The merchant's rebirth led to the complete downfall of the Marquis's mansion.

Chen Yiru sent Caixia to deliver a message, saying that Diancui Pavilion had released new styles that would suit Jiang Qianqian very well, and Xiangyi House had also released many styles, so that her cousin could try them on.

Caixia deliberately ran back to her residence first before returning to the clothing store next door.

His panting appearance left no room for doubt.

Jiang Qianqian had naturally heard of Diancui Pavilion, so she put down the clothes and stopped picking and choosing, begging Madam Jiang to take her there.

Soon, Qin Yao and Chen Yiru saw the two of them come out, get into the carriage, and leave.

"Your aunt really dotes on my cousin. Did she make arrangements beforehand?" Qin Yao asked Qiu Liu.

"The housekeeper sent word that everything has been arranged."

Qin Yao nodded in satisfaction and said slyly to Chen Yiru:

"Let's go! Let's go see a good show!"

On the upper floor opposite Diancui Pavilion, Qin Yao ordered several boxes of pastries and ate them slowly.

Chen Yiru had no appetite and kept looking at the person opposite her.

The three maids also craned their necks, wanting to know what was going on inside.

The items at Diancui Pavilion are worth a fortune, not to mention the new arrivals.

This time, Qin Yao went all out, having her treasured items brought out.

She could absolutely captivate Jiang Qianqian so much she wouldn't be able to move.

As for Chiang Kai-shek...

Chen Yiru said that her dowry was locked up by her father at the moment of engagement, and it would leave the mansion with her as soon as she got married.

Those must have been left behind by her birth mother.

The current mother, Madam Jiang, married into the Jiang family when it was in decline. She was an illegitimate daughter, and her brother controlled all the family's money, so she didn't receive much dowry.

Over the years, Chen Yiru has lived a decent life thanks to the income from her mother's shop. However, asking her to take out so much money all at once, most of which is her hard-earned savings, would probably make her feel heartbroken or even vomit blood.

Inside Diancui Pavilion, Manager Wang had already taken out the last items and placed them in front of Jiang Qianqian, as Qin Yao had instructed.

"Miss, look at this flowing cloud eight-treasure hairpin. It's mostly made of silver, and its color is naturally beautiful. It's also adorned with gemstones at the head of the hairpin. These gemstones are from the Western Regions and are priceless!"

"Look at this one. This forehead ornament is made of diamonds. It's one of a kind in the entire capital of Kyoto."

"and this……"

As Manager Wang continued his introduction, Jiang Qianqian's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but reach out and touch it.

Jiang was horrified, knowing that the items from Diancui Pavilion were notoriously expensive.

But that wasn't the past.

Since Qin Yao got engaged, things here have become much cheaper, which is why she dared to bring people over.

But when Manager Wang kept saying that it was rare in the world, unique in the capital, and a tribute item from the Western Regions, Jiang was already starting to feel dizzy.

This must be incredibly valuable!

That's her. In the past, she only dared to come and pick out something that wasn't particularly top-notch after a few days.

"Miss, take a look at this. You can tell the quality by comparing them." Manager Wang took out another box. The contents inside were also quite exquisite, but compared to the previous ones, they were insignificant.

Jiang Qianqian shook her head immediately upon seeing it and continued looking at the jewelry she had just seen.

Judging from their expressions, it seems like they like them all.

Seeing that things were not going well, Jiang quickly grabbed her, "Qianqian, let's take another look."

Jiang kept blinking, but Jiang Qianqian reluctantly shook off her hand.

He didn't engage with her at all.

"I'll take all of these! Boss, please wrap them up for me."

Jiang Qianqian waved her hand, and Manager Wang immediately beamed with joy, ordering someone to come and pack the food.

"Wait!" Madam Jiang interrupted the shopkeeper, "How much is this?"

Jiang Qianqian turned away unhappily, feeling that her aunt was embarrassing herself by asking about money.

Shopkeeper Wang's abacus beads clicked and clicked, making Jiang's heart skip a beat at the crisp sound.

Snapped!

As the last bead fell, Manager Wang looked up with a sincere smile on his face.

"Madam, Miss, a total of thirty-eight thousand taels."

"How much?" Mrs. Jiang exclaimed.

Jiang Qianqian was also shocked by the price.

She had never seen silver in the tens of thousands in her entire life.

"Madam, it's 38,120 taels. Since you bought a lot, I'll round it up to 38,000 taels for you."

Manager Wang still had that harmless face.

But the smile on his face made Jiang feel uneasy.

Let alone 30,000, she would have to think twice even if it were 300.

The expression on Jiang's face was quite interesting, but Jiang Qianqian seemed oblivious to it.

"Auntie, let's buy them all! Qianqian likes them all!"

Jiang looked at her incredulously; this was 30,000, not 3 taels.

When Jiang Qianqian arrived, she had no more than one or two taels of silver on her person.

The Jiang family had fallen on hard times, and her brother wasn't good at making money, so she knew exactly how much money the family had left.

But now Jiang Qianqian is making outrageous demands on her!

I just bought clothes and it only cost me 5 taels.

Thirty thousand? That's all the money she had!

But considering Jiang Qianqian's role, she had no choice but to suppress her anger.

"Qianqian," Madam Jiang pulled her aside, "Let's buy one now, and come back when the new ones come out, what do you think?"

