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

As soon as Zhou Yu arrived at the Qian family's gate, he was chased away by a servant.

“Lord Hanlin, our master said that you have high standards and that our Qian family is not worthy of you. He told you not to come to our door anymore. Please don’t make things difficult for us. If you don’t leave and our master sees you, we will be punished.”

Zhou Yu took out the silver, but saw contempt in the eyes of the Qian family's servant.

"Sir, you'd better leave quickly. We can't accept your money." The servant raised his hand to beckon, and several people immediately surrounded him. If Zhou Yu didn't leave, they would take action.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Yu had to leave first.

"Pah, who is he?" The servant chased Zhou Yu away and went into the mansion to report to the master, "The person has already left, but we don't know if he will come back."

Madam Qian happened to be in the study. She told the servant to leave first, then smiled slightly and said, "Zhou Yu is eager to climb the social ladder. He'll climb up anyone who offers him a way out, as long as it benefits him."

Qian Shangshu's expression was extremely bad. He saw that Zhou Yu was talented and capable, which was why he was willing to help him. As for his daughter's marriage, his daughter herself was willing, thinking that with the Qian family keeping Zhou Yu in check, Zhou Yu wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

His willingness to give Zhou Yu a chance is already a great favor.

After all, everyone in the capital knows about Zhou Yu's messy affairs.

Minister Qian wasn't angry because his daughter's marriage was ruined. In his view, Zhou Yu should be grateful for the face he had given her. However, Zhou Yu was fickle and even considered breaking the agreement to marry into another family, which made him lose face.

"Hmph, I'd like to see what kind of family Zhou Yu can marry into!" Minister Qian felt a tightness in his chest, unaware that the Xu family's affairs were arranged by Madam Qian.

"Since the master is so angry, why not spread some rumors? We can't let Zhou Yu get away with this, can we?" Madam Qian had been married to Minister Qian for decades and knew his thoughts very well. As his official position rose higher and higher, he became very arrogant.

Minister Qian affirmed, "You should comfort Ruomei. Even if Zhou Yu is gone, there will be other suitable people. We can support her for the rest of her life without any problem."

When she spoke of her daughter, Mrs. Qian's eyes dimmed. Because of Zhou Yu's matter, her daughter had been crying for several days and hadn't eaten much.

With a barely perceptible sigh, Madam Qian went to talk to her daughter.

Zhou Yu went to the Xu family's house, but the gatekeeper stopped him as well. "I'm sorry, Zhou Hanlin, my wife said that she didn't expect you to be greedy and want more than you have. She doesn't want to see you now."

"I...I didn't!" Zhou Yu cried out anxiously.

When the Xu family invited him to their home, Madam Xu praised him several times and hinted that there were several unmarried young ladies in the family, which immediately piqued his interest.

The Xu family is no less prestigious than the Qian family, and Master Xu also wields real power. Moreover, the Xu family's daughters are all healthy and well-adjusted. Since Madam Xu has this intention, Zhou Yu doesn't mind making more connections with her.

After visiting the Xu family many times, Madam Xu became exceptionally kind to him, praising his talent in every word and even inquiring about his marriage.

Zhou Yu felt that the Xu family had taken a liking to him, so he went to see Qian Ruomei again.

He's destined to be a high-ranking official, but Qian Ruomei is a cripple. How can she be the head of the household and a proper wife? Having a wife like that will always be a laughingstock.

As he visited the Xu family more and more frequently, the truth eventually came out, and Minister Qian summoned him to his home. Thinking that making friends with another important person was no big deal, he admitted to visiting the Xu family.

Unexpectedly, Minister Qian directly asked him if he wanted to become the son-in-law of the Xu family. He was stunned and couldn't answer. Minister Qian then got angry and kicked him out.

"Don't deny it. If the Qian family hadn't sent someone to inquire, my wife would still be kept in the dark. Don't think I'm being rude, but you're a man, and you've been educated. You've always wanted to climb the social ladder through women. It's really unpleasant to say. Fine, you probably won't listen to me anyway. In any case, you don't need to come to the Xu family anymore. My wife won't see you."

The doorman's words were extremely harsh, and Zhou Yu's cheeks turned red.

