It is only when one is faced with great difficulties that his true character can be revealed (1)

  It's said that Fang Jinglan is just a scholar and has always worked in the imperial court, how can he participate in this matter?

  This matter needs to be explained from the beginning in detail.

  Originally, although Zhang Yiniang's appearance rate is not high in this article, her jumping ability is the strongest. Not only is she good at house fighting, but also has a set of skills for doing business. Since entering the capital, after gradually losing favor, she turned her sadness and anger into strength, all of which was put into business, opening a rice and grain shop in the east gate. Because it's cheap, it's deeply liked by the poor people, and over the years, the business has been booming. Although she lost favor in the inner house, she has made a lot of money in the business world, with a strong momentum like the East shining when the West is not. This is also one of the important reasons why she can still stand firm in the Fang family despite losing favor.

  Rice is the foundation of people's livelihood, and although this line of business is highly competitive, Zhang Niang has a natural talent for commerce. Firstly, she took advantage of the Fang family's influence to get a head start, and secondly, she specialized in selling cheap goods. In just a few years, her business flourished, and although it couldn't compare to the scale of those large households, within the 30-mile radius of the East City Gate, she had an unusually significant impact. Because she sold at low prices, even though the quality of various grains was really poor, these impoverished families only cared about having enough food to survive, so they didn't mind. As a result, her business was booming.

  When doing business to a certain extent, one thinks of opening sources and cutting expenses. This opening source is buying cheaper rice, and the cutting expense is dismissing the original shopkeeper and apprentices, only letting Zhang Baozi's son, who is indeed a good businessman, take care of it. He fully demonstrated the Chinese merchant's cunning skills, and when he heard that there was even cheaper rice in Jiangxi, he went to buy it and sold it at a price one-tenth cheaper than before, with amazing results.

  After the poisonous rice incident, Zhang's shop was also implicated, although it was just a small shrimp, but after all, it was harming people's lives. And Zhang was Fang Jinglan's concubine, so Fang Jinglan being implicated was a certainty.

  When Jin Yiwei personally knocked on the Fang family's door and took away Fang Jinglan and Zhang Shi with a search warrant, the Fang family was thrown into chaos.

  The old lady almost fainted with rage when she heard the whole story, scolding Zhang as a troublemaker, a jinx, and a broom star.

  Li also gritted his teeth and scolded Zhang.

  The couple, Zhi Lian and his wife, knelt down at the old lady's knees with shame and fear on their faces. Zhang Shi was Zhi Lian's birth mother, and now that his own mother had caused such a great disaster, there was nothing else to do but feel anxious and painful.

  Even the normally composed and courteous Magistrate was full of worry, he sat down in his chair and said anxiously: "Recently, the poisonous rice case has implicated many people, several wealthy families have been arrested and their clans exterminated... As for the Liang family... The Liang family is guilty of violating the law..."

  The Liang family is a collateral relative of the Weiyuan Marquis Manor, and now they are also implicated in this matter. The Weiyuan Marquis Manor is also deeply involved, although it did not participate in it, but it was also accused of "unfilial children, lack of discipline" by the emperor. The Weiyuan Marquis's position in the Shenji Camp was also removed, and even the imperial edict for the old lady was revoked. As for the three houses of the Liang family who participated in this matter, they were all beheaded.

  The young lady of Fang's household heard this and felt a chill run down her spine. She hastily asked, "Will...will we be searched?"

  Zhili said in a low voice, "The Zhang family's rice shop is not large, and this time they only sold less than 40% of the rice they bought, totaling around 100-200 catties. Currently, no one has been poisoned by it. This rice was probably set up as a trap by the White Lotus Sect, or perhaps the Zhang family just wanted to take advantage of the cheap price. Moreover, the Zhang family operates outside, and Father is not aware of it, so it should not constitute the crime of treason..."

  "Father is in the officialdom, although his reputation is good, but it's hard to prevent those petty people from making trouble, I'm afraid..." He Shi pinched her handkerchief, her face was also very heavy.

  Zhi Lian hastily said, "It won't be, it won't be. No matter how much my mother wants to take advantage of a good deal, she would never intentionally harm someone's life. I think this poisonous rice must have been done by the second wife without her knowledge."

