Chapter 59: The Jun Manor's Zhou Zhou Yiniang

While Seeing Jun Jun Zijin was busy collecting debts, the Old Lady was also busy untangling the mess of accounts at the Jun Manor. In just two days, they discovered a recorded deficit of 500,000 taels of silver on the books. Of that 500,000, 300,000 had gone to the Wu family, while the remaining 200,000 had no trace of where it was spent; the accounts showed only the amounts spent, not the source. With the Jun family's ancestral worship day approaching, the manor's coffers held less than 10,000 taels of silver.

The Old Lady could never have imagined the household had been hollowed out to such a degree. This time, she was truly enraged and ordered Wang Nainai to summon all the masters and mistresses of the manor to Jingzhu Courtyard, including the First Lady who was under house arrest.

Before long, the masters and mistresses from each room arrived at Jingzhu Courtyard. Everyone felt uneasy, wondering what had provoked the Old Lady to such fury.

The Old Lady sat in her wheelchair. Her gaze slowly swept over the crowd before finally settling on Xiang Xiang Junzheng.

"Zhengming, do you know that the Jun Manor's silver now bears the surname Wu? Our household's silver isn't even enough for the ancestral worship, and we cannot even pay the servants' wages for next month?"

As soon as the Old Lady finished speaking, Li Shi's face flushed red, her eyes filled with anger. This was intolerable! The Jun Manor would one day belong to her son, yet Wu Shi dared to send her son's silver to the Wu family. Li Shi jumped up and pointed at the First Lady, cursing:

"You wretch! You moved all the silver to your natal family. Shall we in this manor drink the northwest wind?"

The First Lady had never endured such insults. Her face instantly turned ashen with rage. Although she felt guilty about the whereabouts of the silver, she would absolutely not allow Li Shi to run wild like this.

"Li Shi, you are merely a collateral branch relying on the Jun Manor. What are you, to dare shout at me like this?"

Hearing these words, Li Shi's anger burned even hotter. She pointed at the First Lady's face, which was wrapped in gauze:

"First Lady, do you think what you look like now is anything special?"

Xiang Xiang Junzheng's head throbbed with rage; he wished he could slap this group of women to death with one blow.

"Enough!"

Xiang Xiang Junzheng's angry shout silenced the hall. His face was as dark as a storm as he glared fiercely at the First Lady:

"Wu Shi, I ask you, when did my Jun Manor take the surname Wu?" He now held not a shred of affection for Wu Shi.

Wu Shi trembled in fear and dropped to her knees with a thud:

"Old Lady, Master, my brother sends a sum of silver to the manor every month. The time to send the silver was due in a few days, but who knew that the second daughter had him thrown into prison..."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin sneered. Wu Shi still wanted to drag her into this at such a time. Seeing Jun Jun Zijin scoffed:

"Mother gave the Jun family's silver to the Wu family, gave the legitimate daughter's shops to the Wu family, and gave the first wife's dowry to the Wu family. The Wu family hollowed out the Jun family and returned only small favors. The Wu family occupied the legitimate daughter's shops and committed crimes; with evidence confirmed, the government arrested them. Yet Mother wants to blame the legitimate daughter of the Jun family. Mother, how do you calculate these accounts?"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin let out a cold laugh. Without waiting for the First Lady to reply, she turned to Xiang Xiang Junzheng and continued:

"Father, you do not know yet, do you? I took my mother's dowry list to check the inventory, and more than half the items were missing. I heard that my maternal grandfather once emptied the Fang family to provide a dowry for my mother. I actually discovered in the ledgers of the Linglong Pavilion that many items from my mother's dowry had been sold. My mother's dowry was all converted into silver by Mother. I suppose the silver Mother claims her brother sends to our Jun family every month is actually the silver from my mother's dowry? Father, a high-ranking official like the Minister of Personnel, yet the Jun Manor's silver is sent to the stepmother's natal family. The Minister's stepmother and the entire household rely on the deceased wife's dowry for support. Father, Mother is slapping your face!"

Wu Shi opened her mouth but could not speak. This wretched girl had been sharp-tongued since returning from the manor; it was truly strange.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng felt both shame and anger. This second daughter dared to say anything, yet he could not oppose her. Since the second daughter cited the account books with solid evidence, it could not be false. Xiang Xiang Junzheng, having no way to save face, pointed at Wu Shi and scolded:

"You wasteful woman! How can the Jun family tolerate such reckless behavior! How can the Jun family accept a mistress like you! I will divorce you today!"

The moment Xiang Xiang Junzheng spoke these words, a deathly silence fell over the hall. Wu Shi and Jun Jun Yiyi widened their eyes in disbelief; they never expected Xiang Xiang Junzheng would truly divorce his wife.

