“If you don’t want to do it, fine! You’re sick anyway, so why don’t you take good care of yourself and leave the management of the household entirely to Wan’er? I think Wan’er is very capable and will definitely be able to manage this household well…”

"Grandma, I was wrong."

Upon hearing Madam Pei's words, Madam Wen immediately slid to her knees, looking at Madam Pei with tears in her eyes, "Madam, I was wrong, I will never say it again."

She spoke through sobs, feeling both resentful and wronged.

Her appearance only made Old Madam Pei look down on her even more.

She was a woman who lived through dynastic changes. Seeing her family in danger of being raided, she helped them regain their footing. She hated people who were muddle-headed when it came to important matters.

Unfortunately, Wen was that kind of person—muddled on important matters, but shrewd on trivial ones.

Madam Pei stared at Wen Shi, finding her extremely repulsive. The old lady snorted coldly, her gaze falling on Jiang Shuwan's tear-streaked face and her somewhat disheveled hairpins.

She remembered Qingxing saying that Jiang Shuwan rushed over as soon as she heard that Madam Wen was seriously ill.

For a moment, Madam Pei's gaze softened.

"Wan, come here."

"old lady."

Jiang Shuwan walked over with tears in her eyes. Old Madam Pei grasped her hand and praised her with boundless affection, "Good child, your power in the manor is growing day by day. Although Wen Shi is not up to par, she is still your mother-in-law. If you rely on your power to disrespect her, no matter how capable you are, our Marquis's manor will not tolerate you."

Fortunately, you didn't let me down.

As she wiped Jiang Shuwan's face with a handkerchief, Madam Pei sighed.

Clearly, she had accepted Jiang Shuwan from head to toe, inside and out.

"Thank you for your compassion, Grandma. It's fortunate that you came today, otherwise Wanwan would have died unjustly."

Jiang Shuwan also wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. On the surface, she was extremely moved, but in her heart, she rolled her eyes.

She wasn't stupid; the emperor ruled the world with filial piety.

Now, if an official loses his or her parents, he or she has to resign and observe mourning. No matter how much the Wen family targets her, she has to pretend to be filial.

She's not like the Wen family; she would never make a mistake on matters of principle.

Unfortunately, Madam Pei came out too early. If Pei Jing had slapped her, she would have immediately gained control of the household and Madam Pei would have felt even more sorry for her.

Pei Yanzhi can also use this opportunity to ease his guilt.

What a pity, what a pity...

If we miss this opportunity, we may never have another chance.

However, after this battle, she also realized that Wen was, after all, the mistress of the Marquis's mansion. She had managed the household for twenty years, and even if she hadn't made any great contributions, she had still worked hard. She had also given birth to two sons and a daughter, and Pei Jing had even married into the Liu family, a prestigious family.

If she had told Madam Pei about Wen's loan sharking beforehand, the Marquis's mansion might have avoided the Emperor's reprimand, but the harm to Wen would have been less.

To seize control of the household and ensure the Wen family's permanent downfall, the usury scheme must be exposed.

If His Majesty is enraged and the Wen family is implicated and reprimanded by His Majesty, then even a god couldn't save them.

The power to manage the household will inevitably fall into her hands.

Moreover, the Wen family deserves to be taught a lesson for daring to make money through usury, which is morally reprehensible.

And those suffering common people too, they've paid back so much exorbitant interest, it's time they got to enjoy some benefits.

Jiang Shuwan lowered her head, not wanting others to see the smile in her eyes.

In the previous life, when usury collapsed, His Majesty not only reprimanded the high-ranking officials and noblewomen who lent money at exorbitant interest rates, but also wrote off all the usurious loans borrowed by ordinary people, forbidding them from repaying them.

Those loans held in money shops that hadn't yet been lent out were confiscated and distributed as pensions to the fallen soldiers of the northern border region.

I may take over the stewardship, but I can't stop His Majesty from doing good deeds.

Having already made up her mind, Jiang Shuwan put the matter of interest on loans aside and pretended that she knew nothing about it.

On the other side, after scolding Wen Shi, Madam Pei called Pei Jing to her side.

"Grandma." Pei Jing knelt down nimbly at the feet of Old Madam Pei, his head bowed and eyes lowered, showing none of his previous arrogance.

"You still won't apologize to your sister-in-law? Not only do you not appreciate her helping your mother, but you also want to divorce her! All those years of good manners you've learned have gone to waste!"

Hearing Madam Pei's reprimand, Pei Jing felt very wronged and unwilling to accept it.

"Grandma, you want me to apologize to her? I'm Yanzhi's older sister, and I'm also the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Liu..."

"Oh, so you do know your place!" Madam Pei was even angrier when she heard her say that. "Since you are aware of your status, you should behave properly and act appropriately. It's only at home. If you were outside, I don't know how others would laugh at you. Or do you still not realize where you went wrong?"

The old lady glared at her, and Pei Jing lowered her head unwillingly, speaking with a sob, "I'm sorry, old lady, I was wrong. Jiang Shi... I was wrong too... Please forgive my elder sister..."

She kept her head down, trying not to let anyone see the resentment in her eyes.

"Grandma, since my eldest sister knows she was wrong, let's just let this matter go."

"We're all family, we should be close enough, why hurt our feelings over this?"

Since Pei Jing had already admitted his mistake, there was no point in dwelling on the matter any longer. Jiang Shuwan said this as she helped Pei Jing up. Old Madam Pei was indeed very satisfied with her act of kindness towards her family, praising her with great satisfaction, "Good child, you are so sensible."

The old lady patted Jiang Shuwan's hand with satisfaction, and then said to Pei Jing, "Learn more from Shuwan in the future."

What!

I come from a noble family, yet I have to learn from someone from a third-rate family?

Pei Jing almost lost his temper on the spot, but lowered his head again after receiving a warning look from Wen Shi.

A woman's revenge is never too late; she'll get her revenge sooner or later.

"Yes, Grandma, Jing'er will definitely get along well with her younger brother and sister-in-law from now on."

"That's good, that's good."

Madam Pei left happily, while Madam Wen asked Jiang Shuwan to stay and attend to her.

Filial piety is of paramount importance. Since Madam Wen is seriously ill this time, she has to take care of her, both out of courtesy and reason, unless Madam Wen tells her not to come.

"Jiang, I'm thirsty..."

"Jiang Shi, I'm hungry..."

"Madam Jiang, where is my medicine...?"

"Madam Jiang, it's too hot inside, go get a basin of ice..."

For a time, Wen Shi had Jiang Shuwan completely under her control. Day and night, whenever she woke up, she would find all sorts of excuses to torment and boss her around.

Within two days, Jiang Shuwan looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, and her whole appearance lost some color.

“Miss, Madam is going too far. She makes you suffer during the day, and now she makes you take care of her at night. She doesn’t even provide a chaise lounge and makes you sleep on the floor.”

"Moreover, Madam insists that you do everything yourself and doesn't let the servants help. Madam is doing this on purpose."

"And your aunt, she also uses the madam's name to order you around."

Qingxing felt heartbroken and wished she could take her place.