Glory

The eldest daughter-in-law, being the wife of the eldest son and the head of the household, required exceptional personal character and ability, along with a respectable family background to command respect among her sisters-in-law. Therefore, Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye meticulously selected the eldest daughter of the Tao family, who also owned farmland and tea gardens and was well-known to them, as their eldest son’s wife.

Yin Shi’s father, Yin De’an, had earned the title of Licentiate in his twenties and showed great promise of becoming a Presented Scholar and securing an official position. If he succeeded, the Ye family would gain a valuable connection in the official circles. Despite the Yin family having only thirty acres of land, no other sources of income, and Yin De’an’s continued pursuit of scholarly exams leaving them financially strained, Ye Chongming still went to great lengths to arrange for his second son to marry Yin Shi.

The third daughter-in-law, Cai Shi, came from a family that ran a silk fabric shop, with a business of modest scale.

All three sons’ marriages were arranged by Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye.

When it came to the fourth son, Ye Hongrong, before Old Mrs. Ye could even engage a matchmaker, he had already set his heart on Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi’s family background was not an issue—her natal family were salt merchants with a substantial business. In fact, the Ye family’s financial standing was inferior to that of the Zhang family.

The problem lay in Zhang Shi being a concubine-born daughter. Her biological mother was originally a "Yangzhou Thin Horse." Her father was a lustful man who had taken seven or eight concubines and fathered over ten children. In such a chaotic and morally questionable household, the family atmosphere was inevitably toxic.

Yet Ye Hongrong was determined to marry her. After repeated investigations by Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye, they found that while Zhang Shi had some minor flaws, there were no major issues with her overall character.

Considering that Ye Hongrong was the youngest son and not expected to shoulder the family’s responsibilities, having a wealthy father-in-law and a wife with a substantial dowry could actually benefit him. Thus, they reluctantly agreed.

After Zhang Shi entered the household, Old Mrs. Ye observed that she was indeed prone to pettiness, always striving to outshine others and resorting to sly tactics. These traits had been ingrained in her since childhood, growing up in an environment where she had to fight for everything. Such deeply rooted habits and temperament were difficult to change, even if Old Mrs. Ye had the intention to discipline her.

Moreover, her own youngest son was far from well-behaved, leaving her with little authority to strictly discipline someone else’s child. Although Zhang Shi had many minor flaws, her fundamental character was not corrupt. Thus, Old Mrs. Ye chose to turn a blind eye and avoid unnecessary conflict.

Zhang Shi, proud of her natal family’s superior wealth compared to all her sisters-in-law, and noting that the second and third sisters-in-law had no sons while the eldest had only one son—the Ye family’s first grandson—she herself had given birth to two sons in three years. This made her look down on her three sisters-in-law from the bottom of her heart.

On the other hand, being the only concubine-born daughter, she feared being looked down upon by her sisters-in-law. To mask her insecurity, she adopted an overly assertive attitude, determined to appear stronger than anyone else.

She dared not act presumptuously in front of Tao Shi, but she often flaunted her superiority before Yin Shi and Cai Shi.

Coincidentally, Cai Shi spent her days in her courtyard, practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures, seldom socializing. Yin Shi, however, was inherently strong-willed and prone to overthinking. The disdain evident in Zhang Shi’s words and actions seemed specifically targeted at Yin Shi, frequently leaving her fuming with anger.

Ye Yaming took Yin Shi by the hand and led her out of the room.

This was not the place for arguments or disputes.

Once they left the main courtyard, she stopped and called out to Zhang Shi, "Fourth Aunt, what exactly happened?"

"Heh, Old Madam Ye has forbidden us to speak of it. Ming'er, please don’t make things difficult for your Fourth Aunt," Zhang Shi replied, putting on a show of being troubled."Alright then." Ye Yaming smiled faintly. "I originally thought something had happened at home and wondered if Brother Yifeng could help. But now it seems there's nothing wrong, so I'm relieved."

With that, she pulled Yin Shi and Ye Yayin along. "Let's go back."

"Wait a moment," Zhang Shi called from behind.

Though Yin Shi wanted to stop, Ye Yaming kept pulling her forward while saying, "Mother, I haven't seen Father for days. Let's have servants summon him back so our family of four can have a reunion dinner."

Without turning around, Yin Shi could imagine Zhang Shi's frustrated expression. Her mood immediately improved, and she said clearly, "Fine, we'll do as you say and call your father back."

The Second Master Ye Hongsheng wasn't eloquent, but he had an exceptionally sensitive palate and was obsessed with tea. All tea produced by the Ye Family Tea Factory had to pass his inspection. Since the tea factory was quite far from home and he disliked commuting daily, he often stayed there.

Although he didn't involve himself in business matters, he was still the Second Master of the Ye Family. Moreover, the Ye Family's current tea reputation relied entirely on Ye Hongsheng. If he chose to inquire, no household matters would be kept from him.

Regarding the trouble caused by the Fourth Master today, since Old Madam Ye and the eldest branch hadn't informed the second branch, Yin Shi thought of having her husband return so they wouldn't be kept in the dark about everything.

"Sister-in-law, please wait." Tao Shi, who had just emerged from behind, overheard the exchange between Zhang Shi and Ye Yaming and quickly called out to stop Yin Shi.

As the eldest sister-in-law who had borne Ye Jiaxing for the Ye Family, and being highly regarded by Old Madam Ye, Yin Shi had to show her respect and stopped walking.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, will you explain, or shall I?" Tao Shi said sternly to Zhang Shi.

Because the second branch had no sons and the Second Master wasn't particularly capable, while her own Fourth Master was Old Madam Ye's favorite, Zhang Shi dared to show disrespect to Yin Shi. But she wouldn't dare disrespect Tao Shi.

She said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, it's not that I'm unwilling to explain. You heard Old Madam's orders—this matter shouldn't be known by too many people. If word gets out, our Ye Family will be ruined."

"The issue isn't about talking, but about actions, right? You've already done it, yet fear people speaking of it. And in this whole family, only our second branch is being kept in the dark. Fourth Aunt, I strongly suspect you and Fourth Uncle have done something to wrong our second branch. Otherwise, why single us out for exclusion?" Ye Yaming interjected.

Her nominal father paid little attention to household affairs, staying all day at the tea factory; Yin Shi had no sons, and her own father was merely a poor Licentiate. She was overlooked by Old Madam Ye and Tao Shi, looked down upon by Zhang Shi, and had secretly endured much grievance.

The original host was the eldest daughter of the second branch, needing to protect her mother and younger sister. Though she appeared gentle and delicate, she actually inherited Yin Shi's temperament—stubborn and strong-willed.

Therefore, Ye Yaming didn't need to suppress her temper or act cautiously.

Zhang Shi was taken aback and nearly jumped in anger. "Don't talk nonsense, that's not what I meant..."

"Enough," Tao Shi coldly cut her off.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Zhang Shi didn't dare persist stubbornly, but still muttered under her breath, "A junior niece speaking to elders like this—truly ill-bred."

However, she spoke so quietly that even Tao Shi standing beside her could only catch faint murmurs.Tao Shi assumed Yin Shi and Ye Yaming hadn't overheard. Not wanting to stir up trouble, she instructed the maids and matrons, "All of you, step back."

Both Mei Shi and Tao Shi ran their households with strict discipline. At this single command, the maids and matrons immediately retreated to a distance.

Only then did Tao Shi say to Zhang Shi, "Speak."