Ye Hongsheng and Ye Hongrong’s in-laws had come to offer congratulations, and both men were entertaining guests in the side hall next door. Hearing this news, they quickly came out.

From the Yin family, Madam Yin’s eldest brother Yin Weiqian and his wife had come, with Madam Yin’s sister-in-law having gone to the inner courtyard. Ye Hongsheng knew his brother-in-law was a scholar who wasn’t good at socializing and disliked crowds, and with the many noisy Ye family relatives, he had accompanied him in the side hall for conversation.

In the Zhang family, Madam Zhang was born of a concubine, and her father, Zhang Zhizhong, was a great salt merchant of Jiangnan. Originally, the Ye family’s assets couldn’t compare with the Zhang family’s, and Ye Hongrong was an unpromising youngest son. Zhang Zhizhong looked down on both the Ye family and Ye Hongrong as his inexperienced son-in-law.

With the first branch of the Ye family marrying off a daughter, Madam Zhang thought that the Zhang family sending a brother to attend the wedding was already giving face to the Ye family. Her birth mother was a concubine who couldn’t go out for social engagements, so even if they wanted to give her face and take the opportunity to see their daughter, they couldn’t come.

She hadn’t expected that her father would come personally, and even bring along his legitimate eldest son, who would be the next head of the family.

When Ye Hongrong sent someone to tell her, she was stunned and, disregarding that the front courtyard was full of male guests, brought servants and rushed over.

After Zhang Zhizhong went to the main hall to pay his respects to Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang, upon learning that the Yin family’s eldest brother-in-law was in the side hall, he also went to the side hall.

Now, hearing that the Prefect had personally arrived, Zhang Zhizhong felt a stirring in his heart and smiled at Yin Weiqian with a distant cupped-hand salute: “Master Yin, shall we go and see?”

Yin Weiqian was a scholar who, though he had no hope of entering the imperial academy, greatly admired those who had passed the imperial examination and become prefects.

He hesitated: “Would it be too disrespectful?”

Zhang Zhizhong said: “There are many guests in this courtyard, surely everyone will go to welcome the Prefect. It would be disrespectful if we didn’t go out.”

Yin Weiqian deeply agreed: “I was mistaken. Please, Master Zhang.”

“Master Yin, after you.”

The two yielded to each other as they left, and indeed saw many people standing in the corridor, all discussing this matter in low voices, with excitement evident on their faces.

Soon, Ye Chongming led his three sons, accompanying Prefect Qi and his son, as they entered.

Seeing many people standing in the corridor, all bowing to him, Prefect Qi Pei hurriedly returned the greeting, said a few polite words, and then followed Ye Chongming into the main hall.

The Ye family relatives who had originally been in the main hall had all come out to see the excitement, and now were invited by Li Fu to the side halls and wing rooms on both sides.

Soon after, the three Ye Hongchang brothers came out and respectively invited the Ye family clan leader, Yin Weiqian, and Zhang Zhizhong in to talk.

After about half an hour, Prefect Qi Pei finally took his leave with his son.

The Ye family relatives, seeing the clan leader return, all went up to ask: “Clan Leader, what did the Prefect say?”

The clan leader seemed unable to come back to his senses: “He just asked about some clan matters.”

His pupils focused, and he solemnly admonished everyone: “Regarding Chongming’s family changing the family head, in the future no one is allowed to speak about it, not even discuss it privately.”

That Prefect was more enthusiastic toward Ye Yaming than toward Ye Chongming, and the Prefect’s son behaved even more familiarly with her.

Ye Chongxian felt that Ye Yaming’s fiancé must be someone of distinguished status for the Prefect and his son to treat her differently.

On the other side, Zhang Zhizhong was also admonishing Madam Zhang: “You must be good to the people of the second branch, especially your family’s third miss. She’s a capable person. Your branch won’t go wrong by following her.”

He was a shrewd man; the Zhang family had only developed into a major salt merchant under his management.

