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

After making money from selling grain, Lin wanted to strike while the iron was hot and continue buying grain, but Ye Wanning stopped her.

Ye Wanning knew that her sister-in-law was not suited for business, so she advised her to take back the paddy fields and shops that had been sold before. With the rent, the family's life would not be as good as when their parents were alive, but they would not be struggling either.

After calming down, Lin did as Ye Wanning said, and in the end, she still had eight hundred taels of silver left, enough to add a meat dish to her daily meals.

Ye Wanning used her private savings to set up two shops, selling cosmetics and clothing.

In her previous life, Ye Wanning lived a very frugal life after marrying Zhou Yu. She always kept track of what was going up in price and what was trending.

Now that she has the opportunity, she needs to make her money work for her. Having money in hand provides security no matter what happens in the future.

For the past month, she had been keeping a close eye on Zhou Yu's situation, and she had to admit, Zhou Yu was indeed very patient. Despite the rampant rumors that he was a kept man and had a mistress, he still greeted them with a smile, and he didn't argue even when others insulted him. Apart from going home and to the Hanlin Academy, Zhou Yu only went to the Right Chancellor's residence.

Without the mansion, Zhou Yu rented a small house. All the former servants were dismissed, leaving only Feng Ran as a gofer. Xu Zhuling did all the washing and cooking.

Fusheng kept a close eye on the Zhou family's situation every day. The day before yesterday, he came to report, "Madam Zhou is determined to have Zhou Hanlin marry Miss Xu, and has even brought up filial piety, but Zhou Hanlin just won't agree. Because of this, Zhou's mother scolds people every day, and the neighbors can't stand it anymore. Miss Xu is very patient; even in this situation, she still works hard without complaint. Also, the loan sharks have already colluded with Madam Zhou. In total, they've borrowed thirty taels of silver, which has ballooned to forty taels with compound interest."

"Wait a little longer, until the amount she borrowed is more than Zhou Yu can repay, then send someone to ask for the money." Ye Wanning had plenty of patience.

At the time, Yunzhi didn't quite understand why Madam Zhou wanted so much money, but Ye Wanning knew the reason, though she didn't want to explain it to Yunzhi.

Zhou Yu had no money, and Xu Zhuling's private savings couldn't be used for household expenses, so Zhou Yu had to ask his mother for money. Although his mother scolded him, she still loved her son, but her private savings were limited, and Zhou Yu also had to entertain guests at the Right Prime Minister's residence, so his expenses weren't much less. Zhou Yu's mother had no choice but to find a way to get money.

Moreover, Zhou's mother had great confidence in Zhou Yu. No matter how poor and destitute he was now, she firmly believed that Zhou Yu would one day rise to a high position in the government.

It was just a small loan at exorbitant interest rates, five or ten taels at a time, and Zhou's mother thought she could definitely pay it back.

Zhou Yu's mother unconditionally supported Zhou Yu's future, but she couldn't see the stakes in Zhou Yu's marriage, which was related to her limited experience.

Ye Wanning was in a good mood, and since the rouge shop was opening, she took Yunzhi to check it out.

She knew what was popular in the capital. The shop had just opened and was offering a free rouge with the purchase of hairpins. As soon as the carriage stopped, she saw that the shop was full of people.

"You're really something, young lady, to come up with such a good idea," Yunzhi praised.

The two, mistress and servant, got off the carriage. Ye Wanning was wearing a veil and intended to go to the second floor discreetly, but she was recognized by Yunzhi.

"Oh, isn't this Yunzhi, the maidservant of the eldest daughter of the Ye family? You two still have the mind to browse the rouge shop?"

The speaker was Wang Lin. She had no conflict with Ye Wanning, but she had a past with Ye Mingyue.

Three months ago, Ye Mingde took Ye Mingyue to meet Wang Lin. Although Ye Mingyue had no interest in Wang Lin, he cooperated obediently because his older brother was there.

The two families were supposed to be on mutual consent; if neither was willing, then so be it. But someone leaked the news that the two had met, and Wang Lin and her mother began to privately spread rumors about Ye Mingyue, trying to pin the blame for the failed marriage on him.

Ye Mingyue himself didn't care, but Ye Mingde was so angry that he couldn't sleep for two nights. Seeing his older brother so anxious that he had dark circles under his eyes, Ye Mingyue didn't want to argue with a woman, so he took Jin Ziguan and a few others and went to ambush the Wang brothers every day.

He said his reputation was just so-so, and since the Wang family made his family unhappy, he would make the Wang family live in constant fear.

