binnovel Chapter 209
Chapter 209
Jiang Mingzhe was the witness to the contract signed between Li Ping and the princes.If the princes refused to pay, they would ask Jiang Mingzhe for it.
He was both the witness and the guarantor.
"He is your father, stop always trying to fight against him."
"Mother, you can't be biased toward him." Li Ping leaned against Ye Yunniang's embrace, dissatisfied that she was speaking up for Jiang Mingzhe.
Ye Yunniang was just worried that Li Ping would be fooled silly by Jiang Mingzhe.
"Mother, I'm very smart. He can't fool me." Li Ping felt that his mother truly underestimated him.
"How old is your father, and how old are you? The things he has experienced are beyond anything you can imagine. Don't always talk back to your father," Ye Yunniang advised earnestly.
Li Ping knew his mother meant well. "Alright, I'll listen to you, Mother."
"Don't just say nice things to humor me." Li Ping had said this many times before.
Li Ping smiled. "This time, I'm serious."
Ye Yunniang decided to trust her youngest son one more time.
Ye Yunniang brought up the matter of cooperating with Zhong Zhaoli and Tong Tiemei to open a women's academy.
"Help Mother analyze this. Is this feasible?"
After listening, Li Ping only asked Ye Yunniang two questions.
What was her original intention in establishing the women's academy?
Was she afraid that if something went wrong with the academy, it would implicate the family?
Ye Yunniang's original intention in opening the women's academy was to help young girls who, like her in her childhood, were unloved by their parents and wanted a better life but had no way out.
A women's academy was unprecedented, and it was being rolled out on a large scale all at once.
Ye Yunniang was very worried that an accident might occur. It wouldn't matter if she alone was implicated, but she feared affecting Jiang Mingzhe and the children.
Especially since Li Pan was going to take the imperial examinations.
Ye Yunniang had specifically looked into it; the reputation of imperial examination scholars could not be tarnished in the slightest.
If Li Pan couldn't take the exams because of her, Ye Yunniang wouldn't be able to rest in peace even in death.
Li Ping understood. Ye Yunniang wanted to do it, but she was worried about dragging her family down.
"Mother, can you let me be a part of it?"
Ye Yunniang shook her head. She didn't want Li Ping to get involved just for her sake.
Li Ping's desire to join the founding of the women's academy wasn't solely for Ye Yunniang.
Li Ping wanted to spread his wings in the capital, but he lacked manpower.
He didn't know the true character of people hired from the outside.
Those trained by themselves would be more loyal and reliable.
"Mother, just let me join," Li Ping coaxed playfully.
Ye Yunniang couldn't resist her son's coaxing. When she consulted with Zhong Zhaoli and Tong Tiemei again, she brought Li Ping along.
Zhong Zhaoli and Tong Tiemei witnessed Li Ping's sharp business acumen.
Both of them envied Ye Yunniang for having such a good son.
Tong Tiemei was surprised to learn that Li Ping was Tong Mo's godson and immediately proposed hosting a formal recognition banquet to solidify this godparent relationship.
Because of the godson, Zhong Zhaoli showed Tong Mo a much friendlier face.
She even relented and agreed to Tong Mo's marriage proposal.
"Papa Mo, my calling you father hasn't been in vain," Li Ping claimed credit in front of Tong Mo.
"Everything I promised you is yours." Tong Mo went back, dug out Bao Shao's little treasury, and gave it all to his three godsons.
Knowing about Tong Mo's past emotional burdens, Bao Shao felt deeply guilty.
And because Tong Mo had said that if he didn't give it, he wouldn't acknowledge him as his father, Bao Shao watched with heartache and reluctance as his little treasury was completely emptied by Tong Mo.
The recognition banquet was scheduled to be held half a month after Ye Yunniang and the family moved into the Suyan Earl's Mansion.
After more than four months and the expenditure of a massive amount of manpower and materials, the Suyan Earl's Mansion was completed and ready for move-in.
Choosing an auspicious day and time, the family moved into their new home.
The courtyard where Ye Yunniang and Jiang Mingzhe resided featured a babbling stream, and outside the courtyard lay a lotus pond.
It was the exact same layout as their home in Jiangcheng.
"Are you satisfied?"
Ye Yunniang threw herself into Jiang Mingzhe's arms.
Satisfied, extremely satisfied.
