The Wang family, while trying to maintain the dignity of scholars on one hand, and wanting to drain their daughters-in-law’s resources on the other, had only one method: verbally espousing principles of benevolence and morality to brainwash their daughters-in-law, while establishing rules to restrict their actions, making them conform to standards and compete for favor in front of their parents-in-law and husbands, each eagerly offering up their dowries to show filial piety to in-laws and please their husbands.

The Wang family’s brainwashing skills were extremely formidable.

In her previous life, not long after Ye Yaqing married, Great Aunt Madam Tao regretted marrying her daughter into such a family. This was because Ye Yaqing not only used her dowry to support her son-in-law but also frequently returned to her maiden home asking for resources—today saying Scholar Wang needed to travel for studies, tomorrow saying he needed to go to the capital for imperial examinations. In short, they always needed money.

And because of Song Yifeng, they had to give this money, and could not give less.

At that time, Madam Tao still had hope, expecting Wang Shiwei to pass the imperial examination, take her daughter to the capital, and escape from such a large family.

But until the original Ye Yaming’s death, Wang Shiwei never passed the imperial examination.

Ye Yaming decided to prevent this marriage.

She secretly asked Ye Yaqing, “That Scholar Wang, have you met him?”

Ye Yaqing was already embarrassed hearing her mother discussing her marriage with Second Aunt. Now hearing Ye Yaming’s question, her face immediately turned red with shame.

She pursed her lips and shook her head.

“Are you satisfied with this marriage arrangement?” Ye Yaming asked again.

Seeing Ye Yaqing lowering her head without speaking, she increasingly felt something was wrong with this marriage and said, “I plan to break off my engagement.”

“What?” Ye Yaqing raised her head, exclaiming in surprise.

Perhaps her voice was a bit loud, as everyone else looked over at them.

Ye Yaqing hurriedly smiled awkwardly at the others, tugging at Ye Yaming’s clothes, gesturing for her to stop talking.

Only when Madam Tao resumed her conversation with Madam Yin, and when Old Madam Ye also inquired about Madam Cai and Ye Yayu’s situation, did she quietly ask, “What’s going on?”

Ye Yaming first beckoned to the maid standing behind Old Madam Ye. When she came over, Ye Yaming said, “Second Sister and I are going to wash our hands.”

At this time, they were sitting in the main hall of the main courtyard, chatting, while the cooks and servants were arranging bowls, chopsticks, and dishes in the side hall, waiting for the appointed time to begin the meal. Their departure wouldn’t delay anything.

Moreover, the maid knew that Ye Yaming was recently in high favor with Old Master Ye and Old Madam Ye, so even if something came up, the old master and madam would not say anything.

“Alright, if Old Madam asks, this servant will inform her,” the maid said with a smile.

Ye Yayin, at thirteen, was still quite childish. Seeing her four-year-old cousin Ye Yaxuan, born to Madam Zhang, looking adorably cute, she couldn’t help but go over to talk and play with her.

Now seeing Ye Yaming and Second Sister getting up to leave, she also wanted to follow, but was stopped by Ye Yaming: “You stay here and play with Sixth Sister. Second Sister and I will be back soon.”

Once the two had left, Ye Yaqing asked with concern, “What did you mean by what you said earlier?”

Ye Yaming briefly explained the situation with Song Yifeng to her.

“What? How could that be? That shouldn’t be Young Master Song’s idea, but his mother’s, right?” The kind-hearted Ye Yaqing still tried to comfort Ye Yaming.

“No, it is his idea,” Ye Yaming said calmly.

“You… don’t like him anymore?”

Ye Yaqing asked this because she knew how much her cousin had liked Song Yifeng.

To be honest, the reason she agreed to the marriage with the Wang family was because she had seen the sweet romantic atmosphere (big misunderstanding) between her cousin and Song Yifeng. Because of this, she inexplicably had a natural fondness for scholars and had no objection to her mother’s constant talk of finding her a provincial examination graduate husband.

If Ye Yaming knew about this misunderstanding between Ye Yaqing and the original Ye Yaming, she would certainly be speechless.

What sweet romantic atmosphere? It was merely the original host’s subconscious self-induced emotional indulgence and sweet fantasies.

Commonly known as delusion!

The original Ye Yaming’s romantic obsession in her previous life had harmed two girls. Of course, the two mothers’ utilitarian hearts also played a role.

Ye Yaming shook her head: “Once I learned how he and his mother viewed our Ye family, and how they viewed me, I no longer had any romantic feelings for him.”

She looked into Ye Yaqing’s eyes: “A person without gratitude is cold-hearted and callous. How can we expect such a person to treat me well in the future? If he doesn’t respect my father and elders, doesn’t treat me as someone worthy of respect, he will only look down on me more in the future, pushing me into the mud. If I marry him, I’ll be trapped in a quagmire for life, unable to extricate myself. What do I need such a marriage for?”

Ye Yaqing nodded thoughtfully: “Indeed.”

“I’ve only told my grandparents and my father about my intention to break off the engagement. I haven’t dared to speak to my mother yet,” Ye Yaming smiled bitterly. “You know how proud she is of this marriage, and it also involves my maternal grandfather’s judgment and face.”

“I’m telling you now because I hope you’ll be clear-eyed about your marriage. It’s best to send trusted servants to secretly inquire about him and his family’s conduct. When you marry him, you’re not just marrying the person, but also living in his family. What his parents and siblings are like determines what kind of life you’ll have in the future. It’s a matter concerning your entire life, so you must be cautious.”

She gazed into Ye Yaqing’s eyes: “Don’t be blinded by titles like ‘scholar’ or ‘provincial examination graduate.’ Song Yifeng is not an exception; scholars looking down on merchants is common. We know our worth, but those scholars don’t. The Wang family’s agreement to this marriage is not because Scholar Wang admires you, but because they want something from our family. And besides money, what does our family have that others would want?”

Seeing Ye Yaqing’s pupils slowly dilate, then fall into deep thought, Ye Yaming stopped talking, giving her time to slowly digest her words.

Ye Yaqing wasn’t stupid; she was just inexperienced in worldly affairs and couldn’t see through these things.

“Second Miss, Third Miss, the meal is ready,” Bai Rui called from a distance.

“Oh, coming,” Ye Yaming answered, then said to Ye Yaqing, “Let’s go eat.”

As she spoke, she gave Ye Yaqing a tug: “Compose yourself, don’t let others notice. You can investigate this matter secretly yourself, or have Great Aunt look into it. For now, don’t let others know. You know how sharp-tongued Fourth Aunt is.”

Ye Yaqing calmed her emotions and nodded: “Alright, I understand.” Then added, “Thank you, Third Sister.”

As long as Ye Yaming and Song Yifeng’s engagement was not broken off, circumstances could change. Her telling her about this now was to prevent her from making the same mistake. Ye Yaqing was grateful for her cousin’s thoughtfulness.

At the Ye family banquet, though the entire family ate in the spacious hall, the middle was separated by screens, with men and women sitting on different sides.

In the past, the women’s side couldn’t fit everyone at one table, requiring two tables, creating a lively atmosphere; while the men’s side was less populated, with one table not even full, feeling cold and quiet, often causing Ye Chongming to feel melancholy.