Chapter 16: The Family Fortune Emptied

Xiao Lu, newly promoted to Fourth Concubine, was a little emotional. “Master, I don’t dare say it. If I say it, Second Concubine might beat me to death.”

Chen Xiaolian flared up. “Whether you say it or not, I’m going to beat you to death anyway!”
How dare this wretched maid climb into his bed—she must be tired of living.

Fourth Concubine trembled in fear. “If I’m going to die either way, then I’ll say it. Master, I suspect it’s Second Concubine playing the thief crying ‘stop thief.’ Think about it—of all times, the theft happened right after she took those things out? What a coincidence!”

“You filthy liar! I could say you’re the one who stole my things. Why else would you suddenly decide to climb into the master’s bed last night of all nights?”

Jiang Dahai frowned. He didn’t understand how he’d ever thought the Second Concubine was a virtuous and noble woman.

Unaware, Second Concubine continued shouting, worked up: “Xiao Lu, you’re just like Jiang Wei—shameless and unvirtuous!”

Wrongfully implicated, Jiang Wei shot back, “Second Auntie, that’s not fair. Fourth Auntie only followed your example by climbing into the master’s bed. Why is it okay for you to do it but not for her?”

“You—!” Second Concubine’s face flushed with rage. She had forced her way into the household years ago by getting into bed with Jiang Dahai. That’s exactly why she hated Xiao Lu for doing the same.

“Xiao Wei’s right,” Shen Peirong chimed in, pleased to see Second Concubine get a taste of her own medicine. But Jiang Yan immediately whispered a warning: “Mother, Father’s already upset with you. If you keep bringing up his affairs with Second Concubine, he’ll hate you even more.”

“You’re thoughtful as always,” Shen Peirong sighed and returned to her usual sickly demeanor, gazing helplessly at Jiang Wei and Jiang Yunhe.

Her youngest daughter was crude and uncultured.
Her eldest son was strong, but dimwitted.
It was tragic—how had she raised such useless children? Fortunately, Jiang Yan was there to help her plot and plan. Only by winning back the master’s affection could her three children have a future.

Shen Peirong thought, Once I’m favored again, my son and daughter will understand me.

Thankfully, Jiang Wei couldn’t read minds. Otherwise, hearing that would have made her explode Shen Peirong’s head on the spot.

Now that she was a concubine, Xiao Lu no longer held back. “Second Sister, the master has the right to love whomever he wants. He likes me, which just shows he has good taste. Yet you call me a wretch—aren’t you just slapping his face?

Besides, Second Miss may be a little bumpkin from the countryside, but she’s still the legitimate daughter of the First Madam and the Master. Her status is way higher than yours, and you dare insult her? That’s slapping the face of both the First Madam and the Master.”

Xiao Lu had once been a maid who served Second Concubine and learned all her coquettish tricks and fake sweetness. She hadn’t dared speak like this before, but now that she was a concubine, she could finally speak up.

The more Chen Xiaolian heard, the angrier she got. “Don’t you dare keep throwing the master’s name at me! He promised he wouldn’t take another concubine!”

Xiao Lu sneered. “Since when has a man ever needed to be loyal like a woman? You’re the one being unfaithful—flirting with Steward Zhao all day. Isn’t it because you think the master’s ugly?”

Jiang Dahai, accused of being ugly, couldn’t take it anymore. He shot up from his seat. “Report it to the officials! This has to be Steward Zhao’s doing. I trained him, taught him how to make money, and this is how he repays me? Stealing from me and trying to take my woman? I’ll make him pay!”

Second Concubine protested, “Master, it couldn’t have been Steward Zhao.”
She and Zhao were close. He wouldn’t steal from her. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure a person could’ve done it—it had been far too quiet and clean.

“And you!” Jiang Dahai turned to her again. “You’re not allowed to snitch!”
If Second Concubine hadn’t snitched yesterday, Zhao wouldn’t have had time to hide the assets.

Fourth Concubine added, “Master~ her legs are on her own body—no one can stop her. Unless we tie her up and wait until we catch Steward Zhao before letting her go.”

Jiang Dahai hesitated. This woman had been with him for twenty years—he didn’t want her to suffer.

“Bind her,” Shen Peirong said, uncharacteristically firm. “Master~ if the mole really is Steward Zhao, then what’s gone isn’t just Second Concubine and Eldest Miss’s belongings—it could be everything in the Jiang family.”

That scared Jiang Dahai. “We’ll do as the First Madam says! Men, tie up Second Concubine and lock her in her room. No one is to visit her—except me.”

Chen Xiaolian was taken away in ropes.

Jiang Yan glared hatefully at Xiao Lu, now the Fourth Concubine.
Back when Xiao Lu was caught sneaking into Father’s bed, she should’ve been drowned in a pig cage. It was Jiang Yan who had saved her, acting magnanimous to build her reputation.

And yet that ungrateful maid dared target her mother like this? Unforgivable.

She quietly followed the servants who were locking up Second Concubine.

“Eldest Miss, the master said no one but him can visit Second Concubine.”

Jiang Yan wiped her tears. “I just can’t bear to see my mother suffer. Let me check on her—I promise I won’t help her escape.”
She discreetly slipped some large-denomination bills into the servants’ hands. “Thank you for your hard work.”

As soon as she entered the room, Chen Xiaolian broke down in tears. “Daughter, you must save me! You’re all I have left!”

Jiang Yan frowned in annoyance. “Mother, why did you even go to Steward Zhao in the first place?”

“I was doing it for you! Your father said he was going to confiscate everything from Zhao, and I was afraid your dowry would be lost too. I just went to retrieve what belonged to me. Who knew Xiao Lu would use the opportunity to rise up—wretched woman!”

“I’ll deal with her,” Jiang Yan said. “As for you—ugh, never mind. Just stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”

She had wanted her mother to go beg her father for forgiveness and smooth things over with some sweet talk.

But one look at her mother’s swollen, pig-like face killed that idea.

Elsewhere in the household, people were scattering like birds.

Jiang Dahai was secretly stashing all the valuable items from the house into the underground vault.

Only he had the key to the Jiang family vault.

And that key? Hidden in a place no one could ever discover.

Invisible and lurking, Jiang Wei tailed him.

She watched him dig out a tiny key from between two connected gold teeth—her entire body stunned in disbelief. Her eyes instantly cleared.

A savage! she thought, and immediately tossed those smelly gold teeth into her storage space.

Jiang Dahai placed everything inside. But when he tried to put the gold teeth back into his mouth, he realized—
They were gone.

Guess he’d have to install another set.

Jiang Dahai kept feeling like a ghost was following him. But when he turned around—nothing.

“Agh, I’m just scaring myself. I hid the stuff so well—who could ever find it?”

As soon as he left, Jiang Wei sprang into action with a “hee-yah!” and started moving things.

This time, though there weren’t as many items as before, everything was solid gold and silver—along with countless heirloom jars and artifacts.

Later that night, Jiang Dahai—still haunted by Shen Zhennan’s words from his dream—felt uneasy. While no one was watching, he snuck back to the vault to check on the stash.

He opened the door—only to be greeted by a forest of locks and hundreds of keys lying around.

His dozens of large iron chests were all gone.

“Damn, damn, damn, DAMN!”
No amount of swearing could express his rage—but it summed up his bankruptcy perfectly.

Jiang Dahai nearly had a heart attack from the despair.