Volume 1, Chapter 50: Broken Things Must Be Paid for in Full

"Lvliu, go and take a look at what has been broken this time." Hearing the commotion, Xie Shu quickly nudged Lvliu, who was standing beside her, and urged, "Make sure you note everything down meticulously later, send it over to the Marquis, and demand full compensation according to its value. Otherwise, if His Majesty were to find out about this one day, he might think our General Zhengyuan's Mansion acts so recklessly and tramples over precious things!"

Inside the room, a series of shattering sounds echoed one after another.

As the Marquis of Chengen listened to Xie Shu's words, he felt his eyelids twitching involuntarily. The louder the crashing sounds grew, the more uneasy he felt in his heart. Finally, he shouted to the people inside, "I told you to search for the person! Who gave you permission to smash things?"

Hearing the command, the guards in the courtyard immediately softened their movements, though they couldn't help feeling a trace of inner apprehension: But... wasn't it the Marquis himself who said earlier that they could ransack and search wherever they pleased?

Wasn't this supposed to be a harsh display of authority to intimidate the Crown Princess?

Following Xie Shu's instructions, Lvliu picked up a writing brush and began recording in the ledger, muttering to herself as she wrote: "One fragmented gold-inlaid carved vase, a pair of shattered sapphire peach-leaf tea cups, one bolt of embroidered brocade from Yangzhou..."

After a string of murmurings, the guards' movements became even more ginger and delicate: Surely they wouldn't actually be forced to pay for all this, would they?

By the time they had thoroughly searched the entire Ruyi Courtyard, they found absolutely nothing.

"Reporting to the Marquis, every corner has been searched, and nothing was found." The guard knelt on one knee, cupping his fists upward, and reported to the Marquis of Chengen.

"Marquis, is there anything else you wish to search or look for?" Xie Shu lowered the teacup in her hand, picked up the blanket from her knees, draped it over her shoulders, and asked the Marquis of Chengen.

"Let's go." The Marquis of Chengen glanced left and right. This courtyard, which had originally been neat and pristine, was now in utter chaos. Even the few blades of grass that had just sprouted leaves in the flower beds had been dug up.

At the roots of the trees, several patches had been brutally shoveled, leaving uneven, unsightly pits everywhere.

"Hold on, Marquis, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Seeing that he was about to bolt the moment he lifted his feet, Xie Shu immediately spoke up to block his way. Reaching out her hand to Lvliu, she took the ledger from her. "For these broken items, compensation must be paid in full according to their worth."

As the ledger was handed over, Xie Shu's delicate, jade-like hand hovered right in front of the Marquis of Chengen. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the Marquis had no choice but to grit his teeth and take the ledger. "Hmph, you Xie family members are truly money-grubbing to the core."

Xie Shu's mother had been a wealthy merchant. Back then, when the Marquis of Chengen insisted on marrying a merchant's daughter despite all dissuasion, others had judged him with these exact words.

Yet, what was wrong with being money-grubbing?

Back then, had it not been for her mother exhausting the family fortune to stockpile provisions and military equipment, her father Xie Zhen'an might have perished at the border long ago.

Money, after all, was sometimes far more useful than political power.

"Marquis, Wan'er still has some private savings; she can just compensate the Crown Princess with those." Seeing the Marquis of Chengen's brows knit tighter and tighter as he flipped through the ledger, Lin Wan'er leaned close to his side with calculated affection and whispered softly.

Her gaze flickered, brimming with tender concern.

The Marquis of Chengen sighed, raised a hand to stroke Lin Wan'er's waist, and said, "What use would your private savings be? Just keep them for yourself."

Lin Wan'er's savings had all been bestowed upon her by him in the first place. The Marquis would never take back property from a concubine, especially something he had given away himself—if word got out, how humiliating would that be?

"The Marquis is truly so good to me." Lin Wan'er smiled demurely, though her waist inadvertently swayed away toward the other side of the Marquis's palm. "Take your time, Marquis; this concubine will be waiting for your next visit."

With that, Lin Wan'er dipped her head slightly in a courteous farewell to the Marquis of Chengen.

These past few days, the affairs of the estate had left the Marquis of Chengen utterly exhausted and frantic. At present, only Lin Wan'er could bring him a sliver of peace and comfort. It was a pity she was with child and unable to soothe and console him as she usually did.

"Mm, this Marquis will come to see you another day." With that, the Marquis of Chengen turned and walked away.

Not until all the people from the Marquis's estate had cleared out did Lin Wan'er's expression return to a cool, detached composure. How could she fail to hear the perfunctory dismissal in the Marquis's words?

