Chapter 7: Complaints and Counter-complaints7 Complaints and

ou want"Aunt Zhao was taken aback, not understanding why Ye Li would ask such a question. But she quickly grasped the implication, her face flashing with resolve as she gritted her teeth, "I want my c...The Imperial Capital Ode 7. Complaints and Counter-Complaints

7. Complaints and Counter-Complaints

"Hahaha..."

In the carriage, Feng Zhirao laughed uncontrollably; his elegant demeanor was nowhere to be seen. After laughing enough, he looked at Mo Xiuyao beside him and said, "Xiuyao, your new Queen Consort is quite interesting. Ha ha... It's such a pity that I didn't see Mo Jingli's expression just now..." A hint of contemplation appeared in Mo Xiuyao's gentle eyes; this future queen consort was indeed unexpected. Even though he did not know her appearance yet, she had a handsome father who was known for his beauty and one of the Four Beauties of the Capital during the year when she was born. Her looks could only be excellent if they were not exceptional. More surprisingly, her way of handling affairs seemed completely different from what people said about her being incompetent and undeserving.

"However, this Ye Third Miss is indeed generous. She just gave away a Guanyin statue worth over 5,000 taels of silver. Is she not afraid that Mo Jingli won't pay" Mo Jingli was the Emperor's younger brother; if he refused to pay her, there would be nothing that Third Miss Ye could do.

Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly and shook his head. "Mo Jingli is someone who values face very much. He definitely won’t let people say he took something for free without repaying it."

Feng Zhirao raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Then we'll have some good entertainment to look forward to. As far as I know, Mo Jingli also took away a calligraphy work by the previous dynasty's cursive script saint from Caution Virtue Hall last month. That plus this Guanyin statue adds up to more than 10,000 taels of silver. This time... The Emperor treats you well indeed; at least your new Queen Consort is quite wealthy." Mo Jingli was truly despicable. He had broken off his engagement with someone and also taken items from their shop without paying. Given that he came from the royal family, it showed how shameless he was. Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said, "When it comes to wealth, who dares compare themselves to your Feng family" The Feng family was one of the four richest merchants in Great Chu and the only merchant family permanently residing in the capital city among them. Compared with the other three families, they naturally had more advantages and power.

Feng Zhirao waved his fan helplessly and said, "That's my grandfather’s money; it has nothing to do with me. Who doesn’t know that I am a good-for-nothing wastrel

Upon her return to the estate, Ye Li was summoned by an old lady’s maid. She stepped into the Rongle Hall and found that despite it not being a time for kowtowing, the entire family had gathered. Even the busy Governor Ye was present, sitting with a gloomy expression beneath the old lady's seat and glaring at Ye Li as she entered the hall. Ye Ying was sobbing while clinging to Lady Wang’s arms, her tearful eyes red and swollen, making her appear frail and pitiful.

“Granddaughter Li greets my grandmother and father respectfully. I also greet Madam and all the concubines…”

“Wicked daughter! Don’t you kneel down!” Before Ye Li could finish speaking, Governor Ye smashed his tea cup on the ground beside her feet, roaring loudly.

Ye Li paused for a moment before calmly stepping to the side and said, "I do not know what I did wrong. Father’s guidance is requested."

Seeing that she had no intention of admitting her mistake, Governor Ye was about to explode with anger when the old lady coughed gently from her seat beside him, interrupting his rage: “Ye Li, today in the Shende Hall you were disrespectful towards Prince Li. If this spreads, others will think our Ye family is incapable of raising its daughters properly. After your younger sister gets married and returns to us for a visit, go apologize to Prince Li then. For now, stay within your own courtyard.” Ye Li glanced at Lady Wang, who was holding Ye Ying with a slight smile on her lips, then raised her head and looked bewilderedly at the old lady: “Granddaughter Li asks for my grandmother’s forgiveness. If Grandmother says that granddaughter has done wrong, then it must be so. However, granddaughter is foolish and still does not know what I did incorrectly. I hope Grandmother can enlighten me.”

The old lady was stunned, staring blankly at Ye Li who appeared confused.

Lady Wang helped Ye Ying sit down properly then stood up to walk over to Ye Li with a kind smile: “Ye Li, Prince Li is the Emperor’s younger brother. If you’ve offended him today and he holds it against us, no one in our family can bear the consequences. Apologize respectfully to my grandmother and father, and we won’t be angry at you.”

