Chapter Eight: Donating Dowry – A Decree to Eliminate the Problem
After weighing the pros and cons, Qin Youming took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger, and tried to make his voice sound somewhat feigned gentleness.
"Zhining, it was my fault. I made you suffer back then. I had my reasons..."
"Come with me into the manor first. There's your favorite bird's nest chicken soup simmering there. I'll do whatever you want, okay?"
Qin Zhining lowered her eyelids slightly, her long eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyes.
Out of the corner of her eye, she precisely swept over the calculating face of Sheng Kun, the county magistrate's steward, in the crowd. Her fingertips subtly tightened around Qin Xiaoxiao's hand, and she finally nodded slowly: "Alright, I trust Father this time."
She appeared obedient and compliant, but inwardly she sneered.
Since ancient times, filial piety has been a shackle on children. If they are too disobedient, even if they are completely in the right, they will be drowned in spittle.
The moment Qin Youming lowered his head, she chose to temporarily "show weakness," but from an angle unseen by anyone, she planted an even sharper foreshadowing.
Turning to face the complex gazes of the crowd, some sympathetic and some disdainful, she took Qin Xiaoxiao's cold little hand and stepped onto the bluestone steps in front of the Qin family mansion.
The brick-paved passageway inside the gate was swept clean by servants, and the warmth of the charcoal brazier wafted from within, creating a world apart from the howling wind and snow and the icy road outside.
But Qin Zhining knew better than anyone that this ornate mansion was nothing more than a magnificent cage, where even more turbulent undercurrents and more dangerous schemes awaited her.
Especially Aunt An's spoiled and unruly children, they would never allow her, the eldest daughter who had "come back to life," to live a peaceful life.
"Miss Qin, please rest assured. If you encounter any difficulties at home, please feel free to ask us neighbors for help."
Suddenly, the voice of Sheng Kun, the county magistrate's steward, rang out from the crowd. He deliberately raised his voice, and his seemingly kind words concealed undisguised schadenfreude.
The bigger the farce at the Qin family mansion, the greater the chance that the master of the house will benefit from it and be promoted.
Upon hearing this, Qin Youming's anger surged to a fever pitch, his face darkening like a block of ancient, icy iron, yet he couldn't utter a single word.
He could only vent his anger on Qin Zhining, his eyes like poisoned knives, wishing he could pierce her with holes.
Qin Zhining was not about to suffer this injustice in silence.
Before the doorman Zhang Er could close the door, she suddenly stopped, one foot inside the threshold and the other outside, and asked in a feignedly confused voice.
“Master Qin, since ancient times there has been a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and a hierarchy of respect. As the residence of an official appointed by the imperial court, our county magistrate’s mansion should follow this rule, shouldn’t it?”
"Now that I've entered this gate, according to ancestral rules and the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, I'm still the eldest daughter of the county magistrate's family, right?"
These words struck Qin Youming like a punch to the heart, making his face turn from pale to ashen.
Aunt An, who had been maintaining a fake smile, suddenly froze, her lips twitching as if she could barely keep it up.
The words "eldest legitimate daughter" are the deepest thorn in her heart since she entered the Qin family, and an obstacle that her children can never overcome!
The crowd erupted again, everyone craning their necks to wait for Qin Youming's answer.
Would he dare to deny his status as the eldest legitimate daughter in front of the neighbors?
If they admit it, how could Aunt An's family be willing to accept it?
If he denies it, he is violating the law and rules, and if word gets out, it will be enough to make him lose his job!
In the wind and snow, Qin Zhining stood silently on the threshold of the mansion, her eyes as cold as frost. Her small back was straight, like a pine tree that refused to bend in the cold wind.
Qin Xiaoxiao, like an enraged little leopard, stared intently at Qin Youming's neck, her knuckles white as she gripped the wooden stick, as if she would pounce on him and make a hole in him the next second if he dared to say even half a "no".
Qin Youming gritted his teeth, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white, making a soft "crunching" sound between his knuckles, his eyes filled with a desire to gouge out Qin Zhining's tongue on the spot.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, he had no choice but to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, each word as if pulled from blood: "Yes, you are the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife."
After saying this, he felt a sharp pain in his heart and a surge of resentment.
As a dignified fifth-rank county magistrate, he was not defeated by Xie Mingyuan, but instead was completely controlled by this nemesis born of her.
How hateful! How infuriating!
He almost bit the words "eldest daughter" to pieces between his teeth.
Meeting his venomous gaze, Qin Zhining slowly curved her lips into a barely perceptible smile of victory.
Entering the mansion is only the first step; recognizing one's status is the second.
Next, all the old scores that need to be settled will be settled.
She wanted everyone in the mansion to know that the original owner, who had been bullied and died in the countryside, was no longer there; what had returned was a vengeful ghost seeking revenge.
As Qin Zhining entered the county magistrate's residence, she looked at the ornate courtyard, Qin Youming's gloomy profile, and the scheming and resentment in the eyes of Aunt An and Aunt Liu. Her sneer intensified.
This grand drama of power struggles within the household has only just begun.
Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Qin Youming was so angry that he was panting heavily and glared at her fiercely.
"Even the fiercest gaze won't eat you up."
Qin Zhining suddenly turned around, looked at the outside of the mansion with a cold smile, and her voice pierced through the wind and snow and echoed throughout the alley, "Thank you all for speaking up for justice."
Ladies and gentlemen, something suddenly occurred to me that I must mention.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Youming felt a jolt in his heart and realized something was wrong. He quickly waved his hand to interrupt, "Qin Zhining, family scandals should not be aired in public."
"How long are you going to cause trouble? Get inside! Guards, close the gate! Immediately, close the gate! No one is to open it without my permission!"
Splash—
At his command, seven or eight servants and guards pounced on him like wolves, about to close the vermilion gate.
Qin Xiaoxiao was no pushover. She was furious when she saw that they had attacked without her young mistress giving any orders.
The child held the smooth wooden stick in her hand and slammed it against the gate frame. Her small body pressed firmly against the door, truly a woman guarding the gate. No matter how much the servants pushed and pulled, the two gates remained unmoved.
A hint of a smile flashed in Qin Zhining's eyes as she continued, raising her voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, everyone—"
As an orphan who has lived in the countryside for five years, with only the dowry left by my mother, I am all alone in this mansion, with no one to rely on. The days ahead are full of dangers.
Today, I ask you all to bear witness—if I survive unscathed in the county magistrate's residence, I will donate half of my dowry, left to me by my mother, to the county government to fund the construction of bridges and roads in Lincheng County!
"Whoosh—"
The phrase "donate half of your dowry to repair bridges and pave roads" instantly shocked everyone present, and even the howling cold wind seemed to pause at the sound of this statement.
A buzz of discussion immediately arose in the crowd, and the look of sympathy towards Qin Zhining turned into admiration.
What courage it takes to donate one's dowry in public! What was this child thinking?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
