Chapter 66: Director Shen's Good Show

Aunt Lian nervously handed Pei Yuzhen a rusty wood-chopping knife, still trying to persuade her.

"Madam, please don't act impulsively. Let's talk this out. You can't just use a knife..."

"Stop arguing, just consider it a purchase from you, okay?"

Pei Yuzhen threw a silver ingot into the courtyard behind Sister Lian, snatched the wood-chopping knife, rushed to the gate of Young Master Hua's courtyard, and began hacking away with all her might.

She had been pampered since childhood, and even during the years she accompanied her husband on his exile, she was always served by servants. She had never done such heavy work before. After a few strokes, she felt a sharp pain in her hand, and the anger in her heart burned even more fiercely.

"Hua Ming, open the door! I know you're home, open the door now!"

Pei Yuzhen shouted as she slashed wildly at the door latch.

Finally, the old wooden planks could no longer bear the weight and snapped with a crack, slowly revealing a crack in the tightly closed door.

Pei Yuzhen kicked the door open and stormed into the courtyard with a wood-chopping knife in hand, only to be stunned by the empty and chaotic scene before her.

Just a few days ago, there was a stone table here, dense vines climbing the corner of the wall, and some miscellaneous items piled up in the corner.

Now they have all vanished without a trace, leaving only a few muddy, chaotic footprints, dried by the sun and solidified into dirty clumps of mud.

Undeterred, she pushed open door after door, searching room after room.

Empty, empty, all empty.

The room was spotless, without a single trace left.

"how so……"

Pei Yuzhen panicked and rubbed her eyes hard a few times, as if that would wake her from this nightmare.

Aunt Lian leaned against her doorway, listening to the clattering and banging coming from the opposite courtyard, occasionally interspersed with women's screams of venting, and shook her head with a tsk-tsk.

Looking at this lady adorned with gold and silver, and her distinguished family background, how could she have been so bewitched as to believe that a handsome young man in his twenties was truly in love with her?

Pretty boys are really unreliable.

Sister Lian pondered: I still need to find a husband for my eldest daughter who is well-known and reliable. Maybe I should go and meet the nephew of the sister-in-law next door tomorrow?

As she was lost in thought about her daughter's future, she looked up and saw Pei Yuzhen charging towards her menacingly, carrying a wood-chopping knife.

Her eyes were red as she glared at Sister Lian and asked in a hoarse voice, "While I was away, did any other women come looking for him?"

Pei Yuzhen still didn't believe that Young Master Hua had absconded with the money—she preferred to believe that he had been seduced by another woman, which was why he had left without saying goodbye.

Seeing that she was still holding a wood-chopping knife and looked like she was about to kill someone, Sister Lian was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly.

Other women?

Her first thought was of the young woman who had knocked on the door that day to inquire about her "cousin," but she changed her mind before speaking: "...No, I haven't seen her."

That young lady is kind and generous. The embroidered handkerchief I gave her is still cherished by my eldest daughter, who carries it with her every day. Let's not trouble her any further.

Pei Yuzhen stared at her: "Really?"

Aunt Lian nodded repeatedly, "It's true. I wash clothes in the yard every day, and I can hear everything that's happening across the street..."

With a clang, Pei Yuzhen threw the wood-chopping knife to the ground.

She walked out, looking lost and dejected.

Aunt Lian felt sorry for the wood-chopping knife that had fallen and chipped, so she quickly picked it up and put it away. Then she picked up the silver ingot that Pei Yuzhen had thrown to her earlier and chased after her retreating figure, calling out, "Madam, your money—"

Pei Yuzhen ignored him, staggered out of the alley, and used her last bit of strength to climb onto the carriage.

Sister Lian hesitated for a moment, then stuffed the silver ingot into her bosom and muttered, "Sharpening a knife costs money."

...

Pei Yuzhen doesn't remember how she got back to the Marquis's residence.

She seemed to have lost her soul, leaving only a shell, drifting aimlessly, unable to hear the greetings from the maids and servants along the way, and unknowingly walked into the garden.

No, that's impossible. How could Hua Lang suddenly abandon her? She gave him so much money, he said so many sweet words and vows of eternal love to her, and he even said that when his uncle's caravan returned this time, he would accompany her back to the Marquis's mansion to ask his mother for her consent to their marriage...

Pei Yuzhen suddenly raised her head.

