“Eldest Miss, this must be a misunderstanding. You surely misheard. Qingzhou would never speak so recklessly outside. He has always been sensible—respecting elders, caring for siblings, cautious in speech. You must be mistaken,” Concubine Wei hurried to explain, trying to cover things up.
“You can shut your mouth. Our matter isn’t urgent to settle,” Ye Sangzhi cut her off coldly, her eyes devoid of warmth.
Concubine Wei’s throat tightened. This wretched girl—so brazen even in front of outsiders. Did she not understand the principle of keeping family shame hidden? And she was still an elder!
Qian Xiu, seeing the situation, advised her mother‑in‑law: “Mother, I think the matter is clear enough. Arguing further is pointless. Let’s return.”
Madam Sun understood and took the chance to retreat, flicking her sleeve and leaving first. She had come to demand justice, yet ended up humiliated. Hmph—even if her son was at fault, Ye Sangzhi striking him was still wrong. She would think of another way later.
Qian Xiu sighed. Her mother‑in‑law wasn’t truly bad, just shortsighted and overthinking. She nodded to Ye Sangzhi: “Eldest Miss Ye, once I return, I’ll investigate. If it’s true that my brother and brother‑in‑law spoke nonsense and deserved a beating, then so be it. The Sun and Qian families will prepare generous gifts to apologize. I’ll take my leave.”
Ye Shangzhi frowned. “Concubine Wei, you have a sharp tongue. When I entered, I heard you apologizing on my behalf, saying I was newly returned and temperamental. You’re good at twisting words.”
She hadn’t heard everything, but knew it wasn’t kind—certainly shifting blame onto her. And Cocnubine Wei’s attire today was far plainer than when Ye Sangzhi first returned—clearly deliberate.
“Eldest Miss, if you insist Qingzhou is at fault, then so be it. When Master returns, I’ll bring him before Master to admit his mistake,” Concubine Wei said, knowing there was no point arguing further. Better to save face. She had already sent for Master. He would never bear to punish Ye Qingzhou.
“Good. Let’s see how Father shows his bias.” Ye Sangzhi sneered.
Concubine Wei dared not linger and left quickly.
Soon, Ye Yunchang returned. Concubine Wei rushed to recount the matter.
“Master, Qingzhou may be careless, but he would never slander outside. That restaurant was noisy—surely Eldest Miss misheard. Poor Qingzhou was beaten without cause and is now accused by his own family. How can he face others?” Concubine Wei spoke with pitiful tears brimming.
She thought bitterly: she should have been the wife. But Zhang Yue, with her powerful family, had secured the marriage early. Grandfather forbade breaking the betrothal, so she had to settle as concubine. Her children were born concubine’s children. She had hoped Zhang Yue’s death would bring her fortune—that she’d be raised to wife, her children legitimized. But Grandfather interfered again, marrying in Jiang Zhen instead. Her children remained concubine‑born forever. She could never swallow that bitterness. Only Master’s constant affection comforted her.
But Ye Sangzhi was intolerable—returning only to humiliate her and her children.
The more she thought, the more aggrieved she felt. If she were the main wife, Ye Sangzhi would never dare.
“This child must be properly disciplined. Don’t worry—I’ll summon her and make her apologize to Qingzhou,” Ye Yunchang said, frowning. He remembered Ye Sangzhi’s tearful reluctance when leaving the capital years ago, clinging to her grandfather.
He wouldn’t even spare her a glance, not even call her “daughter.” But since she was his flesh and blood, for her mother’s sake, as long as she was willing to apologize, he would impose no further punishment.
The servant he sent soon returned. “Master, Eldest Miss says she cannot come.”
“What does ‘cannot come’ mean?” Ye Yunchang asked in surprise.
The servant lowered his head and answered cautiously: “Eldest Miss said she is tired today. If Master has business, please go see her yourself.”
“What? This rebellious girl—she doesn’t even put me in her eyes!” Ye Yunchang fumed. Just yesterday, the whole family had dined together without issue, and now she was putting on airs. Was he the father, or was she? Fine—he would go himself and teach her a lesson.
Storming off, he found Ye Sangzhi with Nanxing and Bianliu grinding medicine.
“Zhi’er, what are you doing? You’re a young lady of noble birth. How can you do such things? Utter nonsense!”
He scolded her at once. As his eldest daughter, she should know etiquette, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—not imitate servants in such lowly tasks. Unlike Ye Sangli, who was obedient, sensible, and befriended proper young ladies.
Ye Sangzhi set down the pestle, looking at him with a half‑smile. “Father came just to say this?”
“Of course not. I summoned you to ask something, but you refused to come. I thought you had business, so I came myself.” His anger had not lessened, only grown.
“Yesterday, for a few words, you struck Qingzhou and even his friends. After returning, you neither confessed nor repented nor apologized. Tell me—shouldn’t I punish you?” Ye Yunchang demanded with patriarchal authority.
“Father’s heart is always biased toward Concubine Wei and her children. Whatever I say, you won’t believe. But I won’t bear false charges. I struck your good son because he deserved it. He spread rumors outside, spoke recklessly, disrespected elders, insulted his legitimate sister, and failed to protect his younger brother. Father may not believe me, but you are a high minister. Send someone to Bawei Tower to ask, and you’ll know the truth.”
Ye Yunchang instinctively retorted: “Even if Qingzhou spoke improperly, you shouldn’t have struck him in public, nor his friends. You were raised by your grandfather to be polite and well‑behaved. Later, though away from the capital, your Grandpa Cen was a great scholar. How did you become so domineering?”
His anger mounted. “Go apologize to Qingzhou at once. You may ignore the Qian family, but you must go to the Sun family. Otherwise, how will outsiders see you—or the Ye family?”
The Qians were lowly merchants; offending them mattered little. They wouldn’t dare cause trouble. The Sun family’s general was of lower rank than him, but as fellow officials, some courtesy was required.