  Madam Li was furious and couldn't find a place to vent her anger, so she suddenly summoned endless energy and rushed up to scold and beat Zhi Lian, "It's all because of your cheap mother's good deeds, you're all not good things. In the past, your family harmed Master Fang's reputation, and now, your cheap mother wants to make the Fang family break down and be ruined...". Madam Li thought that the Fang family might be implicated, even if they weren't confiscated, they would still be fined and lose their property. Moreover, her daughter Rumei was currently discussing marriage with the Yang family, and this sudden change in circumstances would ruin Rumei's lifelong event.

  Mrs. Li vented all her anger on Zhi Lian, and in a short while, Zhi Lian's face was bruised and swollen. Lin couldn't bear it, so she went forward and hugged Zhi Lian, using her soft body to withstand the force of Mrs. Li's kicks. She cried out to Mrs. Li: "Mother, if you want to scold or beat me, I'll take it! I was the one who didn't take good care of my sister-in-law and let her cause such a huge disaster. It's all my fault, not my husband's! He was also deceived!"

  Li was also displeased with this concubine, and upon hearing her words, she kicked her again, cursing: "You're not a good thing either..." Lin was kicked in the ribs, and the pain almost brought tears to her eyes. Zhi Lian saw this and quickly pulled her behind him, saying to Li: "A child's debt is repaid by the mother; if you want to hit someone, hit me instead. Don't implicate innocent people."

  The old lady suddenly shouted, "Enough! At this point, even beating and scolding is useless. All of you get up, don't dare to be arrogant again." Then she glared at Li with a burst of anger, "You are the mistress of the family, your concubine ran out to do business, how could you not have noticed? Now that this has happened, do you still have the face to scold people here? Get out of my sight, don't embarrass yourself." Then she glared at Zhi and his wife, "Zhang is your birth mother, as her son and daughter-in-law, I won't believe it if you didn't know what she was doing outside. Tell me, did you really not know?"

  Zhilin's face was filled with shame, Zhang was doing business outside and they also knew a thing or two about it. Although they had advised him several times, the effect was minimal, and Zhang would often use silver to make up for Zhi Lin's shortcomings. Zhi Lin just turned a blind eye. Now that something big has happened, regret is too late.

  After the old lady vented her spleen, she drank the tea handed over by Ruqing and finally alleviated her anger. She also said to Zhili: "This matter can be big or small. Zhang's shop is small, and it should not have caused too much impact. The best plan now is to first comfort those affected people, and also, Zhili, go find Master Ma to try and see if there is a turning point in the situation."

  Zhili nodded, "Sun Er has this intention. Ma Daren has always been iron-faced and impartial, but he also upholds the law fairly. Zhang Shi, although she caused a great disaster, was only driven by greed and did not commit treason or rebellion. Father will likely be lenient in his punishment since he was unaware of the situation. However...” Zhili said with difficulty, “Zhang Shi is after all father's concubine, now that she has caused such a great disaster, father will also be accused of having an unclean inner household and being a poor family manager, I'm afraid his official career is already hopeless..."

  Everyone in the hall felt a chill, ten years of hard study and endless hardships, although the officialdom was treacherous, but after all, they had come through safely with caution. It wasn't easy to achieve what they had today, but it was all ruined because of a small concubine's meddling, implicating the whole family.

  The old lady was also filled with regret, tears streaming down her face, and in unbearable pain. "If only I had known earlier, even if it meant offending the master, I would have sent Zhang away to a far-off place. It's all my fault, they will all blame me."

  "Grandma, don't blame yourself anymore, this matter has nothing to do with you." From a modern perspective, Zhang Niangniang just sold poisonous food and harmed people, but no one has died yet. At most, the store will be shut down, and if it's severe, Zhang's property will be confiscated as compensation. The Sanlu milk powder incident harmed so many Chinese babies, but all that happened was the company being shut down and the chairman being sentenced to life imprisonment. Everyone else is still living a good life.

  As for the matter of colluding with cults, Zhang didn't have the guts to do that, currently there is no evidence, as long as Ma Wenshan handles it according to the law, I believe Lao Die won't be in trouble, he will just receive a reprimand and lose his official position and pay a fine.

  The way to know the ritual is to go find Ma Wenshan, first admit the mistakes of one's own family and accept all punishments from the imperial court. However, considering Fang Jinglan was an honest official with a good reputation in the officialdom and didn't know about it, he would be dealt with leniency.

  He said he wanted to go back to his mother's home for a trip and asked his grandfather and father to come out in person, because Ma Wenshan was also from the He family.

