Chapter 500: IOU for 500 taels of silver
As she walked out of the courtyard, Old Mrs. Cheng looked back.
This mansion is truly enormous; she never dreamed that her second daughter would be able to live in such a place.
Now that Zhao'er has become a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and ranked first, will the Emperor bestow such a large mansion upon her when she becomes a high-ranking official?
Old Mrs. Cheng left the house reluctantly, saying to the clan leader, "Wait for me a moment, I'm going to find Aunt Zhao'er again."
She had heard that, at the urging of her second daughter, her eldest daughter had divorced that scoundrel from the Liu family and had been living in Dahe Village for the past six months.
The second daughter didn't hesitate to take out five hundred taels of silver in one go. The eldest daughter must have benefited a lot from living here, as evidenced by the fact that her courtyard is even bigger than the Cheng family's.
The old lady walked to the entrance of the courtyard where Cheng Wanwan used to live.
After seeing the grand mansion, this courtyard doesn't seem so special anymore, but it's definitely one of a kind in Chengjia Village.
The courtyard gate wasn't closed. As soon as she entered, she saw two maids, Daya and Erya, busily engaged in something in the courtyard. She didn't even notice them when she came in.
The old lady coughed, and Da Ya looked up, startled: "Grandma, what brings you here?"
"What, can't I come?" Old Mrs. Cheng said coldly. "Where is your mother? Tell her to come out."
Cheng Yuanyuan, who was busy inside, immediately came out: "Mom, why are you here so late? Have you eaten? Would you like something to eat?"
There was no need for Old Mrs. Cheng to hide anything from her eldest daughter, who had no ambition. She went straight to the point and explained her purpose: "I heard that you were doing quite well in Dahe Village. You even hired people to help you with your affairs. You must have saved up quite a bit of money."
Cheng Yuanyuan understood immediately.
During the hottest part of summer, Daya and Erya were running an ice jelly business. The business was doing well in the village, and restaurants in the city also came to buy the jelly. The volume of goods was large, so they had to hire people. They hired three or four young men to come and help every afternoon. The three of them did the rest of the work themselves. They were busy until very late every day. Although they were busy, the income was considerable.
All the money we earned went to Wanwan as money to buy this yard. After a busy summer, we've almost paid it all off.
However, it's autumn and winter now, and that business has long since stopped.
Cheng Yuanyuan turned and went into the house, taking out a small cloth bag: "This is some money I've saved up. Mother, take it and give it to Zhao'er."
When Old Mrs. Cheng opened the cloth bag, there were only some loose silver coins, probably only three or four taels in total. Her face turned green: "Are you trying to give me a beggar's money?!"
"That's all I have." Cheng Yuanyuan pursed her lips. "I know Zhao'er needs money right now, and this is all I, as her aunt, can do."
She earned seventy or eighty taels of silver selling ice jelly this summer, which was all used to pay off her debts. The money she saved was her wages, which she originally planned to use to buy land, but now she can only use it to help Zhao'er in an emergency.
"You two sisters are exactly the same, stingy and miserly!" Old Mrs. Cheng cursed. "She lives in such a big house, with so many people serving her, and she won't even give a little money to help Zhao'er. What kind of aunt is she? What sins have I committed to give birth to two such ungrateful daughters..."
Cheng Yuanyuan frowned.
You can call her stingy, but Wanwan isn't stingy.
She began, "A few months ago, when Zhao'er went to the provincial capital to take the imperial examination, Wanwan gave Zhao'er five hundred taels of silver. If that's considered stingy, then I really don't understand what it means to be generous."
Liu Daya came over and protected her mother: "Last time, my mother only had two taels of silver on her, and she gave it all to my eldest cousin. This time, four taels of silver is all the money our family has, and my mother took it out without hesitation. How is that stingy? If Grandma thinks it's not enough, then don't take it!"
She reached out and snatched the cloth bag back.
"What did you say?" Old Mrs. Cheng was stunned. "Wanwan gave Zhao'er five hundred taels of silver, is that true?"
“Of course it’s true,” Cheng Yuanyuan replied. “When Zhao’er lived in Dahe Village, everything he ate, drank, and wore was paid for by Wanwan. As for those calligraphy brushes and inkstones, they all cost money. Wanwan spent them silently and never asked your Cheng family for credit. This five hundred taels of silver was given by Wanwan just like that. If I hadn’t brought it up, your Cheng family probably would never have known about it in their entire lives.”
Old Mrs. Cheng pressed further, "Was an IOU written for those five hundred taels of silver?"
“Mother, that’s going too far. Ever since Zhao’er started school, Wanwan and I have been subsidizing the Cheng family with money, both openly and secretly. Not a single penny of it has been written with an IOU.” Cheng Yuanyuan was a little angry. “It’s getting late, so I won’t keep you here for the night. Sanmao, take Grandma to the village entrance.”
Sanmao immediately came over and saw Grandma Cheng out.
As Grandma Cheng sat on the oxcart, watching Dahe Village recede into the distance, she couldn't help but sigh softly.
If she hadn't come tonight, the five hundred taels would definitely have been delivered to Zhao'er. Now, she's inexplicably burdened with a debt of five hundred taels of silver.
But no matter what, at least we have money now, so we need to quickly ask someone to send it to the provincial capital.
That night, Cheng Wanwan lay in bed, feeling increasingly uneasy.
Before going to the capital for the imperial examination, spending money to grease palms on official channels always felt a bit like bribery.
Zhao'er is already excellent. Even without bribes, she will definitely pass the imperial examination. If bribes are made, will it backfire?
She got up early in the morning, ate breakfast, and then headed towards the school.
Master Yu was reading when he saw her coming. He asked Yu Jiao to serve tea and invited her to sit in his study.
"Master, I've come to ask you something." Cheng Wanwan didn't understand the imperial examination system of this era, and there were some things she needed to clarify. "After becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), is it necessary to spend money to bribe officials?"
“Every year, the officials in charge of grading the provincial examinations come from the capital. After the results are posted, the successful candidates all rush to approach these officials, hoping to learn about the situation in the capital,” Master Yu replied. “Once they arrive in the capital, this trend intensifies. They bribe officials everywhere, curry favor with those above and below them, and befriend powerful figures… In the year of the imperial examinations, everyone profits three times over…”
Cheng Wanwan frowned slightly: "Does the imperial court turn a blind eye to this kind of thing?"
"As long as it's not too excessive, the court won't interfere." Master Yu looked at her. "Is Your Excellency trying to pave the way for Ziyu's official career? If you're asking for my opinion, I suggest you don't do it. Ziyu has become the top scorer in the provincial examination and then the top scholar in the provincial examination. Becoming a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) is definitely not a problem, and he might even go to the palace to participate in the palace examination. Once someone stands at a high position, countless eyes will be watching him. Then, some insignificant things he did in the past will become evidence of his crimes. Do you understand what I mean, Your Excellency?"
"Master's words are truly enlightening." Cheng Wanwan immediately stood up. "I will write a letter to Zhao'er right away."
She hurriedly went back, ground ink and wrote a letter. She finished writing it in no time and then asked Cheng Bing to send it to the provincial capital by fast horse. However, since she was going, she would not just take a letter with her. The family prepared winter clothes, and Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng each took a set. They also prepared spare underwear, as well as dried fish and dried meat that the family always kept on hand.
Cheng Bing mounted his horse, on which sat a huge bag filled with clothes, food, and some travel money.
The horse galloped away and soon disappeared down the village road.
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