"The storeroom is being watched by the Dragon Guard, so no one else dares to act rashly," He Nuan said in a low voice, agreeing with Zhan Feiyu's refusal of Qiu Jingyuan's terms. Once they became sworn sisters, who knew if Qiu Jingyuan would take advantage of the situation in the name of the young lady and Scholar Gu.
Before the third branch of the family declined, Qiu Jingyuan, relying on her family background, had harmed so many people. They were all young ladies from noble families. Some had simply said the wrong thing, while others were more beautiful, intelligent, or talented than Qiu Jingyuan. As long as she found them displeasing, Qiu Jingyuan would have Qiu Feng secretly harm them.
"Mmm, with Lord Qiu overseeing the Qianzhong Circuit, nothing major will happen," Zhan Feiyu replied with a smile. Previously, Lord Qiu had not detected this hidden force. Now that the tip of the iceberg had surfaced, even without the Dragon Guard, the old master's influence would not dare to act carelessly.
The residence was not large. As Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan spoke, they had already reached the hanging flower gate. Just as Zhan Feiyu was about to inform Madam Wu before leaving, she unexpectedly saw Madam Xu approaching in a hurry with her maids and servants.
"Miss Zhan." Madam Xu was about to smile but then remembered that the coffin of Madam Dou was still in the house. She forcibly suppressed her smile and could only speak to Zhan Feiyu with an eager attitude, "Miss, are you leaving? Jingyuan is overcome with grief. If the hospitality was inadequate, please forgive us, Miss Zhan."
Perhaps due to her adopted status, Madam Xu's attitude, even when trying to please Zhan Feiyu, did not cause annoyance.
"Madam, you are too kind," Zhan Feiyu said politely. As she had just left the main courtyard, she saw a little maid running along the wall. Combining this with Madam Xu's hurried approach, Zhan Feiyu guessed that she had something to ask of her.
"The autumn sun is quite strong. Miss Zhan, this way, please." Madam Xu led Zhan Feiyu towards a small path on the right. After passing through the moon gate, they arrived at a hexagonal pavilion.
Perhaps due to the difference in generation between them, Madam Xu's usual tact and smoothness in dealing with other official ladies were difficult to apply to a ten-year-old girl. After leading Zhan Feiyu into the pavilion and seating her, Madam Xu directly stated her purpose.
"It's quite a family shame, to be honest." Madam Xu looked up at the cramped little courtyard. There were no precious flowers or plants, no rockeries or strange stones. A row of bamboo was planted by the corner of the wall, followed by ordinary potted plants.
Due to the funeral of Madam Dou in the past two days, no one had cleaned, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves and some weeds. It looked shabby and dilapidated.
"After the family incident, His Majesty was merciful and gave us women and children a way out. Some of our dowries and private properties were returned, but some are still sealed in the yamen's storeroom. These were all things kept at the bottom of the chest before, and displaying them could save face. But now the family is in dire straits."
Madam Xu was not complaining about poverty, but rather that the entire family was left with only women and children. The men involved in the case had been escorted to the capital. Although the Ministry of Justice's verdict had not yet been handed down, she knew in her heart that it would either be execution or exile. This required a portion of the silver to be prepared.
For those to be executed, thin coffins had to be prepared, and someone had to transport them from the capital to Qianzhong Prefecture over a long distance. As for those to be exiled, even more silver was needed for bribes, at least to ensure their survival.
Madam Xu choked up, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and continued with a bitter smile, "The children in the family still need to study and write, which is another expense. Of the seven necessities of life, none do not require money."
"Does Madam wish to sell off family property?" Zhan Feiyu heard a hint of her meaning. Seeing Madam Xu nod, she spoke again, "Is Madam worried that the pawnshops will offer low prices?"
The relationship between the third branch and the main branch was something that people in the Qianzhong Circuit all knew. Madam Xu and the others were also aware of it. Although the name "Qiu" could not be written in two ways, it was precisely because the third branch was now left with only women and children that Lord Qiu would certainly not be ruthless and leave any handle for his enemies.
Madam Xu, using the action of wiping her tears, concealed the fleeting hatred in her eyes. Her Ping'er had only come of age last year. He was the youngest son, dedicated to his studies and imperial examinations, and knew nothing of worldly affairs.
Madam Xu was certain that her youngest son had not participated in the unspeakable acts of the third branch, and perhaps did not even know about them. After all, Qiu Jingyuan had once mocked her youngest son as a bookworm.