  Ruqin felt that Zhili's plan was more reliable, and added, "Then let's divide the work. Sister-in-law will go back to her parents' home to ask for support, brother will go to Magistrate Ma's place. My mother and I will first gather some silver to appease the victims, this should reduce the severity of the crime."

  "Still want to add silver? With so many people buying rice, how much silver is needed?"

  "Mother, as long as we can save Father's life and reduce his sentence, and the three brothers are not implicated, even if it means spending all our silver, it will be worth it." Seeing Li still looking angry, she continued, "The crimes committed by Zhang are clear and cannot be denied. At this point, rather than trying to pull strings and deny everything, it's better to confess honestly. Although the laws of Daqing are strict, there is always a chance for leniency for those who confess. Rather than letting the officials confiscate our property and impose heavy penalties, it's better to take action first. I'll gather silver with Grandmother, and Big Brother can go to Magistrate Ma to inquire about the situation and take care of Father so he doesn't suffer in prison." She paused, then said softly, "Father's position as Salt Transport Commissioner is a lucrative one, and many people are jealous. Rather than letting someone with ulterior motives intervene, it's better to resolve this disaster first."

  Actually, the Zhang Yiniang thing can be big or small. On one hand, if the government gives Fang Jinglan a crime of "inner court unrest and lack of control", losing his official position is certain. But as long as the three brothers who know the rules are not implicated, this is the foundation of preserving the Fang family. What does silver mean? Does Fang Jinglan's loss of office count for anything? Although he is also quite innocent and pitiful in this matter, Zhang Shi was raised by him himself, and Zhang Shi can have today, it is also because of his indulgence, and no one else can be blamed.

  Several admiring glances were cast at Ruoxi. Old Lady Sheng spoke up, "Qing'er is absolutely right. With the Zhang Yiniang incident, Master's official position will likely be lost. The best plan now is to prevent the three Zhi brothers from being implicated." Then she gave Li a stern look, "You shouldn't be so attached to external things either. As long as we have our lives, we won't lack for anything. If Master loses his life, all of you children will be in danger. You take care of it yourself."

  The old lady's words, translated into modern language, are: "If the old man dies, his son will have to observe mourning and won't be able to take office, and his daughter won't be able to get married." And another thing, Rumei was just discussing marriage with the Yang family, but now that this mess has happened, it's uncertain whether Rumei's marriage can succeed, which is why Madam Li is so anxious.

  Mr. Li also understood the old lady's meaning and felt anxious, "But I don't have much property left either, it was all given to Rumei as dowry!"

  The old lady's eyes widened, as if she had been knocked over by anger.

  She hastily said, "I have many pieces of jewelry and headpieces. If I pawn them all, they should be worth several hundred taels of silver. However, I really don't have much private savings." She indeed didn't have any private funds on hand, having spent it all on buying property deeds after returning to the capital. Besides, if she were to compensate, Zhang Shi would be the first in line, and it would be convenient to confiscate all the silver she had earned over the years. I believe no one would object.

  The old lady gently held onto Ru Xiang, her face filled with emotion. "Good child, no matter how poor our family is, we can never take your dowry. You're already not in good health, and thinking about your father's future, you're really a considerate and filial daughter. With a daughter like you, your father's life hasn't been lived in vain."

  Mrs. He looked at her with a sympathetic eye and said softly, "Old lady, you are absolutely right. Fourth sister is just that kind of person, having this heart is already good. I still have some useless jewelry and accessories at home, if they are all pawned, I think it should be possible to raise some money." She looked at Mrs. Li again and said to the old lady, "My shop and land cannot be sold, only the jewelry and clothes can be used as collateral. It should be able to raise some silver."

  The words of the old lady and Mrs. He are very artistic and comparable, setting off the greatness and nobility of emotions, with a heart that only cares for her father and disregards everything else. Even the little private house was taken out. And those who have money, at this moment, still pushed three and blocked four, it's really not like them.

  But Li, who was "particularly unlikable", looked disconsolate and wronged, covering her face with a handkerchief, and said in a hoarse voice: "It's obviously that cheap woman Zhang who caused the trouble, why should the whole family clean up the mess for her?"

  As if she couldn't bear to look at her, I really wanted to say, "Mrs. Li, this is what's called 'guilt by association', do you understand? The trouble was indeed caused by Zhang, but as the mistress of the house, not managing your concubine well is your responsibility. But Fang Jinglan is the master of the house, if the concubine causes trouble, he has to take responsibility. In ancient times, it wasn't about 'one person does something and one person takes the blame', you're still an ancient person, yet you don't even understand this. A transmigrator like her can't bear the guilt by association, but you're still complaining about being wronged. I don't know whether to say she's foolish or hasn't grasped reality.

