4. Ms. Wang's Schemes
In the Fangyi Courtyard, where the Madam of House of Ye Mansion resided, Ms. Wang's face was ashen, her expression twisted in anger as she cursed Ye Li and the entire Xu Family. Broken teacups and porcelain lay scattered on the ground. Ye Ying, delicate and exquisite, silently stood to one side, watching her mother vent her fury. A hint of scorn flashed in her eyes.
"Mother, don't make yourself sick with anger. Please sit down and rest." Ye Ying came forward, concern etched on her face, once Ms. Wang's rage was nearly spent.
Upon seeing her daughter's gentle and obedient visage, a wave of grief overcame Ms. Wang. She broke down in tears, clutching Ye Ying's hand. "I've worked so hard for so many years managing this mansion! When have I ever mistreated her? Now she even wants to steal a piece of your dowry! My dear, when you marry into Prince Li's Mansion, you won't be the only one facing ridicule if your dowry is lacking; it would reflect poorly on Her Highness Zhao Yi as well! Am I not thinking of our family's interests? That wretched girl actually got the Xu Family involved!"
Ye Ying's eyes shimmered, and she gave a gentle smile to soothe her mother. "Mother, His Highness Prince Li truly cares for me; of course, he wouldn't resent a smaller dowry. Besides… Third Sister was indeed wronged this time; she deserves a larger dowry. When others see this, they'll recognize your magnanimity and see that you haven't mistreated the first wife's daughter, wouldn't they? Second Sister will surely understand Mother's difficulties."
Ms. Wang paused. Recalling Ye Li's face, which closely resembled Ms. Xu's appearance and demeanor, and then looking at her own daughter's suppressed look of grievance, her malicious anger abated somewhat. Taking Ye Ying's hand, she patted it gently. "Don't worry, I certainly won't let you be wronged. Even if we don't consider your dowry, I absolutely cannot let that girl take so much dowry with her!" Her last words were laced with a biting resentment.
Ye Ying furrowed her brows in worry. "What does Mother plan to do?"
Ms. Wang flashed a triumphant smile. "Mother has a plan. You just focus on preparing your dowry."
The Ye Family's second daughter was Zhaoyi, currently the Emperor's most favored consort. Now, two more of their daughters had been bestowed in marriage: one to the Emperor's most favored Prince Li, and the other to Great Chu's sole hereditary King of Ding Kingdom. Consequently, the Ye Family's influence soared, like a boat rising with the tide, reaching the zenith of its power. Once news of the betrothals spread, a constant stream of officials and dignitaries paid visits to the Ye Mansion, much to the delight of Ms. Wang and Old Madam Ye. The entire Ye Mansion bustled with preparations for the two young ladies' weddings and dowries. However, the primary focus was on Fourth Miss Ye Ying. Ms. Wang had declared that since Fourth Miss's wedding was half a month earlier than Third Miss's, her preparations must be completed first, and there would still be time for Third Miss's afterward. Of course, everyone in the Ye Family knew Ms. Wang was reluctant to prepare Third Miss's dowry and naturally prioritized getting all the good things ready for Fourth Miss first.
Thankfully, Old Madam Ye understood the importance of the situation. Although Prince Li and Prince Ding held different levels of prestige, neither was someone the modest Ye Family could afford to offend. Reluctantly, after Madam Wang was forced by Old Madam Ye to release eight manors, twelve shops, and three tracts of woodland for the dowry, the Old Madam allocated ten thousand taels of silver from the public funds and enlisted a sister-in-law from the clan to help procure the dowry items. She also took another ten thousand taels from her private savings to add to Ye Ying's trousseau, as a way to placate Ms. Wang. Although resentful, Ms. Wang dared not openly defy the Old Madam. Gritting her teeth, she handed over the land deeds and left with the silver banknotes given by the Old Madam.
