Volume 1, Chapter 58: Scheming Against Her? She Just Refuses to Fall for It!

Inside the Aloeswood Courtyard.

Lady Li was leisurely basking in the sun. The mere thought that Xie Shu would definitely have to fork out those three thousand taels today left her feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Bring me another bowl of pigeon soup to clear away the inner heat." Since Lady Li was in a good mood, her appetite was naturally excellent as well.

Yet, a shout from Ma Changgui gave Lady Li a sudden start! She sat straight up with a start, panicked and flustered as she demanded, "What did you just say! Who is here to collect a debt?!"

"The Heir's Wife has brought Shopkeeper Li here. I asked Shopkeeper Li, and the final payment has not been paid by the Heir's Wife at all!" Ma Changgui knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, terrified that Lady Li would blame him for his mishandling of the task.

Lady Li panted heavily, gasping for air. "How is that possible? Cuiping Workshop never sells anything on credit!"

Nanny Liu stroked Lady Li's chest to soothe her, glared at her son, and asked sternly, "Weren't you told to keep an eye on things? You couldn't even handle a small task like this!"

"Yes, it is this son's fault. When I saw Shopkeeper Li delivering the goods in person, I assumed the matter was already settled! Who would have thought..." Ma Changgui slapped himself across the face. "I was blind! I was deaf!"

"Enough!" Nanny Liu could not help feeling a pang of heartache for him. "What is the use of saying all this now? Quickly go and stop them at the entrance. Just say that the Madam is ill and receiving no visitors for the time being, and let the Heir's Wife deal with it herself."

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll go right away!" Receiving Nanny Liu's instructions, Ma Changgui scrambled to his feet and scurried toward the outer courtyard, half-running and half-stumbling.

Yet before he had taken two steps, he abruptly dodged sideways, taking cover beside the moon gate.

"Mother is ill? Then we must quickly summon a physician to have a look." Xie Shu stepped across the courtyard threshold, a mocking smile playing across her face.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Lady Li immediately let out a reprimanding scold, "Pui! You harbinger of bad luck, you omen of misfortune! Whether I am ill or not is none of your concern."

Shopkeeper Li was following right behind Xie Shu. Having just stepped through the gate only to hear Lady Li heap abuse upon Xie Shu, his heart tightened. These two women were certainly at severe odds with each other!

"Such a way with words. As a daughter-in-law, I ought to show some concern for you. Otherwise, wouldn't that be violating the Seven Grounds for Divorce?" Xie Shu waved her hand, her words dripping with feigned solicitude, before abruptly shifting her tone. "However, my marriage was bestowed by the Emperor himself. Even if I were to commit one of the seven grounds, the two of us are destined to remain family."

"Even if one day a crime were committed that brings the ruin of our clan and the execution of our entire household, I would surely accompany the Marquis of Chengen's Estate down to the Yellow Springs." Xie Shu lifted the hem of her skirt and took two steps forward, clearing the path so that Shopkeeper Li could carry the white jade Buddha statue into the inner precincts of the Aloeswood Courtyard.

The Empress Dowager was a devout believer in Buddhism, and this year, for the sake of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor had even ordered the reconstruction of a Buddhist shrine within the palace. Lady Li had hoped to seize this opportunity to distinguish herself and make a grand impression.

It was just that... the cost was indeed heavy.

Though the money could be paid, parting with it certainly stung the flesh.

"Shut your crow's mouth!" Lady Li roared, her voice nearly cracking at the pitch.

Shopkeeper Li felt his ears ring from the shout, and it was only then that he realized he had likely been hoodwinked by Xie Shu; the Marchioness of Chengen had clearly intended all along to saddle Xie Shu with the final payment.

Ah, he should have given in less to his greed earlier and insisted that Xie Shu pay the balance in full on the spot!

Yet now, they had already stepped inside the Marquis of Chengen's Estate.

If he failed to collect the final payment today, how could he continue to do business in the future?

Once this precedent was broken, there would be no going back.

