Accompanying Fu Mingzhu were several elder relatives of the Fu family, as well as the matchmaker who had arranged the union. Despite their long presence, the Duke of Anguo's residence had neither prepared seats for them nor offered even the simplest refreshment of tea or fruit.
Madam Ye's face was ashen. The round fan in her hand rested on her lap; she lifted it once, but before even a single wave, let it fall back down with indifference. Initially, the elders of the Fu family showed some semblance of guilt. But as time passed, they felt their pride wounded. One of them raised his voice indignantly, "Throughout the court and country of Great Tang, there has never been a rule forbidding an unwed man from taking a concubine."
"Well said!" Madam Ye finally let out a cold laugh. "So, the grand Prime Minister's manor has decided to utterly abandon all propriety and virtue, has it?"
Sensing her rising fury, Fu Mingzhu swiftly stepped out from behind his elders, dropped to his knees, and pleaded, "It is entirely my fault. I beg Aunt to punish me."
He bowed with reverence, his posture humble, his demeanor pitiful.
At that moment, Ye Jiao pushed the door open and announced with a clear voice, "Very well, I shall be the one to do it!"
Her words stunned the Fu elders and the matchmaker alike, while Fu Mingzhu nearly leapt up in alarm. Seeing her daughter enter, Madam Ye spoke sternly, "The Duke of Anguo's residence is no den of brigands. If others are ignorant of propriety, must you be too?"
Though her rebuke seemed aimed at Ye Jiao, it was truly directed at the Prime Minister's household. The wet nurse quickly stepped forward to apologize, pulling Ye Jiao behind a screen.
Madam Ye lifted her teacup, took a delicate sip, and sighed. "My daughter has always had a strong will and cannot endure insult. Since Young Master Fu has already given his heart to another, let us annul the betrothal between our families."
"Madam Ye, please reconsider—" the Fu elders hastened to intercede, scolding Fu Mingzhu as well. "Tell Madam Ye about the Prime Minister's compensation!"
Fu Mingzhu nodded rapidly and said, "I have already informed my father. As long as Jiao marries into our family, she will be granted full authority over the household. Not only will she manage the kitchens and domestic affairs, but all matters concerning estates, shops, and finances shall fall under her command."
In essence, the entire economic reins of the Fu household were to be handed to Ye Jiao.
Behind the screen, Ye Jiao snorted coldly. Madam Ye glanced her way, then turned back with downcast eyes and a faint shake of her head.
"Our lord has been away practicing the Dao for ten years. All affairs of the household have since fallen to me. Managing the accounts and affairs of the inner court is no easy task. And yet, in your eyes, this hard-earned responsibility has become a bargaining chip to trade?"
Fu Mingzhu stood speechless.
Madam Ye pressed further, "And how do you propose to make amends to the daughter of the Assistant Minister of Personnel, whose reputation you have utterly ruined?"
Fu Mingzhu hesitated, knowing there was no escape. At last, he confessed, "I humbly ask Aunt and Jiao to permit me to take Qin Baiwei as a concubine."
The Assistant Minister of Personnel was no man easily appeased. The Prime Minister himself had personally gone to offer apologies before a reluctant forgiveness was secured. The girl's name was sullied; becoming a primary wife was out of the question. Becoming a concubine was the only path left. But to the Duke of Anguo's residence, such a proposal was no apology at all. To insult and disgrace them, then put on a show of remorse, and still expect their daughter to marry him and coexist under the same roof with a rival? Outrageous.
Madam Ye nearly snapped the handle of her fan in two. Barely maintaining her composure, she declared in a trembling voice, "The Duke of Anguo's residence wishes the Prime Minister's manor and the Qin family a harmonious union. Please, Young Master Fu, take your leave. Tomorrow, we shall formally annul the engagement."
She rose and exited the room.
Fu Mingzhu hurried after her, crawling on his knees in desperation—only for the grand doors to be suddenly flung open as a richly dressed young noble stormed in.
"Who dares bully my sister?!"
