“Then, will you come home with Grandmother? Your father may not say it aloud, but in his heart, he misses you very much. And Qingya—without you, she has no one to talk to.”
Old Madam Ye truly would say anything to persuade Ye Qingyu to return to the Marquis’ household.
Ye Qingyu frowned, looking troubled. “But… I haven’t stayed long enough at the Duke’s estate yet.”
A flash of impatience crossed the old lady’s eyes, though her smile remained. “If you haven’t stayed enough, you can always come back again later. Look how much Grandmother misses you—I even came here myself despite my weak legs. Everyone at home is longing for your return.”
“Oh, and Grandmother brought you many of the jewelry pieces you like.”
To coax Ye Qingyu back, Old Madam Ye had spared no expense. Servants entered one after another, carrying trays laden with dazzling ornaments, their brilliance enough to overwhelm the eyes.
Ye Qingyu pretended to be delighted, stepping forward to admire them.
“Do you like them? This is only a portion. Most of them have already been sent to your Wanyan Pavilion. You’ll see them once you return.”
“Really? Thank you, Grandmother.” Ye Qingyu put on the look of a happy young girl.
“As long as you like them. Then let’s go back to the Marquis’ household, shall we?”
“If you have any requests, just tell Grandmother. I’ll surely satisfy them.” Old Madam Ye sighed, patting her leg with a helpless expression. “Ah, it’s all your father’s fault. He didn’t understand the whole story, so he misunderstood you. And Shuwen too—he only wanted to win favor for our family, so he lost his head and didn’t tell the truth.”
“Grandmother knows you’ve always been a good child, generous and forgiving. We’re all one family. They know they were wrong. If you’re still angry, you can scold them or punish them as you wish. And if you want any compensation, Grandmother will agree.”
Ye Qingyu’s clear eyes shone with expectation. “Really? Grandmother will agree to any request I make?”
“Of course,” Old Madam Ye replied firmly.
She thought to herself: Ye Qingyu is just a little girl—at most she’ll ask for jewelry, fine clothes, or some silver.
“I want my mother’s dowry,” Ye Qingyu said bluntly.
“Dowry?” Old Madam Ye thought she had misheard. She stared at Ye Qingyu in a daze before realizing what she meant.
“Yes. Mother has been gone for over a year. It’s not right to trouble Grandmother with managing her dowry all this time. I’m growing older now and should learn to handle affairs. I’ll have to eventually, so why not start early?”
Ye Qingyu turned and winked at Madam Xu and Madam Zhong. “Aunts, isn’t that reasonable?”
Madam Xu immediately understood Ye Qingyu’s intention. “Yes, Qingyu is at the age to learn household management. Using her mother’s dowry shops as practice is perfectly suitable. Even if she loses some silver, it doesn’t matter.”
Old Madam Ye’s smile froze. She hadn’t expected Ye Qingyu to ask for this. She had just promised to grant any request, and now she couldn’t refuse—especially here in the Duke’s household.
But to hand over Madam Gu’s dowry, she was unwilling. Madam Gu’s marriage had been lavish, with countless shops and estates. In just one year, those properties had yielded over 100,000 taels of silver.
She tried to cover her reluctance, stammering, “This it’s a bit too early. Qingyu hasn’t even reached her coming-of-age yet. She’s still a young girl—how could she settle down to manage messy accounts? She’s the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’ household. Let her enjoy herself for a few more years. Once she’s betrothed, she can learn then—it won’t be too late.”
“Yes, Qingyu is still young. No need to rush,” Madam Zhou chimed in.
Madam Xu arched her brows, her tone sharp and commanding as she looked at Old Madam Ye. “Too early? I think it’s already late. Some families have their daughters learning household management at ten years old. What’s the difficulty here, Old Madam?”
Madam Zhong’s expression hardened, her voice cold. “If there’s some difficulty, Old Madam, you should say it. We’ll see how to resolve it.”
Sweat beaded on Old Madam Ye’s forehead. She quickly waved her hands with a stiff smile. “No, no, nothing of the sort. I only worry for Qingyu. She’s the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis’ household. Since she has the heart for it, of course, she should be satisfied. Once we return, I’ll hand over her mother’s dowry shops and estates to her.”
Madam Xu pressed firmly, ignoring the old lady’s strained face. “Why wait until we return? Let’s do the handover here. We can serve as witnesses. Please send someone back to fetch the account books.”
Old Madam Ye realized the Duke’s household was determined to reclaim Ye Qingyu’s dowry today. She knew there was no way to refuse. Her face stiff, she ordered Madam Zhou, “Go back and bring the account books.”
Madam Zhou took the keys and returned to the Marquis’ household. Before long, she came back with all the account books.
Looking at the chests filled with land deeds, property contracts, and ledgers, Ye Qingyu finally realized just how vast her mother’s dowry truly was. In her previous life, she had only received her mother’s dowry shortly before marriage. At that time, Old Madam Ye told her it had suffered heavy losses, leaving only three estates and five shops. Now it was clear—Old Madam Ye had embezzled the rest.
Madam Xu ordered the servants to bring out the Duke’s copy of the dowry list. There were three copies in total: one kept at the Duke’s household, one filed with the government, and one that had gone with the dowry to the Marquis’ household.
Seeing that the Duke’s household was determined to reclaim the dowry today, Old Madam Ye dared not tamper with anything. She had no choice but to return all the shops and estates in full.
Madam Zhou’s eyes turned red with envy as she looked at the properties.
Once everything was tallied, Old Madam Ye forced a smile. “Qingyu, you see, Grandmother has fulfilled your request. Will you now come back home with me?”
Ye Qingyu, having just secured a fortune, was naturally in good spirits. “Since Grandmother has kept her promise, I will keep mine as well.”
Old Madam Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As Ye Qingyu prepared to return to the Marquis’ household, her two aunts packed food, supplies, and amusements for her, even arranging a carriage to escort her back.
Upon arriving, Ye Qingyu went straight to her Wanyan Pavilion.
Wan Qiu, who had been watching over her courtyard these past days, rushed forward joyfully when she saw her.
“Miss, you’re finally back! I missed you so much. Next time you go to the Duke’s household, you must take me with you.”
Ye Qingyu patted her head gently. “Alright, my Wan Qiu has worked hard. Next time, I’ll definitely bring you.”
“These things were all sent by my aunts. Organize them properly.” She directed her maids to put everything away. Just then, a messenger arrived from Chunhui Hall, summoning Ye Qingyu.