After Xu finished speaking, she covered her face and burst into tears.
Unfortunately, she was tall and strong, and her voice was loud when she cried. When she covered her face and cried, the noise was truly earth-shattering. Cai Wenxuan listened, his face turning from blue to purple, and finally he couldn't help but scold, "Enough!"
But if Xu was afraid of him, she wouldn't have been so arrogant and domineering all these years, even daring to cause trouble in front of the King of Qin.
Cai Wenxuan's shout not only failed to make her realize the situation, but also caused Xu's anger to rise even higher, making her even more determined to oppose him.
When that vixen cried, the King of Qin hugged and comforted her.
And her?
Madam Xu raised her face and glared fiercely at Cai Wenxuan, saying, "Do you believe that vixen's words, or do you believe mine?"
When Cai Wenxuan heard her speak so disrespectfully in front of the Prince of Qin, his mind went blank. He finally couldn't hold back and slapped Xu Shi hard, cursing through gritted teeth, "How could I have married such a stupid woman like you!"
Xu had never suffered such humiliation. She stared at Cai Wenxuan in disbelief, then at the gloomy-faced Prince Qin and Shen Youying, who was watching the show in his arms. She stomped her foot angrily, turned around and walked out: "You, surnamed Cai, are something else! If you're so capable, then don't come to the Xu family begging me!"
After saying that, she angrily called for the frightened maids and servants to prepare a carriage and return to her parents' home.
Cai Wenxuan was left alone, awkwardly and cautiously facing Xue Shen.
He bowed deeply and apologized repeatedly: "Your Highness, please forgive me. Please don't hold a grudge against an ignorant lady. She is illiterate and spoiled by her family. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize to Your Highness and your wife on her behalf."
Upon hearing this, Xue Shen scoffed: "Just the daughter of a military officer, yet she has quite the temper. I wonder who gave her that confidence."
His words seemed to have a hidden meaning, and Cai Wenxuan's heart skipped a beat. He became even more cautious in observing his expression. But apart from his gloomy and unhappy face, he couldn't discern anything else. Cai Wenxuan couldn't tell whether he knew something and was testing him, or whether he was simply unhappy and dissatisfied with Madam Xu.
Cai Wenxuan pondered this for a moment, then could only apologize repeatedly and invite the two inside.
Xue Shen had come today to test his strength, so naturally he wouldn't actually leave. He lowered his head and coaxed Shen Youying a few times before Shen Youying reluctantly nodded and followed him inside.
Cai Wenxuan invited the two to sit in the main seats. Seeing that Shen Youying still looked unhappy, and Xue Shen's expression was not good either, he could only grit his teeth and have the generous gift that he had prepared to give to the Prince of Qin at another time delivered in advance.
Upon receiving the signal, a servant carefully brought forward a brocade box. Cai Wenxuan took it and placed it in front of Xue Shen and Shen Youying: "My wife's words and actions were inappropriate and offended Your Highness and Madam. I feel very guilty. I just acquired a precious item the other day, which I think is very suitable for you, Madam, so I present it to you as an apology. I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold that shrew against me. I will definitely teach her a good lesson later and then bring her to apologize in person."
Xue Shen sat there unmoved, only looking down at Shen Youying. Judging from his expression, whether or not this matter should be let go depended on Shen Youying's attitude.
Cai Wenxuan saw through the trick and noticed Shen Youying's gaze glancing at the brocade box. He quickly opened the lid and said solicitously, "Madam, please look. This is a unique piece, one of a kind in the world."
Shen Youying looked into the brocade box and saw that it contained a courtyard carved from gold and jade. Gold tiles and white jade walls completed the scene; even the veins and patterns of the flowers, trees, and shrubs were clearly visible. Butterflies with folded wings rested on the petals, and a rabbit slept soundly in the grass…
The entire mansion is only an inch square, yet it is exquisitely crafted in every way. Not only are the materials rare, but the carving is also exceptional. If it were to fall into the market, it would surely become another priceless treasure.
Such objects, made with precious materials and exquisitely crafted, can be counted on one hand even within the imperial palace.
But Cai Wenxuan, a mere governor of Xizhou, could easily give it away.
Xue Shen's gaze shifted slightly as he subtly surveyed the other woman, then casually asked Shen Youying, "Does Zhaozhao like it? If she does, she can stay and play."
Shen Youying met his gaze, and sensing something from his tone, she suppressed her surprise. She casually fiddled with the luxurious mansion and said, "It's not bad. Perhaps my child will like it when he is born."
Cai Wenxuan had assumed that a mistress, being rather unsophisticated, would be overjoyed to see such an object, thus easily letting the earlier embarrassment pass. But to his surprise, the two remained remarkably calm, as if such priceless items were commonplace.
Seeing this, Cai Wenxuan felt a surge of resentment, but he could only grit his teeth and agree, saying, "Although this Fulu Mansion is made of superior materials, it is only for viewing and not of great use. I also have a set of headdress and jewelry here, which I think the lady will like even more."
After he finished speaking, another maid came over carrying several boxes.
When the box was opened, it was filled with jewelry made of jade inlaid with pure gold. Shen Youying casually picked up a gold armlet and was surprised by its heavy weight.
She examined the gold armlets closely and confirmed that they were made of solid gold.
The maid brought out eight boxes in total, containing items ranging from large hair ornaments, hairpins, armlets, and bracelets to small items like earrings and hairpins. If they were all made of solid gold, they would add up to about a thousand taels of gold.
Although a thousand taels of gold is only equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver, gold mines are scarce in the Great Wei Dynasty, and silver and copper coins are the most common currencies in circulation. The number of gold ingots cast is limited, and ordinary officials or merchants have virtually no need for gold in their daily lives.
As for the gold jewelry in those gold shops, most of them use silver as the core and then wrap a layer of gold on the outside, or use various techniques to press and stretch the gold to make it look bigger and heavier.
In short, it would be virtually impossible for ordinary officials and their families to use a large amount of gold to create such solid pure gold jewelry.
There are families that can afford to use large amounts of gold to create jewelry, but it's definitely not something a family like Cai Wenxuan's, with no financial resources, could afford.
But Cai Wenxuan took out thousands of taels of gold with ease, as if it were nothing.
Shen Youying and Xue Shen exchanged a glance before pretending to be delighted and saying with a smile, "These pieces of jewelry look quite nice and suit me well."
Seeing her overjoyed expression, Cai Wenxuan scoffed inwardly. He thought to himself that her previous lukewarm reaction to the Fu Lu Mansion wasn't because she had seen much of the world following the Prince of Qin, but because she simply didn't know how priceless the Fu Lu Mansion was.
Upon seeing this real gold, he soon beamed with joy.
Cai Wenxuan felt a pang of heartache when he thought of the Fulu Mansion that he had reluctantly given away. If he had known this would happen, he would have moved the dusty pure gold coral from the storeroom. Perhaps that would have pleased the Prince of Qin's favorite concubine and saved him some trouble.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
