Chapter 27: Desperate Measures for a Dowry
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Bring a stool over here,” she directed, her gaze fixed on one of her attendants.
Jue Xia responded with a bright, eager smile and quickly set about fulfilling her mistress’s request. Before long, a quaint setup appeared before the elderly woman’s residence: a modest table and a chair were neatly arranged at her doorway, where Madame Xu took her seat, casually fanning herself with ease.
Madame Xu’s seemingly carefree demeanor outside the elderly lady’s chamber caused much concern for Nanny Lin and everyone else within the estate. However, it didn’t take more than half an hour for the elderly woman to regain her alertness and summon Madame Xu.
Upon entering the room, Madame Xu found the elderly woman devoid of any signs of fatigue. Instead, she looked visibly irritated, her brows knitted in a deep frown.
“Have you had an altercation with someone outside today? I’ve been informed that you had Lu Jing Huai’s mother taken into custody. As a daughter-in-law of this family, you bear our family’s honor,” the elderly lady expressed, her voice strained with each syllable.
Lu Jing Huai, her greatly adored great-grandson, was the pride of her heart, making Madame Xu’s perceived blunder render him even more cherished.
Madame Xu stood with poise, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Mother-in-law, you are remarkably well-informed,” she remarked, her laughter light as she covered her mouth with her hand. “It was a trivial issue. Who has been troubling you with such tales?”
Nanny Lin shivered at the exchange. The room felt stiflingly warm; the elderly lady, who usually sought tranquility and was sensitive to the cold, had opted against using an ice basin even on this sweltering day.
“Lu Jing Huai is acclaimed as a genius, expected to excel in the royal examinations. By arresting his mother, are you not jeopardizing a young man’s reputation? You are a mother as well; how can you act so recklessly?” The suggestion seemed to infuriate the elderly woman further.
Madame Xu’s expression became slightly stern as she began her defense, “Mother-in-law, your accusations are unfounded. His mother was apprehended for pilfering from my dowry; she is a thief! Surely it is just to detain a thief? Furthermore, who can say if his possessions haven’t been pilfered? I even had Deng Zhi submit a list of my dowry items to the authorities. We will soon discover what’s missing from the vault.”
The discussion of her dowry struck a nerve with the elderly woman, as some of the listed items were exceedingly valuable.
When Madame Xu had married into the family, she had distributed the keys to her dowry vault among three individuals as a token of trust: one to Marquis Yuan Ze, one to her mother-in-law, and one to herself. Despite Madame Xu’s contributions to the family’s finances, the elderly woman had covertly taken many items to gift to her mistress, Pei Jiao Jiao.
“This is preposterous. Such disputes ought to be settled privately. Why must you be so unforgiving? That young man is exceptional; why do you insist on antagonizing him?” The elderly woman’s exasperation was clear, her teeth clenched in a silent refusal to see her grandson’s reputation tarnished by this scandal.
She feared for his promising future. She regarded Madame Xu with disdain, perceiving her as a destructive influence within the family.
“Mother-in-law, you underestimate the significance of these items,” Madame Xu replied calmly. “My three brothers from the Xu family exhausted their entire personal fortunes for my wedding expenses. This issue is too critical to handle discreetly. If resolved publicly, we might proceed without further debate. However, managing it privately could upset my brothers, who are known to be temperamental, potentially impairing the young man’s future even more.”
This prompted the elderly woman to reconsider. Considering Xu Yi Ting’s current role as the Minister of Labor and his substantial influence in court, the marquis’s family could not afford to alienate such a powerful figure.
“Exposing this conflict over the dowry might also unveil a thief among us. It’s time for that thief to be exposed!” Madame Xu’s declaration left the elderly lady startled, her heart skipping a beat at the thought.
By evening, the elderly lady had relayed that the thief had been apprehended. As anticipated, Nanny Lin was identified as the perpetrator, likely coerced by the elderly lady to accept the blame, just as Madame Xu had predicted.
