The early morning light at the hour of Chen (7–9 a.m.) had just reached the eaves of the marquis’s front hall, filtered through the carved window panels into scattered patches on the cold bluestone floor.
Silver-threaded charcoal still burned in the hall, but without yesterday’s warmth. Only the scent of dragon incense lingered, thick in the air, mixed with the tense swallowing of the account keeper, making the atmosphere heavy.
Wen Yinyue stepped into the hall, the morning light glinting on her figure. Lady Liu was seated on a soft couch, sipping tea, dressed in bright red brocade that made her cheeks look rosy, as if nothing had happened at Tingyu Pavilion yesterday.
The Marquis of Anyuan sat at the main seat, holding a morning memorial scroll, his gaze distant, still feeling guilty over his daughter’s situation.
“Oh, Yinyue is here? Why not sleep a little longer?” Lady Liu put down her tea, her face painted with a false smile, her tone carrying subtle probing. She had expected Wen Yinyue to be daunted by Tingyu Pavilion’s decay and thought it would take days before she appeared. She hadn’t expected her to come so early.
Wen Yinyue ignored her false politeness, walked straight to the eight-immortal table in the center, and slapped down a yellowed scroll with a crisp smack.
The cover read “Wen Family Dowry Inventory” in vermilion. Though slightly worn at the edges, the characters were clear, carrying the weight of time.
“Lady Liu,” Wen Yinyue’s voice was cold, like morning frost on green tiles. “Five years ago, I ‘accidentally’ fell off a cliff. The dowry my mother left me was entrusted to you for safekeeping. Now that I’m back, isn’t it time to return what’s listed here?”
Lady Liu’s smile froze. Her eyes flicked to the scroll, fingers clenching the handkerchief. “Dowry? What dowry? When your mother passed, most of it was used to cover the marquis’s losses. What’s left?”
She pretended ignorance, but inside she panicked. She had assumed this decades-old inventory was long lost, never expecting Wen Yinyue to have found it.
The marquis put down his scroll and leaned over to look. His brows furrowed. He remembered his late wife’s dowry was indeed substantial. Before she died, she had specifically instructed that it be kept separate for Yinyue and never used. Yet all these years, deceived by Lady Liu, he never checked its whereabouts.
“Cover losses?”
Wen Yinyue sneered, flipping open the scroll, her finger landing on a page. “It’s clearly listed: three shops on Rouge Alley in the south of the city, two shops in Silk Street, five rice shops in the North Market—ten shops in total; fifty acres of irrigated land in the east suburbs, 150 acres of dry fields in the west suburbs—500 acres of fertile land. Lady Liu, you claim these filled the losses—do you have the records to prove it?”
With each place she named, Lady Liu’s face paled further.
Those shops and lands were never used to cover losses. The three shops on Rouge Alley earned 300 taels of silver annually, all secretly transferred to her family’s brother. Silk Street’s profits went to Wen Wanru for jewelry and servants’ bonuses. The 500 acres of land were rented out, generating yearly rents exceeding the marquis’s official stipend—all pocketed privately.
“T-That… is old history!”
Lady Liu’s voice trembled. “Those shops were old and poorly managed, with bad years—they went bankrupt! The fields suffered droughts and locusts and were eventually sold!”
She subtly signaled the account keeper in the corner to cooperate.
The account keeper shrank in fear, bowing his head lower.
He had served in the marquis’s residence for twenty years and knew exactly about Lady Liu’s embezzlement. He recorded every year’s profits personally—he dared not lie now.
Wen Yinyue had anticipated her excuses. She turned to the account keeper, her voice calm but pressing. “Account keeper, please bring out the past five years’ ledgers for the ten shops and 500 acres of fertile land under the marquis’s name and Lady Liu’s ‘family’ name. Especially Rouge Alley, Silk Street, North Market, East and West suburbs—I need detailed monthly records.”
The account keeper’s face flushed red, then went pale. He glanced at Lady Liu, who glared fiercely at him, then at the marquis—who was frowning, clearly wanting the truth.
After hesitation, he nodded stiffly. “I… I’ll get them right away.”
Lady Liu panicked and rose, trying to stop him, but Wen Yinyue blocked her. “Lady Liu, why stop the account keeper? Afraid the ledgers will expose your lies?”
“I… I’m not!”
Lady Liu’s voice grew weaker, her eyes darting. “I just thought it’s unnecessary trouble… we’re all family. Why argue over a small matter?”
“Small matter?”
Wen Yinyue’s voice rose sharply. “The dowry your mother spent her life saving for me is my legacy and the future security of my children. In your eyes, it’s a ‘small matter’? Five years ago, you seized these properties, used the profits to favor your family and pamper Wen Wanru, and you call that a ‘small matter’?”
Her words hit the marquis like a hammer.
He watched Lady Liu’s panicked expression, recalled how her family grew suddenly wealthy and how Wen Wanru’s jewelry increased every year. His guilt turned to anger—he had been deceived for years, betraying his late wife’s wishes and causing his daughter great loss.
Soon, the account keeper returned, carrying a thick stack of ledgers. He dumped them on the eight-immortal table, panting. “Marquis, Miss, here are all the ledgers for the past five years.”
Wen Yinyue stepped forward, flipping open one for Rouge Alley. She pointed and read: “Last March, Shop No. 3 earned 25 taels; April, 30 taels; May, peony season, Rouge sales surged, profit 72 taels… Lady Liu, you said these shops failed, yet each month shows profit. Where did it go?”
She opened another ledger for the fertile lands: “West suburb, 150 acres of dry fields, rented to tenants last year. Five dou per acre, total 2,250 dou, equaling 150 taels of silver. Who pocketed these rents?”
The ledgers were clear—every income and expense recorded, even entries showing profits falsely attributed to Lady Liu’s family members.
Lady Liu’s face turned ghostly pale, lips moving but unable to speak—proof was undeniable.
The marquis picked up a ledger, flipping pages with shaking hands. He looked at Lady Liu, full of disappointment and anger. “Lady Liu! Do you have any explanation?!”
Lady Liu’s legs weakened; she almost fell, biting her lip as tears fell, pretending to be pitiful. “Marquis, I… I didn’t mean it! I just thought the properties were safer with me, and I planned to return them when Yinyue came back… I only wanted the marquis house to be safe, for the family!”
“For the family?”
Wen Yinyue sneered. “Transferring the marquis’s properties to your family and using profits to buy Wen Wanru jewelry—is that ‘for the family’? Lady Liu, your pity act won’t work. Today, you will return all the properties AND every profit from the past five years—every last bit!”
The morning sunlight rose higher, streaming through the windows onto the ledgers. The dense numbers seemed alive, revealing Lady Liu’s greed and deceit over the past five years.