Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 207: Chapter 201 Third Young Master Liang

“Hehe, the Marchioness is right; our old lady is indeed the daughter of a military household!”

“Indeed, indeed!”

A chorus of agreement suddenly echoed throughout the hall, but the lady from the Zhengyang Marquis who spoke earlier was now blushing and cast her eyes down, not daring to say another word.

Yu Qingyi sensed something was off with the situation.

The behavior of the Marchioness was too unexpected, making her feel there must be something hidden beneath the surface.

And the lady from the Zhengyang Marquis was odd too.

Why would she, with no apparent reason or resentment, come out to belittle Yang Yunxue’s background?

It couldn’t just be for the sake of making herself uncomfortable, could it?

While Yu Qingyi was in the throes of her confusion, she suddenly felt an unusual gaze fixed upon her.

Acting on instinct, she looked up and, indeed, saw an attractive young lady on the opposite side looking at her.

The gaze of this young lady seemed complex, ah yes, a bit hostile, and somewhat helpless too.

Hostility!

Yu Qingyi was even more puzzled.

Why this hostility?

If Yang Zhengshan were here at this moment, he would definitely recognize the girl staring at Yu Qingyi.

She was none other than Ning Qing, whom they met at the Jinxiu Workshop two days ago.

With everyone’s flattering words, the expression on the Marchioness’s face improved and she returned to her previous amiable demeanor, chatting cheerfully with everyone.

However, she did not let Yu Qingyi leave. Instead, she would occasionally say a few words to her, ensuring Yu Qingyi didn’t feel neglected.

Later, more people arrived to celebrate the birthday until the banquet started, and it was only then that Yu Qingyi followed the crowd into the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was vast, with a total of eight tables laid out with food and drink, but there were so many celebrants today, and just the families of the officials alone numbered two or three hundred, not to mention many more officials from Chongshan Pass.

Therefore, Yu Qingyi and her group could only eat in the corridors outside the hall. Although their seating was outdoors, the weather today was delightful, and the surrounding environment was pleasant too, so it didn’t feel inappropriate.

The birthday banquet was lively, and although Yu Qingyi was outside the banquet hall, she could still see the happenings inside, particularly the men’s area, where, despite being separated by screens, she could catch glimpses of many young talents during the toasting.

She hadn’t forgotten her main purpose for coming—yes, her purpose wasn’t just to celebrate but to look for a suitable groom for Yang Yunxue, and so, at the banquet, she observed those young talents very closely.

Although she could only catch a distant glance from here, she could still discern a thing or two, such as appearance, identity.

Most importantly, those who were brought here were at least from government officials’ families and beloved sons at that.

Hence, many families present at this banquet had the same intention as Yu Qingyi.

Speaking of which, Yu Qingyi actually spotted a few young men with pleasing looks and secretly made a mental note; as for the others, that would have to wait until she inquired further after returning.

During the banquet, Yu Qingyi and the rest also saw Zhou Lan.

Although Zhou Lan was a woman, she did not stay with the official’s families but was mingling in the Front Office with the officials.

Seeing Zhou Lan, Yu Qingyi felt a sigh of relief.

“It seems Second Sister-in-law must have arrived, though they haven’t come over,” Yang Yunxue, who was beside her, also noticed Zhou Lan and said.

The Li family was to come to Chongshan Pass and return to An Yuan City with them. They waited until late yesterday but did not see them and even sent out two guards to inquire. It wasn’t until this morning that they learned the carriage broke down on the way, which caused some delay.

When Yu Qingyi and the others came to the Marquis Mansion, Zhou Lan and the Li family hadn’t entered the city yet, so they had to come first.

Now that they saw Zhou Lan was here, they were reassured.

The banquet continued for nearly two hours before coming to an end. One by one, the families of the officials bid farewell to the Marchioness, and Yu Qingyi, feeling it was time to leave as well, prepared to bid her farewells. However, before she could enter the hall, a maid stopped them.

“Mrs. Yang, the Marchioness has arranged a room for you to rest in for a while,” the maid said with a sweet smile.

Yu Qingyi looked at her, “It’s getting late, and we should take our leave!”

“The Marchioness finds herself quite taken with Mrs. Yang and would like to talk more with you later, please wait a moment longer,” the maid said slowly.

Yu Qingyi glanced toward the main hall and then followed the maid to a nearby chamber.

It seems the Marchioness indeed has something on her mind; otherwise, she wouldn’t have kept us back separately.

Yu Qingyi didn’t have to wait too long, just about a quarter of an hour, before the Marchioness arrived at the chamber, surrounded by many people.

“Greetings to the Marchioness!”

“Hehe, there’s no need for formalities, let’s sit and talk,” the Marchioness remained very kind.

Yu Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief, sat next to the Marchioness, and quietly waited for her to speak.

But the Marchioness didn’t mention why she kept her back; instead, she started introducing her to the people who came with her.

“This is my eldest daughter-in-law, Ms. Han; you probably saw her at the mansion’s entrance earlier!” The Marchioness brought Ms. Han closer, making a special introduction to Yu Qingyi.

Yu Qingyi naturally had seen Ms. Han previously at the entrance of the Marquis Mansion.

The two exchanged greetings again when the Marchioness suddenly pointed at a young man behind her and said, “This is my third son, hehe, he’s already sixteen years old this year!”

Yu Qingyi was taken aback, only then noticing amid the group of nannies and maids that there was indeed a young man.

The young man, with bright red lips and white teeth, had a slender figure and looked rather bookish, more like a scholar than the scion of a noble family.

“So it’s the Third Young Master Liang, this concubine has seen the Third Young Master!”