He had met Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang when Madam Zhang got married. The reason he hadn’t thought much of the Ye family was that he felt that with the abilities of the Ye family father and son, maintaining the status quo would be good enough, and it was impossible for them to advance further.

Unexpectedly, the Ye family had produced a third miss.

After hearing that the Ye family had produced tribute tea and had a connection with a fifth-rank noble official, Zhang Zhizhong had called back Madam Zhang’s steward and inquired in detail about the Ye family’s situation.

Therefore, he understood Ye Yaming’s situation.

He had perceived just now when meeting the Prefect that the Prefect treated Ye Yaming completely differently. It seemed that in front of the Prefect, Ye Yaming’s status was even higher than Ye Chongming, the old master of the Ye family.

For a fourth-rank prefect to treat someone with such distinction, either Ye Yaming’s fiancé’s status was even more noble than imagined, or this third miss was extraordinary.

That’s why Zhang Zhizhong cautioned his daughter with concern.

Madam Zhang nodded: “Father, I understand. Don’t worry.”

With so many eyes and mouths around, even if Zhang Zhizhong was worried, he couldn’t say much more. Seeing Yin Weiqian, who had been exchanging pleasantries with people at the entrance, come in, he quickly went up and started chatting with him again.

Zhang Zhizhong was a businessman, extremely skilled in rhetoric, having completely mastered the art of telling people what they wanted to hear. Now, to form a good relationship with Yin Weiqian, he naturally used all his skills.

Although the Yin family was a farming and scholarly family, among the four daughters-in-law of the Ye family, their financial situation was the worst. Among in-laws who wore gold and silver, commanded servants, and had grand appearances, the Yin family members inevitably felt somewhat inferior, though they didn’t have the scholar’s mindset of being superior to merchants; Yin Weiqian’s social circle was narrow, and he was a very simple person.

Now being warmly treated by Zhang Zhizhong, who wanted to befriend him, Yin Weiqian was quite pleasantly surprised and naturally responded warmly.

Before long, Zhang Zhizhong and Yin Weiqian were calling each other brothers, getting along very well. When servants came to invite them to the meal, the two went arm in arm.

Madam Yin knew her brother’s temperament, and since the Yin family was considered the Ye family’s “poor relatives,” she was very worried that Yin Weiqian would be coldly treated in the front courtyard and frequently sent servants to check on the situation.

When she heard from the servants that the Prefect treated her brother with special regard, even more warmly than Master Zhang, and that Master Zhang was extremely enthusiastic toward her brother, Madam Yin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled wryly.

Yes, their second branch was completely different from before. The Yin family, as her daughter’s maternal uncle’s family, had also risen in status, becoming special among the Ye family and in-laws.

The warmth and coldness of human relationships, and the tendency to flock to the powerful, were just like this.

After the meal, Madam Yin politely invited her sister-in-law, Madam Lu, to stay: “Sister-in-law, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. Don’t rush to leave, come to my place for a cup of tea before you go?”

Madam Lu had also clearly seen the change in the second branch’s status during this wedding feast.

When the first branch’s Ye Yaxiu and Ye Jiaxing got married, she had also attended the wedding feast. Madam Tao’s family members were polite to her sister-in-law Madam Yin and herself, but their attitude was neither warm nor cold.

This time, however, they were extremely warm toward the two of them. Madam Tao’s eldest sister-in-law’s kind words seemed to flow endlessly, making her blush to hear.

“Alright, I’ll come and sit at your place for a while,” she said readily.

The two sisters-in-law went to Madam Yin’s courtyard.

After Madam Lu sat down and the maidservants poured tea and withdrew, she leaned close to Madam Yin and asked in a low voice: “Sister, with Yaming’s fiancé’s status, would he be able to request an imperial physician for a consultation?”

Hearing this question, Madam Yin didn’t understand.

Thinking of her parents’ age, she immediately became anxious and asked: “What’s wrong? Who’s sick?”

Madam Lu quickly waved her hand: “No, no, no one is sick.”