Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Why Quibble?

He walked to Sheng Zhi Wan’s side. “This is the Duke’s residence’s private matter. Why did you summon outsiders?”

Sheng Zhi Wan raised her brows. “I already entrusted this matter to the Da Li Court. Naturally, it is better to settle it with them present, so no one can muddy the waters.”

Qi Shu Xian opened his mouth to argue again.

“Heir Apparent, do not argue with the Princess,” Meng Yang said gently. One hand held her belly as her small fingers tugged at Qi Shu Xian’s sleeve. “Last night I withdrew silver from the Wine Workshop and the Hotpot Shop. It’s more than enough to fill the gap in the Princess’s dowry. If others want to watch, let them.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Sheng Zhi Wan smiled faintly.

An Zhi immediately stepped forward with a thick ledger and announced, “In the two years since my Princess married into the Duke’s residence, she subsidized the residence with a total of 27,362 taels of silver!”

A common family of five in the capital city spent only about ten taels of silver in a year. Yet in less than two years, the Duke’s residence had spent over twenty-seven thousand taels.

“This… did they eat silver?” a yamen runner blurted out.

Someone beside him kicked him at once. He realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly lowered his head.

But his words matched what most people there were thinking.

Even though Qi Shu Xian had not heard that number for the first time, his face still looked stripped of all light.

Meng Yang felt pain in her heart, but she forced a generous smile. She pointed behind her at more than twenty boxes. “Open them.”

“Princess, take a look. This is the Wine Workshop’s profits from the past month. It should be enough to repay the silver you subsidized the Duke’s residence with over the last two years, yes?”

Jiao Niang Wine was no longer sold only in the capital city. It had already spread to nearby prefectures and counties as well.

At her words, the people she brought immediately opened each box. Bright, gleaming silver filled the boxes and flashed in everyone’s eyes.

Seeing the shocked stares around her, Meng Yang’s eyes brimmed with pride.

Sheng Zhi Wan had spent two years subsidizing the Duke’s residence, and Meng Yang only needed one month to earn that much.

Yet Sheng Zhi Wan still counted every coin, not realizing that Meng Yang did not even care about such money.

In the future, Meng Yang would earn even more.

Thinking that way, the ache in Meng Yang’s heart eased. “Princess, should we have someone carry it out and count it?”

Sheng Zhi Wan only glanced at her. “Concubine Meng, do not rush. This is only the beginning. An Zhi, continue reading.”

“Yes!” An Zhi answered in a clear, steady voice. “The Duke borrowed sixteen paintings and three famous inkstones. The paintings were…”

“The Duchess borrowed a pair of Gold-Thread Agate Pendants and a set of White Jade Hair Ornaments…”

As An Zhi listed more and more items, the yamen runners who came along gaped in disbelief. These treasures were things they had never even heard of in their lives, let alone seen.

Sheng Zhi Wan, however, kept a calm expression, showing neither anger nor delight.

Qi Shu Xian felt his face burning with shame. Before An Zhi could reach the things Qi Fei Yan had “borrowed,” he waved a hand and ordered people to open all the remaining boxes at once.

In an instant, jewelry, antiques, and scrolls of calligraphy and painting were displayed before everyone.

“Enough, Sheng Zhi Wan. Your things are all here!” Qi Shu Xian said. He turned as if to leave.

“Heir Apparent, wait.” Sheng Zhi Wan stopped him. “Leave after everything is verified and checked. Otherwise, if anything is wrong and the Heir Apparent refuses to admit it, what then?”

At once, An Zhi and Ting Lan led all the maids and nannies of Ping Lan Residence forward to inspect the items.

They divided the work clearly. The nannies counted the silver, while those with some knowledge examined jewelry and objects. The people from the Da Li Court stayed beside them to help. Each time a maid checked an item, the court recorded it.

“Princess might not know,” Meng Yang said with a sudden smile. “To gather all this silver, I had to work very hard.”

“But as someone belonging to the Heir Apparent, everything I own naturally belongs to the Heir Apparent. If I can share the Heir Apparent’s burdens, I am willing to do anything.”

Qi Shu Xian’s heart softened. He turned and met Meng Yang’s watery eyes.

Compared to Meng Yang’s gentleness and thoughtfulness, Sheng Zhi Wan was petty, aggressive, and had made him lose face in front of outsiders.

“Are your people done counting?” Qi Shu Xian asked coldly. “Yang’er is with child and needs rest. We cannot be delayed here for so long.”

“Why the hurry?” Sheng Zhi Wan did not even look at their act. She sat leisurely in the reclining chair a maid brought over and sipped her tea. “I have too much dowry. If it is to be calculated clearly, it naturally takes time.”

As the sun climbed higher and higher, the busy figures of the maids finally stopped.

“Princess, the counting is complete,” An Zhi reported. Her voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone present. “The amount of silver is correct.”

“Hmph! Satisfied now?” Qi Shu Xian sneered. He wrapped an arm around Meng Yang’s waist and turned to leave. “Don’t ever use your dowry to make trouble again. The Duke’s residence will not owe you anything!”

An Zhi’s steady voice rang out again. “However, several sets of jewelry are missing, including the Ruby Hair Ornaments Set the Empress Dowager gave you. More than ten other sets were replaced with inferior goods.”

“As for the scrolls, at first glance seven paintings were fake. The rest are difficult for us to judge for now, so we set them aside separately.”

“What?!” Qi Shu Xian stopped in his tracks and whirled around.

“Did you check carefully?” His eyes were sharp as he strode to An Zhi and stared her down.

“Replying to the Heir Apparent, this servant confirmed it is correct,” An Zhi said. Her head lowered in respect, yet her voice stayed calm and certain.

“Yes. It is exactly as Miss An Zhi said. Many things are missing.” Fang Hong Zhi handed the list he had verified to Qi Shu Xian. “If the Heir Apparent does not believe it, you may check personally.”

Qi Shu Xian frowned at Meng Yang.

Meng Yang looked even more confused. “Heir Apparent, these were all gathered from the courtyards by the Duke last time…”

In other words, when Duke Qi collected them, these items were already fake.

Qi Shu Xian felt his anger boil until it threatened to tear out of his chest. His handsome face darkened as if it could drip water.

Meng Yang pressed her lips together. She saw Sheng Zhi Wan’s mocking look, then glanced at the silver she had worked so hard to earn. Thinking of how it would all become Sheng Zhi Wan’s, resentment rose in her heart.

“Princess is part of the Duke’s residence,” Meng Yang said. “Those bits of jewelry are still on family members. Why insist on quibbling?”

“Are you accusing me?” Sheng Zhi Wan asked, smiling without smiling.

“This concubine would not dare.” Meng Yang lowered her head. “Husband and wife are one body. Since the Princess already married the Heir Apparent, how can the Princess ignore the Heir Apparent’s face?”

“Besides, it is only a few pieces of jewelry and calligraphy. I thought the Princess was magnanimous and would not mind such small things. What does the Princess think?”

“Naturally…” Sheng Zhi Wan drew out the word. Then, when Meng Yang lifted her head to look at her, Sheng Zhi Wan gave a cold snort and said, “No.”

“Also, let me correct a few of Concubine Meng’s mistakes.”