"Grandmother, Father, don't put yourselves in a difficult position. Yun Xi has made up her mind. I'll send the person back tomorrow! By then, I'll kneel outside the palace and beg Her Majesty the Queen for forgiveness. Even if the Queen refuses to forgive me, only my head will be chopped off! I won't mention for a single word that it was you, Grandmother, who punished me!"
As soon as Yun Xi said this, the elderly Lady Su suddenly choked in her throat and started coughing.
She tapped her walking stick, her face flushing red with anger as her cloudy eyes glared angrily at Yun Xi:
"You damned troublemaker! Are you deliberately trying to anger me to death? Why didn't you say so yesterday!"
Why did she have to wait until today!
Yesterday, when Nanny Qian reported that Yun Xi had been confined in the ancestral hall but not only didn't cry or make a fuss, she even packed her things in advance.
She thought the girl had changed her ways, but it turned out she was waiting for this moment!
Facing the reproach, Yun Xi felt even more aggrieved:
"Grandmother, you didn't ask either. Besides, your granddaughter was so scared..."
As she spoke, Yun Xi couldn't hold back her tears and sobbed loudly, which made the old lady's face look even more unpleasant.
But Yun Sheng felt heart - broken. While wiping the tears from his daughter's face, he patted her on the back to comfort her:
"It's okay. Don't be afraid. It's good that you know you've made a mistake. With Father here, no one dares to chop off your head!"
"Father, I'm sorry!" Yun Xi cried and threw herself into her father's arms.
Disliking how indulgent her son was towards Yun Xi, the old lady's face turned ashen:
"Yun Sheng! I've warned you long ago that if you keep spoiling her like this, something bad will happen sooner or later! This is ten thousand taels of gold we're talking about!"
The old lady gritted her teeth. She shouted so hard that she felt dizzy.
But Yun Sheng didn't think it was a big deal:
"Mother, you've always taught me that 'money is but an external possession'. The shops in the capital earn over ten thousand taels a year. It's not a problem."
Yun Sheng's words "It's not a problem" made Yun Ni unable to hold back even before the old lady could say anything.
"Father! That's a whole year's income! There are so many people in the family to support. You don't even scold her once but just give her the money. You're being so unfair!"
Since childhood, she had always thought her father was overly partial.
If it were her, her father would probably have flown into a rage long ago. How could he have the time to comfort her?
"This is an adult's matter. Children shouldn't talk too much!"
Yun Sheng scolded her in a deep voice, but the old lady chimed in:
"Yun Ni is right. We need money everywhere in the family. How can we afford her extravagance?"
Just a few days ago, she had promised her younger brother that she would help renovate the yard of her natal family. That all required money!
Seeing them arguing endlessly and her father looking exhausted, Yun Xi left her father's embrace and sobbed:
"Father, Grandmother, stop arguing. I'll write a letter to Grandmother right now. The Su family is wealthy and powerful. Grandmother will surely be willing to help me through this difficult time."
If Yun Xi hadn't mentioned the Su family, it would have been fine. But as soon as she did, the old lady got furious:
"The Yun family should handle its own affairs! Don't go and disgrace me!"
Back then, when the Su family had fallen into decline and her husband died, she had single - handedly supported her son to study and pursue a career as a scholar.
Although life was hard, she always thought highly of herself because of her family's scholarly background. All this changed when her son decided to marry the daughter of a merchant!
She had firmly opposed it at first, but since her son was in trouble and only the Su family could save him, she had gritted her teeth and accepted it.
Although Su Yun was dead, this marriage had become a lifelong disgrace to her!
So, just the mention of the Su family made her feel extremely uncomfortable!
"Mother."
Seeing that the old lady was wavering, Yun Sheng held her hand and said earnestly:
"You know how those shops came about."
As he spoke, he looked at Yun Xi helplessly, his eyes full of love and nostalgia:
"Su Yun only left behind Yun Xi. If I can't take good care of Yun Xi, how can I face her after I die?"
Nine - tenths of the shops the Prime Minister's Mansion owned now were the dowry of his late wife. He knew his mother was sensitive about it, so he rarely mentioned it.
But it was the truth.
He even planned that these shops would become Yun Xi's dowry in the future.
His wife's early death was the most painful thing in his heart. He thought he owed his wife and the Su family.
If he blamed his daughter just because of the ten thousand taels of gold,
how could he have the face to face anyone in the future?
The old lady's face still looked unpleasant, but she was persuaded by her son.
More importantly, she never wanted to lose face in front of the Su family!
She gave Yun Xi a fierce look and said to Nanny Qian beside her:
"Go to Lady Jiang's yard right now and tell her to prepare ten thousand taels of gold as soon as possible. I don't want the Queen to look down on us or let outsiders laugh at the Yun family!"
Lady Jiang's outburst in front of the royal family and the nobles in the capital had already made her feel embarrassed.
If the ten thousand taels of gold could help the Yun family regain a little bit of their dignity, she would grit her teeth and pay!
It was just that this damned girl was getting off easy!
She had done this on purpose, making it difficult for her to punish her even if she wanted to.
After all, this girl had even inserted the Queen's people into the mansion. What else could she do?!
She was really determined to anger her to death!
Meanwhile, Lady Jiang had just woken up. Due to excessive blood loss, she was feeling dizzy and drinking medicinal soup.
As soon as she heard what Nanny Qian said, she "puffed" and spat out all the medicine!
"Ten thousand taels of gold?! The old lady must be crazy to let that little slut act recklessly!"
"Shh! My lady, watch your words!"
Nanny Liu's face turned pale. She quickly tugged at Lady Jiang's arm and looked awkwardly at Nanny Qian who hadn't left yet.
Lady Jiang was so angry that she blurted out all her resentment without thinking!
Reminded by Nanny Liu, she immediately realized she had said something wrong. She quickly ordered the maid to offer a seat to Nanny Qian and serve good tea.
"Oh, I was just having a headache and talking nonsense. I hope Nanny Qian won't laugh at me."
"My lady, you're being too polite. You've been working hard to manage such a big family, and now you're injured. How could this old servant dare to laugh at you?"
Although Nanny Qian served the old lady, she had received a lot of favors from Lady Jiang.
Considering the old lady's advanced age, she also had to think about her future, so she naturally didn't dare to offend Lady Jiang.
After seeing Nanny Qian off, Lady Jiang was about to burst into curses when a young maid rushed in nervously:
"My lady, Lord Jiang is here! He said he heard you were injured and came to visit. He also said he wanted to see Young Master Jiang..."
Lady Jiang was suddenly shocked. She felt a splitting headache:
How could she have forgotten about this?
"Who told him I was injured?"
She had only heard about Jiang Qing's death after she woke up.
She was just thinking of hiding it from the Jiang family for a while, and now this person had come!
Now she didn't even know where Jiang Qing's body had been thrown. Where could she find someone for her cousin to meet?
"My lady, do you want me to persuade him to leave first?" Nanny Liu asked tentatively.
Lady Jiang nodded, pinching her forehead. For now, this was the only option.
But just as Nanny Liu was about to reach the door, Lady Jiang quickly called her back:
"Come back. I'll talk to him myself!"
That little slut shouldn't think that she can live in peace just because she's escaped this time!
She won't rest until she sends her to hell to accompany her mother!