0p0 Chapter 6 Slapping
Chapter 6 Slapping
Xu Biyun's heart sank instantly; this brat was really going to settle scores with her one by one!
Her body involuntarily leaned backward, and if Liu Wan'er hadn't been there to catch her, she would have definitely taken a hard fall.
When Zhao the tailor was called back, he saw the women of the Qiao family gathered together. In front of them stood a Shu embroidery screen with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, and behind it, a graceful figure could be vaguely seen. He knew that it must be the eldest daughter of the Qiao family.
They hurriedly kowtowed and bowed. Qiao Qingshu sat in a round-backed chair and asked softly through the screen.
"Zhao Tailor, you're an old acquaintance of our family. Let me ask you, how much silver did my aunt promise to pay you for coming here today?"
Xu Biyun, who was standing to the side, winked and gave him a series of hints, but Zhao the tailor didn't dare to look up.
He kowtowed and confessed everything in detail.
“Aunt Xu is an old acquaintance, so I won’t overstate it. I’ll just give you 160 taels of silver.”
The room erupted in an uproar. Xu Biyun had just confidently said three hundred taels, and that was a price she had negotiated with her friends until she was hoarse.
So they really did falsify the accounts!
Making money off the dead? That's truly despicable!
The aunties immediately frowned deeply, and their gazes toward Xu Biyun became increasingly disgusted.
Lai Da returned from inquiring about prices at the shops outside and reported that the prices were almost half lower than those on Xu Biyun's receipt.
After this ordeal, Liu Wan'er was so ashamed that her face turned red and she couldn't lift her head. She had long told her mother to cut back on her embezzlement, but her mother wouldn't listen. She assumed that Qiao Qingshu was a young girl and wouldn't understand these things, so she embezzled nearly half of the money and had someone write fake receipts to fool her.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Qingshu, though no one had ever managed a household, was not someone who could be easily fooled.
The clan aunt standing nearby pointed and whispered at Xu Biyun, her face full of disdain.
"What kind of person is this! The Qiao family provided them with good food and drink, yet they still embezzled the Qiao family's funeral money. They are truly heartless!"
"And she calls herself a cousin's wife, pretending to be so affectionate towards the second wife, but she turns out to be such a black-hearted and heartless thing, it's disgusting."
Xu Biyun had wanted to take credit, but now she was being criticized behind her back by everyone. She felt extremely ashamed, but couldn't find any words to retort. She was both angry and indignant.
Qiao Qingshu sat in a round-backed chair, held a Fulu Ru kiln teacup, took a small sip of tea, and then spoke softly.
“Aunt, my mother has always treated you well. Now that you know the Qiao family is in debt and the old lady only allowed eight hundred taels for the funeral expenses, you are still trying to find ways to embezzle money from the Qiao family. Tell me, what are you thinking?”
Everyone present was stunned.
What?! Eight hundred taels?!
Old Madam Qiao only allowed eight hundred taels for Bai's funeral!?
The aunts and wives in the clan all looked at each other in disbelief; this news was even more shocking than Xu Biyun's greed for money.
Nowadays, when a proper wife dies in the Qiao family clan, she receives at least three thousand taels of silver. Yet, a prominent family like the Marquis of Yongchang only gives the Bai family eight hundred taels!
"What does Old Madam Qiao mean by this? Is she trying to appease a beggar with this little bit of money? This is the daughter of the Bai family of the Duke's Mansion, how dare she?"
"That's right, this old lady is probably senile. She's treating the dead so badly. If word gets out, won't it bring shame to the Marquis's mansion? How will the second master of the Qiao family hold his head high in the officialdom?"
"Oh dear, I heard that her family spent 50,000 taels of silver on a ritual to change their fortune. How can they be so harsh on the Bai family? This old lady is really unreasonable."
Looking at the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, Qiao Qingshu felt very satisfied and at ease.
