After more than ten years as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, she knew at least one thing: Shen was not a person who acted without purpose.
Shen stroked her sleeves and said calmly, "I have heard the verdict of the three courts' joint trial. The Marquis' Mansion will not only be fined 100,000 silver, but also be fined for ten years. Is that right?"
The lady froze for a moment.
She only remembered that the title of the Marquis was saved and that Chu Lingxiao was going to be exiled, and she had no intention of paying attention to anything else.
She looked at Nanny Wang with a questioning look, and Nanny Wang nodded.
The lady's eyes widened, her hand trembled, and she bumped into the teacup beside her, almost spilling the tea.
She calculated in her mind and felt as if a large piece of flesh and blood had been dug out of her body.
The Marquis's Mansion had a salary of 2,500 dan of grain a year. Although it was not enough to cover the annual expenses of the entire Mansion, it was still a considerable amount of income. In ten years, it was a full 25,000 dan.
And the fine of 100,000 silver is a huge sum of money.
There is not even 100,000 taels of silver in the public treasury now. I'm afraid the Marquis's Mansion will have to sell some land, farms or shops to raise the 100,000 taels of silver.
What's more troublesome is that the income from the Marquis's industries alone is not enough to support the expenses of the entire Marquis's mansion.
This time, their Chu family might be seriously hurt.
The more the lady thought about it, the more anxious she became, and her heart began to feel a little suffocated.
Liu was also silently calculating the account. She felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife. She felt even more resentful and hateful towards the eldest son's family, as if her money had been squandered by the eldest son's family.
Shen asked casually, "By the way, have you bought the charcoal for winter? According to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, this winter will be a cold one."
The lady looked at Liu hurriedly, and Liu shook her head subconsciously.
Recently, because of Chu Lingxiao's affairs, the Marquis' Mansion has been so busy that they haven't had time to buy charcoal for the winter.
This was a problem. After paying the 100,000 silver fine, the Marquis' Mansion was left with no cash.
If the news that this winter will be a cold winter spreads, all the governments in the capital and the people will rush to buy charcoal, and the price of charcoal will also rise sharply. For the Chu family, this is simply adding insult to injury.
The lady-in-law and Liu's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law both had faces as black as the bottom of a pot.
Shen was still dignified and gentle, with clear eyes.
She slowly used the tea lid to brush away the floating leaves on the tea soup and continued, "There was a flood in Yuzhou this spring, and the harvest over there was not very good. I'm afraid the tenants don't have enough food to hand over, and I don't know if the fine grain in the mansion is enough."
“…” The lady seemed to have been stabbed again. Her chest felt even more stuffy and her limbs were slightly numb.
"By the way, Third Sister-in-law," Shen looked at Yu again, smiling, "I heard that the silk and satin shops and lacquerware shops in the capital are not doing well this year?"
"..." Yu's face turned pale and she remained silent.
Most of the housekeeping affairs of the Marquis' Mansion are managed by the chief steward, who reports to the Marquis and his wife. The third master, Chu Lingting, is also in charge of some of the household affairs, such as several shops in the capital. In the past three years, these shops have not had good profits.
Yu would not take the initiative to ask about Chu Lingting's external affairs, but she had heard him complain several times about poor business and that his business had been taken away by someone else.
As soon as the lady saw Yu's expression, she knew that Shen was right.
Her brows furrowed even more tightly, and she felt that this bastard was incompetent and useless.
Liu came to her senses, looked at the lady dowager, then at Yu, and felt that the atmosphere was not right. She felt that the situation seemed to be out of control.
She was alarmed and wanted to say something, but she saw Shen's eyes slowly shifting to her again: "I heard that my second uncle gave Guanglu Temple Minister Huang Zhengyi a 'big gift' a few days ago on his birthday?"
Liu's eyes widened, as if to say, how did you know that! Shen's gaze pierced straight into Liu's heart like a sword, and then said, "Yesterday, an imperial censor impeached Huang Zhengyi for corruption and bribery, and the memorial has been sent to the East Palace."
