Chapter 48 The Young Miss Is a Bandit

Chapter 48: The Young Lady, This Robber

Xi Jiaojiao cried even harder: "Both of them."

"Both? Both of what?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Concubine Yu realized what she meant, covering her mouth with wide eyes!

"Mother, I was beaten, beaten all over until it hurts. I also..."

Xi Jiaojiao found it hard to say, but knowing the matter was unresolved, she steeled herself and spilled the whole story.

Concubine Yu was horrified, almost passing out.

What in the world had her daughter done? Though she knew her ambitions were sky-high, she never imagined she'd actually pulled it off in just a few days.

No, "success" wasn't the right word—what was this?

It was like one of the young lady's traps, and her daughter had stupidly walked right into it.

"Jiaojiao, you fool! Now the young lady has a firm hold over you! How are you going to live from now on?"

Concubine Yu could already see how rough her daughter's future would be.

"Mother, I'm stuck, there's no way out. Young Master Yang and I have already signed that damn document... If we hadn't, she would've dragged us to the Marquis and his wife's courtyard. We weren't even wearing clothes at the time!"

Xi Jiaojiao was just as distraught—it was utterly humiliating, completely stripped of dignity.

Concubine Yu was stunned. How had the young lady turned out like this?

In the Xi household's inner quarters, no matter how the concubines fought, it was mostly just words—bickering, trading insults, and stabbing each other in the heart.

Nothing this ruthless!

"I'll take you to see the mistress... ask her to step in and make the young lady leave you alone."

Xi Jiaojiao shot Concubine Yu a disdainful look: "Mother, are you crazy? Would the mistress be on my side? Once she finds out, she'll probably beat me to death."

Concubine Yu suddenly realized—Jiaojiao had stolen the mistress's son-in-law!

"Then what are we gonna do?"

"Give me the silver first, settle that matter, and then I'll have Young Master Yang take me in as soon as possible."

Concubine Yu had planned to keep some silver for her old age, but now she knew it wouldn't last.

It would all be snatched away by that thieving young lady!

"Your elder sister has lost her mind, selling her own husband to you! She already has so much silver, why would she do something so crazy?"

Xi Jiaojiao had calmed down a bit: "What can we do? It's her silver—isn't more always better? Anyway, I need to get into that household fast, or who knows how the mistress will treat me..."

Concubine Yu had no choice but to hurry back and get the bank drafts.

It was nearly twenty years of savings, her entire nest egg...

Xi Jiaojiao had already washed up and changed into clean clothes.

She went to Concubine Yu's courtyard herself, not only taking the bank drafts but also having the maids grab all the valuable jewelry, ornaments, and fabrics.

"Mother, once I make it big, I'll definitely repay you. Don't worry—Young Master Yang will get the title eventually. For now, I've got to look out for myself. You eat well and live well in the Xi household, but you have no idea how run-down the Marquis's residence really is. If I don't have some silver to fall back on, I can't get by."

Concubine Yu sighed. Well, her daughter's well-being was what mattered most. She still had favor for now, so she could slowly build up her private savings again.

That afternoon, Xi Qianyue received the four thousand taels of silver from Xi Jiaojiao, and she kindly wrote the Second Miss a receipt, noting it as the dowry silver the Marquis's household owed.

"There's still six thousand taels left. When you take another rich concubine, maybe you can finish paying off my silver."

Xi Qianyue said this to Yang Xingxian, making him so furious that his fists clenched, wishing he could smash her face in with one punch.

But he knew he couldn't.

Meanwhile, Concubine Yu had invited Master Xi to her courtyard, where she carefully told him the whole story.

Master Xi flew into a rage right then and there, slapping Concubine Yu across the face: "This is the fine daughter you've raised? I'm already tearing my hair out over the Zeng family's troubles, and you two still stir up more trouble."

Seeing her mother get hit, Xi Jiaojiao quickly knelt: "Father, calm down first. Elder sister will never be on our side, and neither will the mistress. Even if the Marquis's household gains some great advantage in the future, would elder sister look out for you? No! She'd only care for the mistress and Xun Geer. But I'm different—I'll always support my natal family."

"Hmph, utter nonsense. You're a concubine who threw herself at him—who cares about you? Are you worth anything? What power does a concubine have? Even if the Marquis's household reaps benefits, would it reach you, or me?"

Master Xi was so angry his beard bristled. Many of his businesses had relied on the Zeng family giving him favorable terms. Now, the Zeng family was haggling over every detail, no longer offering him low prices on supplies. If he refused, they'd simply cut ties and let him find other sources.

Moreover, several businesses the Zeng family had previously yielded to him were now being reopened as identical shops on the same street.

The Zeng family had been merchants for generations, with deep foundations and wide connections—how could the Xi family compare?

Thus, the Xi family's business had deteriorated rapidly in a short time.

Zeng Shi's father and brother had directly told him that if he dared let Zeng Shi suffer any more grievances, they'd bring his business to ruin!

At this critical juncture, his concubine's daughter had stirred up such trouble—how could he not be frantic?

Xi Jiaojiao, hearing this, refused to back down: "Father, you don't understand—elder sister isn't favored in the Marquis's household. I think it's only a matter of time before she's divorced..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Elder sister not only lacks Young Master Yang's favor, but also the Marquis and his wife's approval, and she's constantly at odds with her sisters-in-law. They never even invite her to dine with them..."

Master Xi frowned, as if weighing the truth in Xi Jiaojiao's words.

"It's true! Otherwise, how could I have found this opening? Young Master Yang said that when the time is right, he'll divorce elder sister and make me her replacement."

Xi Jiaojiao didn't care anymore—she spun outright lies, just to get through the immediate crisis.

Master Xi and Concubine Yu both believed her, especially Concubine Yu, who clung to hope: "Jiaojiao, did Young Master Yang really say that? Even if he has the intention, passing the Marquis and his wife's scrutiny won't be easy."

"Mother, the mistress adores me—she said herself that I'm far more endearing than elder sister. She also said elder sister is a miser..."

Master Xi was deeply vexed: "That girl Qianyue, with such a hefty dowry, and she's actually a miser?"

"Yes, even the kitchens are separate. Elder sister only looks after the people she brought, ignoring the Marquis's household entirely. The Marchioness said it's impossible to get even one meal from elder sister."

"I don't know how Zeng Shi taught her daughter, to produce something so outrageous..."