Ye Li blinked and pursed her red lips as she thought for a moment, the puzzled expression on her face deepening. "Making His Royal Highness angry But I didn’t say much to him. It was just that he wanted to buy the Jade Guanyin but did not have enough silver coins with him. I had someone retrieve it for him and give it to him, without deliberately holding back. Why would His Royal Highness be upset Could it be... could there be something wrong with the Jade Guanyin"

The others were at a loss for words. The concubine Lady Zhao burst out laughing and covered her mouth as she whispered, "Miss Three, what Madam means is… how can you accept His Royal Highness’s money" If Prince Li went to buy things without bringing any silver coins, who would believe that It was clearly because he had no intention of paying but Ye Li managed to get him to promise payment with her words. Even the items he took before needed to be paid for later; how could he not be angry

"What nonsense is this, Lady Zhao Does His Royal Highness care about such a small amount of money Moreover... Shende Hall does business openly. No matter who it is—be it His Royal Highness or the Emperor—there’s no reason to not pay, right" Ye Li said in surprise.

Lady Zhao didn’t get angry either and giggled instead: "Miss Three is correct. Even when buying things from the palace, payment needs to be made. If everyone avoids paying… who would still do business then"

"Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about!" Ye Shangshu glared at his beloved concubine who had just entered and was in favor with him. Lady Zhao blinked her flirtatious eyes and tactfully didn’t say anything more.

Ye Li looked enlightened as she turned to Wang Shi, "Could it be that His Royal Highness is truly upset about this Could it be… all the merchants in the capital never accept Prince Li’s silver coins If so, then I really did make a mistake. Grandmother and Father need not worry. Later on, I will send someone to return the money along with an additional three thousand taels as compensation." Wang Shi hurriedly pulled her back, finding it hard to explain her predicament. If Ye Li were truly to do that, Prince Li’s reputation of never paying for anything when buying things in the capital would surely spread far and wide. Concerned and aggrieved, Ye Li said to the old lady without regard for Wang Shi’s face: "If that is the case, it might be better if Shende Hall and these shops close early."

Ye Shangshu said coldly, “Shende Hall was your dowry. Why would you want to close it It wouldn’t look good when you marry into Dingguo王府.

Ye Li frowned and said, "However… the profits of the Shende Hall in a month do not even reach one thousand taels. The Prince each time picks out items worth over three thousand taels. If he comes once every month..."

Hearing this, both Lady Dowager and Minister Ye were stunned, involuntarily glancing at Mrs. Wang. Shende Hall was a well-known antique shop in the capital city; how could its monthly profit be less than one thousand taels Moreover, even Prince Li, being a prince of high status, occasionally picking items from the store made sense, but frequently doing so seemed unreasonable. Even the emperor did not often take things without payment.

Mrs. Wang was stunned and bit her lips, afraid to speak as her face turned pale. Lady Dowager stared at Mrs. Wang sternly and asked, "What is going on" It was important to know that all of Ye Madam's dowry shops' income had been included in the household expenses. If someone were to obstruct this process, it would be akin to stealing from the Ye family’s coffers. During those years when Ye Madam was seriously ill, Lady Dowager also managed the household for a period and naturally understood that Shende Hall was one of the two most profitable shops given as dowry by Ye Madam, with monthly profits exceeding three thousand taels.

Mrs. Wang gritted her teeth and softly replied, "To Lady Dowager, in these past years... business might not have been good..." How could she dare to say that the money had entered her personal treasury.

Ye Li bowed respectfully to Lady Dowager and said with a sigh, "Madam is busy handling household affairs daily; how would she know about external matters Lady Dowager may be unaware, but our family has been severely cheated by those below us. In these few days, Li carefully reviewed the accounts of each shop. For example, Shende Hall actually makes at least thirty thousand taels in profit annually, yet since three years ago, it has only contributed less than ten thousand taels to the household every year. Almost half was embezzled by the managers below us. Prior to her passing, Mother instructed that these twelve shops could generate at least a quarter of a million taels before Li's marriage. Apart from household expenses, she also served as the legitimate mother to her sisters and brother and naturally should provide for their dowries. Who knew... all this effort was in vain now. In recent years, less than one hundred thousand taels have been given to our family. These are the account books; please review them, Grandmother." Not only did Minister Ye and Lady Dowager's faces change but also those of other ladies and concubines. Suddenly losing a huge amount of money without reason, including funds intended for their daughter’s dowry, led to an uproar in the hall. "Father, Mother, even at her last moments Madam was thinking about us sisters and half-siblings; Father must punish these scoundrels," they cried.

"Absolutely right, truly black-hearted devils who dare embezzle our family’s money." and concubines at home, envy and admire Ye Li. At the same time, everyone knew that it was likely that Princess Consort of Ding Wang (Ding Wang's wife) would bear the reputation of being a jealous wo...