My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

As soon as Pei Ji left, Lü Fu returned like a thief, carrying the stove: "Madam, I've brought the stove back. Where should I brew the medicine?"

Wei Nanxun had never done anything so sneaky before, and couldn't help but touch the tip of his nose: "Just behind the banana tree under the eaves, be careful not to get discovered."

Green Lotus nodded obediently, then, remembering that she had just run into the master, she said, "I just bumped into the master; he seemed to be looking for his wife."

"Then what did you say?"

"I think you might be feeling bored, so you're taking a walk in the courtyard to clear your head."

Wei Nanxun breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, the girl was clever; otherwise, her father would have noticed something was wrong.

"Hey, my wife, it's so cold here, are there still bugs?"

Insects? She does attract a lot of insects, but there aren't any in the dead of winter.

Seeing that she didn't understand, Lü Fu pointed to her neck and said, "Your neck is all red, like you've been bitten by insects. Should I go and find some cooling ointment to apply? What happened to your lips? Are they inflamed? They're all cracked."

She paused for a moment, then suddenly realized that the red marks and the corner of her mouth were not insect bites at all.

Wei Nanxun's face turned red visibly, and she turned around abruptly. "No, no need. I have some ointment, I can apply it myself. You go and brew the medicine."

After saying that, she turned and disappeared into the inner room without looking back. Green Lotus scratched her head, seemingly understanding but not quite.

He muttered to himself, "The city and the countryside are just different; even the insects are more resistant to the cold."

After a while, Wei Rongde searched the entire house and returned again, knocking on the door. This time, he finally got a response.

"Father, is there anything I can do for you? Your daughter has already gone to sleep."

Although her mother's condition was important, she was equally important because her daughter had been serving her in the palace for so long without getting much rest.

In addition, he could smell the medicine being decocted as soon as he got closer. Since she was keeping it a secret, she must not want them to worry.

He lowered his voice and said, "Okay, then you rest first, we'll talk about other things tomorrow."

When Wei Nanxun heard that her father had been standing outside the door for a while before leaving, she first breathed a sigh of relief, but then couldn't help feeling guilty for lying to her father. She vowed never to let Pei Ji do such a thing again.

However, she was also deliberately trying not to see her father this time, as she hadn't figured out how to deal with her grandmother yet.

She was really tired after traveling for so many days. Returning to her familiar environment, she could let down her guard. As she thought about it, she felt sleepy and fell asleep without even taking her medicine.

When I woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.

Green Lotus helped her wash up and change her clothes, and changed her dressing again. These past few days, she has been applying medicine regularly, both externally and internally, and her injuries have mostly healed.

She had intended to pay her respects to her father, but unexpectedly, someone from his side came first, telling her to rest well and that it wouldn't be too late to take care of family matters after she had recovered.

Wei Nanxun was indeed exhausted. She had barely survived the ordeal, and Pei Yuyan had also been captured, so she could finally rest without any worries.

He didn't insist, and after having breakfast, he settled his accounts in the house.

The dowry left to her by her mother, including the house deeds and land deeds, remained untouched except for a few shops that she had previously entrusted to Steward Qiu for management.

Her cash came from dividends earned from collaborating with clothing shops. After saving for more than half a year, she had accumulated half a box of gold ingots.

There was also her little treasure trove, which was basically filled with the good things her father brought back for her from childhood to adulthood, from jewelry and headdresses to coral trees half a person tall, jade Guanyin statues, and all sorts of rare treasures, filling a whole notebook.

She wasn't deliberately hiding it from the others in the household; it was simply that she wasn't valued and no one was on good terms with her.

Back when Wei Mingzhao and she were on good terms, her father would bring her gifts every time he came back, and she would share some with her. But Wei Mingzhao still didn't know how many good things she had.

Therefore, when the family divided their property, no one cared how much stuff she took with her.

Her current plan is to continue the cooperation she agreed to before, but she doesn't intend to supply anyone anymore; instead, she plans to open her own shop.

A shop that sells jewelry, fabrics and clothing, and also sells rare items that the father traded for from the south and west.

Many of the people who came out of the Wei family, such as Zhixia, are still unemployed and idle at home. If the shop opens, they will have something to do.

However, this is just her idea. Whether it will work or not depends on a careful discussion with her father.

Although the things in the warehouse are enough for the three of them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, even if their father doesn't go into business, as long as he doesn't live a life of extravagance and debauchery.

But who would complain about not having enough money, especially if the marriage actually goes through...

This dowry is surely not enough.

Wei Nanxun gripped her pen, shaking her head rapidly at her own wild thoughts; she had truly been corrupted by Pei Ji.

Why do you keep thinking about things that haven't even happened yet?

The day passed by as I pondered the matter of opening a shop in my room.

When I woke up the next day, it was still a bright and sunny day.

Wei Nanxun was still feeling a bit lazy and wanted to stay in bed when she heard Lü Fu say, "Madam, the old lady has woken up."

