Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 37. Eldest Miss of the Ye Family

37. The Eldest Miss of the Ye Family

At the end of April, the Ye Mansion sent people to fetch Ye Li back. Ye Ying’s wedding date was set for the last day of April, reportedly the only auspicious day in that month. Xu Hong Yu indifferently dismissed the people sent by the Ye Family to retrieve Ye Li. It wasn’t until the day before Ye Ying’s grand wedding that he had Xu Qingbai and Xu Qingyan personally escort her back. Although Minister Ye was quite displeased, he didn’t say much, seemingly out of an inexplicable, almost innate dread of his elder brother-in-law. He only told Ye Li to return to Qingyi Pavilion and rest well.

When Ye Li went to the Xu Mansion, she only brought along two servants, Qingshuang and Qingxia. However, when she returned, she brought back Nanny Lin, Nanny Wei’s family of over a dozen people, and two mature maids, Qingluan and Qingyu, handpicked by her maternal grandfather. The originally small Qingyi Pavilion consequently seemed somewhat packed. Nanny Wei, looking at the furnishings of Qingyi Pavilion, was so heartbroken that she wiped her tears, saying directly, "How can this be a place befitting a Miss Noble to live?" Ye Li didn’t mind and just smiled, trying to persuade her, "No matter how grandly it’s furnished, once we leave, won’t it just benefit others?" Nanny Wei remained unyielding, insisting that the Young Miss could not be made to suffer, and began directing the maids to redecorate Ye Li’s room. Ye Li had no choice but to let her be. It seemed everyone was unhappy with her room; her aunt also lamented each time she visited.

"Miss, the Eldest Miss has arrived," announced the maid from outside the door.

Ye Li put down the needlework in her hands and looked up, smiling. "Please invite the Secondary Consort of the Heir in."

Soon after, a beautiful lady in palace attire entered the room. Seeing Ye Li seated by the table, she couldn’t help but break into a smile. "Third Sister."

Ye Li quickly rose to greet her. "Greetings, Secondary Consort of the Heir." This woman was the eldest daughter of the Ye Family, Ye Zhen, the Secondary Consort to the Heir of South Marquis.

Ye Zhen took her hand and laughed. "I dare not accept such formality. After your grand wedding, I will be the one paying respects to you. Since there are no outsiders present, let’s address each other as sisters."

Ye Li nodded and smiled. "Big Sister, please sit down." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ye Zhen’s biological mother was a personal maid who had grown up with Minister Ye. She passed away from illness when Ye Zhen was five, so Ye Zhen was raised by Ms. Xu from a young age. By the time Ms. Xu passed away, Ye Zhen was already thirteen. Thus, Ye Li and Ye Zhen had a reasonably good relationship. When Ye Zhen was still at home, she would occasionally look after Ye Li. However, before she was even fifteen, Ms. Wang arranged her marriage, and she became a Secondary Consort to the Heir of South Marquis. Reportedly, the Heir of South Marquis was not particularly affectionate towards Ye Zhen; after seven or eight years of marriage, she had not borne him any children. Ye Zhen rarely returned to the Ye Family. It had been nearly two years since the sisters had last seen each other. She must have returned this time to send off Ye Ying and contribute to her dowry.

Ye Zhen gently touched the large expanse of red brocade on the table, her heart stirring slightly. "Is this... phoenix brocade? Third Sister, are you making your wedding dress?"

Ye Li nodded. She wasn’t particularly picky about her wedding dress, so she hadn’t rushed to make it earlier. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to do with the phoenix brocade her eldest maternal uncle had specially brought over. After all, according to the customs of Great Chu, a woman could only have one wedding dress; making another was considered an ill omen.

Ye Zhen enviously stroked the soft red brocade and looked at Ye Li. "This wasn’t prepared by Ms. Wang, was it? The brocade Fourth Sister is using is merely mandarin duck brocade. I heard it was bestowed by Her Highness Empress Dowager from the palace."

Ye Li frowned slightly, looking at the wedding dress before her with some hesitation. Her Highness Empress Dowager gifted Ye Ying mandarin duck brocade. If I use the more precious phoenix brocade, Her Highness Empress Dowager might lose face.

