Chapter 345 The Qiao Family Visitors
An hour and a half had passed, and the intervals between Qiao's contractions had shortened, but the midwife said that it was not the right time yet, so let's see if she can give birth to the baby at night!
Ye Jiayao asked about Mrs. Qiao's condition, and the midwife said that she was fine and was very cooperative, doing whatever she was told.

After a while, Chunfeng came back. Ye Jiayao thought that she would not be able to give birth until the evening, so she went into the palace first.

After howling for a while in Yonghe Palace, he went to the imperial kitchen to prepare dinner. After it was ready, he hurried home in the evening.

It is said that misfortunes never come singly, and the ancients were right. This winter is the busiest winter in her two lifetimes.

Ye Jiayao sat in the carriage and took the time to close her eyes and rest, but many things kept running through her mind, giving her a headache.

Qiao Xi sat quietly aside, looking at the tired Second Young Mistress with heartache.

Others think that marrying into a noble family will bring them endless wealth and splendor, but the Second Young Lady has never had a few days of peace and quiet, busy with this and that. Now the burden of the family falls on the Second Young Lady. There are many things that she has to do and many things that she cannot ignore. She can neither avoid nor get rid of them. She is exhausted both mentally and physically...

I just hate that I am too humble and insignificant to be of much help.

Ye Jiayao suddenly opened her eyes, as if she had thought of something.

"Qiao Xi, please help me remember a few things first. I'm afraid I'll forget them."

Qiao Xi nodded hurriedly: "Second Young Madam, please go ahead."

"Go back to the mansion later and ask Manager Zhao to go to Prince Yu's mansion to call Deng Haichuan back."

"The eldest young lady only hired one wet nurse, which is not enough. Tell Lin Kun's family to hire two more wet nurses. They must be pretty, have a clean background, be in good health, and be attentive."

"Go find out who is the best pediatrician in Jinling City. Please come home. He will pay the consultation fee, but you are required to stay in the mansion for three months."

If the child can survive three months, there should be no problem!

After saying this, Ye Jiayao closed her eyes again.

Qiao Xi just felt her nose sore and her eyes dry. Couldn't the Madam put these things aside and take a good rest?

After returning to the Marquis' Mansion, Steward Zhong and Steward Zhao came over to reply.

Manager Zhao said the accounts had been prepared and asked the Second Young Madam to review them.

Ye Jiayao took the account and said, "You know what's going on at home. I'm afraid I won't have time to look at it tonight. Please be patient and wait for a day or two."

Manager Zhao hurriedly said, "Second Young Madam, don't worry. It's not the end of the year yet. In previous years, the money was only distributed on the eve of the Chinese New Year."

Ye Jiayao nodded and asked Butler Zhong: "Is the baby born?"

Butler Zhong shook his head, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

"Just tell me whatever you want to say! I need to know everything, good or bad." Ye Jiayao was really afraid that he would say something bad again, but she couldn't help but listen.

Butler Zhong said, "The eldest young master secretly went to see Cui Yan, and the servants stopped him from entering. Later, the third young master came and dragged the eldest young master away."

Ye Jiayao felt upset for a while, but she endured it for a while, and after calming down, she asked, "Is that all?"

If that were all, there would be no need for Butler Zhong to tell her and he wouldn't have looked so solemn.

Butler Zhong really couldn't bear to say that the Second Young Madam was already busy enough, so he said, "It just so happened that the eldest young master of the Qiao family came to Nanjing to settle accounts at the end of the year. He came to see the eldest young madam and ran into her. The eldest young master Qiao was so angry that he held the eldest young master down and beat him up. Several people tried to stop him but couldn't. The eldest young master suffered a lot..."

"You deserve it." Ye Jiayao gritted her teeth in hatred.

"The Third Young Master said a lot of nice things and finally managed to calm the anger of the Qiao Family's Young Master. But, I don't know how Aunt Wei got to know that the Young Master was beaten, so she rushed out and wanted to fight with the Qiao Family's Young Master. This time, it was even more terrible. Aunt Wei scratched several bloody marks on the Qiao Family's Young Master's face."

Ye Jiayao really wanted to faint. One problem after another arose. Just hearing about it made her angry.

"Where is the Qiao family's eldest young master now?"

"The Third Young Master is with us in the side hall of the front courtyard. He said a lot of good things, but the other party is in the right and wants to seek justice for the eldest young lady. He is waiting for you to come over and give an explanation."

Ye Jiayao pondered for a moment and said, "Butler Zhong, tell them what I said. Concubine Wei should be confined to her house for a month. She is not allowed to leave the West Courtyard without my permission. No one in the mansion is allowed to tell her about what is going on in the mansion. Anyone who talks too much will be punished."

"Manager Zhao, please find a place to send Cuiyan. Be careful on the way and don't let anyone see her. Keep an eye on her. Don't be polite to her. Just make sure she doesn't run away or die."

The two men took orders, and Ye Jiayao went straight to the compound with a cold face.

Qiao Xi quickly relayed what the Second Young Lady had instructed him to do, telling Butler Zhong and Manager Zhao to hurry up and do it.

Then he trotted after the second young lady.

When Ye Jiayao arrived at the compound, she was not in a hurry to see the eldest young master of the Qiao family. Instead, she went to the delivery room first. After asking the imperial physician and the midwife, she was told that it was not time for the baby to be born yet. Then she went to the side hall. When Ye Jiayao entered the room, she saw a handsome man sitting there sulking with an unhappy look on his face. There were three eye-catching bloodstains on his fair face.

Chunfeng was looking forward to Ye Jiayao like the stars and the moon. These two hours were really not easy to get through.