After beating the Wang brothers several times, Mr. Wang couldn't take it anymore and personally went to apologize with his wife, and only then did the matter end.

Last month, the news of Ye Wanning and Zhou Yu breaking off their engagement spread like wildfire.

Now that they saw the protagonist had arrived, everyone looked over. Ye Wanning turned to leave, but Wang Lin stopped her.

"Sister Ye, why are you in such a hurry to leave? I haven't finished speaking yet. Actually, I feel sorry for you. Zhou Hanlin is a bit of a womanizer, but not all men have three wives and four concubines. You could have just endured it and married him. Why make such a big fuss? It will ruin your own reputation. Is it really necessary?" Wang Lin's face was full of ridicule. She was engaged, and the other party was a million times better than Ye Mingyue.

Ye Wanning didn't want to argue with Wang Lin, but Wang Lin insisted on provoking her, and she wasn't the magnanimous and good-tempered person she used to be.

Removing her veil, Ye Wanning looked directly at Wang Lin. "We are all women. What's the point of you stopping me and mocking me? Wang Lin, Zhou Yu did something wrong. What does it have to do with my reputation? Why don't you elaborate and tell me what my reputation is like? There are many women here. Everyone knows how important it is for a woman to get married. Would you be willing to marry someone who kept a mistress before marriage?"

Having multiple wives and concubines was common, but taking a concubine always required the consent of the mistress; that was the proper rule.

"Why...why are you being so fierce?" Wang Lin couldn't win the argument with Ye Wanning, and her momentum weakened.

"I wasn't being mean to you. I'm being nicer than I am now," Ye Wanning snorted. "It's your Wang family that's acting so badly, throwing mud at people when things don't go their way. I heard you're engaged to the Zhao family. I wonder if the Zhao family knows you've been asked to marry into my family?"

"I... Ye Wanning, don't talk nonsense!" Wang Lin panicked. When she heard someone asking if it was true or false, she couldn't handle it and ran away with her maid.

Ye Wanning didn't answer anyone's question. She took Yunzhi upstairs. If she remembered correctly, Young Master Zhao was indeed not interested in women, but he was fond of male homosexuality. Not long after he married Wang Lin, the two of them got into a fight over this.

Wang Lin will get her own retribution; Ye Wanning won't even need to lift a finger.

After sitting down, the shopkeeper brought over the account books, which Ye Wanning examined carefully.

Just as she was finishing up, a commotion suddenly broke out on the street. Glancing casually out the window, she saw Xie Bohuai being stopped by a carriage.

Yunzhi recognized the owner of the carriage at a glance. "Miss, it's Princess Zhaoyun's carriage. Why is she stopping Lord Xie?"

Ye Wanning knew the reason. Xie Bohuai had a notorious reputation, but he was extremely handsome; it was no exaggeration to say that Xie Bohuai's appearance could rank first in the capital. Princess Zhaoyun was a lovesick fool, and she began to pester Xie Bohuai relentlessly from the first time she saw him. Today, she stopped him in the street, probably because Princess Zhaoyun had been provoked to such an extent that she acted recklessly.

They were some distance from Princess Zhaoyun's carriage and couldn't hear what the people inside were saying. After Xie Bohuai said a few words and left, Princess Zhaoyun suddenly jumped out of the carriage, angrily opening her arms to block them.

"Xie Bohuai, I told you to get on the carriage, did you hear me?" Zhaoyun's father was favored by the emperor, and she was the only legitimate daughter in the family. She had been spoiled since childhood, and there was nothing she couldn't get.

"Princess, I have official duties to attend to," Xie Bohuai said impatiently.

"I don't care about official business or anything like that. I want you to come with me on this spring outing, so you have to come with me. Let someone else handle the town government affairs. If you can't say anything, I'll talk to my grandfather later and have him transfer you to a less demanding place." Princess Zhaoyun was determined to have Xie Bohuai.

Xie Bohuai's success today is the result of his blood and sweat. If it weren't for the fact that Princess Zhaoyun couldn't be killed, he would have already taken action.

Seeing Princess Zhaoyun raise her eyebrows in a provocative manner, Xie Bohuai tightened the reins and made the horse back a little. He then saw Ye Wanning standing behind the window watching the commotion.

Is she watching a play?

Xie Bohuai's face darkened, and he suddenly cracked the whip, sending his horse galloping toward Princess Zhaoyun. Just before it hit her, the horse's legs lifted into the air, and Xie Bohuai rode over Princess Zhaoyun's head. As he passed under Ye Wanning's window, he looked up and saw her.

Their eyes met, and Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she felt that Xie Bohuai seemed very angry.