Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

Madam Ye was not surprised. "The children are all grown up, and it is indeed time for them to separate the family property. Otherwise, living together for too long will affect even the best relationships. Your eldest brother's hair has turned quite white over the years because of you and your siblings. Even if we separate the family property, we should take care of him more. As for your younger brother's family property, he is not yet an adult, so we should keep his share for now."

“That’s for sure,” Ye Wanning said.

Ye Youcai was only thirteen years old, and he was still several years away from getting married and having children. Old Madam Ye was afraid that she would not live to see that time, so she called her family over the next day to make things clear in advance.

"Wan Ning is getting married soon, and before her wedding, I've called you all here to discuss something." Looking at her grandchildren in the room, Old Madam Ye thought of her deceased eldest son. "Now that Mingde and Mingyue are both married, and Mingyue isn't pursuing an official career, you're all grown up. It's time to divide the family property. Mingcai is still young and needs to study and pass the imperial examinations. He'll continue to live with me in the old house. I'll keep Mingming's share of the family business for now. Mingde needs to take care of us, the young and old. As the eldest son, besides this house, he should also receive a larger share of land."

Ye Mingyue stepped forward and said, "Over the years, my elder brother has worked hard and made great contributions to us. I don't need the money from the public coffers; I just need to take the estate that Father gave to my aunt."

Zhuangzi had already given it to Ye Mingyue, so he didn't want anything in return.

Ye Mingde said no, as the eldest brother, he had no reason to take advantage of his younger brother.

"Big brother, listen to me, will our third brother need money for school in the future?"

Ye Mingde said yes.

“As your older brother, I should naturally do my part. I can’t let you bear the whole burden. Before I was married and had a family, you had to work hard. Now that I have a family, I should share the burden with you.” Ye Mingyue looked at his grandmother again. “Besides, you also need to support Grandmother. My third sister is also practicing at home. They are all my relatives. I should fulfill my responsibilities.”

Ye Mingde: "But..."

“Brother, please don’t be modest with me. Money is just a small matter. The most important thing is that we brothers are on good terms. Besides, you are an official, and your annual salary is fixed. I am a businessman, and money is the least important thing to me.” Ye Mingyue’s attitude was firm. “Grandmother, it’s settled then. I will go and choose a house in the next few days. Just say that the family is preparing it for me.”

Jiang Si chimed in, "Yeah, brother and sister-in-law, you have so many things to worry about at home. You should have more to worry about."

The couple were of one mind; each of them said a few words, and the matter was settled.

The Ye family agreed to separate their property after Ye Wanning got married, to avoid gossip in the capital.

However, the second branch of the family understood the difficulties faced by the first branch, and Ye Mingde and his wife did not want the second branch to suffer losses. After returning to their room, Lin said, "My second brother and his family only want one house. If we agree to it like this, we will not feel at ease in the future. Why don't you prepare some land deeds and send them over together with the deeds for the estate? It's their business if they can make money; we shouldn't take advantage of them like this."

Ye Mingde agreed and told Lin to make the arrangements, "After the family is divided, you should prepare a courtyard for the two children, especially the eldest daughter, who has started school and should have her own house."

Speaking of her daughter, Madam Lin smiled more. "Yes, I lived in my own courtyard when I was five years old. My eldest daughter is seven now, so it's time for her to have her own courtyard too."

The eldest son's wife was discussing their children's affairs, while the second son's wife was choosing a house. They needed to settle on a house first so that they would have a place to live after the family divided, as it would require repairs.

Ye Mingyue and Jiang Si chose a place two streets away from the Ye family home, which was only a fifteen-minute walk away, so it was quite close.

After signing the contract with the real estate agent, Ye Mingyue led his men to begin repairing the house. While others didn't understand why he was making these moves, Ye Xianrong and his wife guessed what was going on.

That day, Ye Xianrong came to the mansion to find Ye Mingyue. He was Ye Mingyue's second uncle, and the servants did not stop him, but brought him in directly.

"It's really nice. This house is almost as big as the old house. You're really capable of owning such a large house." Ye Xianrong walked up to Ye Mingyue with a smile. "But you guys don't treat me like family at all. Why didn't you tell me about such an important matter as dividing the family property?"

Ye Mingyue had no liking for Ye Xianrong and said indifferently, "It's not settled yet, but the family is just arranging things for me first, so that I won't be caught off guard later. If you're bored, Second Uncle, sit down and have some tea. I still need to supervise the construction."

"Don't rush off, I have something to tell you." Ye Xianrong closed the door, then cleared his throat as he looked at Ye Mingyue. "Mingyue, aren't we family?"

They all share the surname Ye, so naturally they're family. But Ye Mingyue knew Ye Xianrong was up to no good when he asked that question.

"Second Uncle, if you have something to say, please speak frankly."

"Then I won't beat around the bush. We both have the surname Ye, so it's truly good for us to prosper together. Your cousin Mingxuan studies hard, but he just lacks opportunities. Now that you've made it big, why not sponsor Mingxuan so I can send him gifts to hire a famous tutor?" Ye Xianrong himself was struggling financially, but he hoped his son would have a bright future, which was why he came to ask the younger generation for money.

Ye Mingyue understood. Thinking of Ye Mingxuan, whom he hadn't met often, he snorted inwardly, but his expression remained indifferent. "Second Uncle is right. The whole family has to be well. Since we're hiring a famous teacher, I happen to know some very learned people who can help with introductions. However, whether it works out or not depends on Mingxuan's own learning."

Not just anyone can be a renowned teacher; they're afraid of accepting unsuitable instructors and ruining their reputation.

Hearing Ye Mingyue say that, Ye Xianrong was naturally willing, "Alright, then I'll go back and talk to Mingxuan. He's so hardworking, he can definitely do it. By the way, your house is really nice, how much does it cost?"

Hearing that Ye Xianrong still wanted money, Ye Mingyue pretended to be ignorant and said he didn't know. "The house was purchased with the help of my eldest brother and sister-in-law. If Second Uncle wants to know how much it cost, he should ask my eldest brother. As the younger brother, I shouldn't ask too many questions. If they give it to me, I'll accept it. Asking too many questions would make it seem like I have a problem with it."

"That's true." Ye Xianrong cursed inwardly. He dared not speak to Ye Mingde, otherwise Ye Mingde would start lecturing him again. It would be so embarrassing for him, an elder, to be lectured by a junior.

He wasn't afraid of not getting anything from Ye Mingyue; he figured he could just visit the old lady later and she'd always give him some money.

After leaving Ye Mingyue's place, Ye Xianrong intended to go find the old lady, but unexpectedly ran into Xie Bohuai on the way. A sudden idea struck him, and he happily greeted him, "Nephew-in-law, over here!"