Wei Wan’er frowned slightly and gave an impatient “Yes, that’s right! My mother has fallen ill several times because of this. It’s all my ex-sister-in-law’s fault. Even after the divorce, she’s still restless, spreading rumors everywhere.”
Li Xianglan’s almond-shaped eyes flickered, a smile welling up in them, her mind filled with Wei Chi’s graceful figure.
From the first time she saw Wei Chi, she had fallen for him, but unfortunately, he was already married. She never imagined that Wei Chi would divorce Jiang Lanyue.
Could it be that heaven took pity on them and granted them a marriage?
Li Xianglan’s cheeks flushed red as she daydreamed, not even hearing Wei Wan’er call her.
“Xianglan, why is your face so red?” Wei Wan’er frowned.
“Ah? No!” Li Xianglan lowered her eyes, chuckled, and shook her head, then asked tentatively and doubtfully, “What about the rumor that Brother Wei was favored by a noble lady in the capital…?”
“Tch… You believe that? It was all my ex-sister-in-law’s fabrication!”
Wei Wan’er rolled her eyes. She had asked her mother about it, and even her mother didn’t know, so it must be false.
Li Xianglan breathed a sigh of relief, her face immediately lighting up with a smile: “I see. I never thought that Jiang Shi, who looked so gentle, would maliciously hurt Brother Wei. Fortunately, Brother Wei saw through her true colors and divorced her!”
“Recently, two new jewelry shops have opened in the capital. I heard that the jewelry inside is all brought back from overseas. Wan’er, shall we go and have a look?”
Li Xianglan looked at Wei Wan’er expectantly. Once they were there, she would flatter Wei Wan’er, and she wouldn’t have to pay for the jewelry herself.
Wei Wan’er hadn’t been out for a while, and she was starting to look forward to it.
The two went to the new shop hand in hand, shopping happily along the way, Li Xianglan’s smile widening even more.
When it came time to pay, Wei Wan’er, as always, put everything on the Wei family’s tab, and the shopkeeper would come to settle the bill. Meanwhile, in a private room of a high-end restaurant in the capital,
Wei Chi, his former gloom gone, basked in the flattery of the Prince Ke’s advisors.
Yesterday, he had devised a plan for the prince, winning the heart of the only daughter of the capital’s richest man, ensuring the prince would no longer have to worry about money.
He had thus gained the prince’s trust, becoming his most important asset.
“Zigu, you’ve only been by the Crown Prince’s side for a few days, yet you’ve already gained his deep trust. Your future is bright! When you enter the Grand Secretariat, we’ll all have to rely on you.” ”
With Zigu’s abilities, becoming the Grand Secretary will be a piece of cake. We can just follow him around picking up sesame seeds and still live a life of glory.”
The flattery eased Wei Chi’s gloomy expression. He had been troubled by rumors and gossip lately. He had finally managed to enter the Hanlin Academy through the Crown Prince’s connections, but his colleagues always looked at him strangely.
They intentionally or unintentionally isolated him, showing him no respect, all because he had no powerful backing.
Fortunately, the Duke of Liang had recently spoken up for him, improving his situation. Now, with everyone praising him, he felt as if he had returned to his former life, standing at a high position.
A smug smile graced his face, and he spoke with ease and confidence.
“What’s so difficult about that? Once I’m in the Grand Secretariat, I won’t forget any of you here.”
Immersed in his beautiful dream, Wei Chi didn’t notice the mocking looks from those present and instead boldly declared.
“Today I’ll pay the bill, everyone, enjoy yourselves!”
At that time, Wei Chi’s friends were all from poor families like his, with a little money but not much.
With the idea of taking advantage of him, they ordered whatever was expensive, some even ordering girls to stay overnight…
Late at night, he was groggily shoved by a waiter at the restaurant: “Editor Wei, wake up, your bill is one thousand taels…”
Wei Chi frowned and pushed the waiter away, angrily shouting, “What’s the rush? Do you think I’m short of your money? I could give you ten thousand taels, let alone one thousand!”
“Go! Ask my wife for it!”
With that, Wei Chi passed out drunk…
The waiter sighed helplessly and reported the matter to the head manager.
The head manager skillfully wrote an IOU, forced Wei Chi to put his fingerprint on it, and then sent a waiter to take Wei Chi home.
Jun Yao, who was out enjoying himself at the palace that night, indifferently watched the singing and dancing, not missing a single word of the opera next door.
“Prince Ke’s heir? Wei Chi? How interesting.”
Jun Yao’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile, his eyes brimming with excitement and anticipation. He couldn’t wait to see this spectacle unfold.
Dawn broke, and a new day dawned.
The tenants on the estate were busy with the autumn harvest, while Jiang Lanyue sat in the pavilion drinking tea, incense-making materials laid out on the table.
Behind Hanshan Temple, there was a rare patch of green chrysanthemums. Every year at this time, noble ladies from the capital would come to the temple to admire the chrysanthemums.
This year, Hanshan Temple would open its chrysanthemum-viewing day in five days.
Jiang Lanyue’s most profitable shop was the perfume for women’s clothing, and she intended to take advantage of this chrysanthemum-viewing day to open up the market among the noble ladies of the capital.
“Madam, your hands are so skillful! This perfume smells even better than real flowers!” Shanhu held the Thousand Gold Moon Order perfume, her face filled with delight.
Jiang Lanyue chuckled and shook her head: “If you like it, take it to scent your clothes. I’ll take you out for a trip in a few days.”
Shanhu left happily, but Jiang Lanyue’s smile faded. In her past life, Shen Jiaxue and Wei Chi had a romantic encounter on this very day of chrysanthemum appreciation, and the Empress Dowager had granted them a marriage.
This time, she was going to ruin their reputations and make them universally hated!
At that time, a large number of debt collectors gathered outside the Wei residence. The Wei family steward was shocked. Since the Madam’s divorce, the Wei family’s accounts had been handed over to Madam Wei.
He had come to the Ciyuan when the incident occurred. Madam Wei was awakened by the noise and impatiently asked, “What happened? Why is it so noisy?”
Her forehead began to throb again, her head throbbing, and she cursed in a fit of temper.
The servants rushed forward to explain the situation. Madam Wei was shocked and quickly called the steward in.
“Explain the whole story clearly! What exactly happened? Why did our family suddenly incur such a huge debt?”
The steward sighed inwardly and explained. Madam Wei almost fainted again, but luckily the old woman was quick-witted and pressed her philtrum.
Madam Wei gasped for breath, stamping her feet and pounding her chest, crying out, “Oh dear! What sins have I committed! Why is God treating me like this! A thousand taels of silver! Why doesn’t He strike me dead?”
Before, she was just a tofu seller on the street, struggling to raise her two children. Even when life got better, she was reluctant to spend money.
A thousand taels of silver in the past wouldn’t have been worth it even if they sold their entire family!
She would never give that much silver, even if she were beaten to death!
“No! Throw them all out!”
The steward tried to persuade her. The Wei family’s reputation had finally improved, and if they were driven out, they would be caught in a storm of public opinion again.
“Madam, why don’t we wait until the head of the family wakes up?”
Madam Wei’s heart was bleeding. Remembering Wei Chi’s repeated instructions, she dared not rashly drive them away.
Granny Wang’s eyes darted around, and she held a grudge against Jiang Lanyue for feeding her after urination, so she spoke up.
“Madam, have you forgotten? Jiang took the Wei family’s things and is living a good life on the estate. She’s just a helpless orphan, completely at your mercy.”
“Why don’t you take advantage of those debt collectors outside and go to the estate to retrieve all your belongings?”