The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Song Wenjun never believed that people could have a conscience; on the contrary, she thought that relationships between people were all based on self-interest.

The fact that Lady Xue was disliked by her husband's family only shows that she was dispensable to Qin Zhao.

If she held the lifeline of the entire Qin family in her hands, who would dare to look down on her?

Hopefully, what I said today will make her realize her mistake.

Having received guidance from Song Wenjun, Lady Xue left happily.

In the following days, she indeed had the caravan bring back tea and porcelain from the south, just as Song Wenjun had predicted.

It was already the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, the time when families of various prominent families would visit relatives and friends.

Her tea shop became incredibly popular overnight.

Just as Song Wenjun had predicted, they made a fortune.

Xue invited Song Wenjun to the teahouse again to chat. Her face was beaming with joy: "Wenjun, my good sister, you are truly my lucky charm. How did you calculate so accurately? I made a profit of five hundred taels from this batch of tea."

Seeing her so happy, Song Wenjun was also happy for her: "You, you're so happy about just five hundred taels?"

"This is the first time I've ever earned so much money, how could I not be happy?"

She took Song Wenjun's arm and said cheerfully, "I'll definitely treat you to a proper meal another day, how about Wangjiang Tower?"

"Okay."

As they talked, the two entered a jewelry shop.

Seeing that the two women were dressed in gold and silver, the shopkeeper knew they were big customers and quickly brought out all the valuable jewelry in the shop for them to choose from.

Song Wenjun had no particular hobbies, but she had a weakness for jewelry.

Soon, she selected several hairpins with novel designs.

"Shopkeeper, wrap all of these up for me."

When Xue saw the few branches she had taken, they were all ridiculously expensive, costing over a hundred taels of silver each.

She gasped, "You bought such an expensive hairpin without even blinking?"

"It's just a few hairpins. These things don't depreciate in value. When you're rich, they're a status symbol; when you're down on your luck, they can be used as travel expenses. It's not a bad deal."

When Song Wenjun saw that Xue Shi was only holding a small gold hairpin, which was worth at most ten taels of silver, she was a little reluctant to part with it.

She couldn't help but tease, "My dear manager, you've made so much money, how can you still be so stingy?"

As she spoke, Song Wenjun casually picked up a pure gold hairpin inlaid with jade and exchanged it for the one in Xue Shi's hand: "This one suits your skin tone better, sister. Take this one."

When Xue saw it, she was so frightened that she almost threw the hairpin away. Such a hairpin cost at least eighty taels of silver.

She shook her head hastily and said, "Never mind, I'll just choose the one from before."

"It's only eighty taels of silver, you can afford it, why choose something you don't like?" Song Wenjun asked, puzzled. The Xue family's tea shop and porcelain business always made money after the New Year, earning at least a thousand or eight hundred taels.

Xue Shi looked embarrassed and sighed as she reluctantly put the hairpin back: "You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. There are so many people in the mansion who need to be clothed and fed. Five hundred taels of silver is just a drop in the bucket."

Song Wenjun was momentarily speechless, but then she understood.

She pulled Xue aside and asked in a low voice, "So, all five hundred taels of your money went into the public treasury's accounts?"

“I, I’m not like you.” Xue Shi didn’t dare to look Song Wenjun in the eye and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, “If it weren’t for this, my husband wouldn’t have given me a good look. He knows I’ve made money, and these days he’s been staying in my courtyard. Our relationship has just eased up, and I don’t want it to get too tense again.”

Hearing her say that, Song Wenjun was furious.

But she could only suppress her anger; she had only truly understood life after dying once.

Xue Shi was still too kind.

"Sister, you're thinking too simply. Once people have greed, it's endless. If you use your own money to subsidize the household, they won't appreciate it. Instead, they'll think it's your duty. You should be more careful and leave yourself a way out."

As she spoke, she picked up the hairpin again, handed it to the shopkeeper, and said firmly, "I'll take this one."

“No, no…” Xue shook her head hurriedly, giving Song Wenjun a series of meaningful glances: “I don’t have that much silver on hand.”

Song Wenjun said to her, "I'll pay for it for you."

For the sake of the paper money that Xue Shi burned for her after her death in her previous life, she should repay the kindness she owed.

The shopkeeper was surprised that Song Wenjun was so wealthy and generous, buying so much jewelry without batting an eye. He was so eager to see her off that he almost bowed and scraped.

As soon as they left the jewelry shop, Xue Shi held the hairpin and felt it was too hot to handle. After she declined several times, Song Wenjun's face turned cold: "If you continue like this, it means you don't care about your younger sister. I'm really angry."

Hearing her say that, she reluctantly accepted it.

Song Wenjun repeatedly instructed her: "Even if you want your husband to think highly of you, you don't have to give all the money to the public. You can keep 30% for yourself as a private treasury for emergencies. You must promise me this."

After thinking about it carefully, Xue Shi found it made sense and nodded, saying, "Okay, I agree."

Song Wenjun always looked out for her, how could she let her heart be broken again?

Seeing that she had listened, Song Wenjun let her go home.

When they returned to the Marquis's residence, it was still not dark.

Madam Xu stepped forward and reported to Song Wenjun with a somewhat nervous expression: "Madam, shouldn't you do something about that young lady? She used to secretly exchange glances with the Marquis, but now she's openly staying in his courtyard. It's really outrageous, in broad daylight. What kind of behavior is this, with no official status or relationship?"

Xu's mother was thinking of Song Wenjun's best interests, fearing that Xue Qingwan would bewitch Gu Huaizhou and cause her to be neglected.

Song Wenjun smiled indifferently: "If she wants to go, then let her go. With such a wonderful person by his side, the Marquis will not be lonely."

"Madam?" Madam Xu looked surprised. "You really don't care?"

"Why should I care?"

Madam Xu gasped, thinking that the lady's heart was far too broad.

Little did she know, Song Wenjun was doing it on purpose.

Because she had previously refused to grant Xue Qingwan the title of concubine, that cousin had caused quite a commotion for several days.

She absolutely refused, insisting on becoming a concubine.

Song Wenjun didn't indulge her either, sticking to her word and refusing to budge, even cutting back on the expenses in her courtyard.

In the dead of winter, there is a lack of clothing and food.

Xue Qingwan suffered for several days.

Unable to do anything about Song Wenjun, she could only go and cause trouble for Gu Huaizhou.

The tricks a young girl can use are nothing more than the same old ones: showing concern and playing hard to get.

Then, she would shed a few tears at just the right moment to make the man feel sorry for her. Once she had Gu Huaizhou under her thumb, her goal would be achieved.

Song Wenjun calculated that Gu Huaizhou should come to see her today.

Sure enough, she had just taken a few sips of tea when she saw Gu Huaizhou enter her courtyard.