Yu Qingyi thought to herself but nonetheless rose to give a polite curtsy.

To her surprise, Third Young Master Liang blushed and returned the gesture with a fist and palm salute, “Liang Jinyan has seen Mrs. Yang! Greetings to the sisters of the Yang family!”

Yang Yunyan glanced at Yang Yunxue beside her, her eyes carrying a hint of surprise.

Yang Yunxue curiously sized up the Third Young Master Liang, and then bowed again with Yang Yunyan.

After the greetings, the Marchioness started to chat idly with Yu Qingyi.

Hmm, it truly was idle chit-chat, with no particular theme, just random topics.

At this moment, Yu Qingyi really had no interest in idle talk with the Marchioness; her thoughts were entirely on the Third Young Master Liang.

Liang Jinyan, ranked third among the Liang family’s grandchildren, should be the male offspring of the Liang family’s main branch.

Not the eldest grandson of the Liang family, but still a grandson of the main branch.

Sixteen years old, precisely the age to discuss marriage.

Yu Qingyi had these thoughts, but since the Marchioness did not mention it explicitly, she naturally couldn’t inquire further.

Such matters shouldn’t be approached with excessive eagerness. Besides, there were many things she didn’t understand, and she needed Yang Zhenshan to make the decisions.

Fortunately, the Marchioness didn’t keep her for too long, and soon had Mrs. Liang Han send them off.

After they boarded the carriage and left the Marquis Mansion, Yang Yunyan couldn’t help but ask, “Mother, does the Marchioness have intentions for my younger sister?”

She also figured something out but found it hard to believe.

Marriage is about matching social status, but the gap between the Yang family and the Changping Marquis Mansion was too great. To put it bluntly, the Yang family really couldn’t climb that high.

At this moment, Yang Yunxue was in a daze, but she also came to a realization.

At first, she didn’t understand, but when Mrs. Liang Han was sending them off and kept glancing at her, she finally caught on.

Third Young Master Liang!

He looks so frail!

Indeed, this was Yang Yunxue’s first thought.

As a Martial Artist, um, as a talented young Martial Artist, Yang Yunxue had her own pride.

She became a Martial Artist last year when she was not yet fifteen years old.

And during this past year, her cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds; within just one year, she had broken through several times and had now reached the Refining Power Level.

Given her rate of cultivation, she should be able to break through to the postnatal stage by age sixteen.

Compared with her three brothers, Yang Mingcheng and the others, Yang Yunxue could be considered exceptionally gifted. With innate talent and Yang Zhenshan’s willingness to give her Spiritual Spring Water, her potential was naturally vast and profound.

Yet that Third Young Master Liang seemed somewhat weak and scholarly, as if he had not cultivated in Martial Arts.

This clearly did not match Yang Yunxue’s fantasies of a future husband.

Yu Qingyi glanced at the distracted Yang Yunxue and shook her head at Yang Yunyan, “Don’t overthink it, the Marchioness meant nothing of the sort!”

She said this to prevent Yang Yunxue from worrying.

After all, the details were not yet clear; if there were any issues, Yang Zhenshan would surely not agree.

Whether Yang Yunxue was willing or not, now was not the time to make things clear.

When the carriage returned to the small courtyard, as expected, the Li family was already there.

“Daughter-in-law pays respects to mother!”

Upon seeing Yu Qingyi, the Li family hadn’t even spoken a word before bowing down.

Unlike Ms. Wang, who had been with Yu Qingyi at home for two years and become familiar with her, both were not petty people, so their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was very harmonious.

However, the Li family had always been with Yang Mingzhi in Jianning Guard, and aside from seeing Yu Qingyi once when Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi got married, she had not spent much time with Yu Qingyi.

Now that they were returning to the Yang family, the Li family felt somewhat uneasy, afraid that Yu Qingyi might be dissatisfied with her.

“Grandchildren pay respects to grandmother!”

Yang Chengmao, Yang Chengxian, and Yang Wanting, the siblings, also bowed with the Li family.

Now six years old, Yang Chengmao looked very much like his father, Yang Mingzhi, with a very delicate appearance.

In fact, among the three brothers, Yang Mingzhi was the most handsome, though shorter than Yang Mingcheng and Yang Minghao.

And the Li family was also much prettier than Ms. Wang, at least much slimmer in figure.

In terms of appearance alone, the Li family was only slightly inferior to the Liang family.

Therefore, all three children had very delicate features.

“Quickly get up, get up, the ground is cold!”

Yu Qingyi, seeing the three little ones kneeling on the ground, hurriedly went forward to help them up, heartily distressed.

First, she picked up Yang Wanting, the little girl who had just turned two and seemed very well-behaved.

“It’s cold outside, let’s talk inside!”

Yu Qingyi said to the Li family.

Afterward, the crowd headed towards the living room.

“Right, Qian’er, Qingxia, you take Qian’er back first.” It was only when they neared the living room that Yu Qingyi remembered Lu Qian was still with them.

“Madam, then I will take my leave!” At this moment, Lu Qian was no longer nervous.

Yu Qingyi nodded slightly, then entered the living room, while Qingxia took Lu Qian away.

Everyone entered the living room, and Yu Qingyi immediately asked Nanny Song and Nanny Lin to prepare tea and snacks, while Yang Yunyan and Yang Yunxue started to chat with Yang Chengmao and Yang Chengxian.

After all, they were family; though they seldom saw each other in the past two years, the two little ones calling them auntie made Yang Yunyan and Yang Yunxue feel much closer in an instant.

The family enjoyed a warm and harmonious time together, temporarily putting the affairs at the Marquis Mansion out of their minds.