However, even so, after the crime of colluding with the enemy and treason was attributed to the third branch, her youngest son was imprisoned. She had gone to the Qiu family to beg and plead, but her youngest son was still taken away in the prisoner's cart to the capital for trial.
Suppressing the hatred in her heart, Madam Xu's bloodshot eyes were filled with helplessness and sorrow. "Lord Qiu has already taken good care of our third branch, but those servants are the most adept at humiliating people. I cannot come to you for these matters. Miss Zhan, you have some dealings with Young Master Jiao. I beg you to speak a word for us."
Madam Xu's words were not false. Those who were harmed by the third branch back then would surely seek retribution now. Although they would not be completely ruthless towards the women and children of the third branch out of respect for Lord Qiu, they could still make some underhanded moves to embarrass the third branch.
Whether Lord Qiu would know about these trivial matters or not, even if he did, he would not intervene. Every grievance has its source, and every debt has its debtor. The evil deeds committed by the third branch in the past were merely the retribution arriving now.
Madam Xu cautiously glanced at Zhan Feiyu. Seeing that her expression was as usual, she smiled and said, "We sisters-in-law have saved some things over the years. Miss can take a look first and see if there is anything you like."
Zhan Feiyu's eyes flickered. These words sounded interesting. It was likely not asking her to pick out things, but rather to pick out the token from Madam Dou's dowry or private property. Madam Xu's selling point was clever, at least much better than the terms offered by Qiu Jingyuan.
"I agree to this matter. I will invite Madam for tea in a few days," Zhan Feiyu said, standing up. As for how Madam Xu would "persuade" Qiu Jingyuan to produce Madam Dou's dowry, Zhan Feiyu would not inquire. Compared to the simple and crude methods of Qiu Jingyuan, Madam Xu, the eldest sister-in-law, was definitely much more capable.
Madam Xu's eyes lit up, and she also stood up, her expression much more relaxed. "Thank you, Miss Zhan, for your help. I will see you out."
...
After a busy day of entertaining many ladies, Madam Wu was also exhausted when she returned to the Qiu residence. After bathing, she let Madam Dong massage her shoulders.
"Madam, the ginseng tea is here." The maid gently placed the ginseng tea, which had been brewed for half an hour, on the table and then quietly withdrew from the inner room.
Madam Wu took two sips of the cup. Her voice was a little hoarse from speaking too much, but today she represented the Qiu residence of the Qianzhong Circuit, which made Madam Wu's eyes sparkle with excitement despite her exhaustion.
"Madam Dong, what do you think they discussed with Zhan Feiyu in private?" Madam Wu asked with her eyes half-closed, a sharp glint in them.
Although she was wary of He Nuan, who was a martial artist, Madam Wu had not sent anyone to eavesdrop. However, Madam Wu had brought many servants to help the third branch, so He Nuan was well-informed. She knew that after Zhan Feiyu and Qiu Jingyuan parted on bad terms, she was taken away by Madam Xu. When Madam Xu saw her off, the joy in her eyes was undeniable.
Madam Dong continued her movements. "Miss Zhan has both status and wealth. Although the Xu family were adopted, if something really happens, they will definitely ask our Qiu family. They went to Miss Zhan for help. Hmph, they are all ungrateful wretches, betraying their own."
Madam Wu smiled and took two more sips of the ginseng tea, a hint of pleasure in her expression. "Everyone in the world rushes for profit, and everyone bustles for profit. Madam Xu resents us, so she would rather benefit Zhan Feiyu than let this great merit fall into our Qiu family's hands."
The Wu family's background was not inferior to the Qiu family's. The Great Qing Dynasty had always had the saying of high-class families marrying their daughters. The Wu family and the Qiu family were well-matched. However, Madam Wu could have married into a higher-status family back then, but she chose Qiu Bingde precisely for the position of the lady of the household.
Therefore, Madam Wu had maintained correspondence with her maiden family over the years, not only revealing some matters of the Qiu family to her family but also obtaining some information known only to men from her family.
This time, the matter of the token was of great importance. Lord Qiu and Qiu Bingde had not revealed anything to the women of the household. In the end, it was because men handled external affairs and women handled internal affairs, and matters of state were rarely discussed with women.
The Wu family sent people over under the guise of visiting their daughter. Madam Wu then learned more inside information, and also knew that the token was in Madam Dou's dowry or private property, which was also the reason for Madam Dou's death.
Because Madam Xu and Qiu Jingyuan had spoken to Zhan Feiyu privately, Madam Wu knew what they were talking about without guessing. However, Madam Wu was determined to obtain this token!