not too far from Mount Lishan Academy for them to live off."

“Thank you, Li'er.” Ye Wenhua didn’t know what else to say but repeated her gratitude.

Ye Li smiled gently, "There’s no need to thank me. He is also my little brother in a way. If Father has time, he can visit Zhao Concubine and Zian; I’ve heard that Wang Fu Ren has been causing even more trouble lately."

Ye Wenhua was taken aback before hurriedly saying, “Rest assured, I will take care of them so as not to bring any shame to the Ye Family’s reputation.”

Ye Li shook her head slightly and said no more.

Epilogue:ment did Ren Qining reach with Yelv Ye"Mo Xiuyao replied, "Their discussion was secret and there’s no record of what they discussed. However… I can guess a little bit. Basically, Northern Rong is aske...