Upon hearing this, she instantly sobered up: "Help me change my clothes, let's go see Grandmother."

Upon arriving at the main house, before even stepping inside, Wei Nanxun could hear voices inside.

It wasn't that she wanted to eavesdrop; it was just that Old Madam Wei's voice was too loud.

Despite having just fainted, he was in better spirits than anyone else: "Second brother, you know how good your eldest brother is to you. He has been wrongly exiled to Ningguta. If you don't help him, who will?"

“Mother, I don’t believe my elder brother is that kind of person either, but His Majesty has already issued the decree…”

"So what! We were only implicated by Wei Mingzhao. My son has never been involved in any treason. It's all the fault of that short-sighted woman, Wang. When the Crown Prince came to break off the engagement, they refused and raised their daughter to be like that, even getting pregnant out of wedlock. That's why your elder brother had no choice but to agree to the marriage."

Wei Rongde couldn't help but mutter to himself, "My mother used to approve of this marriage and was even proud of it, but now she's changed her mind so quickly."

She absolved herself of all responsibility, making it all the fault of the Wang mother and daughter.

But his long-standing habit prevented him from refuting his stepmother. He still said respectfully, "Mother, I am just a merchant, a commoner. I can't even meet those important figures. How can I possibly help?"

When Madam Wei heard his words, she showed a hint of satisfaction: "It's enough that you trust your elder brother. First of all, your brothers and nephews will be exiled in a couple of days. It's a harsh and cold place there, so you need to prepare some cotton clothes for them and send them over. It would be best to hide some silver in them."

His brothers were all good to him, and Wei Rongde didn't think it was an excessive request.

Especially since it's going to snow soon, even the youngest fourth brother wouldn't survive without winter clothes.

He nodded repeatedly: "However, I'm afraid this silver is not a good idea. Even if it goes unnoticed, spending it will still expose us, and we might even face severe punishment. It would be better if I spent some money to bribe the accompanying yamen runners. They'll be more lenient with us because of the money."

Madam Wei was somewhat displeased that he contradicted her, but after hearing that what he said made sense, she finally nodded.

"As for the second point, according to the laws of our dynasty, for any serious crime that is not punishable by beheading or extermination of the entire family, one can use silver to redeem the person."

This was the first time Wei Rongde had heard of this idea. If he could really redeem his brother, spending some money would be worthwhile.

Just as I was thinking this, I heard Old Madam Wei say with a smile, "The amount of money you need is not much, only 500,000 taels."

Wei Rongde's eyes widened suddenly, and he asked in disbelief, "How much?"

"Five hundred thousand taels per person."

Wei Rongde: ...

This is outrageous! Not to mention the former Duke of Wei's mansion, even the emperor and his harem would only spend 500,000 taels a year.

He worked himself to the bone every year, traveling all over the country to do business. If he was lucky, he might earn tens of thousands of taels of silver, but if he was unlucky, he would only earn ten thousand taels.

Not to mention him, the annual tax revenue of such a prosperous place as Jiangnan is about 800,000 taels of silver.

Old Madam Wei spoke of 500,000 taels of silver so casually.

“Mother, are you joking with your son? Five hundred thousand taels is only enough to redeem one person. How many years would it take your son to earn five hundred thousand taels?”

Madam Wei, however, was quite bothered by Wang's whispers in her ear. She always felt that Wei Rongde earned a lot of money in a year, but he just hid it all away, and believed that he was not sincere in helping her.

He immediately frowned and clicked his tongue, saying, "One cannot be so selfish. If it weren't for your brother and me raising you, you wouldn't have the abilities you have today. Everything you have now is given to you by your family, and it is only right that you repay them."

This almost severed the last remaining affection Wei Rongde had for the Wei family and his mother.

He looked at Madam Wei with disappointment, wanting to argue, but not knowing how to begin.

Just then, a crisp voice rang out from outside.

“Grandmother, I also think Father should pay for this.”

Wei Rongde looked towards the door in surprise and saw his daughter wearing a honey-colored cotton-padded jacket, with a gold and silver fox fur vest over it, and a lychee-colored silk cotton skirt. Although it did not look luxurious, it looked particularly bright in the bleak early winter.

She took off her silver-gray cloak and walked in with light steps.

"Why are you here?"

“I heard that my grandmother has woken up. As her granddaughter, I have to come over right away.”

When Old Madam Wei saw how exquisitely she was dressed, although in the past this outfit would not have been worth mentioning, now that the Wei family had fallen on hard times, she was still so radiant.

I felt a little unhappy, but she was speaking up for me, so I had to swallow my words of reprimand.

He said, "Second brother, look at you, your vision is not even as far as a little girl's. Only when your eldest brother and the others come back will the Wei family have a chance to regain its former glory. Otherwise, do you plan to be a businessman for the rest of your life?"

“Grandmother is right, Father, this is where you are wrong.”