Next time, she'll definitely be married off, and they won't be able to take her money anymore.

"Auntie! We can buy them next time, I like them all."

Jiang Qianqian completely ignored the deeper meaning in Jiang's eyes and went over to pick up the jewelry to examine it.

In her eyes, Jiang had married well, so her family must be well-off, and it was only right that she buy some things.

These few pieces of jewelry cost 30,000 yuan; the Chen family must have even more money. She'll never be short of money again.

Jiang wanted to offer some more advice, but ignoring the stares of those around her, she pulled Jiang Qianqian aside again.

"Oh dear! Auntie! I've heard about what my cousin received for her coming-of-age ceremony. Compared to that, what are these things?!"

Jiang Qianqian's shout drew everyone's attention, and Jiang's face turned pale and then red.

She could only force a laugh; this was the first time she had ever been so humiliated since becoming Mrs. Chen.

Thinking about it, she looked at her niece with a hint of reproach.

No matter how helpless she felt, she had no choice but to find a place to sit down and send her personal maid home to get the money.

"She's out, she's out!" Caixia turned to tell her mistress as soon as she saw the old woman.

Granny Liang was Jiang's personal nanny and also Chen's capable assistant as the housekeeper.

"Caixia, have you put away the storeroom keys?" Chen Yiru asked, looking in the direction of Granny Liang.

"Put it away safely, Miss."

Caixia just went back specifically to bring out the key to the young lady's storeroom.

"Can Madam Chen raise 30,000?" Qin Yao asked casually after wiping her mouth with a handkerchief after finishing her pastries.

Thirty thousand is the number Chen Yiru mentioned.

"Pretty much. All the money she's embezzled over the years, plus the income from her private property, and the things she's taken from me." Chen Yiru understood her "mother" quite well.

If it were her own mother, she would at most be sad, but not this person!

She couldn't tolerate a cousin trying to take her things!

Qiu Liu handed over a cup of tea, which Qin Yao accepted, concealing the sympathy in her eyes.

Chen Yiru was unaware that what they wanted was not just her things.

We need to take things back slowly, and we need to explain things slowly as well.

Qin Yao didn't want to be suspected.

Why did they suddenly start investigating the Chiang family?

They also happened to find out something related to her.

……

Inside Diancui Pavilion, Jiang Qianqian was already holding up the jewelry on her head. Manager Wang told her to try it on, and she couldn't wait to try it on in front of the mirror.

While sitting inside drinking tea, Mrs. Jiang felt ashamed when she saw Jiang Qianqian's excited expression.

Although she didn't like Chen Yiru, at least Chen Yiru was very proper in public, and it made her look good when she took her out.

However, Jiang Qianqian was genuinely petty and narrow-minded.

In such a short time, all she could do was amass wealth, which made her set her sights higher.

Anyway, Chen Yiru's dowry was going to Jiang Qianqian anyway, so it was perfect that they came out to buy these things.

With this thought, Jiang calmed down and slowly sipped her tea.

Jiang Qianqian put on all her jewelry before Granny Liang finally arrived.

Granny Liang whispered something in Madam Jiang's ear before nervously looking at Jiang Qianqian.

"Have you found a prostitute?" Madam Jiang asked in a low voice.

"We've searched everywhere, inside and outside the mansion, and we even went to ask the Qin family, but we haven't found anyone!" Granny Liang was also panicked. She searched for the person immediately, but couldn't find them, so she came to tell Madam Jiang.

Jiang stood up, feigning composure, took a deep breath, and then walked out.

"Manager Wang, I couldn't find the key. I have to go back myself. I'll send someone to bring it to you later."

Jiang spoke tactfully, but did not mention bringing the items. Manager Wang was a shrewd person, how could he not see through it? He could let it go with others, but since the young lady had personally given the order, how could he not do his best?

"Okay, no problem. Sam-soon, come on, pack everything up and take it back to Madam Chan."

Jiang hurriedly left, holding her breath, without paying any attention to Jiang Qianqian behind her.

Jiang Qianqian was happy to see the jewelry that San Shun had packed in his hands, and she didn't pay attention to Jiang's attitude.

Jiang got into the carriage in a rage, followed by a smug Jiang Qianqian.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?" Qin Yao asked Chen Yiru.

Only after the carriage had left did Chen Yiru slowly speak.

"I don't care whether I'm happy or not, I just want to get my things back."

After all, she had been calling her "mother" for over ten years, and Chen Yiru still found it hard to accept it.

But it would have been better if she hadn't known; now that she did, how could she let them bully her?

My aunt also said that she was only a distant relative, so how could she be completely open with them?

Back at the Chen family home, Madam Jiang sent people to look for Chen Yiru again, but to no avail. She also dared not break the lock directly, for fear of alarming Chen's father.

Over the years, she has received many benefits from Chen Yiru, all behind Chen's father's back. Chen's father made it clear from the beginning that those benefits belonged to Chen Yiru and no one in the Chen family was allowed to covet them.

Moreover, there was an old nanny specifically assigned to guard it.

With no other option and seeing that she couldn't delay any longer, Jiang had to take out her own savings and pawn some of the things she had obtained from Chen Yiru to finally raise the money.

The things she sent out quickly reached Qin Yao's hands, and Qin Yao gave them to Chen Yiru.

Because that pawnshop also belonged to the Qin family.