Wen Tao watched helplessly as Shen Zhongyi left without even looking back, despite his calls. He trembled with anger, deeply regretting having brought him into the scheme in the first place.

This Shen Zhongyi had always been timid, embezzling only a small amount of silver each year, and would be terrified at the slightest hint of trouble. If he hadn’t run to Wen Tao after hearing rumors about the account audit, the Third Young Miss might never have suspected him.

Ye Yaming showed no such mercy to Wen Tao and Xu Shen. When the government runners arrived, she handed them directly to the officials.

After Shen Zhongyi left, Wen Tao and Xu Shen began to panic. Wen Tao kept trying to appeal to Ye Chongming’s sentiments. But how could Ye Chongming possibly be swayed by him again when he was nauseated just thinking about how these two had schemed right under his nose? He directly silenced Wen Tao with his words.

In the end, Wen Tao and Xu Shen were imprisoned, while Shen Zhongyi, after serving as a witness and returning all the embezzled money, was expelled from the Ye family.

As the accountant at the Jihong Tower, everyone who had patronized the teahouse in Lin’an City knew him. Now that he had been to the prefect’s office and stood trial, the fact that he had falsified accounts with Wen Tao and Xu Shen to embezzle from the Ye family would spread throughout the city, even if the Ye family didn’t speak of it, as the runners would help disseminate the news.

Eventually, no one in Lin’an City dared to hire him as an accountant, and he had no choice but to relocate his entire family to a place where no one knew them.

That, of course, was a story for another time.

After Wen Tao and the others had been taken away by the officials, Ye Chongming asked Ye Yaming, “Besides these three accountants, are there problems with the two accountants in the Capital City? What about the other managers?”

Ye Yaming replied, “The issues with those two in the Capital aren’t as serious, though the full extent will only be known after the officials interrogate Wen Tao. As for the other managers, while some have made mistakes, they appear unintentional and not significant problems.”

Ye Chongming let out a slight sigh of relief, but then began to worry: “Do you have any suitable accountants? Besides Mr. Jiang, we need to find two more to fill the vacancies.”

Ye Yaming shook her head: “I cannot interfere in this matter, or it would truly become a case of me replacing your people with my confidants.”

“There’s no one in the household capable of handling this independently. As for hiring externally, I fear encountering people like Wen Tao and Shen Zhongyi again,” Ye Chongming said with a sigh.

Why Wen Tao and Shen Zhongyi embezzled was clear to Ye Chongming without asking—the temptation of wealth.

The Ye family’s financial transactions were substantial; even a small diversion would be enough for an ordinary family to live quite comfortably.

“Place two people in each position, one managing the money and one managing the accounts. The money and accounts must reconcile, allowing them to monitor each other and reduce the likelihood of errors,” Ye Yaming suggested.

When she first arrived in this world, she learned that in places like Jihong Tower and the tea shop, the accountants both managed the money and kept the accounts, with substantial sums flowing in and out. She knew problems would inevitably arise.

But without evidence and with the timing not right, she had kept quiet.

Now that the problems had surfaced, it was natural to set up both cashiers and accountants.

Ye Chongming considered for a moment, then slapped the table: “That’s an excellent idea.”

“Furthermore, I plan to implement a rotation system. Rotate them once a year. The accountants from the Capital’s Jihong Tower will switch with those from Lin’an’s Jihong Tower. When new accountants take over from the old ones, they must verify the previous accounts thoroughly; otherwise, any problems will be the responsibility of the current accountant. Once our other two teahouses open, we’ll rotate among all four locations.”

“If Young Master Zi and Young Master Qi agree, we can include the teahouses in Huizhou and Minzhou in the rotation as well. As for issues of regions and families, we can discuss those later.”

Ye Chongming thought it over and greatly approved: “That’s an excellent idea.”

This way, the successor would fear taking the blame for others and would naturally verify the previous accounts carefully before taking over. And the predecessor, worried about problems being discovered and leading to dismissal, would be extremely cautious when calculating accounts and would self-audit afterward.

Thus, even without a dedicated person to audit the accounts, there would be minimal risk of error. Problems could be discovered promptly, preventing major disasters.

After settling the accounting matters, the next day, just as Ye Yaming was about to go check on the teahouse that was about to open, she received a card inviting her to the Qi mansion from Madam Qi.

She went to the Qi mansion and greeted Madam Qi: “Madam Qi.”

“Rise, quickly rise,” Madam Qi smiled. “Why call me ‘Madam’? Just call me ‘Aunt.'”

Ye Yaming wasn’t shy and straightforwardly changed her address: “Aunt.”

“Come, sit down,” Madam Qi took Ye Yaming’s hand and sat her down, examining her with a couple of glances.

Previously, although Ye Yaming had become engaged to Lu Guanyi, Madam Qi wasn’t sure if her nephew had agreed to this marriage to resolve his difficulties or if he truly wanted to spend his life with Ye Yaming. Even if he did like Ye Yaming, who knew how long such feelings would last? Perhaps after his journey to the border, his feelings would change upon his return.

She feared that Lu Guanyi might change his mind after two years. To avoid creating more karmic entanglements, she had never invited Ye Yaming over for a meeting.

Nevertheless, Ye Yaming had always been very courteous, sending gifts for every festival and holiday. These gifts were appropriate, neither too casual nor too extravagant, with impeccable discretion. Additionally, Qi Ji was an admirer of Ye Yaming, often praising her capabilities to his parents, so Madam Qi felt both curiosity and a natural fondness toward her.

Now that the Emperor had bestowed the marriage, she naturally wanted to meet her.

Seeing Ye Yaming’s beautiful appearance, outstanding temperament, and neither haughty nor humble, natural and poised demeanor, Madam Qi nodded to herself in approval.

“My sister and I were very close, and I’ve always regarded Zi Mo as my son. Now, seeing he’s about to get married, I’m truly delighted.”

She looked at Ye Yaming: “Currently, both Zi Mo and his father are at the border. For the wedding arrangements in the Capital, Zi Mo has entrusted the Third Elder Master and Third Elder Madam Lu to help. They don’t know your preferences, so they sent someone to communicate with your family through me.”

She smiled: “This matter should have been discussed with your mother. But I felt that rather than taking a roundabout approach, requiring your mother to ask you, it would be more direct to invite you here and ask you personally.”

In ancient times, marriage was a matter of “parental command and matchmaker’s words,” and discussions about wedding arrangements would naturally be between the female elders of both families. Since Lu Guanyi had no birth mother, his stepmother had been divorced, and the Third Elder Madam Lu was too old to travel to Lin’an, and it wasn’t appropriate to ask Madam Yin to go to the Capital, having Madam Qi step in was quite normal.

Ye Yaming replied: “I don’t have any particular preferences. Aunt and Third Elder Madam Lu can follow the customs.”

According to her thoughts, she naturally hoped for a simple wedding. But noble families cared about appearances, and since this marriage was bestowed by the Emperor, the wedding was bound to be elaborate, so she didn’t mention simplicity.

After a pause, she added: “I’m not sure if Zi Mo has mentioned to you. Since I bear the responsibility of producing black tea for the court, I cannot stay in the Capital for extended periods. I must return to Lin’an to teach tea production. Therefore, after Zi Mo leaves for the border, I may return to Lin’an. Zi Mo has given me the keys to his residence, allowing me to arrange it according to my preferences.”