QWAPMP Chapter 103

Chapter 103 The Eunuch Little Husband

Master Yan walked into the room, supported by Concubine Liu. He glanced around the room, then looked up and said displeasedly, “Your son came back to see you in the middle of the night, why are you throwing such a tantrum?”

The matter of Madam Yan faking a serious illness to trick Yan Ye into returning was known to few in the Yan family except for her confidantes.

Even Concubine Liu had only managed to extract a bit of information from a servant boy just now.

Master Yan was completely unaware and asked his son, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be back for some time?”

“Mother sent a family letter stating she wanted to see her son one last time. Your son had no choice but to return,” Yan Ye stood up to answer Master Yan, his eyes calm.

“Nonsense,” Master Yan glared at his wife.

“Master, I was just anxious to see my son. What’s wrong with wanting to see my son?” Madam Yan said, unwilling to give up, but she didn’t dare mention why she had called Yan Ye home.

Concubine Liu smiled and fanned the flames from the side, “Sister, no matter how much you miss your son, it wouldn’t be too late to let Yan Ye rest and recover properly before returning. Our Master only has one son, Yan Ye, and the family business will all depend on Yan Ye in the future.”

Master Yan had few descendants; for many years, he only had the original owner as his son. Before Yan Ye transmigrated, the original owner had gone out to do business and encountered a group of bandits. He was robbed of his money and thrown into the river, soaking in the river water for a day and a night, contracting a cold that he never fully recovered from.

Master Yan was extremely anxious as he only had one son. When he took the whole family to a Taoist temple to pray for blessings, he met an old Taoist priest. The priest looked at his son’s birth characters and told him to send his son to the countryside to recuperate for some time, and his son’s illness would heal.

Now seeing his son standing before him, with no trace of the previous weakness on his face, Master Yan’s tone softened considerably, “He Xiang is right, Madam. You must not act so recklessly next time.”

Madam Yan felt quite embarrassed seeing her husband scold her in front of Concubine Liu. Seeing that her son also didn’t speak up for her, she steeled her heart. “Master, I was impatient, but there is one more thing that we, as parents, should worry about.”

Master Yan examined his son with satisfaction, nodding repeatedly, “Good, it seems your health has indeed improved. Another day, our whole family will go to the temple again and donate more incense money.”

“Also, Madam, what did you say about ‘again’ just now? My son is fine; what is there for us to worry about now?” As Master Yan spoke, he was about to pat Yan Ye’s shoulder.

Yan Ye subtly dodged, and as Master Yan reached out, he picked up the tea that the maid had just brought in from the table and handed it over.

Master Yan only thought his son was filial and did not notice Yan Ye avoiding physical contact with him.

“Naturally, we should worry about our son’s marriage,” Madam Yan deliberately emphasized “our” to exclude Concubine Liu and annoy her along the way.

Concubine Liu had been able to stay in the Yan family for so many years and remain favored by Master Yan, so she was not a simple little white flower without any tactics. She quickly smiled before Master Yan could speak, “Yes, Master, Madam is right. Yan Ye is not young anymore. Does Yan Ye have any girl or little husband he likes?”

She asked the latter question to Yan Ye, and it was this question that directly disrupted Madam Yan’s plan.

The two women were in a battle, and Yan Ye watched silently from the side. Although he hadn’t planned to participate initially, because of Concubine Liu’s question, Master Yan also followed up with a question, “Your Concubine Liu is right, do you have a girl… or a little husband you like?”

When he said “little husband,” Master Yan’s tone paused, clearly indicating he preferred a girl to be his daughter-in-law.

Madam Yan’s expression changed, and she kept giving him meaningful looks, wanting him not to speak.

Yan Ye’s lips curved, and he smiled, “Father, I have already pledged my life to a little husband in the countryside. In this life, I will marry no one but him.”

Concubine Liu’s apricot eyes widened slightly. She never expected that Yan Ye truly had someone he liked.

“I disagree.”

A sharp voice suddenly rang out.

Concubine Liu suddenly smiled silently, a very happy smile, finally seeing these mother and son disagree.

Master Yan looked at Yan Ye, his gaze slightly heavy, as if he hadn’t heard his wife’s objection.

He sighed, “Let’s talk about this father and son. You come to the study with me first.”

It was late at night, and the Yan residence was brightly lit. Many servants who were asleep were woken up, all wondering what had happened, only knowing that Madam had thrown a huge tantrum.

The father and son talked in the study, while three women waited outside: the anxious Madam Yan, the show-watching Concubine Liu, and the startled Lu Yishuang.

As soon as she heard her cousin was back, she quickly got up, dressed up, and rushed over in a hurry.

When Concubine Liu saw Lu Yishuang, she instantly understood everything, knowing Madam Yan’s plan, and mocked, “It seems our Master agrees to Yan Ye marrying a little husband.”

Having served Master Yan for so long, she knew her partner well. If he disagreed, Yan Ye would have been scolded just now, not called to the study.

Madam Yan glared at her, trying hard to suppress the anger in her heart, “Nonsense, Master will not agree.”

Lu Yishuang also became anxious upon hearing this, “Aunt, can you please talk to cousin properly later? He is your son, he will definitely listen to you.”