  The old lady was so angry that she didn't want to say anything, and glared at her with disgust. "Since the matter has already happened, no amount of regret or blame will do any good. Now the most important thing is to try to reduce Zhang's guilt as much as possible, so that the master can be acquitted. Zhi Lian, and Zhi Lian's wife, stop kneeling, get up. Your aunt has caused such a big disaster, you two say something, what should we do about this?"

  The couple, Zhi Lian and his wife, knelt on the ground and did not get up. Zhi Lian looked at the stern face of Old Lady Li, the pale face of Mrs. Li, and the gloomy faces of Zhi Li and his wife, gritted his teeth and said: "The disaster was caused by my aunt, so it's only right that she and I take responsibility together. What Fourth Sister said earlier is correct, further accusations are useless. Now the most important thing is to first comfort the affected common people. Next, big brother can go to the Dalit Temple to make some arrangements. Even if Magistrate Ma is impartial, the prison of the Dalit Temple is not a trivial matter, so it's best to... let Father suffer less. As for the silver, I suppose Aunt has put it in her room, and I have some too. Let's take them out together, and if it's not enough, we'll think of another way."

  It must be said that Zhi Lian is still quite reasonable and has not excused Zhang's crime, but instead came up with a compromise solution.

  Mr. Lin also followed the way: "Husband, you're right. For now, first of all, we should comfort the victims and make sure they are safe. As for the silver...". Mr. Lin gritted his teeth, "I didn't wear those gold and silver accessories much anyway, let's pawn them all. Besides, I still have 2,000 taels of silver as dowry, and many high-quality fabrics and clothing materials that can be exchanged for silver."

  Zhi Lian looked at Lin Shi with a complex expression, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say a word.

  The old lady's expression changed slightly, "It's hard for you, getting into all this trouble for no reason. And to make matters worse, you've lost your dowry." Then she looked at everyone else and finally her gaze fell on Li Shi, her voice calm, "Although Zhang Shi has caused so much trouble, now is not the time to assign blame. Zhi Lian is right, our priority should be to gather enough silver to fill this gap first." After a pause, she continued, "Earlier, Zhi Li mentioned that those who committed crimes were also punished by having half their property confiscated as compensation. Rather than letting the Imperial Guard intervene, it's better for us to take care of things ourselves." Then the old lady ordered Xia Lin's family to bring out all her private savings and exchange them for silver at a pawnshop. Xia Lin's wife wiped away tears with her sleeve and said in a hoarse voice, "In the past, for the sake of Master and Mistress, you didn't have to worry about anything, but now that Mistress has married and Master has made a name for himself, your daily expenses are mostly covered by your own private savings. But these years, our family's social interactions have become more frequent, one thing after another, which gift do we not need to give... Old lady, I dare say, apart from those deeds and properties that can't be easily sold, your private savings are really running low."

  The old lady's face twitched, motionless, and shouted: "How much is there, take it all out. As long as my son is safe and sound, I don't care, even if the wife becomes penniless, he won't send me to my death."

  The old lady's words were too heavy, and they made people feel suffocated. The daughter-in-law cried and clutched at her sleeve, "Grandma, those are your funeral expenses, why don't you keep them? My daughter has a lot of silver on hand, over 300 taels, and there are also the rewards from Uncle and Auntie before, all of which can be exchanged for 500-600 taels of silver...". Just as she was thinking that even her private room might not be spared, the old lady hugged her and cried, "Good child, Grandma knows you're sincere. Those are your private belongings, don't worry, the government won't take them away. You can keep them as your dowry."

  As if seeing eyes blinking, she wanted to say: If the government enters the house, won't her private room be exposed? It's better to take out the silver first.

  It's just, it's just... over 30,000 taels of silver, if I take them all out, it would indeed hurt for half a lifetime.

  Mr. He said, "Old lady, you're absolutely right. Fourth sister, your private room won't be noticed by the government. However, old lady, don't be too pessimistic either. Zhang's wife has been spending money with more and more flair in recent years, she must have made a lot of silver as well. Let's take stock of Zhang's wife first, and then we'll make other plans."

  It's better to take the initiative to compensate than to let the imperial guards confiscate your property, which can not only reduce the crime but also establish credibility.

