In her previous life, after marrying into the Fourth Prince’s household, Marquis Ye took Chen Yinyin as his new wife and sought to establish Ye Shuwen as the heir of the Marquis’ estate. Her maternal grandfather, uneasy about this, had people investigate their backgrounds.
It was then discovered that even before marrying Ye Qingyu’s mother, Marquis Ye had already been involved with Chen Yinyin. By the time her mother wed him, Ye Shuwen was already three years old.
Chen Yinyin, dressed in plain garments, still carried herself with youthful grace despite having borne two children. Her voice was soft and gentle. “Qingyu, Aunt has nothing much to give. This bracelet is for you as a meeting gift—I hope you won’t dislike it.”
She slipped off a vivid green jade bracelet from her wrist, intending to place it on Ye Qingyu’s hand.
Ye Qingyu pulled her hand back, halting the gesture.
“Such a valuable gift—I dare not accept it. Aunt should keep it,” Ye Qingyu said calmly.
Chen Yinyin looked somewhat aggrieved and turned to Marquis Ye. “Does Qingyu dislike the bracelet?”
Marquis Ye’s expression grew displeased. “Qingyu, this is your aunt’s goodwill. You should accept it.”
“Yes, Qingyu,” Old Madam Ye chimed in, “it may not be the finest, but it is still your aunt’s token of affection.”
“Then I won’t refuse,” Ye Qingyu said, allowing Wan Qiu to take the bracelet on her behalf.
“Since there’s nothing else, I’ll return now,” Ye Qingyu said, excusing herself and leaving.
Back at Wanyan Pavilion, Ye Qingyu summoned Wan Qiu.
“Miss, what are your orders?”
“Find two maids and have them, as if by accident, let Ye Shuwen overhear that I plan to gift Grandmother the white jade Buddha statue from Jinyu Pavilion for her birthday.”
“Understood.” Wan Qiu accepted the order and went out to carry it out.
“Miss, Second Miss has arrived,” Nian Chun reported.
“Let Qingya in.”
Ye Qingya hurried in, scolding her angrily. “Ye Qingyu, how can you be so spineless? Just a few sets of jewelry from Uncle, and you forgive him? And you even agreed to let Ye Shuwen stay in the Marquis’ household?”
Ye Qingyu smiled faintly, her tone tinged with mockery. “I noticed Second Sister seemed to like those sets of jewelry very much.”
Ye Qingya lifted her fair little face, looking defiant and reckless. “Of course, I liked them. But for Father to hurt his children’s hearts like that, and then apologize with so little sincerity—if it were me, I’d never accept it.”
Ye Qingyu sighed lightly, her expression calm and detached. “Since ancient times, parents have never considered wrong. Even if I disagreed, what difference would it make? Father and Grandmother still rule this Marquis’ household.”
Ye Qingya rested her chin in her hands and sighed helplessly as well.
Yes, even with the Duke’s household supporting Ye Qingyu, as a daughter, she had no natural way to resist.
“But you shouldn’t have agreed to let Ye Shuwen stay here. Don’t you know how many strings Uncle pulled to get him released? I’ve never seen him care so much about you.” Ye Qingya’s tone carried indignation on Ye Qingyu’s behalf.
Ye Qingyu’s voice was cold as ice. “Keeping him under my eyes makes things easier to handle. Do you think that if I refused, Father and Grandmother wouldn’t bring him into the household anyway? In their eyes, Ye Shuwen is a precious treasure.”
Ye Qingya pouted and waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, whatever. As long as you can see through it yourself, that’s enough. I’ll be going.”
“Wait,” Ye Qingyu said. “Tell Eldest Brother that I’ll deal with Ye Shuwen myself. He doesn’t need to worry.”
Ye Qingyu worried that her eldest cousin might confront Ye Shuwen on her behalf, thereby angering Marquis Ye. He didn’t realize just how much Marquis Ye treasured Ye Shuwen—after all, he was his biological son.
“All right, I understand. I’ll be going,” Ye Qingya said. She had only come to clarify Ye Shuwen’s situation. Now that she knew Ye Qingyu wasn’t truly foolish, she felt reassured.
“Do you have anything planned tomorrow?” Ye Qingyu asked.
Ye Qingya paused, turning back with a puzzled look. “No, why?”
Ye Qingyu smiled faintly. “Tomorrow I’ll be inspecting the shops my mother left me. Would you like to come along? It’ll be more fun with you.”
The chance to go out delighted Ye Qingya. Her eyes sparkled as she agreed immediately.
Not long after Ye Qingya left, Wan Qiu returned.
“Miss, it’s done. Ye Shuwen has already learned of it—he’s taken people to Jinyu Pavilion.”
“Good,” Ye Qingyu’s eyes glinted with coldness.
Wan Qiu hesitated before speaking. “Miss, I had someone investigate. The heir of Prince Zhuang already reserved that item.”
Ye Qingyu’s lips curved into a cruel smile. “Yes, it belongs to that little tyrant.”
The white jade Buddha statue had been ordered by Shen Juncheng, heir of Prince Zhuang.
Prince Zhuang’s heir was notorious as the number one troublemaker in the capital. His father, Prince Zhuang, was the emperor’s younger brother, and his mother, Princess Consort Zhuang, had only this one son. He was cherished like a jewel. Moreover, the emperor trusted his brother deeply, and his favor toward Shen Juncheng surpassed that shown to many of his own sons. For example, the Fourth Prince Shen Mingxiu was not nearly as favored as Shen Juncheng.
With so much indulgence, Shen Juncheng had grown arrogant and domineering, feared throughout the capital. If Ye Shuwen dared to snatch his possession…
The next day, Ye Qingyu set out with Mo Shu, Wan Qiu, and several guards, heading to the main gate to meet Ye Qingya. From afar, she saw Ye Qingya standing beside Ye Yanzhi.
Ye Qingya beamed, linking arms with Ye Qingyu. “Brother didn’t trust us to go alone, so he insisted on coming along.” She pouted in mild annoyance—she had wanted to visit some special places, but with her brother present, that was impossible.
“You two are still young. Those shopkeepers are very shrewd. I’ll come along to make sure you aren’t deceived,” Ye Yanzhi explained. As the Duke’s eldest grandson, it was his duty to protect his younger siblings.
Ye Qingyu smiled gently. “With Eldest Brother accompanying us, I feel completely at ease.”
The group boarded the carriage and set off toward the shops.
All the way, Ye Qingyu studied the account books inside the carriage. Ye Yanzhi, worried she might not understand them, patiently explained each detail.
The nearest property was a jewelry shop located on Zhuque Street, the busiest district in the capital.
Ye Yanzhi first led the two sisters to a teahouse across the street, where they could observe the flow of customers entering and leaving the jewelry shop. He also asked the teahouse waiter about the shop’s reputation, and all the reports were positive—it was said to be highly profitable, with many patrons, including noble ladies and young misses they recognized from the capital.
“Qingyu, have you noticed anything?” Ye Yanzhi asked.
“The account book has problems.”
Though the records didn’t show the jewelry shop as losing money, the entire year’s profit was listed as only 180 taels. That was highly suspicious—proof that the account book was falsified.
By extension, Ye Qingyu realized that the ledgers for her mother’s other shops must also be fraudulent.