When his secret thoughts were exposed to his face, especially by a servant, Zhou Yu couldn't utter a single word in defense.

He deeply regretted his decision. He had originally planned to contact both sides, hoping that the Xu family could be the first to agree, since he and Qian Ruomei were not engaged; Minister Qian had only verbally expressed his opinion. Even if he couldn't become the Xu family's son-in-law, he would still have Qian Ruomei as a fallback plan.

Who would have thought that all their efforts would be in vain?

His greed led both families to turn him away.

Zhou Yu didn't know how he got back; the Qian family was the best family he could contact now. Since the annulment of the engagement, his reputation had plummeted, and he had gone to great lengths to learn that the second daughter of Minister Qian had difficulty walking.

To show his sincerity, this time, no matter how much his mother objected, he forcibly sent Xu Zhuling and her son away.

In the end, they gained nothing and offended the Qian and Xu families.

Zhou Yu stood in the courtyard, laughing maniacally. His mother came out upon hearing the commotion, "My son, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"

"puff!"

Zhou Yu coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his vision went black.

"Someone come quick! Feng Ran, go and fetch a doctor!" Zhou's mother lifted her son's head, trembling with fear.

Ye Wanning learned that the Zhou family had hired a doctor by evening.

According to Fusheng, "Zhou Hanlin was first turned away by the Qian family, and then mocked by the Xu family's gatekeeper. He didn't get any good treatment from either side, so he must be very angry."

“It’s his retribution,” Ye Wanning sneered. “Zhou Yu was too eager to rise in rank and too greedy. If he had just dealt with Minister Qian honestly, even Madam Qian couldn’t have done anything to him. Now that he has offended Minister Qian, not only has his reputation been ruined, but Minister Qian will definitely not let him off easily in the court.”

Fusheng: "Definitely."

"How is Xu Zhuling doing?" Ye Wanning asked again.

"Her life wasn't easy. Although Madam Zhou gave her money, it was limited. In addition, she had an unmarried daughter with a child. Although they said to outsiders that the child was adopted, some people in the village still gossiped about it."

Ye Wanning took out a silver note and said, "You've worked hard these days. Zhou Yu is sick now, so I'd like to trouble you to make a trip to Zhou Yu's hometown. People in the village love to gossip, so just confirm their suspicions and ruin Zhou Yu's reputation in his hometown, making it impossible for Xu Zhuling and her son to stay there."

If Xu Zhuling can't stay in her hometown, she will find a way to come to the capital.

With Xu Zhuling and her son present, everyone will be reminded of Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling's unpleasant past.

"Don't worry, young lady, I'll get things done as quickly as possible." Fusheng loved running errands for the young lady. She was very generous, and now he had saved up some money. In two years, he could find a wife.

After Fusheng left, Ye Mingyue arrived with a smile.

He proudly took out the account book and banknotes, "Sister, count them."

"Six hundred and fifty taels of silver?" Ye Wanning knew her second brother had a knack for business, and only when she saw the silver notes with her own eyes did she feel the reality. "Is that what you earned in the past month?"

"Yeah, there was more than that originally. I thought this winter would be cold, so I stocked up on a batch of cotton and paid a deposit. Otherwise, I would have made even more." Ye Mingyue grinned. "Isn't your second brother amazing?"

"Impressive! If I didn't have faith in you, I wouldn't have entrusted the shop to you." While looking at the accounts, Ye Wanning heard her second brother say that he wanted to take over the shop next to the clothing store, and Yilou agreed, "Since it's entrusted to you, you can make the arrangements."

She took out 130 taels of silver, saying, "This is the profit share we agreed on before, it's for you."

Holding the silver note, Ye Mingyue's ears suddenly turned red. "Sister, could you give me some more money?"

"what are you up to?"

"I want to have a set of jewelry made, the kind with gemstones." Ye Mingyue finished speaking and pursed his lips tightly. He knew that once the jewelry was made, it wouldn't be for him to wear.

Thinking of her second brother's wedding next month, Ye Wanning smiled and pushed the remaining 520 taels over, "Since it's for my second sister-in-law, let's give her the best. Consider it a token of my and my family's goodwill."

Upon hearing the words "Second Sister-in-law," Ye Mingyue's face turned even redder.