When Ye Sangzhi entered the front hall, the main seat was occupied by a graceful, dignified woman, with a six‑ or seven‑year‑old boy leaning against her. The two looked very much alike.
This was her stepmother, Madam Jiang, and her younger half‑brother, Ye Guizhou.
After several days back, she had finally met all the household members.
“Madam.” Ye Sangzhi greeted formally.
Madam Jiang paused slightly.
Only “Madam”? Not “Mother”? Clearly, Ye Sangzhi did not acknowledge her as stepmother.
“You must be Sangzhi. So beautiful. This is our first meeting.” Madam Jiang smiled warmly, pulling the boy forward. “Guizhou, greet your elder sister.”
Ye Guizhou, shy but obedient, rose and bowed. “Greetings, Eldest Sister.”
“I recently took Guizhou to visit his maternal grandparents, and he fell ill for a time. That’s why we were delayed in returning. Sangzhi, you don’t blame your mother for neglecting you, do you?” Madam Jiang explained, thinking Ye Sangzhi’s refusal to call her “Mother” meant resentment.
“Madam worries too much. It is natural to visit one’s family. If my younger brother were ill, caring for him was right. I have no complaints,” Ye Sangzhi replied gently, leaving no fault to be found.
Madam Jiang had emphasized the word *mother*. Ye Sangzhi heard it clearly. But her mother was only one person—no one else could replace her.
And there was Ye Lingzhou’s situation.
From what she had learned, Madam Jiang treated Ye Lingzhou less well than Ye Guizhou. Understandable—Ye Lingzhou was not her own child. But his current decadence—was Madam Jiang partly responsible too?
Though Ye Sangzhi couldn’t read faces, her intuition was sharp. Madam Jiang lacked Father’s favor, was harassed by Concubine Wei, and even lost household authority. Yet she had managed to raise her son safely, and even placed her nephew under Master Hua’s tutelage. Clearly, she was not as simple as she appeared. And how convenient—she had gone visiting just when Ye Sangzhi returned.
Ye Guizhou’s plump, rosy face showed perfect health. Crumbs of pastry clung to his lips—not the look of a child just recovered from illness.
“That’s good,” Madam Jiang said awkwardly. She then asked with concern: “Are you comfortable in the household?”
“I am. Thank you for your care.”
“Good. If you lack anything, tell Concubine Wei. She manages the household now, and she is thorough—she won’t neglect you.”
Fearing she hadn’t explained enough, Madam Jiang added: “Your father values Concubine Wei, so he entrusted her with household management. But if you don’t wish to ask her, you may tell me.”
“Alright, I understand.” Ye Sangzhi pretended not to hear the complaints and subtle provocations. Madam Jiang had stayed away earlier, clearly to see if Ye Sangzhi and Concubine Wei would clash. Now she had returned, having confirmed they truly were at odds.
Interesting. No one in this house was simple.
After a few more polite exchanges, Ye Sangzhi returned to her courtyard.
Later, when Ye Yunchang came home from duty, she sought him out.
“You want to buy servants?” Ye Yunchang asked, puzzled. “Your brother and your courtyard already have enough. Why buy more?”
“Those people aren’t truly loyal. I’m not satisfied. Naturally, I’ll replace them,” Ye Sangzhi replied matter‑of‑factly.
“Absurd! Those servants have worked in the Ye household for many years. Concubine Wei carefully selected them for you. How could they not serve you properly?”
Ye Yunchang didn’t even know why—his daughter had only been back a few days, and this should have been a time of father‑daughter closeness. Yet she was nothing but trouble. Whenever he saw her, he felt misfortune was near.
“You’re not a child anymore. Household matters don’t need your interference. Concubine Wei manages things. If you’re dissatisfied with the servants, just tell her—she’ll rearrange them. Why cause a fuss? Since you’ve returned, you mustn’t behave as freely and without decorum as you did in Wuzhou. In a few days, I’ll arrange for two people to teach you etiquette. At banquets, your mother will take you out more, so you can see which young men suit you. Settling your marriage early is what matters most.”
Ye Yunchang thought himself a good father. For a daughter he felt little affection for, these arrangements were generous enough.
“In the capital, many girls your age are already married with children. Remember—go out less, stop causing trouble, and listen to your elders. That is proper.”
“Are you finished, Father?” Ye Sangzhi asked coolly.
“What?”
“My affairs don’t need Father’s concern. I don’t need lessons in etiquette, nor matchmaking. If Father has spare time, better to manage your eldest son and second daughter. I came only to inform you that I’ll be replacing servants. Since you know, I’ll take my leave.”
Ye Yunchang grew angry, his tone harsh. “Do you know what you’re saying? I am your father. Everything I said was for your own good, yet you show no gratitude. Besides, your birth mother is gone. If I don’t manage your affairs, who will? As for buying servants, I don’t forbid it—but you must inform Concubine Wei.”
“Father, do you even know what you’re saying?” Ye Sangzhi retorted.
At home, Father was muddle‑headed, favoring a concubine. Worse, he let her manage the household. As the legitimate eldest daughter, she had to seek a concubine’s approval just to buy servants. Was he not afraid outsiders would laugh?
“How dare you speak to me like this? I am your father. You are utterly unfilial!” Ye Yunchang roared, furious.
What he hated most was living in his own father’s shadow. The words he least wanted to hear were that he was inferior to his father. To say the Ye family had lost its former glory was to call him incompetent. To accuse him of favoring a concubine was intolerable. How could a junior dare reproach him?
“Unfilial?” Ye Sangzhi laughed coldly, her eyes mocking. “If I am unfilial, I learned it from you. Have you forgotten how you defied Grandfather? Forgotten how you angered him so badly that he spat blood on the spot? If you weren’t my father, do you think I’d bother speaking to you at all?”
She hadn’t forgotten.
Back when her mother lived, Concubine Wei had provoked her repeatedly. Mother endured, unwilling to disturb the household or sadden Grandfather and her own father.
Later, when Mother was pregnant with her second brother, Concubine Wei grew even more restless, fearing that if Mother bore a legitimate son, her own child would lose status.