Main Residence, Ya Garden.
“What? Jiang Lingzhi sent you to collect her dowry?”
Lu Shi’s eyes widened, her face turning ashen.
How could she possibly regurgitate what had already been swallowed?
Moreover, the First Master urgently needed funds, and she had been planning to sell this very dowry for silver.
The steward replied cautiously, “Yes, Fourth Madam insists that since she has married the Fourth Master, her dowry should rightfully be stored in Shun Yuan.”
Lu Shi sneered, “Go back and tell her this dowry was prepared by Lady Jiang for Ling Yuan—it was merely brought to our courtyard in advance. It has absolutely nothing to do with Jiang Lingzhi. She should know her place.”
The steward felt a chill down his spine. The First Madam was being utterly domineering, but as a mere servant, he couldn’t argue. He could only assent and relay the message to Jiang Lingzhi.
At that time, Jiang Lingzhi was in the courtyard splitting bamboo.
Seeing the steward standing awkwardly at the gate, empty-handed, she raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What? Is the First Madam refusing to return my dowry?”
She remembered clearly: according to Da Yong’s laws, a woman’s dowry was her private property, and her husband’s family had no right to dispose of it. By no stretch of the imagination did Lu Shi have any authority to withhold it.
The steward hesitated, struggling to speak, but finally nodded with difficulty and repeated Lu Shi’s words verbatim.
Jiang Lingzhi inwardly scoffed, suddenly understanding everything.
No wonder Chu Shi had prepared such an extravagant dowry for her—she must have planned all along for Jiang Lingyuan to steal the wedding and marry Xiao Yan as the principal wife. Yet she had used the pretext of generously providing for the late wife’s legitimate daughter, greedily claiming both reputation and practical gains.
As for Lu Shi, she had likely accepted this arrangement precisely because of the dowry, intending to smooth Jiang Lingyuan’s entry into the household.
But why should they get their way?
Jiang Lingzhi threw down the bamboo, grabbed her cleaver, and strode outward. “Is that so? Let me see about this.”
The steward’s heart leaped into his throat. “Oh no, Fourth Madam, you mustn’t—!”
Yunrou also turned pale with fright. How could the Fourth Madam resort to a blade at the slightest provocation?
In that moment of stunned silence, Jiang Lingzhi swept out of the courtyard like a whirlwind, storming across the white marble bridge, her skirt billowing with palpable menace.
The steward chased after her in a panic, exclaiming, “What should we do? The Duke is ill, the Old Madam has entered the palace… Who can restrain our Fourth Madam?”
Yunrou was on the verge of tears. “Who could possibly control her? Fourth Madam knows how to slaughter pigs!”
Xueying alone remained calm. “I’ll find someone…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Lingzhi had already charged into the First Madam’s Ya Garden.
The maid at the gate tried to block her, but one look at Jiang Lingzhi’s murderous aura made her legs buckle. “Oh no! Fourth Madam is here! She… she…”
Wang Momo emerged from the house and slapped the young maid across the face. “Why the hysterics? Is Fourth Madam the King of Hell, to frighten you so?”
Jiang Lingzhi stepped into the courtyard just in time to hear this. Tossing her cleaver casually in her hand, she planted one foot on a stone stool in the yard.
With a cheerful smile, she said, “Wang Momo does have a way with words. Go on, call my sister-in-law out. Let her repeat what she just said—I’d like to hear it.”
This bandit-like, brutish behavior instantly frightened even Wang Momo.
She stared wide-eyed at Jiang Lingzhi, unable to utter a single word.
After all, the Duke Xiao’s residence was a centuries-old noble family. Even if the women in the inner quarters disliked each other, they would at most exchange a few sharp words. Who had ever seen someone like her, who actually resorted to real knives and spears?
No wonder she was a shrew raised in the countryside!
Wang Momo also knew why Jiang Lingzhi had come. She didn’t dare let her see Lu Shi, so she braced herself and tried to stall: “You’ve come at an unfortunate time. Our Madam…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Lingzhi raised her hand and swung the knife, cleanly slicing off Wang Momo’s neatly tied bun. Instantly, her hair loosened and spread out like a hedgehog’s.
Jiang Lingzhi asked again, “Is it a good time now?”
“Ah…”
Wang Momo collapsed to the ground in terror, trembling as she clutched her head.
In all her years, she had never encountered such a fierce and unreasonable woman!
She had no doubt that if she dared provoke this Fourth Madam again, she would truly chop off her head.
Wang Momo no longer dared to deceive: “Our Madam is inside. She’s in the room.”
“Sister-in-law. Come out. Let’s have a chat, sisters-in-law.” Jiang Lingzhi was genuinely displeased.
When she was unhappy, her words turned harsh:
“Don’t pretend to be deaf and mute in there, hiding like a turtle!
You have the nerve to withhold my dowry, but not the courage to come out and explain it to me?
You insist the dowry was prepared by my stepmother for Jiang Lingyuan—what do you mean by that?
