Chapter 10

Shen Qingtan walked back to Lanxue Courtyard with Zhao Yi. After walking for a short while, she heard him coughing several times in a row.

She stopped, looked up, and saw his lips were pale. She asked with concern,
“Second Master, should I call a doctor to check your pulse?”

“It’s nothing serious, I always cough a few times,” Zhao Yi said with a faint smile. “I’ll just take some medicine and feel better.”

Shen Qingtan frowned, remembering that he would fall seriously ill in six months.

At that moment, a servant came quickly, bowed, and said,
“Second Master, Second Madam.” Then to Zhao Yi: “Second Master, the Duke has returned. He asks you to come to the study in the front courtyard.”

“I’ll go in a moment.” Zhao Yi sent the servant away, then told Shen Qingtan,
“Mama Liu manages the courtyard. Later, she will call the servants here so you can recognize them. If you need help in the future, just use them as you wish.”

Shen Qingtan felt a small warmth in her heart—he was giving her respect.
“I’ll remember that, Second Master. You should go now so Grandfather isn’t kept waiting.”

Zhao Yi nodded slightly and left with his pageboy.

Back inside the room, Shen Qingtan sat down in a huanghuali wood armchair. She had barely rested when a stout woman came in.

The woman had a round face and a friendly smile, but her narrow eyes showed cleverness.

“Second Madam, I used to be Second Master’s wet nurse. He trusts me to handle all matters in Lanxue Courtyard. Now that you are here, these matters should be under your control.”
Mama Liu respectfully held out a wooden box. “Inside are the servants’ indenture contracts. They’re all waiting outside.”

Shen Qingtan was truly surprised—she hadn’t expected Zhao Yi to give her such authority. Controlling the indentures meant she held the servants’ fates in her hands.

“Mama Liu, you are an old servant by Second Master’s side, so he clearly trusts you. I’m new here and don’t know the household well, so I’ll need your help in managing things and sharing the work.”

She didn’t have many trusted people with her—only Liu Yue and Ting Xue. She didn’t trust the servants brought by the marquis’ household. Mama Liu would be far more useful.

Better to win her loyalty.

Shen Qingtan took a key token from her sleeve and handed it to Mama Liu.
“Keep this key. Lock the contracts in the black lacquer box with silver inlay by the window.”

Mama Liu was touched—rather than taking her power away, Shen Qingtan was entrusting her with personal items.

Before coming, Mama Liu had heard that in the second branch, Shen Mingzhu had taken away Mama Qian’s authority and given it to her own dowry servant.

Compared to that, Mama Liu now had her new mistress’s trust. She felt grateful.
“Second Madam, before I came here, Second Master told me to serve you wholeheartedly.”

Shen Qingtan smiled, “I trust your work.”

Mama Liu was delighted, locked the box away, then invited Shen Qingtan to the courtyard to meet the servants one by one, stating their names and duties.

For each servant, Mama Liu also told Shen Qingtan their background in detail.

Shen Qingtan noted silently—none of them were born in the household. This made them less entangled in family politics and easier to manage.

She thought to herself that Zhao Yi must dislike trouble.

Mama Liu asked, “Second Madam, do you have any orders? If not, I’ll let them go.”

“There is one thing,” Shen Qingtan said, handing over a list of her dowry. “Pick some strong servants and take this to the second branch to bring back my dowry.”

Second Branch – Mingde Hall

Zhao Jue and Second Master entered the study.

“Father, Grandfather called me and Second Brother here after he returned to the manor,” Zhao Jue said. “The Emperor urgently summoned Grandfather to discuss the shortage of military grain at the front. As Minister of Revenue, this duty fell to him.”

A gleam appeared in Second Master’s eyes—this was a chance to make up for past mistakes.

“The Emperor has given 50,000 taels of silver. We must prepare 100,000 shi of grain for the front lines within a month at the latest, or the war effort will suffer,” Zhao Jue said seriously. “I volunteered to take on this task, and in front of Grandfather, I swore to have the grain ready in ten days.”

“Are you crazy?” Second Master said sharply. “Even if you could find a grain merchant with that much grain, at the current price of 8 qian per shi, 100,000 shi will cost 80,000 taels. Where will you get the extra 30,000?”

“I know a Huizhou merchant who deals in grain—he has more than 100,000 shi. I met him thanks to Shen Qingtan,” Zhao Jue said. “Back then, when she returned from the summer estate, she saved this merchant’s daughter by accident. That’s how I got to know him.”

As for the money… Zhao Jue’s mind turned to her dowry.
“I heard from Mingzhu that Shen Qingtan has 20,000 taels in silver notes at the bottom of her chest. Her other dowry—lands, shops, gold and silver jewelry—is worth another 20,000 taels. That’s enough to cover the cost.”

“This dowry was meant for Shen Mingzhu anyway. It’s only under Shen Qingtan’s name. Now that it’s in our second branch, there’s no reason to give it back,” Second Master said. “Son, if you handle this well, Grandfather will surely value you more.”

He had one legitimate son and daughter, three illegitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter. Only the eldest illegitimate son had survived—the others had died young. The legitimate son was the only one with promise.

Zhao Jue never intended to let Shen Qingtan keep the dowry—she wasn’t truly a Shen family daughter, so what right did she have to it?

The Shen family had already raised her out of kindness. If she had any conscience, she should be grateful to them.

Just as he was about to speak, a noisy voice came from outside:
“Second Madam has ordered me to take back her dowry!”