Glory

Ye Yaming had waited so long that she knew Cai Shi was not welcoming her.

The Ye family residence was quite large, with six courtyards. Apart from Ye Hongchang, as the eldest son, who had to live in the courtyard closest to the main hall on the central axis, the other sons could choose their courtyards upon marriage.

Generally, they would choose larger courtyards closer to the main hall for residence.

This way, as their children grew in number, they wouldn't face overcrowding or the need to move again. Additionally, it would be more convenient for daily visits to the main hall to pay respects, and they wouldn't have to walk too far when coming and going.

However, Cai Shi claimed she preferred quiet and chose the most remote courtyard, which was not very spacious and far from the main gate.

For instance, the first, second, and fourth branches lived in large courtyards with smaller inner courtyards, allowing parents and children to live together while maintaining independence without crowding each other.

But the third branch's courtyard had only two sections. Currently, Cai Shi occupied one, and Ye Yayu occupied the other.

At a normal walking pace, the time the matron had just taken to go in and consult Cai Shi would have been enough for two or three round trips.

She gave the matron a deep look, nodded, and smiled, saying, "I've disturbed Third Aunt. In that case, I'll take my leave."

"Third Miss, take care."

Ye Yaming led her two maids back the way they came.

She knew Lve E must have a bellyful of complaints she wanted to voice but, constrained by her status, couldn't speak ill of her mistress, so she kept them bottled up inside.

Ye Yaming also had many thoughts of her own.

However, no matter what suspicions she might have, she had no intention of interfering in Cai Shi's affairs. Everyone has their own way of living. As long as they don't harm others or benefit at others' expense, how they live is their own business.

After Yang Shu's visit to the Ye family, both Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming guessed that the Yang family intended to obtain the Osmanthus Tea recipe through marriage. However, given the long-standing discord between the Ye and Yang families and the fact that they had previously fallen out completely, to avoid embarrassment, the Yang family sent Yang Shu to sound out the Ye family's stance. Now that Ye Yaming had explicitly told Yang Shu she intended to enter a matrilocal marriage, the Yang family should abandon this idea and not persist obstinately.

Unexpectedly, the Yang family's audacity was even greater than they had imagined.

The day after Yang Shu returned, a matchmaker came to the Ye residence to propose a marriage for Ye Yaming, specifically with Yang Tai.

The matchmaker's words were very persuasive: "Currently, the largest tea merchants in Lin'an are your Ye family and the Yang family. Although the Yang family lacks your depth of heritage, they are a rising star."

"If your two families join forces, even the powerful families in the capital who want to venture into the tea trade in Jiangnan will find it difficult. Old Master, wouldn't you agree?"

She glanced at Ye Chongming and, seeing his expressionless face with no indication of his thoughts, continued to persuade, "Yang Tai, the young master, is the legitimate eldest son of the Yang family. The only other legitimate child is Miss Yang Shu. The other children, born of concubines, will move out after marriage."

"Moreover, Young Master Yang said he has always admired Third Miss Ye, but since she was previously engaged, he couldn't express his feelings. Now that Third Miss Ye has broken off her engagement, despite the misunderstandings between the Ye and Yang families, he has sent me here to convey his intentions. He swore that if he could marry Third Miss Ye, he would vow never to take a concubine in this lifetime."

Ye Chongming and Old Madam Ye exchanged a glance.

Old Madam Ye said, "Thank you for making the trip, Madam Li. However, our third miss is to enter a matrilocal marriage and will not marry outside the family. Moreover, even if she were to marry out, we would not form a marriage alliance with the Yang family. As you know, our two families are not on good terms. Marrying our girl into their family would be like handing them a weapon to use against us."Without waiting for Madam Li to speak further, she turned and instructed Granny Yu, "Give Madam Li a superior reward."

Turning back to Madam Li with a smile, she said, "The autumn chill is setting in—take this to buy some wine. We'll still need your help with our children's marriage arrangements in the future."

Matchmakers like Madam Li, who frequented various households, possessed extensive knowledge. Although the Ye family had nothing for others to gossip about, this world still had a thing called "fabricating rumors." It was best not to offend such people if possible.

Madam Li had initially felt disappointed upon hearing Old Madam Ye's refusal. After all, the Yang family had promised her a substantial sum.

But when Old Madam Ye mentioned giving a superior reward, her dissatisfaction vanished.

For a wealthy merchant family like the Ye's, a superior reward meant at least ten taels of silver. Madam Li knew that even after wearing out several pairs of shoes from matchmaking, she typically only earned one or two taels; some less affluent families might only give one or two hundred copper coins.

She also understood why this match was unlikely to succeed. When the Ye family had faced difficulties, Yang Hong had personally gone to Gathering Fragrance Pavilion to mock Old Master Ye. Only if the Ye family had lost their minds would they commit the folly of marrying their granddaughter into the Yang family.

Thus, she stopped persuading them, offered a few flattering words, and took her leave.

After exiting the Ye residence, she examined the purse Granny Yu had given her and discovered it contained twelve taels of silver. Overjoyed, Madam Li decided that wherever she went, if she encountered anyone speaking ill of the Ye family, she would defend their reputation.

After Madam Li departed, Old Madam Ye sighed deeply, "See? Since Ming'er broke off her engagement, all sorts of people are approaching our family."

"Over the years, because Yaqing hasn't been betrothed, countless individuals have tried to scheme for her hand. After all, the Ye family is wealthy with generous dowries. Those hoping to marry a Ye girl for financial gain are like flies buzzing around. Even Yayin, who's only thirteen, has had matchmakers proposing marriages."

"Now that Yaming has also broken off her engagement, our family will likely be inundated with matchmakers during this period."

"The others are manageable, but you should still caution your second daughter-in-law," Ye Chongming said.

Old Madam Ye frowned slightly, "Indeed. Her parents-in-law are fine, but that third sister-in-law of the Yin family is quite calculating. If you hadn't mentioned it to our second son, Yayin's marriage might have been promised by Yin Shi. Now that Ming'er has broken off her engagement, doesn't this just suit her third sister-in-law's intentions?"

The Ye family had initially agreed to Yin Shi's marriage because Yin De'an and his wife were virtuous people with three upright sons.

Although the Yin family's financial status was far inferior to the Ye's, Old Licentiate Yin was a man of principle. Whatever gifts the Ye family sent for holidays or festivals, he would reciprocate with items of equivalent value or compensate through other means, determined not to take advantage of the Ye family. As for Yin Shi using her private funds to buy gifts for her parents—that was another matter.

But every family has its undesirable elements. While Yin Shi's eldest and second sisters-in-law were acceptable, the third sister-in-law loved petty gains and frequently urged Yin Shi to betroth Ye Yayin to her son.

Although the Yin family were scholars and the Ye family were merchants—making the former seemingly more prestigious in social status—the Yin family were merely licentiates while the Ye family were immensely wealthy merchants. If the Ye family hadn't lowered their standards to marry, Yin Shi wouldn't have married into the Ye family.

The third sister-in-law's son was fifteen this year and hadn't even taken the preliminary imperial examination due to inadequate preparation. Such a person aspiring to marry a Ye girl was merely relying on their familial connection through marriage.