What?! Liu's legs went weak, sweat broke out on her hands, and she almost fell down.
Shen's words were very insightful, and pointed out the crisis that the Marquis's Mansion was facing at the moment.
In just a short time of tea, the atmosphere suddenly changed drastically. The faces of the lady, Liu and Yu gradually became worse. They were afraid, scared and uneasy.
Especially Liu, she was sweating profusely and wanted to call Chu Lingyu back to ask about the situation.
Shen smiled slightly, looking calm and composed.
The Chu family is the same. They only see the immediate benefits and turn a blind eye to the hidden crisis in the Marquis' Mansion. They will probably regret it only when the disaster is about to happen.
Shen stopped talking and drank her tea slowly, with a determined smile on her lips.
Her movements were so graceful and calm, like a painting of an elegant lady.
Liu was panicked.
They gave gifts to the Minister of Guanglu Temple because Chu Lingyu had been in his current position for six years. If he did not get promoted, he would have to stay in this position for the rest of his life. That was why they took the opportunity of the Minister of Guanglu Temple's birthday to give him a generous gift.
Who would have thought that before his position was promoted, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites was impeached.
If Chu Lingyu was implicated and imprisoned, wouldn't that mean he would lose more than he gained?! The more Liu thought about it, the more scared she became. She also thought about how she had been unable to seek help these days. People in the world always bully the weak, and now the only one the Yongding Marquis's Mansion can rely on is the Mu Guogong Mansion.
The situation was stronger than the person, so Liu could only give in and forced out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Of course, the eldest sister-in-law has the final say on matters concerning the Marquis' Mansion."
Yu nodded and smiled apologetically. Anyway, the Second House had already given in. What else could she say? As long as she didn't have to pay for the Third House's food and clothing, it didn't matter who was in charge.
The lady's face changed several times, her breathing became rapid, and her hands and feet were cold.
Nanny Wang was worried about the lady, so she quickly handed her a cup of calming tea and patted her back.
The lady drank a few sips of hot tea, but still felt a tightness in her chest, as if her breath was stuck there.
She kept thinking over and over in her mind what Shen had just said, feeling angry and helpless.
The Chu family is now in tatters and in danger. From Chu Lingxiao's case to the family affairs of other marquisates, they have to rely on Shen to plan and deal with them, but she is helpless.
If the Shen family still ignores the Chu family this time, the Chu family will not have another Chu Yunyi who can come to the rescue.
The implication is that Shen can do whatever he wants.
Aunt Jiang, who was kneeling on the ground, glanced quickly at Shen, her eyes as dark as night.
Chu Qianhuang was speechless.
She had never expected that Shen would be so unscrupulous and blatant as to completely suppress the lady, not afraid at all of others saying she was unfilial and disrespectful.
Chu Qianhuang gave a mocking smile in his heart.
Sure enough, the title is exciting.
In order to fight for this title for Chu Yunmu, Shen gave it her all, showing her true motherly heart.
Shen may have forgotten that this title was obtained at the cost of Chu Yunyi's life!
Poor Chu Yunyi, he was injured so badly and is probably still in danger, but he is regarded by the Shen family as a stepping stone for Chu Yunmu.
This world is so unfair.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
If Chu Yunmu didn't have Shen's mother and Duke Mu's family, would he be able to compete with Chu Yunyi? Chu Qianhuang clenched her fists, thinking about Chu Qianchen's words scolding her, and then she thought of Chu Yunyi's fainting and weak appearance... and then she thought of the young man's solemn oath to her:
"Sister, wait for my good news!"
When the young man said this, he looked elegant and full of vigor and vitality.
"Azhi," once she lowered her head, the lady felt that the following words would be much easier to say, and she said earnestly, "I saw that you have been recuperating at your parents' home for two months, and your complexion is much better than before. Your in-laws really know how to take care of people."
