Chapter 48 Taking advantage of a loophole
At the end of the Shen period, the rain gradually got heavier, and the gate of the Yongyi Marquis Mansion was shrouded in rain.
When Xie Rongying bent down and walked out of the carriage, she saw Qin Junyi standing beside the carriage with an umbrella, wanting to shield her from the rain. She looked at Yunniang who was standing on the other side. Yunniang walked forward and helped Xie Rongying get off the carriage.
When Qin Jun saw Xie Rongying's deliberate distance, he turned and walked towards the door.
Mother Yuan had been waiting at the gate for a long time. The moment she saw Xie Rongying, her eyes were somewhat fluctuating. She thought Xie Rongying would not come back.
"Young Marquis, Young Madam." Mother Yuan stepped forward to greet them. "You're back! Hurry up! Madam has been waiting for you."
Qin Jun glanced at Mother Yuan strangely, then said to Xie Rongying, "Mother has already arranged for the big kitchen to prepare meals, and is waiting for me to pick you up."
Xie Rongying's cold eyes gathered, and she raised her lips to smile: "Really? That really makes mother worry."
"Yes, young madam, the madam is waiting for you." Mother Yuan said with a smile.
Xie Rongying's gaze lingered on Mother Yuan for a moment, and she said, "If I don't go, it would seem that a junior like me is ungrateful."
Upon hearing this, Mother Yuan looked at Qin Junyi.
Qin Junyi understood and said, "Then don't keep mother waiting for too long."
The rain fell like threads along the eaves. Besides the sound of footsteps, the only sound on the corridor was the sound of heavy raindrops.
When we arrived at the North Courtyard, Jiang was instructing the maids how to arrange the dishes.
"Madam, the young marquis and the young mistress are back." Mother Yuan walked forward and said.
Jiang looked at Qin Junyi and Xie Rongying walking towards her, raised her lips and smiled: "Sit down quickly." As she spoke, Jiang walked forward and pulled Xie Rongying to sit down.
Xie Rongying looked relaxed and was not at all surprised by the attitude of Jiang mother and son.
Xie Rongying had to admire Jiang's "open-mindedness" for being able to pretend to be on good terms with her as if nothing had happened even after they had completely fallen out.
"Rongying, come and try these dishes to see if they suit your taste." Jiang said.
Xie Rongying's eyebrows twitched slightly as she stared at Jiang's kind smile. She was really afraid that she would foam at the mouth and die of poisoning after taking a bite.
Perhaps she saw what Xie Rongying was thinking, Jiang picked up a piece of sea bass soup for herself, tasted it, and then picked up a piece for Xie Rongying.
She smiled and said, "Try it?"
Xie Rongying raised her lips and smiled, picked up the fish soup and tasted it: "It tastes not bad."
Hearing this, Jiang's smile widened: "Junyi, you try it too."
Next, they ate in silence for about a cup of tea.
Jiang put down the silver in her hand and said to Xie Rongying, "Rongying, it was all my fault before. Please don't take it to heart."
"Why are you so polite today, mother?" Xie Rongying's tone was as polite as Jiang's.
Jiang sighed, "It's really hard for me to speak, mother, but you also know the difficulties in the Marquis' Mansion. Your second uncle and third uncle each contributed 100,000 taels of silver, but compared to the hole, it's just a drop in the bucket."
Perhaps fearing Xie Rongying might misunderstand something again, Jiang quickly explained, "Mother isn't after your dowry. Mother simply wants you to return the betrothal gift our mansion gave you to the Xie family. Even though it's not much, it's as much as you can get. Junyi and I will also find other ways to fill that hole as soon as possible."
Xie Rongying raised her eyebrows slightly, it turned out that she wanted to take back the betrothal gift.
It is no wonder that Jiang's attitude changed so much. Her dowry and the betrothal gift from the Qin family were all taken back to the Xie family by her father.
"Rongying, after that hole is filled, mother will pay you back what I owe you, don't worry." Jiang held Xie Rongying's hand, her face full of smiles: "From now on, the entire mansion will be shouldered by you and Junyi. Mother will not let you bear so much like I have."
"Since mother has so much, I will have someone count the original betrothal gifts and return them all to mother." Xie Rongying said with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Jiang's face also became more embarrassed. "It's really laughable that you can say such words. If you are not desperate, you won't say such shameless words. I hope Rongying will not take it to heart."
"Don't worry, mother. Your daughter-in-law won't take it to heart."
Xie Rongying was not at all surprised that Jiang had this idea. The dowry was in the hands of Xie Jing, and she could not get any benefit from Xie Rongying.
But the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion actually offered a betrothal gift to marry Xie Rongying.
Jiang saw no reward from Xie Rongying, so naturally what she paid had to come out of Xie Rongying's pocket.
When Qin Junyi saw that Xie Rongying had no emotion at all about such things, a strange feeling came over him.