"Marchioness, please catch your breath for a moment." Shopkeeper Li stepped forward, drew the receipt from his sleeve, and handed it to Lady Li. "Here is the deposit slip, and we have personally escorted this Longevity Buddha safely to your estate. I kindly ask that you settle the remaining balance."

Lady Li glanced at the deposit slip but did not take it. Instead, she recoiled slightly, refusing even to look at Shopkeeper Li, and simply declared, "For the final payment, go collect it from her."

"The Marchioness certainly has a thick skin. A birthday gift presented by the Marquis of Chengen's Estate to the Empress Dowager—yet since your estate lacks the funds, you stoop to scheming against your own daughter-in-law's money! Among all the imperial relatives and nobles in the capital, none would ever commit an act as shameless as yours." Xie Shu offered a pair of sarcastic remarks, showing no intention whatsoever of paying.

"You married into the Marquis of Chengen's Estate, which makes you a person of this household. Since the Empress Dowager is the Marquis's paternal aunt, she is naturally your grand-aunt as well. This money is properly yours to spend, to express a modicum of filial piety." Lady Li's words carried a deeper implication, openly and covertly pressing Xie Shu to foot the bill.

To speak truly, the Empress Dowager was merely a distant, three-thousand-li-removed paternal aunt of the Marquis. If not for the stroke of fortune old Marquis Chengen had caught years ago when he took an arrow meant for the late Emperor, the Ning family probably would not even have been able to remain in the capital.

Yet Xie Shu could not be bothered to entertain such cliché tactics. She glanced at Lady Li with utter contempt, then turned to Shopkeeper Li and said, "Why don't you hurry up and show this Buddha statue to the Marchioness?"

Receiving the cue, Shopkeeper Li promptly motioned for his men to carry the Buddha statue forward and present it right before Lady Li. "Marchioness, please take a look at this Longevity Buddha. Flawless white jade, utterly peerless! Even if you were to search the entire Great Yan, you would never find a second one."

Since this was, after all, a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager, nothing could be allowed to go amiss.

Hearing this, Lady Li finally cast aside her pride. She stepped closer and examined the piece carefully for a moment. Indeed, the craftsmanship was exquisite—a rare masterpiece indeed!

"Not bad," Lady Li nodded.

"The goods have been inspected," Xie Shu struck while the iron was hot, turning to Shopkeeper Li. "Shopkeeper Li, then you must quickly ask the Marchioness to settle the account!"

What did that mean? Was that just her inspecting the goods?

It was only then that Lady Li realized she had been tricked. She hurriedly tried to deny it flatly, "I was merely taking a couple of glances just now; I was not inspecting the goods."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Li's expression changed instantly. "Marchioness, we previously drew up a formal contract stating that the final balance must be paid in full prior to delivery! I have specially brought the piece right to your doorstep today, and with an attitude like yours, are you attempting to tear up the agreement?"

Under the laws of Great Yan, a party in breach of contract was required to pay triple the deposit—which amounted to a staggering two thousand four hundred taels!

Lady Li's expression grew heavy. How could she possibly tear up the agreement? This item was meant for the Empress Dowager!

Xie Shu urged once more, "I ask that Mother quickly settle the account; otherwise, if word gets out, it will cause others to think our Marquis's Estate is impoverished!"

Lady Li's face turned green, then pale, then green again, shifting through a remarkably colorful spectrum of hues.

"Besides, when I returned to the estate just now, everyone along the road saw and heard that our Marquis's Estate had specially commissioned a Buddha statue as a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager!" Xie Shu pointed toward Ma Changgui. "Tell me, wasn't the entire capital practically made aware of it just now?"

Having been singled out by name, Ma Changgui had no choice but to brace himself. He knelt before Lady Li to answer, "Just now... indeed, everyone heard it."

"How could you let everyone know about this?!" Lady Li was driven to fury!

"Since this jade Buddha was to be delivered to the estate, naturally we had to be cautious. Fearing that someone might jostle it, I made sure to have people stand guard right in front of the carriage, shouting at the top of their lungs the entire way, so that we could bring the jade Buddha safely to the Marquis's Estate." Without waiting for Ma Changgui to reply, Xie Shu seized the conversation, deliberately letting Lady Li know that she had done so by design.