  Li's face changed greatly, biting her lips tightly, "In that case, wouldn't Rumei's dowry......" She hated it, that damned Zhang Shi a thousand times, ten thousand times.

  The old lady looked at her with a sympathetic gaze, "I understand your feelings. Such an incident has caused harm to San Yatou as well, but what can be done? Can't just have the Yang family bring over the wedding sedan chair and welcome San Yatou into their home now, can they?"

  Li was speechless, sitting on the chair in a daze, silent for a long time, her eyes staring blankly. If half of the Fang family's dowry were to be confiscated, wouldn't Ru Mei and Yang's marriage be ruined?

  But now Fang Jinglan has a knife hanging over his head, and beautiful things are no longer important.

  The Li, He and Lin families rushed to Zhang's courtyard together. Zhang had already been arrested by the Imperial Guards as the main culprit, along with her son, personal maid and others. Now, only some secondary maids and low-ranking servants were left in the courtyard. They had also heard about what happened at the mansion and were worried about their own future when Li led a group of servants into the courtyard, rummaging through boxes and searching under Zhang's bed, where they found several large chests filled with silver, both broken and whole pieces, filling six large chests. After weighing them, they found that there was over 7,000 taels of silver.

  When the news reached him, he couldn't believe it either. Zhang's shop was only about 40 square meters in size, and at most, it could hold a thousand kilograms of rice. Even if they made a profit of five cents per dou of rice, how many dou would they have to sell to make that much money? The Fang family had moved to the capital for just over three years, so how did Zhang manage to accumulate such wealth?

  Later, after a thorough search by Mr. He, an important clue was found. Under Zhang's bed, there were stacks of receipts. It turned out that Zhang had been lending money at high interest rates outside, no wonder the money came in so quickly.

  Usury is now known as usury, with interest calculated daily at a rate of 0.5% per thousand. Borrowing 100 taels of silver would result in an interest of 50 coins per day, and the interest would be compounded, so that over time, even poor families would be forced to sell their children, pots, and pans, and still not be able to pay it back.

  The old lady heard this and was choked with anger again. She scolded Zhang's family, saying they were really black-hearted and would definitely reap what they sowed in the future.

  But anyway, the amount of unity was still full, and that night, after Zhili returned from the Temple of Great Rites, he brought news that wasn't too bad.

  “…The poisonous rice case is now being jointly tried by the Temple of Great Awakening, the Supervision Department and the Ministry of Punishment... Zhang has already confessed, but fortunately he was not aware of it, just greedy for cheapness, at most his shop will be sealed and fined some silver. As for my father...” A man in a green robe with embroidered ink bamboo patterns looked tired and dull, “My father is the third-grade salt transport official, not a low-ranking official, Magistrate Ma has no right to intervene in this matter, and has already handed over the case to the Temple of Great Awakening and the Ministry of Punishment... My father's case will have to be sentenced by the Ministry of Punishment again.”

  It's like a refreshing breath of cool air. Now, with the Temple of Great Rites and the Ministry of Punishment involved, how can the He family possibly intervene?

  Hei also returned from her mother's home, looking tired and rubbing her temples. "Once it involves a cult, my grandfather can't help much with this matter, he can only mediate." Then she looked at Ruqing with an approving gaze, "My grandfather also agrees with the fourth sister's idea, Zhang Niang's crime is already set in stone, trying to absolve her of guilt would be futile. It's better to frankly admit responsibility, if they are accused of mismanaging the household or causing trouble, at most they will lose their position as Salt Transport Commissioner and be demoted to a local official."

  "Master Li cried: 'After so many years of struggling in the officialdom, it's not easy to achieve what we have today, and now it's all gone... isn't that too cruel?'"

  As if by chance, he glanced at her strangely, the man lost his official position, and Li would not be able to hold her head up in her natal family either. Most importantly, Rumei's marriage was probably also ruined.

  Everyone present knew her intentions, but no one responded. The old lady simply ignored her and asked Mrs. He, "We should still thank your father for showing us the way. You know the rules, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

  Zhili's expression was serious. "Grandfather Yue is right, let's do it according to plan." He turned his head and asked Linshi, "Is the silver prepared?"

  After Zhang Yiniang's accident, Zhi Lian and his wife didn't sleep well again. Now, the couple looked disheveled and haggard. Lin Shi hastily said: "It's almost enough, a total of 20,000 taels of silver have been collected." Among them, Zhi Lian and his wife contributed the most, almost pawning everything in the house that could be pawned. Lin Shi's dowry jewelry, headdress, and fabrics were all sent to the pawnshop in one go, and they were all dead pledges.