His voice boomed like thunder—none other than Ye Jiao's elder brother, Ye Changgen.
He charged in and immediately caught sight of Fu Mingzhu trying to flee. There was no escape. With a powerful stride, Ye Changgen seized Fu Mingzhu with one hand and drove his fist into his face with the other. Mid-beating, he snatched a wooden rod from the windowsill and continued the assault, striking blow after blow.
Fu Mingzhu's front teeth were knocked loose. He tried to shout, "This is outrageous!" but with his missing teeth, it came out as a hissing "Heh you thish ree!"
The Fu family scrambled to intervene. Only after Madam Ye barked, "Enough!" did Ye Changgen relent.
He rushed to his mother's side, dropping to his knees in a swift and fluid motion.
"I was wrong, Mother. Please punish me."
Seeing the scolding was imminent, the Fu household no longer dared linger. They took their leave, spirits crushed.
"How did you return from the academy?" Madam Ye asked.
"I heard that bastard Fu Mingzhu was fooling around with another woman. I feared you and Jiao would be upset, so I came back to cheer you up." He pulled a greasepaper-wrapped parcel from his sleeve and opened it, revealing some crushed fruit.
"Oh, blast it!" Ye Changgen smacked his forehead. "I forgot to give these before the fight—now they're all ruined."
"Exactly." Ye Jiao strolled over. "I don't eat broken ones."
Despite her words, she picked one up and popped it in her mouth, muttering, "You went too easy on him. Have you grown weak from all that studying?"
Ye Changgen let her tease him and offered the rest of the fruit.
"Don't be sad. I'll find you someone even better—better than even Sister Rou's husband."
Their elder sister, Ye Rou, was already married.
The family laughed and talked in good spirits. Madam Ye's "punishment" for her son consisted only of a few questions before his knees could go numb.
"Did you eat before coming back?"
That evening, the siblings sat on the swing chatting.
"Still upset?" Ye Changgen asked. "You always bite your lip when you're sad."
Ye Jiao instantly released her lip and leaned her head on the swing's rope.
"When I came home today, Mother must've already known about the Fu family's disgrace. Her expression was awful. It's my fault..."
Though she had tossed Fu Mingzhu onto the Imperial Avenue and felt some relief, the memory of her mother trembling with rage pained her.
Ye Changgen swayed on the swing, silent.
"If only Father were here," Ye Jiao murmured. "I can't even remember what he looks like."
"Don't mention him." Ye Changgen let go of the swing, his tone souring. "When Grandfather asked the late Emperor to release us from the hereditary title, I never complained. No title, so be it—it held no real power. But I hate that damned Daoist!"
Her father had left for Daoist cultivation not long after Ye Jiao's birth. Ten years had passed without a single letter, his whereabouts a mystery.
The household had been upheld by Madam Ye alone. With no connections in court, their standing had gradually withered.
Ye Jiao barely felt the weight of this. But Ye Changgen, being older, often seethed at the chill of being forgotten.
"You know why I had to beat Fu Mingzhu today? Because if I missed this chance, I'd never get another. He's the son of the Prime Minister—even if the Prime Minister stays silent, sycophants will line up to punish me in his stead."
He might seem brash, but Ye Changgen's mind was anything but reckless.
He stood and patted his sister's shoulder.
"I'm heading back to my studies. I'm going to top the imperial exams—for your sake. Once we have a family member in office, no one will dare bully us again."
Ye Jiao tossed him a pouch. Ye Changgen gave it a squeeze—probably two silver ingots.
"Stop treating people to meals on credit."
She squinted at him with a grin.
"Thanks." He grinned back. "My sister is the most thoughtful one."
The next morning at court, the line of censors ready to impeach the Prime Minister stretched endlessly.
"I accuse Chancellor Fu Qian of failing to raise his son, who commits adultery before marriage and violates all decency!"
"I accuse Chancellor Fu Qian of shamelessness, for allowing a wayward son to remain unpunished while he clings to his post!"
"I accuse Chancellor Fu Qian of betraying trust and righteousness..."
The accusations surged like a tide.