Qin Feifei stayed at the Qin household for another day. On the third day, her health had mostly recovered, and she returned to the Lu family. Lu Changxuan personally came to pick her up, a gesture that the entire Qin family noticed. Everyone praised Lu Changxuan as a good man, menting how Qin Yaoyao had been unfaithful, especially given that she had such a fine husband yet became entangled with a steward.

  Nanny Fu reyed the matter to Qin Shuying, her face barely concealing her anger. "This servant has met Second Miss two or three times. She was a clever and gentle person. How could they smear her as so despicable? If Third Master could become involved with his own sister-in-w, what kind of man could he be? As for Madam Xu, she's hypocritical and scheming—it must have been her trap that killed Second Miss!"

  Ziteng stood nearby, staring bnkly at the tips of her shoes, lost in thought.

  Qin Shuying responded, "Even Nanny can see the truth. My eldest uncle has been an official for over twenty years, and he works at the Court of Judicial Review. How could he not perceive the treachery? Yet he chose to abet the vilins. If even he won’t seek justice for Second Sister, who will?"

  Nanny Fu fumed. "Exactly! The Old Madam is a fair person, but it’s the eldest master she relies on. Poor Second Miss! She had bucket after bucket of dirty water poured on her reputation!"

  Qin Shuying remained silent, her peripheral vision catching Ziteng’s shadowed expression. In the dim sunlight, Ziteng looked deeply gloomy. After a long pause, she finally said, "It’s not that retribution won’t come; it’s just a matter of time. That filth they hurled will eventually come back to them!"

  Qin Shuying suddenly smiled, her eyes bright. "Ziteng is right. That filth will be returned to them eventually!"

  If the child in Qin Yaoyao’s womb was illegitimate, was it not just as likely that the child in Qin Feifei’s womb was also illegitimate? Of course, it was entirely possible.

  The next day, Qin Shuying brought the account books showing over a month of profits from the shops to the Old Madam. The Old Madam was pleasantly surprised, not expecting her granddaughter to have inherited Qin Yongzhou’s extraordinary talent. In just over a month, the shops were already thriving.

  As the matriarch of an official family, managing household affairs wasn’t something any clueless woman could handle.

  The Liu family was a prominent cn, and when Qin Shuying married into it as their future matriarch, she needed to understand financial management. Seeing her granddaughter’s brilliance, the Old Madam was naturally delighted.

  "Grandmother," Qin Shuying said, "I am but a woman, and my father left a great deal of wealth behind. The profits from these shops are beneficial but not necessary. Judging by this trajectory, in a few months, there will be substantial net earnings. I’d like to contribute half to the family funds and keep half for personal use."

  The Old Madam’s face was full of smiles. Qin Shuying’s thoughtfulness was naturally commendable, but the Old Madam could not allow it.

  "Good child, this is your father’s private estate. How could the family funds use it? If word spread, what would people think of the Qin family? Keep it all for yourself and spend it as you see fit. That way, you’ll have a solid foundation for the future when you marry."

  Qin Shuying showed a bashful expression, which only deepened the Old Madam’s affection for her.

  Madam Xu, also present, listened intently to the Old Madam and Qin Shuying’s exchange. Growing anxious, she interjected, "Old Madam, this is Seventh Girl’s heartfelt gesture. How could we refuse her?"

  The Old Madam was in a good mood, so she overlooked Madam Xu’s nervous tone. "If Third Girl or Sixth Girl have such skills, they can follow Seventh Girl’s example and keep their earnings."

  To Madam Xu, this statement carried a different meaning: it was a direct acknowledgment that Qin Feifei and Qin Yunyan couldn’t compare to Qin Shuying.

  Madam Xu felt bitter resentment toward the Old Madam’s partiality but dared not voice her displeasure.

  Qin Yunyun smiled and said, "Old Madam, among all of us sisters, Seventh Sister is undoubtedly the most capable. The Liu family must have incredible fortune to gain such a filial and talented daughter-in-w!"

  Qin Shuying responded with a shy smile. "Sixth Sister, you’re teasing me!"

