Jiang Mingwei watched the show with a smile.
Lu Yun's eyes were blurry with tears, while Zhou Shi remained silent for a long time before asking, "Have you thought it through?"
Lu Yun nodded, and Zhou Shi then looked at Jiang Mingwei.
Jiang Mingwei thought to herself that the main event was finally here, and Zhou Shi and Lu Yun didn't seem tired after acting for so long.
Zhou said, "Your refusal to allow Lu Yun to enter the family as a secondary wife is already unfilial and immoral. Lu Yun may not enter the family, but you must agree to one thing."
“If you agree, I will agree that Lu Yun will not enter the house.”
Jiang Mingwei almost laughed; Zhou's twisted logic was truly unbeatable.
Madam Zhou said, "Heng'er will be three years old soon, and he is about to start his studies. He is the only male heir that Zhi'er left for our Wei family. Not just any shady person can be his teacher."
Jiang Mingwei nodded: "Okay. And then?"
Zhou said, “I heard that your father was close to Wang Dajia before he died, and he was also your brother’s teacher. Try to find a way to invite him to teach Heng’er. If you agree, Lu Yun will follow your wishes and not marry into the Wei family.”
Jiang Mingwei thought to herself, "This old woman has quite the nerve. Who is Wang Dajia? The head of the literary world, capable of educating even princes. What kind of family is your Wei family that you dare to covet such things!"
But she did not refuse. Instead, she smiled and said, "That's fine. How could I disobey my mother's orders? It's just that Master Wang is getting old and rarely goes out. If we want to persuade him, we'll have to put in some effort."
Simply put, they want money.
Zhou Shi had no money and looked troubled. Jiang Mingwei pretended to be considerate and said, "This child is my husband's bloodline and also my child. The money needed can be taken from my dowry. Mother, you don't need to worry."
First and foremost, I need to get my dowry back!
Jiang Mingwei knew that without money, life in this era was a hundred times harder than in modern times.
"No!" Zhou instinctively refused, then realized she had overreacted and quickly lowered her voice, "This...this doesn't make sense..."
Jiang Mingwei's dowry had long been secretly moved into her private treasury, and a considerable amount of it had been spent. As soon as Jiang Mingwei opened the door to the dowry treasury, this matter was exposed!
Lu Yun was also somewhat surprised. Why was Zhou reacting this way?
"I know my mother loves me dearly, but money is a mundane thing. How can it compare to Heng'er's early education?"
With a smile, Jiang Mingwei grabbed Zhou's arm and headed towards the mansion's storeroom. "Speaking of which, Master Wang is a great lover of calligraphy and painting. My dowry includes a painting called 'Autumn Wind After the Storm' by Dong Yuan from the previous dynasty, which my father found for me. It's sure to impress Master Wang..."
Zhou was unable to resist and was forced to open the storeroom door.
The warehouse was completely open, with dozens of empty boxes in sight.
Jiang Mingwei sneered inwardly, but feigned surprise, saying, "How could this be? Has the manor been robbed? Quick, someone! Report to the authorities immediately—"
"Wait!" Zhou hurriedly stopped her, "No, we can't report this to the authorities..."
Lu Yun then understood what was going on and joined in stopping Jiang Mingwei, "Madam..."
But they were interrupted by a voice.
"What report to the authorities?"
Several people turned around.
Wei Jing stood behind, his brows furrowed.
Zhou Shi wouldn't let him hear about Lu Yun marrying into the Wei family, so she kicked him out of the main hall. After waiting for a long time, he saw several people walking towards Jiang Mingwei's dowry storeroom, so he followed them.
Jiang Mingwei had a sudden inspiration: "I originally wanted to take a painting from my dowry to give to Wei Heng as a gift for becoming his apprentice, but when I opened the door, the storeroom was empty. I was just about to call someone to report to the authorities."
Wei Jing had no doubts and said in a deep voice, "Mother, since the mansion has been burglarized, it would be best to send someone from the government."
Zhou was furious with Jiang Mingwei and Wei Jing, but with servants around and dozens of eyes watching her, she broke out in a sweat. In the end, she couldn't hold back any longer in order to save face.
She said, "Your dowry wasn't stolen. I originally thought you were young and inexperienced in household affairs, so I had someone move it into the mansion's storeroom to help you manage it..."
Can you help me take care of it?
Jiang Mingwei sneered.
That sounds nice, but why didn't you inform or discuss it with me before offering to help manage it? Why did you insist on moving it out?
Fearing that Jiang Mingwei would make a fuss if she saw that the dowry was less than expected, Zhou Shi said awkwardly, "The household expenses have been huge these past two years, and we've been struggling financially, so I borrowed some of your dowry to make up for it..."
Borrowing? I'm afraid quite a bit has already been misappropriated!
She was furious, and knew that the part of her dowry that Zhou had misappropriated would be difficult to get back, so she was even more determined to get the rest back from Zhou:
"I suppose it's because Mother is getting old and no longer has the energy to manage the household affairs, which is why the Wei family has been going through a series of misfortunes. Mother already has grandchildren, so why not return the dowry to me so that I can enjoy my grandchildren and live out my old age in peace and comfort?"
Zhou's expression changed. She knew this bitch wouldn't be so kind; she was just trying to take this opportunity to get her dowry back!
She refused, saying, "No way! You don't know how to manage it anyway. Giving it to you will only lead to more losses. Why don't I manage it for you?"
Jiang Mingwei wasn't annoyed and smiled, "In that case, your daughter-in-law will have no choice but to report it to the authorities. Who knows whether Mother used the dowry or it was stolen by thieves?"
After listening for a while, Wei Jing's face gradually darkened, and he couldn't help but say, "Mother, the dowry belongs to my eldest sister-in-law, so please don't keep bringing it up."
If this gets out, everyone will know that the Wei family secretly misappropriated their daughter-in-law's dowry.
Zhou was so angry that her face turned pale, but she knew that Wei Jing was right.
She angrily threw the keys on the ground and stormed off.
Jiang Mingwei achieved her wish, picked up the key, and gave Wei Jing and Lu Yun a bright smile.
"If that painting and calligraphy were still there, there would be no problem with Wei Heng starting his studies. But if it is not there, I am helpless. I hope Miss Lu will convey this message to my mother."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