"What? Soft-hearted?" Xie Shu walked up behind Lin Wan'er and asked, "Do you truly harbor feelings for him?"

Lin Wan'er shook her head and let out a bitter laugh. "What feelings or affections? For a woman like me, if I didn't put on an act and force smiles to cater to him, how could I possibly survive?"

In truth, back when Lin Wan'er was first kept as a kept mistress by the Marquis of Chengen, her heart had fluttered. Had it not been for the Marquis, she would have had her debut hanged plaque opened that very day—once that red ribbon was unveiled, a pair of painted lips would be tasted by tens of thousands of men. Who would willingly choose that kind of life?

Yet as time wore on, Lin Wan'er had witnessed with her own eyes how women who once served the Marquis were casually discarded and sent to the beds of other nobles. Terrified, she had once asked the Marquis of Chengen, "Marquis, will you one day give me away to someone else?"

And how had the Marquis of Chengen replied?

He had said, "As long as you please me and keep me happy, naturally I will not cast you aside."

Happy?

How long could a man's pleasure possibly last?

Therefore, after that spring breeze of a night, Lin Wan'er had plotted day in and day out on how to officially enter the Marquis's mansion.

Xie Shu cast a glance at Lin Wan'er. The pitiful beauty cut a poignant and sorrowful figure. "Once you give birth to this child, you will never have to cater to anyone ever again."

Disbelieving, Lin Wan'er curved her brows into a smile and said, "Perhaps."

"You must trust me! When I, Xie Shu, give my word, it is always as heavy as a tripod!" Xie Shu patted her chest, looking entirely earnest.

Seeing them standing outside in the cold air chattering away, Lvliu hurried over to invite them inside once the servants had finished tidying up the courtyard and rooms. "The night is deep and the dew is heavy; how can you stand out in the open? Come inside quickly and warm yourselves."

The two of them walked into the inner chamber one after the other.

The warming stove had not gone out. The room was tightly sealed against drafts, and the heavy curtains trapped the heat, making the interior cozy and warm.

Lin Wan'er had been swathed in layers upon layers of clothing, which had already worked up a sweat on her body. As soon as Lvliu had dismissed all the other servants from the room, Xie Shu hurriedly stepped forward to help Lin Wan'er undress, saying, "If not for your help, we truly wouldn't have been able to pull this charade off."

As those layers of garments were peeled away, the pieces of fabric that had been haphazardly sewn together between the folds of the skirts were strained to their limits from walking; the loose stitches were practically bursting apart.

Xie Shu gave a strong, forceful tug with her bare hands, and a wooden box dropped out.

"What is this?" Lin Wan'er had wanted to ask earlier.

Xie Shu picked up the wooden box and wiped it with her sleeve. "Someone's family heirloom, I suppose. We'll return it to him."

"Oh." Seeing Xie Shu cradle the object in her arms with utmost care, Lin Wan'er wisely asked no further questions.

To her, remaining ignorant of certain matters was the best way to preserve one's life.

"Lvliu, quickly escort Concubine Lin back to her quarters to rest. Make sure she isn't overworked." Xie Shu instructed someone to accompany Lin Wan'er back.

Left entirely alone in the room, Xie Shu carefully drew out the painting to examine it. Yet she looked at it left and right, top to bottom, and could discern nothing extraordinary about it.

Wait—Xie Shu suddenly flipped herself up from the bed, picked the painting up, and scrutinized it closely against the candle flame.

The paper of this painting seemed somewhat thicker than usual?

Never mind, this item had to be smuggled out somehow tomorrow.

Keeping it for even a single day meant living in fear for a single day.

Over at the Chengen Courtyard.

Madam Li had just woken up when she saw her husband's personal valet reporting from outside.

"Marquis, is there something you need?" Madam Li hurried out to the outer hall and asked eagerly.

The valet handed over a ledger. "Reporting to Madam, the Marquis says this is the debt incurred to the Crown Princess last night. He requests that Madam tally the accounts from the storehouse and settle it."

"What!" Madam Li's face froze in utter shock. Settle the debt? Settle the debt owed to that little vixen Xie Shu? "What debt?!"

Stammering, the valet replied, "They say... they say that while searching for intruders last night, they smashed quite a few items bestowed upon the Crown Princess by His Majesty. If this isn't compensated, they fear His Majesty might lay the blame, and that would spell disaster."

Upon hearing this, Madam Li felt a sharp pain pierce her head once more!

She opened the ledger to take a look and nearly fainted on the spot. So much money! Where on earth was she supposed to find the funds to pay this back?!