She then sighed and looked at Zhao Mama, "Grandmother must be very curious about how my eldest brother squandered so much money so quickly! Zhao Mama, you should talk to Grandmother about it. I suppose it's just that my eldest brother was unlucky."

Then, Zhao's mother rolled up her sleeves and began to embellish her story, recounting the series of impressive performances Yun Tianbai had staged in the capital.

Madam Yun was stunned.

She originally thought that Su Youran's "bad luck" referred to the caravan encountering a pack of wolves on its journey north and losing everything, but she never expected that... so many accidents could happen even in the capital city.

Moreover, he paid a lot of money in compensation for each accident, and he was generous from the beginning, so that whenever there was compensation later, the other party would ask for an exorbitant amount.

Madam Yun was so angry that she kept scolding him for being foolish.

They've been taken advantage of!

Su Youran also sighed, "I'm afraid my elder brother lacks the harsh realities of society. After this experience, he should have learned his lesson."

Madam Yun said fiercely, "Zhao Mama, please pass on my message to Ya Rong: the monthly allowances for each household must be strictly managed. No one is allowed to take any extra money! Especially Bai Ge'er's room, not a single penny more!"

This means that the Su family is not allowed to be soft-hearted and lend money to Yun Tianbai to pay off his debts.

Su Youran's lips curled up slightly.

...

When Shi Wenxia learned that Yun Tianbai owed a huge amount of debt, he panicked and lost his composure.

She had previously owed 5,000 taels of silver and had nowhere to get the money, and now that she owes 60,000 taels, she is even more helpless.

Should we ask the Zhou family for a loan again? They might be able to come up with five thousand taels, but sixty thousand taels would be difficult.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wu Xinxin used the excuse of having a way to raise money to have him invited into her Lanxiang Courtyard, and said bluntly, "Young Master, why don't I... go back to my parents' home and try?"

Yun Tianbai's eyes lit up with expectation. "Father-in-law... is he willing to provide the money?"

Wu Xinxin snuggled closer to him, "Your Highness, last time Father mentioned asking for a title for me...you should agree! If you agree, he will surely speak on your behalf to the Third Prince. Perhaps, we won't have to repay the fifty thousand taels of silver. As for the remaining ten thousand taels, I'm sure Mother will be willing to lend us."

Yun Tianbai remained silent.

He hadn't made up his mind to ask Wu Xinxin to be made the wife of the heir because he still had a lingering resentment in his heart.

Wu Xinxin rarely had the chance to spend time alone with Yun Tianbai during the day, so she naturally used all her charm to smile brightly at him.

Yun Tianbai was stunned again, and suddenly realized why he had been able to mistake her for Jiang Youran the previous two times. It turned out that Wu Xinxin from this angle did look somewhat like Jiang Youran.

His cold, hard lips made Wu Xinxin feel a little uneasy. She clutched his collar tightly and asked, feeling wronged, "Your Highness, we are already husband and wife. I have no complaints about you not coming to Lanxiang Courtyard. I have no complaints about you not deciding whether to ask for a title for me. But... now that you are in trouble, I just want to help you. Are you unwilling to accept that?"

There was a hint of hesitation and a lingering disgust in Yun Tianbai's eyes.

Wu Xinxin saw the hint of disgust in his eyes, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "Your Highness, did you... did you believe some gossip? Xin'er... Xin'er was truly tricked by Cousin Qingqian into drinking that problematic fruit wine at the Zhou family that day. I was also... tricked into entering that room by her... And that day we... I shamelessly left behind the blood-stained undergarment from that day... I..."

She was already sobbing uncontrollably by the end, but wiping away her tears, she looked up at him again with a hint of stubbornness, "If Your Highness still doesn't believe me..."

What does it mean to have blood on one's clothes? How could Yun Tianbai, who has lived through two lifetimes, not know?

So, the previous rumors were false?

And when he saw that stubborn, resentful expression again, with the same upward gaze, she looked even more like Jiang Youran from his previous life. He could no longer restrain his emotions and pulled her into his arms, leading her into the inner room.

He said in a low, hoarse voice, "This afternoon, I will write a memorial requesting your approval."

Wu Xinxin was overjoyed!

When Shi Wenxia learned that Yun Tianbai had stayed at Lanxiang Courtyard in broad daylight, he was so angry that he wanted to rush over and drag Yun Tianbai back immediately.

She knew that this bitch had definitely brought up the matter of having Marquis Ningyuan make up for the huge debt that Yun Tianbai owed.

It's just a pity that she no longer has her family's support and no way to make money.

No, she had to find a way to earn some money for herself, and also for... her younger brother who was still being secretly raised on the estate.

In another month, my younger brother will turn thirteen, and it will be time for him to go to Dingzhou to take over the Su family business.

With the information she knew about the Su family in her previous life, she was sure she could gradually transfer the Su family's wealth into her own hands!

However, three days later, an imperial decree arrived, saying that Yun Tianbai's request for an official title was approved, and Wu Xinxin was granted the title of Lady of the Heir Apparent!

If you really want to be precise, even a concubine can only be considered a secondary wife. But Wu Xinxin entered the Duke's mansion by imperial decree of the Empress, so even though she was a secondary wife, she was no different from the principal wife.

Furthermore, the Emperor kept Shi Wenxia's request for an official title in the palace, but approved Wu Xinxin's request. The Emperor's attitude was self-evident.

Under the double blow, Shi Wenxia immediately fainted.

Wu Xinxin happily distributed reward money to all the servants in the household, and even Pei'er, who served Shi Wenxia, ​​received a considerable amount.

Shi Wenxia woke up crying. Yun Tianbai had been staying by her bedside, intending to explain things to her after she woke up, but seeing her crying like this, he became impatient. He told Pei'er to take good care of her and then left.

As soon as he left, Shi Wenxia took his anger out on Pei'er, beating and cursing her wildly for a while before stopping.

Pei'er clutched her aching chest from the kick, dragging her aching body back to her room in resentment. Then she remembered that this young master's wife couldn't beat the one in Lanxiang Courtyard, and that she had just received a generous reward from that person. She couldn't help but have her own ideas.

...

Su Youran smiled faintly upon hearing the news.

All of this was actually within her expectations.

She forced Yun Tianbai to realize the importance of money and his wife's family, and coupled with Shi Wenxia's awkward identity as the daughter of a traitor, she was bound to ask for a title for Wu Xinxin.

Hmm, very good. The next step is to invite Zhou Qingqian to come to the manor for a visit.

The next day, she sent an invitation to the Zhou family, explaining that she had just recovered from a serious illness and was not yet able to go out. She had missed her cousin's coming-of-age ceremony last month, so she invited her cousin to come to her house for a visit.

Zhou Qingqian was very happy. Who didn't know that Su Youran was extremely generous? This time, she was invited to visit the Yun residence, which meant that she would definitely make up for her coming-of-age ceremony.

Moreover, she was just worried about not having a chance to see her cousin, the Crown Prince, and at the same time, she heard that Wu Xinxin, that bitch, had actually been made the Crown Prince's wife. She was just about to go and slap that bitch's smug face!