The Duchess gritted her teeth and announced a number—15,000 taels.
Faced with the choice between money and face, she ultimately chose the latter. On the other hand, donations are like giving money at a wedding; they are based on social status. If she only donated a few thousand taels, the others would donate even less, which would be disrespectful to the princess.
The princess might not care too much, but what about the emperor?
When she saw the donation list, she did a dramatic, precipitous drop in donations.
However, she soon stopped feeling so sorry for him.
Because the one who is in a difficult position has become someone else.
In the end, with very few exceptions, all of them came in much larger quantities than planned.
What was supposed to be a showy dinner turned into a painful financial blow.
They glared at Chu Jinjin with vicious eyes, as if they wanted to devour her whole. Why did she donate so much money for no reason?
Chu Jinjin was in a very good mood.
Staring at someone won't hurt you, so whatever, I've achieved my goal.
For those present, the extra money donated might mean buying a few less pieces of jewelry or a few less outfits, but for the disaster victims, it could mean the lives of an entire family.
Chu Jinjin believed that no one would truly hold a grudge because of this, since she had donated the most.
However, the individual was forgotten.
The next day, when the maid woke me up, it was just getting light.
Chu Jinjin felt like killing someone. With her messy hair, she said in a low voice, "You'd better have a good reason."
Since taking over the household, Chu Jinjin no longer needs to act. She can sleep until she naturally wakes up every day, have lunch, and then take a nap.
My family members went from being unaccustomed to it, to accepting it, and then to envying it.
The maid was not flustered at all. She grabbed the clothes and hurriedly said, "Xu Wenda and his mother are here, Third Miss. You must go quickly. That mother and daughter have gone mad."
Chu Jinjin: "...Who?"
"It's because of Wang Ruoyun's donation of 60,000 taels of silver," the maid said angrily. "She said you framed her and is demanding an explanation from you. I've never seen such a shameless person. Oh, by the way, Wang Ruoyun went back to her parents' home."
Chu Jinjin regained her senses: "What does this have to do with me?"
Donations do not require immediate payment; if you do not bring enough, you can make up the difference during the day.
Chu Jinjin remembered that Li Xinzhi, the princess, and the duchess immediately took out silver notes for those who donated more. She didn't give any because it involved some furniture and other items that needed to be appraised at a pawn shop.
Wang Ruoyun didn't take out a single copper coin, presumably because she didn't bring enough.
The courtyard was bustling with activity.
Xu Wenda's mother, Madam Xu, was no longer the lady she once was. With her hands on her hips, she cursed like a shrew: "Wang, you have no right to talk to me. Tell that bitch Chu Jinjin to get out here. She ruined my family. I'm willing to risk my old life today. She's good at fighting, so let her beat me to death."
Madam Liu stepped forward and said calmly, "I am Jinjin's biological mother. Tell me what you have to say."
"You're a slut too, trying to sow discord between my son and daughter-in-law." Wang thought of something and rushed forward to grab Liu's hair.
Liu was so frightened that she immediately burrowed into the crowd. Only after Wang was stopped by several guards did she touch her face with lingering fear.
She makes a living off her looks.
"How did I sow discord between them? I was genuinely concerned." Liu felt utterly innocent. "Don't blame anyone but your son. She married someone else, yet she still has feelings for my Jinjin—Xu Wenda. Put your hand on your conscience, isn't that right?"
It is said that you can tell whether a married person is happy or not just by looking at their face.
Xu Wenda looked extremely haggard, appearing at least five or six years older. The handsome young man who once captivated Chu Jinjin was nowhere to be found.
Wang Ruoyun was not present at that time.
Xu Wenda's tired eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at the Chu family members and said, "Auntie is right. I have never forgotten Jinjin."
The Chu family members: "..."
Liu clapped her hands excitedly: "See, I told you so!"
Lady Xu was trembling with anger: "How could I have given birth to such a thing as you?"
“Mother, you were wrong from the beginning. You forced me to divorce Jinjin and marry Ruoyun, but in my heart, there has always only been Jinjin.” Xu Wenda finally found an opportunity to speak his mind. “When Uncle Chu was kidnapped by bandits, you took advantage of his misfortune. Mother, I understand your intentions, but have you ever thought of me even a little bit?”
Lady Xu was so angry that she stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap.
That's so embarrassing.
She wished she could put him back in.
Xu Wenda covered his face: "Mother, please grant your son's wish. In this life, all I want is to be with Jinjin."
Lady Xu: "..."
Did she give birth to a child with intellectual disabilities?
At a time like this, if Chu Jinjin still had even a shred of affection, how could she have been so ruthless?
"Madam Hou, don't rush into a fight." Madam Liu wasn't trying to mediate; instead, she excitedly asked Xu Wenda, "Do you really regret it?"
Xu Wenda nodded without hesitation.
When he married Wang Ruoyun, he wasn't too upset because Wang Ruoyun satisfied his male vanity. Looking across the entire capital, how many men could make a woman so infatuated?
She was also the younger sister of the Imperial Concubine.
Secondly, he will give Chu Jinjin an identity sooner or later.
But no one expected that the depth of a woman's love would be matched by the depth of her hatred.
Wang Ruoyun worked tirelessly every day, making him prove time and again that he no longer had Chu Jinjin in his heart.
How could that be?
Xu Wenda took a deep breath and bowed deeply: "I swear that I will never do anything to betray Jinjin again in this life. I beg you elders to give me another chance to marry Jinjin..."
Chu Jinjin was so shocked by what she heard when she arrived that she almost fell over.
"Jinjin, you're here." Xu Wenda stared intently at the familiar figure, a thousand words stuck in his throat, choking him up.
Chu Jinjin lost her appetite and glared at the group of guards who were looking at each other in bewilderment: "What are you all doing? Letting just anyone in here, why don't you kick them out?"
Wang said cautiously in a low voice, "She is the wife of a marquis; she must not be hit."
After last night's banquet, Madam Wang now treats Chu Jinjin with even greater respect than she treats Chu Zujian.
Chu Jinjin was exasperated: "What on earth happened?"
Liu said excitedly, "Trying to put on a brave face, but it didn't work out."
With Chu Jinjin's case preceding it, the Wang family's dowry for Wang Ruoyun was probably over 100,000 taels of silver, but they also compensated Chu Jinjin for a portion of it.
Then came all sorts of bills.
He married two wives in a row, and even the rats in the Xu mansion were crying when they saw it.
Wang Ruoyun couldn't just stand by and watch, and because of this, everyone in the Xu family had to be mindful of her mood.
Last night, Wang Ruoyun acted impulsively and only realized after returning home that she had unknowingly spent so much on her dowry. To raise enough, she would first have to pawn her jewelry and other items, including the ones given to her by the Imperial Concubine.
Wang Ruoyun burst into tears and returned to her parents' home that night, leaving behind the words that she wanted a divorce.
Chu Jinjin: "......"
She really didn't mean it.
Liu continued in a low voice, "This old hag is telling you to go find the princess and explain things clearly."
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