  She brought out all the pearls and trinkets from her dresser, which were gifts from various elders, some of which were quite valuable. When she pawned them, she got over 600 taels of silver. She also took out all the silver she had saved up, making a total of 1,100 taels. The old lady took even more, totaling over 2,000 taels. Adding to that the silver and tableware that Zhang's wife sold, they got nearly 10,000 taels.

  Li also took out a portion, about two thousand taels, and Zhu Yiniang also brought out her private savings. With red eyes, she handed them to Lin Shi, wiping away tears as she said sorrowfully: "Over the years, I've only managed to save this much, originally I wanted to prepare some dowry for Ruxue, but now it's probably not possible."

  Lin opened the shabby box, inside which were some scattered hairpins and a few pieces of broken silver. The most precious things were two night pearls the size of chicken eggs and over ten gems, which was the most miserable among all people. But Lin choked with emotion, saying to Zhu Niang: "Niang has this heart already is rare. Home again bitter again difficult, absolutely cannot take your body mixed day child. Still first collect, now also not yet to the time of bankruptcy."

  Zhu Yiniang handed the makeup box to Lin Shi's arms, her eyes reddening as she said: "I know these things aren't worth much silver, but they're still a token of my goodwill. Third Madame, please accept it; after all, we're family, what's the point of distinguishing between us? I believe that once this hurdle is overcome, the Fang household will be at peace."

  Lin saw her insistence, had to accept it, and said many words of gratitude. Seeing only a simple silver-plated plum blossom hairpin on Zhu's mother-in-law's head, he felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

  So, everyone scrambled to gather 20,000 taels of silver. Zhilü looked at the pile of silver and said with a gloomy expression: "Magistrate Ma roughly estimated that there are about 800 households who bought the poisonous rice, and now most of them have shown symptoms, big or small. Fortunately, these are all poor families, and even if they had bought cheap rice, they wouldn't dare to make it into plain white rice, but instead made congee with it, adding some corn and pumpkin to dilute the poison. This greatly reduced the toxicity, but the children's bodies were weak, and many of them felt dizzy and their ears rang after eating. Fortunately, no one has died yet. However, according to 50 taels of silver per household as compensation, this amount of silver is still far from enough."

  Li's face turned pale, his lips trembling, and he stammered: "Not enough? What can I do? I really can't take it out."

  Zhi Lian and his wife exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with anxiety.

  The old lady looked at her with dissatisfaction and disappointment in her eyes.

  He shook his head and said, "It seems that we have no choice but to take out what's in the warehouse and sell it at a discount."

  "Impossible," Li shouted, "those are all dowry for Rumei, we can't use them."

  Zhili said coldly, "Auntie indeed has a mother's kind heart. But please think carefully, Auntie, what is more important, Sanmei's dowry or Father's life?"

  Mrs. Li did not respond, only holding her handkerchief and sobbing, "I know you all blame me for being selfish and disregarding my husband's life or death. But I have only one daughter like Rumei, and now that her marriage is imminent, this thing has happened, and whether she can marry into the Yang family is already uncertain. If we use up Rumei's dowry again, won't Rumei be finished for the rest of her life?"

  Zhilü's eyebrows didn't even twitch as she said: "If Aunt is right, then wouldn't Fourth Sister's marriage be even more uncertain?"

  The old lady felt a pang in her heart and hugged Ruqing silently with tears streaming down her face. "My poor Qing'er."

  As for Ruhuang, the old lady's heart was also cool and calm. Previously, she had intended to take her niece as a concubine, but after being reprimanded by Princess Jingtao, she temporarily restrained herself. Firstly, she was afraid of the Fang family's power, and secondly, she considered Princess Jingtao's face. Now that the Fang family has declined, it is likely that the marriage between the two families will also be suspended.

  He gazed at Ruoxi with a mixture of guilt and longing, his handkerchief clenched into a ball.

  Zhī lǐ cleared his throat, and He Shi came back to her senses, furrowing her brow. She shot a glance at Zhī lǐ, who was expressionless, but his eyebrows were already knitted together. He gazed at Lǐ Shì for a long time before withdrawing his gaze, looking at Lǐ Shì's face which was alternately pale and red. "Third sister is indeed pitiful, but she can also be considered lucky to have a mother who wholeheartedly takes charge of her. Compared to Auntie's maternal kindness, Zhu Niáng is far inferior. She has only one daughter, Fourth Sister, yet not even half of the dowry was left for her."