Could it be that something happened to the caravan, which is why Hua Lang left without saying goodbye, without even leaving her a letter?

That must be it, something terrible must have happened, and he doesn't want to drag her into it...

Pei Yuzhen stood up and was about to go to the front yard.

She was going to find her brother and ask him to help Hua Lang resolve his troubles!

After taking only a few steps, he suddenly heard a woman angrily cursing behind him.

"That damn swindler is despicable! He actually tried to fool me with fake gold! I thought I'd gotten a great deal!"

...It sounds like Huai Zhou's wife's voice?

Pei Yuzhen subconsciously turned around and took a few steps closer to the direction from which the sound came, wanting to hear more.

She crouched down, using the flowers and trees for cover, and saw Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi talking not far away.

Shen Lingyue held a gleaming gold bracelet in her hand and was complaining to Yan Yi, "That man told me furtively that he found a bag of gold jewelry, but was afraid of being discovered by the owner and didn't dare to sell it at a pawn shop. Seeing that I was dressed in fine clothes, he wanted to sell it to me at a low price..."

Shen Lingyue said, feeling wronged, "I was momentarily blinded by greed, and seeing how exquisitely crafted these jewels were, I gave him fifty taels... But when I burned them afterward, they were all fake! I'm so angry!"

Yan Yi comforted her gently, "These days, scammers are coming up with all sorts of tricks. They just take advantage of your naivety and inexperience, and deliberately make the fake jewelry so exquisite that they lure you in. Sigh, just consider it a lesson learned. Be extra careful in the future."

"Hmm, luckily I didn't bring much silver with me when I went out, and I managed to bargain down to fifty taels... Hmph, consider it my early offering of money to the swindler!"

The two whispered something to each other, but Pei Yuzhen could no longer hear them.

Fake gold, exquisitely crafted, a scam...

She suddenly got up, not caring whether she would be discovered, and stumbled towards her yard.

Shen Lingyue didn't dare to turn around until the rustling footsteps gradually faded away. Then she winked at Yan Yi and asked, "Auntie, you must have heard everything, right?"

Yan Yi nodded, then asked uncertainly, "Did I say the wrong word just now?"

It was my first time "acting," and I was a little nervous.

"You're my Yan Yan, the academic genius! Trust your memory!" Shen Lingyue gave a thumbs up. "Your expressions were vivid, your tone natural, absolutely perfect!"

Yan Yi smiled and said, "Yes, I also want to thank our great director and leading lady, Shen, for his guidance."

"Ding ding ding—" Shen Lingyue suddenly stood up, clenched her fist as if it were a microphone, and announced with great emotion, "Now I announce that the winner of this year's Magnolia Award for Best Actress is... Shen Lingyue!"

She turned around again, covering her mouth in surprise, looking left and right. "What? Is it me? Is it really me? Oh my god, I'm so excited..."

Then, after jogging a few steps, he grasped Yan Yi's hands and choked up, saying, "Thank you to the judges for their recognition. I was able to receive this award thanks to the support of my very, very best friend, Ms. Yan Yi. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today..."

Yan Yi was completely stunned by her smooth little combo.

...Tell me honestly, Little Moon, have you rehearsed this countless times in private?

She suppressed a laugh as she accompanied Chen Lingyue through the entire award ceremony, then said helplessly, "Alright, let's hurry and wait for the news near Aunt's courtyard. Don't forget there's another scene to film—"

...

Pei Yuzhen returned to her courtyard, had a maid bring her a brazier that was burning brightly, and then closed the door tightly.

She trembled as she took out a jewelry box filled with gold jewelry that "Hua Ming" had given her.

Under the sunlight, these gold pieces gleamed brilliantly, exquisitely crafted, and each one was exceptionally beautiful.

It doesn't look fake at all.

The flames grew stronger and stronger. Pei Yuzhen bit her lip and first threw in a gold ring.

The ring was engulfed by the flames, but instead of immediately melting into a pool of molten gold, it turned black and murky, twisting into a ball, yet still barely maintaining the shape of a ring.

Pei Yuzhen didn't believe in superstitions and threw in another pair of gold earrings.

Black.

Gold bracelet.

Black.

Finally, she turned her gaze to the largest and most exquisite piece in the jewelry box, which was also the last gift she received: a dazzling golden phoenix crown.

