Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Xie Qingyao and Xie Jingliang returned all the jewelry they had hidden privately. The maids in the Jiang residence carefully checked each piece of jewelry. The accountant's fingers were flying and the beads were clattering, which was particularly clear in the silent courtyard.

After about a cup of tea, the old accountant finally put down his pen. He once again held the account book before the Madam and bowed, saying, "Madam, after careful verification, after deducting the sixteen pieces of jewelry just returned, the total loss is 11,500 taels of silver."

The eldest lady nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on the corner of her lips: "Thank you, sir, are you going to pay the debt in cash, or with a farm shop? Or... report it to the authorities?"

Everyone's eyes fell on Xie Jingyuan. Cold sweat covered his forehead, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his heart was torn between his conscience and his desires. His lips opened and closed several times, but he remained speechless.

Xie Qingli watched coldly, sneering in his heart. The Marquis's Mansion certainly couldn't come up with the ten thousand taels of silver in its public account. Although Qingzhou sent "New Year's goods" every year, Xie Jingyuan didn't know how much he had hidden privately, but that silver couldn't be seen in public after all. He wondered if he had the courage to take it out today.

Xie Qingyao bit her red lips tightly, her throat tight. Now that she had lost the Jiang family as her marriage partner, if the Marquis' Mansion really filled the ten thousand taels hole, she would be completely left with no money for her dowry.

Xie Jingliang's eyes were filled with undercurrents. He had recently finally gotten in touch with the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and needed money to bribe people... Suddenly, a surge of anger welled up in his heart. Why should his elder brother's future be ruined because of the trouble he had caused?

He rolled his eyes and angrily scolded the eldest lady: "You are trying to force my Jing'an Marquis Mansion to death!" He grabbed Xie Jingyuan's sleeve and said anxiously: "Brother, even if we turn our mansion upside down, we can't raise this amount of money. Let them report it to the police!"

Xie Jingyuan suddenly turned to look at Xie Jingliang, his face filled with astonishment. This brother, whom he had protected since childhood, was actually going to push him into the abyss at the critical moment?! If it weren't for him supporting this mansion, how could they live such a luxurious life?

He suppressed his surging anger and finally made up his mind not to report the matter to the authorities. Although he could easily take out all the silver, it would be too conspicuous and would inevitably arouse suspicion.

He ordered the housekeeper to withdraw all the cash from the official account of the Marquis's mansion, but after scraping together all the money, he could only gather 3,200 taels. The land and shops in the Marquis's mansion were assets he had planned for many years and had spent a lot of effort to bring to light, so he was reluctant to sell them.

He took a deep breath, called his personal servant, and whispered a few words to him.

A moment later, the servant returned with a brocade box with a lotus pattern in his hand, and four servants followed him in carrying two ebony boxes.

Xie Jingyuan gently raised his hand, and the brocade box's lid opened simultaneously, revealing a priceless night-shining pearl and neatly stacked silver. His eyes dimmed. That day, during their secret meeting, Princess Shuhua had held the night-shining pearl before him, saying she was trying to please him. Now, he could only use it to pay off his debt!

He turned to look at the Madam, his eyes gleaming coldly: "Madam, is this enough?"

The eldest lady waved her sleeves, and everyone in the Jiang residence immediately gathered around. The accountant twirled his beads, and the maids jingled as they checked the silver. After a long moment, the old accountant bowed deeply to the eldest lady and nodded imperceptibly.

The eldest lady smiled and said meaningfully, "Master Xie is truly a man of hidden talents! Today, we are even."

Xie Jingyuan's face was as gloomy as water. He flicked his wide sleeves and walked out with big strides.

Xie Jingliang stared at the night-shining pearl, his heart pounding. Such a treasure was hidden in his family, yet he, the second master, was completely unaware of it. How many more secrets did his eldest brother hide? He turned abruptly and quickly chased after Xie Jingyuan, saying anxiously, "Wait a minute, eldest brother! We must explain this matter today!"

Xie Qingyao also stared at the night-shining pearl infatuatedly, jealousy and resentment swirling in her eyes. Seeing the two of them leave one after another, she bit her lip and was about to follow them, but was stopped by a burly old woman: "Second Miss Xie, please stay!"

Xie Qingyao's pupils trembled slightly, and a sense of foreboding surged into her heart. She clutched her handkerchief tightly, wanting only to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible. As her eyes moved, she sent a sharp look to Xiao Tao beside her.

Xiao Tao understood and immediately stepped forward, shouting, "How dare you! You daring servant! My young lady is the Third Prince's concubine appointed by the imperial decree. Who do you think you are to block my way?"

The eldest lady scratched her ears and couldn't help laughing. "The Second Miss is so arrogant. But no matter how nice the title of concubine sounds, she is ultimately just a concubine who is not worthy of being on the stage."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyao's face instantly drained of color, then suddenly flushed red, finally turning a sullen blue. She dug her fingers into her palms tightly and gritted her teeth, "Madam, be careful with your words! If what I said today gets to the Third Prince, I'm afraid..."

The eldest lady didn't want to listen to her rhetoric of bullying. She slowly stroked her sleeves and said calmly, "Let's not talk about this nonsense. The Jiang family has settled their accounts with Xie Jingyuan, but they still need to settle accounts with the second young lady."

Xie Qingyao was stunned. She had just returned all the jewelry she had hidden, so why was there still a score to settle? What were the Jiang family trying to do? Was it not enough to blackmail her father? Were they also going to take away her little pocket money?

Her chest heaved violently, and crystal tears welled up in her eyes, about to fall, making her look even more pitiful. She cried in a trembling voice, "Madam, aunt..."

Seeing her tearful expression, the eldest lady only curled her lips and sneered, "Second Miss, under the identity of Li'er, has received countless benefits from my Jiang family over the years. Those worthless little things are just rewards for you. But there are some things that Second Miss must disclose today."

As soon as the words fell, a woman in a brown bodice held up the account book and sang in a loud voice: "Second Miss, please return: the imperial gift of a purple jade ruyi, the ancestral phoenix hairpin inlaid with gold and gems, and a pair of mutton-fat white jade bracelets..."

Xie Qingyao's head buzzed, and a sweet, fishy taste welled up in her throat. The Marquis's Mansion wasn't prominent, and each of the treasures she'd carefully collected would be essential for her future survival in the Third Prince's mansion, and even more so, indispensable bargaining chips in her battle with that bitch Cao Xin'er for the position of Empress. But she had never expected the Jiang family to be so cold and indifferent!

Tears streamed down her face, and she looked a bit crazy. "How ridiculous! Those things were all given to me voluntarily by you. I deserve them. Why are you taking them back now?"

The eldest lady chuckled softly, a cold look in her eyes. "Second Miss, you're feeling so wronged, as if our Jiang family owes you something? Do you really think we don't know how you replaced Li'er back then? Humph, the daughter of my enemy, how dare you lay your hands on our Jiang family's treasures!"

She paused slightly and said coldly, "If the Second Miss is determined not to return it, the Jiang family doesn't mind spreading the truth of that year. I just don't know if your good father and good grandmother can protect you, the fake daughter, at that time."

Xie Qingyao slumped to the ground dejectedly. As long as she could hold her coming-of-age ceremony next year, she would be able to successfully marry into the Third Prince's mansion and become a wealthy woman. How could she fail at the last moment?