Watching Lady Li look as though she were about to faint from rage, Xie Shu felt a wave of profound satisfaction wash over her.

"Marchioness, what about this final payment?" Seeing that Lady Li looked ready to collapse, Shopkeeper Li hastily stepped forward to steady her with a supporting hand, while urgently pressing for the debt.

"She will pay this money!" Lady Li clutched her handkerchief tightly, pointing a trembling finger at Xie Shu as she hissed viciously, "Xie Shu, I am offering you this opportunity to make a name for yourself before the Empress Dowager. Do not throw away your chance to be gracious!"

"Oh, what a coincidence then, for I have never once desired to show my face before the Empress Dowager!" Xie Shu blurted out unceremoniously, splashing a basin of cold water directly over Lady Li. Who in their right mind would want to cozy up to the Empress Dowager?

Did she really think she could manipulate her simply by invoking the name of the Empress Dowager, forcing her to swallow a bitter pill in silence?

Regrettably, this was one trap she simply had no desire to step into!

"The jade Buddha has been delivered. If Mother has no wish to settle the final payment, the worst that can happen is that we shall trouble Shopkeeper Li to take it back with him."

Just as Xie Shu reached the halfway point of her sentence, Shopkeeper Li raised a hand to interrupt her. "Ah... this..."

"However," Xie Shu made a gesture for him to hold his horses, waving a hand as she continued, "we passed several official madams on the road just now, and they all witnessed with their own eyes that the Marquis's Estate had prepared this grand gift."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Li finally let out a sigh of relief. A thought struck him, and he turned to Lady Li. "Marchioness, you are a regular patron of our shop. Really now, if the Marquis's Estate truly lacks the silver to settle the account, then I shall simply take this jade Buddha back and sell it to someone else."

With that, Shopkeeper Li raised both hands, signaling his men to pick up the piece and prepare to leave.

"No, no, no!" Lady Li panicked instantly. The official madams of the capital were notorious gossips; if this jade Buddha were not delivered, the reputation of the Marquis's Estate would be utterly dragged through the mud!

Seeing Xie Shu standing off to the side with a leisurely expression, looking as though she were waiting to watch a good show, Lady Li finally gritted her teeth, turned to Nanny Liu, and whispered instructions, "Go to the vault and fetch three thousand taels."

"Yes." Nanny Liu sighed inwardly. As she left, she glared fiercely at Ma Changgui—it was all the fault of this blockhead!

Having received a glare from his own mother, Ma Changgui felt a sudden pang of guilt. Lowering his head and shrinking his shoulders, he slunk off to the side.

"Madam, here are the three thousand taels." Nanny Liu handed the stack of silver notes to Lady Li.

No sooner had Lady Li received them into her hands than Shopkeeper Li hurried over, drew the settlement receipt from his sleeve, handed it across, and deftly snatched the silver notes away with a broad smile. "Marchioness, then our accounts are settled and the goods delivered."

"Let's go, we still have the shop to tend to back home!" Having secured the silver notes and fearing that Lady Li might go back on her word, Shopkeeper Li briskly led his men away.

Watching Lady Li's hands clenched so tightly that the veins stood out, Xie Shu triumphantly smoothed her sleeves. Glancing at the sky, she gloated, "An estate as grand as this one always has endless need of funds. You've truly worked hard, Mother; I suppose you even had to dip into your own private savings to cover this."

"You little wretch, do not gloat so soon! There will come a day when you trip and fall!" Lady Li spat out, her eyes bulging with fury.

"I am only afraid you may not live to see that day." Xie Shu curled the corners of her lips, her deep gaze concealing an endless well of hatred. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Since Mother has such deep pockets, you should hire a few more physicians to properly examine Ning Rongsheng."

She took a few steps forward, closing the distance until she stood right before Lady Li, before adding with a look of feigned pity, "After all, a useless cripple can hardly remain the Heir."