Chapter 757 She Needs to Support Herself

Li Yao muttered, "Oh dear, I'm already changing, aren't I? You said I've become much more mature since I started managing the restaurant on my own, right? Can't you give me a little more time to grow? I can't become an expert overnight!"

Madam Li nodded in agreement: "That's true. You've become much more eloquent; I can't argue with you anymore."

"However, the demeanor of that second young mistress, and the way she speaks and acts so meticulously, is actually quite out of character for her age. She must have had a very difficult time in her family home, otherwise she wouldn't have developed such a temperament."

"I heard that her stepmother is no kind person, and her elder sister has bullied her a lot, so much so that she has rarely had the chance to leave the mansion in recent years. Alas, it is really bitter for a child without a mother!"

As she spoke, she suddenly realized that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that her daughter was innocent and naive, because it proved that her daughter had been well protected and hadn't suffered any hardship or pain, which allowed her to maintain her pure and innocent appearance.

Moreover, someone as intelligent as Shen Wantang must have seen through her daughter's simple nature at a glance, which is why she was willing to cooperate with her. Otherwise, with so many restaurants in the capital, why would she specifically choose her daughter?

"Oh, Mother, I've suddenly realized something. Do you think the relationship between the second young mistress and the second young master Gu might be just so-so?"

Why do you say that?

"Look, our Zuixianlou Restaurant might be an astronomical price that others can't afford, but for the Duke's mansion, which is richer than a country, buying it is a piece of cake. If Second Young Master Gu really loves his wife, Second Young Madam probably wouldn't need to personally come forward to cooperate with me, right? She could just have Second Young Master Gu buy the restaurant directly, wouldn't she? Then she wouldn't just have 60% of the shares, she would have 100%!"

Madam Li shook her head: "I think the reason why the Second Young Master Gu married that Second Young Mistress must be because he truly likes her. Otherwise, given his family background and appearance, he should have chosen a woman of equal social standing, such as Miss Liu from the Grand Secretary's mansion."

"Moreover, there have always been rumors that the Duchess of the State's chosen future daughter-in-law was also Miss Liu. The sudden change of her must be because the mother couldn't persuade her son otherwise, so she compromised and allowed him to marry someone of unequal social standing."

Li Yao frowned: "Is that so? But I heard that the reason why the Duchess changed her daughter-in-law was because she fainted at Fazhen Temple, and the Second Young Mistress saved her life. Out of gratitude, she asked the Second Young Master to marry Miss Shen."

Madam Li smiled calmly: "You are still too young and don't understand the intricacies of this matter. There are many ways to repay a life-saving grace. You can give her gold and silver jewelry, or you can introduce her to a good marriage. There is no need to repay her by sacrificing your own son's future."

"So, does Young Master Gu truly love his wife?"

"It must be true."

"Then why would she want to cooperate with me? Why go to all that trouble to acquire a struggling restaurant?"

"Isn't that simple? She likes making money just like you. After all, who would complain about having too much money?"

Madam Li analyzed logically: "Moreover, unlike you, she doesn't have her maternal family to back her up. If she wants to gain a foothold in a high-ranking family like the Duke's Mansion, she needs to support herself."

"If she really asks Young Master Gu for money, she'll be at a disadvantage and will inevitably be inferior to him in the future. It's better to earn money through her own abilities."

"Besides, I think she's really capable. Didn't she easily win over us, mother and daughter, on her own? That's no small feat. Your mother isn't stupid. I won't just listen to what others say and give away my dowry, essentially handing over 60% of my shares to someone else."

"Also, I recently heard a rumor that the Jinxiuge, which has been doing incredibly well lately, belongs to her."

Li Yao was startled: "What?! Jinxiu Pavilion belongs to that second young mistress?"

"Yes, I've inquired. The official owner of Jinxiu Pavilion is surnamed Jiang and named Jiang Yan. But this Jiang Yan is actually the cousin of the second young mistress. I heard that Jiang Yan listens to his cousin completely and never makes decisions on his own in business matters. He has to report to his cousin before he will take any action."

"So, the reason why Jinxiu Pavilion suddenly became the most popular fabric shop in the capital is all thanks to that second young mistress?"

"That should be true."

Li Yao's eyes hardened: "Since she's so capable and good at business, I won't make a mistake by cooperating with her! It seems that her asking for a 60% stake isn't too much. Don't worry, Mother, once I've made some money, I'll buy you some nice things to keep you safe!"

Madam Li was very pleased. Her daughter had grown up and knew how to care for and respect her. She smiled and said, "You don't need to prepare anything for me. Just prepare it for yourself. Right now, let's take stock of my dowry. Sell what can be sold, and for things that are hard to sell, such as fields and houses, we can directly give them to the clan. We need to gather enough before your father returns."

——

After leaving the Li family, Shen Wantang took a carriage to watch the excitement.

She first went to see Fang Xuning outside the Dali Temple. She saw him holding the petition but not going in. He was loudly pleading Chen Xiaowu's case outside the gate. He was quite skilled at pleading, and his story was so dramatic and moving that it attracted many people to stop and watch.

The people from the Dali Temple originally wanted to expel him, but he caused such a big disturbance that they had no choice but to accept his complaint and forcibly bring him in.

After watching the excitement here, Shen Wantang went straight to the Ministry of Justice.

When she arrived, Lou Yun'er was already kneeling outside the Ministry of Justice gate, sobbing uncontrollably.

However, she was not as good at stirring people's hearts as Fang Xuning. In addition, people would come to the Ministry of Justice every now and then to cry and plead their innocence, so many people had become accustomed to this scene, and there were few onlookers.

The Ministry of Justice was experienced in handling such cases. As soon as they heard that Lou Yun'er had come to recant her testimony, they immediately dragged her inside and slammed the door shut.

Seeing that Lou Yun'er had been taken inside, Shen Wantang lowered the curtain of the carriage window and instructed Granny Yan, "Go and make arrangements!"

Granny Yan nodded, got off the carriage, went around to the back door, and went to find someone to slip her some silver.

She returned not long after.

"Second Young Madam, everything has been arranged. Miss Lou will be fine, but she first gave false testimony and then recanted her statement. She will probably still suffer some physical pain."

Shen Wantang had anticipated this. She nodded and asked, "Was our identity mentioned?"