The Old Lady frowned slightly, then wore a calm expression. She did not like Wu Shi, but she did not wish to interfere too much in her son's inner quarters. Zhou Zhou Yiniang kept her head down, her expression unreadable. Li Shi and Jun Jun Zhidie were the happiest. Li Shi had been suppressed by the First Lady for so many years and had long been filled with resentment; seeing her in such a state was satisfying. Jun Jun Zhidie wore a look of schadenfreude; if Wu Shi was divorced, that wretch Jun Jun Yiyi would be a laughingstock.

"Master, Master, I know my mistake. I beg Master to give me another chance." Wu Shi threw herself forward, clutching Xiang Xiang Junzheng's legs and pleading bitterly.

Jun Jun Yiyi, who had been stunned for a moment, dropped to her knees before Xiang Xiang Junzheng with a thud:

"Father, I beg Father to spare Mother. Your daughter cannot be without a mother."

Jun Jun Yiyi's face was pale, her cheeks streaked with tears. Her shoulders trembled and shook uncontrollably, as if she would collapse at any moment. She looked pitiful, stirring compassion in anyone who saw her.

How could Xiang Xiang Junzheng bear to see Jun Jun Yiyi in such a state? His heart instantly softened a bit. Xiang Xiang Junzheng closed his eyes, let out a long sigh, and said:

"Very well. For Jun Jun Yiyi's sake, from today on, demote Wu Shi to Zhou Zhou Yiniang and move her out of Cuiyu Courtyard. None of you may plead for her again!" Having spoken, Xiang Xiang Junzheng turned to leave.

Jun Jun Yiyi cried even harder. It was as if her entire world had collapsed. With Wu Shi demoted to Zhou Zhou Yiniang, Jun Jun Yiyi would no longer be the high-and-mighty, envied legitimate daughter she once was.

"Master." Li Shi ignored Jun Jun Yiyi. Seeing Xiang Xiang Junzheng about to leave, she called out to stop him.

The First Lady, who had been slumped on the ground, suddenly raised her head and stared at Li Shi. This wretch speaking out could only mean trouble.

Indeed, Li Shi said:

"The Old Lady just said that the manor cannot pay the servants' wages for next month. First Lady... no, Zhou Zhou Yiniang, sent all the manor's silver to the Wu family. Not only is the silver for our ancestral worship in a few days uncertain, but even our daily food and clothing are now a problem. This matter cannot be left as it is."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng felt a massive headache. What could he do? Suddenly, Xiang Xiang Junzheng remembered that the Emperor had just bestowed so much silver upon Seeing Jun Jun Zijin. He gritted his teeth; what did face matter? Solving the immediate crisis was the priority:

"Second daughter, you take out some silver first to handle the emergency."

The moment Xiang Xiang Junzheng spoke, the Old Lady frowned tightly. Jun Jun Shuyan pouted in dissatisfaction, muttering something quietly under her breath. Everyone else turned their gaze squarely toward Seeing Jun Jun Zijin.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin felt a storm raging inside her. How could this father be so shameless and brazen to such a degree! Seeing Jun Jun Zijin stared at this shameless Xiang Xiang Junzheng for a long moment before speaking calmly:

"Zhou Zhou Yiniang hollowed out the Jun family and stole all of your daughter's deceased mother's dowry. Father does not speak to uphold justice for your daughter, but instead asks for the personal silver bestowed by the Emperor upon your daughter to fill Zhou Zhou Yiniang's pit. In Father's eyes, the Wu family's face is more important than the Emperor's!"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had originally intended to spare Xiang Xiang Junzheng some face and did not wish to provoke the Old Lady, but this father was truly shameless.

As soon as Seeing Jun Jun Zijin finished speaking, the weight of this accusation changed Xiang Xiang Junzheng's expression. He shouted:

"Nonsense! How dare you say such things!"

At this moment, the Old Lady, who had been silent, spoke:

"Enough. Zhengming, I did not wish to speak much about your inner quarters. Although the second daughter's words were somewhat ill-considered, she did not say one thing wrong. You are the first daughter's father, but you are also the second daughter's and the third daughter's father. Wu Shi occupied the second daughter's mother's heirlooms. You do not uphold justice, yet you ask the second daughter for money to fill Wu Shi's pit! Zhengming, think carefully. Is there a father who acts like this?"

Xiang Xiang Junzheng was filled with shame by the Old Lady's words. After a long moment, he said:

"Wu Shi, you must make them return the Jun Manor's silver you sent to the Wu family. Fang Mengru's dowry must be returned in full to the second daughter within three days."