Chapter 259 The Family Court
"Mother!"
Xie Xuchuan quickly helped Hua Nanzhi up and called Caihuan to help him back to his own courtyard.
Xie Boyu was drying the cochineal insects used in the dyeing process in the courtyard when he was startled to see the two men helping Hua Nanzhi in.
"What's wrong?"
"My mother..."
Hua Nanzhi waved her hand, indicating that she was fine and that Xie Xuchuan could help her to the couch.
"I will go and fetch Doctor Yan."
"No need, I'm fine."
Looking into Xie Xuchuan's eyes, Hua Nanzhi sighed: "These days, Doctor Yan has come to the Xie family almost every day. It's really... not good for outsiders to see. I'm fine."
After sending Xie Xuchuan and Caihuan back, Hua Nanzhi leaned against the small couch and closed her eyes to rest.
She never expected things to turn out this way.
What are you doing standing here?
Suddenly everything went black. Hua Nanzhi opened her eyes and saw Xie Boyu standing in front of her.
She was feeling irritated, so her tone wasn't very pleasant.
Xie Boyu didn't mind, and simply said, "You don't look well. If you feel unwell, I'll accompany you to Huichuntang."
Hua Nanzhi glanced at him sideways, then closed her eyes again.
Since you already know she's not feeling well, why make her go out?
She was angry and didn't bother with Xie Boyu, but after a while, Xie Boyu came over again and placed a cup of hot tea in front of her.
Hua Nanzhi lowered her eyes and stared for a long time before finally saying, "Do you know..."
Xie Boyu turned around.
"Did you know that Xiecuifang is the shop of Shenyuan Pearl?"
"oh?"
Xie Boyu was somewhat surprised: "Xiecuifang is now considered the largest shop in Suzhou Prefecture. Is it actually Yuanzhu's property?"
“Yuanzhu is a blessed child. Shibai and his wife can rest in peace knowing this in the afterlife.”
Hua Nanzhi frowned: "Don't you have anything else to say?"
"say what?"
Xie Boyu sat at the table, meticulously tending to the rouge worms. He kept his head down, as if it were none of his business, and continued tidying up.
"That's Shen Yuanzhu. Shen Yuanzhu has become the owner of Xiecui Workshop!"
"I know, I told you you're Shih-pak's daughter. What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
Xie Boyu looked up, not understanding her agitation.
Hua Nanzhi gripped the hem of her dress, gritting her teeth: "Shen Yuanzhu and Xu Chuan have been betrothed since childhood..."
"Isn't that a refund?"
"..."
That's it!
It's always been like this throughout all the years she's been married to Xie Boyu!
Whether it was because she had had enough or because she was provoked by the fact that Shen Yuanzhu was the owner of Xiecui Fang, Hua Nanzhi was very agitated today.
"A girl who has been engaged to Xu Chuan for many years suddenly became the owner of the largest textile and dyeing workshop in Suzhou Prefecture, surpassing the Xie family. Don't you have anything to say about that?"
Xie Boyu looked at Hua Nanzhi with a solemn expression: "What do you want me to say? Yuanzhu has the blood of Shibai and his wife flowing in her veins. If she were to go into business, she would not be bad at it."
"As for your engagement to Xu Chuan, since the engagement has been called off, what are you trying to do now?"
"The annulment of the engagement was not Yuanzhu's fault, but Xie Xuchuan's. Now that Yuanzhu has become the owner of a large shop, it can only be said that my Xie family is not fortunate enough, and Xie Xuchuan is not destined for it."
"We can't just find out now that Yuanzhu is the owner of Xiecuifang and expect our Xie family to try and climb up to her again."
"Back when she was with Xie Qi at the Xie family, she treated everyone with indifference. What is there to regret now?"
"..."
Hua Nanzhi nearly choked on her words, and after a long while, she finally let out a cold snort: "You make it sound so easy, what about Jiang Wansu..."
What happened to Jiang Wansu?
Xie Boyu frowned: "Even if we knew all along that Shen Yuanzhu was the owner of Xiecui Fang, let alone now that we know she is, the engagement still has to be called off."
"Xu Chuan did something wrong, and he should take responsibility. This is what he owes Jiang Wansu."
"Although my Xie family are merchants, I have taught Xu Chuan what benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness are since he first started learning. A man should shoulder the responsibilities he should bear."
"Now that he has married Jiang Wansu, he should live a good life with her. You should also mention Yuanzhu less in front of Xuchuan in the future, so as not to make him think about unrelated things."
Hua Nanzhi sneered: "You make it sound so easy. Have you ever thought that if Yuanzhu is the manager of Xiecuifang, it means that Xie Chengzhi's theft of the dyeing manual that day was all slander?"
“If this had not happened, my Xie family would not have compensated her with the Farming and Weaving Chart, nor would we have made her the head of the Prince’s Mansion.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Boyu sighed softly.
After a long silence, he said, "It is my Xie family that owes her. In the end, it was Xu Chuan who made the mistake first. An orphan girl was jilted, she..."
Xie Boyu looked at the rouge worm in his hand and said in a low voice, "Nothing she did to the Xie family was excessive. It's just karma. This is all the sins committed by my Xie family..."
"you……"
Hua Nanzhi pointed at Xie Boyu, not knowing what to say.
She thought the same way and didn't really blame Yuanzhu. After all, they were the ones who were unkind first, and Shen Yuanzhu was the one who was unjust later, so there was no question of right or wrong.
Xie Boyu's attitude made her uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable, and frustrated.
Hua Nanzhi gritted her teeth, her heart aching.
Xie Boyu couldn't read her expression, and continued, "When Yuanzhu first said that the second branch of the family stole the dyeing manual, no one in the family doubted it, not even Mother and Jingyuan believed it."
"In the end, it's because the second brother is dishonest. If he had always acted like a gentleman, how could he have been framed so easily?"
Xie Boyu sneered: "Why don't you see others pinning dirty deeds on me?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Hua Nanzhi sneered, "You're quite proud of yourself."
"There's nothing to be proud of."
Xie Boyu said, word by word, "I know I am dull-witted, neither as quick-witted as my second brother nor as clever as my third brother. But... I have done my best to protect this family."
"But life is unpredictable, and this is all I can do for now."
Xie Boyu's voice was full of loneliness and sorrow, and Hua Nanzhi listened in silence.
"I'm afraid I can't keep up with the Xie family's business anymore..."
He looked up at Hua Nanzhi and asked, "So I was thinking, have you ever thought about working with Xu Chuan to support the Xie family? Although this may sound like I'm shirking my responsibility to support the family, it's something I've thought about carefully."
"My mother was able to carry forward the Xie family's weaving workshop, and Shen Yuanzhu was able to make Xiecui Workshop the largest weaving and dyeing workshop in Suzhou Prefecture. This shows that there is a way out for women to do business."
"My mother asked you this question years ago, and I know you refused at the time, but you have regretted it all these years."
"If you still want to now, it's not too late..."
Hua Nanzhi never expected Xie Boyu to say such a thing.
After a long pause, she finally said, "Okay, I'll go with Xu Chuan."
Hopefully, she can turn the tide like her mother-in-law.
Even in its current state of decline, the Xie family is still much better off than it was back then.
Hua Nanzhi looked at Xie Boyu and said quietly, "Xu Chuan and I will work together to revitalize the Xie family. This is the only thing we can do for our children and grandchildren."
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