A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

When Aunt Liu was summoned to Qixia Courtyard, she was filled with anxiety.

She had just heard that the rumors had spread far and wide, even the old woman selling tofu at the alley entrance was gossiping about the third young lady of the Duke's mansion. This was faster and more ruthless than she had anticipated. She had only wanted to give Yun Shuwei a little fright so that she would miss her chance to enter the palace, but she hadn't expected things to escalate to this extent.

But now that things have come to this, there's no turning back.

Entering the main room, Aunt Liu saw Madam Wang sitting upright in the main seat, brewing tea. The blue-and-white porcelain tea set was brought back from Jiangnan by the Duke last year, and it was worth over a hundred taels of silver. Madam Wang's movements were unhurried, the water gurgled softly, and the aroma of tea wafted gently.

"Madam," Aunt Liu curtsied, a smile plastered on her face, "You summoned me?"

"Sit down." Madam Wang didn't look up, but pointed to the chair below her.

Aunt Liu sat down uneasily. Besides the two of them, only Granny Wu stood behind Madam Wang with her hands at her sides. The doors and windows were closed, making the room somewhat dim.

Wang finally finished brewing the tea and pushed a cup in front of Aunt Liu: "Try it, it's freshly arrived pre-Qingming Longjing tea."

Aunt Liu picked up the teacup, her hand trembling slightly. She took a sip, but couldn't taste anything at all.

"There's been some gossip going around these past few days," Madam Wang said, picking up her teacup and gently blowing on it. "Have you heard anything about Wanwan?"

Aunt Liu's heart tightened, and she hurriedly said, "I've been in the courtyard all day and haven't heard anything about it..."

"Oh?" Madam Wang looked up at her, her eyes calm. "But I heard that Chunxing from your courtyard went to the rice shop in the west of the city three times a few days ago."

Aunt Liu's teacup wobbled, and tea spilled out.

"Madam, you're joking. Chunxing is just going to get medicine for her mother."

"The rice shop in the west of the city also sells medicinal herbs?" Madam Wang interrupted her, a faint smile playing on her lips. "This is the first time I've heard of such a thing."

Aunt Liu's face turned pale.

Madam Wang put down her teacup, took a piece of paper from her sleeve, and gently pushed it over. Aunt Liu looked down and saw it was a copy of a promissory note, clearly bearing the name of her nephew. The loan was for fifty taels of silver, and the collateral was a small shop on West Street. The loan date was the fifteenth of last month.

"This, this is..." Aunt Liu's voice trembled.

"Your nephew owes gambling debts, and he can't pay them back, so he came up with this idea." Madam Wang's voice was soft, but it was like a needle pricking. "Aunt Liu, you've been in this household for seventeen years, and I always thought you were a law-abiding person."

Aunt Liu knelt down with a thud: "Madam, please see the truth! I'm innocent! This IOU... I knew nothing about this IOU!"

"You didn't know?" Madam Wang took another piece of paper from Granny Wu's hand. "What about this? On the 20th of last month, you withdrew eighty taels of silver from the accounting office, saying it was for your mother's birthday. But your mother passed away three years ago."

The room was eerily quiet. Aunt Liu knelt on the ground, trembling all over, unable to utter a single word.

Wang stood up, walked to her, and looked down at her: "Old Zhao has already confessed. You promised him one hundred taels of silver, and after it's done, you'd send him and his son out of the city. You'd also send someone to pay off the fifty taels of gambling debt."

"Madam..." Aunt Liu clutched at the hem of Madam Wang's skirt, tears welling up in her eyes. "I was confused for a moment... I only... I only wanted to frighten the Third Miss a little, I didn't mean to harm her! That bandit... I instructed that the bandit was just to scare her, he would never dare to actually..."

"Absolutely not?" Madam Wang squatted down, pinched Aunt Liu's chin, and forced her to raise her head. "Are you stupid, Aunt Liu? What kind of people are bandits? If they see an official's daughter and harbor evil intentions, what wouldn't they do? If something really happens to Weiwei, do you think you can get away with it?"

Aunt Liu cried so hard she couldn't speak.

Wang released her grip, wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, and sat back down in the main seat: "Tell me, what benefits did the second wife promise you?"

Aunt Liu collapsed to the ground, knowing that she could no longer hide anything.

"The Second Madam said... that once the Fourth Miss enters the palace and gains the favor of a noble person, she will help my nephew find a job in the government office..." Her voice was hoarse. "My nephew is good-for-nothing, he's drowning in debt, and I really have no other choice..."

After listening, Wang remained silent for a long time.

"I have already paid off your nephew's debts," she suddenly said.

Aunt Liu was stunned.

"That shop has been redeemed too." Madam Wang looked at her. "Now, you owe me one hundred and thirty taels. And—you owe Weiwei justice."

Aunt Liu stared blankly at Madam Wang, not understanding what she meant.

"I want you to do two things." Madam Wang held up two fingers. "First, go to the old lady and repeat exactly what you said to me today. Remember, only talk about your own part; don't mention a single word about the second branch of the family."

Aunt Liu's lips trembled: "Then, what if the old lady asks..."

"Just say you were bewitched, wanting to find a way out for your nephew, and after being egged on by some thugs, you came up with this stupid plan." Madam Wang said calmly, "As for who these thugs are, you don't know either; the money was all given through a middleman."

"And the second thing?" Aunt Liu asked in a trembling voice.

Wang took a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and placed it on the table: "This contains a potion to make you mute. Pick a time and have Old Zhao drink it."

Aunt Liu gasped.

"Don't worry, he won't die," Wang said. "He just won't be able to speak or write anymore. I'll arrange for his son to work on the estate; he won't starve."

The room fell silent again. The sun outside the window gradually slanted westward, and the light grew dimmer.

Aunt Liu stared at the porcelain vase for a very long time. Finally, she kowtowed deeply: "This humble servant... obeys."

"Get up," said Madam Wang. "Wipe your tears and straighten your clothes. If you go out like this, everyone will know there's something wrong."

Aunt Liu stood up shakily, wiped her face with her sleeve, and tidied her sideburns.

"Remember," Madam Wang concluded, "after you've done this, as long as you behave yourself in the household, I will guarantee you a life of comfort and security. But if you ever harbor any further disloyalty—"

She didn't finish speaking, but Aunt Liu understood.

After Aunt Liu left, Granny Wu asked in a low voice, "Madam, are you really going to let the second branch of the family and Aunt Liu off like this?"

Looking out the window at the gradually darkening sky, Wang said softly, "What's the rush? You have to eat one bite at a time, and settle accounts one by one."

She stood up: "Let's go to the old lady's. It's time to get justice for Weiwei."

Granny Wu hurriedly followed. When they reached the door, Madam Wang suddenly stopped and looked back at the small porcelain bottle on the table.

"Keep it safe," she said. "You might need it someday."