The family was discussing matters in the hall, while Jiang Yushu was counting her money in the room, completely unaware that her sister-in-law, filled with anger, had gone to order Liao Xiaodie to leave.
"Clothes, shoes, socks, hats, blankets..."
"These are all for the young master. Put them in one box so they're easy to find." Nanny Pan sat on a small stool, muttering to herself as she carefully sorted through an open trunk. With the move imminent, she busied herself day and night with packing.
Jiang Yushu sat on her bed, facing a small, open wooden box containing several silver ingots and a bag of small change. She was absorbed in her daily expense account book, dipping her pen into ink and alternately thinking, calculating, and writing. After a long pause, she put down her pen and sighed.
"Madam, what's wrong?" Madam Pan looked up from her pile of baby clothes and asked with concern, "Are you running out of money?"
Jiang Yushu held her chin with her left hand, fiddling with the silver ingot with her right hand, and answered distressedly, "I've calculated, and there are only a little over a hundred taels left. Alas, my money is almost gone, and I can't afford a full moon banquet."
"ah?"
"How can we not hold a full moon banquet for the young master's eldest son? Isn't that too unfair to the child?" Nanny Pan suddenly became anxious, wanting to say something but stopping herself. After a few breaths of hesitation, she reminded him:
"Actually, the one thousand taels for the house and the furniture shouldn't have come from Madam's own pocket money. Didn't the young master receive a six thousand tael reward? That's where the money should have come from."
"Although I have it, the money is far away in Yongzhou government office, hundreds of miles away, and it can't be transported back in a short time. Buying a house can't be delayed, the better. The sooner the better. Move into the new house, the more happy everyone will be!" Jiang Yushu closed the wooden box and said with energy:
"Don't worry, I'm trying to figure it out. I won't let Ye'er down."
As the wet nurse, Pan Ma naturally sided with the Second Young Master and his wife. She unfolded a blanket, shook it, and whispered, "Old Madam and the others have their own money, probably quite a bit. Since Madam is short of money, why didn't she tell Mother-in-law?"
"this……"
Jiang Yushu was silent and pensive, thinking to herself, "My mother-in-law and sister-in-law both know about the house purchase and the furniture. They also know that the six thousand taels awarded by the court are deposited in Yongzhou, but they have no intention of taking the initiative to pay for it. Now, apart from my husband and me, no one else in the Guo family has any income."
The Marquis's will passed the position of head of the family to his second son. In fact, regardless of whether there was a will or not, given Honglei's character, he would definitely do his best to take care of his family.
Therefore, it is obvious that in the next few years, or even more than ten years, my husband and I will be responsible for supporting the family.
But my mother-in-law is still alive, and she has always been in charge of the trivial household chores. Even if she delegates power, I still have my eldest sister-in-law above me. Since we are already a family, we can only patiently adjust to each other... Jiang Yushu frowned, quickly cheered up, and said lightly:
"Good idea! I'll discuss it with the old lady tomorrow morning and arrange the banquet as soon as possible."
Nanny Pan breathed a sigh of relief. "Grandmother loves her grandson, and the old lady will definitely find a way! When the six thousand taels are shipped back to Heqin, Madam, please don't be embarrassed and remember to take back your private money. Otherwise, all six thousand will become the public's."
“Um…Okay!”
Jiang Yushu put away the account book and money box, calculated and sighed, "Buying a house, adding furniture, hosting a banquet, buying land, clothing and food, if you calculate carefully, six thousand taels will not last many years."
Nanny Pan consoled her, "Don't officials all have salaries? You and the young master will start receiving your salaries soon, and your life will gradually become more comfortable."
"I hope so."
Jiang Yushu sat for a long time, then threw off the quilt and got out of bed to stretch her muscles. She walked around a few times before busying herself with packing. She said expectantly, "The emperor has bestowed upon Hong Lei the title of 'Captain,' but it's unlikely he'll continue to serve as a personal guard. I wonder what rank General Dou will assign him?"
"Haha, I've only heard of 'generals', 'captains', 'hundreds', etc., so I can't guess what they are." Nanny Pan said enthusiastically, "In short, with your ability, you can at least be a small leader!"
Jiang Yushu smiled and was about to speak when suddenly scolding, crying and dissuading sounds came from the nearby guest room, making it extremely noisy.
The two looked at each other, and Pan Ma asked in surprise, "What's all the commotion?"
Jiang Yushu held her breath and listened attentively. After a moment, she stood up and said, "It came from cousin Liao's room."
"Listen, Miss Liao is being scolded." Nanny Pan shook her head in disbelief, muttering, "This scolding sounds strangely familiar. Back then, Miss Liao was courteous to the Crown Prince, and was scolded by his wife."
Jiang Yushu was confused. She listened attentively and murmured in surprise, "The old lady is trying to persuade me. It seems that Hong Lei and the others are also present. What happened in the middle of the night?"
Nanny Pan had just packed a box of baby clothes and asked, "How about I go take a look?"
"Well, go ask what's going on." Jiang Yushu worriedly instructed, "We're staying at the back office, so it's best not to air our dirty laundry in public. Remind them to calm down. If they make a fuss, outsiders will laugh at them."