The dinner table was very quiet after that, and the atmosphere became inexplicably tense.
Until Jiang put down the silver chopsticks again, Qin Junyi and Xie Rongying put them down one after another.
"Mother, I've finished my work. There may be some things waiting for me to deal with in Dongyuan, so I'll go back first." As Xie Rongying spoke, she stood up and bowed to Jiang.
Jiang wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Go ahead."
After Xie Rongying left, Qin Junyi asked, "Mother, is it too much to return the betrothal gifts?"
"Too what?" Jiang interrupted Qin Junyi. "Although the betrothal gifts from our mansion are not as much as the Xie family's dowry, they are not bad either. Xie Jing was able to carry his dowry back, so what's wrong with me taking back the betrothal gifts?"
"That being said." Qin Junyi felt that asking for the betrothal gift back was excessive. "If this gets out, how will others view our Qin family?"
"Why, are you still embarrassed?" Jiang sneered, "When you disregarded the Qin family's reputation and wanted to marry Shangguan Yao, did you ever consider how the people of Bianjing would view the Qin family?"
Jiang always thought that her eldest son was a well-behaved and easy-to-control person, but she never expected that he would make her fail completely in the matter of marriage.
"When the Xie family celebrates on the first day, my Qin family celebrates on the fifteenth. Don't give me a bad name. Starting from your father, what reputation does the Yongyi Marquis Mansion have?" Jiang said with full of sarcasm.
Qin Junyi frowned when he heard this.
In Jiang's words, he was no different from his father, and Xie Rongying was no different from Jiang. She could only behave herself in the mansion and work hard for the Qin family.
"Have you mentioned the Peach Blossom Banquet to Xie Rongying?" Jiang asked.
Qin Junyi nodded.
Jiang chuckled, "That's fine."
——
The next day, it was still drizzling.
Dongxue brought the betrothal gifts and list that the Qin family had given to the Xie family to the courtyard in the front yard of the Marquis' Mansion, filling the entire courtyard.
Many maids were wondering about Dongxue's identity when they saw her, an unfamiliar figure.
Even the third branch of the Bai family who lived next door came to join in the fun.
"Hey, who are you from? Are you going to pay your betrothal?" Mrs. Bai walked into the courtyard and slowly looked at the things that were filled with things in the yard. "If it's a betrothal, this main house doesn't have a daughter."
"I am with the young lady. Yesterday, the lady told the young lady that they would use the betrothal gifts given to the Xie family to fill the hole in the Marquis' Mansion. This morning, the young lady asked me to go back to the Xie family and bring back these betrothal gifts." Dongxue said clearly.
Upon hearing this, Bai's face froze slightly: "What did you say?"
"Madam, you just heard it clearly." Dongxue said with a smile.
A cold look flashed across Bai's eyes. Seeing Jiang emerge from the Moon Gate, Bai walked straight up to her and questioned her, "Sister-in-law, what do you mean? Are you really going to throw the Qin family's reputation away for your own selfish reasons?"
Jiang pursed her lips and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
At this time, Dongxue came over, holding the list in both hands, and said, "Madam, this is the list of the Qin family's betrothal proposal. It has all been stamped by the government. If you see that everything is correct, I will go back and tell the young lady first."
Jiang didn't expect Xie Rongying to be so fast. Mother Yuan took the list from Dongxue, and Jiang went straight past Bai.
Dongxue bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."
Seeing that Jiang ignored her, Bai walked forward and said coldly, "Jiang Ling!"
Jiang finally stopped and looked directly at Bai, saying coldly, "What face? When the government orders the Qin family to pay that sum of money, and the Qin family can't pay it, they will lose all their face and reputation, and even end up in jail. Will you still care about your reputation then?"
Bai stared at Jiang coldly and finally kept her mouth shut, but she still couldn't bear to think that Jiang had fallen to this point.
"Are you no longer planning on Xie Rongying?" Bai asked in a low voice.
A cold light flashed in Jiang's eyes: "You still want to take her dowry now?"
She just wants Xie Rongying to die!
Don't take advantage of Qin Junyi's status as his wife. Go pick a girl from a real merchant family and let her control you.
About a cup of tea later, Dongxue returned to the East Garden.
Dongxue walked into the side room and saw Yunniang talking to Xie Rongying, so she waited aside.
Xie Rongying saw Dongxue coming back and asked, "Is everything settled?"
"The list has been handed over to Jiang, and the betrothal gifts are being carried from the main street to the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion." Dongxue reported.
Xie Rongying smiled faintly: "Very good."
Dongxue nodded and stepped aside.
"I just went to the main kitchen and heard from Madam Zhang that someone from the Duke of Ying's Mansion came to see Madam at the end of the morning hour. It was a woman, and I guess it was Madam Xue." Yunniang reported in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Xie Rongying thought about the Peach Blossom Banquet in two days and Qin Junyi personally going to the Xie family to invite her back, and a very light sneer escaped from her throat.