Wei Rongde also found it strange. His daughter was usually the most opposed to helping the Wei family, so why did she change her mind today?

"Xun'er..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Nanxun said with a smile, "Grandmother, don't worry, my father will definitely work hard. With his three shops, a merchant ship that's being targeted by river pirates, and his useless camel caravan, don't worry, in eight or ten years, he'll definitely be back to what he was before the family split up. As long as my uncles and aunts wait another twenty or thirty years, our family can save up our first 500,000 taels of silver even if we don't eat or drink."

Madam Wei, who had been smiling, began to droop her lips as she listened, and eventually stopped speaking altogether.

This isn't speaking up for myself; it's clearly being sarcastic and sarcastic.

She blamed them for dividing the family property, and blamed them for only giving her father such a small shop. She even thought that this little girl had changed her personality.

Unexpectedly, the words became increasingly harsh, even daring to make sarcastic remarks about her, her grandmother.

"You! If the family hadn't split up back then, do you think you could have escaped this? Now you're all facing confiscation of your property and being left destitute. Instead of being grateful, you're making such sarcastic remarks! Are you trying to anger this old woman to death?"

Wei Nanxun pursed her lips: "You didn't want to help our family back then, you were just afraid that we would cause trouble for the Wei family. Now you're expressing your gratitude."

"As expected of an old fox, he's spicier and has a thicker skin than us younger folks."

Madam Wei was truly furious this time. Even though the Wei family was in dire straits, the officials still respected her when they raided the house and didn't give her too much of a hard time.

Who would have thought that they would be rebuffed by Wei Nanxun, a junior?

What angered her most was that a young maidservant behind her, whom she didn't recognize, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Green Lotus didn't do it on purpose; she simply thought her wife was right.

Wei Nanxun glanced at her and said, "Lvfu, why aren't you apologizing to the old lady? How can you laugh like that?"

Green Lotus knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "I am really sorry, Madam. I am a new servant and have little experience. I couldn't help myself when I heard you talk about 500,000 taels of silver as if it were nothing."

The master and servant acted in unison, claiming to apologize but actually still mocking her, which made Old Madam Wei so angry that she gasped for breath and almost fainted.

"You, you, you little slut, you should have been kept alive. Let's see if you can still laugh after your house is ransacked."

Although Wei Rongde felt that his mother's words were too heartbreaking, he could understand it for the sake of his brother.

Putting everything else aside, it really angered the grandmother to death, and the daughter's reputation would be completely ruined.

"Xun'er, no!"

Wei Nanxun snorted: "Did I say anything wrong? Grandmother's division of the family property was unfair. She only left Father useless shops and a fleet of ships, yet she demanded 500,000 taels of silver. That's 500,000 taels per person. There are more than ten uncles and brothers in total. That's tens of millions of taels of silver. Even the national treasury can't come up with that much. Yet Grandmother dared to make such a demand, and even acted with such confidence, as if Father had no choice but to pay."

“It’s fine to sell it, as long as Grandmother can wait. We can save it up slowly and eventually save up 500,000.”

Old Madam Wei took a few deep breaths, clutched her chest, and pretended to be in excruciating pain.

"Get out! Get out of here! The Wei family has no unfilial son like you. You get out too!"

This anger even extended to Wei Rongde, who was also ordered to get out.

Wei Rongde, mindful of her advanced age, continued to soothe her in a low voice, while also showing a hint of disapproval towards his daughter: "Xun'er, this is still your grandmother, you can't do this, come and apologize to your grandmother."

Wei Nanxun refused and was hesitating about how to persuade her father when Zhixia ran in and whispered something in her ear.

Her eyes suddenly lit up: "They're here! Hurry up and bring them in."

Then he smiled at Wei Rongde and at Old Madam Wei, who was obviously faking illness on the bed.

“If she were truly my biological grandmother, she would have treated my brother and me with love and affection, and I would naturally respect her. But she is not my biological grandmother. For so many years, she has looked down on my mother and verbally suppressed my brother and me. She even tried to force me to become the Crown Prince’s concubine against my will. How can such a person be called a grandmother, and how can she be worthy of my respect?”

"Besides, she wasn't even my biological grandmother."

"Xun'er!"

This time, before Madam Wei could even speak, Wei Rongde was already anxious, understanding his daughter's grievances and resentment.

However, filial piety is the most important virtue. Madam Wei is the legal mother of the Wei family, and therefore her nominal grandmother. This is a principle that cannot be avoided no matter where you go.

How will she ever get married in the future? What family would dare to marry her?

"Second brother, don't stop her! I want to hear what other outrageous things she can say!"

“He Yu, quickly take his sister down to rest. She must be exhausted these past few days and is just talking nonsense.”

Wei Nanxun remained upright and motionless as Zhixia and her entourage approached.

Then she looked at Wei Rongde and said, "Father, she is not my grandmother. I will not acknowledge her."