Nanny Liu spoke with some caution.
"Madam, that mother and daughter have entered the mansion on their own."
"The servants at the gate were terrified and didn't dare to stop them."
"I was afraid of offending you, Madam, so I rushed back to report the news first."
Lady Liu raised an eyebrow.
"That bunch of trash! They couldn't even stop two sluts."
She then pacified Nanny Liu.
"You did well. Did you send someone to keep an eye on them?"
Nanny Liu nodded repeatedly.
"Rest assured, Madam. I have already arranged for a few clever servants to follow them in secret. As soon as there is any news, they will report it immediately."
Only then did Lady Liu nod in satisfaction. She picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite, her expression softening slightly.
"Hmph, that slut Gu Minglan. To think she was kicked out of the mansion by the Master all those years ago and has actually managed to survive until now. She truly has a tenacious Fate."
"However, since she has returned, she shouldn't think about leaving so easily."
After thinking for a moment, she gave further instructions.
"As for that girl, if she obediently goes to perform the Wedding for Luck for Prince Jing,"
"perhaps I might spare her life. But if she doesn't listen..."
Nanny Liu naturally had no affection for Shen Qingyuan.
She hurriedly chimed in, "Madam is right. That girl doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth; we must certainly teach her a lesson."
"However, Madam, what about the Master..."
We cannot kill them, after all.
Lady Liu ate her pastry, unimpressed.
"I will handle the Master. He is currently only thinking about his own official career. As long as Shen Qingyuan enters Prince Jing's Mansion alive for the Wedding for Luck, he won't say anything more."
After eating half the pastry, Lady Liu extended her hands, letting Nanny Liu clean them for her.
"Go and make arrangements. Find an opportunity to give that mother and daughter a warning first, so they know who is really in charge here at the Shen Mansion."
✦✦✦
Meanwhile, Shen Qingyuan followed her mother.
They walked along the small paths of the Shen Mansion, familiar with the route.
Seeing them bypass the main courtyard and head toward the back courtyard,
Shen Qingyuan felt a bit puzzled.
"Mother, where are we going?"
Gu Minglan answered her as they walked.
"We are going to the place where your Maternal Grandfather used to keep his books in the mansion. Your grandfather liked to tuck items inside his books."
Shen Qingyuan's heart stirred. Wasn't her Maternal Grandfather a merchant?
According to the Great Yong's social hierarchy,
scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants were considered the lowest.
The son of a merchant could not even pursue the path of the Imperial Examination.
Thinking this, Shen Qingyuan asked about it.
Gu Minglan nodded.
"Yes, your Maternal Grandfather was indeed a merchant. But it wasn't always that way. Your grandfather's family suffered a misfortune back then, which led to him being stripped of his official rank, and his descendants were barred from the Imperial Examination."
"But in truth, even though your Maternal Grandfather was young at the time, he was already known as a child prodigy."
"Your Maternal Grandfather was full of talent and learning, but he was burdened by his family status, so he hid all his ambitions within his books."
"This is also why your Maternal Grandfather later agreed to my marriage with your father."
"Your father was young at the time and had already passed the preliminary examination."
"He also put on a great act in front of your Maternal Grandfather. But who would have known that as soon as your Maternal Grandfather passed away, he stopped acting entirely."
As they spoke, the two arrived at a relatively secluded courtyard.
The buildings here were somewhat dilapidated and looked as if they hadn't been maintained for a long time.
Gu Minglan looked at the scene before her, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.
"The Library Pavilion set up by your Maternal Grandfather is over there. Later, it was turned into a storage room by your father."
Although Shen Shiqian had risen through the Imperial Examination, he did not love reading.
Instead, he desperately studied how to flatter and curry favor.
In these times, many officials had some unspeakable hobbies.
Shen Shiqian saw this clearly and often catered to their preferences, which was how he managed to rise to a fifth-rank official.
Ever since he passed the Imperial Examination to become a seventh-rank official, Shen Shiqian had never stepped foot in this Library Pavilion again.
Shen Qingyuan, however, thought of another question.
"Did Maternal Grandfather buy this residence?"
Gu Minglan nodded.
"Your Maternal Grandfather bought this residence as my dowry when I was still young. This Library Pavilion was naturally arranged by him as well."
Shen Qingyuan understood.
This was why her father had moved them to the countryside under the pretext of her mother's poor health.
And why he had demoted his wife to a concubine but never dared to divorce her.
According to the laws of Great Yong, if a husband divorces his wife without cause, he must compensate her with half of his own assets.
If the wife dies, her children inherit her property.
Unless the property is handed over voluntarily, the husband cannot seize his wife's pre-marital assets.
It is said that this law was established by the former Empress Dowager.
That is, the Founding Empress of the Great Yong Dynasty.
That Empress Dowager was an extraordinary woman.
Not only was she full of talent and learning, but she also established schools for women.
She also advocated for light corvée labor and low taxes for the Emperor.
Before the Great Yong Dynasty, the imperial court collected a poll tax.
That is, for every person born in a household, a tax had to be paid.
However, servants and laborers who signed a deed of sale were considered property and were not counted in the poll tax.
This caused the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer.
Poor people had to have more children in order to farm the land.
But the more children they had, the more expensive the poll tax became.
Gradually, the poor fell into a desperate situation where it was difficult to live whether they had children or not.
Ever since the Empress Dowager implemented the land tax, taxes were only collected based on the amount of land owned.
Only then did the lives of poor families gradually have a chance to breathe.
Moreover, the laws established by the Empress Dowager also took women into account in many ways, such as the rule that a wife's property belongs to the wife.
The house deed and land deed were likely still in her mother's hands.
But was it really safe to leave them in this residence?
However, Shen Qingyuan soon stopped speaking.
Because as soon as she approached the dilapidated house, Shen Qingyuan saw a faint golden light.
Even though the old house was covered in creeping ivy on its walls,
it could not block the shimmering golden aura of wealth inside.
Shen Qingyuan fell silent.
Was her mother actually this wealthy?
Then why did they live increasingly poor lives in the countryside?
Shen Qingyuan shook her head, firmly refusing to admit that it was her own Fate that had dragged her mother down.
Gu Minglan did not notice her daughter's strange behavior.
She pushed open the dust-covered wooden door.
The room was indeed piled high with miscellaneous items, and the broken tables, chairs, and trunks almost reached the rafters.
Only a narrow path was left in the middle.
The window paper was also somewhat damaged; if books were kept here, it was feared they would inevitably be ruined.
Shen Qingyuan looked at the bookshelves around her, not yet having time to sigh.
Her mother turned sideways, bypassed several crooked trunks, and walked toward the bookshelf against the inner wall.
The bookshelf was tilted, with old, aged account books and broken bottles and jars piled haphazardly on top.
It looked like a corner used to store unimportant items that were inconvenient to throw away.
Gu Minglan reached out and felt along the side of the bookshelf for a moment.
Her fingertips touched the back, where there seemed to be an unpolished wood grain, and she tapped it lightly a few times.
There was a slight sound of a mechanism.
The wall behind the bookshelf suddenly split open, revealing a small path only wide enough for one person to pass through.
"What are you standing there for? Help your mother move the bookshelf."
✦✦✦