Madam Zhang was wealthy and wanted to maintain good relations with Ye Yaming, so the Fourth Branch gave her two storefronts in Lin’an City, worth four to five thousand taels.

Other relatives also contributed to her dowry.

Yin De’an personally came with his eldest son and daughter-in-law. He handed Ye Yaming a precious set of the four treasures of the study and said, “Now that you’re marrying into such a family, your maternal grandfather can finally rest easy.”

When he had first learned about Song Yifeng’s true character, his heart was filled with regret, blaming himself for misjudging the man and causing his granddaughter to suffer.

Afterward, though he said nothing, he had constantly worried about Ye Yaming’s marriage prospects. Later, when Ye Yaming became engaged to Lu Guanyi, Madam Yin’s vague explanations only increased his concerns rather than alleviating them. He feared the Ye family might sacrifice his granddaughter’s marriage for wealth and honor. His daughter’s firm assurances that this wouldn’t happen prevented him from confronting Ye Chongming about it.

Now, knowing that Ye Yaming was marrying a young fourth-rank general, the heir to a marquis estate, who matched her in character and appearance and treated her exceptionally well, the old man’s heart could finally be at peace.

“Thank you, Maternal Grandfather.” Ye Yaming accepted the gift and bowed deeply to him.

She hadn’t interacted much with Yin De’an, and they seemingly lacked a deep emotional connection. However, the genuine kindness and affection in the old man’s eyes were unmistakable, and she felt the concern that came from their blood ties.

…

Time passed quickly, and September 16th soon arrived.

Although Ye Yaming had decided to primarily live in Lin’an in the future, the dowry reflected a woman’s dignity and had to be brought along. She had originally planned to buy furniture in the capital to furnish her new home in the Xuanwu Marquis Estate, but after Old Lady Ye and Madam Yin discussed it with Madam Qi, they ultimately decided to have the furniture made at the Ye household and transported to the capital together.

After all, the style of furniture from Jiangnan differed from that of the capital. Buying it in the capital would appear insincere, and the quality of wood would be inferior. The Ye family had already provided so much for the dowry that they didn’t mind spending extra on quality wood and craftsmanship, so they commissioned a complete set of furniture to bring to the capital.

Because of this, the household had been busy for several days, organizing items and loading them onto carriages. In the end, they filled eight carriages.

When Ye Yaming saw that Ye Chongming and Old Lady Ye planned to travel to the capital too, she quickly dissuaded them: “We don’t have any relatives in the capital, and there’s no need to host banquets for guests there, so you’d have nothing to do. The journey is taxing, and what if you fall ill? You two elders should stay home. Just let my parents, Fourth Uncle, and my eldest cousin accompany me. My First Uncle is already in the capital, and these people are enough for the wedding procession.”

After much persuasion, the two elders finally agreed to stay behind.

However, Ye Yayin insisted on going to see her sister get married. Unable to refuse her, Madam Yin and Ye Yaming agreed.

Nowadays, Ye Yayu and Ye Yayin are inseparable. Since Ye Yayin would be going and might not return until after the New Year, Ye Yayu’s improving personality might regress without seeing Ye Yayin for so long.

After careful consideration, Ye Yaming decided to let Ye Yayin bring Ye Yayu along.

“Let your First Aunt go with you as well,” Old Lady Ye said. “Who knows what fashionable clothes and jewelry are popular in the capital? You should buy some. Your mother rarely leaves the house and won’t be much help. It’s better to have your First Aunt accompany you. After the wedding, people will likely invite you to banquets, and you’ll need to wear stylish clothes and accessories.”

Ye Yaming shook her head and replied, “That’s not necessary. Madam Qi will be going to the capital with us. I’ll ask her about what’s fashionable and where to shop, then I can go buy things myself. There’s no need to trouble First Aunt.”

Her main concern was that there were many people in the capital who harbored ill will toward the Ye family and herself, primarily Consort Min, the Third Princess, and the Meng family.

Although the Meng family was no longer imperial merchants and Meng Chengwei would be imprisoned for life, his parents were still alive. They must hate her terribly. If they learned she was coming to the capital, they might do something desperate.

She wasn’t afraid for herself, as she had Yiwu and Chen Xiu, whom Lu Guanyi had assigned to protect her, plus two skilled guards. She could also keep Madam Yin in check, ensuring they went out together.

But she couldn’t control Madam Tao in the capital. If Madam Tao wanted to go shopping or visit Ye Yaxiu, how could she stop her? If something happened then, it would cause trouble.

Hearing this, Old Lady Ye didn’t insist.

However, when Madam Tao heard about this, she came to Ye Yaming and said, “Yaming, for your wedding, your First Aunt should attend. Even your Fourth Aunt was clamoring to go, but she can’t leave because her children are young. Your First Aunt has no such constraints. I can stay in the capital as long as needed.”

The last time Ye Yaxiu had spoken thoughtlessly, Ye Hongchang had returned home and severely reprimanded both mother and daughter, especially threatening Madam Tao.

Madam Tao knew that her past words and actions had likely made Ye Yaming dislike her, and she had been trying to repair their relationship.

Now, with the opportunity to attend the wedding, she was naturally eager to go.

She spoke at length to Ye Yaming, and finally wiped away tears: “Yaming, are you still holding a grudge against your First Aunt? I know my words were unpleasant recently and upset you. But I was struggling to accept the situation. If you were in my position, you probably couldn’t be completely without resentment either. Yaming, can you understand your aunt?”

“First, I don’t hold a grudge against you. Second, if I were in your position, I would know what I wanted,” Ye Yaming replied frankly.

Since Madam Tao wanted to bring up this topic, Ye Yaming wouldn’t be polite and had something to say.

In her previous life, no one dared speak sourly to her face. In this life, she could tolerate Madam Tao doing it once or twice. But if it continued, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t break ties with her.

“On one hand, there’s the head of the Ye family who could be framed at any moment and is gradually declining; on the other hand, there’s the master of an imperial merchant family with tribute tea who can do business with the court. Which would you choose?”

“You want both the benefits and glory I bring to the family and are unwilling to give up the position as family head. Where in the world can you find such a good deal? First Uncle is more clear-headed than you and knows how to choose. First Aunt, you’re simply too greedy, wanting everything.”

Madam Tao’s face turned bright red at Ye Yaming’s words.

“If you can’t figure this out, or if you understand but can’t let go, feeling the need to jab at me when you’re upset and then speak kindly when you’re in a good mood, there’s no need for you to approach me. The fact that I don’t hold a grudge now doesn’t mean I won’t in the future. I don’t have a good temper. So, First Aunt, you’d better think this through carefully.”

She added, “Don’t go to the capital. Grandmother mentioned some matters, but I can handle them myself, so there’s no need to trouble First Aunt.”

Madam Tao felt both embarrassed and annoyed by her words, with a hint of fear in her heart.