Not only did he let his eldest brother go to find Cui Yan, but he also let the eldest young master of the Qiao family be teased by Aunt Wei. No matter how many nice words he said, it was of no use.

Seeing Ye Jiayao finally coming, he stood up in surprise: "Second sister-in-law."

Ye Jiayao nodded.

Chunfeng introduced: "This is my sister-in-law's eldest brother, Qiao Mingdong."

Ye Jiayao bowed and said, "My name is Ye Jinxuan, nice to meet Young Master Qiao."

Qiao Mingdong clasped his fists perfunctorily with a cold expression.

Ye Jiayao understood Qiao Mingdong's feelings and didn't care. She asked Chunfeng, "Have you had dinner?"

Chunfeng said: "I have eaten."

He stepped aside and gave up the upper seat for Ye Jiayao to sit down.

Ye Jiayao sat down calmly, was silent for a moment, and said, "This kind of thing has brought shame to our Marquis's Mansion. The Marquis and his wife have always been strict in managing the household, and everyone in the mansion is diligent and well-behaved. The Madam trusted me, so she handed the household over to me to manage, and I thought I could manage it well..."

Ye Jiayao smiled bitterly: "After all, I am too young and inexperienced, so some people have become restless. There is no need to discuss right and wrong. Chunli was wrong, very wrong, and I was also wrong. I failed to discover it in time and prevent it from happening."

Chunfeng looked at Ye Jiayao in surprise. Why did she want to take the responsibility? She had done a good job. It was all her brother's own responsibility. What did it have to do with her?
Ye Jiayao had her own intentions. Did she want the Qiao family to settle accounts with the Marquis or Youshi? Blame them for not raising their children properly? She took the responsibility. If the Qiao family wanted to blame someone, they could just blame her. She was a junior, so even if they said something unpleasant, she could bear it.

"What's the point of saying this now? Since you are the head of the family, then tell me, how do we solve this problem?" Qiao Mingdong said coldly.

Ye Jiayao was neither angry nor anxious, and said solemnly: "I say this to let you know the attitude of our Jing'an Marquis Mansion. We will not protect our shortcomings. I told my sister-in-law before that you should ignore everything and give birth to the child first. Save this life, and vent your anger and hatred. She can do whatever she wants, and I will bear all the consequences."

There was a subtle change in Qiao Mingdong's eyes, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Ye Jiayao was no longer filled with resentment.

I have to say that these words are very powerful, but I know my sister's temper very well. She is soft-hearted and has no backbone, so she can't be cruel. Will she swallow her anger after being persuaded?
"If Mingxiu wants to abort the baby in that bitch's belly, can you do it?"

Ye Jiayao's eyes were firm: "We, the Jing'an Marquis Mansion, will not acknowledge that child."

"If Chunli insists on taking that bitch as his concubine..."

"Okay." Ye Jiayao said.

Qiao Mingdong's anger, which had just subsided, suddenly rose again. He only heard Ye Jiayao say, "If he insists on taking Cuiyan as a concubine, he will be kicked out of the house, removed from the family tree, and the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion will recognize the law but not the person."

Uh……

Qiao Mingdong gasped. Being removed from the family tree was the most severe punishment, tantamount to sentencing Chunli to death. A person who was removed from the family tree would be looked down upon for the rest of his life and would not be able to hold his head up. Did the Second Young Lady really have such great power?
"Can your attitude represent the attitude of the Marquis and his wife?"

"Don't worry about that. Since I dare to say this, I can make the decision."

If Ye Jiayao did not have some confidence, she would not dare to nod or speak. It was not a question of whether she had such great power, but this matter concerned the reputation and even the future and destiny of the Jing'an Marquis' Mansion. If Chunli insisted on his own way and angered the Qiao family, and if the Qiao family made a fuss and was used and publicized by people with ulterior motives, the Marquis' Mansion would be in danger. In the face of the overall situation, Chunli was nothing.

Moreover, she was absolutely sure that between fame, wealth and Cui Yan, Chunli would choose the former without hesitation.

Chunfeng also understood his elder brother's temperament. His elder brother did not care about fame and fortune, but he was greedy for comfort and enjoyment. If he had nothing, it would be more painful for him than killing him. He knew that Ye Jiayao said this only to comfort Qiao Mingdong. Taking a concubine would never happen. It involved a national mourning. Who would dare to mention such a thing? Would they want to die?

So Chunfeng also said: "Don't worry, Master. What my second sister-in-law said represents the attitude of our Marquis' Mansion."

Qiao Mingdong swept away his previous gloomy mood and said seriously: "I feel relieved when the Second Young Madam expresses this attitude. We will talk about everything after Mingxiu gives birth to the child."

Ye Jiayao breathed a sigh of relief silently. Fortunately, Qiao Mingdong was not the kind of person who would make trouble. As long as she showed sincerity, the other party would not make things difficult for her.

"Aunt Wei is an illiterate woman who doesn't know any etiquette. She was only made a concubine because she served the Marquis for many years and had worked hard for him. Young Master, please don't bother with her. I have already given the order to keep her under house arrest, and she is not allowed to come out and give orders in the future." Ye Jiayao said.

Qiao Mingdong touched the scars on his face and was quite satisfied with Ye Jiayao's treatment.

"The wound on the young master's face still needs to be treated, so as to avoid leaving scars, which would be a sin. Chunfeng, you stay here with the young master, and I will go call the doctor. I'm worried about the delivery room, so I have to keep an eye on it." Ye Jiayao stood up and said goodbye.

Qiao Mingdong also stood up to see her off, and had great respect for the young head of the family. She was decisive, clear about right and wrong, and had the aura of a heroine.

(End of this chapter)