Chapter 496: The Pay-to-Win Palace Intrigue System (31)

Thus, when her anger flared, she would hysterically throw and smash things, unable to control herself; not only did she vent her rage on the servants around her, but when her manic episodes struck, she also took it out on her two children.

Once, the Emperor caught her in the act and was furious, demoting her directly to the rank of Responder.

If not for the fact that she had borne two imperial princes for the royal family, he would have wanted to cast her into the Cold Palace.

Yet this punishment was no different from being cast into the Cold Palace for Xie Ping—the Emperor had the two children taken away to be raised by a consort who struggled to conceive, and he never visited her bedchamber again.

Having lost the Emperor's favor and without an imperial prince by her side, in the strictly ranked inner palace, how much better off could a lowly Responder be than a consort in the Cold Palace?

With Xie Ping out of favor, her maiden family suffered the consequences as well.

Fortunately, the Xie family had divided their household, and Xie San had performed meritorious service—more than once—so the Emperor did not indiscriminately hold the whole family accountable.

But the first branch had a hard time.

The eldest master, who held a noble title, was summoned into the palace, where he was not only scolded in the Imperial Study but also had a year's salary docked.

Xie Yan's future in-laws, upon hearing that their daughter-in-law-to-be's aunt had been cast aside by the Emperor and that the two princes had been registered under other consorts, immediately moved to break off the engagement.

The first branch was unwilling, but they had no choice.

Yet if they broke off the engagement, the betrothal gifts would have to be returned.

How could the first branch possibly come up with them?

Those valuables that the first madam had secretly withheld had long since been converted into Silver and sent to her daughter in the palace.

"Awoo—"

The first madam could no longer maintain her usual decorum and wailed loudly.

The second madam stared fixedly at the Old Matriarch.

If this old hag dared to use her private savings to secretly subsidize the first branch, she would kick up a fuss.

In any case, the face of the Zhenguo Duke Mansion was already in the dirt, so who was afraid of whom!

Although the second branch had not suffered the consequences, they were still somewhat implicated by the first branch.

At the very least, the Xuanping Marquis Mansion did not recognize the engagement with Xie Wan at all and was already looking at other noble daughters for their young heir.

Whenever she thought of the poisonous woman's nurse's granddaughter, who had eaten and lived for free in her home for over a dozen years only to be of no help to the family in the end, the second madam was full of resentment.

However, now was not the time to discuss the foster daughter's marriage; she had to keep an eye on the Old Matriarch and absolutely could not let this old hag subsidize the first branch behind the second branch's back.

The Old Matriarch did have the heart to subsidize the first branch, but she could not produce that much private money, so she summoned Xie San and hinted that she wanted him to help the eldest's family.

Xie San wanted to curse.

But his mother was sitting right there in the hall; no matter how reckless he was, he wouldn't go so far as to be unfilial.

He would just have to go back and scold the eldest's family.

They had ruined a perfectly good hand of cards, and now they remembered he was their younger brother.

Back then, he had advised the eldest couple not to blindly send Silver into the palace; they didn't just have Xie Ping as a daughter, they had other children and grandchildren to raise.

But good advice is hard to give to those hell-bent on their own destruction—the eldest couple simply wouldn't listen, and instead, they mocked him, telling him not to bask in their niece's glory in the future.

Fine!

He wouldn't bask in it!

Then why were they coming to find him now?

He had three sons and one daughter of his own, and now he even had a grandson; a whole family was waiting to be fed.

Moreover, aside from the share the third branch received when the family divided, the rest of their money either came from the help of his daughter's master or from what his eldest son and youngest daughter earned at sea. Every tael of Silver was hard-won.

If he were to foolishly send his family's money to the first branch, how would that be any different from when the first branch hid things from them to subsidize their niece in the palace?

He would never do something that would break his wife's and children's hearts.

Xie San said with a bitter face, "Mother, it's not that your son is unwilling to help, but your son only looks prosperous on the surface; I haven't saved up much Silver. You know that my family's merchant ships didn't earn a single tael on the last voyage and even lost quite a bit. The public accounts are still in the red, and we are still living off my wife's dowry."

The Old Matriarch opened her mouth: "But... didn't the Emperor reward you with many good things?"

"Mother, how would your son dare to touch the treasures bestowed by the Emperor? What if they are taken back one day? I believe you understand this better than your son."

"..."

Lao San was dead set against helping the eldest clean up his mess, and the Old Matriarch was helpless.

She had no choice but to take out her own coffin money.

Before she could even subsidize the first branch, the second daughter-in-law kicked up a fuss, saying she was biased, as she had never seen her subsidize the two legitimate grandsons of the second branch.

This commotion gave the Old Matriarch a splitting headache.

In the end, she kept enough for her funeral, divided the rest of the valuables in her private treasury into two portions, and gave one to the first branch and one to the second branch.

The third branch didn't make a scene, so they didn't get a share.

Xie San wasn't envious, but what needed to be said still had to be said.

He ran over to his two older brothers and pointed at their noses, scolding them:

"I don't believe your two families have truly reached the end of your ropes, yet you dare to let Mother take out her private money and use her coffin money to help you. You brothers are truly impressive!"

The eldest master and second master were so annoyed and ashamed that they retorted: "We may not be as successful as you, but even though you are successful, we never see you helping your two brothers."

Xie San: "That's right! So what if I'm successful by my own ability? At least I'm not so unfilial as to let Mother take out her coffin money to help me."

"..."

The eldest master and second master actually didn't want to reach out and ask their mother for Silver; it was their wives who forced them.

In fact, the two families hadn't fallen to the point where they needed others to support them.

They just couldn't let go of their pride.

To put it bluntly, they had no money but still wanted to put on airs and live a rich, extravagant life.

After being scolded by Xie San, the two grown men were too embarrassed to accept their mother's private money and decided to return it.

Because of this, the first madam and second madam were not satisfied; just as they were about to make a scene, they were shouted down: "If you make another scene, I will divorce you!"

"..."

The deterrent effect of divorcing a wife was so great that the First Madam and Second Madam uncharacteristically quieted down.

Xie Yang had not left the manor recently, but she had still heard plenty of gossip.

It was said that the first branch had dismissed a group of servants, reclaimed their redemption money, and saved a sum on monthly Silver expenses. Xie Yan's dowry had also been gathered and returned, and furthermore, a marriage had been quickly arranged for Xie Yan; the other party came from a humble background but had passed the provincial examination and was about to go to a local area to serve as a County Magistrate.

In the past, the First Madam would never have agreed to such a marriage match even if she were beaten to death.

But things were different now; firstly, the family had fallen on hard times, and secondly, Xie Yan had been rejected in a previous engagement, making it nearly impossible to find someone of higher status than their own family.

After much deliberation, she decided to pick someone capable and promising. It did not matter that he was only a minor seventh-rank official now, as long as he could climb the ranks step by step to become a high official in the future.

Coming from a humble background also made it easier for her, as the mother-in-law, to manipulate him.

Just like that, Xie Yan was married off in a low-key manner.

No sooner had the wedding wine of the first branch been finished than the wedding wine of the second branch arrived: the Second Madam had actually come up with the idea of a bride exchange, marrying her foster daughter to the son of a Director of the Ministry of Revenue, and taking the Director's daughter into the family as a wife for Xie Huan.

The daughter of the Director of the Ministry of Revenue was outstanding in every way, but unfortunately, she was saddled with a brother who was addicted to whoring and gambling and had contracted a venereal disease.

In the end, she had no choice but to agree to the bride exchange proposal suggested by the Second Madam.