Chapter 8 I Want It All
The air was clear, the cold wind suddenly stopped, and the sky above Bianjing gradually became clear blue. The snow in the East Garden was cleared away, leaving only the branches of the sycamore trees with residual snow. As the temperature rose, snow flakes swirled and fell.
Cuizhi trotted from the hanging flower gate and went straight to the wing room.
"Young Madam." Cuizhi walked in and saw Yunniang sorting the items brought from the main house. She turned her gaze and walked towards Xie Rongying, who was sitting on the couch holding a hand warmer. "As you expected, the Marquis has handed the affairs of the mansion to Zhou."
Xie Rongying, who was leaning on a table with her eyes closed, raised her eyelids slightly and looked at Cuizhi, who was breathing slightly, and smiled faintly: "Did Jiang also obey the Marquis' wishes?"
"The Marquis and his wife stayed in the front hall for a whole hour. No one was allowed to approach, not even the young Marquis who came back. Later, the Marquis decided that Zhou would be in charge of all the affairs of the Marquis's Mansion temporarily. His wife must be tired from running the household affairs over the years, so he wanted her to have a good rest." Cuizhi briefly recounted the important matters.
"Then how should we calculate the silver deficit over the years?" Xie Rongying's smile deepened as he said this.
According to the current situation of the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion, it would be a drop in the bucket to fill the deficit even if the private treasury of the Qin family master was opened. This was one of the reasons why Qin Junyi entered the palace and volunteered to go to the border in his previous life.
The Yongyi Marquis's Mansion had been poorly managed and extravagant since the generation of Qin Junyi's great-grandfather. The family's money was constantly lost due to open and secret struggles. The income from the manor and shops could not sustain the extravagance of the children in the mansion, so they had to borrow money from the court.
However, since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has been constantly cleaning up the corruption of court officials and the money owed by the noble clans to the court. He no longer allows the nobles to reach out to the court, and the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion began to fall into financial difficulties.
Not only did his life become difficult, but he also had to find a way to repay the money he owed to the court.
The Yongyi Marquis Mansion has the title of "Founding Meritorious Service". The government values reputation and is more tolerant of the Yongyi Marquis Mansion.
However, if the money owed to the court is not repaid, the Yongyi Marquisate will not only lose its title, but it is also possible that it will be convicted.
Jiang has been managing the Qin family for many years and naturally knows what the Qin family is like. In order to protect her son's title and to completely solve the problem of the Qin family's deficit, she carefully selected the eldest daughter of the Xie family who she was most satisfied with.
The Xie family has been salt merchants for generations. The silver they have accumulated could not be spent even if the Xie family members spent several lifetimes, not to mention that all the Xie family members are ambitious.
Although the Xie family made their fortune as salt merchants, after several generations of hard work, they also gained a place in the officialdom of Bianliang.
Jiang values Xie Rongying, and even more so, she values Xie Rongying's ability to solve the problems that have been accumulating in her heart for many years.
"After Madam left the front hall, the Marquis immediately arranged for someone to invite the people from the second and third wives." The more Cuizhi spoke, the wider her smile grew. "I think he thinks the deficit in the Marquisate isn't just the first wife's problem. If he wants to solve it, how can the second and third wives not be involved?"
Xie Rongying chuckled, sat up, and joked, "It has to be the Marquis of Yongyi. He solves problems in a way that makes them look like they're being solved. The second and third houses are living a comfortable life under the care of the Marquis of Yongyi. Don't try to hide away when you encounter difficulties."
"That's right, young lady." Cuizhi walked forward and took the hand warmer from Xie Rongying. After putting it down, she picked up the teacup and handed it to Xie Rongying: "Young lady, have some water. Are you feeling better?"
Xie Rongying took the teacup with a lazy look on her face: "It's nothing serious, I just want to let Marquis Yongyi see how weak I am."
Even if the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion is dissatisfied with the Jiang family, after weighing the pros and cons, the Yongyi Marquis will stand on the same camp with the Jiang family.
If she was weak and made the matter clear, and it did not affect the core interests of the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion, the Yongyi Marquis would not let her fill the deficit of the Marquis' Mansion like Jiang did for the sake of his reputation.
After all, things are now out in the open.
There is no impenetrable wall in this world, and Marquis Yongyi does not want the entire Qin family to become a laughing stock in Bianjing.
"As soon as my daughter-in-law married into the Qin family, the entire Qin family set their sights on her dowry."
If these words were to get out, the backbone of the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion would probably be broken by the people of Bianjing City.
"I'm afraid that we have completely fallen out with Jiang and the young marquis." Yunniang came over and said with a frown.
Xie Rongying had neither the intention of divorcing the Qin family nor the desire to get along well with the Qin family. She was afraid that her future would be difficult.
Xie Rongying raised her eyes and was about to say "so what" when the heavy door curtain was lifted.
Qin Junyi walked in with a gloomy expression and stared at Xie Rongying who was sitting on the couch.
Upon seeing this, Yunniang and Cuizhi immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, young marquis."
Xie Rongying raised her eyebrows slightly, stood up slowly, bowed to Qin Junyi, and said to Yunniang and Cuizhi, "You can go down first."
"yes."
After Yunniang and Cuizhi left, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn.
Xie Rongying sat down again and said, "Young Marquis, please sit as you please."
Qin Junyi listened to the woman's leisurely tone and suppressed his anger as he sat down at the round pear blossom table opposite the couch. He stared at the woman leaning lazily on the table without blinking and asked, "What exactly are you going to do?"
Xie Rongying's leisurely expression gradually faded. His pair of distinct black and white eyes stared at the person opposite him, and he laughed, "What are you talking about, young marquis? I don't understand."
"Xie Rongying, do you know why I'm tired of you?" Qin Junyi thought about what his mother had just said to him, his voice slightly agitated. "You're such a good actor, so good at pretending. We got married for the benefit of our two families, yet you pretended to be harmonious with me for the benefit of both families. To avoid being laughed at, you said flattering words in front of me and even asked me to play along with you."
"You've been trying to please me and my mother for profit, for reputation, and to become the Qin family's eldest daughter-in-law, known for her virtue, grace, and achievements. Now you're dissatisfied again. What are you dissatisfied with?"
Xie Rongying smiled. He did not deny Qin Junyi's comments about her.
This was indeed the case in the previous life.
But did she benefit from all the hypocrisy and acting in her previous life?
In the end, thanks to her, the Qin family made up for the deficit. She had been a widow for fifty years, but what did she get in the end?
"What are you laughing at?" Qin Junyi frowned and said coldly.
Xie Rongying smiled brightly at Qin Junyi: "I laugh because all the benefits and reputation I want are from you, Qin Junyi. The Qin family got the advantage, but now I don't want to act anymore. So you come to question me angrily, what are you dissatisfied with?"
Qin Junyi was choked and couldn't speak for a while.
Xie Rongying snorted and chuckled, whispering sarcastically, "You want both, or are you trying to be a whore and still want to be a saint?"
Qin Junyi stood up suddenly and shouted angrily: "Thank you Rongying!"
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