After dinner, Shen Rusong went to the study at the front.
Wu Shi reclined on the daybed in the side room, sipping Malt Tea idly.
These past two days, Shen Rusong had been exceptionally attentive. Last night, upon hearing she had called for a doctor, he had deliberately declined social engagements today and returned early to accompany her. Wu Shi couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile, feeling that everything was going smoothly and her mood was excellent.
With such a husband, she naturally felt she should be a virtuous wife. Since she had nothing else to do at the moment, Wu Shi summoned Nanny Tong and Hong’er to inquire about her husband’s three illegitimate daughters.
Nanny Tong analyzed every aspect of what she had observed today in detail for Wu Shi, with Hong’er adding supplementary remarks.
However, she still withheld some information—specifically regarding Shen Yiyi’s circumstances.
That girl had performed too well; her score in Wu Shi’s eyes wouldn’t be low.
Nanny Tong knew her own young mistress all too well—she was soft-hearted and easily swayed. If she formed a favorable impression first and truly treated Shen Yiyi as a daughter, only to be bitten back by an ingrate, it would be disastrous. After all, appearances could be deceiving; good behavior didn’t necessarily mean good character.
They had only met once, and there would be plenty of time ahead.
If Shen Yiyi was genuinely good inside and out, winning her over likely wouldn’t be too difficult. The girl didn’t even have a change of clothes, had fresh wounds on her hands, and bruises on her body that hadn’t fully faded—it was easy to imagine what kind of life she had been living.
She was essentially cut off from her birth mother and had no affection for her maternal uncle’s family. Wasn’t she practically tailor-made to be a “little padded jacket” for her own young mistress?
As long as the padded jacket didn’t leak warmth, who said a picked-up little padded jacket couldn’t be considerate and warm?
Although she didn’t want Shen Yiyi to receive an undeservedly high impression score, Nanny Tong had no such reservations with Shen Rusong. Before dinner, she had taken the opportunity to explain everything clearly and in detail.
Even though Shen Rusong was the biological father, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Her family’s son-in-law, to put it nicely, was worldly-wise and tactful; to put it bluntly, he was opportunistic and self-serving, outwardly warm but inwardly cold. Without tangible benefits, he would only show you superficial courtesy.
She could only hope that her family’s old master would continue rising through the ranks, keeping Shen Rusong in check for a lifetime, so her young mistress could live a stable life.
It must be said that although Nanny Tong had raised Wu Shi from infancy, she had slightly misjudged the latter’s scoring system.
In Wu Shi’s view:
Sister Gui’s birth mother got pregnant before I entered the household—who was she trying to disgust? Deduct points!
And there’s a shameless maternal aunt tagging along wanting to enter the household? Deduct major points!
Sister Nian? Playing petty tricks with the name? Deduct points!
Her birth mother waited this long but still wants to enter the mansion? Deduct major points!
It was that simple and crude, with no need to consider individual performance.
The two young girls’ current impression scores in Wu Shi’s book were negative thirty and negative twenty-five, respectively.
For reference, the full score was one hundred.
As for Shen Yiyi: Reportedly, her temperament and conduct were quite good, so add one point.
Her mother remarried and left? What a good girl! Add thirty points!
Thus, due to a certain judge’s bizarre scoring rules, Shen Yiyi held a commanding lead with an advantage of at least fifty-six points!
Click!
The half-closed window was pushed shut by a gust of night wind.
Song Jian glanced at Shen Rusong, who remained seated without moving, then went over to prop the window open again before returning to stand in front of the desk.
“Continue,” Shen Rusong turned sideways, gazing out the window.
“I spent all of yesterday making inquiries in the city. That Hu Sicai showed up last year. Madam Hu helped him rent a place and even found him an apprenticeship at a carpenter’s shop. But he only went for a few days before complaining it was too tiring and ran off. Before leaving, he made a scene, forcing the shop to refund half his apprenticeship fee, then turned around and headed straight for the gambling den.”
“He’s a gambler?”
“Yes, and a hopeless one at that. Later, Madam Hu found him a job as a waiter at a tavern, but he still gambled every day. At first, he was a bit clever—whenever he lost everything, he’d leave, at most owing just ten or twenty coppers. But a few months ago, probably after getting drunk, he lost over thirty taels of silver in one go.”
