Chapter 23: Yun Jiaoyue's betrothal gifts must be used to pay off the debt.
Yun Xiuwen was embarrassed by being pressed for payment by several shopkeepers in front of so many people. He impatiently waved his sleeve and said, "How could I not pay back a mere tens of thousands of taels? Today is the auspicious day for the Third Prince to betroth his daughter. Don't cause trouble here. Pay back another day."
"My lord, the master is pressing us hard, and we really can't delay any longer. Why don't you settle the bill today? It's easy to pay on credit and then get more credit later, don't you think?"
The shopkeeper was wary of the Marquis's mansion and the Third Prince, so he didn't dare to offend them too much.
If it were an ordinary merchant family, they would be lucky if they didn't curse at the customer, let alone beg for payment.
The onlookers were also busy.
"I also heard that the Marquis's mansion was emptied out. Valuable and worthless items were all taken away, not even tables and chairs were left. They even reported it to the authorities. I didn't believe it at the time, but it turns out it's true."
"Who is so capable as to empty the Marquis's mansion?"
"I heard it's related to the Assassin's Guild. The Lady of the Marquis and the steward have been secretly colluding to have the Assassin's Guild empty the Marquis's mansion."
This person was a 'background actor' hired by Yun Zhaoxueqian to ensure everyone had plenty of gossip to eat today.
"Heavens! How could such a thing happen? Isn't Marquis Yun being cuckolded? How could a dignified marquis tolerate such a thing?"
An ordinary man would not tolerate his wife's adultery, but a nobleman tolerated it.
"Madam Wang's family is the Wang family, her elder sister is the wife of Prime Minister Qin, and the second young lady born to Madam Wang is the future consort of the Third Prince. So what if we can't tolerate it? Can we divorce her? Do we dare to divorce her?"
"Of course not, and I wouldn't dare. Lord Yun is a man of great courage and ability to bend and stretch, which is truly admirable."
The faces of everyone in the Marquis's mansion turned pale and then red.
Yun Xiuwen received sympathetic glances from the crowd, which made her forehead throb with anger. Her hands clenched tightly under her sleeves and trembled. She wished she could strangle Wang Shi, who had disgraced her, on the spot.
Hearing the crowd's discussion, Madam Wang nearly went mad and collapsed. "Nonsense! There's no such thing! Guards, go and arrest those who spread rumors about me, throw them in jail, torture them, and make them wish they were dead."
She pointed to the few people who were talking the loudest.
As the servant pushed through the crowd to grab the person, he shouted, "Run!"
Those people had already disappeared.
The servant boy chased after him, shouting, "Stop! Don't run!"
Wang made an example of someone to scare others, and everyone else fell silent and dared not speak.
Yun Zhaoxue continued, “Father, I have asked you for my dowry time and time again, but you have refused to give it to me. It turns out that the Marquis’s mansion was emptied by thieves. Even after such a big incident, you have been lying to me that the dowry was not in the mansion. You have never treated me as family. Today, you will return my dowry to me in silver. We will sever all ties and never see each other again.”
On the day of Yun Jiaoyue's wedding, she still needs to send them a big gift, as she is afraid of being implicated by the Marquis's mansion.
Yun Xiuwen trembled with anger, “The dowry has been stolen by those damned thieves. If you want your dowry, go find the thieves. We can sever ties, but only now.”
He had long wanted to sever ties with the family to prevent the Marquis's mansion from being dragged down by the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.
He will be the Third Prince's father-in-law in the future; securing such a good marriage is more than enough.
Yun Zhaoxue said, "Thief? I just came to ask for my dowry, and my father said it was stolen. I'm afraid it was an inside job. My dowry was lost in the Marquis's mansion, so it's my father's responsibility. If you can't come up with the dowry, then pay for it with money."
"I already told you the Marquis's mansion has been emptied out, where am I supposed to get the money? You unfilial daughter, you're trying to force your father to his death!"
“The Marquis has already said he wants to sever ties with me. You are no longer my father. This is the dowry list. If you don’t pay me back, I will take you to the authorities.” Yun Zhaoxue took the dowry list from Hongzao and held it up.
