Upon hearing the bid of 60,000 taels, the man in the opposite private room pondered for a moment, then let out a low laugh. "A gentleman does not take what others cherish. If the young lady likes it, I will not compete for it."

After saying that, the man in the private room remained silent, as if he had never been there.

Shen Feng was somewhat disappointed. He had thought that someone who could teach Song Zhiyu a lesson had come, but it turned out that he was also useless and fell silent after hearing about the 60,000 taels.

"Thank you, young master." Song Zhiyu readily accepted. Given his casual manner, she could roughly guess who was in the private room.

Young Master Gu acts recklessly; his attendance at the auction was probably just a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Thinking that she still owed Gu Siyuan a favor, Song Zhiyu also wanted to meet this famous young master Gu in the capital again.

Finally, Song Zhiyu won the bid for the golden nanmu Buddha statue for 60,000 taels of silver, and it was personally delivered to her by the people of Zhenbaoge.

Lu Bai carefully stroked the smooth lines of the Buddha statue and couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss, this Buddha statue is really beautiful. Old Madam Ling will definitely like it."

Since Miss cured General Ling's legs, her interactions with the Duke of Ling's mansion have become even more frequent.

Old Madam Ling treated Miss very well, as if she were her own granddaughter, much better than the old lady herself.

Sincerity begets sincerity. Miss Ling also did her best for Madam Ling. Knowing that Madam Ling was not in good health, she personally prepared medicine for her treatment and even specially bought this golden nanmu Buddha statue as a congratulatory gift for Madam Ling.

She had never seen her young mistress be so close to anyone before.

Compared to the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, the young lady has a better relationship with the Duke of Ling's mansion, and they are more like family.

As she spoke, she walked out. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw the door of the private room opposite wide open. Gu Siyuan was casually leaning on the soft couch, gently swirling a wine glass in one hand. "Miss Song, it's been a long time."

"Young Master Gu." Song Zhiyu stood at the door and greeted him politely, keeping a certain distance from Gu Siyuan.

"What, are you afraid I'll eat you up?" Gu Siyuan scoffed, laughing freely, and for some reason, he had the urge to tease Song Zhiyu.

He thought that this pretty little face must look beautiful when it smiles.

Song Zhiyu remained composed, gently stroking the brocade box with his fingers. "Thank you for saving my life at the lakeside banquet, young marquis. If you ever need anything from me in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, thank you for parting with this Buddha statue. I really like it."

Her lips curved slightly, and the way her eyes crinkled into a smile perfectly matched the face in his mind.

In a daze, he seemed to see the little girl who had pulled him out of the darkness.

Their eyes are equally beautiful.

"I don't believe in Buddhism." Gu Siyuan came back to his senses, slightly averted his eyes, and his tone remained as unrestrained and arrogant as ever.

The implication is that he didn't give up the Buddha statue just to give it to Song Zhiyu.

Song Zhiyu didn't care, as long as the outcome was as she wished. "If the young marquis has nothing else, I will take my leave."

Only after the person had gone far away did Gu Siyuan leisurely withdraw his gaze, downing the wine in his glass in one gulp. "A favor, you know? I'll have to think about that carefully."

He never knew that the second young lady of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion was so interesting.

This gave him a few more reasons to live his boring life.

*

The main hall of the Treasure Pavilion.

Shen Feng's face turned green as he watched Song Zhiyu walk down from upstairs and immediately offer 60,000 taels of silver.

"Where did this rebellious daughter get so much money...?"

He paused, then suddenly remembered the boxes of treasures that the Princess and others had given to Song Zhiyu, as well as the silver that Song Zhiyu had extorted from him, and felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

These treasures and silver should rightfully belong to him, to the Marquis of Chengen's mansion!

Seeing that Madam Chen had been staring at the Buddha statue, the maidservant could guess what she was thinking, so she flattered her and said, "Madam, the Second Miss must know that you like this Buddha statue, so she specially took a picture of it to give to you."

"The Madam's birthday is just around the corner, and the Second Miss must be planning to give her a surprise on that day."

"Really?" Mother Shen's heart stirred slightly.

Seeing that Madam Chen was wavering, the maid rolled her eyes and said with great seriousness, "Of course it's true. The Second Miss must have realized her mistake, but she was too ashamed to apologize to you, so she had to use this method to ask for your forgiveness."

She had heard that the second young lady had treated the madam exceptionally well, taking meticulous care of her and doing everything personally, which was why the madam's illness had improved.

His attitude towards his wife has changed drastically now, it's just because he's angry with her.

Furthermore, since the second young lady doesn't worship Buddha, it's obvious who this Buddha statue is meant for.

After Granny Li died, Madam Shen was replaced by a quick-witted maid who won her favor even more than Qiu Yue.

Sure enough, he managed to make Shen's mother happy with just a few words.

“There’s no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight between a mother and daughter. If she can recognize her mistake, I, the madam, will certainly not hold it against her.” Seeing the maid’s certainty, Madam Shen couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful, and her gaze towards Song Zhiyu softened considerably.

She's still her own daughter, connected by blood. So what if she's a little temperamental? She'll just have to teach her a bit more.

Even if all else fails, there's always the book; it can always correct Song Zhiyu's ways.

Thinking of this, Mother Shen couldn't help but step forward and block Song Zhiyu's path, thinking she had made a concession.

"Zhiyu, come back to the manor with us."

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the brocade box in Lu Bai's hand, and her smile deepened.

Song Zhiyu refused outright, "There's no need to trouble you, Madam. We didn't come together, so there's no need for us to leave together either."

What if I say something that displeases the lady and get thrown off the carriage and can't get back? I don't want to repeat that mistake. Some hardships are best experienced only once.

Mother Shen's face stiffened; Song Zhiyu's words had stirred up some unpleasant memories for her.

“You’re still blaming me for that, but Mother was just angry at the time…” Mother’s voice choked with emotion.

Song Zhiyu wasn't buying it and retorted, "If you were stranded halfway through the journey and spent the night in the mountains, and the person who started it didn't care, you would be even more resentful than me."

Not long after she returned to the manor, Shen Jinshu encountered a series of misfortunes. The Shen family believed that she was the cause of all the bad luck, so they asked Shen's mother to take her to Mingyin Temple to pray for Shen Jinshu's well-being.

On the way back to the city, she only managed to defend herself a couple of times before her mother cruelly kicked her off the carriage, leaving her to spend the night in the mountains.

She was left alone in the wilderness, and not only did no one worry about her, but they also scolded her for displeasing her mother after she returned home.

Looking back now, she was so foolish.

Rather than being a doormat and being humiliated and bullied by others, it's better to go crazy and teach them a lesson.