The elderly lady appeared deeply troubled, her eyes barely open as she disclosed, “After fifty years of loyal service, she has profoundly disappointed me. It turns out she was responsible for stealing and selling items from your dowry. It seems that Lu Jing Huai’s mother was merely an unwitting purchaser.” She cast a significant glance at Nanny Lin as she spoke.
Nanny Lin’s children, who held prominent positions in the household and were trusted by the elderly lady, now faced a difficult predicament. To protect Lu Jing Huai’s reputation, the old madam was prepared to make a significant sacrifice by using her personal attendant as a scapegoat.
Despite her conflicted feelings, Madame Xu remained resolute: “She needs to be handed over to the authorities. As for Nanny Lin’s children, being the offspring of a thief, they cannot remain in this household. How can we be certain they won’t seek vengeance for their mother’s disgrace, possibly posing a threat later?”
The shock and distress on Nanny Lin’s face were evident to all. Nonetheless, the elderly madam commanded her to remain silent.
“We must recover every single item of the stolen dowry,” Madame Xu declared, visibly satisfied as she addressed the elderly lady.
With considerable reluctance, the old madam consented, her agreement forced through clenched teeth. “Yes, it must be done.”
After Madame Xu had departed, Deng Zhi returned from the constabulary with likely news about the case. With a trace of triumph in her eyes, the chief maid closed the door softly behind her and leaned in to confidentially inform Madame Xu, “Madam, it appears they’ll have to liquidate all their assets now. After seventeen years of stealing from the dowry vault, they’re facing a loss that could strip away more than half their fortune.”
Deng Zhi paused, choosing her words carefully, then continued with a grave expression: “I’ve also discovered something else. Lu Jing Huai is somewhat enigmatic among his peers, with many unaware of his true parentage. He’s renowned for his extravagant lifestyle and his belief that a person’s worth isn’t determined by their family background, earning him considerable respect, especially from scholars of modest means. He is particularly popular among scholars from less affluent backgrounds.”
Madame Xu’s contempt was apparent, her lips twisting in scorn as she remarked, “So, he’s been squandering my money while pretending to be noble. And he even dares to defy social norms? On what grounds, when he was born out of wedlock, which society despises the most?”
Upon hearing those words, Chao Chao felt compelled to share her insights.
[In his previous life, he had built strong connections with scholars from modest backgrounds, achieved top honors in three royal examinations, and established an excellent reputation.]
[Then, his own sister, my mother’s adopted daughter Lu Jing Yao, betrayed the Xu family and my mother, accusing us of treason, leading to my family’s execution.]
[She managed to completely eliminate my uncle and my mother… And then she entered the Marquis’s household unblemished by the scandal…]
[In that life, our family was sacrificed.]
Hearing her daughter’s bitter recounting, Madame Xu’s heart was heavy with sorrow.
“Indeed, very well,” she softly agreed, speaking more to herself than to Deng Zhi.
“Scholars from humble origins, you say? Aren’t they reputed to value honor and integrity above all? If it becomes widely known that he was born out of wedlock, a bastard, could he still maintain his current standing?” Madame Xu pondered quietly, her voice a gentle murmur.
That night, while Madame Xu slept peacefully, the rest of the Marquis’s household was plunged into turmoil, unable to find rest. In the dead of night, the elderly lady’s private vault was opened, and valuable family heirlooms were removed one by one. The elderly lady herself was seen kneeling in the small Buddhist shrine, her prayer beads worn thin from her constant prayers.
“Let everything be sold immediately to cover the losses. Jiao Jiao is still imprisoned, Jing Yao has cried until her eyes are swollen, and Jing Huai is overwhelmed with worry; if his reputation isn’t restored now, it could ruin him,” Lu Yuan Ze declared somberly.
He had depleted his personal savings and even listed his properties for sale. At this point, he could no longer contain his anger towards his own wife, cursing her for placing him in such a degrading and desperate situation. By implicating Jing Huai in this scandal, she had proven herself to be a true menace to both himself and his extended family.