roccoschili Chapter 45 A lot of ambition
Chapter 45 A lot of ambition
"The General's Mansion has everything we need. The food, clothing, and daily necessities are so much better than in Youzhou. How could I not get used to it?" Old Madam Fan replied with satisfaction. Then, staring at Ye Shishu, she looked her over and sighed, "Shu'er, it's good that you broke off the engagement with that Wei family boy. Your aunt never liked the Wei family before. When your mother was engaged to the Wei family, they had just moved to the capital. So many years have passed, and Wei Guangzheng is still only a Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. His boy is already twenty years old and still hasn't achieved any official rank. It would be a real humiliation for you to marry into the Wei family!"
"It's just that when your mother was alive, she was strong-willed and wouldn't listen to advice from others. Your father was busy with the war and trusted your mother a lot, so he entrusted everything to her. That's why your mother blindly arranged a marriage for you."
"Now things are great! You're going to be the Princess Consort of Cheng, and it's an imperial marriage bestowed by the Emperor. This is truly a glorious match for the Ye family! Although I've heard that His Highness Prince Cheng is now incapacitated and hasn't accomplished much, he's still far superior to those from humble families. Your aunt is still very happy for you."
Ye Shishu listened quietly without responding.
Seeing this, Old Madam Fan rolled her old eyes and said with a kind smile, "Shu'er, your father asked me to help you with your wedding. When a woman gets married, her dowry is the most important thing, especially since you are marrying His Highness Prince Cheng. It cannot be taken lightly. My aunt asked Iris to ask you before, but Iris said you hadn't gotten up yet. I thought that your wedding date with His Highness Prince Cheng is approaching, so I should hurry up. That's why I came here in person."
Since the other party had made it so obvious, Ye Shishu no longer wanted to remain silent.
Just as she was about to speak, Chunliu, who was waiting at the door, announced, "Miss, the Second Young Master has arrived."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Shijun entered the flower hall.
Upon seeing Madam Fan seated on the throne, Ye Shijun paused slightly before stepping forward to offer a junior's greeting, saying, "I did not expect to see my aunt here. I apologize for my rudeness."
"Good Shijun, please don't stand on ceremony." Old Madam Fan looked him over and praised him affectionately, "It's been many years since I last saw you, Shijun. Not only have you grown up, but you've also become so handsome and extraordinary. You two brothers are both outstanding individuals. With such sons as you, how can the Ye family not prosper?"
"You flatter me, Auntie," Ye Shijun replied modestly.
"By the way, Shijun, have you made your engagement yet?" Old Madam Fan asked with concern.
"Reporting to Aunt, my elder brother is not married yet, so there is no rush for Shijun's marriage."
"Besides arranging Shu'er's marriage for your father, I also want to discuss the wedding date of Shi Ting and Ying'er with him. After they get married, Ying'er will be your sister-in-law. As the saying goes, the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. I will ask your sister-in-law to find you some daughters from noble families and make your wedding beautiful."
Ye Shishu, who was listening nearby, secretly curled the corner of her mouth.
If it weren't for their parents valuing family ties and being lured by the sweet words of these so-called relatives and friends, given their backgrounds, even if the three siblings couldn't find wives or get married, they would never have chosen these people as in-laws.
Take Fan Yunying for example. She is just the daughter of a county magistrate. Even if she marries his elder brother, she will not be looked up to by the noble ladies and noblewomen in the capital, let alone handle her second brother's marriage. Where does she get the nerve?
In response to Madam Fan's words, Ye Shijun did not reply, but instead asked, "I wonder what instructions Aunt has for Shu'er? If you feel there is anything lacking in the mansion, Aunt can tell Uncle Zhou directly and let him make the necessary arrangements."
Just as Madam Fan was about to speak, Ye Shishu immediately spoke up, saying, "Second Brother, Auntie came to ask about my dowry, saying she wants to take stock of it for me."
Upon hearing this, Ye Shijun frowned. "Little sister, your dowry is kept in a separate private treasury. Father instructed that no one is allowed to inquire about it. Although your aunt was entrusted by Father to handle your wedding arrangements, your dowry is a taboo subject in the Ye family. Your aunt is highly respected and not the kind of person who is unreasonable. She should only mention it briefly."
Then he smiled at Madam Fan and asked, "Grandma, don't you think so?"
Madam Fan's face paled slightly.
Ye Shishu secretly curled the corners of her mouth. Her second brother had given her a heads-up. If her aunt knew that her dowry was a taboo subject in the Ye family and still wanted to ask about it, then it was clear that she had no good intentions.