The lady's tone was almost flattering.
Chu Qianhuang could no longer hear what the old lady said next and stared at the scene in a daze.
Chu Yunyi fought hard to earn back this title, and she wanted to take it back for him.
But now it seems that she can't do it after all, the Shen family is too strong.
She felt sorry for Chu Yunyi and also sorry for Aunt Jiang.
She was powerless to do anything about either the title or Aunt Jiang's exile.
Once again, she deeply felt her own powerlessness. Now she was just an ant in this era.
When Chu Qianhuang came to her senses, she saw two maids dragging up Aunt Jiang who was kneeling on the ground. Aunt Jiang looked at Chu Qianhuang sadly.
"Auntie..."
Chu Qianhuang subconsciously wanted to follow. The lady noticed her movements and quickly said, "Sister Huang, pour me a cup of tea."
The lady had only drunk half of the cup of tea in her hand. She only used this as an excuse to call Chu Qianhuang back, fearing that she would side with Aunt Jiang and anger Shen.
Chu Qianhuang was stunned for a moment before he reacted.
Things are different now. She is now a concubine's daughter who has to live under her stepmother, and she cannot go against Shen's wishes.
Chu Qianhuang and Aunt Jiang looked at each other. Aunt Jiang's cherry lips trembled slightly. She seemed to want to say something but stopped herself. In the end, she said nothing. Her eyes seemed to be saying, don't bother with her.
"..." Chu Qianhuang crumpled the handkerchief in her hand, the back of her hand was tense, and her resentment towards Shen Shi increased.
Shen looked around at everyone again with a steady gaze, her eyes shining brightly, and she said proudly, "From now on, I have the final say in this mansion."
This time, everyone, including the lady, was silent.
At this time, the head maid and two younger maids brought over two pieces of brocade and a pearl head ornament.
The lady smiled and said, "Azhi, look at these two pieces of brocade. They are this year's tribute. You can use them to make two new sets of clothes and this headpiece... I think they will go very well with this piece of autumn-colored brocade."
"The farm just sent some carp, crucian carp, and crabs. They are very fresh. Mu Ge'er likes to eat them..."
"Why are you and Mu Ge'er planning to move back to the Marquis' Mansion?"
The lady looked at Shen expectantly.
Shen just smiled and said nothing.
Of course she would come back. Now that Chu Lingxiao was no longer in the mansion, she felt very comfortable.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, the lady felt a little unsure. She glanced at Aunt Jiang out of the corner of her eye and wondered if Shen was trying to force her to express her opinion.
So, the lady looked at Aunt Jiang with a sharp gaze and said sternly, "Take Jiang Minshan away and lock her up in the woodshed first..."
The lady changed her words halfway through her sentence and said, "No, let her kneel down in the corridor and reflect on herself."
She said that she wanted Aunt Jiang to reflect on herself, but anyone could see that the lady wanted to please Shen, so she deliberately humiliated Aunt Jiang in public.
Her attentive attitude was simply astonishing. Liu curled her lips in disapproval, but kept a smile on her face.
Aunt Jiang still lowered her head, with a gleam of resentment in her eyes, as if they were poisoned.
Her lowered eyelids hid the strangeness in her eyes, and her appearance was still as gentle as a delicate white lotus.
Chu Qianhuang looked at Shen again, her eyes filled with disappointment in her and pity for Aunt Jiang.
From an outsider's perspective, she originally sympathized with the Shen family in the "Civet Cat Substituted for the Prince" incident fourteen years ago, so on the premise of protecting her own interests, she would not target the Shen family.
However, in just one day, Shen had exhausted all her sympathy and guilt.
Chu Qianhuang stood there in a daze, watching the lady dowager, Liu and Yu all surrounding Shen, trying to please her and flatter her, being completely servile.
People with different ideals cannot work together. She really can’t stay in this mansion any longer! (End of this chapter)