Chapter 145: The Bad Horse Wants to Return to the Pasture
Master Su raised his eyebrows and looked at his daughters, waiting to see how they would respond.
"Yes, today is my eldest brother's birthday, but you two married daughters are talking about irrelevant things. Are you relying on your husband's family's power to interfere in your mother's family's affairs?"
Second aunt Su Ling couldn't swallow that anger, so she took advantage of Zhang's words to question the Su sisters.
"Second aunt, my niece has good intentions and wants to keep the family's disgrace behind closed doors, but this is not just a simple family matter.
A mother's dowry is private property and is not subject to public control. If it was given when the mother was still alive, there is nothing wrong with it and it will naturally be removed from the dowry list and recorded in a separate account. However, if someone uses it privately, it is tantamount to theft, and the children can report it to the authorities with evidence.
If all the elders present have no objection, then we will check the dowry list. If there is no shortage, everyone will be happy. I will kowtow to the elders to thank them for taking care of the dowry for my mother. If there is indeed a shortage, I will report it to the government in an impartial manner. How do you say that?
My father’s birthday is a happy day, and the past is settled in the future. Could it be that my stepmother wants to make the past entangled? ”
After Su Qianqian said this, the faces of many people in the Su family became even uglier. If the matter really got to the government, the Su family's reputation would be ruined. It would be an unprovoked disaster for the second and third masters, as well as those unmarried young men and women.
"Mother, the dowry originally belonged to my eldest sister-in-law. Why bother holding on to it and causing so much criticism? It would be better to just check and hand it over to Runhe as my two nieces said. You can also have some free time. What's wrong with that?"
At this time, the usually taciturn Third Master spoke, and the Third Lady nodded repeatedly. They were not good at flattery, and they were born out of wedlock, so Old Lady Su usually didn't even look at them.
"You have no right to be so nosy!"
Old Madam Su was furious and slammed the table, forgetting that there was tea on the table. Her palm slapped on the saucer of the teacup, and the bowl of tea was immediately overturned, with tea leaves all over the sleeves of Old Madam Su's new robe.
The Third Master and his wife were so frightened that they quickly knelt down. The nanny and Zhang beside them hurried forward to wipe it. Tutor Su frowned and sighed, then stood up to check Madam Su's palm.
Because the tea was cold and did not burn her skin, she felt relieved and ordered the nanny to help Madam Fusu change her clothes.
Everyone sat down again. Master Su glanced at his two daughters and told the old housekeeper to go to Old Madam Su and get Jiang's dowry list. He also ordered Zhang to bring Su Miaomiao's dowry list.
Zhang hesitated and didn't want to take it. Tutor Su looked at her coldly, so Zhang had to go back to the yard to get it. Su Miaomiao was anxious and worried, and the handkerchief was twisted into a hemp rope.
After a delay of a quarter of an hour, the dowry lists were finally brought in. Tutor Su called on Sister Su to be the third one to check them one by one.
Su Xinxin was quite proficient in accounting. Except for the few unaccounted items, she quickly found the used income and marked it with a pen.
There are many income accounts, but these are just a glimpse of the whole picture. It is not difficult to check them out with these as evidence.
Master Su's face was gloomy. There was no need to investigate further. His mother and step-wife had colluded to deceive him and embezzled the pawned dowry of his deceased wife.
Now, less than half of the items are left. If they were converted into silver, plus the profits embezzled over the years, the amount would be more than 50,000 taels.
"I will give you and your sister an explanation on this matter. I will ask Miaomiao to return all the items on her dowry list, and I will make up for the rest. The accounts and lists will be handed over to Runhe in the future, and he will be able to manage and handle them himself."
Tutor Su handed the list and accounts to Su Runhe, but spoke to Su Xinxin and Su Qianqian.
Su Qianqian exhaled and said auspicious words: "Thank you for your understanding, father. May your father live forever and be healthy!"
Master Su: If I don’t make you angry to death, I will definitely have good fortune in the future!
"Here are some gifts for you all. Come on, I'll share some with you."