  Zhen's couple hung their heads in shame, their hearts racing with anxiety. Zhu Niang was only a concubine and didn't have any permanent property, but this time she also suffered a huge loss. The valuable items in the house were all taken out, even the silver hairpins on her head were removed. Compared to the 128 sedan chairs of dowry that Li Shi had brought with her when she married into the Fang family, and the silver money that she had managed to save over the years, Li Shi's 2000 taels of silver was really nothing, and could even be considered selfish and petty.

  Li was so angry that her face turned red, but she knew she wasn't in the right, so she had to force herself to be patient and gritted her teeth: "The key to the warehouse isn't on me, if you want to open it then go ahead."

  He Shi immediately smiled and said she would go to the Fang Mansion's warehouse, take some valuable items to sell, and believed they could get through this difficult time.

  The Li, He and Lin families each kept their dowries in their own rooms, with only the larger items stored in the warehouse. The other valuable items in the warehouse belonged to Guan Zhong, including many gifts from subordinates and colleagues, as well as precious items sent by Fang Jingtuo and Fang Huaxiang from Haining, who were wealthy salt merchants. Fang Huaxiang was a prominent figure in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, with a family fortune worth millions, and the gifts she sent were extremely valuable. Fang Jingtuo also sent a large quantity of precious gifts to Beijing every year, which could be exchanged for a substantial amount of silver.

  He and Lin went to the warehouse together, and others dispersed one after another, returning to Songhe Hall. Like a sentiment, she twisted her fingers, looking at the old lady who wanted to speak but stopped.

  The old lady sipped the tea brought by Xia Lin's family, glanced at Ruqing and said in a low voice: "Qing Yaotou, is there something you want to tell me?"

  She nodded slightly, quietly came to the old lady's side, leaned against her arm and said softly: "Second brother also secretly gave me a lot of private houses, why does grandma want to stop me?"

  The old lady stroked her granddaughter's shoulder with a sympathetic expression. "The trouble was caused by the Zhang family, and your father also indulged them. Your shortsighted stepmother is also half responsible. Now that something like this has happened, it's clearly their responsibility. Why should you have to bear the burden? Moreover, you're almost of age and the marriage with the Xiang family is approaching, but then this happens, and even your dowry was embezzled. The lady of the Xiang family is also one who looks down on the poor and favors the rich. This time, our Fang family has suffered a great calamity, who knows what will become of us? You can't even protect yourself, why should you have to pay for their mistakes? In good times, there's always something delicious or useful, but it never belongs to you. Once something happens, you're the one who has to clean up the mess. Bullying honest people isn't done this way. Even if it's about being filial, it shouldn't be done like this."

  "Your elder sister is now pregnant and can't move around easily, that's why she didn't come to visit, but she still sent back 3,000 taels of silver. Do you think it's easy for your elder sister in the Zhong family? The old lady of the Zhong family is getting more and more muddled with age, her own daughter is not capable, and the family is declining, so she keeps pinching pennies from her two daughters-in-law to fill that bottomless pit. Fortunately, your elder sister is clever and has hidden all her valuable jewelry and clothes, wearing old clothes outside, although the old lady speaks coldly, she can't take advantage of her. Luckily, your brother-in-law is capable and is now serving as a commander in the 12th battalion in Beijing, so he took his wife and children to Beijing for work. Your elder sister followed her husband, but life in Beijing is expensive, everything costs money, buying houses, slaves, and bribing officials, silver is flowing out like water, the Zhong family has never been good at managing their wealth, by this generation, except for a marquis title, there's not much property left. Your elder sister wrote to you before that when her husband went to Beijing, the old lady of the Zhong family didn't give them any money, instead, she took some away, the main house of the Zhong family is still quite generous and gave them several thousand taels of silver, but how can that be enough in Beijing? Now, your elder sister's situation is not easy either. When something like this happened to your father, she was the first to send back 3,000 taels of silver, even a married-out daughter is like this, it doesn't make sense for her own mother-in-law to be so stingy, on one hand saying they need to prepare dowry for their daughter, on the other hand saying there's no money... when her own husband is so cold, you don't need to fight for that reputation in your aunt's family."

  The old lady was extremely indignant and hated Li's inaction in this matter, but as her stepmother, she couldn't scold her too harshly. Moreover, involving Li's own dowry, she couldn't openly demand that she take out her own dowry to save the situation. However, she was seething with anger inside.

