Will this never end?
Shen Wan quickly finished the remaining half bowl of rice in her hand, set it down, and said to Shen Yu, “Elder Sister, eat slowly. I’ll go take a look.”
Shen Yu wanted to stop her, but Shen Wan had already left.
If it were truly just a matter involving a maidservant, there would be no need to make such a huge fuss.
But Shen Wan would never interfere over a mere maid. It was obvious that the real target behind all this was Madam Yun. Even if it meant skipping her meal, Shen Wan refused to let them gain even the slightest advantage.
By the time Shen Wan arrived at Shou’an Hall, she heard the Old Madam angrily declaring, “Drag this thieving servant away and beat her to death!”
Two old women seized the kneeling maid Qinghe and began dragging her out.
Qinghe cried anxiously, “Miss, save this servant!”
Ye Caiwei hurriedly said, “Grandmother, Qinghe didn’t steal my things. I was the one who told her to take the jewelry out…”
The Old Madam frowned. “Why would you instruct a maid to take jewelry out of the manor?”
Ye Caiwei hesitated and stammered.
“A disloyal servant like this, and you still want to deceive your grandmother for her sake?”
The two old women continued dragging Qinghe away.
Ye Caiwei clenched her hands tightly and said aggrievedly, “I asked Qinghe to pawn the jewelry. Second Cousin and Third Cousin have become estranged because of me. I feel terrible about it, but I didn’t have enough money to compensate them for the qin and the jade bracelet. So I wanted to sell my jewelry to repay them…”
Madam Yun was just about to speak. Shen Wan had no idea what she intended to say, but she immediately stepped inside and cut her off before she had the chance.
“I’ve always doted on Cousin, but today I truly can’t endure this anymore. Second Aunt already said Third Sister only spoke harshly in the heat of anger, and Grandmother already declared there was no need for compensation. Yet you still insist on doing this. Father personally brought you back into the manor. If outsiders discover you’re so short of money that you’re selling your jewelry, what will they think of Father? What will they think of the Duke Dingguo Manor?!”
Ye Caiwei’s face turned deathly pale from the scolding. “I… I didn’t think that far…”
Shen Wan continued, “Third Sister’s reputation was already damaged because of her cheating at the peony banquet. If word spreads now that she forced you to sell your jewelry to compensate her for a qin, will she have any reputation left at all?”
Each sentence struck harder than the last.
Even Shen Wu began suspecting that Ye Caiwei had ulterior motives.
Madam Yun shook her head gently toward Shen Wan. “Your cousin already knows she was wrong.”
Shen Wan turned toward the Old Madam. “I can’t bear to see Cousin punished, but this time she must be punished. We protect her and spoil her so much that she’s begun thinking of herself as an outsider living under someone else’s roof, constantly keeping distance from us. She even ignored Grandmother’s words and did something that damages Duke Dingguo Manor’s reputation. If she isn’t punished now, she’ll never remember the lesson.”
Wasn’t Ye Caiwei deliberately using the reputation of Duke Dingguo Manor and Shen Ji to pressure Madam Yun into paying money to appease Shen Wu?
Shen Wan wanted Ye Caiwei to experience what it felt like to drop a rock on her own foot.
Ye Caiwei burst into tears. “I… I just didn’t want you and Third Cousin to keep fighting…”
Shen Wan could not stand her tearful appearance, as though the entire world had wronged her. “I’ll only ask you once. Are you absolutely determined to compensate Third Sister for the qin?”
Ye Caiwei glanced at Shen Wu before lowering her voice. “I damaged Third Cousin’s qin. Naturally, I should compensate her…”
Shen Wan immediately turned to Madam Yun. “Mother, since Cousin insists on compensating her, then let her. She doesn’t have the money now, so let the public household funds cover it first. Later, the amount can slowly be deducted from her monthly allowance.”
No one reacted much to Shen Wan’s suggestion.
Not even Ye Caiwei.
Madam Yun was soft-hearted. When monthly allowances were distributed later, there was no way Shen Wan and Shen Wu would receive theirs while Ye Caiwei received nothing. Even if Madam Yun had to pay from her own pocket, she would certainly make it up to Ye Caiwei.
Even the maidservants thought Shen Wan was merely bluffing and could not possibly frighten Ye Caiwei.
Ye Caiwei said gratefully, “Thank you, Second Cousin.”
Hopefully, she would not regret it later once her allowance truly disappeared.
Madam Yun adored Ye Caiwei, but only because she believed Ye Caiwei to be the biological daughter of her late sister and brother-in-law.
Would Madam Yun still dote on the illegitimate daughter of the Second Master?
Even the Old Madam looked annoyed. “This matter ends here.”
Shen Wu said, “Since Cousin insists on compensating me for the qin, then I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
Ye Caiwei looked toward Shen Wan cautiously. “Second Cousin, will you accompany me to choose a qin for Third Cousin?”
“Absolutely not!”
Shen Wan looked thoroughly disappointed in her.
Madam Yun gently said, “Go ahead then. Whatever it costs, the household accounts will settle it.”
Shen Yao pulled Ye Caiwei away.
As Shen Wan and Madam Yun exited Shou’an Hall, Madam Yun asked, “Why were you so angry today?”
With no one else around, Shen Wan said quietly, “Mother truly believes the women guarding the second gate would dare search Cousin’s maid?”
Servants were always skilled at currying favor based on status.
These past days, Shen Wan had practically elevated Ye Caiwei to the heavens. Qinghe was Ye Caiwei’s personal maid. The servants in the manor were too busy trying to flatter her, how could they possibly dare stop and search Qinghe?
Madam Yun had always thought her daughter was somewhat naive. She had not expected Shen Wan could see through such schemes as well.
“Your cousin has her own difficulties,” Madam Yun sighed. “As long as she doesn’t go too far, for the sake of your late uncle, Mother doesn’t mind indulging her a little.”
So Mother wasn’t unaware after all.
She simply kept one eye open and one eye closed out of gratitude toward her late brother-in-law.
That made things easier.
Shen Wan leaned close to Madam Yun’s ear and whispered several sentences softly.
Madam Yun’s expression changed again and again. “Th-That… how could that be?!”
Shen Wan replied, “Father would be furious if he learned of this, so Mother mustn’t tell him yet. Also, don’t secretly give her money behind my back anymore.”
Madam Yun still found it impossible to accept that Ye Caiwei was the illegitimate daughter of the Second Master. She asked, “Who told you this?”
If Shen Wan claimed she discovered it herself, Madam Yun would never believe her.
But Shen Wan already had a way to make Madam Yun at least half-believe her.
“The same person who informed me about the Heir of the Marquis Yongqing secretly getting his cousin pregnant also told me this. I didn’t dare dismiss it. I’ve already asked Eldest Cousin to investigate. At most, within half a month, we’ll know whether it’s true.”
When Shen Wan returned to Mingyue Courtyard, she learned an hour later that Ye Caiwei had compensated Shen Wu with a qin worth one thousand and eighty taels.
Truly expensive.
Ye Caiwei’s monthly allowance before marriage would never be enough to repay it.
But that didn’t matter.
It could simply be deducted from her dowry later.
Not to mention the Yun family’s money, she wouldn’t let Ye Caiwei take even a single penny of the Duke’s mansion’s profits.