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

Aunt Tian hadn't had high hopes for Jiang Xinyu, and after arriving for a while, she just stayed hidden in the crowd and remained silent.

It wasn't until Jiang Xinyu appeared and acted with ease in front of everyone that Madam Wang realized the rumors outside were unreliable.

Her niece had clearly seen through Liu's sweet talk and bitter heart; she wasn't stupid after all.

That's good. This time, she shouldn't be rejected after trying to help.

The year her sister-in-law died, Madam Wang visited Jiang Xinyu, but the child seemed to have been bewitched by Liu Shi and spoke coldly to the Qian family.

They were said to be so greedy that they ruined her reputation, and even the maids around her mother couldn't tolerate them and drove them all away.

While saying that the children were ignorant, the man surnamed Jiang also said that after the lady passed away, these servants stole the dowry and were disobedient, so he took the opportunity to purge the Qian family.

A new emperor brings a new court. Since the Jiang family's backyard has become the Liu family's domain, even if they leave behind a few servants, it won't make much difference.

Old Master Qian sighed and ultimately had to swallow his pride and withdraw all his men.

Even if the maternal grandparents are very close, they are still considered "outsiders." If the child is willing, that's fine, but if the child is not willing, they definitely can't compete with the biological father.

Fortunately, the imperial court has its own laws, and as long as Jiang Xinyu is alive, Qian's dowry will remain with the Jiang family forever. If anything happens to Jiang Xinyu, the dowry will be returned according to the dowry list.

Master Qian knew that Lord Jiang was not a fool, and that Jiang Xinyu would be safe even if it came to money, so he returned to Jiangnan with peace of mind and broke off contact with the Jiang family.

The original Jiang Xinyu was also foolish, never even thinking of contacting her maternal grandparents' family.

Jiang Xinyu watched as her aunt, whose fighting power was off the charts, covered her mouth with a handkerchief. She had really forgotten about the original owner's maternal grandparents' family.

This is understandable, since the plot revolves around the male and female leads, and even she, the female supporting character, is just a foil. The female supporting character's relatives are even less worth mentioning.

As for why there is no information about the Qian family in the original text, it is possible that the author did not consider it important and therefore did not write it.

But in any case, she didn't let the plot make her stupid, so she wouldn't be foolish enough to push away readily available allies.

Even from a purely self-interested perspective, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so it doesn't matter if the Qian family wants to use her.

She was quite willing to give up some benefits to an aunt who could speak up for her and fiercely criticize the Liu mother and daughter.

Madam Wang was clearly prepared. She deliberately spread out the dowry list and read out a few items, then indirectly criticized Jiang Xinyu.

In short, it means the same thing.

Your mother's dowry was magnificent, but why has it all become rubbish by the time it reaches you?

Why did the dowry shrink so much?

With so many ladies present, how could the intricacies of the inner quarters be kept secret?

While Qian Wangshi openly insulted Jiang Da Niang, every word she uttered was actually aimed at Liu Shi.

Most people are looking at Liu Shi wrong. Why could her dowry be so small?

He embezzled it!

It's a shame that this Liu family member always put on such a virtuous act; it turns out she really is that virtuous.

Seeing the negative public opinion, Jiang Wanqiu immediately tugged at Liu's sleeve, while also feeling some resentment towards her mother.

My mother always says she loves me the most, but she still worries about my two younger brothers.

If he truly loved her, why would he deliberately cut back on her dowry? Wasn't he just trying to save it for his two younger brothers?

Now that Madam Wang has made a scene, if they don't take remedial action, all the good reputation that she and her son have built up over the years will be ruined. How can she then marry into the Ningguo Duke's mansion as a second wife?

Madam Liu understood this principle, and now that she was in a difficult situation, she could only suppress her heartache and force a smile.

"Aunt, please don't blame the eldest daughter. This thing is dead. It's been sitting in the storeroom for over twenty years, and it's bound to be damaged by insects and rats."

When the late Mrs. passed away, our eldest daughter was just a little child; now she's about to get married. What can she possibly retain the same appearance?

Madam Wang laughed heartily, ignoring Liu's words, and instead looked at Jiang Xinyu.

"So be it, so be it. I just hope the money in the shop and the estate won't be damaged by rats."

Then I'll have to explain this in detail.

Jiang Xinyu turned her gaze to Liu Shi, "I don't know the answer to what my aunt asked."

Aunt, what do you say?

Liu gritted her teeth and forced a smile, "Of course not."

Wang persisted, "But what I see here is just a manor with four shops."

Could it be that they've lost everything over the years?

"That shouldn't be the case. I went to those places to buy things a few days ago, and I didn't hear about them changing owners."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu's heart sank again. She had thought that her mother would withhold part of her dowry, but she hadn't expected her to withhold it so ruthlessly.

It is said that he will give her all of Qian's original dowry, but in reality, it is probably less than half of it.

Liu hadn't expected the Qian family to arrive so early, and now saying they'd lost everything would only make things worse.

Thinking of this, Liu clenched her fist tightly, then smiled apologetically and said, "What are you saying, Madam Wang?"

Although I run the shop that is part of the lady's dowry, the master has long said that it is intended to be used as part of the eldest daughter's dowry.

Why would I keep it without permission?

Never mind, I originally planned to keep a low profile and quietly give those things to the young lady as a treasured possession.

This would also avoid offending the former Crown Prince's wife and making things difficult for the sisters-in-law.

But since my aunt has brought it up, let's do the handover in front of everyone, so I don't waste my time and effort.

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Liu instructed her maid to fetch a sandalwood box from her bedside. Then she wiped the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, looking aggrieved.

Madam Wang raised an eyebrow. She had underestimated Liu Shi; she really did have some skills.

The surrounding chatter immediately shifted, with everyone praising Liu for her thoughtfulness and saying that she was indeed worthy of being born into an official family.

Now it seems that Aunt Qian has a petty mind.

The former wife of the heir mentioned by Liu was Zhao Chengye's sister-in-law, Liu. If she hadn't brought it up, many people would have forgotten that there was such a person in the Ningguo Duke's Mansion.

Zhao Chengye was not originally the heir of the Ningguo Duke's Mansion; he had an older brother named Zhao Chengzong.

It's clear from their names that his elder brother is the heir to the Ningguo Duke's mansion, while Zhao Chengye is the second son.

If the old Duke were to die and his elder brother were to inherit the title, Zhao Chengye would only be given a share of the family property and kicked out of the house.

But what can you do when this guy is just lucky?

His elder brother died of a cold not long after he got married, without leaving any children, so the position of heir naturally fell to him.

This is also one of the reasons why Jiang Xinyu was disliked by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law in the original novel.

A daughter of a fourth-rank official might be barely acceptable to marry the second son who doesn't inherit a title, but marrying the heir would be far too much of a mismatch.

But this engagement was arranged since childhood, and we can't just break it off because Zhao Chengye's status has risen.

Even if it weren't for their reputation, they still couldn't bear to part with that dowry of over ten thousand taels of silver.

They both disliked her and had no choice but to marry her, so it's easy to see why Jiang Xinyu naturally couldn't win the favor of the Ningguo Duke's family.

Liu's suggestion to hide the dowry for the sake of harmony among her sisters-in-law makes sense.

This is also the rule of wealthy families.

The younger sister-in-law who marries into the family later should try not to exceed the dowry of the eldest sister-in-law. If the family is truly wealthy, she should convert it into banknotes as a dowry.

At the very least, one should outwardly be lower than the eldest sister-in-law to show respect.

From this perspective, Liu had made thorough preparations and successfully smoothed things over.