Mo Li

Hahaha…

Inside the carriage, Feng Zhiyao laughed so hard he doubled over, his elegant demeanor as a refined gentleman completely gone. Only when he finally had his fill of laughter did he lift his head and say to Mo Xiuyao beside him, "Xiu Yao, your new princess consort is absolutely delightful. Haha… It’s such a pity we didn’t get to see Mo Jingli’s expression just now…"

A trace of contemplation flickered in Mo Xiuyao’s gentle eyes. Clearly, the performance of his future princess consort had exceeded his expectations. Even without knowing her appearance yet, with a father as handsome as Lord Ye and a mother who was once one of the capital’s Four Great Beauties, Ye Li’s looks couldn’t be anything less than striking. What was even more surprising was her way of handling matters—nothing like the talentless and virtue-less woman she was rumored to be.

But this Third Miss Ye was truly generous—just giving away a Guanyin statue worth over five thousand taels like that. Wasn’t she afraid Mo Jingli would actually refuse to pay? Mo Jingli was the emperor’s own younger brother. If he decided to renege on the debt, Third Miss Ye would have no recourse.

Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and shook his head. "Mo Jingli is someone who values face above all. He would never let it be said that he took things from others without paying."

Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Then we’re in for a good show. From what I know, last month Mo Jingli also took a genuine calligraphy piece by the Sage of Cursive Script from the Hall of Prudent Virtue. Those two items together would cost him over ten thousand taels. This time… the emperor has treated you quite well—at least your new princess consort is quite wealthy. Speaking of which, this Mo Jingli really is shameless. On one hand, he abandoned her and broke off the engagement, and on the other, he still takes things from her shop without paying. For someone of royal blood, he’s utterly devoid of shame."

Mo Xiuyao shot him a glance. "When it comes to wealth, who dares compare to the Feng family?" The Feng family was one of the four great merchant clans of Chu and the only one among them that had long been based in the capital, naturally enjoying more advantages and influence than the other three.

Feng Zhiyao waved his fan helplessly. "That’s the old man’s money—it has nothing to do with me. Everyone knows I’m just a good-for-nothing wastrel living in poverty."

As soon as Ye Li returned to the manor, she was summoned by Old Madam’s maid. Upon entering the Hall of Glory and Joy, she found—quite unusually for a time outside of formal greetings—the entire family gathered, including the usually busy Lord Ye, who sat with a dark expression beside Old Madam, glaring at Ye Li as she entered. Ye Ying was nestled in Wang Shi’s arms, sobbing pitifully, her eyes red and swollen from crying, making her appear all the more delicate and pitiable.

"Li’er greets Grandmother and Father. My respects to Madam and all the aunties…"

"Ungrateful girl, kneel at once!" Before Ye Li could finish, Lord Ye slammed his teacup down beside her feet with a loud crash and roared.

Ye Li paused for a moment, then calmly took a step to the side and said, "I do not know what wrong I have committed. Please enlighten me, Father."Seeing her show no sign of admitting fault, Lord Ye was about to erupt in anger again when Old Madam coughed lightly from the side, interrupting his fury. "Li'er," she said, "today at the Hall of Prudent Virtue, you were discourteous in front of Prince Li. If word gets out, people will think our Ye family has failed in educating its daughters. On the day your fourth sister returns after her wedding, you must go and apologize to His Highness Prince Li. For now, you are confined to your own courtyard."

Ye Li glanced at Wang Shi, who was embracing Ye Ying with a faint smile playing on her lips, then raised her head and looked at Old Madam with a bewildered expression. "Grandmother, please forgive me. If Grandmother says I was wrong, then I must have acted improperly. But I am dull-witted and still don’t know where I erred. I beg Grandmother to enlighten me."

Old Madam was taken aback, staring at Ye Li’s utterly confused face, unable to respond.

Wang Shi helped Ye Ying settle comfortably before rising and walking over to Ye Li with a kindly smile. "Li'er, the prince is His Majesty’s own younger brother. If you’ve displeased him today and he takes offense, none of our family can bear the consequences. Just apologize properly to Old Madam and your father, and we won’t blame you."

Ye Li blinked, pursed her rosy lips in thought, and then looked even more perplexed. "Displeased the prince? But I hardly spoke much to him. The prince wanted to buy the jade Guanyin but didn’t have enough silver on him, so I had someone fetch it for him to take. I didn’t deliberately make things difficult. Why would he be angry? Unless… unless there was some flaw in the jade Guanyin?"