Pei Yuzhen held it up with both hands, and the golden tassels hanging down on both sides of the phoenix crown swayed gently.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she suddenly let go, letting the phoenix crown fall into the brazier. The flames licked at the golden phoenix, which was about to take flight, and the feathers turned mottled and black, as if silently mocking her foolishness.

It's all fake, fake, completely fake!

A piercing scream erupted from the room, followed by a series of clanging and banging sounds that carried far across the courtyard wall.

Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi, who were eavesdropping by the wall, both sighed.

"My aunt is really furious this time," Shen Lingyue shook her head. "It's probably even more painful than when my uncle was swept away by the flood, right?"

Yan Yi said softly, "I hope she can learn from this experience and be more discerning when choosing a man in the future."

Suddenly, I heard a loud bang.

The two looked up and saw Pei Yuzhen rush out of the courtyard and head straight for Songhe Hall.

Shen Lingyue waved her hand, "Let's go, we'll take a shortcut to catch up."

...

Pei Yuzhen rushed into Songhe Hall with disheveled hair, crying out "Mother!" in a pitiful voice, which startled the old lady so much that she almost fell off her bed.

She quickly grabbed the edge of the bed and beckoned to Pei Yuzhen, "What happened? Huh? Who bullied you? Don't worry, come over and tell me slowly."

Pei Yuzhen lay in the Grand Madam's arms, crying so hard she was about to faint.

"Mother, my money, my estate, it's all gone!"

The old lady finally understood from her sobbing, intermittent narration. Her chest heaved violently, and she pointed at Pei Yuzhen, stammering "you, you, you" for a long time, on the verge of fainting.

Pei Yuzhen belatedly realized that if she angered her mother to the point of illness, and her elder brother was alerted, she would be unable to keep the fact that she had been deceived a secret.

"Mother, Mother, don't panic, quickly, take a deep breath with me..."

Pei Yuzhen patted her back hard to help her catch her breath, her face still wet with pitiful tears. "Mother, my eldest brother has been impatient with me for a long time. You're all I have left in this family. You can't have anything happen to you."

The old lady took a few deep breaths, and as soon as she caught her breath, she pushed Pei Yuzhen away and slapped her hard a few times.

"It's all because I've spoiled you too much. How come you've grown older but not smarter! That was your dowry estate! How dare you sell it secretly!"

Pei Yuzhen sobbed as she explained, "I just wanted to earn more money to support you, and also to save more for Lanyi and Azhi... I was thinking that once his uncle brought back the goods from the north to sell, I could buy back those estates..."

The old lady sneered, "You sold it so quickly and so cheaply, people were eager to get a bargain, why would they give it back to you?"

Seeing Pei Yuzhen's guilty and evasive look, she understood. "You're sure the other party is a businessman from out of town, so you're planning to use your brother's name and the Marquis's mansion to intimidate them and force them to buy and sell, aren't you?"

Pei Yuzhen, having her thoughts exposed, lowered her head even further, tears streaming down her face and falling to the ground, looking rather pitiful.

She tugged at the old lady's sleeve, "Mother, what do we do now? I can't find him, and I can't even get the money back..."

The old lady said expressionlessly, "Then go and report it to the authorities. Let them send someone to arrest that swindler."

"No!" Pei Yuzhen denied without hesitation. "We can't report it to the authorities, we can't let outsiders know, and we absolutely can't alarm my elder brother. What if he gets angry and kicks me out?"

"Now you're scared?" The old lady glared at her. "Then what do you want to do? Make this old man fill the hole for you?"

Pei Yuzhen did have this thought, but seeing the disappointment in the Grand Madam's eyes, she didn't dare to say it.

She didn't say anything, but the old lady could tell, and she was so angry that she pinched her several more times.

"Do you think this is twenty years ago? Twenty years ago I could have bought those estates, but look at how much land prices have risen around the capital now. Even if I emptied my savings for my funeral, I still couldn't buy those estates back."

The old lady grabbed her hand and pressed her repeatedly, "You didn't touch Lan Yi's dowry, did you?"

Pei Yuzhen shook her head repeatedly: "No, no, I'm not stupid. Those are Lan Yi's future support. They're all kept safe and sound, not a single penny is missing."

The old lady breathed a sigh of relief, "At least you still have some conscience as a mother."

Pei Yuzhen was also feeling lingering fear. She was glad that she had been careful not to mention to Hua Ming that she had saved up a dowry for her daughter early on, otherwise she might not have been able to save it.