The lady assigned to help Ye Li procure her dowry was Minister Ye's cousin-in-law. Although her husband was merely a fifth-rank official and not as prominent as the Ye Family, he was a decent man. Amongst their relatives, she had often heard gossip about this Third Miss and felt considerable sympathy for Ye Li, the Ye Family's legitimate daughter by the first wife. Having observed that Ye Li rarely went out or socialized, she considered her a quiet young lady, not at all the disgrace portrayed by outsiders. She naturally understood that Ms. Wang had likely spread those rumors. Upon meeting her, she found that although Ye Li was not as strikingly beautiful as the Second Miss, nor as delicately lovely and pitiable as the Fourth Miss, she possessed a quiet and refined elegance. Her speech and conduct were perfectly appropriate, and her calm eyes, seemingly as still as water, hinted at a quality that set her apart from other young ladies. Though not the type of gentle beauty many men preferred, she was by no means inferior to the other young ladies of the Ye Family. She couldn't help but feel aggrieved for Ye Li, being married off to a sickly, good-for-nothing Prince. A dowry of ten thousand taels was a great deal for an ordinary family, but compared to others in the Ye Family, it was less even than what the Eldest Miss received when she married years ago. Fortunately, the Old Madam was discerning and had returned the manors and shops of the Ye Family's first wife to the Third Miss. Otherwise, the Ye Family would have faced quite a scandal.
Ye Li was in a rather good mood having reclaimed her mother's properties, so she decided not to dwell on the Old Madam giving Ye Ying ten thousand taels or Ms. Wang using a considerable amount of public funds for Ye Ying's dowry. After all, even among children in the same family, some are favored more than others; even the ten fingers on one hand are not all the same length. She didn't mind the Ye Family favoring Ye Ying a bit more, as long as her own dignity wasn't compromised. As for the future, although she didn't expect her maternal family to offer much support after her marriage, she couldn't afford to have a falling out with them before she was even married.
She spent two days reviewing the shop accounts, but the results made her frown deeply. Of the twelve shops, five were operating at a loss, four were merely breaking even, and the three that were profitable were only earning a pittance. Among the eight manors, four were not the original ones. Ms. Wang's explanation was that four manors had been given to Zhaoyi as part of her dowry when she entered the palace, so four others had been substituted from the Ye Mansion's holdings. Ye Li knew the condition of these replacements without even needing to look. If she hadn't raised the issue with the Old Madam beforehand, all eight manors would likely have been swapped out by the time she asked for them.
Early the next morning, after paying her respects and informing the Old Madam, Ye Li took Qingshuang out to inspect the shops.
Ye Li rarely ventured out, so hardly anyone in the Capital City recognized her. After inspecting the shops, not only was Qingshuang seething with anger, but even Ye Li, who prided herself on her composure, was thoroughly annoyed. Of the twelve shops, seven had shopkeepers who had been newly appointed just a couple of days before the shops were handed over to her; they knew nothing about the shops' previous operations. One jewelry shop appeared busy with customers, yet its account books showed consistent losses. As for the two shops that were supposedly profitable, their merchandise was old, the assistants were lethargic, and the counters were covered in dust. It would have been a miracle if they attracted any customers at all.
"Miss, Madam Wang is utterly outrageous! We must inform the Old Madam and the Master when we return!" Qingshuang said indignantly.
"What good would that do?" Ye Li glanced at Qingshuang and said with a faint smile. "One of her daughters is Zhaoyi, on the verge of becoming an Imperial Consort, and the other is about to become Princess Consort Li. Given this, how do you think Father and Grandmother will treat her?"
Qingshuang was taken aback, her anger turning to indignation. "So we're just going to let this slide? Madam Wang clearly wants you to lose face, Miss! What's the point of having such shops as part of your dowry? It's no different from having none at all!"
"Losing face?" Ye Li mused. "It's only truly losing face if I, your lady, feel that I've lost face. If I don't feel embarrassed, then no face is lost."
Qingshuang blinked, looking at her lady with anticipation. "Does Miss have a good idea?"
Ye Li merely smiled without speaking and walked past Qingshuang. Qingshuang wrinkled her nose and followed happily. "Miss, the last shop is just ahead. It's the Shende Pavilion, an antique shop."