As expected, after a brief moment of pallor, Old Madam Fan quickly regained her kind smile. "I was just worried that Shu'er's wedding arrangements weren't going well, so I inquired about it." Then she stood up and said to her maid, Iris, "It's getting late, we should go back to Qiushui Courtyard. Don't disturb the siblings' conversation."
"Yes." Iris stepped forward to help her up.
"To my aunt." Ye Shijun said with a smile and a bow.
After watching them walk away, the smile on his handsome face suddenly vanished. "They've only just arrived at our residence and they're already eyeing our dowry. Do they really think we siblings are fools?"
Ye Shishu said in a low voice, "Second brother, there are some things I really don't know how to say. My aunt's family seems to have quite a lot of ambitions."
Ye Shijun snorted, "I can see that!" He turned around and patted Ye Shishu's shoulder, "Don't worry, if they really dare to covet your dowry, not to mention Father and eldest brother, second brother will be the first to disagree!"
Ye Shishu's eyes darted around, and she suddenly smiled and suggested, "Second Brother, why don't we test them out?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Shijun immediately became interested. "How should we test them?"
Ye Shishu then whispered to him.
After hearing her idea, Ye Shijun grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. "That's an excellent idea, let's do it!" Having finalized the plan to test the Fan family, he then remembered his purpose for coming. His smile vanished, and he asked sternly, "Why didn't you call me when you went to the Marquis of Yufeng's residence last night? You've gotten quite bold, haven't you? You even dared to abandon your second brother while doing something like 'theft'!"
"Second Brother, it's not that I didn't want to call you, it's just that the news came so suddenly that I didn't have time to call you." Ye Shishu explained while also telling him about what happened last night.
Ye Shijun arrogantly raised his chin, "So what if my aunt really managed to invite people from Huaxiang Pavilion? You Qingbo should be crippled if he deserves to be crippled!"
Ye Shishu raised her eyebrows and asked in a low voice, "Second brother, what exactly did you do to You Qingbo?"
Ye Shijun curled his lips into a smile that was three parts smug and seven parts wicked. "I obtained a kind of medicine by chance in the Northwest that can turn men into useless trash... Hehe! Moreover, there is no cure for that medicine. Don't even mention Huaxiang Pavilion, even a great immortal can't cure it!"
Since it concerned a man's sexuality, Ye Shishu didn't want to pry into the details, but her second brother was always honest, so she trusted his abilities.
……
Qiushuiyuan.
Seeing her grandmother return in a huff, Fan Yunying asked with concern, "Grandmother, what's wrong? Who made you angry?"
Madam Fan relayed what the brother and sister had said to her.
Fan Yunying frowned and said, "Grandmother, aren't you being too hasty? If Uncle finds out, he will definitely be angry with us."
"Do you think I wanted this?" Old Madam Fan said angrily. "You Yueqin earned so much money when she was alive, and we didn't get a single penny of it. The men of the Ye family are all military officers, and sometimes they are not even in the capital for years. We can't even find an opportunity to ask them to help the descendants of the Fan family!"
"Your elder brother is going to take the imperial examination this year, and we'll definitely need to make arrangements for him, which will cost a lot of money! If I don't start with Ye Shishu's dowry, where else can I begin?"
"Besides, all her dowry should belong to the Ye family. She's already been married off, so why should she take the Ye family's things? You'll be the eldest daughter-in-law of this General's Mansion in the future. If there's no mistress in the General's Mansion, you'll be the mistress. Are you just going to stand by and watch the family fortune that rightfully belongs to you fall into someone else's pocket?"
Fan Yunying fell silent.
It is said that Ye Shishu's dowry was worth as much as 500,000 taels of silver. Such a huge fortune was given to a woman who married out of the family. As the future mistress of the Ye family, she was naturally unwilling to accept it.
If Ye Shishu only takes a small portion with her, the rest will remain in the Ye family and will be managed by her in the future.
She should find a way to keep this vast fortune within the Ye family...
The next day.
Ye Shijun and Ye Shishu went to find Ye Shiting.
Hearing that Fan Yunying was in Ye Shiting's study, the brother and sister asked the guards not to announce their presence, and then quietly approached the study.
In the study, Fan Yunying stood in front of the desk holding a brand-new robe and said gently, "Big cousin, this is a robe I sewed for you by hand at home. Would you like to try it on and see if it fits? If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back and alter it."