Quick Wear: Cannon Fodder

The news that Ye Zhiqiu returned to Renshou Palace spread throughout the harem in an instant. When Empress Dowager Li heard this, she was almost furious. The other concubines were happy to watch the fun. The late emperor was not around, so there was no need to compete for favor. She was locked up in the harem and could not go anywhere, so she had to find some fun for herself.

At the same time as the harem received the news, several major families outside the palace also received the news. Other families were waiting to see what the Li family would do, but the elders of the Ye family were a little worried. Without the head of the family, no one could control the queen mother, and they were afraid that something bad would happen.

It was the fourth branch of the Ye family who came up with the idea of ​​letting the empress dowager use her status as the emperor's biological mother to pressure the emperor. The empress dowager's brothers were not in the capital, and her half-brother was the empress dowager's closest person, and he made the decisions on all family matters, big or small.

Ye Siye is not only the Queen Mother's brother, but also in charge of the Ye family's power in the capital. More importantly, even though he is just a dandy, he is also a doctor in the Ministry of War with the power of the Ye family. He looks like a small official of the fifth rank, but with the signboard of Cheng Engong, who dares to really regard Ye Siye as a small official of the fifth rank?

Everyone respectfully calls him the Fourth Master outside, and he is the one who has the final say in the family, at least in Beijing. He is two years younger than Ye Zhiqiu, and is the youngest son of the fourth wife that Ye Zhiqiu's father married after his mother passed away.

The son was born in old age and was spoiled since childhood. He could not endure the hardships of the border, so he was left in the capital by Ye's father. On the one hand, he was reluctant to let his youngest son go to the battlefield, and on the other hand, he was left as a hostage.

The emperor dared to use the Ye family with confidence only when the general was away and had his wife and children as hostages, and the military power in the northwest could be firmly in the hands of the Ye family. After Ye's father passed away, Ye Daye inherited his father's position and became the new head of the family, which did not affect Ye Siye's status.

With the Empress Dowager Ye Zhiqiu around, the Ye family has not split up for the time being. Fourth Master Ye can continue to call himself a son of a noble family, and Grandpa Ye does not have to send his son to the capital as a hostage. It is a win-win situation, except that the emperor is not very happy.

It was useless for the emperor to be unhappy. This was not the time of the previous emperor. Before he took power, the big families had the final say. The families agreed to Mr. Ye that he would not send new hostages to Beijing because they were worried that the Ye family would return to Beijing and fight for power with them.

Ye Da Ye's demeanor is not inferior to that of the old Duke, and he has a son who is also famous at a young age. In comparison, Ye Si Ye is much easier to deal with. Over the years, Ye Si Ye's power has also been somewhat useful in the Ministry of War. This is partly because of the cooperation of several major families to suppress it, and partly because Ye Si Ye is too incompetent.

The Li family also knew that Fourth Master Ye was of average ability and did not intend to care about Ye Zhiqiu leaving the quiet room. With Empress Dowager Li around, there was no need to worry about the affairs of the harem. It was the Ye family who were anxious.

Ye Siye was indeed anxious. Ye Zhiqiu suddenly left the quiet room and did not send any correspondence to the family. Who would bear the consequences of irresponsibility? He asked Ye Siye's wife and Miss Ye, the twelfth child in the family, to pass the card into the palace to find out what Ye Zhiqiu was thinking.

Madam Ye Si did not want to enter the palace and kneel before Ye Zhiqiu, but since Master Ye Si had spoken, she had no choice but to obey.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Madam requests to see you." Banxia reported in a low voice, afraid to disturb Ye Zhiqiu's reading.

Ye Zhiqiu was also planning to meet her family. It had only been half an hour since she returned to Renshou Palace. The Ye family was fast enough. She was planning to settle accounts with the emperor before causing trouble for the Ye family, but she couldn't blame her since someone had come to her door on their own initiative.