The room fell silent. Zhao Yiniang, standing to the side, suddenly giggled behind her sleeve. "Third Miss, what Madam means is… how could you accept money from the prince? Who would believe Prince Li went shopping without silver? Clearly, he never intended to pay, but you cornered him with your words—even making him pay for things he usually takes freely. How could he not be angry?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, Zhao Yiniang?" Ye Li exclaimed in surprise. "Would the prince care about such a trivial sum? Besides… the Hall of Prudent Virtue is a business. Even if it were the Emperor himself, he wouldn’t take things without paying, would he?"

Zhao Yiniang wasn’t offended and tittered again. "Third Miss is right. Even the palace pays for its purchases. If no one paid… who would run a business?"

"Enough! What foolish talk!" Lord Ye shot his newly favored concubine an annoyed glance. Zhao Yiniang batted her coquettish eyes and wisely fell silent.

Ye Li’s face suddenly brightened with understanding, and she turned to Wang Shi. "Could it be that the prince was truly angry over this? Does that mean… none of the merchants in the capital ever charge him? If so, then I really was at fault. Grandmother, Father, rest assured. I’ll have someone return the silver to the prince immediately, along with an extra three thousand taels as an apology."

Wang Shi hastily grabbed her arm, inwardly distressed. If Ye Li really did this, rumors would spread that Prince Li never paid for anything in the capital. Ignoring Wang Shi’s expression, Ye Li turned to Old Madam with a mix of worry and grievance. "If this is truly the case, then the Hall of Prudent Virtue and the other shops should close as soon as possible."

Lord Ye said coldly, "The Hall of Prudent Virtue is part of your dowry. Why close it? It wouldn’t look good when you marry into the Ding Royal Palace."

Ye Li frowned. "But… the Hall barely makes a thousand taels a month in profit, and the items the prince fancies each time cost over three thousand taels. If he visits once a month…"Hearing this, both Old Madam and Lord Ye were startled and couldn't help but turn their gaze toward Wang Shi. The Hall of Prudent Virtue was one of the capital's most renowned antique shops—how could its monthly profits possibly fall short of a thousand taels? And as for Prince Li, truly unbecoming of a prince—occasionally taking something from the shop once might be excusable, but frequent visits to help himself? Even the emperor wouldn't regularly take his subjects' belongings without compensation. Wang Shi froze, gritting her teeth and not daring to speak, her face beginning to pale. Old Madam fixed her with a stern look and demanded, "What exactly is going on? You must know that all income from Madam Ye's dowry shops has been allocated to the household expenses these years. If someone has been meddling, it would be tantamount to embezzling the Ye family's silver." Back when Madam Ye was gravely ill, Old Madam had temporarily taken charge of the household and knew full well that the Hall of Prudent Virtue was one of the two most profitable shops in Madam Ye's dowry, with monthly profits never less than three thousand taels. Wang Shi clenched her jaw and whispered, "Replying to Old Madam, these past two years... perhaps business hasn't been good..." How could she dare admit that all that money had gone into her own private coffers?

Ye Li bowed to Old Madam and said softly, "Madam is busy with household affairs all day—how would she know what happens outside? Old Madam may not be aware, but our family has been sorely exploited by those below. These past few days, I carefully reviewed the accounts of each shop. Take the Hall of Prudent Virtue, for example—its actual annual profits have never been less than thirty thousand taels. Yet, since three years ago, less than ten thousand taels have been handed over to the household each year. More than half has been embezzled by the shop managers. Originally, before her passing, Mother instructed that these twelve shops, if managed well until my marriage, should yield at least two hundred and fifty thousand taels. Aside from household expenses, as the legal mother of the sisters and younger brothers in the family, she naturally intended to provide dowries for the sisters. Who would have thought... now, Mother's heartfelt efforts have been wasted. Over these years, less than a hundred thousand taels have been submitted to the household. Here are the account books—please examine them, Grandmother." At this, not only Lord Ye and Old Madam, but even the other young ladies and concubines' expressions changed. Over a hundred thousand taels had vanished into thin air—and some of that was meant for their daughters' dowries. The hall immediately erupted in uproar. "Master, Old Madam, even in her final moments, Madam was thinking of us sisters and the illegitimate children. Master must punish those thieving scoundrels!"

"Exactly! What black-hearted villains, daring to embezzle our family's money!"