Ye Chutang remained at Feiyun Temple with Xiao Wu. After coming up empty-handed and waiting in vain, Ye Shixian had no choice but to return, filled with resentment.

’If I wait any longer, no one will think Ye Chutang is being unreasonable. They’ll just think I’m the one pushing things too far.’

’After all, what could be more important than one’s own parents and older brother?’

When she returned to the small, remote, and simple courtyard, Mrs. Gao was surprisingly still awake, waiting for her in the yard.

"Xian’er!"

Seeing her return, Mrs. Gao immediately perked up. She rose and hurried forward, her expression urgent,

"How did it go? Is she willing to help?"

Ye Shixian was exhausted and couldn’t even be bothered to humor her. Her expression was indifferent as she remained silent.

Shaoyao couldn’t help but purse her lips. "Madam, you’d best not ask. Miss went all the way there today and didn’t even get to see her!"

"What!?" Mrs. Gao exploded with rage. "I knew it! That bitch refused to help! She wouldn’t even see her!"

She grumbled for a bit, then turned the blame on Ye Shixian.

"And you! She wouldn’t see you, so why didn’t you think of another way? You just came back like this! Later—"

A cold sneer formed on Ye Shixian’s lips.

"Think of another way? She’s already left the city, so what was I supposed to do!? Go to Feiyun Temple and make a scene!?"

’I’d lose my last shred of dignity!’

Mrs. Gao was startled by her outburst and took a step back, shocked and bewildered. "Left the city? Why would she... why would she run off to Feiyun Temple at a time like this instead of staying home!?"

Ye Shixian couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath on her. With a cold expression, she turned and walked away.

But the courtyard was small, so even after returning to her room, she could still hear the commotion outside.

Shaoyao hastily explained a few things to Mrs. Gao, who was naturally shocked and couldn’t help but start cursing.

Her cursing soon turned to crying, a sound that grated on one’s nerves.

Shaoyao paid her no mind and returned to Ye Shixian’s door.

A servant came over and whispered a few words in her ear.

After some thought, Shaoyao fetched a basin of hot water and went into the room to attend to her.

"Miss, please wash your face. The autumn air is so dry, and you were out in the cold wind all day. It would be a shame if it damaged your skin."

The conditions here were, of course, nothing compared to the former Ye Family estate.

A bitter taste filled Ye Shixian’s mouth. After crying all day, her tears had run dry, and seeing this only added to her numbness.

Seeing that she didn’t move, Shaoyao tried to persuade her again. "...I heard Mr. Murong might come by later. If he saw you like this, I don’t know how much his heart would ache."

Ye Shixian listened, finding it both ridiculous and infuriating.

"What, have I now been reduced to pleasing a man with my looks?!"

’To think I actually have to worry that Murong Ye will be displeased if he sees me looking so wretched and unsightly!’

Shaoyao quickly said, "Miss! I didn’t mean that! I just think that Mr. Murong went to a lot of trouble to help you this time. He cares for you and surely couldn’t bear to see you like this..."

Ye Shixian pressed her lips together tightly and didn’t speak for a long time.

It was true.

Shaoyao was absolutely right. Without Murong Ye, she wouldn’t even have a roof over her head right now.

And for the foreseeable future, she would continue to need Murong Ye’s help.

Right now, he was the only one she could rely on.

No matter how reluctant she was, she had to do whatever it took to keep him happy.

Ye Shixian looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Her face was haggard, and her features were twisted with resentment.

Even she found her own reflection repulsive; what would Murong Ye think?

After a long silence, Ye Shixian finally said, "The water is cold. Go get another basin of hot water and help me wash up."

Shaoyao quickly agreed and went out.

Alone in the room, Ye Shixian removed the plain hairpin from her hair.

Everything had happened so suddenly. They had only managed to pack a few small valuables to keep with them and had brought nothing else.

Although they had hidden a few magnificent and expensive hairpins and pieces of jewelry among their things, in her current situation, how could she possibly wear them out?

Besides, Mingze’s gambling debts still weren’t paid off. If those people came to their door again... she feared they’d have to sell all those valuables to make the problem go away.

Ye Shixian gently stroked her own face, momentarily lost in a daze.

After today, finding a good family to marry into would be next to impossible...

She wanted to cry but found she had no tears left.

A chill washed over her. She closed her eyes as the sharp hairpin pierced her palm.

’All this humiliation... In the future, I will make that bitch Ye Chutang pay it back a hundredfold!’

...

Several days passed, and the gossip about the Ye Family’s affairs gradually died down, forgotten by the public.

The Capital City was too large and its population too numerous; new stories broke every day. An affair like this was like a stone tossed into a lake: after a PLOP and a splash, only a few ripples remained before the surface grew calm again.

In the last two days, the most talked-about establishment in the city was a tavern.

The tavern was named Yunlai—meaning "customers gather like clouds"—and it was located directly across from the Lan Yue Building.

It was a two-story building with simple and elegant decor.

Unlike other bustling taverns, this establishment only sold wine.

At first, everyone thought the shop was doomed to fail. Firstly, selling only wine with no food, acrobatics, or musical performances would surely be dull. Secondly, it was right across from Lan Yue Building, the most successful business in the Capital City. How could it possibly compete?

However, three days after its opening, people gradually realized that things were not quite as they had expected.

Yunlai Tavern didn’t receive many customers each day, but those who came were all patrons of the highest caliber!

The very first guest to walk through its doors on the first day was none other than Princess Qingyang!

Everyone in the Capital City knew she was notoriously difficult to please, but her high birth was undeniable. In the entire city, she was second only to the Princes and Princesses.

What’s more, when it came right down to it, even her peers from the Royal Family couldn’t necessarily hold a candle to her.

Her visit instantly elevated Yunlai Tavern’s prestige. Everyone now knew it was no ordinary establishment, which naturally piqued their curiosity and drew their interest.

And on the second day, the guest was Feng Zhang, the Imperial College Master.

His official rank wasn’t high, which normally wouldn’t mean much, but who could ignore the fact that he was backed by the National Guardian General?!

The young masters of the noble families in the capital were like mice before a cat when they saw Feng Zhang; if he said to go east, they wouldn’t dare go west.

For this one trip, he even deliberately brought a few people with him to make it seem more "lively."

On the morning of the third day, they again received only a single guest—Cabinet Scholar Chen Songshi.

This man was a great lover of wine. Rumor had it that as he was leaving, he repeatedly asked the Shopkeeper if he could take another bottle home. After being politely refused, the old fellow grumbled in dissatisfaction for a few moments before telling them to keep his private room reserved, as he would return the next day.

And so, in a mere three days, Yunlai Tavern’s fame had skyrocketed in the Capital City.

...

「Feiyun Temple.」

Chen Xin arrived outside the door and placed his palms together.

"Mr. Ye, you have a visitor."