In her past life, Qiao Qingshu put the reputation of the Qiao family first, silently swallowing all the bitterness. She would use her own money to cover the deficit in the accounts, not wanting the Qiao family to lose face in front of outsiders. As the eldest daughter of the Qiao family, she always put the Qiao family first. In the end, she and her mother were both schemed against and humiliated, and died tragically in their secluded chambers!
She wouldn't be so foolish now. If she's broke, she'll just spill the beans and make everyone lose face.
She slowly circled her slender index finger around the rim of the cup, casually addressing the crowd.
"Don't laugh at me, my aunts, but the old lady has only given me three hundred taels. If I don't keep a close eye on things, I'm afraid that before my mother's seventh day after death, the money will be spent by this heartless cousin."
Xu Biyun was very unhappy to be scolded like this by a junior. At this moment, she disregarded her pride and stood up to retort sharply.
“Young lady, don’t act like a mistress in front of me. I am your elder, after all. I work hard for you, shouldn’t I get some benefits in return? Although you are temporarily in charge now, you don’t have the final say. I will report to the old lady later, and I will accept the punishment as it is due.”
Aunt Chen chimed in,
“Young lady, your aunt is an elder, you should at least show her some respect.”
Qiao Qingshu glared at Aunt Chen with her narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes and coldly rebuked her.
"When the master is speaking, do you have the right to interrupt?"
Qiao Qingshu was always dignified and composed, and never showed any displeasure to servants or concubines. Therefore, everyone in the Marquis's mansion thought that Miss Qiao was kind and easy to talk to.
This glare, cold and solemn, was truly rare, and it made Aunt Chen tremble and dare not utter another word.
With her eyes narrowed, Qiao Qingshu suppressed the overwhelming hatred in them and raised her hand to angrily rebuke Xu Biyun.
"Seeing that you're a relative and a bit older, I've treated you with the respect due to a distant cousin. But you've forgotten who you are. After being in the Qiao family for so many years, you probably think you're the master. I'm just a distant relative staying here, and I've taken advantage of your kindness. You even dared to embezzle my mother's funeral expenses. You say I can't make decisions? Today, I'll show you whether I can or not!"
With a gentle wave of his hand, several servants who had been waiting outside the door immediately rushed forward, grabbed Xu Biyun's hands and feet, and forced her to kneel on the ground.
Qiao Qingshu sat reclining in the armchair and gave the order in a cold voice.
"Aunt Gui, please teach her some manners!"
Mama Gui was Bai's wet nurse who came with her as part of her dowry. She had been with Bai since the Duke's mansion and was completely devoted to her. When she learned that Xu Biyun had embezzled Bai's funeral money, she had been standing aside, already seething with hatred. Upon hearing this, she immediately rushed forward and slapped the shameless bastard in front of her with both hands, wishing she could kill him.
Xu Biyun was beaten until she saw stars, her mouth was full of blood, and she was crying and screaming for her parents, looking extremely disheveled.
A surge of excitement welled up in Qiao Qingshu's heart, and a feeling of joy rose in her chest. It should have been like this a long time ago!
In her past life, she was too concerned with appearances and respect, and repeatedly softened her heart and tolerated these despicable people who did not deserve tolerance, which allowed these despicable people to ride roughshod over her and her daughter.
We should have taken decisive action long ago to deter these scoundrels. Blindly showing mercy will only invite them to take advantage of us!
Upon seeing this, Liu Wan'er rushed forward to protect her mother, but was dragged away by the servant.
The informants at Fushou Hall immediately reported to Old Madam Qiao, and soon everyone was summoned to Fushou Hall.
Xu Biyun, as if grasping at a straw, threw herself at Old Madam Qiao's bedside with her face covered in blood, crying and accusing Qiao Qingshu of abusing her.
"Madam, save me! The eldest young lady is trying to kill me! Look at my face, she's slapped me like this! I'm an elder, yet she dared to lay a hand on me and try to kill me! I really have no chance of survival! Madam, you must do me justice!"