“The gambling den first went to the tavern looking for him but couldn’t find him, so they smashed up his rented place. Eventually, they tracked him down, beat him up, broke his arm, and even chopped off one of his fingers.”
“Madam Hu paid back some of the debt and asked them for more time. But aside from the gambling den, the tavern and his landlord were also demanding compensation. With three parties hounding him for money every day, Hu Sicai had no choice but to flee the city with his family. Madam Hu found them a place to stay in Xilin Village to the north.”
“Didn’t the debt collectors go to Feng’an Quarter to cause trouble?”
“The gambling den went once. Madam Hu gave them twenty-five taels, said she couldn’t pay more, and they never went back.”
Shen Rusong felt something wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t hard to understand why Second Madam only paid the bulk of the debt.
She was probably afraid that this gambler cousin, feeling he had a backer, would keep pushing for more money in the future. Paying most of it would save his life while also teaching him a lesson. Second Madam’s wealth was far more than this.
But the problem was, gambling dens were in it for the money, not to take lives.
Hu Sicai was a poor wretch—no house, no land, and no beautiful wife or daughter. Usually, people like him would be beaten up and thrown out once they lost everything. If there was no profit to be squeezed, gambling dens wouldn’t even bother setting traps for him.
For him to rack up such a huge gambling debt this time, it must have been aimed at Second Madam, who had deep pockets.
So why did the gambling den let Feng’an Quarter off so easily?
Thinking it over, Song Jian also felt the resolution of the gambling debt had been too smooth.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “Perhaps Madam Hu used silver to pull strings at the yamen? I heard the wife of the Household Office’s chief has been visiting frequently these past two years, and the courtyard in Feng’an Quarter was eventually sold to her brother.”
The Household Office? It oversaw a county’s finances, taxes, and household registrations—it certainly had some influence. Shen Rusong nodded slightly. “Who else has been visiting Feng’an Quarter over the years?”
“Madam Hu hardly ever goes out, just as before. She still goes to the temple to pray on the first day of each month. Aside from her maid Ruyi, Nanny Li, and an old guard, she only employs two maids for rough work.”
“One of them, Granny Zheng, has been with her since the old days. I went to her home to ask. She said Hu Sicai was a real piece of work—he suddenly showed up claiming kinship and would come around every few days to make trouble. No matter how much Madam Hu gave him, her cousin was hopeless. As soon as he got money, he’d gamble it away.”
“Serves him right, getting kicked out to the countryside! Even then, he didn’t stop—he’d sneak back into the city to ask for money, not caring at all that he might be caught and drag Madam Hu down with him. Thankfully, Madam Hu married and moved away, or who knows how long she’d have had to support him.”
Shen Rusong’s heart tightened. “What’s this about Madam Hu’s marriage?”
“Granny Zheng said about three or four months ago, a merchant surnamed Wang came to propose marriage, and Madam Hu agreed. They found it strange too—Nanny Li only vaguely mentioned that an old acquaintance had arranged the match.”
An old acquaintance? Could it be the Liu Family from the prefectural city? That Madam Fan had been quite kind to her before.
Shen Rusong asked with a hint of sourness, “How long has it been since the engagement? Why the rush to marry her off?”
“They say Steward Wang’s mother is critically ill, and any delay would mean a three-year wait. There’s also the idea of a wedding to bring good fortune. They came to fetch her overnight half a month ago. Even the property was left for Old Man Wang and them to handle the handover.”
“Old Man Wang?”
“He’s the old guard of the Hu Family. They say five years ago, when the lady went to offer incense, she rescued a one-armed old beggar from a snowdrift, along with his adopted son. The lady is kind-hearted—after saving them, she took them in as guards.”
“How old is this adopted son?”
“Back then, he was around fourteen or fifteen? But he moved out two years ago. Granny Zheng said she hasn’t seen that Wang Lad since and has no idea where he went.”
“Also surnamed Wang?” Shen Rusong frowned. “How old is that Steward Wang?”
“Uh—Granny Zheng didn’t mention it…” Song Jian, noticing his master’s slightly greenish complexion, quickly thought of something and blurted out, “Oh! She did say the man had a full beard! Since he wears a beard, he must be over thirty!”