Chapter 20

"Did you obtain these writing materials from Qingheng Courtyard? When my mother married into the noble house, her dowry was loaded with chests upon carts of gold and jewels, envied by countless women. Yet now, that grand wedding procession has transformed into the flowers and trees within this residence, and into the ink and paper on Aunt's paintings."

"My mother has a kind heart and avoids disputes with others, which has only nurtured greed in the people of this manor. Grandmother wants to seize the estate Mother left for me, to include it in Second Sister's dowry. Even if Aunt were to learn of this, she would likely not take it to heart. That estate was forcibly given by Grandmother to Second Sister; how does it concern your Qiuyun Hall? Am I right?"

But why should they have the right?

That belonged to Mother; as long as she didn't wish to give it, what right did Grandmother have to ask for it? And why should those in Qiuyun Hall accept it without a second thought?

Rong Shu gazed at Pei Yun, her smile fading gradually.

"Aunt, do you think one shouldn't be a good person in this world?"

Pei Yun abruptly lifted her gaze, her beautiful eyes revealing a rare hint of discomfort.

In the years she had lived in Qiuyun Hall, not a single one of the over a hundred people in the residence, from top to bottom, inside and out, dared to speak disrespectfully to her. Not even the Elder Lady or Madam Shen had ever made her feel so humiliated.

She was well aware that Qiuyun Hall's livelihood depended on Madam Shen's dowry, but so what?

Didn't Madam Shen know why she was able to marry into the Rong family?

Back then, Prince Qiyuan, swayed by an evil cult, disrupted the national order. The vassal kings from across the lands rallied under the banner of "cleansing the sovereign's court" and laid siege to the capital.

The entire realm of Great Yin was plagued with suffering, its people barely eking out a living, famine ravaging the land.

Later, Crown Prince Qiyuan was tragically poisoned by palace attendants within the inner court, leaving Emperor Xiao Yan of the Jiayou reign as the ultimate victor.

Back then, the coffers of the Great Yin Empire were barren, plagued by continuous natural disasters and human calamities, not to mention the external foes lurking, ready to pounce.

Alleviating disasters requires silver, soothing the hearts of the people needs silver, and our border soldiers defending the homeland also need silver.

The national treasury was barren, so where would these silver coins come from?

At that time, Emperor Jiande had not yet passed away, and Emperor Jiaoyu had not ascended the throne. Yet, the strategists beneath them had already compiled a list of targets to demonstrate their power and intimidate the wealthy merchants into willingly surrendering their assets.

The Shen family was the wealthiest in Yangzhou, famously opulent in Great Yin. They were undoubtedly one of the "fat sheep" on that list.

Grandfather Shen was skilled at judging the situation and had foreseen the impending crisis. Before the court could concoct charges against the Shen family, he had extended an olive branch to the Rong family, proposing an alliance through marriage.

Thus, the Shen family, with the help of Patriarch Rong, proactively surrendered the majority of their wealth.

Not only did they save the Shen family from ruin, but they also seized the opportunity to arrange an engagement with the Rong family.

Back then, the elder patriarch of the Rong family and Rong Jun were still alive. The two had rendered great services to Emperor Jia Yu, and the entire garrison of Taiyuan regarded Elder Patriarch Rong as their leader.

With Emperor Jia Yu's ascension, the Rong family's future was destined to flourish like oil being boiled in a fire.

The Shen family's marriage of Shen Yizhen into the Rong family was no doubt an attempt to leverage the Rong family's rising fortune and their role in Emperor Jia Yu's rise to power for their own comeback.

From Pei Yun's perspective, the marriage between Shen Yizhen and Third Master was merely a business transaction between the Shen and Rong families – one party willing to strike, the other willing to endure.

However, at this very moment, when Rong Shu spoke those words, it felt as if someone had ruthlessly trampled on Pei Yun's innate pride as a noble lady from a prestigious family.

She was born into the wealthy and influential Pei family, where her father, Pei Xang, had served as the Minister of Rites and a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Academy, with numerous disciples. Yet, in the thirty-sixth year of Jian De, he was beaten to death within the palace by Prince Qiyuan, who was then standing in for his ailing father, for daring to advise the prince against listening to the deceitful words of a heretic.

The Pei family suffered greatly because of this, with male members exiled to the frontier, while the women were sent to the Imperial Music Bureau or the Palace Harem.

Pei Yun herself fell from grace, becoming a servant in the Palace Harem at just fourteen years old. The Pei family's former friends and acquaintances, fearing Prince Qiyuan's wrath, dared not lend a helping hand.

It wasn't until the rebellion of the vassal kings caused chaos in the Forbidden City that Rong Xun risked his life to rescue her and hide her in an alley, allowing her to finally escape the Palace prison.

Later, when Emperor Jiayou ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty, the Pei family's name was cleared, and she was freed from her lowly status. Rong Xun then formally took her into his household as a noble concubine.

At that time, Pei Yun could have married someone else as his legitimate wife if she so wished.

However, it was Rong Xun who had saved her life.

From the moment he disregarded his own safety to rescue her from the Palace prison, she had pledged herself to this man.

Upon entering the Marquisate, though she was nominally designated as a concubine, there was not a single soul within those grand halls who dared show her the slightest disrespect.

Rong Xun treated her with unwavering kindness for a decade, just as he had on the first day.

Until this day, Rong Shu has disrupted the delicate balance of non-interference between Qingheng Courtyard and Qiuyun Hall, by stepping into Qiuyun Hall to challenge her authority.

With her astute mind like Pei Yun's, how could she fail to comprehend the true purpose of Rong Shu's visit today?

She said coolly, "Miss, don't worry. I'll go to Ho'an Hall myself to reason with Elder Madam. That manor in the eastern suburbs, Woe won't be claiming it. She has never relied on the richness of her dowry to marry into the Jiang family."

Rong Shu's marriage to the Jiang family was possible because Jiang Zhen was her father's student.

In the past, Jiang Zhen had been infatuated with Rong Shu, and their families were planning to unite in a harmonious union. However, after the Pei family's misfortune, he followed his elders' advice and chose to stand idly by, watching as she was sent to the imperial harem. Now, his intention to make Rong Shu the head wife of the Jiang family is merely an attempt at redemption.

Rong Shu didn't care about the reason behind Rong Hui's marriage to the Jiangs.

All she wanted was Aunt Pei's assurance.

"In that case, I thank you, Aunt, here and now. Grandmother has always held you in high regard. A word from you carries much more weight than ten from Mother."

A smile returned to Rong Shu's lips. Gazing at Pei Yun, she said softly, "When I came back from Yangzhou, Mother told me that both she and you were pitiful women, asking me not to bear a grudge against you. Over the years, Mother has always given Qiuyun Hall its due respect. This time, I hope Aunt will also show some respect to Mother."

On Changan Avenue...

Half an hour earlier, just as Rong Shu left Qingheng Courtyard and hurried toward Qiuyun Hall, a carriage bearing the plaque of the Cheng'an Marquis Estate had already left Qilin East Street and was heading for Changan Avenue.

Inside the carriage, Chang Ji passed a document to Gu Changjin and remarked with a sigh, "I never imagined that Madam's life in the marquis estate was even harder than we thought."