The cash flow of the Ye family’s shops in both the capital and Linan exceeded twenty thousand taels, so Ye Chongming only had a general idea of how much money had been given to Song Yifeng. If Ye Yaming hadn’t set this trap and Song Yifeng had come unexpectedly to break off the engagement, Ye Chongming truly wouldn’t have been able to say how much had been spent on him. It was only when the accounting office calculated the amount the day before that Ye Chongming learned the total.
“Not to mention all this, my granddaughter Ming’er, fearing she wouldn’t be worthy of you, this talented scholar from Jiangnan, has studied diligently with female teachers since childhood and read extensively. She pitied your family’s poverty and spent all her monthly allowance buying meat for your family, making summer and winter clothes, showing concern for your mother’s health—which neighbor doesn’t praise her for her filial piety?”
“It seems all of this means nothing in your eyes. Based on just a rumor you’ve heard, you casually tell me ‘break off the engagement,’ thinking you can end this marriage arrangement so easily?”
At this point, Ye Chongming gave a contemptuous laugh, full of mockery: “It’s merely because Young Master Song is now a provincial examination candidate, looking to advance further, and you look down on my merchant status, wanting to associate with some official, to become some official’s son-in-law. That’s all it is.”
Seeing Song Yifeng about to retort, Ye Chongming waved his hand, quickly interrupting him: “Since you look down on us, my Ye family certainly won’t force you to stay. My granddaughter Ming’er is both talented and beautiful; there will be people who treasure her. Someone as ungrateful as Young Master Song is certainly not a good match for her. We agree to break off the engagement. However…”
He took a deep breath: “You’ve spent our Ye family’s money for so many years; shouldn’t you return it? When others break off engagements, they return the betrothal gifts. Your family was poor and couldn’t provide anything back then. My Ye family never asked your Song family for a single coin as a betrothal gift; instead, we supported your mother and you for years, spending countless money on both of you. You should at least return this money to my Ye family, shouldn’t you?”
“I believe that now, as a provincial examination candidate, you’re no longer without means to earn money as before. You have fields and houses, so returning a few thousand taels of silver shouldn’t be difficult. Therefore, please bring a matchmaker tomorrow, along with the expenses from these years, and we’ll sign the document to break off the engagement.”
Now they could certainly let Song Yifeng break off the engagement directly, or ask him to write an IOU. But once such an IOU was written, it would be difficult to collect the money. Ye Chongming naturally couldn’t do that. They had arranged this scene, inviting Lu Guanyi, Master Wu, and the others to dinner, precisely to seek justice from all sides, hadn’t they?
So unless he returned all the money, it wouldn’t be easy for Song Yifeng to obtain the document, breaking off the engagement, and then go pursue connections with powerful officials.
Initially, when he heard Ye Chongming enumerate the favors and expenses, Song Yifeng had a bad feeling, thinking the Ye family would certainly not agree to break off the engagement. Later, when Ye Chongming said they agreed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But in the end, hearing that the Ye family wanted him to return all the expenses from these years, with all items listed, making it impossible for him to get away with anything, he suddenly felt overwhelmed.
According to his expectations, even if he couldn’t just say his piece and leave, directly breaking off the engagement, he would at most face Ye Chongming’s desperate pleas.
All the Ye family could produce would be some worthless copper coins; they could only use this to make their case, leveraging their past kindness to persuade him not to break off the engagement.
If the Ye family pressured him with this, he would agree to return the money. A few thousand taels of silver meant nothing to the Ye family; their true intention certainly wasn’t about the money, so the matter would reach an impasse.
At that point, he would have a matchmaker mediate, urging the Ye family not to strain relations. With the favor of supporting his education, when he passed the palace examination in the future and became a jinshi, if the Ye family encountered any trouble, he would certainly extend a helping hand.
His determination to leave was firm, and the Ye family would have no choice but to let go. With the promise of “future help” hanging there, the Ye family naturally wouldn’t demand the return of those expenses.
Thus, the matter would be perfectly resolved.
As for the private tea matter, he would have to adapt according to the Ye family’s reaction. If it were true, after successfully breaking off the engagement, he might even extort money from the Ye family or join forces with others to swallow most of the Ye family’s assets.
Unexpectedly, Ye Chongming’s reaction was far beyond his expectations. This old man actually readily agreed to break off the engagement but forced him to return the money—this was truly unexpected.
While he was still suspicious, he heard Ye Chongming give another cold laugh and mock: “Could it be that Young Master Song only intends to break off the engagement without returning the expenses from all these years?”
Song Yifeng was still a seventeen-year-old youth who had been studying in the academy and hadn’t experienced much of life, making him impulsive and easily angered.
Being ridiculed so directly, how could he endure it? Impulsive words burst forth: “Fine, tomorrow I’ll bring silver and a matchmaker to sign the document breaking off the engagement. I hope Elder Ye will restrain your family members from crying and making a scene, causing endless entanglements.”
He had figured it out by now: without returning the money, he couldn’t successfully break off the engagement, and if this matter spread, it would be disadvantageous to him.
What did it matter if he returned the Ye family’s money? At worst, he would give up the fields and properties his family had acquired. But as a provincial examination candidate, he had many properties registered in his name. Each year, the stipend alone was a substantial sum, and additionally, he could vouch for those participating in the imperial examinations, review people’s essays—maintaining his current standard of living wouldn’t be difficult.
Once he became the son-in-law of Official Wang, passed the palace examination, and became a jinshi, wealth and honor would be within his grasp. Why would he care about these few thousand taels of silver?
After angrily saying those words, he left with a flourish.
In the adjacent room, since hearing that Song Yifeng wanted to break off the engagement, Lu Guanyi and Master Wu had observed propriety and hadn’t looked toward Ye Yaming. Qi Ji was full of curiosity, and Madam Wu, being a woman, was very concerned about such matters. The two couldn’t help but secretly glance at Ye Yaming several times.
Ye Hongchang and Ye Jiaxing didn’t know about Ye Yaming’s plan to break off the engagement.
Ye Chongming hadn’t told his eldest son in advance, firstly because he worried about his selfish interests causing complications—Ye Chongming didn’t want to see the first and second branches fighting within the family; secondly, he also worried that after Ye Hongchang knew, something might show on his face, allowing Master Wu, Lu Guanyi, and others to notice.
There was even less need to tell Ye Jiaxing.
Therefore, hearing the conversation between Song Yifeng and Ye Chongming, both father and son were greatly shocked, their anger evident, almost wanting to rush over and beat Song Yifeng; at the same time, they worried that Ye Yaming might not take it well, and their gazes toward her were full of concern and reassurance.
Ye Yaming, however, kept her head lowered and eyes downcast, blocking out everyone’s scrutiny, showing no expression on her face, with absolutely no ripples in her heart.
But she worried that outsiders in the room might become suspicious seeing her like this, which didn’t match the original owner’s character, so her hand resting on her leg tightly grasped the jade pendant pressing down her skirt, grasping it so forcefully that blue veins appeared, indicating her inner turmoil.
She felt that since transmigrating, the Oscars owed her a little golden statuette.
Humans love to fill in gaps with their imagination, especially since Ye Yaming’s previous brilliant remarks had established her image as an extraordinary talent. Seeing her like this now, everyone in the room mentally composed essays of tens of thousands of words.
Everyone thought that Ye Yaming must be very heartbroken and extremely humiliated. But with outsiders present, she couldn’t allow herself to lose composure, surely using all her strength to prevent her emotions from showing.
Everyone felt sorry for her in their hearts.