Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Selling Everything, Even the Dowry

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.

“Bring a stool here,” Madam Xu instructed. Jue Xia, always eager to please, immediately complied with a cheerful smile.

Moments later, a small table and chair were set up at the Old Madam’s door. Madam Xu lay down leisurely, while Deng Zhi fanned her.

This display of relaxation stung both Nanny Lin and those within the room. It had been less than half an hour when the Old Madam finally stirred awake. By the time Madam Xu entered the room, the Old Madam appeared anything but fatigued. Instead, there was a trace of anger glinting in her eyes.

“Did you stir up trouble outside today?” The Old Madam’s expression was full of displeasure.

“You are the Marchioness of our household,” she continued sternly. “Your actions represent the face of the Marquis Manor…” She paused, her voice growing heavier. “I’ve heard you even sent Lu Jing Huai’s mother to prison?”

The Old Madam’s breathing became labored. Lu Jing Huai was her cherished eldest grandson, the apple of her eye. Madam Xu’s own children were less accomplished, making her even more protective of Lu Jing Huai.

Madam Xu straightened her posture and smiled faintly.

“Mother’s news is swift,” she remarked lightly, covering her mouth as she chuckled. “It was a trivial matter. Who dared disturb Mother’s meditation with such insignificant gossip?”

Nanny Lin’s face soured, and the room grew stiflingly warm. The Old Madam, disliking both noise and the cold, refused even the use of ice basins in this heat.

“That Lu Jing Huai is reputed to be a genius youth, likely to achieve the Triple Crown of Excellence. By imprisoning his mother, you’ve tarnished his reputation. How can you, as a mother yourself, be so ruthless?” The Old Madam’s voice trembled with fury.

Madam Xu’s brows knitted slightly.

“Mother is being unreasonable. His mother had my dowry in her possession—she’s a thief. Thieves deserve imprisonment. What’s wrong with that?”

She continued coldly, “Who knows if what he eats and wears was bought with stolen goods?”

The Old Madam’s entire body shook with anger, her eyes reddened. She nearly lost her breath from sheer rage.

“I’ve already instructed Deng Zhi to send the dowry inventory to the county office,” Madam Xu added nonchalantly. “I’ve heard quite a bit was stolen.”

The Old Madam’s complexion darkened. That dowry, a fortune in itself, was split among three keys for security: one held by the Marquis, Lu Yuan Ze, one by the Old Madam, and the last by Madam Xu herself. Madam Xu, ever magnanimous, had allowed the Old Madam to secretly take several items for Pei Jiao Jiao.

“This is preposterous! Such matters should be handled privately. Why provoke animosity? That boy is destined for greatness. Why ruin him?” The Old Madam gritted her teeth, unwilling to let her grandson bear such a scandal.

Madam Xu’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

“Mother underestimates the value of these items,” she said. “My three elder brothers emptied their private wealth to contribute to my dowry for Yun Niang’s sake. It’s worth a fortune and cannot be settled quietly.”

Her tone turned sharp. “If handled publicly, there’s nothing more to be said. But a private settlement would only incite my brothers’ wrath, which would be even more detrimental to Young Master Lu in the future.”

The Old Madam faltered, her words caught in her throat. Madam Xu’s eldest brother had just been appointed Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a position of immense authority. The Marquis Manor could not afford such an enemy.

“This theft exposes a household traitor,” Madam Xu added pointedly. “It’s high time to root out the culprit.”

The Old Madam grew increasingly uneasy. By evening, word came that the thief had been identified.

When Madam Xu arrived with her attendants, her eyes glimmered knowingly. She had expected them to sacrifice Nanny Lin to protect themselves.

The Old Madam, visibly distressed, kept her eyes shut as she spoke. “She’s served me for fifty years. I am deeply disappointed. Every item of your dowry was stolen by her and sold.”

The Old Madam glanced menacingly at Nanny Lin, who had been forced to her knees. Nanny Lin’s children, all employed within the manor, were the Old Madam’s confidants. Yet, to preserve Lu Jing Huai’s reputation, she was willing to sever these ties.

Madam Xu’s heart ached but remained impassive.

“Send her to the county office,” she instructed. “Nanny Lin’s children, being offspring of a thief, cannot remain in the manor. They might seek vengeance for their mother, creating future troubles.”

Nanny Lin’s eyes widened in shock, but her protests were silenced by the Old Madam’s order to gag her.

“The stolen dowry must be recovered in full,” Madam Xu said, casting a meaningful glance at the Old Madam. A sense of satisfaction surged within her.

The Old Madam, her teeth clenched, responded haltingly, “Of course.”

By the time Madam Xu left, Deng Zhi had already returned from the county office, her face alight with excitement. She closed the door behind her and whispered, “Madam, they’re going to sell everything they own.”

“Seventeen years,” she continued. “Seventeen years of pilfering the dowry. To return it all now will cost them dearly.”

She added, “I’ve heard that Lu Jing Huai is quite secretive about his parentage. No one knows who his parents are. Yet, he spends lavishly and advocates that a hero’s origins don’t matter. Many struggling scholars consider him their friend.”

Madam Xu’s lips curled in derision.

“Spending my money to appear generous. How noble.”

She sneered. “He preaches about origins? What right does an illegitimate child from a mistress’s affair have to talk about origins?”

[In her past life, he won the favor of these struggling scholars, achieved the Triple Crown, and gained a sterling reputation.]

[Later, his younger sister, Lu Jing Yao, who had been adopted by Madam Xu, accused the Xu family of treason. The entire Xu clan was executed.]

[He and his sister cleared away every obstacle, entering the Marquis Manor spotless and untarnished.]

[In the past, my family was sacrificed like offerings to heaven.]

Hearing her daughter’s inner thoughts, Madam Xu’s heart bled.

Good. This was very good.

“Struggling scholars value reputation and virtue above all. If word spreads that he is a bastard child born of an affair, can he continue to thrive?” Madam Xu murmured softly.

That night, Madam Xu slept soundly. But the entire Marquis Manor was restless.

The Old Madam’s private vaults were thrown open, and treasures were hauled out piece by piece. She knelt in her Little Buddha Hall, clutching her prayer beads so tightly that they nearly snapped.

“Sell it all,” she commanded. “Sell everything to fill the deficit.”

“Jiao Jiao is still in prison. Jing Yao has cried herself to the brink of collapse. Jing Huai is also suffering. If his reputation cannot be salvaged, the consequences will be dire.”

Lu Yuan Ze’s expression was grim.

His private vaults were already empty, and he had even listed his estates for sale. At this moment, resentment toward Madam Xu burned within him. She had driven him to this pitiful state and tarnished Jing Huai’s name—a truly venomous woman!