Su Qianqian opened the box. Apart from the items for the third master and the third mistress, there was a set of white porcelain gall-bladder vases from the Great Zhou Dynasty, which looked to be of great value. The rest were some indirect objects.
[That time, I accidentally broke a vase that my grandmother had. Fortunately, my third uncle saw it and told me to leave quickly and admit to my grandmother that he was the one who broke it. That’s how I escaped.
As a result, my third uncle was punished by my grandmother to kneel in the ancestral hall. My third uncle was the only one in the family who was kind to me. 】
Su Qianqian recalled these things with gratitude in her heart. She wondered why she had the emotions that the original owner should have? And she felt that those things were what she had experienced herself!
[Although they were not welcomed in the mansion as a couple with their two children, they lived a contented life without fighting or competing, and were happier than others. 】
The system's words also made Su Qianqian feel at ease. Looking at the other members of the Su family except the second master, they all had grim faces holding the things in their hands, wanting to throw them away but not daring to.
It was almost time, and those who had a close personal relationship with Su Taifu came to congratulate him one after another. They were all led into the guest hall, and Su Taifu and his family went to entertain them and set up a banquet.
[Hahaha, your second aunt had already figured out how to go back to her parents' home to beg for money yesterday. She wanted to take this opportunity to bring back some money, so she specially brought a few bags with her. Those bags should be bulging now, full of air!
Old Madam Su pretended to be sick and refused to see guests. Actually, it wasn't really pretending. She didn't get burned by the slap, but her wrist bone was cracked. Now that it hurt, she was too embarrassed to say a word.
Zhang continued to return to the courtyard due to illness. The two people who could benefit your second aunt no longer cared about anything. The servants had long disliked this aunt and would not even give her food or drink. The bags could hold nothing but air. 】
The system secretly eats melons.
[Your aunt came back today not to beg for money, but to meet her childhood sweetheart, the second young master next door who was looked down upon by her for being useless. Now he has entered the Hanlin Academy as a lecturer and is quite loved by the emperor. 】
Su Qianqian followed the system and looked at her aunt Su Yi.
Sure enough, she was flirting with the male guest. She was almost forty years old and had not been nourished by the rain or dew. She looked more than ten years older than the middle-aged man she was looking at, and she didn't even catch a glance at him.
[The belated affection is cheaper than grass, I am too lazy to even look at the childhood sweetheart who arrived early, and it’s the drama of this bad horse wanting to go back to eat the grass he has come back to.
Not only is the fate gone, but I still have to save my face and manage the rest of my life well, to at least win some admiration. Now I have lost everything. 】
Qin Hanzhang, the host's male seat next to him, rubbed his fingers without showing any expression. Zhu Min glanced at Su Xinxin secretly and scratched his wig: It's getting more and more itchy, and I dare not not come to celebrate your birthday...
Now that Duke Xuan's Mansion is under the control of Su Xinxin, there is no harm in trying to please the wife-in-law who is in charge. Even a wild horse that has gone out to mess around will eventually return to the old stable.
[So that's how it is. The Second Madam tricked your grandmother into taking your mother's dowry not just because she wanted to get an advantage. She was tricked by her brother from her natal family into joining the Wanwu Shengcai Club.
If you put the money in the association, you can triple the profit. The second wife wants to use the money she earns to buy an official position for her son. 】
The system has eaten the second wife's melon again.
[Isn’t this the kind of illegal fund-raising and profiteering scam? 】
Su Qianqian has seen too many scams in modern times.
[That’s right, the second wife’s brother brought the second wife into the association and shared the profits. The second wife tasted the sweetness of the interest at first, and then she came up with the idea of making a big fortune to provide a future for her son.
The son is as useless as his father. Tutor Su cannot be relied upon to be an honest official, so he can only rely on crooked means. 】The system laughed.
[Has the phenomenon of selling official positions become so common in Xijing nowadays? 】
Su Qianqian was puzzled, but she didn't notice that Master Su was looking at her with deep eyes...
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