The shopkeeper also took the opportunity to urge payment, "My lord, there are still some debts on credit in our shop. The owner is pressing us hard, and we really can't delay any longer. Please settle all the debts at once."
At this moment, the old lady spoke up, "The Marquis's family will not be shortchanged a single penny from the debts they owe you at your shop. Let's go inside and talk."
People from the Marquis's residence entered the room.
Several shopkeepers followed.
Yun Zhaoxue and her brother Xiao Xiuning also went inside.
Over in the main hall.
Yun Jiaoyue was still immersed in the joy of marrying the Third Prince. The other sisters in the mansion flattered and fawned over her, while some praised her and belittled Yun Zhaoxue to curry favor with Yun Jiaoyue.
"Second sister is the most beautiful and talented woman in the capital, and the future consort of the Third Prince. The sixty-six-bearer betrothal gift is enough to prove the Third Prince's love for her. On the other hand, eldest sister knows nothing, has done all sorts of bad things, and dares to dream of the Third Prince. What makes her so special? Second sister and the Third Prince are a match made in heaven."
The speaker was Yun Shuyue, the third daughter of a concubine in the Marquis's household.
Yun Jiaoyue deliberately adopted the posture of an elder sister, and solemnly reprimanded her, "Third sister, eldest sister is already married, so how could she have any improper thoughts about the Third Prince? Don't say such things to smear eldest sister, and also to tarnish the reputation of our Marquis's Mansion, and affect the marriages of all the sisters."
That idiot Yun Zhaoxue tried to steal the Third Prince from her in her past life, and in the end, she still met a tragic end.
She, Yun Jiaoyue, was born with the destiny of a phoenix, and she and the Third Prince, who had the countenance of an emperor, were a match made in heaven.
As the sisters were talking, a group of people walked towards the main hall.
When Yun Jiaoyue saw Yun Zhaoxue, she clenched the handkerchief in her hand. What was she doing here?
She hurriedly stood up and walked to Wang's side, whispering, "Mother, what happened? Why is my eldest sister here too? Could it be that she wants to ruin my marriage with the Third Prince? Why did Grandmother and Father let her in?"
The old lady gave the nanny a look, instructing her to give a bag of silver to the official who delivered the betrothal gifts, and send him away.
The old lady invited the shopkeeper to sit down and had the servants serve tea before saying, "Bring the bill over."
Several thousand taels and tens of thousands of taels add up to seventy-eight thousand taels.
After seeing the bill, the old lady felt dizzy and almost fainted. "How did we end up owing so much? It's not like we were short of money before. Why did we have to buy things on credit?"
“Mother, wasn’t this just for convenience? So…”
The old lady threw the bill at Yun Hou, almost gritting her teeth as she said, "Fine, fine, but you've made such a huge mess. You have to deal with it yourself. This old woman can't help you."
There's only one way out right now: to pay off the debt with the dowry. But she can't bring herself to do it, afraid of being gossiped about, so she simply gives up.
A servant came to report, "The old lady, the marquis, the lady, and the people from Baihualou have also arrived."
"What are those people from Baihualou doing here? Have them thrown out."
The servant glanced at Yun Xiuwen, then lowered his head and whispered, "Reporting to the old lady, they said that the Marquis has bought five thousand taels of silver on credit at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion."
"Mother, no, we can't throw it out. Let's return it all at once." Yun Xiuwen was concerned about his reputation and didn't want to lose face. If the other party didn't get the money and made a scene at the door, it would ruin his reputation.
Wang borrowed 10,000 taels from her parents' home and the Qin family, which allowed the Marquis's mansion to barely survive. Apart from that money, they could only sell their estates and shops, but they couldn't sell them in a short time and couldn't raise that much money.
Yun Xiuwen's gaze fell on the betrothal gifts sent by the Third Prince.
Yun Jiaoyue noticed Yun Xiuwen's gaze and hurriedly stood up. "Father, the betrothal gifts that the Third Prince gave me are to be taken to the Third Prince's residence as part of my dowry when I get married. I absolutely cannot use the betrothal gifts to pay off debts."
The betrothal gifts had just been delivered and hadn't even been properly enjoyed before being used to pay off debts. How could she possibly save face?
Also, she has no dowry left. Does she have to get married empty-handed?
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