Chapter 1584 – No Marriage Among Those with the Same Surname
The house maid scolded, “Aren’t you going to comfort the Young Master? If you disturb a few important figures inside, how many lives do you think you have to repay?”
This maid was not very old, perhaps just a year or two older than the Empress of the Mountain Spirit, roughly the age of a third or fourth-year college student.
However, a college student in society is still considered young, while this maid was responsible for managing dozens of people in the inner courtyard alongside Yan Shuyao. In modern terms, she was equivalent to a middle manager in a company, and her commanding presence was quite intimidating.
The Empress of the Mountain Spirit swallowed her grievance, soothing the crying little brat in her arms, almost pleading with a whisper, “Little ancestor, please stop crying, okay? If you keep crying, I’ll cry alongside you… I didn’t mean to squeeze you too hard earlier…”
The maid was several steps away from the Empress, and since the Empress was speaking in a voice almost swallowed by her own mouth, the maid couldn’t quite catch what she said. Seeing the Young Master still crying, the maid’s expression darkened, just as she was about to say something, footsteps were heard approaching from inside. Upon seeing Yang Tao arrive, the maid immediately greeted him with respect, and the Empress was slow to react, taking a few moments to respond.
Holding the little one, she glanced down and saw a pair of white-socked feet in wooden sandals.
As she speculated who this person might be, the little one stopped crying and reached out his hands towards the newcomer, leaning most of his body forward.
The Empress was startled and clutched the child tightly. The newcomer seemed to notice her panic and worry, saying gently, “No worries, I’ll hold him for a while.”
In Yang Tao’s embrace, the little one appeared exceptionally well-behaved, his big sparkling eyes glistening with tears, looking both pitiful and adorable.
“Such a clever Young Master! Could it be he is aware that Zheng Ze is inside, and that’s why he’s been crying to get your attention?”
The Empress nervously twisted her sleeves, fearing that others would discover the child was crying due to her squeezing him.
This was no law-abiding society; common folks had little to no rights, and one could expect to be beaten to death for offending the master family.
At that moment, the Empress heard a heavenly voice—
The usually shameless Yang Si unexpectedly stood up to speak on her behalf, cleverly covering up her blunder while heavily praising the child. Even though she hadn’t yet entered society and the workforce, the Empress knew that Yang Si was adept with words.
As a parent, who didn’t enjoy hearing sweet words?
The little one, unable to speak for himself, was at that energetic and forgetful age. The moment he saw his favorite father, he forgot everything else and focused solely on his father, playing around. Yang Tao, seeing the child in good spirits, naturally perceived Yang Si’s compliments as sincere.
“My son is young and loves to cling, please forgive the Messenger for having a laugh.”
Yang Tao inhaled the milky scent from his child, displaying a bright, gentle smile. Even Yang Si, an outsider, could tell that Yang Tao genuinely cherished this son. Yang Si chuckled to himself, realizing that Zheng Ze was indeed a unique person, particularly fond of family and caring toward his flesh and blood.
“Where are you headed?” Yang Tao casually asked, while the Empress kept her head down, too timid to look up, quietly watching the reactions of Yang Tao and others.
In this kind of situation, it was naturally the maid who answered, leaving no room for him to speak up. Besides—most importantly, he didn’t even know what to say.
QAQ
What a shame!
Actually, it was nothing serious; Lady Yan Shuyao simply missed her son and wanted to check if the new wet nurse was suitable.
Hearing it was a trivial matter from the inner residence, Yang Tao kissed his son and handed the little one back to the Empress, saying, “Go on, don’t keep the Lady waiting too long.”
The Empress had been following the live broadcast for several years, often browsing the Empress’s forum during her spare time, looking at the posts organized by major influencers. Ever since the “Dream Back to a Thousand Years” event began, these posts had been pinned for years, and anyone with lofty aspirations of becoming the Empress would check the content. Who knows, maybe one day luck would have them transmigrate? To avoid exposing herself, she had to keep up with basic knowledge.
Upon hearing Yang Tao’s words, the Empress replied softly. Apart from looking a bit shy, there was nothing amiss.
However—
After the Empress left with the maid, Yang Tao noticed Yang Si still deep in thought, staring at the wet nurse’s retreating figure.
Yang Tao recalled the rumors about her and his brow twitched slightly.
Before Yang Si settled down with Feng Zhen, he had a reputation for being a playboy, while Feng Zhen’s antics were overt, whereas Yang Si’s were more discreet, leading to a different public perception. The world knew how scandalous Feng Zhen was, but Yang Si, who maintained a lower profile, didn’t receive as much attention.
Of course, as an ex-rival, Yang Tao couldn’t be unaware of his opponent’s major personnel information.
This Yang Si seemed a bit out there too?
Yang Tao’s mind whirled as he ventured a question, “Do you know that wet nurse, Messenger Yang?”
Yang Si withdrew his gaze, saying, “Not really, just a little…”
Yang Tao’s heart skipped a beat, prodding, “A little of what?”
Could it be that this wet nurse had a questionable identity?
If that was the case, he couldn’t let her get close to his son; who knows what intentions she might harbor?
Seeing Yang Tao’s serious expression, Yang Si realized he had led him to misunderstand and quickly cleared it up, “She resembles my wife somewhat in profile, I was momentarily taken aback. Speaking of which, my wife also gave birth to a daughter last year. It’s been a while, and the child should be able to recognize people now.”
Yang Tao hadn’t known that Yang Si was married.
However, it was normal for Yang Si, having passed the age of thirty, to have a wife and child.
Earlier, seeing the unfamiliar wet nurse had triggered a wave of nostalgia for his wife and daughter, which Yang Tao found understandable.
Yang Tao was easy to fool, but Yan Lin, his external brain, was not so easily deceived.
First, he had never heard of Yang Si having a family; those so-called wife and daughter were likely not officially recognized, and whether they even existed was questionable.
Second, the look in Yang Si’s eyes didn’t convey fondness for a wife and daughter. Rather, it seemed more like he had seen something interesting, sparking his curiosity.
So much gibberish, who knows how many truths there are in his words.
Hearing that Yang Si’s daughter was of similar age to his own, Yang Tao joked, “A son and a daughter? Perhaps they could be in-laws in the future.”
Ideally, Yang Si’s status fell short for a connection with Yang Tao as in-laws.
Even if Yang Tao was a fallen prince, and Yang Si was a heavy minister under Jiang Pengji, the concepts of bloodline at that time meant that no matter how high Yang Si climbed, his offspring would still face disadvantages. Although Yang Si didn’t take Yang Tao’s suggestion seriously, he felt it was a compliment, elevating Yang Tao’s stature in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Yan Lin poured a bucket of cold water on the excitement, “No marriage among those with the same surname.”
Yang Si, unable to bear Yan Lin’s smugness, snapped back without thinking, “It’s fine, my daughter will take my wife’s surname.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Yang Si wished he could slap himself.
Had he been kicked in the head by a donkey or was it a brainwater incident? By using that statement to retort Yan Lin, wasn’t he indirectly agreeing to this verbal betrothal?
