First Phoenix Lady - Chapter 38

The atmosphere in the room was rather strange for a moment.

Shi Anxia turned to Old Madam Shi and asked, “Grandmother, did you ask for me?”

At this, Shi Wanzhen could not hold back, “So you do know Grandmother is looking for you? You dawdled for almost an hour before coming-do you expect us to send an eight-carriage procession to invite you?”

Tang Chujun was instantly furious and was about to retort, but her daughter patted her hand, calming her down.

Shi Anxia replied gently, “I was indeed delayed just now. Master Yangxuan went to inspect the deserted courtyard next to the Marquis Mansion for me. He said it would be excellent for the Clan School’s feng shui, and that only a few doors need to be changed to gather fortune. So I went to see it myself, finalized the door renovation plan, and have already sent people to start the work.”

Old Madam Shi suddenly remembered, “You want to use the deserted courtyard next door for the Clan School?”

Shi Anxia nodded, “That courtyard originally belonged to our Marquis Mansion and has been left unused. Master Yangxuan said it actually harmed our feng shui.”

“Good! Very good!” Old Madam Shi was delighted, though a little worried, “Renovating that broken courtyard will cost quite a bit of silver, won’t it?”

Shi Anxia said, “Mother said she could provide the silver. Right, Mother?”

Tang Chujun had no idea about this beforehand. Although she was unwilling to spend money for the Marquis Mansion, since her daughter said she would provide it, she naturally agreed, “Yes, I’ll provide the silver.”

Old Madam Shi’s face bloomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile. She said to her own daughter, “Your sister-in-law is truly generous.”

Since Tang Chujun was paying, she naturally wanted to claim the benefit, “From now on, all matters regarding the Clan School will be managed by Xia’er. No one else should interfere.”

Old Madam Shi agreed without hesitation, “Of course! This was Xia’s idea to begin with!”

Shi Anxia said unhurriedly, “I’ve already asked someone to apply for the Clan School permit at the yamen. In a few days, we should be able to get the official document.”

Old Madam Shi’s eyes curved with joy, “Good, very good. Xia is becoming more and more capable.”

Shi Wanzhen was furious. Was this the time to discuss the Clan School? Clearly her own issue was more important!

She pressed, “Xia, am I still your Aunt or not?”

Shi Anxia glanced at Tang Chujun, then at Shi Wanzhen, “Well… If you don’t want to be my Aunt, you don’t have to be!”

Shi Wanzhen: “…” She was so angry she nearly fainted. Was that even something a person should say?

Shi Anxia played with her hanging hair, nonchalant, “I lost ten years before, and only returned to the mansion two years ago. Back then, I heard Aunt telling my cousins, ‘I don’t acknowledge this wild girl as my niece. You should stay away from her. If you meet her on the street, pretend you don’t know her, so you won’t embarrass yourselves.'”

Shi Wanzhen’s face alternated between red and white. She never expected such private words to be brought up in public, “That… you must have misheard…”

“I might have misheard, but all my maids heard it loud and clear.” Shi Anxia was not about to let her off.

She couldn’t tear her face with Grandmother, but couldn’t she fall out with an outsider like her?

She tilted her head slightly, still playing with her hair, “Besides, Aunt didn’t lower her voice at all. I suppose you wanted me to hear it, so I’d know my place. That’s why, whether on the street or anywhere else, I’ve never tried to approach you.”

Shi Wanzhen wished she could tear this girl’s mouth apart!

Then she heard that hateful girl say, “Today I called you ‘Aunt’ out of respect for Grandmother and because I still remember some manners. But since you insist on asking, I’ll make it clear: you won’t hear me call you ‘Aunt’ again.”

“What a sharp-tongued wild girl!” Shi Wanzhen was so angry she completely forgot her original purpose for coming.

At the mention of ‘wild girl’, Tang Chujun would not stand for it!