Are you saying you also tacitly approved of Xiao Yan and Jiang Lingyuan’s disgraceful behavior in my bridal chamber yesterday?
Is the reputation of the Duke’s residence something you can trample on so freely?
The Eldest Master holds an official position at court and values his reputation and dignity. Sister-in-law, aren’t you the least bit afraid that this dowry will burn your hands?”
Inside the room, Lu Shi could no longer remain seated. She trembled with rage.
She had originally assumed that after learning the truth, Jiang Lingzhi would only resent Madam Jiang’s favoritism inwardly and swallow the injustice silently.
She never expected Jiang Lingzhi to be such a mad shrew.
In her pursuit of the dowry, she showed no restraint in her words or actions, speaking more and more arrogantly, each word piercing like a knife!
She even threatened the reputation of the Duke’s residence and Xiao Jingping’s future.
Lu Shi couldn’t help but feel apprehensive.
If Jiang Lingzhi were to truly escalate the matter and anger the Duke, the petition to appoint the Heir Apparent might face further complications.
But she was in urgent need of the money. After much deliberation, she decided it was best to let the Jiang family members fight among themselves over the dowry.
“Fourth Sister-in-law, you’ve misunderstood.”
Lu Shi stepped out with an awkward smile, but upon seeing the knife in Jiang Lingzhi’s hand, she was startled and stood at a distance to speak:
“I meant that Yan, that scoundrel, gave the storeroom key to Ling Yuan yesterday, insisting it was the dowry the Jiang family prepared for her.
I truly had no choice. Ling Yuan has returned to your Jiang family, so I instructed the steward to tell you to wait until tomorrow, when you return to your maiden home, to ask Ling Yuan for the key and retrieve the dowry.
Ah, it must have been the steward who misspoke, causing this misunderstanding between us sisters-in-law.”
As she spoke, Xueying arrived with Second Madam Gu Shi.
Before Second Madam Gu Shi could even catch her breath, she grew agitated upon hearing Lu Shi’s words:
“Oh dear, sister-in-law, what kind of talk is this? Is having no key really such a problem? If Fourth Sister-in-law needs to move her dowry, you should just break the warehouse lock!
Sister-in-law, perhaps you’re still unwell and confused? If so, shall I manage the household for you for a couple more days?”
Lu Shi had fallen ill every winter for the past two years, so Gu Shi had been handling the household affairs and festival preparations for her.
Gu Shi handled matters generously, giving generous rewards that pleased everyone in the estate from top to bottom. Even the Duke praised her for her virtue and competence.
Having tasted the power of managing the household, Gu Shi was eager to contend for the position and was waiting to catch Lu Shi making a mistake.
The mention of household management authority made Lu Shi furious, and she feared Gu Shi would use today’s incident as leverage to stir up trouble with the Old Madam.
Torn between options for a moment, she decided that maintaining control of the household was more important.
Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile: “What kind of talk is this, Second Sister-in-law? Do you think I wouldn’t have thought of that? I was just about to order the steward to break the warehouse lock!”
Jiang Lingzhi finally smiled when she heard this reasonable response, turning to look at the steward who had rushed over and ordering: “Break it!”
The steward didn’t dare hesitate, immediately bringing people in: “Yes! Right away!”
Second Madam Gu Shi watched Lu Shi’s livid expression and nearly burst out laughing.
She found Jiang Lingzhi more and more pleasing to the eye: “Good sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. If you ever have any problems in the estate in the future, just come to Second Sister-in-law. I’ll support you.”
Jiang Lingzhi could see the tension between Lu Shi and Gu Shi, but didn’t refuse this half-sincere gesture of goodwill: “Then I’ll thank Second Sister-in-law in advance.”
Lu Shi watched as the steward and his men efficiently broke the warehouse lock and emptied it like locusts sweeping through, even carelessly kicking over and trampling the precious flowers and plants in the courtyard.
She felt her heart bleeding.
Having seen the dowry list, she knew Lady Jiang had truly put great care into this dowry – it was worth at least a hundred thousand taels!
Wang Momo knelt on the ground with disheveled hair. Having followed Lu Shi in glory for most of her life, she never imagined she would be so thoroughly humiliated today!
Tears streamed down her wrinkled face: “Madam, Fourth Madam is practically riding roughshod over our main branch! You can’t let her get away with this!”
But after witnessing Jiang Lingzhi’s fierce and unreasonable behavior, Lu Shi genuinely didn’t want to confront her directly.
“She’s like a mad dog – no need to dirty our hands dealing with her.” Lu Shi was so angry her lips trembled as she spoke. “If the Jiang family can’t teach their daughter properly, that’s for the Jiang family to handle behind closed doors.”
Wang Momo didn’t understand immediately.
A dark, sinister look flashed in Lu Shi’s eyes: “Go to the Jiang residence immediately and tell Lady Jiang to find a way to get the dowry back! Either that, or let her Jiang Lingyuan set her sights elsewhere and stop dreaming of entering the Guogong Fu!”