nashuaworldcup Chapter 4 Keep the Secret Pouch
Chapter 4 Keep the Secret Pouch
Ye Qingqiu shook his head with difficulty and remained silent.
Seeing that he remained silent, Old Madam Qiao was in a state of turmoil. Forgetting everything else, she knelt on the couch, intending to perform a grand ceremony for Mr. Ye again. Ye Qingqiu quickly stepped forward to help her up.
"No, madam, absolutely not."
Old Madam Qiao burst into tears, supporting Ye Qingqiu's arm as she wept bitterly.
"Old Master Qiao passed away early. I, a woman, have managed this vast Marquis's mansion with all my heart and soul, and have spent half my life trying to make it prosperous. If this mansion were to fall before my eyes, how would I face Old Master Qiao after my death? I beg Mr. Ye to help my Qiao family out of this predicament. I will serve you like a slave, even unto death."
Her words moved heaven and earth, and everyone in the room wiped away tears and lowered their eyes. Only Qiao Qingshu watched coldly, and spat inwardly. The second wife who stepped on her own sister's corpse to rise to power forced her eldest son, who had a promising future, to become a monk, and supported her son Qiao Jizhou to inherit the title of Marquis of Yongchang.
Qiao Jizhou is also a hopeless case. He has made no achievements in his official career for several years. The once prosperous Yongchang Marquis Mansion has been ruined to such a desolate state by this narrow-minded old woman. And now he still has the nerve to cry and complain about his grievances.
In her previous life, Qiao Qingshu experienced countless trials and tribulations before she finally understood these truths at the age of thirty. Now, reborn, her eyes are as sharp and shrewd as an eagle's, taking in all these sordid things.
Mr. Ye sighed deeply, shook his head, paced back and forth, waving his hand.
“It’s not that I, Ye, am unwilling to help. I just heard from your eldest daughter that the household is currently in debt, and even the funeral for Madam Bai was kept simple. If we were to hold an altar to perform a ritual to avert disaster, the expenses would be considerable, and I’m afraid the Marquis’s mansion would not be able to afford it.”
Old Madam Qiao's eyes lit up. Hearing that it was just a matter of money, she immediately felt relieved and quickly said,
"Sir, do not worry about the money. As long as it can resolve the trouble, the Marquis's Mansion will provide it all, no matter how much it costs, without missing a single penny."
Mr. Ye gave a meaningful "oh," glanced at Qiao Qingshu, and then looked at Old Madam Qiao, seemingly disbelieving.
Old Madam Qiao straightened up and hurriedly said,
"Sir, please name a number, and I will go and raise it right away."
Ye Qingqiu slowly extended five fingers, his eyes deep as he gazed at the Qiao family matriarch, speaking with a tone that was both joking and solemn.
"Can Old Madam Qiao afford fifty thousand taels of silver?"
Old Madam Qiao was shocked; this was no small sum.
After a brief mental calculation, he realized that now that Bai Shi was dead, although the dowry of 300,000 had contributed a considerable amount to the Marquis's mansion over the years, nearly half of it was still in the treasury. It wouldn't be difficult to withdraw it from there.
She even secretly rejoiced that the fire at Jinxiu Hall was a good thing! The original dowry book was burned to ashes, and the calligraphy, paintings, and antiques were also destroyed. If the Bai family had come to make a fuss, it would have been a messy affair. This money now belonged to the Qiao family!
Just as he was about to agree, Ye Qingqiu interrupted him.
"Madam Qiao, this money is for offering sacrifices to heaven and the gods. It must not be used carelessly. Only money from the legitimate accounts of the Qiao family's descendants will be effective. If money from other families is used, or if it is borrowed, it will be useless. In the end, the gods will be angered, and I will be powerless to change the situation."
The joy that had just appeared on Madam Qiao's face instantly froze, her expression a colorful and fascinating mess.
Xu Biyun, who had been listening for a while, now had a charming smile on her face and spoke softly,
“Mr. Ye, you’re asking for 50,000 taels of silver right off the bat. Ordinary families don’t even get 200 taels for a full 49-day religious ceremony. You’re asking for an exorbitant price, and you even know us. Why don’t you give us a discount?”
Ye Qingqiu squinted at Xu Biyun. Her slender figure, flirtatious eyes, frivolous speech, and petty manner immediately displeased him.
