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Chapter 212: Filling the Gap
“Taking without asking is stealing. Mother, surely you understand this principle?”
Leng Qing Yu refused to back down.
“As members of the marquis’s family, doing such a thing is bound to make us the laughing stock of the capital.”
“Family matters stay within the family. If you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, how would the people in the capital find out?” the Old Madam retorted.
Leng Qing Yu’s eyes reddened. “I don’t want to speak of it, but my father always told me to guard my dowry carefully. If he asks, I can’t lie. And if I tell him, with his temper, he’ll make sure the entire city knows.”
By invoking her father, Leng Qing Yu shattered the Old Madam’s last shred of hope.
It seemed inevitable now, she would have to make up for the missing money.
Otherwise, with Old Master Leng’s influence, the fact that the marquis’s family members had privately used Leng Qing Yu’s dowry would become the talk of the town.
While the Lu family wasn’t royalty, their shops spanned every corner of Da Liang.
If the matter spread, the marquis estate wouldn’t just be the capital’s laughing stock but a joke throughout the entire empire.
“Fine, I’ll compensate you!”
The Old Madam gritted her teeth and finally uttered the words.
“Whatever you’re missing, I’ll make it up to you.”
“Ban Xia, bring me the inventory list,” Leng Qing Yu ordered.
Ban Xia immediately handed over the meticulously recorded list.
The Old Madam glanced at it and saw items like:
Her eyelid twitched as she read.
Every item was worth a fortune. How much silver would it take to settle this?
“I can’t retrieve the exact items, so name a price, and I’ll pay you,” the Old Madam said reluctantly.
Leng Qing Yu replied, “I’ve already calculated. The total comes to 37,820 taels.”
“Since this is a family matter, let’s round it down. Mother, just give me “37,000 taels”, and we’ll leave it at that.”
“37,000 taels!”
The Old Madam’s heart raced.
In her younger years, she had scrimped and saved, later supplementing her savings with funds siphoned from Leng Qing Yu’s dowry, amassing barely “30,000 taels” in total.
When had this “37,000 taels” even disappeared?
And just how much had Ning Yu Er gotten from Lu Ting En?
“Mother, are you hesitating because you think it’s too much?”
Leng Qing Yu asked pointedly.
“I also think Second and Third Brothers couldn’t have taken so much. It must have been stolen by someone else! How about we report it to the authorities?”
“No need!”
The Old Madam quickly interjected.
At the mention of involving the authorities, the Old Madam couldn’t afford to hesitate.
Her treasury didn’t have enough silver, but she could sell a few estates.
No matter what, she had to scrape together the money.
It will all come back eventually.
She comforted herself with this thought.
…
Two days later, the Old Madam managed to gather the silver after selling off an estate.
Leng Qing Yu took the bank notes, a smile gracing her face. “I must thank Mother for going through such trouble.
Second and Third Brothers are truly irresponsible.
They’ve spent so much silver in secret.
While I was at Yun Bian Village, I decided: from now on, I won’t be giving them the monthly allowance of 1,000 taels anymore. They’ll have to find their own way to earn a living.”
“What?”
The Old Madam was in disbelief. At a time like this, Leng Qing Yu was pulling the rug out from under them.
“You’ve given them that silver for so many years. If you suddenly stop, where will Second and Third Brothers find a way to earn money?”
She scolded, “They’re family! Why do you have to make things so difficult for them?”
“Mother!”
Leng Qing Yu responded gently, “Second and Third Brothers have been married for years. They can’t rely on us to support their households forever.
Besides, business hasn’t been easy these past two years. If one day the Leng family runs out of money, wouldn’t the people of the marquis’s household be left starving as well?”
The Old Madam caught the meaning behind Leng Qing Yu’s words, she was insinuating that the marquis’s household was living off the Leng family’s wealth.
Her anger flared, and she nearly choked on it.
“Our marquis’s household has a title bestowed by the Emperor! When have we ever needed to live off a mere merchant family like yours?
Leng Qing Yu, don’t overestimate yourself!
Don’t forget, it’s your Leng family that’s fortunate to have married into our marquis household!
Even if your Leng family goes bankrupt one day, the Lu family will still live gloriously!”
“That’s reassuring, that’s reassuring!”
Leng Qing Yu patted her chest, feigning relief.
“I always said the marquis could be relied upon.”
The Old Madam watched her with growing frustration, her head throbbing even more.
She leaned on Nanny Sun’s arm and turned to head back to the rear courtyard.
Once inside, Nanny Sun immediately had someone bring a cup of cooling tea and tried to comfort her, saying, “Old Madam, Leng Qing Yu is simply a petty person having her moment of triumph. She won’t remain arrogant for long. Don’t let her ruin your health.”
The Old Madam picked up the teacup. As the tea touched her lips, the heat burned the blister in her mouth, causing an intense, stabbing pain.
In her frustration, she flung the teacup to the ground.
Nanny Sun shouted anxiously, “Madam, watch out!”
Looking at the shattered pieces of porcelain scattered across the floor, the Old Madam suddenly remembered that this was the only Jing De Zhen lidded tea bowl in the house.
Now it was broken, and she couldn’t afford to buy another one.
“That wretched woman!”
The Old Madam gritted her teeth in hatred.
Speaking through her anger, she accidentally irritated the blister on her lip, causing her to wince in pain.
“And that cursed daughter of hers! If it weren’t for that bringer of bad luck returning, none of this would have happened!”
As her rage boiled over, Lu Zhi Yi suddenly appeared, running into the room.
Seeing her grandmother inside, she immediately started crying and lamenting, “Grandmother, what about my mother… How is Madam Ning’s situation?
Her health has always been poor, she can’t endure the hardship of prison!”
The Old Madam, feeling sorry for her granddaughter, saw her crying so pitifully and offered some comfort, “I’ve already patched up the hole Leng Qing Yu created. Your father will speak with the officials today to have your mother released.”
“That’s a relief!”
Hearing this, Lu Zhi Yi finally stopped crying.
The Old Madam then asked, “You’ve visited your mother before. Did she ever mention how much of the family’s fortune your father has taken to her? I’ve used up my entire savings patching this hole.”
Lu Zhi Yi’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
Could Grandmother be planning to demand the fortune from Mother?
But Mother had said those were the savings she set aside for Zhi Yi’s dowry.
With this thought, Lu Zhi Yi quickly said, “Mother never mentioned anything to me, but every time I visited, she and Xiao Ning were living on plain tea and simple meals. They don’t seem to have any silver left!”
The Old Madam pondered for a moment after hearing this. “Then where did all the silver go? Could it be that your father has been using it to curry favor with higher-ups?”
She hadn’t yet questioned Lu Ting En about this, but at the moment, that wasn’t the priority.
“Grandmother, did Mother really take all the silver you had?”
Lu Zhi Yi inquired cautiously.
At this, the Old Madam’s face darkened.
“Hmph, not only did she take my silver, but she also cut off your Second and Third Uncles’ monthly stipends.
That, at least, is good news. Without me needing to act, the Second and Third Houses will certainly make her suffer a bit.”
The Old Madam turned to Nanny Sun and ordered, “Nanny Sun, go tell the Second and Third Houses exactly what Leng Qing Yu said, word for word.”
“Yes, Madam!” Nanny Sun replied.