Glory

Ye Yayin nodded, growing increasingly curious.

"So when the matchmaker came to propose the marriage, grandmother and my mother sent people to investigate and were particularly satisfied with their family. Especially my mother, who was afraid others might not be willing, specifically told the matchmaker that she would provide me with a very generous dowry. Fortunately, Ming'er reminded us, otherwise this marriage would have been finalized."

At this point, she looked at Ye Yaming gratefully: "Thankfully, after her reminder, grandfather and my father sent people to investigate in detail and discovered that the daughters-in-law in their family seemed to change completely after marrying into the Wang family. Not only did they compete to use their dowries for household expenses, but they also constantly took money from their natal families to send to their husbands' families. They all said their husbands and sons worked extremely hard studying for imperial examinations, and they must be fed the best food and clothed in the finest garments so they could pass the exams and bring glory to their ancestors."

Ye Yayin frowned, thought for a moment, then looked at her sister in confusion: "Sister, these words don't seem particularly problematic."

In the past, when the Ye family sent money to Song Yifeng, and her sister regularly delivered gifts, hadn't she said similar things? Although it was the original host who had been subsidizing Song Yifeng, Ye Yaming still felt somewhat embarrassed.

She cleared her throat lightly and said: "The methods might be similar, but the nature is different. Song Yifeng is just one son with his mother. If he marries into the Ye family and doesn't work hard to advance, he would bear the reputation of living off others his entire life. He wouldn't be able to hold his head high either outside or within the Ye family. Particularly because he is talented and extremely proud, he would only strive to climb higher."

"But the Wang family is different - all the men from old to young live off others. Because they are numerous and powerful, they feel justified and righteous about living off others. Especially since their family includes Recommended Men and Licentiates - their social status is inherently higher than merchants. Even if they never make any further progress in their lives, their wives' families wouldn't dare show them disrespect or look down on them."

"Most importantly," she looked at Ye Yaqing and saw that she was also listening attentively, realizing she didn't understand the reasoning either, then continued: "If I married into the Song family and Song Yifeng relied on my dowry to live, I would be the most powerful person in the Song family. Even Song's mother, Yu Shi, wouldn't dare put on airs before me, and Song Yifeng would have to please me everywhere. I also wouldn't be foolish enough to take from my natal family to supplement my husband's family."

"Of course, the premise is that I must stand firm myself. As long as I stand firm and manage my dowry properly, they would have to defer to me."

"But look at the Wang family's daughters-in-law. Regardless of how their husbands are, they all consider it their duty to serve their husbands comfortably, wishing they could use all their dowries on their husbands. This is the influence of the Wang family's environment, and also the result of brainwashing by their husbands, mothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law. Think about it - if dozens to hundreds of family members all tell you, a newly married bride, how you should behave, and criticize you in unison at the slightest mistake, wouldn't you start doubting yourself and quickly correct your behavior?"

"Especially since these girls marrying into the Wang family are only sixteen or seventeen years old. Their temperaments haven't fully formed yet, and their wills aren't firm - they're most susceptible to others' influence."

Ye Yayin felt her scalp tingling listening to this.

Even Ye Yaqing, who had heard some analysis from their father and mother and had some understanding of the situation, found Ye Hongchang and Tao Shi's analysis less thorough than Ye Yaming's. She had been rather confused before, but after hearing Ye Yaming's words, she broke out in a cold sweat.The thought of being brainwashed day after day until she became someone who exploited her own family to support her husband's, losing all self-awareness, sent shivers down her spine.

She said, "No wonder my father keeps telling me to spend more time with you, praising your exceptional intelligence every day. My parents both knew there was something wrong with the Wang family, but they couldn't quite articulate what it was. Hearing you explain it makes everything clear."

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Yaming promoted her views: "People often say marriage is a woman's second chance at life. While choosing a good family is important, there are still those who marry into good families but make a mess of their lives. And if you unfortunately marry into a family like the Wangs, as long as you stay clear-headed, always remember to love yourself first and put yourself first, you can still live well."

"A foolish woman worsens her situation; an ordinary woman adapts to her environment; a wise woman changes her environment to make it work in her favor."

"For example, in the case of the Wang family, if you really married into their household, you could pretend to agree with them and then use their reliance on your dowry to support the family as leverage to control them."

"You need me to provide money? Fine, then serve me well. Make me happy, and I might give you some. Not much, just a little—how much depends on my mood." Ye Yayin imagined the scene and couldn't help but chuckle.

The thirteen-year-old girl seemed to understand a bit about relationships between men and women, but many aspects were still hazy to her. What had flashed through her mind was an image of servants waiting on their masters, and then she pictured her grandfather serving her grandmother like a servant, or her uncles and father serving her aunt and mother like servants, which struck her as absurdly funny.

Ye Yaqing, who understood more than Ye Yayin, felt somewhat shy and awkward hearing Ye Yaming's words.

But when Ye Yayin described the images in her mind, Ye Yaqing also couldn't hold back her laughter.

Laughing together, the three of them somehow ended up in a fit of "ha-ha" laughter.

In her previous life, Ye Yaming had received an elite education from a young age, skipped grades, and walked a lonely path alone. She had never chatted and joked with young girls like this before.

After laughing heartily like this, she suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if the heavy burden she had carried since her transmigration had been lifted.

She raised her head and looked up at the sky.

The Ye family's fate had changed, her engagement with Song Yifeng had been broken off, and she had even sent Song Yifeng to prison. With those poems as evidence, he would never have another chance to pass the imperial examinations and become an official.

She had completed the mission entrusted to her by the original host, who should now be able to rest in peace and move on to her next life, right?

Sure enough, that very night, Ye Yaming dreamed of a woman in red gracefully bowing to her, thanking her for everything she had done for the Ye family and for herself, and for fulfilling her wishes.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky was faintly light—it was her usual waking time.

Ye Yaming touched her chest, feeling as though her heartbeat was lighter and more cheerful than before.

Silently, she whispered into the air, "May you have a happy and fulfilling next life."

Yu Shi had lost her son and now had only a little over fifty taels of silver left—

When she had compensated the Ye family with all her savings, she had kept one hundred taels for emergencies and daily expenses. But she had fallen ill at the time, sent her son to rent a house, and worried that the one hundred taels might be lost in the chaos of moving. So, she exchanged the one hundred taels for two fifty-tael banknotes, keeping one with herself and giving the other to Song Yifeng.

Apart from that, she had two or three taels left for buying groceries and daily expenses.