Mrs. Ye Si thought that this meeting would be similar to her previous meetings with the Empress Dowager. She would just pay her respects and convey the Fourth Master's words to him, and then take home a bunch of rewards, and her mission would be accomplished. However, this time, something unexpected happened. She waited a long time for the Empress Dowager to appear after entering the main hall. After Ye Zhiqiu finally showed up, he not only asked her to pay her respects, but also delayed calling her to wake up.

This made Mrs. Ye Si very unhappy. They were all family, and the empress dowager would never treat her like this again. She would always stop her from performing the state ceremony, saying that they were family and there was no need to be too polite.

She was not stupid. She was able to marry into the Ye family and secure the position of the Fourth Lady not only because her family was powerful but also because of her own abilities. The deceased Duke would not look down on someone who was too incompetent, and he was reluctant to let his youngest son suffer.

At this moment, she realized that the Queen Mother must be unhappy, and the reason was simple, most likely it was Twelve Lady who caused the trouble. She used her eyes to signal Twelve Lady to take the initiative to plead guilty, and considering that they both had the surname Ye, the Queen Mother would definitely not blame her too much.

Twelve Niang was unwilling but knew she had to obey at this time. Not to mention that she couldn't afford to offend the Queen Mother for the time being, she dared not disobey Fourth Aunt's words. She only hated that she was born in a side branch. If she was a young lady from the Duke's Mansion, would the Queen Mother and Fourth Aunt still do this?

"Aunt Queen Mother, Twelve Niang admits her mistake. Please let me up quickly. It's uncomfortable kneeling. Aunt Banxia, ​​please help me up." Twelve Niang acted coquettishly and pretended to be silly. When she said this in the past, Ye Zhiqiu would have felt distressed.

This time, she hit a wall. Not only did Ye Zhiqiu pretend not to hear, but Banxia also looked straight at her, as if she didn't know her. She felt so wronged that she wanted to cry, but Madam Ye Si beside her gently pulled her back, and then she remembered that this was the main hall of Renshou Palace, and she had to hold back her tears.

"Get up." Ye Zhiqiu did not miss the hatred in his niece's eyes. With such a personality, she dared to covet the position of queen. She really thought that the world belonged to the Ye family. Throughout the dynasties, there has never been a family that has produced two queens in a row. The Ye family was really blinded by power.

She kindly asked them to recognize their identities, but the two women in the inner house dared to look at her, the queen mother, and they lived too comfortably. She asked Banxia to take back the badges for entering and leaving the palace. In the future, if the Ye family wanted to enter the palace, they would have to wait for a summons.

"My queen, what do you mean by this?" Madam Ye Si was shocked and angry. The Li family could enter the palace at any time, but the Ye family could enter the palace without being summoned. Whose face was this? Did the Queen Mother ever think about it?

"When my father was alive, he always said that a daughter who is married is like water spilled. I can earn my reputation back by myself, not by the Ye family. You take Twelve Lady back and ask her family to find a good marriage for her. If she doesn't want to marry in the capital, go to Jiangnan or the border to find a husband."

"Aunt, I won't marry."

Shi Er Niang rushed forward and wanted to argue with Ye Zhiqiu. She knew from a young age that she would enter the palace and marry the emperor when she grew up. At the very least, she could become one of the four concubines. If she was lucky, she could enter the palace. How could she be willing to marry an ordinary person? The most important thing was that the whole capital knew that she would enter the palace and be the emperor's woman. Who would dare to marry her?

Ye Zhiqiu didn't care about this. She had already pointed out the way. With her as the queen mother, as long as the Ye family did not fall, she would have many choices, whether she married to Jiangnan or the border.

Madam Ye Si was also unhappy. Her family had been training Twelve Niang since she was young in the hope that she would give birth to a prince. What was the point of marrying her into an ordinary family? No child from that family could compare with the emperor.

Ye Zhiqiu didn't care what they thought. From now on, the Ye family was the Ye family and she was her. If they didn't want to listen to her and insisted on hanging themselves on the crooked tree of the emperor, that was fine. Just don't blame her if you don't have a good life in the future.

"Banxia, ​​show the guest away."