"yes."
Nanny Pan went out to get some information and returned in a moment, reporting anxiously:
"The old lady and the young masters were all present, but we don't know the exact reason. But Zou Gui and Hu Gang were guarding the door. According to them, the eldest lady wanted to drive Miss Liao away, and she wanted her and her daughter to leave at night!"
"What? Leaving overnight?"
Jiang Yushu was puzzled. She paced around twice, thought for a moment, picked up her cloak and said, "I'll go take a look!"
"It's snowing outside, and the weather is freezing. People who are in confinement cannot suffer from the cold." Nanny Pan hurriedly dissuaded her.
Jiang Yushu's heart was in turmoil. She whispered, "Thinking about it, there's probably a response to Brother Gong's case. It's a serious matter, and the noise is outrageous. I have to go and take a look."
Nanny Pan couldn't persuade her, so she could only help her wrap herself up tightly and help her go to find out what was going on.
After a while
The servant came closer, and Zou Gui, upon learning the Second Madam's intention, knocked on the door and announced her.
Guo Honglei opened the door himself, quickly supported her, and asked in a low voice, "It's cold, why are you here?"
"I'm worried, let's see why my sister-in-law and cousin Liao are arguing."
Guo Honglei hugged his wife and briefly explained the reason. As they spoke, the three of them stepped into the threshold. Jiang Yushu glanced at them intently:
Wang sat upright with a frown on her face; Wang Qiaozhen stood beside her with a frown and an angry look on her face.
Guo Hongzhe and Guo Hongxuan stood on the side, feeling embarrassed and awkward.
Liao Xiaodie knelt on the ground, holding her daughter, tears streaming down her face. The girl coughed frequently, curled up in her mother's arms, and sobbed in fear.
"The Guo family doesn't owe you anything!"
"If it weren't for the old lady's kindness, you would have married a peddler long ago. You wouldn't have been able to live in the Marquis's mansion for a few years, enjoying fine clothes and delicious food, nor would you have been able to marry into the Gong family and become an official's wife." Wang Qiaozhen raised her head, the anger that had accumulated for ten years rushing to the top of her head. She barely suppressed her voice, spoke harshly, and asked in a low voice:
"Hmph, you want to settle accounts, huh? Ask the accountant to bring the abacus! List every single item in detail and calculate carefully to see whether you've spent more on the Guo family, or the Guo family has spent more on you. How do you say that?"
Liao Xiaodie burst into tears, hating Wang Qiaozhen's overbearing face. She almost gritted her teeth, but on the surface she was terrified and choked with fear as she replied, "Old Madam, I am deeply grateful for your kindness and will never forget it. In this life, I am the only one who owes the Jingyang Marquis Mansion. I will never--"
Wang Qiaozhen sneered and interrupted, "Then what basis did you have to accuse us of being ungrateful and ignoring someone in need?"
"How dare I?" Liao Xiaodie looked confused and weak.
Wang Qiaozhen raised her chin, looked down and replied, "Who are you thinking you're a fool? Do you think others won't understand if you beat around the bush?"
"Cousin, you misunderstood again."
Wang Qiaozhen curled her lips, scoffed, and asked bluntly, "What misunderstanding? Tsk, this is truly disgusting! Yes, Gong Yipeng did help us several times over the past two or three years. Converted into silver, it's about two thousand taels, but the silver all belongs to the Gong family. What does it have to do with you? You come from a poor family and have lived in the Jingyang Marquis's Mansion for many years. Even your dowry was given by the old lady. From beginning to end, the gold, silver, and jewelry are at least twenty thousand taels!"
"The old lady is a kind-hearted woman who treats you as her goddaughter and takes great care of you. I never expected that today you would hold on to a mere two thousand taels and accuse the Guo family of being 'ungrateful'? It's really chilling." Wang Qiaozhen held her head high and chest out, looking at the other party with contempt.
Liao Xiaodie's biggest regret was her inferior family background. She resented her fate, her face flushed, then paled, then blue. Trying to suppress her anger, she uttered words through gritted teeth, her voice trembling as she asked, "So, in my cousin's mind, Xiaodie has always been like this? But I don't know which of Xiaodie's words offended you just now?"
"You know what kind of person you are. Why bother asking?" Wang Qiaozhen tilted her head and brushed her hair sideways.
In the brief moment above, the third brother moved a chair, the fourth brother found a cushion, and Guo Honglei urged: "Don't stand, sit down quickly."
Wang distracted herself and ordered, "Sit down. You're in confinement, you should be resting."
Jiang Yushu sat down and said softly, "The noise was so loud that I got scared and came to see you in a hurry."
"Oh, what trouble!" Wang Shi suppressed her displeasure. "Xiao Die didn't dare to surrender herself, so she knelt down to beg us. What's the point? The imperial envoy won't listen to the Guo family."
After Guo Honglei settled his wife down, he strode to the center, his face stern as he said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, please sit down and have a cup of tea to moisten your throat. It's all past now, what's the point in bringing it up?"
