Chapter 6 – You Want to Arrange a Ghost Marriage for Me?

Although Ye Jingchuan hadn’t meant to starve Ye Chutang to death, he had been the one who ordered the guards to keep an eye on her.

Seeing that her words were growing more and more venomous, he quickly interrupted her.

“Chuer, don’t worry. Your father will definitely find out who tried to harm you and get justice for you.”

After that, he changed the subject.

“You’ve suffered these past days. Once we’re back at the Ministry of Revenue, I’ll make it up to you properly.”

Ye Chutang’s eyes lit up. “No need to wait till we’re back. You can start compensating me right now.”

Ye Jingchuan: “……”

“How does Chuer want her father to compensate her?”

“Hand over everything valuable you have on you as interest. Once we’re back at the mansion, give me ten thousand taels of silver.”

If Ye Jingchuan had been drinking water, he’d have spat it out right then.

“Ten thousand taels? My monthly salary is only sixty shi! Even if I didn’t eat or drink for a whole year, I’d only earn eighteen hundred taels!”

(Note: Officials’ salaries are calculated in fine rice; one shi is worth about one tael. In times of disaster, the price goes up.)

This was after converting all the imperial allowances he received into silver.

Of course, he had fertile farmland and several shops, plus access to under-the-table income from the Ministry of Revenue, and he received gifts regularly. Earning ten thousand taels in a year wasn’t difficult for him.

But why should he hand over the money he worked so hard for to Ye Chutang?

Ye Chutang didn’t care whether Ye Jingchuan truly had no money or was just pretending.

If he wanted her to return to the Ministry estate, then he had to show some sincerity.

“Lord Ye, I’ve been away from home for fifteen years. Spread that ten thousand taels over that time—it’s just a few hundred taels per year. Let’s not even talk about your precious son; just take Ye Anling. These years, even if she didn’t spend a hundred thousand taels, she must’ve spent at least fifty thousand, right?”

“You say you miss me and care about me, but in reality, you haven’t given me a single coin. All you know is how to make empty promises. Save those sweet words for Ye Anling. I don’t need them. Let’s part ways here.”

With that, she picked up the bundle on the stone table and stood up to leave.

Ye Jingchuan suddenly remembered how Ye Anling had cried her eyes out after being rejected by a certain noble family. He quickly grabbed Ye Chutang’s arm.

“Chuer, it’s not that your father is unwilling to give you the money, I just really don’t have that much at hand. How about five thousand taels? That’s everything I’ve saved up during my years as an official.”

Ye Chutang shook off his hand with a mocking smile.

“Didn’t expect Lord Ye to be so strapped for cash. Guess I’d better not go back and burden your poverty-stricken household. Goodbye!”

Ye Jingchuan: “……”

“Without a travel permit, where can you even go?”

“With my looks? It wouldn’t be hard to marry into some wealthy rural household nearby. Still better than going back to the Ministry estate to eat bran and swallow bitterness.”

“Shut your mouth! Marrying without your parents’ approval is unfilial. Do you want to be flogged?”

Ye Chutang, seeing Ye Jingchuan pull out legalese, guessed that he wanted to take her back to arrange a marriage alliance.

Since her scummy father had an agenda, she became even more bold and fearless.

“Speaking of marriage, Lord Ye, being a clean and honest official, surely you didn’t touch a single item from my mother’s dowry, right? Otherwise, how could such a grand estate be so broke it only has five thousand taels left?”

Her mother, Tang Wan’ning, was the daughter of the wealthiest man in Jiangnan and was deeply loved by her family.

When she got married, her father had a custom-made, extra-large trunk built to hold the finest dowry items. It took four people just to carry it.

There were a total of eighteen sedan chairs’ worth, filling an entire merchant ship that traveled by water from Jiangnan to the capital.

On the wedding day, the ten-mile-long bridal procession caused quite a stir in the capital.

The reason Ye Jingchuan rose so quickly and became the Minister of Revenue at a young age was twofold:

1. He used his wife’s dowry to pave his political path.
2. He helped the new emperor confiscate the Tang family’s assets in Jiangnan to fill the national treasury.

Now, looking at Ye Chutang’s bright smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Ye Jingchuan replied coolly:

“I had no idea Chuer was so clever. Able to remember things from just one or two years old.”

