She didn’t want rare jewels, ornaments, or fine silks; she only wanted money!!!

Could such a vulgar woman, who only cared about money, truly catch He Yanxiu’s eye?

And could she really make He Yanxiu pine for her so deeply that, right after returning to the capital, he was already thinking of going back to spend time with her again? 

What kind of extraordinary woman was she?   

After a long pause, Madam Lu asked uncertainly, “You really want these to give to your mistress?

“Yes.” He Yanxiu nodded, then looked somewhat surprised. “Mother, do you think something’s amiss?”

His painting had already been completed and sent to the Eight Treasures Pavilion, fetching a high price of three thousand taels of silver, enough to support him for quite some time. Even if he gave Su Yujin a small reward, it would still be enough for a long time.

But whether influenced by Su Yujin or because giving rewards had become a habit, he now felt that the more silver the better.

Better safe than sorry.

Besides, his mother had specifically asked for the gifts today.

When Madam Lu married, being the only daughter of her generation, and with the He family being a scholarly family and He Chengye being a handsome and talented scholar who had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations, the Lu family was determined to make sure she had a grand entrance with her dowry. They provided Madam Lu with a total of eighty-one loads of gifts, truly a ten-mile-long procession. Furthermore, to maintain the prestige of the He family’s scholarly tradition, many items were not displayed openly but mostly placed in chests, such as shops, bank notes, and estates.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe Madam Lu as incredibly wealthy.

Since she was willing to give gifts, the amount must have been substantial, and He Yanxiu didn’t want to waste this opportunity.

Seeing He Yanxiu’s serious demeanor, Madam Lu became increasingly speechless.

Why did it seem like her son was also becoming obsessed with money?

What kind of person was that mistress…?

After muttering to herself for a while, Madam Lu finally did as she had promised He Yanxiu: she took the storeroom key and called her maid, Lühe, to retrieve what He Yanxiu wanted—money!

A small box was full, containing sixty taels of gold and two thousand taels of silver notes stacked underneath.

“Thank you, Mother.” He Yanxiu thanked Madam Lu and had Xing’an take the box.

“Are you sure you don’t need to bring anything else?” Madam Lu, still somewhat unwilling to give up, picked up a pearl hair ornament beside her and asked, “This was made in Yangzhou by your waì pó. I wouldn’t dare say it’s better than the things in the palace, but such fine things are rare in the entire capital.”

“If that’s too expensive, how about this gold bracelet with filigree and gemstones? It’s quite common and looks dignified and elegant.”

“If that’s really not enough, how about this pair of butterfly and flower hairpins? They look very exquisite…”

He Yanxiu thought for a while, then waved his hand. “Thank you for your trouble, Mother, but it’s really not necessary.”

Su Yujin seemed to rarely wear jewelry, even her hairpins were the simplest style, probably because she didn’t like these things.

After all, he had injured himself again by ignoring the doctor’s advice, and He Yanxiu felt quite uneasy, thinking that catering to her preferences was the most appropriate thing to do.

Madam Lu, “…”

She couldn’t understand it!   

Over here, Old Madam He and He Chengye are talking in the room.

“Yan De, that child…” Old Madam He sighed. “In other people’s eyes, he was originally the eldest sūnzi of the family, the pillar of the He family, and should have been outstanding in everything. However, his competitive and ambitious nature is really unacceptable.”

Seeing He Chengye remain silent, Old Madam He continued, “Fortunately, Yan Xiu was lucky this time and escaped serious injury. But what about next time, and the time after that? I’m afraid that as long as he has a breath left, he will forever see Yan Xiu as a thorn in his side.”

“At that time, who knows how long he will cause trouble, or how far he will go? Do you really want this old woman to bury her son?”

“Mother, there’s no need to worry too much. Yan Xiu is aware of his own strength,” He Chengye replied.

“So what if he is aware? He’s in the open, while Yan De is in the shadows. How long can you guard against him?” Old Madam He’s voice gradually rose as she spoke, “Can a person escape a poisonous snake? He’ll get bitten unexpectedly!”

“No matter how you put it, Yanxiu still cares too much about family ties. He still treats him as his tángxiōng, still remembers the kindness shown by Eldest Brother and his wife, yet he doesn’t realize…”

“People’s hearts are truly hidden behind their skin!”

After saying this, Old Madam He couldn’t catch her breath and coughed a few times.

Her already aged face showed even more weariness.

“Mother, please calm down.” He Chengye quickly brought over a cup of hot tea, fed it to the old lady, and helped her calm down. “Mother, you don’t need to worry too much about these things. I know what I’m doing, and I’ll handle it properly so you won’t have to worry.”

“Like father, like son. Your father is a man of great loyalty and righteousness, and you are the same. It’s the same with Yan Xiu. Everyone is bound by loyalty and righteousness and can’t bring themselves to be ruthless.”

The old lady glanced at He Chengye. “What you call handling it properly, I reckon, is just like Yan Xiu’s—just a warning to make him behave a little. But if he knew how to behave, he wouldn’t have come to this.”

“You don’t need to say so much nonsense. There’s no need to persuade me. Just do as I say!”

“Mother…” He Chengye was a little uneasy. “After all, he is still my elder brother’s only son…”

“You call him elder brother, but he might not even acknowledge you as his younger brother!”

Old Madam He shouted angrily. “Sparing him with half a life is already more than enough for the He family to do for him. For the rest of his life, we’ll take care of him. As for the matter of this line of offspring, if there’s no hope for the future, we can adopt one from a collateral branch of the family. Choose someone of good character, and it will save us a lot of trouble!”

Seeing Old Madam He’s face full of anger and her eyes reddening, He Chengye knew that this matter had to be done, so he nodded. “Yes, Son will obey Mother’s instructions and will go and make the arrangements immediately.”

Seeing He Chengye’s agreement, Old Madam He’s expression softened slightly, and she nodded slightly. “This matter should be done sooner rather than later; the weather is getting colder every day.”

“Yes,” He Chengye replied again. “Mother, rest assured, I understand.”

The old lady’s anger subsided considerably. She closed her eyes and, after a long pause, said, “Go, have the maids at the door call your wife and Yan De’s wife over. We agreed they would choose the patterns for the Lu silk.”

“Also, since Yan De said he was frightened last night and bumped into something, have someone call a doctor to come and take a look; it would be better to be safe.”

Some things needed to be done but couldn’t be revealed on the surface. Everything had to be normal, without anyone noticing anything amiss.

Especially when outsiders were watching, not a single thing could be found to be wrong.

This was an experience she had accumulated over many years as the matriarch of the He family.

But then again, if she had had such insight and skill back then, she wouldn’t have left behind such a troublesome legacy.

(End of Chapter)

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