  Yu Qing gently wrapped her arms around Lao Taijun's body, softly comforting her, "Grandma, Father will be fine. Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt always bring some valuable things every year, I believe if Eldest Sister takes a few pieces to exchange for silver, we should be able to get through this difficult time. Madame... only has one daughter, Third Sister, she's thinking of her with all her heart, there's no way she can abandon her."

  It's not that I want to excuse Li, but rather that she had such thoughts and it's understandable. As a stepmother, having given birth to a daughter, the man was lukewarm towards her, and her stepson and his wife were also distant and cold. After something like this happened, her first priority would be to find an escape route for herself. This is human nature, and one can't simply blame her.

  Mr. and Mrs. Zhi Li did not force her to use her dowry to make up for it, so they had no choice but to ask Li Shi to take out the valuable items in the warehouse to rescue them urgently, which was all official property, and Li Shi wanted to object but had to find a reasonable reason to do so.

  The old lady also knew that what Ruhua said made sense. So she didn't say much more, just moved the Buddhist beads with her fingers and said, "I hope Bodhisattva will bless you, your father can come back safely."

  Because Li had been passively fighting, many people were dissatisfied. Although the old lady was unhappy, she forced herself to endure it and didn't say anything openly. Mr. and Mrs. Zhi didn't comment on it either. Mr. and Mrs. Zhi Lian didn't even dare to fart, but the lower-ranking people had already spread very unpleasant rumors, such as being selfish, petty, and narrow-minded, disregarding the overall situation, and for the sake of external things, they didn't even care about their own husbands, etc.

  Li was so angry that her face turned iron-green. She had really done her best, and although her dowry was also considered generous, she had used up quite a bit over the years. Although she had indeed left some leeway for herself, there wasn't much silver left.

  Ru Mei also heard the gossip of the lower officials, and on the spot, she was furious, ordering someone to take control of the unruly lower officials, and all the way to the Yu Prefecture Wang Fu, she wanted to find Ru Shan to settle accounts.

  Rumina was filled with resentment, and the gatekeeper couldn't stop her even if he wanted to. He hastily reported back to Old Lady Wang and the others. Old Lady Wang's expression didn't change as she said, "Zhang Shi is Ruyi's birth mother. Now that her own mother has caused such trouble and implicated the entire family, Ruyi should also take some responsibility. Let her go, I want to see just how capable this Ruyi, who married into the Wang household, really is."

  The old lady's words were sarcastic, with a tone of "it's all just a facade", but in reality, it was as if she had a deep emotional turmoil.

  Although she returned home in glory that day, surrounded by pearls and jade, there was always a hint of deliberate show-off. As for Li, although they had a few brief encounters, they were all unhappy separations.

  It was almost evening when she returned, her face as beautiful as a cow's, and the door to the house was slammed shut with a loud noise. As soon as she entered the Songhe Hall, she started yelling, "That white-eyed wolf Ruxin, Father always doted on her, and whatever good food or things there were, he would always give them to her. Now look at her, actually blaming Father for his mistakes! When I came back home earlier, she was so arrogant and proud of herself, but today when I went to find her, she had fallen ill and was lying in bed muttering to herself. Hmph, I'm sure she's faking it."

  In her heart, she secretly thought that this was a great opportunity. When the maternal family is in trouble, no matter what, they must come out to help. However, she didn't want to help Ruyi in her heart, and it would cost another 20,000 taels of silver. She estimated that her dowry wouldn't even add up to that much. Moreover, if Ruyi asked her to go rescue her father under the name of the Yun County Prince's Manor, how could she, a newlywed bride, dare to open her mouth? However, not helping would be unjustifiable, so she could only pretend to be ill. Whether it was real or fake, lying in bed and mumbling was the best way to avoid this situation. But someone had given her some silver, hadn't they? It couldn't be said that she was unfilial and didn't care about her maternal family's life and death. She was just really unable to do anything while she was ill.

  Gao, this move is really high indeed.

  By the way

  Friends, happy holidays! Thank you for your support and rewards. I'm grateful to everyone, and I'll do my best to repay you with high-quality writing. I promise not to drag out the story, not to write a bad ending, and not to ramble on just to fill up space. I'll keep the plot tight and make sure it's worth your money.

  As an online author, in order to become a rich and beautiful woman, I must adhere to the following conditions:

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