Ye Yaming didn’t ask what dispute Liu Yuzhang had handled.

In recent years, the two young ladies Ye Yayin and Ye Yayu had frequently gone out to experience the hardships of the world, opened shops for business, handled many matters, and met all sorts of people. They were completely different from Ye Yaqing who had been sheltered from worldly matters in the past. They had their own views on people and affairs, and Ye Yaming was quite confident in their judgment.

Li Shu had the Imperial Academy’s certification and had gained Ye Yayin’s approval. Liu Yuzhang was his good friend, and they were similar types of people. Now that Ye Yayu also approved of Liu Yuzhang, it was evident that both men were quite admirable. Their character and conduct should not be issues.

The only problem now was that the Liu family was poor. If they hadn’t experienced the incident with Song Yifeng, perhaps the Ye family wouldn’t consider this a problem. But now they had become overly cautious, avoiding children from poor families, fearing they might encounter another “phoenix man” (a poor man who marries into wealth and later becomes arrogant).

“Not all poor scholars are like Song Yifeng,” Ye Yaming said. “Let’s not rush this. First, let’s inquire about their family’s reputation.”

“I don’t want to rush either, but Yin’er and Yu’er will both turn seventeen this year. Waiting another year or two would be too late,” Madam Yin said.

Such was the way of the world. Usually, girls would be matched at fourteen or fifteen, and those with good conditions would be engaged by sixteen or seventeen. Those remaining either had this flaw or that flaw.

Ye Yaming thought for a moment and said: “We’ve been observing the Li family for quite some time. Since everyone thinks they’re good and the two are compatible, Yin’er’s marriage can be arranged first.”

“As for Yu’er, the Liu family’s situation is unclear, and we don’t even know what Liu Yuzhang thinks of Yu’er. If he looks down on our family for being merchants, or if he thinks our family is too wealthy and has no intention of marrying into it, then all this is pointless.”

“Who would think our family is too wealthy?” Madam Yin gave Ye Yaming a reproachful look.

Previously, the Ye family was indeed merchants who were looked down upon. But since Ye Yaming had married into a Marquis’s family, and the Ye family’s tea business had become imperial tribute tea, Madam Yin and Ye Hongsheng regularly socialized with the top aristocratic families in the Capital. They no longer felt that their family status was low.

For a Ye family young lady to be interested in Liu Yuzhang, that young man should consider himself extremely fortunate. How could he possibly look down on them?

“If he marries Yu’er, his whole family would be accused of living off a woman. Wasn’t Song Yifeng’s psychological distortion caused by his resentment of our merchant background and wealth, hating us for making him the subject of ridicule, while simultaneously being unable to refuse this ‘easy living’?”

In the past year or two, Madam Yin had opened pastry shops and spent her days socializing with noble ladies. When these women gathered, they would gossip if they had nothing else to do, and she had heard many sordid tales. She had become quite worldly-wise.

Hearing Ye Yaming’s words, she nodded in agreement: “That’s why I don’t approve of the Liu family. If Yu’er marries into their family, wouldn’t she end up supporting the entire family? Supporting them would be one thing, but in the end, not only would they be ungrateful, they might even become ashamed and angry, feeling the need to trample on Yu’er to display their nobility. People can change. Remember Song Yifeng? Initially, both your maternal grandfather and your grandfather thought he was quite good.”

“In the future, supporting his parents would be one thing, but his brother’s and sister’s marriages might also depend on Yu’er. Once Liu Yuzhang passes the examinations and becomes an official, who knows what attitude he’ll have toward Yu’er. And Yu’er still has that kind of temperament.”

Although Ye Yayu had become more outgoing and generous in recent years, her upbringing still had a significant influence on her. Compared to the lively Ye Yayin, who was like a small chili pepper, Ye Yayu was relatively quiet, with a somewhat soft personality and a people-pleasing tendency.

Regarding this last point, Ye Yaming had the instructing matron correct it for a long time, and she had also counseled Ye Yayu many times, but they couldn’t change it.

“Why don’t you find some other suitable candidates for her? Let’s also discreetly learn about the Liu family’s character. If Yu’er insists on marrying him, we won’t be able to dissuade her. We’ll just need to support her more in the future. As long as we care for her and maintain a firm stance, ensuring the Liu family doesn’t bully her, that should be sufficient.”

As for whether Ye Yayu would be happy, that was beyond their control.

Ye Yayu had chosen her path, and they couldn’t force her to choose someone else under the banner of “for your good.” Furthermore, they weren’t her birth parents or elder sister. Ye Yayu had a sensitive and overthinking nature; she might think they were trying to use her for a political marriage.

“Let’s set this matter aside for now. We’ll discuss it after I return to the Capital,” Madam Yin said.

Having just returned, she wouldn’t go back to the Capital for a while, at least not until after Ye Yaming’s confinement period. That would be around mid to late September.

“Have you found wet nurses for the children?” Madam Yin asked. Noticing that the maids had withdrawn to give the mother and daughter privacy, she lowered her voice and continued, “When did Bai Rui and Lu’E get married? Who did they marry? Have they conceived yet? It would be good if they could be the children’s wet nurses; you would be much more at ease.”

“They both got married in May. Bai Rui married Xu Zan, and Lu’E married Ma Yun,” Ye Yaming said.

Bai Rui and Xu Zan had been interested in each other for a long time. As for Lu’E and Ma Yun, they had more contact after Ye Yaming’s marriage and became attracted to each other.

“They’ve only been married for two months; I really don’t know if they’ve conceived yet,” Ye Yaming said, glancing outside.

Bai Rui and Lu’E were her right and left hands; she was reluctant to have them stay at home to take care of her children.

“Then have you found wet nurses?” Madam Yin asked again.

“Yes, Grandmother found them from among our household-born servants.”

When Ye Yaming got married, Ye’s Old Madam had already thought ahead and arranged marriages for several maids of suitable age, hoping they would become pregnant at the same time as Ye Yaming.

Because many people married at that time, there were indeed several who became pregnant, and they had either given birth recently or were about to. A few days ago, Ye Yaming had personally selected two of them.

For these wet nurses, the only requirements were that they had breast milk, were of good character, had a gentle temperament, and would not mistreat the children. As for education and upbringing, they really couldn’t demand too much.

Ye Yaming planned to have them only for breastfeeding. For educating the children, she intended to select other people.

In the days that followed, Ye Yaming continued her routine of eating and sleeping. Although physically uncomfortable, the days passed one by one.

As August approached, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although the due date was mid-August, giving birth ten days or half a month early wouldn’t be considered premature.

However, the two babies remained stable, staying comfortably in Ye Yaming’s belly even until the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month.

Concerned about his daughter, Ye Hongsheng had returned from the Capital at the end of July. But Lu Guanyi, who had originally said he would return in early August, was still nowhere to be seen, even by the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Ye family was worried that Ye Yaming would be upset, so they didn’t dare mention it in front of her.

Although Ye Yaming had been accustomed to independence in her previous life, she still felt somewhat disappointed. After all, giving birth was like walking through the gates of hell, and the children belonged to both of them. Now that she had to bear this alone, without the other person even showing his face, she was naturally unhappy.

But if there was military action at the border, Lu Guanyi, as a commander, truly couldn’t leave. This she could understand.