"May I ask which lady or young lady of the Marquis's household this is?"
Qiao Qingshu coldly corrected,
“Mr. Ye, this is not our Qiao family’s master, but our cousin’s wife who is now living in the Marquis’s mansion.”
Ye Qingqiu frequented the homes of the powerful and wealthy, and had seen many distinguished ladies and young women. He certainly wouldn't look down on this kind of person, and only smiled contemptuously.
"Oh, so she's just relying on a relative. With this attitude, I didn't think she was a proper wife."
These words were a real slap in the face to Xu Biyun. She had lived in the Marquis's mansion for many years, and her food, clothing and daily necessities were no different from those of a proper mistress. On a regular basis, thanks to the old lady's care, no one dared to embarrass her like this.
Her fair face instantly turned purplish-red, and disregarding Mr. Ye's esteemed status, she put her hands on her hips and launched into a tirade.
"You Taoist priest, you know a few magic tricks and you put on airs. Why do you want 50,000 taels of silver? Aren't you afraid of bloating your belly? Our Marquis's mansion is respectable enough to respect you by calling you 'Master,' but you take advantage of our kindness. You're not even afraid of robbing us of silver."
Xu Biyun, a woman confined to the inner quarters, was unaware of current affairs. Even the current emperor addressed Ye Qingqiu respectfully as "Sir," yet she was completely oblivious to the fact that her words not only embarrassed Ye Qingqiu but also plunged the Marquis's mansion into crisis.
Liu Wan'er was shocked and tried to pull her mother away, but it was too late.
A whirlwind swept through the room, and a figure in dark blue appeared. Then, a loud slap was heard, causing Xu Biyun to fall under the octagonal table.
The slap was extremely powerful, scattering Xu Biyun's hairpins and ornaments all over the ground, and leaving a bright red handprint on her face, which swelled up and burned.
Xiao Zhijie immediately stepped forward to grab her, his eyes as cold as ice, and he shouted sternly.
"You insolent wretch! My master is the Grand Master of the Yin-Yang Division of the Imperial Observatory, appointed by His Majesty. Even the old dukes have to treat him with respect and bow to him. You shrew, how dare you speak so rudely! Do you want to die? Come with me to the Ministry of Justice for questioning right now. I want to see how many heads you have to chop off!"
Xu Biyun then realized she had offended a powerful person. Terrified, she crawled to the old lady's bedside, covered her face, and sobbed.
"Grandma, please save me! Biyun knows she was wrong."
Already extremely anxious, Xu Biyun has further angered Mr. Ye. If Mr. Ye were to make trouble for Xu Biyun, the Qiao family would face another disaster.
Enraged, Old Madam Qiao slapped the other half of her face hard.
"You shameless little whore, who do you think you are? Get out of here!"
Liu Wan'er immediately helped the sobbing Xu Biyun leave.
At this moment, Li's mother stumbled in and hurriedly knelt down, saying...
"Madam, something terrible has happened! For some reason, a large number of the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall have fallen over."
Ye Qingqiu sneered upon hearing this, and without saying anything more, simply cupped his hands in farewell.
"The Marquis's residence is busy; you should leave now."
After saying that, he reached out and gestured to Xiao Zhijie beside him to pack his things and prepare to leave.
The old lady, who had been hesitating, felt a chill run down her spine when she heard that the ancestral tablets had been knocked down. She broke out in a cold sweat as if a great disaster was about to befall her.
He thought to himself that if he didn't grit his teeth and spend some money, the Marquis's mansion would probably never have a day of peace again.
Old Madam Qiao hurriedly said,
"Sir, please wait! The money will be collected and delivered to your residence tomorrow."
Ye Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, his slight anger fading, and winked at Qiao Qingshu.
Turning to look at the old lady, he finally gave her a slightly nicer look.
"Then I'll come and perform the ritual again when the money arrives tomorrow."
Ye Qingqiu stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then picked up a pen, wrote a note, stuffed it into the brocade pouch, and handed it to Old Madam Qiao.
He repeatedly urged and instructed,
"Please keep this brocade pouch safe, Madam. Open it on the seventh night after Madam Bai's death, and it will surely cleanse the evil spirits and ensure the safety of the Marquis's mansion."