Chapter 168 Sowing Discord

Zhao Jieyu took a deep breath, suppressing her anger:

"Very well! Here is your dowry! Madam Song, immediately fetch the dowry list of the late Marquis Yongjia, and return all items as they were!"

Shen Yiqiu spoke coldly:

"Words are no proof. Qingzhu, Baimei, bring the list, and we'll... tally it up right here. If anything is missing, or even a penny is short, we won't be able to settle this peacefully today!"

"No! No! The dowry cannot be touched."

Song Shenshi was still crying and making a scene.

Zhao Jieyu had reached her limit of impatience and began to exert pressure:

“Madam Song, things have come to this point, there’s no point in saying more. Return the dowry that the late Marquis Yongjia left to Yiqiu in its entirety. This is in accordance with the law, and it is the only way to preserve the dignity of your Song family.”

Madam Song's face turned deathly pale, and she swayed, but was supported by Song Sangyu.

"No...no! That's what my mother left me...it's the foundation of the Song family! Sangyu is about to get married, and the futures of my sons also need to be taken care of. The mansion is now..."

With tears welling in her eyes, Song Sangyu shook Song Shenshi's arm:

“Mother… I was wrong before, but you promised to give me the East Sea coral and the crimson gold headdress as part of my dowry…”

“If we give them all to my sister, wouldn’t I be looked down upon and unable to hold my head high for the rest of my life after marrying into the Fu family? My sister is already the Marquis of Yongjia, why should she compete with us for these mundane things?”

Shen Yiqiu coldly watched as this pack of jackals surrounded Song Shenshi, displaying their ugly behavior in their fight for her maternal grandmother's inheritance.

He spoke up, interrupting their argument:

"Madam Song, and everyone else, I think you've misunderstood something."

She stepped forward and scanned every member of the Song family present.

“This dowry, from beginning to end, belongs to the ‘Chen’ family, not the ‘Song’ family. It was left to my maternal grandmother, the old Marquis of Yongjia, by her bloodline, not to a bunch of parasites who drain the family’s wealth and covet what belongs to others.”

She turned to Madam Song and spoke coldly:

"Madam Song, if your maternal grandmother were alive, and saw you using her inheritance to fill these bottomless pits and to feed this viper who killed your own daughter, do you think she would be glad that she didn't leave her dowry to you back then?"

Madam Song was both angry and anxious:

"Yiqiu! How can you talk like that! They are your brothers and sisters! I am your mother! Your things are just..."

Shen Yiqiu interrupted sharply:

"What's mine is mine! Within fifteen minutes, I want to see all the dowry chests brought here, checked against the list, and counted on the spot!"

"Bai Mei, Qing Zhu, prepare to inspect!"

Finally, Madam Song collapsed to the ground, trembling as she weakly waved her hand at her trusted steward, which could be considered tacit consent.

The steward understood and, with several strong servants, went around to the back of the garden to a huge crabapple tree. After a series of mechanical noises, a dark room with fresh mud marks was revealed.

Watching the servants file in, carrying heavy camphor wood chests out of the cave entrance and neatly arranging them in the garden, almost filling all the open space.

Shen Yiqiu coldly swept her gaze across the entrance to the secret room, her eyes landing on Song Shenshi's face, and she said sarcastically:

"What a huge undertaking. To seize what my grandmother left behind, your Song family has gone to great lengths, even digging up the foundation of the mansion to create such a hidden den of rats and snakes."

"What, do you think that even a storeroom in plain sight isn't worthy of these stolen goods?"

Song Shen's face turned pale and then flushed, and she instinctively offered a guilty explanation:

“Yiqiu! You…you’re talking nonsense! This, this secret room…was dug last winter to store more food and vegetables in case of a snow disaster. It’s just a temporary place to store your maternal grandmother’s dowry for safekeeping.”

Shen Yiqiu scoffed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world:

"Hmm, storing grain?"

She casually tapped a box that had just been carried out with her sword sheath.

The exquisite cloisonné inlay on the box and the strong scent of insect-repelling herbs in the air were completely unrelated to the word "granary".

"Using sandalwood, more valuable than gold, to store rice and wheat? Using the prime real estate beneath the Song Dynasty garden to store radishes and cabbages?"

"Mother, are you saying that I, Shen Yiqiu, only learned how to kill during my seven years on the frontier, but not how to read accounts, or that I'm just brainless?"

"You're not protecting against snow disasters, you're protecting yourself from the day I come back and take everything that belongs to me! Unfortunately, no matter how deep you dig this rat hole, it can't hide your greedy and shameless faces!"

Song Shenshi: "You...!"

Song Sangyu and her brothers, who were standing to the side, saw that the dark room had been exposed, and their last bit of hope was shattered. Their faces turned extremely ugly.

Shen Yiqiu ignored Song Shenshi's weak and feeble explanations and said to Bai Mei and Qing Zhu in a deep voice:

"Open the boxes immediately and check everything according to the list! Not a single item can be missing!"

"Yes, Miss!"

While Bai Mei loudly sang "Yes," Qing Zhu checked the order form.

"A rosewood dressing table inlaid with mother-of-pearl, in perfect condition."

“One bushel of pearls from the East, the quantity and quality are in accordance with the requirements.”

...

"Miss, the inventory is complete. Please take a look."

Shen Yiqiu casually took a land deed, coldly sweeping her gaze over the pale-faced members of the Song family present:

"The silk shop in the west of the city has generated profits of 13,000 taels over three years. The Song family is required to return the principal and interest to the treasury within three days."

"Yiqiu, that money is already..."

Shen Yiqiu ignored her explanation and turned to the next item:

"A set of red gold headdress, but missing a kingfisher feather phoenix hairpin."

She turned to look at Song Sangyu thoughtfully; she had seen Song Sangyu flaunt this item at a banquet before.

Song Sangyu took a half step back guiltily:

“I like that hairpin, and Mother has already promised to give it to me…”

Shen Yiqiu nodded and said softly to Bai Mei:

"Note this down. There is one missing jade phoenix hairpin, which Miss Song Sangyu has kept for herself. If it is not returned within three days, she shall compensate double the market price, or... I will personally go to her boudoir to retrieve it."

Song Sang's voice trembled, but she dared not speak again.

Throughout the entire inventory process, Shen Yiqiu remained calm and composed, and every number she reported felt like a knife twisting in the hearts of the Song family.

The last box of jewelry was checked and sealed.

However, there was no joy on Shen Yiqiu's face.

She slowly turned around, looking at Song Sanchun, who was standing beside her mother's body, sobbing softly, and was about to speak.

Just then, a hint of malice flashed in Song Sangyu's eyes, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines.

She looked at the distraught Song Sanchun, then at the unstoppable Shen Yiqiu, composed herself, and put on a pitying expression.

Moved next to Song Sanchun and squatted down:

"Sister Sanchun, don't cry. If you cry and hurt yourself, Aunt Yun in heaven will be heartbroken."

She pretended to wipe away Song Sanchun's tears with a handkerchief:

“Look at some people, they keep saying they'll stand up for you, but what's the result? She only cares about getting back her gold and jewels, has she ever really thought about avenging your mother’s tragic death? In her heart, those dead things are much more important than your mother’s life…”

As she spoke, taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Song Sangyu quickly pulled a silver hairpin from her hair and secretly slipped it into Song Sanchun's hand, tempting her:

"Take it... Do you hate it? If you hate it, go get revenge! Nobody's on your side right now, you only get one chance!"

Song Sanchun, clutching the hairpin, raised her tear-blurred face, her expression revealing undisguised contempt:

"Song Sangyu, you... idiot!"