She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Judging from his own experience, Zhao Jue believed that merchants were profit-driven and that Boss Qin would never give up the profits he had already made.

More importantly, he was too confident, certain that Boss Qin would not dare to offend the Duke's Mansion.

After he took the bait, Boss Qin turned to the Duke of Zhao and found a more secure backer.

Shen Qingtan went to great lengths to get her dowry back.

One link after another.

"Bitch, bitch, she's taking revenge on us for not marrying her!" The second wife felt a sharp pain in her chest and a metallic taste in her throat. She said with deep hatred, "How cruel she is! She ruined your future, took back her dowry, and swindled me out of tens of thousands of taels of silver. Yet she still managed to earn a reputation in front of my parents for being sensible and considerate, and they even felt sorry for her for suffering such a great injustice."

What's even more infuriating is that she knew everything was Shen Qingtan's scheme, yet she couldn't expose it.

All we can do is swallow our pride and bear the pain.

Seeing his wife break down, the second master's fierce eyes seemed to want to devour Shen Qingtan alive.

He was filled with doubt: "Boss Qin is giving away all that hard-earned money to your grandfather just to help Shen Qingtan get revenge on you. That doesn't make sense."

Zhao Jue couldn't understand it either. Just based on that little bit of kindness and loyalty?

The attendant hesitated and said, "When I was investigating, I heard a rumor that the Qin Family Trading Company is not only owned by Boss Qin, but also by a second owner who never shows his face. Could the second owner be the second mistress?"

"Impossible!" The second wife denied the conjecture.

Why would Boss Qin give half of his business to Shen Qingtan?

The thought that Shen Qingtan was the second owner of Qin's Trading Company was even more painful than the loss of tens of thousands of taels of silver she had suffered.

The second wife, consumed by jealousy, caught sight of Shen Mingzhu huddled in a corner, sobbing, and lashed out, "Besides being the Marquis of Cheng'en's biological daughter, you're utterly useless. You had no dowry, and when you returned home, the Shen family gave you Shen Qingtan's pawnshop. What did they give you then?"

Shen Mingzhu bit her lip, not daring to utter a sound.

The second wife felt another wave of frustration: "If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have been better off marrying Shen Qingtan."

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

Zhao Jue took it to heart.

Looking at Shen Mingzhu's tear-streaked face, he wondered with a troubled mind: Was it right or wrong to abandon Shen Qingtan and marry Shen Mingzhu?

If he marries Shen Qingtan, he won't displease the Duke of Zhao, and he'll handle the military rations duties beautifully.

She has a close relationship with Boss Qin, so he won't have to worry about money.

Instead of the current situation, where the future seems bleak.

-

After finishing breakfast, Shen Qingtan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked through the account books of Lanxueyuan.

I don’t know, I’m scared.

Lan Xueyuan's monthly expenses are shockingly high. Zhao Yi has extremely high requirements for the quality of life. She wants to eat fine food and use expensive items. The cost of medicine alone is a considerable sum of money.

The amount of money spent in public funds is fixed, and all of it is paid through Zhao Yi's private accounts.

She fell silent when she saw the several shops under Zhao Yi's name that were making a fortune every day.

Shen Qingtan thought that Zhao Yi, a refined young master, would not be interested in money, but she did not expect him to be such a good businessman.

Seeing Shen Qingtan's surprised look, Liu Mama smiled and said, "Second Master said he is a worldly person. If he doesn't earn more money, he can't maintain a comfortable life."

Shen Qingtan's feelings were complicated: "He entrusted all the properties under his name to me?"

“Of course, you are the mistress of Lanxue Garden. If we don’t entrust it to you, who will take care of it?” Mama Liu sighed. “If our Second Master were in good health, there wouldn’t be a better husband than him in the entire capital.”

"He may be physically weak, but he's still the best husband." Shen Qingtan carefully examined the account book, her tone very serious.

Upon hearing this, Liu's mother couldn't stop smiling.