She originally thought that the death of Jiang Yin and the misfortune of Zhang Ruru would prevent the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion from becoming enemies with the Earl of Yongqin's Mansion and the Marquis of Yongyi's Mansion, but at the very least, they would not have any further dealings with each other.
The fact that Jiang can still get along with Madam Xue shows that they have reached an agreement.
Xie Rongying leisurely picked up the teacup and said, "Go and find out if the maid who served Zhang Ruru at Kaibao Temple is still in the Duke of Ying's mansion. Whether she was beaten to death or sold out, find out everything for me."
"Yes." Yunniang said and walked out.
Dongxue stepped forward and asked, "Young lady, the old lady asked me to bring you a message."
Xie Rongying thought that the old lady at home must be starting to worry about her again, and the sourness in her heart spread throughout her body.
"The old lady said, young lady, don't be afraid of anything you do. Even if the sky falls, the Xie family will back you up."
Xie Rongying didn't react for a long time after hearing this.
When Dongxue looked at Xie Rongying, she saw that her girl's eyes were red but she was forcing herself to hold back the moisture in her eyes.
——
In the evening, the golden setting sun shone slowly through the gaps in the thick clouds. In the East Courtyard of the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion, water droplets dripping from the eaves hit the banana leaves and rolled down, landing heavily in the puddles. The splashing water droplets hit the skirt of Yunniang who was passing by quickly.
Yunniang walked into the side room and went straight to Xie Rongying behind the desk.
"Miss, all the maids around Miss Zhang were beaten to death, except for the one who cried bitterly in Kaibao Temple that day." Yunniang panted slightly, "And that girl was also sold away."
Xie Rongying stood up calmly and said, "It seems that the Zhang family cares about this daughter very much."
Although Mrs. Xue cares so much about her daughter Zhang Ruru, she still has contact with Jiang.
That means Mrs. Xue and Jiang were having a private relationship.
The only reason that brought these two together was Xie Rongying.
Or perhaps the Duke of England's Mansion tacitly approved of Madam Xue's relationship with Jiang. Although the Duke of England's Mansion would not let Jiang Yin live in the Kaibao Temple incident, she also had no intention of letting Xie Rongying go.
Oh……
"Dongxue." Xie Rongying looked at Dongxue and said, "Arrange the secret guards my father sent to find the maid that was sold by the Duke of Yingguo's mansion."
Dongxue nodded: "I will go right away."
There is nothing in this world that cannot be done with money. If it really cannot be done, it means that the money given is not enough.
"I want to know the whereabouts of that maid tomorrow morning." Xie Rongying said with a faint smile.
Dongxue nodded: "Yes."
That day, after Zhang Ruoru was brought back to the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion by Madam Xue, Zhang Huai, in a rage, beat to death all the maids around Zhang Ruoru. The maid who hurriedly looked for Zhang Ruoru in Kaibao Temple that day was the daughter of Song's confidant.
Song understood that the mother and daughter were loyal, but someone took advantage of them, so she let them be sold out.
The mother and daughter were taken away by people around Zhang Huai to be sold. However, people around Zhang Huai saw that the maid was pretty, so they raped her when they sold her to the human traffickers.
His mother wanted to stop them, but was pushed by Zhang Huai's men and hit the corner of the table hard, dying on the spot.
The maid watched her mother die before her eyes and was raped. She was filled with hatred and finally bowed to her fate. She was sold to a human trafficker with her broken body.
Moreover, because he was a slave and a family child, he was sold and there was no decent person to buy him.
After half a month without anyone buying her, the human trafficker sold the maid to a brothel for five taels of silver.
From being a first-class maidservant beside the daughter of a noble family to being the lowest-ranking servant in Xiangliu Anyuan, all the hatred in her heart was erased by this place.
Because of their young bodies, people who come here like to try new things.
She saw so many guests every day and night that she didn't even know how many there were.
Until Xie Rongying arrived, she was wearing a dusty coat, and you could vaguely see the bellyband underneath. She stood in the middle of the room, staring timidly at the woman sitting by the window.
At this moment, she completely felt the difference between heaven and earth.
"Sit down." Xie Rongying glanced at her, then looked at the seat next to her and gestured for her to sit down.
"I dare not."
Xie Rongying smiled faintly: "What's your name?"
"Wei'er."
"Real name."
She raised her eyes and stared at Xie Rongying. She remembered Xie Rongying. The day the girl was assassinated, this woman was also there.
"Dongfu." She said and thought of her last name: "Li Dongfu."
Xie Rongying looked Li Dongfu up and down and said slowly, "If I can find you, I know what happened to you. If I tell you, I can let you avenge your mother and take you away from here. Are you willing to do one thing for me?"
Li Dongfu's originally lifeless eyes suddenly lit up. She fell to her knees, her voice tinged with tears: "Madam, I am willing! I am willing!"
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