After Xie Xuchuan left, Shen Yuanzhu remained in her room, going over the accounts.
Before her mother passed away, she had left her a considerable dowry, including clothing and accessories, furniture and utensils, as well as gold, silver, and jewelry.
However, many of these items were stored in the Shen family warehouse, and over the years, her sister-in-law, Ye Yunyi, had taken quite a few under the pretense of borrowing or exchanging them.
Shen Yuanzhu was young, with only her nanny constantly by her side. The other servants who attended to her had all been dismissed by Ye Yunyi.
With no one to protect Shen Yuanzhu, she suffered significant losses.
Fortunately, these were not the most important items left by Shen’s mother.
The deeds to land and properties, as well as contracts for shops and embroidery workshops, were all held securely in Shen Yuanzhu’s own hands.
Among these, the Jiecui Workshop was the most precious treasure left to Shen Yuanzhu by her mother, worth a fortune.
On the surface, the Jiecui Workshop appeared to be an ordinary fabric shop, but in reality, it was capable of both production and sales.
Within the workshop, there were weaving rooms and dyeing workshops, equipped with twenty three-spindle foot-operated spinning wheels and two large water-powered spinning wheels capable of producing a hundred jin of lightweight gauze daily.
There were also four Flower Pavilion Looms capable of weaving a hundred different patterns, along with countless dyeing vats, copper pots, and printing blocks.
There were even several secret dyeing recipes from the Shen Family Dyeing Manual that even Shen Yanhuai was unaware of.
Her strained relationship with her brother and sister-in-law was partly due to Ye Yunyi’s repeated but unsuccessful attempts to extract these items and claim them for herself.
The manager and public-facing owner of the Jiecui Workshop was Luo Qing, the son of Shen Yuanzhu’s nanny, Luo Shi.
Now that Shen Yuanzhu had grown older, these assets had been returned to her hands.
Shen Yuanzhu meticulously went through the accounts page by page, appearing as calm as if Xie Xuchuan had never visited the Shen family that day.
While she remained composed, Ling’er was restless.
Plunking herself down beside Shen Yuanzhu, Ling’er said, “My dear young lady, how can you still focus on the accounts?
“That Jiang Wansu is already carrying Xie Xuchuan’s child in her belly. Why aren’t you thinking of a way to handle this?”
“What way should I think of?”
Putting down the account book in her hand, Shen Yuanzhu picked up a piece of white sugar cake and popped it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly as she ate.
“Think of a way to stop Xie Xuchuan from bringing that child into the Xie family! If he really brings Jiang Wansu and her child into the Xie household, what support will you have in the future, young lady?”
After the master and mistress passed away, the entire Shen family was handed over to Shen Yanhuai.
Although the Shen family could not be considered immensely wealthy, it was still sizable and prosperous. As a result, Shen Yanhuai was often busy outside and rarely returned home.
Even when he did return, he mostly put on the airs of the family head and reprimanded her young lady.
Originally, it was thought that once the young lady reached adulthood and married into the Xie family, her hardships would be over. But who could have imagined…
Seeing Shen Yuanzhu eating so contentedly, as if it had nothing to do with her, Ling’er let out a sob and began to cry anxiously.
“Good Ling’er, don’t cry.”
Shen Yuanzhu, her cheeks still full, swallowed the sugar cake in her mouth. “The marriage alliance between the Xie and Shen families is not something Xie Xuchuan alone can decide.
“Besides, even without today’s incident, he would hardly be a reliable support.”
Raising her hand and shaking her finger, Shen Yuanzhu said, “As long as I hold half of the Shen Family Dyeing Manual, Xie Xuchuan cannot act recklessly without considering me. That is my true support.”
It may seem as though she relies on the Xie family, but doesn’t the Xie family also desire the secret recipes in her possession?
Now, the Xie family is just one step away from becoming Imperial Merchants, and that step to the heavens is firmly in her grasp.
She and the Xie family are merely using each other.
That is why Shen Yuanzhu is not afraid of Jiang Wansu or the child in her belly.
“The young lady is wise and will live well wherever she goes…”
Luo Shi looked at Shen Yuanzhu, her eyes filled with heartache. “But marriage is not solely about benefits. In the past, I favored the young master of the Xie family because he was genuinely devoted to you.
“Yet now, he has betrayed you before the wedding—what kind of behavior is that?
“Moreover, seeing how resolute he was today, I fear he is determined to bring that child into his household.
“If he insists on doing so, what will you do, Miss?”