A lazy bum transmigrates and marries a eunuch – it's awesome!

When Liu saw Qian Wangshi take out the dowry list, her heart skipped a beat.

Then he thought that his dowry was definitely generous enough, and that Wang Shi wouldn't be able to find any fault with it, so he felt more confident.

Madam Wang looked at Liu with a smile, "Our Qian family has lived in Jiangnan for a long time, which is far away, and we usually can't take care of our niece."

Now that she's getting married, I, as her aunt, brought 1 taels of silver as a dowry, which can be considered a way to fulfill this blood relation.

Sigh, back when my sister-in-law got married, I was the one who helped my mother-in-law prepare her dowry. It was truly a magnificent wedding procession of ten miles of red bridal procession and precious gold and jade.

She received two estates in the suburbs of Beijing as part of her dowry, lost eight shops, and had 5 taels of silver as her savings.

The remaining headdresses, jewelry, and antique ornaments number about a hundred pieces, each one a masterpiece.

Later, my sister-in-law passed away, and I heard that she gave all her belongings to Yu'er.

Oh dear, this won't do!

She's just a little kid, what does she know about right and wrong? Let me tell you, since Madam Liu is in charge of managing the household affairs, it should be in your hands.

"I wasn't fooled for nothing."

Everyone was stunned by the extravagant spending of the Qian Wang family.

Add ten thousand taels of silver to the dowry!

For a typical official in Beijing of the fifth rank or below, marrying off five daughters would be enough.

Before they could even marvel at how wealthy the merchants were, they were shocked by what she revealed about Lady Xianjiang's dowry.

No wonder Lord Jiang abandoned the legitimate daughter of an official to marry a woman from a merchant family. This isn't just marrying a wife; it's marrying a mountain of gold!

In the past, these two topics alone would have been enough for them to talk about for half a month.

But now, the amount of dowry Mrs. Jiang brought is no longer the point; the point is whether the dowry is still there.

I don't want to know where it came from, I just want to know how it disappeared.

This was huge news, and everyone immediately pressed Madam Qian for details.

Madam Qian glared at Jiang Xinyu reproachfully.

"You child, how could you so easily give away your late mother's belongings?"

That painting, "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams," was your maternal grandfather's treasured possession. Your mother liked it, so it was included in her dowry.

I never imagined your uncle would see this at someone else's house while visiting. Tell me...

What kind of situation is this?

Jiang Xinyu immediately rolled her eyes and stammered, "I'm just a little kid. My mother was only 6 years old when she passed away. How could I possibly care about any dowry?"

"Didn't my aunt say it was sealed away in the storeroom? How did it end up in someone else's house?"

Liu felt a sudden pang of anxiety. She had embezzled countless things; how could she possibly recall when that "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams" painting had been sent out?

It seems that Madam Qian has come with ill intentions this time; she probably wants to inspect the dowry.

Liu was not entirely unprepared for the Qian family to come and inspect the dowry, but she felt that since the valuables such as the estate and shops had been displayed, and most of the antiques and jewelry had been included in Jiang Xinyu's dowry.

The Qian family probably wouldn't delve into those other minor details.

After all, things are inanimate while people are alive. She could easily claim that Jiang Xinyu dropped or lost them, or that the shop lost money to cover the deficit.

She had never worn Qian's headdresses and jewelry because she thought they were unlucky, and she figured the Qian family wouldn't be able to find any fault with her.

But now that it has been revealed that Qian's dowry has been given to outsiders, any further evasive answers would likely give others cause for gossip.

Just as Madam Liu was about to suggest that it might have been a servant who stole it, Jiang Wanqiu grasped her mother's hand, then gracefully bowed to Madam Wang and smiled.

“My aunt has wronged my sister. That painting, ‘Travelers Among Mountains and Streams,’ was given to my father when my mother was still alive. It used to hang in my father’s study.”

That painting was indeed beautiful. Later, when the furnishings in the study were changed, Qiu'er even asked about it.

My father said that scholars and artists should make friends through painting and calligraphy, and the value of their works should not be measured in monetary terms.

He found a true owner who understood the painting, which can be considered a refined affair.

My sister has always believed that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, so I imagine she doesn't pay much attention to calligraphy and painting.

Jiang Wanqiu's words had a double meaning; they not only gave an excuse to give away the dowry but also took the opportunity to put down Jiang Xinyu, implying that she and her aunt from the Qian family were vulgar people who only knew money and were not literate.

