Qin Wan looked towards the hall in the distance where laughter and joy were heard. Those who could come into the house to talk must have come sincerely to congratulate her on escaping from the tiger's den. She must not let that old hag in and disturb everyone's interest.
She turned and walked towards the outer courtyard, and told the servant: "I'm going to go out and take a look. Don't report it inside."
"yes."
The servant responded and led the way: "The old lady also brought the fifth daughter of the Lu family to make a fuss, and it was really noisy."
Qin Wan frowned and quickened her pace. With Old Lady Lu's fighting ability, even if most of the people living in the Xuanwu Marquis Mansion were now members of the Qin family, she could still attract a lot of people to come and watch. Humph, in the end, who knows whose excitement will be seen.
The Qin Mansion was very large. It took a full quarter of an hour to walk from the inner courtyard to the second gate and then to the front courtyard. Before he even reached the front, he heard the noise.
Qin Wan raised her eyebrows and found it funny. She knew that Old Lady Lu from the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion had always been a sweet-faced but bitter-hearted person. In the past, out of filial piety, she had to obey Old Lady Lu, and Old Lady Lu naturally pretended to be kind for the sake of face.
Now that the two families have no relationship, they have to tear off their hypocritical faces.
Qin Wan adjusted her slightly loose hairpin and quickly walked to the door.
Old Lady Lu made a fuss for a long time but was not allowed to enter the house. She felt extremely embarrassed under the onlookers. The maid beside her was even more loudly shouting:
"Is this how guests are treated at the Xuanwu Marquis' Mansion? They've made our old lady wait at the door for so long and haven't even let us in for a cup of tea!"
"The servants told us to drink tea in the gatehouse, and now they're forcing us, the old lady, to wait at the door! The Xuanwu Marquis's Mansion is so arrogant!"
Lu Linglong supported Old Lady Lu and added fuel to the fire: "You are just a poor and declining family, a marquisate without even a prince, and you are comparing us to the Pingyang Marquisate? We are the favorites of His Majesty, the new nobles of the court! If you know what's good for you, return my Lu family's things quickly, or you will be in big trouble!"
When Qin Wan reached the door, she saw Lu Linglong's arrogant and twisted face. She glanced at Lu Linglong and said, "Why don't you take off your clothes first? Take off your jewelry too. This is my dowry."
"Back then, you entered my bedroom without my permission, picked and chose in my makeup box, and then had it taken away with just a simple "you like it" without even asking me if I agreed. Since you despise my Xuanwu Marquis Mansion, then return it all to me. Your Pingyang Marquis Mansion, a newly-minted one, wouldn't care about such a small thing, right? Hmm?"
Qin Wan's tone rose slightly at the end of her voice, with an indescribable sarcasm.
Lu Linglong's expression changed again and again: "Since you married into my family, you are my family. I wear some of your clothes and wear some of your jewelry, so you are so stingy? You really are worthy of being a poor family, so stingy!"
Qin Wan smiled faintly, looking at Lu Linglong in confusion. "Since you despise my family for being broke, then why do you want my things? Could it be that the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion still needs help from a broke person like me? Well, I'm sorry, I've divorced your brother and will never help your Pingyang Marquis' Mansion again."
Old Lady Lu leaned on her dragon-headed cane, acting like an elder. "Qin Wan, you've been married for eight years. I've treated you well. Let's part ways amicably. But now you've messed up the Marquis' Mansion! You've demolished my Pingyang Marquis' Mansion. You need an explanation!"
Qin Wan had anticipated her coming to cause trouble. Tao Yao immediately handed over a thick stack of bills as soon as she raised her hand: "Let Old Lady Lu know that everything I took was purchased with my dowry money."
"The Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion has been in the capital for many years. Many people remember it clearly. After I married into the family, I couldn't bear to see it dilapidated and leaking, so I used my dowry to decorate the facade of the mansion."
"Now that we're getting divorced, I naturally want to take back the things I bought. But if Old Lady Lu wants them, then you can give me the money and I can have them restored to their original state. I won't even ask for the labor."
Qin Wan stood on the high steps, leaned over slightly and put the bill in front of Old Lady Lu.
She didn't even have to take it, just this way she could clearly see the expenditure of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of taels of silver on the bill.
Old Lady Lu gasped, "That's not the way to blackmail someone!"
Lu Linglong's eyes widened as she looked at the amount of silver. She pinched Old Lady Lu's arm, nodded slightly under her gaze, and then looked around the huge Xuanwu Marquis Mansion behind Qin Wan.
The Marquis' Mansion covers a vast area. There were originally four or five houses on one side of this street. Over the past hundred years, the remaining houses have been incorporated into the Xuanwu Marquis' Mansion.
Most of the houses across the street were bought by the Qin family. Even if the luxurious Xuanwu Marquis Mansion was in decline, it would not disgrace her status as the sister of Pingyang Marquis.
"Don't worry, Grandma will take care of it for you." Old Lady Lu patted Lu Linglong's hand and looked up at Qin Wan. Suddenly, she realized something was wrong. She was actually standing on the high steps talking to her. "Are you so condescending when talking to your elders? Is this the upbringing of you in the Xuanwu Marquisate?"
Qin Wan wasn't surprised to see that Old Lady Lu didn't accept the bill. She slowly folded the bill and chuckled, "Good manners? My Xuanwu Marquis's manners wouldn't teach an unmarried girl like me to block someone else's door. My Xuanwu Marquis's would never spend a girl's dowry to repair the mansion and give it to our sons to marry off."
Old Lady Lu slammed her dragon-headed cane: "Then we at the Pingyang Marquisate won't cheat you!"
Qin Wan looked at Old Lady Lu in surprise, waving the bill in her hand and saying, "Are you extorting money? Your Pingyang Marquis has already investigated. What's the matter? Are you not satisfied with the results? Not as cheap as you imagined? That's okay. You can also send people to investigate in the surrounding areas of Zhili or at the place of origin."
Old Madam Lu's expression changed, and she couldn't respond to Qin Wan's words.
Lu Linglong's eyes turned. "I had no idea the Xuanwu Marquisate was so wealthy. Your daughter's dowry alone was worth over a hundred thousand taels of silver. I'm afraid this huge Xuanwu Marquisate was plundered from the people. I will definitely report this to His Majesty and have a thorough investigation of you!"
Qin Wan glanced at her and said, "Miss Lu, you're still talking without thinking. Our Qin family is a century-old family, with a family heritage that spans hundreds of years. So what if we're extravagant? If you're right, there are countless powerful and aristocratic families in our dynasty whose heritage is longer than that of the Xuanwu Marquis Mansion. Are their extravagances also the blood and sweat of the people?"
Lu Linglong's expression changed again and again. Old Lady Lu patted Lu Linglong's hand and found the next topic: "You think that demolishing my Pingyang Marquis' Mansion is justified. Then let me ask you, what's the matter with your fifth sister's marriage? You divorced Yan'er, and your marriage is not going well, but you use the marriages of the young ladies in my mansion as an excuse? How vicious!"
Lu Linglong covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed, "You broke off my engagement. How am I supposed to live like this? How are we sisters supposed to get married in the future? I might as well hang myself at your door!"
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