Chapter Sixty-Six
"Furthermore, I will investigate whether Granny Zhou died a violent death or what caused her to leave the county magistrate's mansion and become a runaway slave."
"Don't worry, I won't wrong an innocent person, but I'll never let a bad one go unpunished either. Hmph, if I'm as useless as a discarded shoe, how could I possibly wrong myself and those loyal followers who have served my mother for the sake of so-called filial piety?"
After hearing these words, Qin Youming and Aunt An were speechless and fled back to the inner courtyard in a disheveled state.
Aunt An was filled with anxiety. "Master, what should we do? Please make a decision quickly. That little jinx—she's going crazy, she's going to ruin us!"
The thought of Qin Zhining, so young yet possessing such an unnatural ferocity on her face, made Aunt An feel that something big was about to happen, and she became even more uneasy.
Qin Youming closed his eyes tightly, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.
No wonder Qin Zhining acted so recklessly as soon as she came back; it turns out she knew everything.
"Discuss Ayu's wedding date with the He family as soon as possible, lest things get complicated."
Qin Youming gritted his teeth and said, "First, send that little beast a thousand taels of silver to appease her and prevent her from ruining Ayu's wonderful marriage."
Qin Youming emphasized the words "a wonderful marriage" heavily, as if afraid that An Qinghe might not take them seriously.
This also shows that he was truly afraid of Qin Zhining.
When An Qinghe heard that a thousand taels of silver would be given away so easily, her heart ached as if it were bleeding. She said with dissatisfaction, "Master, a thousand taels... it's more important to give it to Ayu as part of her dowry."
As you know, Ayu's dowry was small when she married into the He family, so it won't be easy for her to speak up for you in the future.
Besides, our family doesn't have much savings. After Ayu gets married, it will be Chengxuan's turn.
"Chengxuan's marriage, lacking a dowry, makes him even more of a laughingstock. Tell me, is he really going to give that little slut a thousand taels of silver?"
Having torn off the pretense of being virtuous, Aunt An no longer wanted to pretend to be kind. She called Qin Zhining a "little bitch" repeatedly, showing that she was truly ready to go all out.
Qin Youming closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, seemingly much clearer, and said, "Here. Give her this silver for now, but if she wants to take it and leave the Qin family, that's wishful thinking."
"Don't worry, Qinghe, I won't skimp on Ayu's dowry, and I certainly won't let her suffer any injustice. On her wedding day, I will make Qin Zhining return that thousand taels of silver."
Seeing that her husband had made a clever arrangement, Madam Qin's anger turned to laughter. She readily went to the inner chamber and retrieved a silver note containing one thousand taels of silver, which she then handed to Qin Youming.
“Master, you must keep your word regarding Ayu’s dowry. If it’s less than promised… she will suffer in the future, and you, her father, will be the one who loses face.”
Qin Youming frowned, gave a vague "hmm," took the silver note, and, suppressing his heartache, delivered it to Qin Zhining.
However, his steps were as heavy as if they were filled with lead. Just as he reached the door of the woodshed, he heard Qin Zhining's clear voice coming from inside. She was talking to Granny Cheng and Qiu Xiang and a few others.
“Without enough people, things won’t be effective. Granny Cheng, tomorrow go to the brokerage and pick two quick and efficient maids, and also see if there are any reliable accountants.”
From now on, let Chai Bao assist the new accountant and learn bookkeeping and accounting. We need our own people to help us in the future.”
Upon hearing that her son was valued so much by her mistress, Qiu Xiang was thrilled and quickly replied, "Yes, Miss."
"Abao—this servant will certainly make him study hard, so that he won't disappoint you or bring shame upon you."
Granny Cheng sighed, "Yes, Miss, we can't live our lives according to the whims of others who are dividing their households. You are the most honored mistress of this mansion, how can you become a guest under someone else's eaves?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Youming felt a tightness in his chest, his back teeth clenching so hard they made a clanging sound. He tried to calm his anger, and when he pushed open the door, he forced a gentle "fatherly" expression onto his face.
“Zhi Ning, it was my fault before. I shouldn’t have let you live here. Take this thousand taels of silver and use it to buy some clothes and food. Your mother’s dowry… I’ll think of a way to help you.”
Qin Zhining glanced at the silver note, her fingertips not even moving, and said indifferently, "Master Qin is quite generous."
But my mother's dowry included twenty acres of fertile land, three shops, plus jewelry and silver notes; it was worth at least five thousand taels. Is this one thousand taels meant to feed a beggar?
"You!" Qin Youming's anger, which he had just suppressed, flared up again, but when he thought of the He family's wedding date, he forced himself to hold it back.
"Zhi Ning, the family's expenses have been high in recent years, and we can't raise that much money right now. Take this thousand taels for now, consider it a debt your father owes you, and I will definitely make it up to you after A Yu gets married."
"Make up for it?" Qin Zhining suddenly laughed, her laughter full of sarcasm. "Does Master Qin think I would believe your words?"
"Or do you still think that once your good daughter Qin Zhiyu marries into the He family, you and that perpetually lowly Aunt An will have a powerful backer, and then I won't dare to have any more children?"
These words struck a chord with Qin Youming.
His expression changed slightly, but he still wanted to argue. Qin Zhining had already stood up and walked closer, her eyes as cold as ice. "I'll accept the silver notes."
Who would turn down money? A thousand is a thousand, and Qin Zhining certainly wouldn't be a fool to refuse it. So, she took the silver note, counted it, and then handed it to Granny Cheng to verify its authenticity.
Of course, Granny Cheng knew how to authenticate banknotes. After receiving the banknotes, she carefully examined each one. Finally, she nodded slightly to her young mistress, indicating that the banknotes were genuine.
Qin Zhining then turned her head and looked at Qin Youming's gloomy old face, which was as dark as could be, and said without any politeness, "Master Qin, I will accept the one thousand taels of silver."
But it's not a 'loan,' nor is it the return of my mother's dowry money; it's the interest you owe my mother.
Furthermore, I want you to write a written agreement right now, stating that you owe my mother 3,500 taels of silver as dowry, and that you will repay it within three days.
If you don't return it in three days, I'll take this note to the prefectural city and sue you—accuse you of embezzling my deceased wife's dowry and mistreating my legitimate daughter!
Qin Youming took a step back in fright. He never expected that this girl would actually go to court and show him no respect. His voice trembled and he shook with anger, “You—you dare. I am your father. It is unfilial of you to sue me.”
"Unfilial piety?" Qin Zhining picked up the rough porcelain bowl on the table and smashed it on the ground with a "bang," shards scattering everywhere.
"When you forced my mother to take birth control pills back then, why didn't you think about the bond between father and daughter? When you let Aunt An occupy my mother's courtyard and threw me to my ancestral home to suffer, why didn't you think about being unfilial?"
"Master Qin, if you don't write it today, I'll go to the storytelling hall right now and tell everyone, word for word, about your affair with Aunt An and your plot to murder my mother."
Granny Cheng and Qiu Xiang watched from the side, both secretly clenching their hands.
The young lady's ruthlessness has finally scared the master!
Yes, the son-in-law must be afraid.
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