"It's too late to cry your eyes out now. That swindler has already disappeared without a trace after taking your money. Do you think he's going to wait for you to come looking for him?"

The Dowager said, “I can keep this a secret from your elder brother. But you need to tone down your spoiled princess attitude at home and stop ordering your sister-in-law around. You’ll be relying on her for your food, clothing, and other necessities in the future.”

Pei Yuzhen replied listlessly, still somewhat unwilling to give up: "Then what about my dowry? Is it really impossible to get any of it back?"

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm broke, and you've taken all my money in various ways!"

The old lady was exasperated. "Anyway, you're not completely broke. Be more careful with your spending in the future, or you'll never learn your lesson."

Pei Yuzhen knew she had made a big mistake this time, and even her beloved mother was angry. She dared not make a fuss anymore and obediently agreed.

The thought of having to live under Meng Wanyin's thumb and have to deal with her for the rest of her life filled Pei Yuzhen with sorrow, and she cursed Hua Ming a thousand times in her heart.

It's one thing to deceive her feelings, but to actually swindle her money!

If he's so capable, he should never set foot in the capital again, otherwise she'll definitely find a hundred burly men to gang rape him!

...

No sooner had Pei Yuzhen left than Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi quickly came out from behind the screen. One patted the old lady's back to help her catch her breath, while the other fed her tea to soothe her throat.

"Grandmother, calm down. Don't keep it to yourself. Didn't Father get the land deed and the silver back? We didn't really lose anything, right?"

The old lady felt a little better after enjoying the attentive service of her two granddaughters-in-law.

Although Pei Xian had come over last night to tell her everything, the anger and disappointment she felt when listening to Pei Yuzhen's tearful accusations just now were not entirely an act.

“Your father is right. I spoiled her. Even after she became a widow and returned to her parents’ home, she never suffered any hardship all these years. But this time, she suffered a big fall.”

After calming down, the old lady, for the first time ever, took Shen Lingyue's hand and said, "Yue'er, I want to thank you this time. If you hadn't noticed in time, your aunt's dowry estate would have really gone down the drain."

Shen Lingyue shook her head with a smile, "Please don't say that. We're all family. How could I just stand by and watch my aunt be deceived and suffer losses?"

She winked at the old lady again, "Besides, we've made a scene together at the Marquis of Dongxiang's mansion, so thanking me would be too formal."

"Hey, you two are both good kids. You should always keep doing this, working together to make our Pei family better and better."

The old lady was delighted and led the two to her small storeroom, waving her hand generously, "Take whatever you like."

The old lady had saved up her life savings, and her collection of rare and precious items was comparable to a museum. As Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi walked through the collection, they frequently exclaimed in amazement.

Shen Lingyue held onto a large white jade peach tightly, which had a natural pink hue on it. The jade craftsman had made full use of it, making it look plump, juicy, and lifelike.

Yan Yi also picked out a jade carving ornament. The white jade vase contained plum branches and holly leaves, arranged in a pleasing and elegant manner.

When the old lady saw that the two of them had only taken one item and then left, she was a little dissatisfied. "So few. Pick a few more. I'm not stingy."

Anyway, it will all be passed down to her great-grandson in the future, so she doesn't care if the meat rots in her own pot.

"That's enough, that's enough. We're not here to take advantage of the situation." Shen Lingyue joked to lighten the mood. "Grandmother was just complaining to Aunt about being poor. We should keep a low profile."

Mentioning Pei Yuzhen, the old lady gritted her teeth again, "This troublesome brat is lucky to have been born into a family like ours, otherwise she would have suffered a lot."

...

Pei Yuzhen fell ill and rested in her own courtyard for several days. When she came out again, she looked like a wilted eggplant, and she had lost her former arrogant and domineering spirit.

When the Dowager invited everyone to dine at Songhe Hall, she remained very quiet throughout, and even greeted Meng Wanyin when she left.

Meng Wanyin dared not say much, for fear that she might accidentally give herself away.

That evening, Pei Xian summoned Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi to his study.

Shen Lingyue rubbed her hands excitedly and muttered to herself, "The time to reward those who have contributed is finally here."

It was all worth it for Director Shen to put on such a wonderful show!

Sure enough, Pei Xian handed the two of them a thick stack of silver notes, which looked to be at least several thousand taels.