“Shi! Wanzhen! You’re quite something!” Tang Chujun sat up straight, her sharp gaze landing on her sister-in-law’s face. “Since you look down on my daughter, you don’t need to call me ‘sister-in-law’ anymore. From now on, when we’re out and about, let’s pretend we don’t know each other. You don’t need to flaunt your connection to the Duke of State Protection Mansion either-after all, my Duke of State Protection Mansion and your Changshan Bo Mansion are worlds apart.”
Shi Wanzhen cried out in grievance, clutching her mother’s hand and shaking it, “Mother! Look at your good daughter-in-law and good granddaughter! Are they trying to drive me out of the Marquis Mansion?”

If it were in the past, Old Madam Shi would have certainly comforted her youngest daughter and scolded Madam Tang and her daughter for being inconsiderate.

But now, things were different. Madam Tang was attentive to her son and willing to make plans; her granddaughter was capable, efficient, and had a vision for the Marquis Mansion’s future.

Her tolerance for this youngest daughter was no longer as high. “You too! You’re a mother yourself, yet you say such things to your own niece. Have you thought about how it would hurt her feelings? Your children are precious, but Xia is also your sister-in-law’s treasure!”

For the first time, Tang Chujun echoed Old Madam Shi, “Mother is absolutely right. Xia’er is the apple of my eye. Whoever bullies my daughter is making an enemy of our Marquis Mansion and the entire Duke of State Protection Mansion.”

Shi Wanzhen: “…”

She no longer knew how to describe her anger and frustration! What had she even said? How did it escalate to being enemies with the Marquis Mansion and the Duke of State Protection Mansion!

She felt terribly wronged!

Even her mother, who used to dote on her, had changed-she no longer protected her, and instead sided with Madam Tang and her daughter!

In fact, Old Madam Shi was more clear-headed than anyone and hadn’t forgotten to help her daughter. “Xia, I called you here to ask why you reported to the authorities yesterday.”

Shi Anxia looked genuinely puzzled. “Even such a small matter has reached Grandmother’s ears?”

Shi Wanzhen was so angry she nearly stomped her feet. She thought, Small matter! You call this a small matter! You’ve almost turned the Changshan Bo Mansion upside down! My husband even pointed at my nose and cursed me!

Given that every word she said earlier was met with ten retorts, this time she kept silent. Endure! Just endure for now!

Old Madam Shi said calmly, “Doing business is about harmony and prosperity. Don’t be so quick to report to the authorities; it doesn’t look good.”

Shi Anxia shook her head. “Grandmother, you don’t know how outrageous Shopkeeper Yang was.” She called out, “Bei Hui!”

Bei Hui responded and entered. With her lady’s permission, she recounted in detail everything Shopkeeper Yang had done.

At the end, she added, “We’ve just checked-Qin Mama did accept some benefits from Shopkeeper Yang, but it was only a small amount of silver as a token.”

The implication was that this silver was within Madam Tang’s tacit approval and that Qin Mama had not colluded with Shopkeeper Yang to deceive the family.

Tang Chujun spoke indifferently, “Careless in her duties and accepting benefits-send someone like that to the estate to do manual labor.”

With one sentence, she decided Qin Mama’s fate. If she couldn’t handle light work, then she could do heavy work instead.

Tang Chujun had indeed tacitly allowed such small tokens, as it was just a bit of tea money. But taking a salary and benefits without doing the job was unforgivable.

If Qin Mama had been more diligent, she wouldn’t have missed the discrepancies for a whole year, forcing her daughter to worry about it personally.

By Tang Chujun’s logic, she herself could afford to be inattentive, but she would not tolerate mistakes from those paid to do the job. Otherwise, what was the point of spending that silver? She might as well do it herself.

Old Madam Shi’s expression was unpleasant, and Shi Wanzhen’s was even worse.

If Madam Tang showed no mercy to someone who made a minor mistake, how could they expect leniency in this matter?

Old Madam Shi forced a smile. “That Shopkeeper Yang even tried to escape with his whole family-truly disappointing. But then again, as long as he returns the silver and is dismissed, why make such a fuss with the authorities?”

Shi Anxia shook her head and replied seriously, “Grandmother, you may not know, but there is a shortage of at least five hundred taels! He simply can’t pay back that much silver!”

Old Madam Shi was shocked. “That much?”

“Yes! If it were only a few dozen taels, for the sake of our long-standing relationship, I wouldn’t make things difficult for him. But over five hundred taels-there’s something very fishy here.”