Ye Weiqing no longer dared to speak further. He Jinqi and Li Jun, upon hearing Ye Yunmian’s words, both looked increasingly embarrassed.
“So it was Third Young Master’s voluntary treat. Miss Ye, even if you come from the Duke’s household, isn’t this a bit too petty? It’s only a bit of silver—must everything be accounted for so clearly? If this continues, I’m afraid no one will ever want to associate with Third Young Master again!”
He Jinqi immediately spoke, his gaze toward Ye Yunmian now carrying a hint of contempt.
In the past, they had heard Ye Weiqing describe this elder sister as a dignified, talented woman, even saying she had done much charity work at the border and was considered a model among frontier women.
But now that they saw her, she was clearly vulgar and obsessed with money—completely lacking noble elegance.
What a waste of such an otherworldly appearance.
“If you are so generous and do not care about mere silver, then return it,” Ye Yunmian replied without mercy. “After I return to the estate, I will have the accounts thoroughly checked. I will send the ledger to your homes. If you refuse to repay it, then we can ask the authorities to settle this rotten debt.”
Silver was a good thing. She was poor right now—she would never say no to more.
Ye Weiqing looked like he wanted to speak but didn’t dare. He continued to keep his head lowered, obedient and submissive.
He had always been like this—only daring to hide behind stronger people when out in the world, never willing to offend anyone. Now that his sister was demanding repayment so forcefully, he naturally did not dare to intervene.
Ye Yunmian knew it too: if she were a weak and timid girl right now, this younger brother would definitely have tried to persuade her to swallow the humiliation.
A dignified young master of the Duke’s household acting like this—if people from the borderlands heard it, no one would believe it.
He Jinqi and Li Jun also seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and began to feel uneasy.
After all, over the years, Ye Weiqing really had spent a great deal of money on them.
Before the age of twelve, he rarely went out, like a sheltered young lady. When they first met, they had been quite polite to him. But later they discovered he was quiet, often just watching silently. He would only appear when money was needed, and would become very happy with just a few compliments. That “easy-to-push-around” nature made them stop taking him seriously.
Now that they thought about it carefully, over three years, just food and wine expenses alone probably amounted to several thousand taels…
Even when Ye Weiqing was absent, they often recorded their outings under his name.
And that was not even counting other expenses.
“Miss Ye, our friendship with Third Young Master is sincere. If you take this trivial matter to court, I’m afraid the entire capital will know your family is calculating and petty. Won’t that damage the Duke’s household reputation?” He Jinqi’s tone shifted, becoming somewhat conciliatory yet persuasive. “How about this—each of us will give you one thousand taels, and let this matter rest. I also don’t wish for Weiqing to be criticized…”
Ye Yunmian smiled.
They really were treating her like a fool.
Her younger brother came out once carrying eight hundred taels. Over the past several years, how much more had been spent?
“I believe people can distinguish right from wrong. If my brother loses face, then there will naturally be others who lose even more,” she said calmly but firmly.
In their presence, they acted like refined gentlemen before Lin Mianmian, but beneath that skin, what difference was there between them and local bullies?
Bullies extort money and are known for their cruelty—yet these two wanted both wealth and reputation. How convenient.
“Brother, are you not going to take me home?” she said lightly, ignoring the two men.
Ye Weiqing shrank his neck and immediately made a gesture of invitation.
That habitual submissiveness was deeply ingrained in his bones.
Ye Yunmian suppressed her anger, then gestured to the tea house attendant. She had Ye Weiqing take out silver—both loose silver and banknotes, quite well prepared.
She took twenty taels and said to the attendant, “Find someone to lead my donkey, and prepare a spacious sedan chair. Take us back to the Dingguo Duke’s residence.”
The attendant’s eyes lit up at the sight of silver and immediately went to work happily.
Just a simple errand, yet such a generous reward—it felt like sudden good fortune from heaven.
“Ordinary people would even be delighted and grateful with just a few taels,” Ye Yunmian continued to her brother as if the others were invisible. “But you have spent so much on these two. What have you gained in return? Even if they called you their father, you’d probably accept it.”
“!!”
He Jinqi and Li Jun flushed with anger. “Don’t go too far!”
But Ye Yunmian remained calm and unmoved.
“Don’t be anxious. We haven’t even reached the part where you should be angry yet.”
That indifferent attitude only made them more furious, as though they were being completely disregarded.
He Jinqi wanted to say more, but Li Jun pulled him aside and gave him a look.
After Ye Yunmian and her brother left in the sedan chair, Li Jun finally spoke.
“Why argue with her? Don’t forget what state the Ye family is in now. Her elder brother is becoming increasingly violent—he’s practically a madman and has already been reprimanded by the Emperor several times. It’s uncertain whether the title can even be preserved. And she herself has been away from the capital for years. Now that she’s just returned, people like us are the only ones who will give her some courtesy. Others may not.”
Hearing this, He Jinqi calmed down.
Indeed.
Once she returned to the Ye household, she would likely have to keep her head down and behave carefully.
Her eldest brother, Ye Weiyin, was said to be cruel and indifferent to family ties. Rumor had it that even as a child he had driven away his own younger brother, and that child had since vanished without a trace.
Even Ye Weiqing was often beaten until bloodied.
If he treated his own brother like that, what kindness could he possibly show toward a sister he had not seen for over a decade?
And there was also the imperial marriage decree from three years ago…
Thinking of this, He Jinqi felt his mood lighten.
The Ye family young lady might have a decent appearance, but compared to Lin Mianmian, she was nothing. Worse still, she had just arrived from some remote, impoverished place, dressed so plainly. Her siblings’ reputations were poor as well—enough to drag her down for the rest of her life.
He rubbed his right cheek, still aching from the earlier slap.
That crude woman had quite the strength—clearly someone who had done hard labor since childhood. As expected of borderland women, rough and uncultured.
Meanwhile, the “destined for misfortune” Ye Yunmian sat calmly in the sedan chair.
Her posture was proper, her expression relaxed, and she carried an effortless composure that gradually eased Ye Weiqing’s tension.
“Are you really my sister?” he finally asked hesitantly.
In his heart, he already believed it—but he didn’t know what else to say.
After all, he had been embarrassed today.
Even though the entire capital knew he was timid, in the letters he had exchanged with his sister, he had always tried to present himself as… somewhat courageous.