Chapter 259: Petty Tactics
"On the ninth day of May in the twelfth year of Hongming, Prince Shen..."
She had only read a few words when Shen Ruolan's pupils constricted, and she immediately took two steps forward to snatch the paper.
Yuan Siyin dodged to the side, looking at her with a half-smile: "What's wrong with the concubine? Why such a big reaction? It's just an IOU."
"Where...where did you come from...?"
Shen Ruolan's voice trembled, and her expression was one of great fear.
"If I want to find something, there's nothing I can't find."
Seeing that she had a good memory, Yuan Siyin stopped reading and folded the papers, still holding them between her fingers: "Your mother owes so much debt, no wonder the concubine has had a hard time these past few years."
How did you suddenly end up owing three thousand taels? Did your uncle kill someone in another city, or is your younger brother addicted to gambling?
"But don't worry, I've had all traces erased. These few slips in my hand are the originals. If you're willing to trade, you can do whatever you want with these worthless pieces of paper."
Shen Ruolan lowered her head, her beautiful eyes filled with hatred.
How could she not react?
Others showed favoritism, even her stepmother, her own mother, was born with a crooked heart.
My uncle killed someone, and not daring to seek help from my maternal grandfather was one thing, but by acting like a coward, he allowed the debt collectors to come after my mother, who then made outrageous demands.
And then there's Shen Ruozhu, that good-for-nothing. He indulges in a life of debauchery and his mistresses do whatever they want, but who would have thought he'd be so audacious as to get into gambling? A few days ago, he even secretly asked her for money twice.
Even if the money hole is filled, it will still be an indelible stain. If even a little bit of this matter is leaked, she will probably be implicated as well.
How will her brother, the Crown Prince, view her then?
How would the Empress, who already had reservations about her being born a concubine's daughter, view her?
Suddenly, Shen Ruolan seemed to deflate, turned around and walked out of the pavilion. She whispered a few words to the maid who was bowing her head and waiting for instructions. The maid hurriedly left and returned a short while later carrying a box and handed it to her.
"One item for another, I hope the princess will keep her promise."
"That's natural."
Yuan Siyin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
At least they managed to put out the fuse of this time bomb.
Shen Ruolan is cunning and sly; she'd rather strike first than be on the defensive.
Yuan Siyin gave her the IOU along with the promissory note, and took the wooden box with her other hand. After confirming that it contained the scraps of cloth from that day, she closed the lid with peace of mind.
"By the way, I heard that your younger brother has incurred another five hundred taels of silver in debt, so I helped him pay it off. You're welcome."
It wasn't that she had too much money to spend; she just used some underhanded tactics to get the IOU.
She would rather give those five hundred taels to that dog Yu Shiyan than waste them on a sucker.
"Princess, please take care. Ruolan is not feeling well and will not see you off any further."
This angered them, and they started kicking them out.
Yuan Siyin raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Before leaving, she took a piece of snowflake pastry.
It's not shameful to eat it secretly if it sticks to your teeth.
As Yuan Siyin walked to the gate of the Crown Prince's residence, just as she was about to get into the carriage, she heard hurried footsteps behind her: "Princess, please wait!"
Zi Yuan paused in her act of lifting the curtain. "Miss, it's Yu Lan, whom you sent to serve Qing Zhi."
"Magnolia?"
Unable to find the right person in her mind, Yuan Siyin could only swallow the somewhat dry snowflake pastry, clear her throat, and look at her: "Why did you come along?"
"You initially sent me to look after Madam Gu. Now that Madam Gu has given birth to the heir, can I leave earlier?"
"Sure, you can leave whenever you want."
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