Inside the study, the father and son were not discussing marriage but the development of all of the Yan family’s businesses. Now that Nanyang City was dominated by their family, there were no more business opportunities for further development. Master Yan’s idea was to spread the Yan family’s businesses throughout the country.

Yan Ye saw the ambition in his eyes. Their thoughts coincided, but Yan Ye thought that he still needed a title, which was that of an imperial merchant.

In this era of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, their merchant status was ranked last, and they were the group most looked down upon by those arrogant scholars. If they acquired another layer of identity, it would be different.

Master Yan was so shocked by his son’s great ambitions that he couldn’t close his mouth. After a long time, he burst into laughter, “Good, good, good! As expected of my Yan family descendant. Although there is only you, that is enough.”

Yan Ye nodded slightly.

Master Yan finished laughing and finally remembered something, “When I sent you to the countryside to recuperate, that old Taoist priest said that your marriage fate was also there. It seems this old Taoist priest was right. Since you want to marry a little husband, then marry him.”

A trace of genuine smile appeared on Yan Ye’s face, “Thank you, Father, for granting my wish.”

The people outside waited for a long time. Seeing the study door open and the father and son looking normal, they all swarmed over.

Madam Yan was the most anxious, “Master, you absolutely must not agree to Yan Ye’s words. Since ancient times, children’s important matters are decided by parents’ command and matchmaker’s words. How can it be treated like child’s play?”

Madam Yan thought it was ridiculous and improper for her son to want to marry a little husband.

Concubine Liu did not speak this time but helped Master Yan gently and affectionately, her heart filled with schadenfreude.

Master Yan impatiently waved his hand, “Madam, it’s very late tonight, go back to your room to rest first.”

Upon hearing her husband’s words, Madam Yan became even more anxious, “Master, you can’t be muddled! Our Yan family only has Yan Ye as a son. If he marries a little husband, then our Yan family will have no descendants!”

“Alright, enough with your short-sightedness. Doesn’t the Yan family still have my brother? How can you say there are no descendants?” Master Yan snorted through his nose, dissatisfied with his wife’s words.

Yan Ye had achieved his goal and naturally wouldn’t put on a show of mother-son affection here. He cupped his hands and said, “Father, your son rushed back at full speed today and is tired. I will withdraw first.”

Master Yan waved his hand, letting him leave.

Madam Yan still wanted to continue speaking when she heard Master Yan say in an unquestionable tone, “Send Madam back to rest.”

The serving maids responded “Yes”. Two people, one on the left and one on the right, helped Madam Yan, “Madam, please.”

Lu Yishuang was anxious inside. She lifted her skirt hem and knelt down, her voice tearful, “Uncle, Yishuang has always admired cousin. In this life, I will marry no one but him. I beg Uncle to grant my wish.”

Concubine Liu lightly furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows, “There are many girls in Nanyang City who like Yan Ye. If everyone asked Master to grant their wish like Miss Yishuang, wouldn’t that be difficult for Master and make Master and Yan Ye’s father-son relationship discordant?”

Just as Madam Yan was relieved that her niece would speak up to strive for happiness and wanted her husband to go along with the flow and grant the two of them, upon hearing Concubine Liu’s interrupting words, she glared at her with a pair of eyes.

Lu Yishuang cursed Concubine Liu inwardly, calling her an old hen that couldn’t lay eggs, wondering what nonsense she was talking about and ruining her good plan.

She continued unwillingly, “Uncle, I know this will make things difficult for you. I don’t ask to be cousin’s wife. Even if I were a concubine, I am willing. As long as I can stay by cousin’s side and bear children for him, that is enough.”

These few words slightly moved Master Yan, “You go down first. Wait until tomorrow when I ask Yan Ye.”

Lu Yishuang seized the opportunity, “Thank you, Uncle, for granting my wish.”

Concubine Liu couldn’t help but let out a scoff.

Master Yan asked her what she was laughing at. Concubine Liu said jokingly, “Nothing. This concubine was just thinking, Miss Yishuang becoming a concubine, she will be the same as me in the future. Wouldn’t this be too hard on the young lady?”

Master Yan furrowed his brow, and his thoughts in his heart began to change again.

His son was a man who would achieve great things in the future, so how could he be entangled by those trivial matters in the back courtyard?

Thinking that Lu Yishuang was his wife’s own niece, how could his wife be willing for her own niece to always be a little concubine? If this were the case, he was afraid the household would be restless in the future.

Just when Lu Yishuang was still feeling smug, Master Yan had already dispelled the idea of letting his son take concubines.

Madam Yan gripped Lu Yishuang’s hand, her voice cold as ice, “Aunt won’t really let you be a concubine.”

How could her niece be a concubine like Liu Hexiang?

Lu Yishuang intimately linked arms with Madam Yan’s hand and said coquettishly, “I know Aunt loves me the most. Being a concubine is only temporary. Later, when cousin gets tired of that little slut, Aunt can just have cousin divorce him.”

Madam Yan nodded. Although she said this, in her heart, she had already thought about how to torment that little husband she hadn’t met, to let him know that their Yan family was not so easy to enter.

When the Yan family finally quieted down, outside the largest house in Song Family Village, two stealthy figures appeared. One of the figures stepped on the other person’s shoulder, flipped over and climbed onto the wall, and then sneakily walked inside.