Chapter 715 I Thought You'd Get Smarter
Lin Yuesha had no objections and quickly accepted Wei Lan's arrangement, but Bai Youran couldn't accept it.
"I object."
Bai Youran arranged to meet Lin Yuesha because she wanted to bring Lin Yuesha to her side so that the two of them could work together to deal with Wei Lan. She didn't want to be too obvious, so she wanted to use Lin Yuesha as a puppet to shield her.
"Sister Bai, I thought you had become smarter."
Lin Yuesha sighed and said bluntly, "You and I have known each other for quite some time now, so you must know very well what kind of person my sister is."
At the girls' school, Lin Yuesha schemed against the Li sisters quite a bit; she was no pushover.
Bai Youran caused her trouble and embarrassed her at the flower viewing party at the Prince's Mansion. It won't be so easy for her to get away with it.
With her thoughts exposed, Bai Youran blushed and said, "You don't know yet, do you? Prince Luo led the people of the Protectorate General's Mansion to set off ahead of schedule, just because the Northwest city has been breached and the foreign tribes are in high spirits. If they are allowed to continue their momentum, they will eventually march on the capital."
In a war, countless soldiers were killed or wounded, and military supplies were in short supply.
"In the past two years, the south has suffered from floods and insect plagues, while the north has been frequently harassed by barbarians. Taxes have increased and food prices have risen, making life difficult for the people."
Bai Youran transformed into a saintly figure, reasoning with Lin Yuesha and appealing to her emotions: "The money we raised is our hard-earned money. If the Wei family arranges for it to go to a pawnshop, at least 20% will be deducted."
Moreover, the pawnshops refused to accept the warm jade that Wei Lan donated, which meant that Wei Lan didn't contribute anything, but instead gained a good reputation.
Bai Youran was deeply troubled by this. Li Ruoxue was gone, her nephew had been killed by Wei Lan, and her brother had betrayed his conscience by climbing the social ladder. Only she could avenge Li Ruoxue.
“Sister Yue Sha, I admit my mistakes before. I will do my best to make it up to you as long as I can.”
With limited time, the two discussed their options and headed straight for the Wei family. Before that, Bai Youran had to secure Lin Yuesha's support.
She rubbed her eyes, not wanting to feign pitifulness. She admitted that she was genuinely fond of Lin Yuesha at first, without any ulterior motives, but rather it was jealousy that arose at the girls' school.
"It's pointless to talk about this now. We're not sisters, so I don't care."
You have to keep your distance from people like Bai Youran, because you never know when they might turn on you.
What seems like heartfelt words may actually be another act of self-inflicted suffering.
Lin Yuesha swirled her teacup, her expression cold, and said, "I also hope that every penny of the donated money will be used effectively."
However, the jewelry donated by the ladies could not be directly converted into cash, so it had to be pawned or resold.
With the war situation pressing and military supplies only enough to last until the end of the year, which is about two months, there is not enough time to process the jewelry in batches.
No matter who you ask to handle it, they will always cut corners; this is a business transaction, not a favor.
“I know, but I don’t want such a large sum of money to end up in the Wei family’s pockets…”
Bai Youran looked up and saw Lin Yuesha raise her eyebrows, clearly disbelieving her, so she said, "Sister Yuesha, I am speaking from the heart, not insincerely."
Even the worst man wouldn't remarry before his first wife's body is even cold. After Li Ruoxue's death, Wei Lan was not a concubine, but a second wife.
"Jiang Baozhu does business in the capital, and you have a wide network of connections, so surely you can find a way in?"
Since the money was going to be skimped on anyway, Bai Youran preferred that the money go into Lin Yuesha's pocket.
“Sister Baozhu runs a food stall. I’m just a country bumpkin, what connections do I have?”
Lin Yuesha refused. Those several large boxes of jewelry were a hot potato; the Wei family coveted them greatly, and forcibly taking them at this time would inevitably attract attention.
So she gave Bai Youran an idea: "If you feel wronged by this, why not launch another fundraising campaign? You are the initiator, so you can naturally decide how much money to raise."
Two hundred thousand taels of silver, piled up like a small mountain, could not last long if sent to the Northwest as military supplies.
Especially in the Northwest, where winter is approaching, the cost of charcoal braziers for heating, cotton-padded clothes, medicinal herbs, and strong liquor is a significant expense.
"I'm here to organize this fundraising?"
Bai Youran immediately shook her head and denied it, "No, I can't!"
"Sister Bai, you are so intelligent, how come you lost your confidence when you got to the capital?"
Everything is for military supplies.
Bai Youran is not stupid. She lost her mind because of jealousy. Once she stopped scheming against others and had no selfish motives, she was still a very capable woman.
Lin Yuesha addressed the issue directly, offering various encouraging words.
"Sister Yue Sha, is that really how you see me?"
Bai Youran was shocked. Was that intelligent and kind-hearted woman really her?
"Sister Bai, although humility is a virtue, you are being too self-deprecating."
Lin Yuesha continued to deceive them.
Since the mission is to transport military supplies to the Northwest, why not pull off a big heist? Lin Yuesha plans to launch a fundraising campaign before leaving Beijing.
Even a single copper coin is not too little; every little bit counts. Lin Yuesha had decided on the theme for the fundraising: "To treat the soldiers of the Northwest to a full meal."
“Sister Baozhu runs a shop at Qingzhu Academy, and I conduct fundraising at the academy.”
Wei Lan has already squeezed most of the rich men dry; if she were to summon the young ladies of other families again, they might not be willing to pay any more money.
"I understand."
Bai Youran was reminded and instantly had an idea. If she opposed Wei Lan before even leaving the capital, and Wei Lan interfered and tried to stop her, she might not be able to leave the capital. It would be better to pretend to be nice to her first, since in Wei Lan's eyes she was just a fence-sitter anyway.
The two reached an agreement and headed to the Wei residence.
...
"Did Li Ruoxue know she didn't have long to live, so she tried to annoy me by hanging herself?"
Inside the room, broken porcelain shards littered the floor, and maids and servants were cleaning them up.
Wei Lan sat to the side and cursed, "Does she think that dying can stop my marriage?"
It would be better if she died, but to die at this critical juncture would be to make it known that Wei Lan killed Li Ruoxue's unborn child and forced Li Ruoxue to hang herself.
Whether others believe it or not, she herself believes it.
"Miss, please calm down. With Li Ruoxue dead, and without her interfering, wouldn't it be better for you and Young Master Bai to live happily ever after?"
Given the Wei family's status, they don't need to care what others say.
Besides, people can talk all they want, you can't stop them from talking.
With Mo Dong dead, the remaining maids began to vie for the position of first-class maid.
Wei Lan felt a little better after being comforted by several clever maids. She took out a letter from her purse and read it again.
Bai Dingfeng was busy with funeral arrangements and couldn't come to the Wei residence, so he wrote a letter and included a short poem for Wei Lan at the end.
Wei Lan repeatedly recited the poem in a low voice, her cheeks blushing shyly.
"Miss, Miss Bai and Miss Lin have arrived."
The two young ladies of the Lin family, Lin Yue'e and Lin Yuesha, are both frequent visitors to the Wei residence. To distinguish between them, Lin Yue'e is referred to as the eldest young lady.
"Um."
Wei Lan then stood up and moved to the flower hall.
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