Chapter 34 Ji Yuntang’s Dowry is Worth Only Five Taels

Chapter 34: Ji Yuntang’s Dowry Was Worth a Mere Five Taels

“A good-for-nothing wretch like her—disrespectful to her superiors and utterly malicious—should have been beaten to death by her lowly foster parents in the countryside. Allowing her into the Marquis Yongning’s residence has truly sullied our gates!”

Madam Ji glared at Ji Yuntang with undisguised contempt. She frequently heard Ji Qingqing recount Ji Yuntang’s humiliations, and over time, her disdain for Ji Yuntang only deepened.

This was also why the Marquis Yongning’s residence refused to prepare a dowry for Ji Yuntang upon her marriage.

They deemed Ji Yuntang uncultured and unworthy of fine possessions—and were even more unwilling to divert any portion of Ji Qingqing’s extravagant dowry toward her.

Offering her three animals as a dowry was purely a cost-cutting measure. If they handed over one hundred thousand taels of silver now, wouldn’t they be ruined?

Ji Nanchuan, who had remained silent for a long time, now nodded in agreement.

“This Marquis concurs with Mother. This sum must not be given to Ji Yuntang. While Qingqing is certainly at fault, Ji Yuntang’s sudden demand for one hundred thousand taels amounts to nothing short of extortion. If we comply without resistance, won’t outsiders assume we fear her? What if she returns repeatedly to the Marquis’s residence, demanding silver in the future?”

What Ji Nanchuan left unsaid was that he found Ji Yuntang’s justification utterly absurd—something about Ji Qingqing’s actions inflicting severe psychological trauma on her, and Ji Qingqing frightening away her three dowry items…

He had no idea what “psychological trauma” even meant.

Yet he knew better than anyone just how worthless Ji Yuntang’s three dowry items truly were.

Those two ducks, one mongrel dog, and one grass carp were collectively worth less than five taels of silver.

Even if they’d died of fright, they still wouldn’t be worth one hundred thousand taels.

If this wasn’t extortion, then what was?

Ji Nanchuan didn’t believe for a second that Ji Yuntang would dare return to demand the money if he refused to pay.

This turn of events delighted Ji Qingqing immensely.

Failing to kill Ji Yuntang—and being made a fool of by her—was infuriating enough. If she allowed Ji Yuntang to walk away with one hundred thousand taels for nothing, it might well kill her.

A faint, cold smile curled at the corner of Ji Qingqing’s lips; a glint of icy malice flashed in her eyes. Silently, she mouthed the words: *“Ji Yuntang—so long as I’m here, you can forget about taking a single tael of silver from the Marquis Yongning’s residence!”*

*

Ye Wang’s Residence

Time flew. After applying dog feces to her face for two consecutive days, Liu Linlang, furious beyond reason, smashed every vase and porcelain piece in her chamber.

“I’ve used this on my face for two days—why hasn’t a single spot faded? Which step went wrong?”

Her hysterical shrieking terrified Bi Chi. Fearing another beating, Bi Chi hastily offered a suggestion.

“Miss Liu, please calm yourself. Something is clearly amiss here. Why did Princess Ye’s dark spots vanish after using this, while yours show no improvement? If the formula isn’t flawed, then Qiao Ye must have lied—or concealed something vital. We need only summon her and press her for answers.”

Hearing this, Liu Linlang regained a sliver of composure amid her rage.

She’d long suspected this method unreliable—but Qiao Ye had sworn, on her life, that Ji Yuntang used dog feces, prompting Liu Linlang to spend exorbitant sums procuring it from outside.

Now, reflecting on it, Qiao Ye must have betrayed her—conspiring with Ji Yuntang to deliberately humiliate her.

How could Liu Linlang possibly tolerate that?

“Bi Chi—go summon that little slut Qiao Ye, *now!*”

“Yes, Miss Liu!” Bi Chi scurried off without delay.

When Qiao Ye arrived, Liu Linlang strode forward and slapped her twice across the face.

“Qiao Ye—you wretched bitch! Tell me—was Ji Yuntang’s method of using dog feces to remove spots a lie? Have you long betrayed me and joined forces with Ji Yuntang?”

Qiao Ye paled with terror and immediately dropped to her knees, begging for mercy. “Miss Liu, I’m innocent! Every word I spoke was true—I’d never dare deceive you, not even to save my life!”

“Then explain this: why haven’t my dark spots faded? Instead, they’ve spread further—across my body!”

Qiao Ye’s breath caught. She racked her brain again but still found no flaw.

“I don’t know. But I saw Princess Ye herself, every day, collecting dog feces from the courtyard with a cloth bag. If she weren’t using it on her face, why collect it at all?”

“And Chen Hu stated plainly that Princess Ye used feces for beauty treatments—I heard it with my own ears!”

Liu Linlang suddenly recalled Ji Yuntang’s words when she’d visited two days earlier. Her heart plummeted.

“You fool—you’ve been duped by that vile Ji Yuntang!”

“If dog feces truly removed facial spots, why hadn’t Ji Yuntang cleared her own, which had plagued her for years? Hers vanished within days of arriving at the residence! She did this deliberately—to make me believe dog feces held beautifying powers, so she could laugh at my expense! We’ve *all* been deceived by that scheming wretch!”

Only now did Liu Linlang realize she’d fallen straight into Ji Yuntang’s trap.

And the chief architect of it all was none other than Qiao Ye.

She unleashed all her fury and hatred onto Qiao Ye.

“You wretched bitch—I’ll beat you to death! How dare you aid Ji Yuntang in harming me? Haven’t I treated you well enough? If my face is ruined, you won’t escape unscathed!”

Liu Linlang seized Qiao Ye’s hair and slapped her wildly, her sharp nails mercilessly raking across Qiao Ye’s delicate cheeks.

Terrified, Qiao Ye suddenly had an idea—and immediately pleaded desperately.

“Miss Liu—please stop! I admit my fault! But I know how to retaliate against Princess Ye! Please—give me one more chance to redeem myself!”

At this, Liu Linlang halted mid-swing and demanded viciously, “What method? If you dare deceive me again, I’ll kill you!”

“Princess Ye cannot eat peanuts or legumes. When the kitchen prepares her evening meal later, we’ll sprinkle ground bean powder into it. If she consumes it, she’ll surely die.”

Liu Linlang’s heart leapt with elation. Eliminating Ji Yuntang would be perfect.

Ever since Ji Yuntang’s arrival at Ye Wang’s residence, Liu Linlang hadn’t enjoyed a single peaceful day. This lead was promising indeed.

“Fine. You have one chance to redeem yourself—handle this.”

“If Ji Yuntang dies, I’ll have Mother grant you your deed of manumission and release you from the residence.”

Qiao Ye instantly knelt and bowed deeply. “Yes, yes! Thank you, Miss Liu! I swear—I will not fail!”

That evening, Qiao Ye served Ji Yuntang eggplant-juice fish rolls, spicy stir-fried clams, Dongpo tofu, trotter soup, and a plate of jujube-paste cakes.

But the moment she finished setting out the dishes and looked up—she froze in sheer terror.

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