Glory

"Although Yin Shi favors her maiden family, she is not so foolish as to sacrifice herself for others. If we hadn't mentioned the matrilocal marriage, she might have considered marrying her daughter to the Yin family for their benefit. But now that we've brought it up, she must consider her own interests," said Ye Chongming.

"What I meant by saying that was for you to prevent Third Sister-in-law Yin from pressuring Yin Shi into betrothing Yayin to her family if her attempt to marry Ming'er fails."

Old Madam Ye's expression changed.

Third Sister-in-law Yin's son was fifteen years old, one month younger than Ye Yaming. While he could be matched with Ye Yaming of the same age, pairing him with thirteen-year-old Ye Yayin would also be acceptable. After all, Yin Shi had two daughters, and Third Sister-in-law Yin might be determined to marry one of them.

Unexpectedly for the elderly Ye couple, the uproar caused by Song Yifeng's imprisonment for writing forbidden poems had also brought to light his earlier ungrateful act of breaking off the engagement with the Ye family. This matter, which had previously circulated among scholars and in the alley where the Song family resided, was now repeatedly discussed.

While people were extremely cautious when discussing forbidden poems, they had no such reservations about broken engagements. Such gossip was particularly relished, leading many to suddenly have whimsical ideas.

"What did Song Yifeng have? When he was engaged to the Ye family's young lady, he wasn't even a Licentiate. Although I'm only a Licentiate now, with my abilities, becoming a Recommended Man is just a matter of time. The Ye family may be merchants, but they're wealthy. Getting a few hundred taels of silver per year to spend—what's wrong with marrying a merchant's daughter?"

"Exactly. They give several hundred taels of silver even before marriage—who knows how much dowry they'll provide at the wedding."

"Aren't we studying tirelessly and taking exams precisely to pursue fame and fortune? Many who become Presented Scholars still struggle in the capital on meager salaries. If we become Licentiates or Recommended Men and then marry wealthy young ladies, we'll have both status and money—what a carefree life that would be!"

"Hey, do you think the Ye family would accept just any scholar? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror."

Not only those without official titles or with Child Student or Licentiate qualifications were tempted, but even tea merchants were quite interested.

Some with strong initiative immediately sent matchmakers to the Ye family to propose marriage.

Old Madam Ye was extremely annoyed by the constant disturbances.

Fortunately, whenever a matchmaker came, she would explain the matter of matrilocal marriage and give them a red envelope. After several matchmakers spread the word, those people gave up their intentions.

Those who sent matchmakers to propose marriage were certainly not petty traders or laborers—they were people with some official titles or family backgrounds who coveted the substantial dowry Ye Yaming would bring.

Such individuals would naturally never consider becoming a groom who lives with the bride's family in a merchant household.

Then another group of people became active.

Those with relatives in the countryside, where life was difficult and brothers were numerous, thought: why not send one to the Ye family as a groom who lives with the bride's family? They could enjoy good food and drink while also helping their parents and brothers. Even their urban relatives could benefit.

Thus, another wave of matchmakers came knocking.

This time, Old Madam Ye was noticeably more serious, listening to the matchmakers' introductions, learning about the proposed matches, and sending people to verify the information.

As for the Yin family, when Yin Shi returned home after Song Yifeng broke off the engagement, she had told her parents about the plan to keep Ye Yaming at home for a matrilocal marriage. Moreover, Yin De'an had maintained impeccable integrity throughout his life and imposed strict requirements on his sons.

The reason he agreed to marry his daughter to the Ye family was because the Ye family had good traditions: Ye Chongming and Old Madam Ye were kind and reasonable people, Ye Hongsheng was honest and sincere, and from Ye Chongming to the eldest son Ye Hongchang, none had taken concubines. When Ye Hongsheng also expressed he wouldn't take concubines, Old Master Yin finally relented.Regarding Ye Yaming's broken engagement, Old Master Yin was already filled with so much self-blame—how could he possibly scheme about her marriage arrangements or covet her dowry? When Third Mrs. Yin came to the Ye family and said all those things to Yin Shi, she had done so without the knowledge of the Yin family. However, secrets are hard to keep, and eventually Old Master Yin and Old Mrs. Yin found out, punishing her severely.

Thus, the Yin family was no longer a problem.

As for the other marriage proposals, Old Mrs. Ye handled them all. Even Yin Shi couldn't intervene, let alone bring them before Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming was frequently summoned by Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye to the main courtyard to dine with them. One day, she couldn't help but say to Old Mrs. Ye, "Grandmother, there's no need to give such generous red envelopes to the matchmakers. If you give too much money, these matchmakers won't care who the other party is—as long as someone hires them, they'll come knocking. It doesn't matter to them if they're just after the red envelopes, but you, dear grandmother, will end up exhausted."

Having come from the Mei family and lived her whole life as a wealthy lady, how could Old Mrs. Ye not understand these things?

She replied, "But what if? What if there's a good one? I don't mind the exhaustion. As long as we can find you a good husband, anything is worth it."

Ye Yaming thought, "Fine, then."

After all, she had no expectations about love. Her grandmother wouldn't harm her, and in the end, she would have to agree to any match. It was better to let her grandmother screen the candidates first, giving the old lady something to do and preventing her from getting too bored.

During this time, Ye Yaming wasn't idle. She was busy drawing designs for tea sets.

Earlier, she had given Lu Qi five design sketches that represented a new concept for tea arrangements and tea set designs. In return, Lu Qi had given her a share in the tea set business. However, when they commissioned designs from others now, the pricing was different—usually ranging from fifty to two hundred taels for a set of designs, with the price depending largely on the quality of the designs.

Designing tea sets was second nature to Ye Yaming. In her previous life, she had seen countless tea sets. This was practically like free money. So, she drew more designs to earn some extra cash. The money to buy the estate might not be enough, and she might end up owing her grandmother.

Originally, she didn't want to overdo it and wanted to leave some opportunities for others, so she only drew five more sets, earning a thousand taels before stopping.

Unexpectedly, her designs were clearly superior to others'. Lu Guanyi discussed with Ye Chongming and suggested she draw as many as she could. Without hesitation, Ye Yaming produced ten more sets, earning another two thousand taels.

One day, Old Mrs. Ye called her three granddaughters to join her for breakfast. After the meal, she said, "In two days, it will be Old Mrs. Wang's sixtieth birthday. You will all come with me."

"Alright, Grandmother," Ye Yaqing, being gentle and obedient, agreed immediately.

Ye Yayin looked at her elder sister.

Ye Yaming set down her teacup. "Grandmother, I'd rather not go."

She had attended many such banquets in her previous life. Although the era and setting were different, the boredom of such events was likely the same.

Besides being dull, they were also large-scale matchmaking events. Middle-aged and elderly women would show off their own children while observing others', hoping to find suitable matches for their own.

Rather than forcing stiff smiles and socializing with strangers, she'd prefer to stay home and read a few more books.

She turned to Ye Yayin. "Yin'er, if you want to go, go with Second Sister. When you're there, stick close to Second Sister and make sure your maid stays with you."