“You make a fair point—but I don’t care. I’m not concerned about marrying into a good family. As for my younger brother, he’s still a child, so I’m not worried.” Ye Sangzhi thought seriously for a moment, then smiled carelessly: “But your fine son Ye Qingzhou and fine daughter Ye Sangli—they’re the ones anxious about marriage. After all, being born of a concubine is a stigma. It’s already difficult to marry into a noble family. If the Ye household’s reputation worsens, their prospects will only sink lower.”
Society was more forgiving toward men. As the Earl’s eldest son, Ye Qingzhou would have no trouble finding a match, so long as he didn’t disgrace himself. If he earned scholarly honors, his marriage prospects would improve further.
But Ye Sangli was different. For a woman—especially a concubine’s daughter—life was harder. With luck, she might become a proper wife. Without it, she might share Concubine Wei’s fate as a concubine. Thus, reputation mattered greatly to her.
Ye Sangzhi knew it, and Wei knew it too. That was why Concubine Wei longed to be the principal wife. But with Madam Jiang now in the household—and Ye Sangzhi herself—Concubine Wei’s dream would remain a fantasy.
“Eldest Miss only wants a few servant contracts? I’ll fetch them myself. As for today’s incident, I’ll pretend it never happened. My servants won’t spread word of it.” Concubine Wei finally compromised.
She had wanted to make a spectacle, to brand Ye Sangzhi as a domineering mistress who beat servants. But Ye Sangzhi’s words cooled her temper. To deal with Ye Sangzhi, she could use any method—but she mustn’t ruin Ye Sangzhi’s reputation. At least not until Ye Sangli’s marriage was secured.
If Ye Sangzhi’s name were to be ruined, it could not be traced back to the household.
Fortunately, the incident at the restaurant—when Ye Sangzhi struck Ye Qingzhou and the sons of the Sun and Qian families—had not spread widely. The Earl, the Sun, and the Qian families had explained it away as a misunderstanding. No rush. She would wait, plan carefully, and strike when Ye Sangzhi could not recover.
Concubine Wei soon brought the contracts to Ye Sangzhi, feigning pity. “Eldest Miss, I know you hate me, but I am innocent. Why can’t we live in harmony? The matter of the late madam truly had nothing to do with me.”
Ye Sangzhi looked at her as if she were an idiot. “Concubine Wei, I told you the day I returned—don’t put on false airs before me. Know your place. What nonsense are you spouting now?”
Then, unwilling to look at her disgusting face any longer, Ye Sangzhi turned to Bianliu: “Bianliu, Nanny Zhang was disrespectful to me just now. Beat her.”
At her mistress’s command, Bianliu leaped forward. She raised her hand to strike, but thought it too filthy. So she lifted her foot instead, kicking with full force. Nanny Zhang collapsed, unable to rise.
“Ah—oooh—Concubine Wei, Eldest Miss bullies me too much!” Nanny Zhang clutched her side, truly hurt, truly heartbroken.
“Ye Sangzhi, don’t go too far! Can’t you tolerate me at all? I am your stepmother!” Concubine Wei’s teeth chattered with rage.
This wretched girl. Did she mean to turn the household upside down today?
Ye Sangzhi laughed boldly. “Wei Yao, I told you—we are enemies. We will never coexist peacefully. Those servants you sent today, and that kick to Nanny Zhang, were my warning. You’d better behave yourself.”
“Bianliu, let’s go.”
Only after Ye Sangzhi left did servants step forward to lift Nanny Zhang.
“Concubine?” one servant asked cautiously.
“Today’s events—I don’t want to hear anyone mention them, and I especially don’t want them spread outside,” Concubine Wei said coldly, staring at the courtyard gate.
“Yes.” The servant swallowed nervously. “And those others?”
He meant the servants who had been returned.
Concubine Wei glanced at them with disgust. “Useless trash. Sell them all.”
She had intended to use them for her schemes, but before she could even give orders, they had been discovered and sent back. A pack of worthless fools!
The servants immediately knelt, begging for mercy. “Please, Concubine, spare us! Don’t sell us!”
“Gag them and drag them out. I don’t want to see them.”
“Yes.”
Nanny Zhang groaned in pain. Concubine Wei closed her eyes, impatient. “Fetch a doctor for her.”
“Yes.”
Back in Ye Sangzhi’s courtyard, Bianliu looked ashamed. “Miss, today I was useless. I couldn’t even get the contracts without you stepping in.”
Ye Sangzhi smiled, comforting her. “Bianliu, it’s not your fault. Concubine Wei is two‑faced and holds household authority. She would never hand over the contracts easily.”
“So we just let her flaunt it?” Nanxing asked angrily.
“Of course not. I’ll strip away everything she values, one by one. The first thing I’ll take is her household authority. Consider it the first gift I give her since returning.”
“Yes, I’ll see it done,” Bianliu promised firmly.
“After today’s commotion, Father may come to scold you again,” Nanxing worried.
“He won’t. I already angered him badly yesterday. If he hears of me again today, he’ll only feel weary. Even if he wants to lecture me, he’ll wait until his mood recovers.”
These days, Ye Sangzhi had already gauged her father’s temperament. He wouldn’t risk making himself uncomfortable. Though he doted on his concubine, he cared more for himself. In truth, the most selfish, most detestable person in the household was her father.
And she was right.
Bianliu later went out to check and heard that Concubine Wei had dressed herself pitifully and gone to complain. Ye Yunchang listened, then comforted her for a long while. But days passed, and he never came to trouble Ye Sangzhi.
Instead, a guest arrived.
The steward reported that Lord Zhou of the Censorate and his wife had come to visit. Ye Yunchang thought he’d misheard. Suspicious, he asked: “Zhou Zhengyan?”
“Yes, Lord Zhou and his wife. They said they wish to see Eldest Miss.”
“See who?”
“Eldest Miss.”
“See her? Sangzhi’s only just returned. They couldn’t possibly have any connection.” Ye Yunchang was baffled.
Zhou Zhengyan was a stubborn censor, quick to impeach anyone for the slightest fault. Even Ye Yunchang himself had not escaped.
Moreover, Zhou Zhengyan never socialized privately with officials, not even relatives, lest he be accused of favoritism. So why today, not only visiting with his wife, but asking to see his eldest daughter?
“Where is Eldest Miss?” Ye Yunchang asked again.
“She’s not in the household—she went out.”
“Out again?” Ye Yunchang grew irritable. This daughter never gave him peace.
It seemed he needed to find a way to restrain her properly.