Having been a Secondary Consort for so many years, Ye Zhen was not inexperienced. After some thought, she said, "Phoenix brocade is a fabric exclusively used by the imperial family of Xiling Kingdom. Not only is it impossible for commoners to weave, but its sale is also strictly prohibited. Originally, Xiling, like Nanzhao, would gift some to our Great Chu imperial family every year. However, it’s said that during the reign of the previous emperor, Xiling Kingdom’s manufacturing technique was lost due to an accident. This phoenix brocade you have, Third Sister, must be one of the two bolts bestowed by the late emperor upon the Xu Family when your mother was born, correct?"

"Big Sister has a keen eye. Indeed, this was sent to the Capital City by my eldest maternal uncle at my grandfather’s request," Ye Li nodded.

A wedding dress made from phoenix brocade was once the most coveted possession of every noble young lady in the Capital City. Unlike the dazzling mandarin duck brocade, phoenix brocade isn’t immediately conspicuous; it looks more like a piece of ordinary red silk. But when it catches the light, the image of a lifelike phoenix emerges. If worn while moving, it creates the illusion of a phoenix in flight. Generally, the best way to craft it is to embroider patterns like hibiscus and peonies onto the phoenix brocade. This way, when stationary, it appears as a wedding dress with blooming hibiscus and peonies vying for attention. However, once under sunlight or lamplight, the exquisitely embroidered "phoenix amid peonies" is enough to make anyone gasp in awe. Ye Li had already completed her head covering and was amazed to discover that under sunlight and lamplight, even the intensity of the light could alter the phoenix’s color and form. The craftsmanship of this world truly astonished Ye Li, who considered herself a knowledgeable person from the modern era. Moreover, unlike the rare but still obtainable mandarin duck brocade, phoenix brocade was incredibly scarce—not just in Great Chu, but likely unfindable in any significant quantity across all nations. It could even be said that the loss of the art of making phoenix brocade was what led to the current fame of Nanzhao’s mandarin duck brocade.

"Since it was an attire bestowed by the late emperor, and now it is the current Emperor who has decreed the marriage, it’s perfectly fitting for you, Third Sister, to wear it. It will undoubtedly stun the entire Capital City," Ye Zhen said with a smile, a gleam of delight flashing in her eyes. She could just imagine the expressions on Ms. Wang’s and Ye Ying’s faces when Ye Li married in such an outfit.

Ye Li nodded, casually passing the unfinished wedding gown to Qingluan, who was waiting beside her. She then smiled at Ye Zhen. "We’ve been talking about me all this time. Big Sister, I haven’t seen you in so long. How have you been?"

Ye Zhen averted her gaze, her smile fading somewhat. "What could be wrong with me? I’m just living my life as usual."

Ye Li had heard a fair bit about the reputation of the Heir of South Marquis, but unfortunately, these were not matters she could meddle in. Besides, her relationship with Ye Zhen wasn’t close enough for her to inquire about such personal affairs. So, she could only say, "Regardless, taking care of yourself is what’s most important. If you don’t cherish yourself, who else can you expect to?"

Ye Zhen was taken aback, then looked at Ye Li and replied, "Third Sister, you’re right. These years... it hasn’t been easy for you either. In the future... with the Xu Family by your side, things surely won’t be harder for you than they were at home."

Ye Li offered a faint smile and stood up. "Have you seen Fourth Sister yet?"

Ye Zhen shook her head. "I just paid my respects to Grandmother. Fourth Sister is busy choosing new sets of head and face jewelry, so I didn’t want to disturb her."

Ye Li smiled. "Then let’s go together. Qingxia, bring out that ’phoenix facing the sun’ head and face jewelry set. We can give it to Fourth Sister."

Qingshuang said, "Miss, wasn’t that a gift to you from the Old Madam? Moreover, it was the most precious one. Fourth Miss wanted it before, but the Old Madam didn’t give it to her. Giving it away now seems so wasteful."

Ye Li waved her hand. "I can’t use it anyway. If Fourth Sister likes it, let’s give it to her." Regarding those opulent and heavy adornments, Ye Li could only keep her distance; she had no doubt that if she wore the entire set, her neck would ache afterward. Ye Ying probably wouldn’t actually wear it either, given the delicate and refined image she always maintained. She was likely just upset that the Old Madam had given the set to me and not to her.

Ye Zhen carefully observed the nonchalant, serene smile on Ye Li’s face and sighed softly. "Among us sisters, Third Sister still has the best temperament."

Ye Li laughed. "It’s not that I have the most good-natured temperament. In any case, it’s not like we’ll have to see each other day in and day out for the rest of our lives. It’s only for a little over a month more. It’s quite pointless to bicker over these small matters."

Ye Zhen lowered her head and smiled. "Fourth Sister is right."