"This was found on that old Taoist priest and Hua Ming. After deducting the money for buying the estate and the thousand taels that Huai Zhou's wife sent, the rest is what they have saved up over the years by swindling people. You two can take it and divide it among yourselves."

Shen Lingyue's eyes darted around, "Father, are my aunt's things among these too...?"

Pei Xian waved his hand, "Don't worry about her. This money will only cause trouble if it's in her hands. You can take it and spend it. Buy whatever jewelry, headwear, rouge, or face powder you want."

"Thank you, Father!"

Shen Lingyue quickly counted them, then divided them in half and handed them to Yan Yi, saying, "It's the rule in the underworld that you share half when you meet someone."

Yan Yi tried to decline, "I didn't do anything..."

Little Moon was the one who ran around the whole time, and she even personally dealt with that Young Master Hua. She was the number one hero.

Shen Lingyue gently nudged her shoulder. "Why are you making such a big deal out of 'you' and 'me'? If you hadn't found out about the fake gold, I wouldn't have been able to put on an act and remind my aunt."

Besides, Yan Yi's dowry was already less than hers, so having this money in her hands was a guarantee.

Yan Yi couldn't refuse her, so she had no choice but to accept it and thanked Pei Xian again.

Shen Lingyue asked curiously, "Father, both the old Taoist priest and Hua Ming have been arrested by Chief Guard Cen. What do you plan to do with them? Should we hand them over to the authorities?"

Pei Xian shook his head.

"That old Taoist priest can make fake gold and jewelry. He's very skillful. I asked someone to get him into the Imperial Workshop. He can work there until he dies."

As for Hua Ming... he's already been drugged and sold into a brothel.

Pei Xianchong's two daughters-in-law smiled kindly, "Don't ask anymore. In short, he won't have the chance to lie to people again."

Shen Lingyue nodded obediently, and as soon as she stepped out, she said to Yan Yi, "See? You live longer if you make a living with your skills than if you make a living with your looks!"

Even if Pei Xian hadn't said anything, she could have guessed that Young Master Hua's fate wouldn't be any better.

Yan Yi was both amused and exasperated: "That's all the conclusion you've drawn?"

"And also... Father is so generous, Grandmother is so generous, everyone is so kind!"

Shen Lingyue kissed the silver note and made up her mind: she would go out and spend lavishly tomorrow!

The next day, just as she was about to take Yan Yi out for a shopping spree, the doorman came to report that someone had come to deliver New Year's gifts to the eldest young mistress, and two large carts of gifts were parked outside. He asked Yan Yi what to do with them.

"Sending me a New Year's gift?"

Yan Yi took the gift list and the accompanying letter, completely bewildered, and opened them.

Shen Lingyue leaned closer to look. "The signature is Bai Ruixuan from the third branch of the Bai family... Wait, isn't your birth mother's surname Bai?"

She clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Isn't this the New Year's gift sent by your maternal grandparents' family, by your uncle?"

The Bai family.

Yan Yi also remembered that in the original owner's memories, only when she was very young would the Bai family send people to the capital every year to bring her and her mother generous New Year's gifts.

After his mother passed away, Zhou Chuan married Lin Qiyu, and the original owner never received any news from the Bai family again.

When she asked Lin Qiyu, the latter would always look impatient: "How would I know anything about the Bai family? Maybe they know your mother is dead and can't rely on your father for support, so they've stopped contacting you. Businessmen always put profit first; why would they do a thankless, unprofitable business?"

At this moment, Yan Yi held the thick gift list, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Could it be true, as Lin Qiyu said, that the Bai family, knowing that she had married into the Marquis's mansion and was likely to become the wife of the heir in the future, had once again remembered their granddaughter?

The gatekeeper was still waiting for her reply, but Yan Yi didn't know whether she should accept this concern from her maternal grandparents, which was more than ten years overdue.

Shen Lingyue quickly opened the envelope, only to find another envelope inside.

She flipped it over and saw the writing on it, then quickly nudged Yan Yi twice.

"Look, it's a letter from your sister, Zhou Yanling!"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Hehe, does anyone still remember our little sister Yanling who ran away from her arranged marriage? [doge][doge] Welcome to the quiz with prizes! [Let me see][Let me see] I'll give out small red envelopes to those who guess correctly tomorrow! [cheering][cheering]