Chapter 28 Methods

Shen Family Dyeing Manual...

Xie Xuchuan lowered his eyes and stared at the teacup in his hand in silence for a long time.

Ye Yunyi frowned, not understanding what the other person was hesitating about.

They can even exchange the "Xie Family Farming and Weaving Picture", so why are they reluctant to part with the things belonging to the Shen family?

She said, "My request isn't unreasonable, Young Master Xie..."

"no."

"Why?"

Setting down his teacup, Xie Xuchuan looked at Ye Yunyi with a solemn expression: "I can make decisions about the Xie family's things, but I can't agree to the dyeing manual in Yuanzhu's hands on her behalf."

“That belongs to Yuanzhu. Whether she is willing to return the dyeing manual to the Shen family or to whomever she wants is her decision. I cannot make that decision on my own.”

"..."

Ye Yunyi's disdain was almost visible on her face.

Now you're pretending to be so affectionate, but what were you thinking when you were rolling around with Jiang Wansu?

She couldn't say those words aloud; as she swallowed them back, another thought surfaced in her mind.

With a quick glance, Ye Yunyi said, "Young Master Xie, it's not that I'm being rude. It's just that what you did was really disgraceful. Our Yuanzhu has treated you well all these years, hasn't she?"

Not knowing what she was thinking, Xie Xuchuan nodded and replied, "Of course."

“You married Yuanzhu, and the other half of the Xie family’s farming and weaving chart was originally going to be given to the Shen family. So today you’re just taking something from the Shen family and making them work for you.”

"If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why beat around the bush?"

"Then I'll just say it directly."

With a flick of her finger, Ye Yunyi looked at her smooth, rounded fingertips and said with regret, "What you've done is nothing short of beastly."

"Although it sounds harsh, Yan Huai and I raised Yuan Zhu and Yuan Qiong together. We are practically like half parents, and no one dares to say a word against us."

"But unfortunately... we are ultimately just brother and sister-in-law, and Yuanzhu and Yanhuai's relationship..."

Ye Yunyi clicked her tongue twice and shook her head: "The Suzhou Chamber of Commerce is full of Yuanzhu's parents' close friends. When her mother passed away, they pressed Yan Huai in front of the mourning hall and promised to take care of Yuanzhu and protect her for the rest of their lives."

"But look at you now, doing such a filthy thing, how can we still marry Yuanzhu to you in a grand manner?"

“If word gets out that what you did, and people know that Yan Huai and I didn’t react at all, they will say that we have wasted Yuan Zhu.”

Seeing the veins bulging on Xie Xuchuan's forehead, Ye Yunyi sneered inwardly, "Young Master Xie, am I right?"

Ye Yunyi snorted: "You were thinking of favoring your concubine and neglecting your wife before the marriage. My Shen family still married our daughter to you, not because our daughter is lowly, but because this marriage is of great importance and cannot be easily broken."

"But just because you can't break it off doesn't mean you can let it be ruined."

"Of course, now that things have come to this, I don't believe you'll treat Yuanzhu any better in the future. So, as her sister-in-law, I have to ensure the well-being of the Shen family's daughter, don't I?"

What kind of protection do you want?

Ye Yunyi said, "The Xie family has a jewelry shop on Wanbao Street, right?"

Xie Xuchuan frowned, feeling a surge of annoyance.

Ye Yunyi wasn't asking Yuanzhu for any guarantee; she was clearly trying to extort money from her.

What is Wanbao Street?

That was the most prosperous place in the entire Suzhou Prefecture.

Shops on Wanbao Street are incredibly valuable; let alone him, even if his mother came, he wouldn't dare to just give away the Xie family's shops on Wanbao Street.

And is Ye Yunyi really after Yuanzhu?

Xie Xuchuan was disdainful in his heart, but said on the surface, "I know that my actions were inappropriate, but don't worry, sister-in-law, I will make it up to Yuanzhu. My Xie family can add twelve more loads to the betrothal gifts for Yuanzhu."

He will give Yuanzhu what he owes her; it will not go through anyone else and will not fall into anyone else's hands.

"That happened after the wedding. How can I face Yuanzhu after such an ugly scene before the wedding..."

Impatient with wasting time arguing with Ye Yunyi, Xie Xuchuan said, "When I got engaged to Yuanzhu, I did say that I would give the other half of the Xie family's farming and weaving chart to the Shen family, but as you know, the Shen family is not what it used to be."

"As long as I give the Farming and Weaving Chart to Yuanzhu, the Xie family will have fulfilled their promise. Now I promise to give it to you after the marriage, because I don't want to affect the relationship between our two families."

“But if you want to gain something from this matter, it’s not that I don’t agree, but that I don’t have the right to do so.”

Looking at Ye Yunyi, Xie Xuchuan finally lost his patience: "I can promise my sister-in-law that the Xie family's shop in Songjiang will give your maternal clan a 30% discount. There's nothing else to discuss."

After saying that, he stood up and bowed to Ye Yunyi: "I won't bother you any longer, sister-in-law. I'll give you three days. I'll reduce the interest by one point for each day you're late. After three days, I'll assume that you don't agree to today's agreement, and I'll find another way."

"you……"

Ye Yunyi wanted to say something more, but Xie Xuchuan left the Shen family without looking back.

With a loud slap, Ye Yunyi slammed her hand on the tea table.

"Who upset you?"

Turning her head to glance at Xie Xuchuan's back, Shen Yuanqiong walked into the house with a slight sense of loss.

Upon seeing Shen Yuanqiong, Ye Yunyi's expression softened slightly.

"I heard from the servants that Xie Xuchuan has arrived. Didn't he visit this morning?"

"Don't even mention it..."

Ye Yunyi angrily recounted the incident to Shen Yuanqiong, saying, "Who would have thought that Shen Yuanzhu was so eager to get married? People were even willing to take the illegitimate child home and raise him as their legitimate son, yet she still agreed."

"If that old hag were still alive, knowing that the daughter she cherished and protected was such an incompetent fool, I wonder if she could die in peace."

A hint of disdain flashed in Shen Yuanqiong's eyes.

She now wears coral beads from the East China Sea in her hair and is dressed in fine silk. When she sits, she sits upright, and every move she makes imitates the manner of a young lady from an official family in the capital.

Seeing her behavior, Ye Yunyi sighed inwardly: "Should we tell your brother about this?"

"My brother is busy outside, why bother him with such a small matter?"

Holding the handkerchief neatly, Shen Yuanqiong said, "Besides, she herself agreed, so how can you, brother, control her?"

Ye Yunyi nodded: "That's true, but I really didn't expect Xie Xuchuan to do something like this."

Shen Yuanqiong's eyes dimmed for a moment: "It's because Shen Yuanzhu is of lowly fate and lacks good fortune..."

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about this. Since she is of lowly birth and willing to marry into the Xie family, you don't need to feel sorry for her."

"She chose this path herself. Whether it's full of thorns or a broad road, let her go."

After saying that, Shen Yuanqiong helped Ye Yunyi to the courtyard to admire the flowers.

In Shen Yuanzhu's room, Luo Shi, her face full of anger, recounted Xie Xuchuan's conversation with Ye Yunyi.

"Miss, this young master Xie is truly confused."

Shen Yuanzhu rested her chin on her hand, listlessly waving the ice silk fan in her hand.

Her eyes were half-closed with sleep, and she mumbled, "He's already confused. Don't worry about him. I have my own way."