“You’re giving me too much credit, Lord Ye. It was my grandfather’s men who visited me in the countryside and told me stories about my mother. That’s when I found out that any single item from her dowry was worth a fortune.”

Upon hearing this, a flash of killing intent crossed Ye Jingchuan’s eyes.

If a wife passed away without leaving a son behind, her family had the right to reclaim the dowry.

So, he had never truly ruled out the idea of ending Ye Chutang’s life.

He never expected her to be coveting her mother’s priceless dowry!

Looks like he needed to get his hands on the final inventory list of that dowry and destroy it as soon as possible, for peace of mind.

“Chuer, don’t worry. Your father didn’t touch your mother’s dowry. But before she passed, she did say that all of the Ye children, regardless of status, should share it equally.”

Ye Chutang didn’t believe a word of his nonsense, but she also didn’t bother to argue.

“Fine. I’ll go back with you. I’ll leave after I get my share of the dowry.”

Hearing that, Ye Jingchuan suddenly thought of a way to retrieve the dowry inventory.

“Chuer, the dowry is only given to you upon marriage. When the time comes, your father will make sure you get a generous share and will even add more gifts for your trousseau.”

That promise was too big to swallow in one bite.

Ye Chutang was just about to snark back when Ye Jingchuan added:

“You truly have suffered these years. Your father will figure out a way to get you that ten thousand taels. Just behave in the mansion and learn the proper manners. Your mother will help find you a suitable match.”

“Huh? Didn’t my mother pass away? Are you planning a ghost marriage for me?”

Ye Jingchuan’s temple pulsed with fury.

“Kong Ru is now the head madam. Even if you don’t like her, you should still call her ‘Mother.’”

Ye Chutang’s eyes turned icy. Her upturned lips curled into a mocking smile.

“I don’t even acknowledge you as my father. Why would I recognize a concubine as my mother? If she wants to be my mother so badly, she can go die first.”

“No room for negotiation!”

Ye Jingchuan was shaken by the cold gleam in Ye Chutang’s eyes.

He sighed. “Fine. You can call her ‘Mother’ when you’re ready. But once we return, mind your tongue. Don’t let people laugh at our household.”

“I don’t mess with people unless they mess with me first. If anyone dares to cross me, I won’t hold back. If you don’t want your house in chaos, Lord Ye, you’d better keep your wives, concubines, and children in line.”

With that, she held out her hand. “Now, give me the interest compensation.”

Ye Jingchuan was relieved that he hadn’t brought much silver since he left in a rush.

He handed over a few broken taels from his pouch, along with two fifty-tael silver notes hidden in his inner robe.

Ye Chutang didn’t mind the small amount. She pocketed the coins and notes, slung the bundle over her shoulder, and said:

“Let’s—”

Before she could finish the word “go,” Chen Zhong came rushing into the manor, drenched in sweat.

“Master! Bad news!”

Ye Jingchuan frowned. “What’s the matter? Why are you in such a panic?”

Once he caught his breath, Chen Zhong reported, “Master, the wheat in the granary is gone!”

On his way back from asking around in the village about the young lady, he passed the warehouse.

It had been rainy the past few days, and he’d worried about the grain getting damp, so he went to check on it.

But when he opened the door—the granary was completely empty. Not a single grain of wheat remained.

After hearing this, six words popped into Ye Jingchuan’s head:

The guards stole the goods!

There had been round-the-clock sentries. If the entire granary had been emptied without a sound, it had to be an inside job involving all of them.

How bold! They actually dared to steal from him!

At that moment, Uncle Fu, who had been guarding the warehouse, also arrived.

He was sweating profusely, face deathly pale, and staggered to kneel before Ye Jingchuan.

“This old servant failed to guard the grain. Please punish me, Master.”

Ye Jingchuan glared coldly at him. “Two hundred shi of wheat, and it’s just gone?”

(Note: One shi is about 150 jin; coarse grains sell for about 1 tael of silver.)

Ye Chutang looked at Ye Jingchuan, who was so furious he seemed ready to kill someone, and thought to herself:

Good thing I prepared a backup plan and dug a tunnel. Otherwise, the only decent person left in the Ye family would’ve been implicated too.