bookrebus Chapter 674: Now he is going to swallow up the original wife’s dowry?
Chapter 674: Now he is going to swallow up the original wife’s dowry?
Everyone around understood what was going on, and their eyes shifted between Lady Ding'an, Su Niantang, and Lin Zaozao, whose face was pale.
He swallowed back all his previous flattery and replaced it with an expression of enjoying a good show.
Su Niantang looked at the wife of Marquis Ding'an with a feeling of grievance, and fell to his knees with a plop, his voice choked with sobs:
"Mother, I have no objection to you being kind to my younger sister Zao Zao. After all, she saved my life.
But I have already given her two shops and two farms. Why do you want to take away all the remaining properties in my hands?
I'm about to marry into the Su family, and if you take away all my things, how will I live in the future? "
She raised her tearful eyes, looked at the wife of Marquis Ding'an and said:
"I accept marrying into the Su family, even if that person...
But you can't take away the memories my mother left behind!"
The people around were suddenly in an uproar, with whispers rising one after another.
"Isn't the Marquis of Ding'an's wife her aunt? How could she be so cruel to her own niece?"
"I heard that she and her sister entered the palace together to serve the Marquis. The original wife took the position of principal, and she was just a concubine...
Now you are going to swallow up your original wife's dowry?"
"Tsk tsk, the legitimate daughter of the original wife is going to marry that idiot of the Su family, and her dowry is taken away by her aunt who is a concubine. This girl is too pitiful!"
"Exactly. How can an elder behave like this? Who would dare to marry their daughter into the Ding'an Marquis Mansion in the future?"
The face of the Marquis of Ding'an turned pale and blue, and she shouted sternly:
"What nonsense are you talking about! When have I ever swallowed your food?
Those are just kept temporarily for your mother, and will be given to you when you get married!"
Su Niantang nodded, stood up and said:
"My mother's dowry was registered with the government, and there are documents to check.
There are many people here today, so please be my witnesses and let everyone see how good my aunt is to me.
When I really go to the Su family in the future, I will always be grateful for this kindness."
The maid beside her immediately came forward, holding a stack of copied dowry lists and distributed them to the ladies around.
The handwriting on the list was neat, and everything from land and shops to gold and silver utensils, silk and fabrics, and even boxes of books and several paintings were clearly written.
An old lady took the list, squinted her eyes and looked at it carefully for a moment, nodded and sighed:
“That’s right, I saw it with my own eyes when the eldest daughter of the Su family married into the Marquis’ Mansion.
The ten-mile-long red wedding dress lined the streets and alleys, causing a sensation in half of the capital. All the items on the list were indeed present."
Another lady added:
"The Su family has only one legitimate daughter, and the dowry is extremely generous.
I had hoped she would live a peaceful life, but she was so frail that she passed away before she could enjoy her life for a few years... What a pity."
"Such a rich family fortune is now being used by the concubine's aunt to support outsiders. The life of this legitimate daughter is too hard."
"The government has it on file, and my parents have the records. This is not something you can just evade."
The wife of the Marquis of Ding'an was so angry that she was shaking all over. Lin Zao Zao quickly said:
"Sister, please don't worry. How has mother's love for you ever changed?
These dowries are left with your mother because she is afraid that you will be taken away by the servants since you have just arrived.
If you're really worried, you can take it back, but -
There are so many things to do in those manors and shops, collecting rent, doing accounts, and shipping goods according to the season. Which one doesn't require worry?
Previously, the silk shop in the south of the city suffered losses for three months because of the dishonest accounting.
If you don't have someone capable to keep an eye on you, and you really lose money in the future, don't blame Mother and us for not telling you in advance."
The wife of the Marquis of Ding'an, who was sitting at the top of the table, curled her lips in an undisguised mockery:
"Isn't that right? Only a short-sighted person would treasure such a small thing.
Since you want it, I'll have the accountant send the deeds over right away, so I don't get the reputation of being harsh on my stepdaughter."
Su Niantang had a smile on her face:
"Thank you so much, mother, for taking care of me these days. I will always remember it in my heart!
If you want to learn, it is better to start early rather than late.
The daughter thought, I will take the deed book today and start learning from the beginning, so that I can get the hang of it sooner rather than later and save my mother from worrying about these trivial matters."
She knew too well what the wife of Marquis Ding'an was thinking. The longer she delayed, the more likely it was that the tricks in those shops and farms would be smoothed over.
The deficit on the books can be made up, the good things that were secretly transferred can be hidden, but when the time is right, I'm afraid there will only be a bunch of empty shells left for her.
By then, even if you are extremely unwilling, you can only suffer in silence.
The wife of the Marquis of Ding'an took a sip of tea slowly, her tone somewhat nonchalant:
"What's the rush? The accountants are out checking the accounts today, and the deeds are piled up in the cabinet in a mess. It will take some effort to find them.
Tomorrow, I'll have them sort it out and send it to you tomorrow."
Su Niantang raised his head and said:
"It's not a problem, mother. Your daughter can go to the accounting office and look for it herself.
There is nothing else to do, so I might as well take this opportunity to get familiar with them so that I don’t have to trouble them again tomorrow.
Besides, my daughter knows the situation of every shop and farm. I don’t want any of the income from the past two years. I will just consider it as a filial piety to you.”
Su Niantang is also a smart person. Since you have helped me take care of the dowry, I don’t need to make any progress.
Sure enough, some ladies nodded and said, "It's a pity for the eldest daughter of the Su family. After all, she is the daughter of the original wife, so her temperament is different. It's a pity that she married a fool."
"Isn't it? If you really care about her, how could you bear to marry her to that idiot from the Su family?"
The wife of the Marquis of Ding'an coughed and said, "Our family has some connections with the ancestors of the Su family. If she marries into the Su family, they will treat her well."
Su Niantang stopped talking, and Baiyin asked loudly, "Are you done talking? Then can we go back now?"
The Dali Temple Minister quickly said, "I'm sorry I gave you a ride, but I made you come here for nothing."
Bai Yin stroked his beard and said, "It wasn't a wasted trip. I made 40,000 taels for free, which is not bad."
After that, he left directly.
The Lin family members looked at each other in bewilderment. Old Mrs. Lin cursed all the way: "Lin Zaozao, are you tired of living? That's 4 taels of silver. Can you just give it to me as soon as you say so?"
Lin Zao Zao glanced at her calmly and said, "What else? Will people talk about me behind my back? Do you think I'm willing to pay this?"
Lin Dasheng also quickly said:
“Mom, don’t talk about Zao Zao, this matter is all Bai Wanwan’s fault.
I have never seen such a person who gave all his money to others. "
Sun Mei also gritted her teeth and said:
"It would be best if Bai Wanwan was bitten to death by a wild beast, otherwise I will kill her.
Forty thousand taels, that's real money! It's enough to buy two houses."
Lin Dachang rubbed his hands and looked at Lin Zaozao and said:
"Zao Zao, you should have more than 40,000 taels in your hand, right?
It’s better to give the money to us than to give it to others! We will keep it for you.”