  "I heard the Liu family has already arrived in the capital. They might even show up in the next few days. Sister, you must be…"

  Qin Shuying didn’t wait for Qin Yunyun to finish speaking before putting on an increasingly bashful expression. “Sixth Sister, I’m not talking to you anymore!” With that, she quickly curtseyed to the Old Madam and turned to leave.

  The Old Madam, however, ughed heartily, clearly in high spirits. For all the talk of intelligence, she thought, Shuying was still a young girl who couldn’t help but feel shy when it came to her future marriage.

  Qin Yunyun’s smile stiffened. She had pnned to mention Liu Junqing’s two concubines to poke at Qin Shuying, but the tter had slipped away before she could deliver her jab. It was like punching cotton—utterly frustrating.

  Madam Xu, wearing the mask of a kind and caring aunt, chuckled to join the merriment. “It seems our little Seventh Girl is shy.”

  This wretched girl! Not only did she refuse to hand over her wealth, but she also squeezed the Lu family’s business to the brink of closure. Truly intolerable! Though the pace regurly bestowed generous gifts to the Qin family during holidays, most of these were meant for dispy rather than daily expenses. Worse yet, maintaining Consort Lian’s position in the pace consumed nearly a third of the Qin family’s expenditures. Every year, they poured an enormous sum into supporting her.

  In previous years, Qin Yongzhou had sent back half the Qin family’s annual income to the communal funds. Back then, the household coffers were full, and life was prosperous, so Madam Xu never worried about money.

  Even after Qin Yongzhou’s death, Qin Yaoyao’s business thrived under Madam Xu’s manipution, yielding annual dividends of four or five thousand taels—enough to repce half of what Qin Yongzhou had contributed during his lifetime.

  Now, with the Lu family’s business faltering and its revenue cut off, the Qin family could only rely on their properties and shops for income.

  It was far from sufficient. After Qin Yongzhou’s death, Qin Yongtao had taken over his wealth, pocketing a full twenty thousand taels of silver without contributing it to the communal funds. Madam Xu had also managed to extract over ten thousand taels from Qin Shuying. Altogether, the wealth they had siphoned off from Qin Yongzhou and Qin Shuying alone was staggering.

  Having grown used to this level of wealth from the Zhou family, Qin Yongzhou, Qin Shuying, and Qin Yaoyao, Madam Xu’s greed knew no bounds. She was well aware that Qin Shuying still possessed enormous wealth—her father had left her no less than 100,000 taels. Adding the proceeds from the shops she recently sold and the profits from her four current businesses, her total fortune likely exceeded 200,000 taels!

  Whenever Madam Xu thought of this figure, she became so excited she couldn’t sleep.

  To maintain the estate, with nearly 200 people to feed and house, the annual cost was no more than 30,000 taels. Even Qin Feifei’s second dowry amounted to only 5,000 taels.

  And yet Qin Shuying alone had 200,000 taels!

  This money, Madam Xu decided, must come into her hands.

  The Liu family was based in Huzhou, about 200 miles from the capital. However, Madam Liu’s family was in the capital and occasionally visited. The st time they came was for the Old Madam’s birthday banquet. This time, though, the reason for their visit was unclear.

  Still, Madam Xu had sent word, subtly or otherwise, to Madam Liu’s family, likely alerting them to Qin Shuying’s “public behavior” in managing her business. While Qin Shuying swore she hadn’t appeared in public and even earned a rebuke from the Old Madam over the matter, Madam Xu didn’t believe her.

  The family patriarch might hesitate to act against Qin Shuying due to familial ties or considerations for the Liu family. After all, although the Liu family was not based in the capital, Liu Gongshan was known for his strict principles and unwavering trustworthiness. He clearly valued Qin Shuying highly.

  Even in the years since Qin Shuying’s return, the Liu family had sent her gifts during every holiday, never forgetting her. This spoke volumes about Liu Gongshan’s stance.

  Now, Madam Xu’s goal was to sever the connection between Qin Shuying and the Liu family. She wanted to see how Qin Shuying could continue holding her head high if the Liu family rejected her and broke off the engagement. What face would the Old Madam have left to protect her?

  By then, wouldn’t Qin Shuying’s fortune naturally fall into Madam Xu’s hands?