In the Fragrant Harmony Courtyard where the mistress of the Ye household resided, Wang Shi's face was livid with rage as she cursed Ye Li, Madam Xu, and the entire Xu family, her expression twisted in fury. Shattered teacups and porcelain lay scattered across the floor. The delicate and frail Ye Ying stood silently to the side, watching her mother vent her anger, a trace of disdain flickering in her eyes.
"Mother, don't let anger harm your health. Please sit and rest." Only after Wang Shi had nearly exhausted her fury did Ye Ying step forward, her face filled with concern and worry.
Seeing her daughter's gentle and obedient face, Wang Shi couldn't help but feel aggrieved. She pulled Ye Ying close and burst into tears. "I've worked so hard managing this household all these years—when have I ever wronged her? And now she dares to fight you over a mere dowry! My dear, if your dowry is lacking when you marry into Prince Li's Palace, not only will you be mocked, but Zhaoyi Niangniang will also lose face. Wasn’t I thinking of the family’s reputation? That wretched girl actually had the Xu family come to make trouble!"
Ye Ying's eyes glimmered slightly as she smiled softly to comfort Wang Shi. "Mother, Li Wang Dianxia truly cares for me. Naturally, he wouldn’t mind if our dowry is modest. Besides… this matter has indeed wronged Eldest Sister. It’s only right to give her a larger dowry. When outsiders see it, they’ll praise your kindness and generosity for not mistreating the daughter of the first wife, won’t they? Second Sister… will surely understand your difficulties."
Wang Shi was momentarily stunned. Recalling Ye Li’s striking resemblance to Madam Xu in both appearance and demeanor, and then seeing her own daughter suppressing her grievances, the resentment in her heart flared up again. She patted Ye Ying’s hand and said, "Don’t worry, my dear. I won’t let you suffer. Even if we disregard your dowry, I absolutely won’t allow that girl to take so much with her when she marries!" Her last words were spoken through gritted teeth.
Ye Ying frowned in worry. "Then what does Mother plan to do?"
Wang Shi, clearly confident, smiled smugly. "I have my own plans. You just focus on preparing your dowry."The Ye household's second daughter was currently the emperor's most favored Zhaoyi, and now two more daughters had been granted imperial marriage decrees—one to Prince Li, the emperor's most beloved prince, and the other to the only hereditary King Ding of Great Chu. Naturally, the Ye family's fortunes were soaring like a rising tide. As soon as the news of the imperial marriages spread, dignitaries flocked to the Ye residence in an endless stream, delighting Madam Wang and Ye Laofuren beyond measure. The entire household hastily began preparations for the two young ladies' weddings and dowries, though the focus was primarily on the fourth young lady, Ye Ying. Madam Wang had declared that Ye Ying's wedding would take place half a month earlier than the third young lady's, so it was only fitting to prepare hers first before turning to the third young lady's. In truth, the servants of the Ye family knew full well that Madam Wang had no intention of properly preparing the third young lady's dowry—she naturally wanted all the best items reserved for Ye Ying first. Fortunately, Ye Laofuren still understood the gravity of the situation. Though there was a difference in status between Prince Li and King Ding, neither was someone their humble Ye family could afford to offend. Reluctantly, Madam Wang handed over eight estates, twelve shops, and three woodland properties. Additionally, ten thousand taels of silver were allocated from the family funds, and a sister-in-law from the clan was invited to assist in preparing the dowry. To placate Madam Wang, Ye Laofuren also contributed another ten thousand taels from her personal savings to enhance Ye Ying's dowry. Though resentful, Madam Wang dared not openly defy the old madam and could only grudgingly surrender the deeds before storming off with the banknotes Ye Laofuren had given her.
The lady tasked with preparing Ye Li's dowry was the wife of Lord Ye's cousin. Though her husband only held a fifth-rank position—far less illustrious than the Ye family—she was a kind and fair-minded woman. Among the sisters-in-law, she had often heard stories about the third young lady and felt great sympathy for Ye Li, the legitimate daughter of the Ye family. Since Ye Li rarely went out or interacted with family, she had always seemed like a quiet and gentle girl—nothing like the rumors suggested. It was clear those rumors had likely been spread by Madam Wang. Upon meeting her, the lady found that while Ye Li lacked the striking beauty of the second young lady or the delicate, pitiable charm of the fourth young lady, she carried herself with serene elegance, her words and manners perfectly measured. There was something particularly striking about her calm, deep eyes—still as still water, yet somehow different from other young ladies. Though she wasn’t the soft, delicate beauty many men favored, she was certainly no less than the other Ye daughters. The lady couldn’t help but feel indignant on Ye Li’s behalf. Marrying a sickly, useless prince was bad enough, but a dowry of ten thousand taels—while substantial for an ordinary family—was far less than what the other Ye daughters had received, not even matching what the eldest daughter had been given years earlier. Thankfully, the old madam was reasonable and had returned the estates and shops originally belonging to Ye Li’s birth mother. Otherwise, the Ye family would have faced serious embarrassment.Ye Li was in a rather good mood after reclaiming the properties left by her mother, so she couldn’t be bothered to dwell on the fact that the old madam had given Ye Ying ten thousand taels or that Wang Shi had embezzled a considerable sum from the family funds for Ye Ying’s dowry. After all, in any household, some children were favored more than others—even ten fingers varied in length. She had no issue with the Ye family favoring Ye Ying more, as long as they didn’t cross the line and embarrass her. As for the future, though she didn’t expect much support from her maternal family, she couldn’t afford to sever ties with them before even getting married.
She spent two days reviewing the account books of the shops, only to frown deeply at the results. Out of twelve shops, five were operating at a loss, four barely broke even, and only the remaining three turned a meager profit. Of the eight estates, four had been replaced—Wang Shi’s explanation was that four had been given to the Zhaoyi when she entered the palace, so the family had compensated with four others. Without even looking, Ye Li knew exactly what kind of condition those replacement estates were in. If she hadn’t brought it up with the old madam beforehand, all eight estates would likely have been swapped out by the time she claimed them.
Early in the morning, after paying her respects to the old madam, Ye Li set out with Qing Shuang to inspect the shops.
Since Ye Li rarely ventured outside, almost no one in the capital recognized her. By the time they finished their rounds, even Ye Li—who prided herself on her composure—was seething, let alone Qing Shuang, whose eyes burned with fury. Seven of the twelve shops had managers who had been newly appointed just days before the properties were returned to her, leaving them clueless about past operations. One jewelry shop appeared bustling with customers, yet the account books showed nothing but losses. As for the two shops that were supposedly profitable, their goods were outdated, the clerks listless, and even the counters were covered in dust—no wonder they had so few customers.
“Miss, this is too much! We must report this to the old madam and the master!” Qing Shuang fumed.
“And what would that accomplish?” Ye Li glanced at her with a faint smile. “Her two daughters—one is a Zhaoyi, soon to be promoted to consort, and the other is about to become Princess Li. Do you really think Father or Grandmother would do anything to her?”
Qing Shuang fell silent, resentment simmering. “So we just let it go? She clearly wants to humiliate you, miss. What’s the point of taking these shops as dowry if they’re practically worthless?”
“Humiliation?” Ye Li chuckled. “It’s only humiliating if I feel humiliated. And I don’t.”
Qing Shuang blinked, her eyes lighting up with hope. “Miss, do you have a plan?”
Ye Li merely smiled without answering, stepping past her to continue forward. Qing Shuang wrinkled her nose but quickly followed, her spirits lifting. “Miss, the last one is just ahead—the Hall of Prudent Virtue, an antique shop.”
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