After Shen Qingtan finished reviewing the account books, the sun was already high in the sky. She pressed her aching back and leaned against a soft pillow to rest.

Madam Liu brought over several bolts of kesi (silk tapestry): "Second Madam, Second Master said that it's late spring now, and summer is just around the corner. He wants you to make some new summer clothes."

Shen Qingtan saw the fabric clearly, her eyelashes trembled. Such precious material, worth its weight in gold, was being given to her so casually to make clothes.

She took the fabric; its colors were beautiful, and the fabric shone even more brightly under the changing light.

Just then, Tingxue came in from outside carrying a sewing basket: "Second Grandmother, Third Grandmother is looking for you. Do you want to see her?"

Shen Qingtan raised an eyebrow: "Let her in."

Tingxue put down her sewing basket, turned around and went out to invite Shen Mingzhu.

When Shen Mingzhu first came to Lanxue Garden, she was immediately attracted by the bright tiles nailed to the windows. Only the old lady's courtyard in the Chengen Marquis's mansion used bright tiles for its windows.

These translucent tiles are made by grinding clam shells into thin sheets, making them not only elegant but also translucent.

She had been eyeing it for a long time, but dared not ask Madam Shen for it.

Upon entering the house, she saw a display cabinet filled with rare and precious items, which, even though she didn't know much about antiques, she could tell were very valuable.

Shen Mingzhu's gaze fell on the kang (a heated brick bed), where several bolts of kesi (silk tapestry) were laid out.

Madam Shen once made her a belt out of kesi (silk tapestry), and said that a piece of kesi takes at least several months to weave and sells for a very high price.

Shen Mingzhu was shocked and realized the difference between the first wife and the second wife.

Shen Qingtan noticed the jealousy in Shen Mingzhu's eyes and gave Liu's mother a wink.

Mother Liu carried the kesi (silk tapestry) into the inner room.

Shen Mingzhu withdrew her gaze and sat down next to Shen Qingtan: "Big sister, brother-in-law is so good to you, giving you so much kesi (silk tapestry)."

She smiled and tried to get closer to me: "You've been very good to me too. Whenever you got something good, you would always share some with me."

Shen Qingtan pretended not to understand her implication and said with a sweet smile, "Second sister, you don't need to envy me. Your husband treats you very well. You won't lack anything you need."

“Where could the second wife afford kesi (silk tapestry)? In order to raise money to buy military rations for the third master, my mother-in-law pawned her dowry…” Shen Mingzhu’s smile faded, and she said bitterly, “Elder sister, you know about this too.”

“They really didn’t think this through,” Shen Qingtan sighed softly. “My mother taught us that we should only do what we are capable of. They should learn from this experience and not try to take what doesn’t belong to them.”

"Yes, they've learned their lesson and will be smarter next time." Shen Mingzhu, eyeing the kesi (silk tapestry), steered the conversation back to the topic: "Summer is almost here, and the household hasn't arranged for summer clothes yet. I don't have many clothes in my dowry. Eldest sister, could you spare a couple of bolts of fabric for me to make summer clothes?"

“I can’t give this to you because it was given to me by your brother-in-law, otherwise he will be angry with me. Second sister, you have always been kind. If my husband and I have a falling out because of you, you will feel guilty.”

Shen Qingtan declined, but then suggested, "I will discuss with my mother-in-law later and arrange for embroiderers to come to the mansion in the next couple of days to take the masters' measurements and make summer clothes as soon as possible."

Shen Mingzhu was speechless, and her hatred for Shen Qingtan grew even stronger. There were clearly several bolts of kesi (silk tapestry), so what difference would it make if she gave one to her?

She glanced at a plate of cherries on the kang table and felt a surge of bitterness rise to her throat.

Even the Marquis of Chengen's residence couldn't get cherries, but Shen Qingtan's place actually had some.

Her fingers clutched the hem of her skirt, her eyes brimming with tears, and she said, "Big sister, are you still blaming me for what happened to Mother Wei?"