Li Shiyue held her hands up for a long time, but Xu Yunyang didn't make a single move. No one could find a single flaw in her manners.

But Xu Yunyang smiled gently again and placed the jade hairpin in Li Shiyue's palm: "Cousin is right. I was not thoughtful enough. I should have prepared one for each of my sisters."

"It's a cheap little trinket, keep it for my cousin to play with. Please don't tell Sixth Aunt and the others, I'll have someone deliver it to them later. It's New Year's Eve, we should prepare some small gifts for everyone."

Li Shiyue smiled and accepted it, then handed it to Lian Dong: "Thank you, cousin."

Xu Yunyang couldn't very well stay any longer, so he was escorted out of the courtyard by Qiu Fan without even going through the door.

Once he was out of sight, Li Shiyue's smile vanished almost instantly. She glanced at the jade hairpin in Lian Dong's hand and said in a cool tone, "Throw it away."

Lian Dong remained expressionless, took the hairpin, and left.

Chunling hesitated, "If you really don't like it, Miss, you can just keep it somewhere. But what if Third Master asks about it someday..."

“Let him ask if he wants. It’s just a jade hairpin, and jade ornaments are fragile. My aunt and the Empress have prepared a lot of jewelry for me. I have my own money. Do I owe him a hairpin? If he wants to ask, I’ll make it up to him.”

She found it disgusting to keep his things.

Chunling was unaware of the disgust and hatred in Li Shiyue's heart. She only thought that the shadow left by Meng Zhuo at the Earl's Mansion was too great, and she was even more worried that the gentle Third Young Master's feelings for her young lady were not pure.

Li Shiyue looked up and said, "At this hour, my aunt should be in Shousong Hall."

Chunling nodded, but then heard Li Shiyue say, "Come with me to pay our respects to Grandmother."

·

Inside Shousong Hall, Lady Yang, the Duchess of the State, was discussing the New Year's celebrations with Old Madam Xu.

Li Shiyue took off her cloak and walked in, smiling as she said, "I've come at just the right time. I was just looking for my eldest aunt, and it turns out she's here with my maternal grandmother."

Madam Yang put down the booklet in her hand and beckoned gently, "Come here, we were just talking about you."

Li Shiyue has been spending a lot of time with Xu Lingzi these days, and she's become much more cheerful and talkative than when she first entered the mansion. She took two steps forward, grasped Yang's hand, and pressed her face against Yang's arm: "Aunt, have you missed me?"

Sitting on the warm couch, Madam Xu saw Li Shiyue being so clingy and pointed at her with a smile: "You, you, now that you have your aunt, you've forgotten everyone else."

Li Shiyue stood up quickly with a smile: "Grandmother, you've wronged me. I just changed into new clothes and wanted to thank my aunt properly."

Madam Yang pulled her up, spun her around, and praised, "Yes, that's the color. Of all the brocades Her Majesty sent, I immediately fell in love with this one. It really makes a difference when you wear it."

Li Shiyue spun around and hugged Madam Xu's arm: "Grandmother, look quickly, is what Auntie said true? Do I really look good in this outfit?"

The last syllable rose slightly, and the voice was soft, which softened Old Madam Xu's heart.

No longer caring about what had just happened, Madam Xu held Li Shiyue's hand and nodded in satisfaction, saying to Madam Yang, "You have good taste."

"My maternal grandmother praised my great-aunt, and I have some things I'd like to ask her for help with." Li Shiyue's smile was genuine, because of what she wanted to do, she only trusted Yang Shi in the Xu family.

"What's wrong that you need your aunt's help with? You haven't gotten into any big trouble, have you?" Old Madam Xu said, her brows furrowed, looking very worried.

Li Shiyue hurriedly replied, "No, those are my dowry items."

"Among my mother's dowry, I saw that many items were newly made. They weren't very valuable, but they could still be exchanged for some money. I'm thinking of buying some estates and shops in the capital."

“The things my mother had prepared for me before, including the estates and shops under her name, were far away in Yunzhong County. My cousin arranged for them to be exchanged for cash at market prices and brought back.”

“My aunt sent over the account books a few days ago. I think I should keep some for myself, and try to make the rest of the money work for me.”

"I'm not familiar with the capital. I'm worried that if I'm going to buy a farm or shop, I might end up with an unreliable person because I'm rich and foolish. So I'd like to ask my aunt to help me with some advice."

It was said to be Xu's dowry, but it was sent over later. When Xu got married, Yang had already married into the Duke's mansion. When they checked the dowry chests against the list, they found them all to be full.

However, upon opening the box and comparing it item by item with the list, one would find that more than half of the items were almost brand new, and some even did not match the list at all.

It was obvious that Xu's dowry had already been misappropriated. If it weren't for the official memorial, it's likely that this dowry wouldn't have been taken out of the Yunyang Earl's residence. Clearly, those items were hastily arranged by the Yunyang Earl, simply for show.

If the empty boxes had not been transported all the way from Yunzhong County, the Earl of Yunyang would have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Li Shiyue's smile was sincere, how could Yang not be moved? Even if half of those things weren't considered precious, they would still be enough for an ordinary family to live on for several lifetimes.

Madam Yang glanced at Old Madam Xu and said to Li Shiyue, "Actually, the intention of my master and me is to keep those things for you to play with. As for your dowry, we will prepare it for you according to the standards for a legitimate daughter after you get married."

"However, if you wish, you can come to my residence. I've also found two shops and a estate that I like, both in good locations. I was just discussing this with my mother today. If you agree, I'll have the paperwork done and register it in your name when we get back."

"Don't say it's troublesome, this is also your uncle's idea. You've suffered since you were a child, and we, as elders, haven't been able to do much for you. Now that you're in our family, let's not say such formal things."

"Jiaojiao, don't worry, your aunt will definitely take care of everything perfectly."

Li Shiyue's smile became even more genuine, and Yang's words were heartfelt, which was why she was willing to entrust these matters to Yang.

The vision of a matriarch from a prominent family is naturally incomparable.

“I know my uncle and aunt are good to me. But as a woman, how much money do I need? It just sits in the storeroom gathering dust.”

"Besides, much of Mother's dowry has probably already been misappropriated by Father and is not for Mother's use. It's useless for me to keep it, so I might as well convert it into cash."

"This is my own business. If I were to use the household accounts, it might attract attention."

Yang did not agree, but instead looked at the silent Old Madam Xu.

"She has her own ideas, so let her do it," said Madam Xu, waving her hand dismissively.

After thinking about it for a while, Yang had an idea in mind and figured it out.

Looking at Li Shiyue beside Madam Xu, it's clear that she doesn't want to take the Xu family's money. She's using her own money to buy her own things, incurring a favor but avoiding being seen as living under someone else's roof.