Lin Zhensheng smiled and said: “Has Master Wan been to the capital? That book was written by our Third Miss just for fun. The Second Master took it to the capital, where it was seen by tea connoisseurs who greatly admired it and made copies. Gradually, it spread.”

Everyone suddenly understood: “So that’s how it was.”

Wan Youde said: “It wasn’t me, but this Master Zhu, who just arrived from the capital, who mentioned it.”

Master Zhu said: “The tea ceremony trend is flourishing in the capital, which shows how well your master’s daughter’s book was written. I heard that Master Zhineng went to your master’s home today to present betrothal gifts. Could it be for your master’s Third Miss?”

Lin Zhensheng shook his head: “I truly don’t know about this. Even about the betrothal gifts, I only learned of it from what you all have said.”

“How could you not know? Wouldn’t marriage negotiations go back and forth several times? Didn’t your Old Master tell you?”

These words carried a somewhat provocative tone. Some people who watched such events unfold always enjoyed making matters worse. Having been a manager at the teahouse for many years, Lin Zhensheng was well acquainted with their temperaments.

He smiled and said: “This is my master’s family business, and I never pry. When I heard you all mention that the betrothal gifts were from a noble, even a fifth-rank official, perhaps from the capital, it would be perfectly normal for me not to know if the First Master and Second Master arranged this marriage in the capital.”

“Besides, our Old Master has always conducted affairs discreetly. The key word in ‘marriage negotiation’ is ‘negotiation,’ meaning it hasn’t been settled yet. If it were announced to the world at this stage, good marriage prospects could be ruined, and it would also affect the young lady’s reputation.”

Wang Youde nodded: “That’s the principle.”

“Indeed. The Ye family is a century-old noble house that values discretion in its affairs. Only those impetuous nouveau riche families would broadcast their good fortune for all to hear.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

If they had daughters or granddaughters in marriage negotiations, especially with a family of much higher status than their own, they wouldn’t publicize it until the betrothal gifts were presented and the marriage was settled. Otherwise, if the marriage fell through, they would be ridiculed, and their daughters would be unable to hold their heads up in public.

……

While this was how the teahouse patrons reacted, the reactions within various branches of the Ye family were even more pronounced.

The strongest reaction came from the First Madam, Madam Tao.

Listening to her maid’s report, she clutched her handkerchief tightly, her nails digging into her flesh without feeling any pain.

She felt as if she were suffocating, watching the maid’s lips move, feeling as though the voice came from a distant place beyond the clouds.

She was the Ye family’s matriarch. Even if the next family head wouldn’t be her husband, she, Madam Tao, still managed the inner courtyard.

Why? Why had the Second Branch arranged a marriage, and she knew nothing about it until the betrothal gifts entered the door? She was sitting in her room hearing news that had traveled through who knew how many intermediaries.

Even Manager Li Fu wouldn’t be guarded against, concealed from, and mistreated like this, would he?

Why didn’t the Old Master and Old Madam reveal even a hint? How did Madam Yin have the audacity to wear a worried expression when discussing her daughter’s marriage with her just yesterday?

Liars, all of them!

Nanny Li was Madam Tao’s attendant. One look at Madam Tao’s expression told her that her mistress’s inner rage was at the breaking point.

She interrupted the maid’s incessant chatter: “That’s enough. Go gather more information about who came to present betrothal gifts to the Third Miss.”

Only then did the maid notice Madam Tao’s distressed expression. She hurriedly bowed and withdrew.

Madam Tao’s suppressed anger finally erupted: “What do they mean by this? Could it be they fear my Qing’er might steal their precious granddaughter’s marriage prospects? They’re all granddaughters—how can they be so biased?”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, and she covered her face with a handkerchief, sobbing “woo-woo.”

Nanny Li knew she needed an outlet for her emotions.

Though Old Master Ye and Old Madam appeared kind, they were extremely strict about rules. When firmness was required, they were unyielding, not allowing themselves to be manipulated. Otherwise, even after Madam Tao had been married into the Ye family for twenty years, she still wouldn’t have fully managed the inner courtyard. Most of the management authority remained with the Old Madam.

This was only because the Old Madam didn’t like to concern herself with every detail and allowed Madam Tao to handle some matters without reporting to her. Otherwise, according to the rules, Madam Tao would have to consult the Old Madam on every matter, and the inner courtyard would remain under the Old Madam’s control.

Now that the First Branch had lost its influence, even forfeiting the position of the next family head, and would only receive two-tenths of the family assets when the family eventually divided, Madam Tao, despite any resentment she harbored toward the elders and the Second Branch, wouldn’t dare utter a word to their faces.

But she couldn’t keep her feelings bottled up. Crying might help release some of the pressure.

After crying for a while, Madam Tao finally managed to ease the knot in her heart.

“How could they do this? And Madam Yin, too. I always thought she was honest, but this time she acted as if nothing were happening,” Madam Tao said with a nasal voice.

In the past, Nanny Li would certainly have instigated the First Madam to make a scene. But now the First Branch had lost its influence, and the servants of the First Branch had recently been disciplined by the Old Madam.

Who knew why the Old Madam’s sources of information had become so effective? The other day, a maid had made some inciting comments to Ye Yaqing, saying that the Old Master and Old Madam only doted on the Third Miss, unlike before when they doted on the Second Miss, and that she should speak up for herself. As a result, that same evening, the maid was slapped by Nanny Lu and fined two months’ wages.

So now everyone was keeping a low profile, no longer daring to stir up trouble.

She said: “This old servant feels that it’s not that the Old Master and Old Madam didn’t want to tell you, but that they didn’t dare, given our family’s social standing. If this marriage were announced, with so many people and loose tongues in the household, if word spread and the marriage fell through, wouldn’t we become the laughingstock of Lin’an city? Then it would be even harder to arrange marriages for both the Second Miss and Third Miss.”

Seeing Madam Tao’s expression soften, she continued: “Moreover, I believe the Second Madam wasn’t pretending—she simply didn’t know.”

Madam Tao was startled and instinctively objected: “How is that possible? She’s the mother! How could they bypass the mother for her daughter’s marriage?”

Nanny Li shook her head: “Having lived together for over a decade, you know the Second Madam’s character, don’t you? She’s a straightforward person without much cunning. When she spoke the other day, if she had known about this marriage, she would have shown some indication. Neither of us noticed anything, which suggests she truly didn’t know.”

Madam Tao thought for a moment and nodded.

Indeed, that was the case.

Setting aside everything else, Madam Yin was truly a transparent person with no guile. If she had known about this marriage, her behavior the other day would have been different.

Thinking of this, she found it almost incredible: “How dare they arrange the marriage without telling Madam Yin? If it were me, I would be furious to death.”

Nanny Li sighed: “There’s no way around it. If Madam Yin knew, wouldn’t we know too? She can’t keep secrets, and she manages her household servants quite loosely.”

Contemplating this, she couldn’t help but reflect.