Mo Li

Qingyi House

Ye Li sat leisurely in her room, examining the banknotes that had just been delivered from Prince Li’s Palace. A cold smile flickered across her delicate face. So, Prince Li and Ye Ying had been secretly involved for over a year. During that time, Prince Li had taken antiques worth more than seventeen thousand taels of silver from the Hall of Prudent Virtue—without paying a single tael.

"Miss, that Prince Li is truly shameless!" Qing Shuang stood behind Ye Li, fuming with anger. Originally, Prince Li had been renowned throughout the capital as a handsome man, and Qing Shuang had held some expectations for this future husband of her mistress. Who would have thought that this blind fool would break off the engagement, tarnishing her lady’s reputation? That alone was bad enough, but now he dared to take her lady’s possessions without paying—utterly shameless!

Ye Li turned and handed the banknotes to Qing Shuang, amused. "Is that something you should be saying? Be careful, or if someone hears, I won’t be able to save you."

Qing Shuang stuck out her tongue sheepishly and hunched her shoulders. "I know Miss wouldn’t abandon me. Besides… who would hear us in this courtyard?" Qingyi House was the smallest and most remote courtyard in the entire Ye residence, with only a handful of servants. Apart from a few low-ranking maids, Ye Li had only Qing Shuang by her side. Compared to Ye Ying, who was surrounded by a crowd of attendants, her own mistress lived in conditions worse than even a concubine’s daughter.

"Miss, why did you let Madam Wang off so easily today?" Qing Shuang recalled Madam Wang’s pale, trembling figure and felt both satisfaction and lingering resentment.

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Madam Wang is the birth mother of the Zhaoyi in the palace, and Fourth Sister is the future Princess Li. Do you think Grandmother and Father would punish her for my sake?"

After thinking it over, Qing Shuang drooped her head dejectedly and muttered, "The Old Madam and the Master are too biased." Indeed, even if Madam Wang had coughed up tens of thousands of taels, not a single coin had reached her lady’s hands. Ye Li patted her reassuringly. "Don’t worry. With those tens of thousands from Madam Wang, at least I can take all of Mother’s remaining dowry with me. Compared to that, those few thousand taels are nothing."

Qing Shuang nodded, her dislike for the Ye family deepening. The Ye family had always been financially weak—without the support of her lady’s mother’s dowry over the years, they would never have achieved their current status. Yet look at how her mistress had lived all this time! It was truly heartless and ungrateful.

Worried that her words might sadden her lady, Qing Shuang quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Miss, Madam Ye mentioned this morning that you have too few attendants. Should we add a few more, so it won’t look bad when you move to the Ding Royal Palace in the future?"

Ye Li frowned. She was well aware of her lack of attendants. In the past, Ye Li had preferred peace and quiet, so she hadn’t minded the sparse company. But now, with marriage approaching, it had become a real issue. She could afford to disregard Madam Wang because she was confident that Madam Wang couldn’t harm her, and she wouldn’t be staying in the Ye residence forever. However, once she married into the Ding Royal Palace, she couldn’t afford to be so careless.

Rubbing her temples thoughtfully, she said, "Later, go and inform the steward that I need to select a few more maids for my courtyard."

Qing Shuang nodded in agreement. "And what about the serving matrons…?"No need to worry about this. A few days ago, my aunt mentioned that she would send Mama Lin and Mama Wei, who originally served by my mother's side, over in a couple of days. Back when my mother passed away, Ye Li had just regained her memories and fell seriously ill. During that time, Wang Shi seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, beating my mother’s wet nurse, Mama Su, and driving her out of the estate. By the time Ye Li recovered slightly and learned of this, only Mama Lin and her own wet nurse, Mama Wei, remained from her mother’s original attendants. Ye Li naturally understood Wang Shi’s intentions and knew she couldn’t protect these people in her condition at the time. So, under the pretext of fearing her maternal grandmother’s grief over her mother’s death, she sent Mama Lin and Mama Wei back to the Gu family. Over the years, most of the people in this estate were Wang Shi’s, and Ye Li couldn’t be bothered to care, preferring fewer people around her.

Qing Shuang’s eyes lit up as she smiled and said, “Aunt is truly thoughtful.” She had arrived later and hadn’t met Mama Lin or Mama Wei, but she had occasionally heard the young miss mention them. Both were trusted confidantes of the late madam and would naturally side with the young miss.

With the issue of maids and attendants resolved, Qing Shuang happily began making plans for Ye Li. The wedding was only two months away, and the dowry sent by the madam and the old madam likely wouldn’t even amount to half of Fourth Miss’s. She would have the shops send over some of the best items and purchase more from various places. Ah… and there was the wedding dress and the fabrics for the dowry…

Sitting to the side, Ye Li watched Qing Shuang’s animated calculations with an amused smile, though her thoughts had already drifted far away. In her past life, she could never have dreamed of sitting in a boudoir like a proper young lady awaiting marriage. Though she had long known about Prince Ding’s various shortcomings, Ye Li didn’t dwell on them. In this era, marriage wasn’t something a woman could decide for herself, and Ye Li had never held any particular expectations for love. As long as she could live peacefully and respectfully for the rest of her life, that would be a kind of happiness in itself. However… the Ding Royal Palace… Thinking of the extraordinary status of the Ding Royal Palace in the Great Chu, she couldn’t help but furrow her delicate brows.

“Third Miss, Zhao Yiniang requests an audience,” a young maid announced respectfully from outside.

Surprised by Zhao Yiniang’s sudden visit, Ye Li nodded and said, “Invite her in.”

A moment later, Zhao Yiniang swayed in gracefully, her slender waist accentuated by her movements. She gave a slight bow. “This servant greets Third Miss.”

Ye Li set the bracelet she had been toying with back into its box and smiled gently. “No need for formalities, Zhao Yiniang. What brings you here at this time?” She studied the alluring woman before her with casual interest. Zhao Yiniang had entered the estate less than a year ago but had already won Lord Ye’s deep favor—otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to speak as she did earlier at the old madam’s place. Dressed in a peach-red gown with a plain silk sash at her waist, her hair was simply styled in a side bun, with dangling tassels and hairpins swaying gently by her cheeks. Every movement exuded charm. No wonder she had gained Lord Ye’s exclusive favor in such a short time. Compared to her, Wang Shi—who had borne two daughters and a son and was now fading with age—and even Ye Ying, reputed as the number one beauty, lacked her allure. The only pity was that she had arrived too late, when Wang Shi’s position in the estate was already deeply entrenched, and worse, her background was far too lowly.Zhao Yiniang was an extremely intelligent woman, so she never dared to underestimate this seemingly inconspicuous Third Miss in the household. However, the Gu family behind Third Miss—a family that even the most powerful figures had to show deference to—was formidable. In just a few days, not only had Third Miss reclaimed all the dowry left by her mother, but today she had also made Wang Shi choke on her own fury. The thought of Wang Shi seething with rage yet unable to vent it brought Zhao Yiniang a surge of satisfaction.

"Your servant begs Third Miss to show this lowly one a way out," Zhao Yiniang pleaded in a hushed voice as she knelt on the ground.