Ye Yunniang also came to realize that whether it was the capital or Jiangcheng,
as long as her family was by her side, it was her home.
On the second day after moving into the Suyan Earl's Mansion, the Little Sheep Pavilion opened for business.
The whole family attended, watching Li Ping receive guests with ease and grace.
Hearing the praises from the people around them, Ye Yunniang felt both happy and heartbroken over her son's hard work.
"My grandson is amazing, isn't he?" Tong Tiemei showed off proudly to the people around her.
"How did the young master of the Jiang family become the Princess Consort's grandson?"
"My Xiao Mo acknowledged Pingping as his godson. He is my grandson."
"So the recognition banquet at the Jing Prince's Mansion is for Young Master Mo and Young Master Ping of the Suyan Earl's Mansion?"
"Yes, all of you must come." Tong Tiemei extended the invitation; her grandson was so capable, she had to show him off properly.
"Alright, we will definitely go."
On the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, the recognition banquet was held at the Jing Prince's Mansion.
Li Pan, Li An, and Li Ping all acknowledged Tong Mo as their godfather.
Tong Mo pulled Zhong Zhaoli alongside him to receive the three boys' kowtows together.
He also announced to the crowd that the Jing Prince's Mansion would be uniting in marriage with the Zhong Duke's Mansion.
Zhong Zhaoli had pursued Tong Mo for years, a fact known to everyone in the capital.
Tong Mo had always outright rejected her, making people think it was impossible. No one expected them to actually get together.
Seeing how clingy Tong Mo was toward Zhong Zhaoli, people sighed in admiration that Zhong Zhaoli had finally gotten her wish.
With the Jiang family forming godparent ties with the Jing Prince's Mansion, those who originally looked down on the Jiangs completely changed their attitudes.
Invitations were delivered to Ye Yunniang's hands like snowflakes.
There were weddings, elders' longevity banquets, infants' one-month and one-year milestones, and birthday parties.
There were also gatherings for appreciating flowers, snow, trees, antiques, and more.
These were all banquets Ye Yunniang could never have imagined.
With Nanny Lu's guidance and the information Qiushuang gathered, Ye Yunniang carefully selected and attended the few she absolutely had to.
Ye Yunniang knew her own limits.
Upon arriving, she would present her congratulatory gifts and take Qiushuang to find a quiet corner.
If someone came over to speak, she would chat with them openly and generously.
If she knew something, she knew it; if she didn't, she wouldn't act timid but would state directly that she didn't know.
If she encountered people gossiping about her, Ye Yunniang wouldn't shy away in embarrassment.
She would step right up, confront them, and retort until they were left speechless.
Ye Yunniang's attitude, neither overly humble nor arrogant, won the admiration of quite a few madams.
She even befriended a few madams with similar temperaments.
During their free time, they would gather together.
However, Ye Yunniang didn't have much free time.
For their first New Year in the capital, Ye Yunniang had to prepare a lot of things.
What made her even more anxious was that on New Year's Eve, she had to enter the palace to celebrate the New Year with the imperial consorts.
Just thinking about this made Ye Yunniang lose her appetite and sleep.
"Can we not go?"
"No." Jiang Mingzhe didn't want to go either, but given their current status, they had to.
"Just endure it for another seven years." After stepping down from the burden of the Suyan Earl title in seven years, they wouldn't have to go anymore.
Ye Yunniang could only comfort herself with that thought.
In Jiangcheng, the New Year's Eve dinner was always eaten in the evening.
Because Jiang Mingzhe and Ye Yunniang had to enter the palace, the family's New Year's Eve dinner was moved to midday.
On New Year's Eve day, Ye Yunniang had the cooks prepare the ingredients and leave. She busied herself in the kitchen all morning, cooking a table full of delicious delicacies.
As the head of the household, Jiang Mingzhe first led the children to offer sacrifices and pay respects to Li Min and Li Jun.
After the family sat down, Jiang Mingzhe looked toward Cai Damei, who was sitting in the seat of honor. "Mother, please say a few words."
Cai Damei looked at her grandsons and daughters gathered around the table.
"Many things happened this year, but fortunately, we got through them all safely. I hope that in the new year, our family remains safe and sound."
"Well said." Ye Yunniang led the applause; this was what she hoped for the most.
For her family to be safe and healthy.