If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

There are plenty of nice houses in Jiankang, but most of the best ones are already taken.

In recent years, some officials have had their homes confiscated and been exiled, which has freed up a number of houses in good locations.

Master Li, whom Madam Wang invited, examined the feng shui and pointed to a map of Jiankang City, saying, "This place faces south, backed by mountains and in front of water, and has a proper airflow. It is truly an excellent residence."

"If my aunt can move here, everything will go smoothly and her family will be harmonious."

Although Wang Yun didn't really believe in these things, everyone wants to do things for a good omen.

Better is always better than worse.

"In that case, summon the broker immediately. We'll go see the house after breakfast."

The old lady hurriedly said, "What's the rush? This is your home. What's wrong with staying a few more days? Why are you in such a hurry to move out?"

"Mother, I am not someone who does not understand human relationships. Now all my brothers have married wives, and each of them has children. I am a guest if I stay for a day or two, but if I stay for a long time, how can I not be disliked?"

The old lady's eyes reddened as she spoke, "What are you saying? You came from this family, does that mean you're no longer my daughter just because you're married?"

Wang Yun knew her mother was worried about her. "Mother, you know the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt.' Only if I am discerning can I gain respect from my brothers and sisters-in-law and have the confidence to arrange my Yu Rong's marriage."

Madam Wang sighed, "Alright, whatever you say."

After having breakfast with the old lady, Wang Yun and her daughter Xu Yurong took a car to the brokerage firm.

The broker brought out the map of the house the Taoist priest had pointed to.

Xu Yurong glanced at it, and her beautiful brows furrowed. "Mother, this house isn't even as nice as my uncle's average courtyard. It's only natural for a widowed woman to return to her parents' home for the night. Why are you..."

Wang Yun had just finished arguing with her mother and didn't have the energy to argue with her daughter anymore. "You'll understand in time," she said.

There are two houses that match what the Taoist priest said, located in Qingxi and Qinhuai River respectively.

Given that the Qinhuai River was adjacent to brothels and that she had a young, unmarried woman by her side, Wang Yun chose the former for the sake of her reputation.

The broker was overjoyed at the prospect of receiving his payment and led the two noblemen to inspect the house in person. If they were satisfied, they could sign the contract and pay the deposit that day.

The three-courtyard complex, though small, is fully equipped with pavilions, terraces, flowers, birds, and groves.

Wang Yun nodded repeatedly: "I think it looks good, this one will do..."

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Song, the owner of the brokerage firm, came panting and bowed apologetically: "Madam Wang, I'm so sorry, it was the negligence of the shop assistant. This house has already been reserved, and we shouldn't have brought anyone to see it. Please, I'm so sorry. Here's what we'll do: whichever house you like, I'll reduce your fee by 30%."

Wang Yun had already planned out how to arrange every corner, so she was unwilling to do it after hearing this.

"What's wrong with you, my employer? I finally found a house I liked, and you come here to tell me this?"

"I don't care, I can give you all the silver today. Don't worry about those people, just sell it to me."

Master Song was on the verge of tears. "Auntie, you are a noble lady of high status. Please don't make things difficult for us beggars. We are not to be trifled with."

Wang Yun scoffed, "Go and talk to those people. Tell them to give up the house. I can give them a generous reward. I don't believe anyone in the world would dare to disrespect the Langya Wang family."

Mr. Song opened his mouth.

"Why not? Who is this person?"

Master Song rubbed his hands together. "To be honest, Madam, the other party is a young lady from the Xi family of Gaoping."

Wang Yun paused, then scoffed, "So what? Among the aristocratic families, who can stand shoulder to shoulder with ours? I don't believe they'd dare disobey if you went to tell them."

Even among aristocratic families, there are three ranks, and who would dare to compete with the Wang family for anything?

The landlord was caught in a dilemma, as everything is done on a first-come, first-served basis.

This aunt is really quite unreasonable.

Servant: "Master, if we're destined to offend one side, we'll definitely choose the strongest one to cling to. We can't afford to offend the Wang family."

The landlord gritted his teeth and let it go. He'd been plagued by bad luck ever since.

At worst, we can just pay to avoid further trouble.

The owner, surnamed Song, summoned the employee who had originally dealt with the Xi family and asked him to go to their house to apologize and explain the reason.

When Xi Lingxian heard that the broker had come to her door, she assumed he was there to collect the final payment, so she quickly asked Taozhi to bring her some silver notes and also prepared a red envelope for the broker.

Unexpectedly, the broker's first words after greeting her infuriated her.

"I was the one who set my sights on this house first, and we even signed the contract. Why should I give it to her just because she likes it?"

Xi Song chimed in, "Exactly! Aren't you brokers bullying people? How can you show a house you've already booked to someone else?"

The broker kept apologizing: "I'm so sorry, Miss Xi. It was really an oversight on the part of the shop's staff who forgot to take out the map of this house, which is why other customers also..."

"Our master said that if you're willing to give up your place, he'll find you another good house. He won't charge you any wages, and Madam Wang also said she's willing to give you more money."

"I'm not short of money. My family finally found a place we liked, who would want to give it up?"

