Glory

Initially, when the Ye family offered a residence to Song Yifeng, he refused it. He publicly claimed that the house was purchased with money earned from copying books, writing poems, and selling paintings, but in reality, it was funded by the Ye family.

Even so, to protect Song Yifeng's self-esteem and reputation, whenever he was short of funds, Yin Shi's father—Song Yifeng's enlightening mentor Yin De'an—would send someone to inquire. Upon learning that Song Yifeng needed money for events or expenses, he would notify the Ye family, who would eagerly deliver the silver. After Song Yifeng feigned refusal, the Ye family had to persuade him at length before he would accept.

In Ye Yaming's view, this behavior was the epitome of hypocrisy.

But what happened later? Despite the Ye family's wholehearted support, once Song Yifeng passed the imperial exam and became a Presented Scholar, he immediately looked down on the Ye family for being merchants, claiming that a merchant's daughter was unworthy of a talented scholar like him. He despised the engagement intensely.

Fearing that breaking the engagement would tarnish his reputation as untrustworthy, and aware that the Ye family had invested heavily in him and would not easily let go of the marriage, he reluctantly married the original host. Yet, he treated her with extreme coldness, rarely visiting her room more than a few times a month.

When the Ye family encountered trouble, instead of seeking ways to help clear their name or absolve them, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Yaming even suspected that he might have secretly fueled the situation to sever ties with the Ye family through marriage.

After the Ye family was sentenced to property confiscation and exile, he did not immediately divorce the original host, using this to bolster his own reputation.

In private, however, he subjected her to constant verbal humiliation and emotional neglect.

Yu Shi, wanting to maintain appearances while despising the original host, avoided direct confrontation. Instead, she used the pretext that the original host had not conceived after nearly two years of marriage to buy a shrewd maid for Song Yifeng as a concubine. Once the maid became pregnant, Yu Shi promptly elevated her to concubine status and hinted for her to bully the original host.

With her husband's cold indifference, a concubine encouraged to insult her, and all her personal maids and servants sold off by Yu Shi under various pretexts, the original host was tightly guarded by matrons assigned by Yu Shi, forbidden from leaving the house. In her deepest despair, Song Yifeng had servants "accidentally" reveal the tragic deaths of Ye Hongsheng, his wife, and Ye Yayin.

The original host, inherently proud and having once taken pride in marrying Song Yifeng, had deeply loved him. Now, enduring daily humiliation from him, insults from the concubine, and various abuses from Yu Shi, she clung to life only out of concern for her parents and younger sister, hoping to escape and see them one day.

The devastating news struck like a bolt from the blue, extinguishing her will to live. On a night of heavy snowfall, she ended her twenty-year life with a white silk cord.

Hearing that dying in red clothing could turn one into a vengeful ghost, she deliberately wore the wedding gown she had meticulously embroidered over three years. She intended to become a fierce ghost to avenge those who harmed the Ye family and to retaliate against Song Yifeng and his mother.

Yet, by some twist of fate, she did not become a ghost but instead passed to the underworld and was granted a chance for rebirth.

Recalling the original host's suffering, Ye Yaming sighed deeply, her gaze toward Yu Shi turning as cold and filled with loathing as frost.

If Meng Chengwei's actions against the Ye family were seen as ruthless business competition—though despicable—they were somewhat understandable. But for Song Yifeng and his mother, who owed the Ye family so much, to treat them and the original host this way was truly "disgust squared—utterly repulsive."Such a person, Ye Yaming truly could not tolerate. After transmigrating, she had wanted to immediately break off the engagement.

But even in modern times, a divorced woman—even if blameless—would be subjected to gossip, with people saying things like, "If she weren't at fault, why would her husband divorce her?" In this ancient era, the criticism toward women was even harsher.

Song Yifeng was adept at putting on an act. At this time, the Ye family was wealthy while the Song family was poor. Although Song Yifeng had passed the exam to become a Recommended Man, there were countless talented scholars in Jiangnan, and being a Recommended Man was truly nothing special. He merely stood out because of his young age, making him seem rare.

If the engagement were broken off carelessly, it would only harm the Ye family's reputation. Meanwhile, Song Yifeng, having taken so much money from the Ye family and having become a Recommended Man, would get exactly what he wanted—to break off this unfavorable engagement with a merchant family. Such a favorable outcome for him was simply unacceptable.

Therefore, Ye Yaming planned to proceed gradually. She not only intended to break off the engagement but also to ruin Song Yifeng's reputation.

Since she couldn't break off the engagement immediately and had no desire to feign politeness with Yu Shi, she used the excuse of needing some fresh air to follow Ye Chongming and Ye Jiaxing up the mountain.

Now, accidentally running into Yu Shi here, she found it truly unfortunate.

After saying those words, she nodded politely to the woman who had followed and stood beside Yu Shi, saying, "You two chat," before turning decisively and boarding the carriage.

Yu Shi was stunned.

Because her son was intelligent, studious, and handsome, Ye Yaming had fallen for him at first sight after their engagement and had been particularly respectful toward her, her future mother-in-law. This was the first time Ye Yaming had been so perfunctory and walked away abruptly.

The woman beside her, noticing the situation, smiled and asked, "So this is the young lady of the Ye family you mentioned? Truly as beautiful as a flower and the moon."

Outwardly, she showed nothing, but inwardly, she felt disdain.

She had recently moved in, having bought the house next to Yu Shi's. Every time she chatted with Yu Shi during this period, Yu Shi would talk about her family's relationship with the Ye family, saying how much the Ye family's young lady adored her son and how she fawned over her, the future mother-in-law, buying good things to show her respect every few days. She also claimed that the Ye family, impressed by her son's talent, went out of their way to curry favor with them.

But from what she had just seen, it didn't seem that way at all.

Accustomed to being flattered, Yu Shi felt both angry and humiliated by this sudden cold treatment, especially in front of her new neighbor. She resolved that the next time Ye Yaming visited, she would give her the cold shoulder to make her understand that she, as the mother-in-law, was not someone to be trifled with.

Spotting a tall, elegant young man approaching from a distance, Yu Shi's eyes lit up. She waved at him and smiled, saying, "Feng'er, you're back?"

She turned to the old woman and said, "Old Madam Luo, my son is back, so I won't chat with you anymore. Let's talk again when we have time tomorrow."

With that, she paid no further attention to Old Madam Luo and went to greet her son before returning home.

Once inside the courtyard, she recounted her encounter with Ye Yaming and how coldly Ye Yaming had treated her, complaining, "She hasn't even married into the family yet, and she's already treating me like this. Who knows how she'll act after she enters our household?"

"She wouldn't dare!" A cold glint flashed in Song Yifeng's eyes.

He said to Yu Shi seriously, "Mother, you've worked tirelessly to raise me, and I will never allow anyone to show you disrespect. In the past, we might have had to endure it for a while. But now that I've become a Recommended Man, the Ye family wouldn't dare act arrogantly in front of you anymore."He lifted his head slightly, his face betraying not only restraint but also an unconcealable hint of pride: "Just now, the Education Commissioner read my essay and said I'm certain to pass the imperial examination with honors. When that time comes, you can repay every bit of the cold treatment Ye Jia has given us."