But Wang couldn't find anything wrong with what she said.

Although a woman's dowry cannot be touched by her husband's family, it is impossible for it to remain unchanged for more than ten or twenty years.

Leaving aside the rewards given to servants and other social interactions, there is simply no way to verify the gifts given to her husband.

Madam Qian had long anticipated that Madam Liu would misappropriate the dowry, and her actions today were intended to bring Jiang Xinyu's dowry into the open.

"Travelers Among Mountains and Streams" is merely a starting point; the main focus is on the estate, shops, and silver.

You can say the ornaments were broken or the jewelry was damaged, but the shopkeeper can't just give them away like that; no one would believe that.

There's also the 5 taels of silver kept as a custodian.

My sister-in-law only married Lord Jiang for eight years before she passed away. Could it be that she spent all 8 taels of silver?

That Jiang fellow is always concerned about his reputation; how could he possibly admit to spending his late wife's dowry? He'll have to pay it back.

She did this not only to guard against the Jiang family, but also to guard against the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, where Jiang Xinyu was about to marry.

Although the Qian family were merchants, they were well-informed and naturally knew the state of the Ningguo Duke's mansion.

This marriage was originally a pretty good one.

Even the marriage was made possible because Old Master Qian had saved the old Duke of Ningguo by a twist of fate.

It's just that the Qian family's social standing is too low. Even if the Duke of Ningguo's mansion wanted to find a wealthy heir's wife to supplement their household income, they wouldn't be so shameless as to marry a merchant's daughter.

So, after a while, the marriage fell to Jiang Xinyu.

Although her family background is still low, she is still the legitimate daughter of an official. Lord Jiang is known for his talent and has achieved considerable success, so marrying her as the wife of the heir would not be a disgrace to the family.

But since his daughter passed away, Mr. Qian's mindset has changed. He not only grieves for his beloved daughter's death, but also regrets letting his granddaughter marry into a wealthy family.

Those officials are the most hypocritical; they covet their wealth while simultaneously despising their background.

The man surnamed Jiang took a large sum of money from his family to smooth things over and thus rose through the ranks of officialdom, but in return, he caused the death of his daughter.

Over the years, they have ignored their legitimate in-laws, having the title of in-laws but refusing to provide any assistance whatsoever.

Mr. Qian was filled with remorse. He had lost money, angered himself, and even his daughter. He should have used that money to bribe the corrupt officials instead.

At least those people did their job after taking the money, and they didn't harm her daughter's life.

Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything. Not only was their daughter gone, but their granddaughter had also ruined the life of the heir of the Ningguo Duke's mansion.

It's already extremely difficult to call off the engagement.

In order to prevent her child from following in her mother's footsteps and being inexplicably killed in the backyard, Lady Qian went to the capital to investigate the dowry.

Old Master Qian had a lot of confidence in Wang, his daughter-in-law who was in charge of the household.

As expected, Madam Wang did not show her face for more than ten days after arriving in the capital. She had been quietly searching for information about the Jiang family and her sister-in-law's dowry shop.

The shops are doing well, because they are in excellent locations and all the businesses are thriving.

Although the manager inside had long been replaced by someone from the Liu family, and the money no longer reached the niece's hands, as long as the shop was still there, that was fine.

However, this niece was somewhat disappointing, becoming nothing more than a backdrop for Jiang Wanqiu.

The Qian family were wealthy merchants who, despite being businessmen, had many connections in the capital.

They may not have much power, but they're quite good at gathering information.

By piecing things together, Madam Wang had gained a basic understanding of the temperament of her niece whom she hadn't seen for many years.

To put it nicely, they are innocent, naive, and outspoken; to put it bluntly, they are brainless, offend people with their words, and have a bad temper.

But in any case, she was the only bloodline left in the world by her sister-in-law, and even if she was hopeless, Wang Shi was determined to try her best to help her.

Putting everything else aside, at least we should get the dowry and put it in her hands, and then, with the other ladies present, make the amount transparent.

With such a large dowry being brought into the Ningguo Duke's mansion, if the niece were to die young like her sister-in-law, anyone with a brain would suspect that the Ningguo Duke's mansion was plotting to murder her for money.

If the Duke of Ningguo wasn't a fool, he probably wouldn't have made such a basic mistake, which indirectly saved Jiang Xinyu's life.