“If I hadn’t seen that the young gentleman was a decent person, and that the young miss didn’t say anything improper to him—only discussing local customs, anecdotes, and interesting stories without any transgression—this servant would have stopped the young miss and reported to madam.” The maidservant added.

“Hmph.” Madam Tao snorted coldly. “Bring the young miss here.”

The maidservant left anxiously. Soon after, Ye Yaqing was summoned.

Old Lady Ye was still waiting for a report. Madam Tao didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, “Who is this Yang Chuzhi?”

Ye Yaqing had already heard from her maid on the way, and her heart was uneasy.

But she was an obedient daughter who could never bring herself to lie to her mother.

She lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief, saying, “He didn’t say, and I didn’t feel it was right to pry. We… we just chatted casually to give Miss Su and her cousin more time to talk. We didn’t do anything improper.”

“Do you dare say you have no feelings for him, no thoughts about him?” Madam Tao asked pointedly.

Ye Yaqing remained silent, lowering her head even more.

At first, she truly hadn’t paid much attention. However, the young man was handsome, spoke with wit, and knew a great deal. Talking with him made Ye Yaqing feel especially happy.

Recently, Ye Yaqing would occasionally recall something he had said; when she hadn’t seen him for some time, she would think about him.

After so many marriage discussions, Ye Yaqing was no longer an ignorant little girl who understood nothing and thought nothing of such matters.

In the quiet of the night, she would wonder if this Young Master Yang might also have feelings for her. If he did, would he send someone to propose marriage? If she were to marry him, she wouldn’t just accept it passively—she would look forward to it.

Seeing her daughter’s silence, Madam Tao was so angry her teeth itched.

But she knew her daughter’s temperament. If she came on too strong, the girl might become obstinate and refuse to speak at all.

She softened her voice and coaxed, “I heard from Tao’er that this Young Master Yang has good looks, dresses well, and speaks properly. You know I’ve worried myself gray over your marriage prospects. If you think this Young Master Yang is suitable, I can have someone inquire about him. If he hasn’t taken a wife or been betrothed, we could have someone act as a go-between to see if a match could be made.”

These words inevitably stirred Ye Yaqing’s heart.

She had heard Young Master Yang mention that he wasn’t married yet. But whether he was betrothed, who his family members were, and which family he belonged to—these things she also wanted to know. If there was a chance to spend her life with Young Master Yang, she would naturally be delighted.

She said, “Then Mother, please have someone make inquiries.”

“First tell me what you know about him. I’ll guess which family he might be from,” Madam Tao encouraged patiently.

So Ye Yaqing shared what she knew.

The Young Master Yang had revealed that he was a xiucai scholar and that he lived in a large garden filled with many rare flowers and plants…

These were things he had mentioned in passing. She hadn’t dared to ask further, not wanting to appear overly interested in his circumstances.

After finishing, Ye Yaqing said, “Mother, whenever there’s a banquet, Miss Su always writes to ask if I’m attending. If I don’t go, she doesn’t go; she only attends if I do. There are two more banquets after the New Year. Why don’t I wait until then and ask Miss Su about Young Master Yang’s identity?”

She felt that her mother’s making such obvious inquiries about Young Master Yang’s identity was truly inappropriate.

They had met privately, and only by her telling her family about him would the Ye family go inquiring about his identity. Apart from his surname, they knew nothing about him, so any investigation would have to go through Miss Su and her cousin’s family. This way, wouldn’t news quickly reach his ears?

What if Young Master Yang had no interest in her? Even if he did, but wasn’t yet at the point of proposing marriage, her inquiring about him this way showed a lack of feminine restraint.

Madam Tao had initially been determined to find out who this man was, to see what kind of person he was, and what his intentions might be. If his family background was ordinary and he had ulterior motives toward her daughter, she would naturally employ various means to teach him a lesson.

Additionally, she had planned to strictly discipline her daughter and prevent her from attending any more banquets.

But upon hearing that the man was a scholar and his family was relatively wealthy, she began to hesitate.

Having achieved a scholarly rank meant he wasn’t from a merchant family; being wealthy meant he was either from an official’s family or a prestigious household. Such a person was exactly the kind of good match she had always wanted for her daughter.

The man’s surname was Yang, but he wasn’t necessarily related to Yang Hong’s family, was he?

Still harboring doubts, she asked, “You say that when you attend banquets, Miss Su goes; when you don’t go, she doesn’t either. What about the Mei family banquet that your cousins Ming’er and Yin’er attended—did Miss Su go to that one?”

“No,” Ye Yaqing said, feeling dejected about this. “She said she was having her monthly period and couldn’t attend the banquet.”

If Miss Su had gone, and if she had seen Young Master Yang at this banquet, she wouldn’t have been so preoccupied with thoughts of him, allowing her cousin to notice something amiss, which in turn led to her mother’s questioning.

“Then next time you write to Miss Su, tell her that your cousin isn’t going, that only you and I will be attending the banquet,” said Madam Tao.

She had decided to first investigate who this man was, without alerting others.

“Alright,” Ye Yaqing agreed immediately.

Remembering that the New Year would arrive in two days, and that after the New Year she would see Young Master Yang again, Ye Yaqing’s face couldn’t help but show a trace of anticipation.

After dismissing Ye Yaqing, Madam Tao went to the main room and related everything to Old Lady Ye.

She knew that Old Lady Ye now regarded Ye Yaming as the apple of her eye. Although the situation with Ye Yaming might be promising, Madam Tao was still grateful that Ye Yaming had noticed Ye Yaqing’s feelings and alerted her.

She spoke in praise of Ye Yaming: “Fortunately, Yaming has good eyes and immediately spotted that Yaqing had something going on. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened? I know Yaqing is well-behaved and would never do anything shameful. But if the other party were plotting deliberately, or if she were implicated by Miss Su, Yaqing’s reputation would truly be ruined.”

“However, we still don’t know who he is, whether he was just casually chatting with Yaqing to pass the time for his friend, or if he has some scheme. I think it’s better not to make a big fuss about investigating. Let’s wait until the next banquet to see what happens.”

Old Lady Ye, having raised her children, felt she had completed her duty. As for her grandchildren, their parents should worry about them; she, as an elder, didn’t like to interfere too much.

Now, hearing that Madam Tao was taking precautions, she waved her hand and said, “Fine, as long as you have it under control.”

After this, Madam Tao and Ye Yaqing each harbored their thoughts as they celebrated the New Year with the family.

Finally, after the New Year passed, the day came to attend the banquet at the Chen merchant’s home.

Ye Yaqing left the house with anticipation and excitement, only to see Ye Yaming helping Old Lady Ye onto the carriage.

She paused, and when Madam Tao finished seeing the old lady off and turned back to their carriage, Ye Yaqing urgently asked, “Mother, didn’t Third Sister say she wasn’t going?”

Yesterday they were busy making food for the festival, accompanying the elders, working all day. The author only wrote this one chapter, and asks for a day off today.