"Well, it was clearly her who forced me to argue!" Wang Qiaozhen saw that her second brother had a gloomy face and had vented enough anger, so she sat down and drank tea as she was told.
Guo Honglei frowned and asked, "Cousin, please get up quickly. The adults are discussing important matters. Why don't you leave the child with the nanny?"
"Alas. Every time Zhu'er is sick, she becomes particularly clingy and refuses to be held by the nanny. I'm afraid she'll cry her voice hoarse, so I can only coax her." Liao Xiaodie insisted on kneeling, lovingly stretching her daughter's sleeves. She had already prepared a lot of lies and told a miserable story:
"Back then, it was precisely to treat this little scoundrel that I, in a moment of confusion, followed the doctor's orders and searched everywhere for the Tianshan Snow Lotus. Unexpectedly, it was only in the Wan Mansion. I originally wanted to buy it, but Madam Wan insisted on giving it to me as a gift. I was so anxious that I hurriedly gave the child the medicine, hoping that my daughter would be stronger. Through mutual courtesy, Madam Wan and I gradually became familiar with each other. Brother Peng was her husband's subordinate, so I dared not disobey her words... As a result, we have come to this point today." She was haggard and helpless, expressing regret:
"I accidentally hurt Brother Peng. It's all my fault. If I couldn't bear to leave my child, I would rather die than live. I don't have the face to see Brother Peng, let alone my in-laws. I'd rather die!" After saying this, Liao Xiaodie hugged her daughter tightly, lowered her voice, and cried bitterly.
The girl was unable to move, struggling and coughing, crying loudly, and gasping for breath.
Guo Honglei approached, bent down, and tried to pick up the girl. "Don't scare the child. You can't just die. If you commit suicide, I won't be able to defend myself."
"Xiaodie, you must surrender yourself as soon as possible to save Yipeng." Wang was troubled and said earnestly, "Otherwise, perhaps even you will not be able to escape the death penalty!"
"Zhu'er, I'm sorry." Liao Xiaodie refused to let go, her voice hoarse as she spoke to herself, "From the moment you were born, I wanted to give you the best of everything, from food and clothing to shelter and transportation. I wanted you to be a rich and prosperous daughter, to live a glorious life. But I didn't expect that I would harm your father. I'm so foolish!"
The girl was frightened by her mother's loss of composure and started crying and kicking her legs.
Guo Honglei could no longer bear it. He turned his head and gave a look. Nanny Pan hurried forward, and the two of them worked together to forcibly take the child away. He ordered, "This place is a mess. Take her to the wet nurse quickly."
Nanny Pan carried the little girl and left in a hurry.
Nearby, Wang Qiaozhen scoffed and said to her sister-in-law, "Liao Xiaodie is greedy and stupid, and she deserves it! She's been colluding with the corrupt official's wife behind her husband's back, secretly amassing wealth. She's constantly feeding her children supplements like ginseng, deer antler antler, and snow lotus. She doesn't understand the saying 'all medicines are poisonous' or 'the weak cannot be nourished.'"
Jiang Yushu was dumbfounded. "Great tonic? No matter how much you love your child, you shouldn't love him this way."
"Oh, you don't understand," Wang Qiaozhen said slowly and disdainfully, "She's from a poor family, but she's thick-skinned and sweet-tongued. She managed to coax her mother-in-law into acting as a matchmaker, and she married into the Gong family smoothly. Once she became the 'prefect's wife,' she became complacent. However, no matter how much wealth she amassed, she'll always be a poor girl at heart, superficial and ignorant. She thinks giving her daughter expensive tonics is loving her. Ha, isn't it funny?"
Jiang Yushu sighed, "No wonder Baozhu is so weak and sickly..."
Meanwhile, Guo Honglei's face was as gloomy as water as he whispered, "Uncle Mu and I tried every possible means and finally managed to get some wiggle room. The imperial envoys were ordered to investigate the case and are anxious to report. Once they give the order, the authorities will definitely arrest us. The longer the night, the more trouble there is. My cousin hesitated and missed the opportunity to surrender herself. The consequences will be disastrous."
"Imperial Envoy, have you really decided to investigate me?" Liao Xiaodie was worried.
Guo Honglei asked in return, "You did accept bribes in the name of Brother Shi, right?"
"I--" Liao Xiaodie was speechless.
Guo Honglei's brows knitted together. "Husband and wife are one. If you turn yourself in and do your best to protect your brother, you are also protecting yourself and your child. If your brother is convicted of 'embezzlement and bribery,' think of my family. Why has such a great mansion fallen on hard times?"
Liao Xiaodie was in a state of confusion, deeply afraid of the imperial envoy, the court, the constables, and the interrogation... She lowered her head, her eyes flashing, and decided to take Guo Honglei back to the city to increase her chances of success. Then she raised her face and burst into tears, trembling and begging: "I, I am willing to surrender, but it's late at night, I am a woman with a child, I really don't dare to travel at night. Honglei, can you escort us to the government office?" After that, she knelt closer, kowtowed and said:
"I'm at my wit's end, please, give me some more help!"
The author has something to say:
Baozhu is the apple of her father's eye, but she was born to the wrong mother...
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