The broker was on the verge of tears, pleading, "Miss Xi, please don't make things difficult for me."

Xi Lingxian waved her hand, "I won't make things difficult for you. Go and tell your employer that Madam Wang that I won't allow it! I signed the contract first, so even if it goes to the authorities, the Wang family is in the wrong."

"That's true, but if I may be so bold, is the young lady truly willing to risk offending the Wang family?"

If these words had been spoken in her previous life, Xi Lingxian might have been genuinely frightened and, in order to avoid causing trouble for her father and brothers, would have reluctantly given in.

She'll live another lifetime; she'll have grown up!

Among the aristocratic families, self-interest reigns supreme. Whom they befriend or fall out with has absolutely no bearing on the petty squabbles among the women in their inner quarters.

When the tide turns and the two families unite to dominate the world, even if the other party has a blood feud with him for killing his wife and children, he must not hesitate to be ruthless in the face of a small mistake that could ruin his grand plan.

Wang Yun used this excuse to scare the naive little girl.

"No way!"

"You should tell your boss to tell the Wang family directly not to make things difficult for the brokerage firm. If they have any complaints, they can come to me and I'll have a word with them."

The broker hesitated for a long time, "But Madam Wang said she's willing to give you silver as compensation."

Xi Song also got angry. The more he listened, the more he felt that it was their family's fault for not agreeing.

"We won't budge on this no matter the price. We bought this house because we have a great purpose in it. We finally found a suitable one, and we won't take responsibility for your inexplicable mistakes."

The Wang family of Langya was incredibly wealthy, and the Xi family was no less so.

That little bit of money wasn't even enough for his sister to send the servants running errands.

The broker went back to relay the message to his employer, who then relayed the same message to Wang Yun.

"Well, so even a member of the Xi clan is getting into trouble in front of our Wang family?"

Wang Yun considered herself to have a pretty good temper, but she was a little annoyed at this moment.

She didn't bully or act unreasonably; she was reasonable and willing to compensate the other party.

Why be so petty?

Madam Wang lay half asleep in bed, saying, "You, you go and talk to Erlang, and ask him to stand up for you."

"The most important thing when buying a house is feng shui. The Taoist priest said that there is no house in Jiankang with better feng shui than this one."

Wang Yun had only recently returned to Jiankang, and it was precisely the time when she needed to establish her authority and prove to outsiders that she, a widowed daughter who had come to rely on her maternal family, also had a certain voice and status. Hearing the old lady say this, she agreed.

It's just a small matter anyway; either the elder brother or the nephew could easily defeat the other party with a single word.

She had only recently returned to her parents' home; they wouldn't refuse her this small favor.

……

In the evening, Wang Jue, wearing a long robe, reviewed documents under the lamp.

The Shen family's files were piled up like a small mountain. The conflicts of interest among the Jiangdong aristocratic families were a tangled mess, and the Wang family, as a family of immigrants, could not get too involved.

The way of the gentry is to maintain balance.

Finding the right balance is the most troublesome part.

"Young master, your aunt has arrived. She says she has something urgent to discuss with you."

Upon hearing the voice, Wang Jue lazily lifted his eyelids and said, "Please invite Aunt in."

In this world, filial piety is paramount.

Even members of the Langya Wang clan must not disrespect their elders or be unfilial to their parents.

"My good nephew, you must avenge your aunt."

Wang Jue pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aunt, what makes you say such a thing? Is there anyone in the Wang residence who would dare to disrespect you?"

"If it's not inside the mansion, then it's outside."

Wang Jue chuckled, "Who dares to be so bold? Tell me, and I'll avenge my aunt."

Wang Yun began to complain, "Your grandmother kindly consulted a Taoist priest to divine the feng shui and chose an excellent house for me. But when it came time to pay the deposit and sign the contract, the shopkeeper said that the house had already been reserved. Erlang, you know that your grandmother is a believer in feng shui and such. It's not easy to find a suitable place. I didn't intend to bully them at first. I was just trying to get them to give it to us by paying them extra money. But they are stubborn and don't give any face to the Langya Wang family. They even told me not to make things difficult for the broker and to confront them if anything happened."

"Good nephew, look at this. To put it mildly, this is disrespecting me. To put it more seriously, it's disregarding the Langya Wang clan."

"My aunt has just returned to Jiankang. If she starts to be humiliated now, what place will I have left in the future? You must stand up for her!"

The gentry had good customs, but naturally there were also bad ones.

Even Wang Jue was no exception.

As members of the Langya Wang clan, they were born with arrogance and pride.

Wang Shi not only gave him her seat in the house, but also offered him extra money, which was a great show of respect.

Who is so ungrateful?

With this mindset, coupled with the fact that his aunt rarely spoke up, Wang Jue could not ignore it.

"Who is so ungrateful? Tell me, Aunt, and I'll send someone to negotiate. I'll make sure Aunt's wish is fulfilled."

Wang Yun knew her nephew wouldn't turn his back on his own aunt; "He truly is a good nephew of his aunt."

"It's the Xi family who live in Qingxi. I heard that their eldest daughter was in charge of buying this house."

Wang Jue: "..."