A Say in the Matter
Xu Xi was different; he displayed all his emotions openly; he said what he needed directly; and he spoke his mind frankly.
However, she was also intelligent and had a great sense of the big picture. She could see the movements of the entire court, analyze the situation of the Marquis's mansion, and make overall considerations for the mansion. Thinking about it carefully, her analysis was all spot on. Maybe things would really develop as she said, which made people want to do something just in case.
This intelligence, wisdom, strategic vision, political acumen, and concern for the well-being of the entire Marquis's household—these qualities were not even present in the meticulously raised heir Zhao Jingli, yet they were found in Xu Xi, who grew up in the countryside.
If such a child were truly born to Lady Zhu, the old lady would naturally be overjoyed; this joy would even overshadow the frustration brought on by the division of the family property. However, if it were proven that Xu Xi was born to Lady Wei...
Thinking of this, the old lady sighed deeply: then she could only accept her fate.
The children of the concubines in the Marquis's mansion are all better than those of the legitimate children. What more can the legitimate children ask for than a life free from want and with peace of mind?
In truth, being able to live a life free from worries about food and clothing, and to be safe and sound, is already quite good. Perhaps she shouldn't have any more expectations.
Thinking this way, the old lady seemed to have put down all her burdens.
At worst, it can't be that bad, can it?
The shock the old lady experienced, and her thoughts and reflections, were exactly what Xu Xi wanted.
She had read the novel, though she had only skimmed through it because it wasn't her favorite, and she didn't remember all the details. But because of her good memory, she still remembered the general plot and content.
The Marquis's mansion is going to be raided. And the root cause of the raid is the Third Master, Zhao Yuankun.
Eager to climb the social ladder, he ingratiated himself with the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince's attempt to seize power failed, and the Emperor imprisoned the Crown Prince. Enraged, the Emperor then turned his anger on the Crown Prince's subordinates, beheading and confiscating their property. Zhao Yuankun was beheaded, Marquis of Suiping's Residence was ransacked. The original owner of this body was driven out by her husband's family and died of cold and starvation.
Now that she's here, she certainly won't stand idly by and watch these things happen.
But if she wanted to change the future fate of the Marquis of Suiping's Residence, she needed to have a voice in this family. So from the beginning, she established herself as an outspoken and straightforward person. She dared to say anything and said whatever she wanted. The old lady would discover her foresight and political acumen in her words, and find that every word she said made a lot of sense, and would even come true soon.
Only in this way will the old lady value every word she says. Only then will her words carry the most weight in the family. Only then can she gain a voice in the family.
Her current goal is to facilitate the division of the family property.
Xu Xi was not bothered by these things. After returning to the Tea Tasting Residence for dinner, she went through the knowledge that the teachers had taught her in the morning, reviewed the jewelry catalog that Shopkeeper Wang had given her, and then went to bed.
While the teachers are lecturing, she takes notes, earning dozens of points every morning. Once the teachers finish explaining the basics in the next ten days, they'll let the students practice playing the piano, playing chess, and drawing on their own, and then they can accumulate those points one by one.
So she no longer needs to spend dedicated time earning points.
The next morning, after having breakfast, Xu Xi went to pay her respects and say goodbye to the old lady, where she met the First Madam, who had returned very late the previous day.
The First Madam looked exhausted, clearly having not slept all night, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, and her energy was better than ever before.
Upon seeing Xu Xi, she grasped her hand and smiled, "We were able to find the midwife so easily this time, all thanks to your portrait."
She pulled Xu Xi to sit down and continued, "That man has a distant cousin who received kindness from the midwife's parents when his family suffered a disaster as a child. He grew up and got a job as a constable in the yamen. After the midwife encountered this situation, she went to find him and used his connections to change his household registration."
"But this person died of illness years ago. I sent people to investigate, but they only found this far and couldn't find any more clues. Later, we got your two portraits, took them to the person in charge of household registration that year for identification, bribed them, and found her new household registration. We continued to follow this method, and found her whereabouts in just a few days."
Xu Xi nodded and asked, "Have you sent anyone to Jiangnan yet?"
"The Marquis went with my brother early this morning. I've calculated it; we should know the news in about ten days."
As she spoke, the First Madam affectionately stroked Xu Xi's hair with her hand. "The old lady has told me everything you advised her. Don't worry, when the Marquis returns, I will not only hold those people accountable for their crimes back then, but I will also definitely divide the family property."
Actually, she had wanted to separate the family for a long time. Managing the food, drink, and daily expenses of this large family was exhausting for her. But the old lady disagreed, and there was nothing she could do.
She had been waiting to find out the midwife's whereabouts, clarify the matter, punish Lady Wei, and then bring up the issue of dividing the family property. She never expected that Xu Xi would actually persuade the old lady so easily.
"The day after tomorrow is the ten-day break. I had already discussed it with the old lady beforehand, and we decided to postpone the family reunion banquet until the matter is clarified," the First Madam added.
"Okay." Xu Xi naturally agreed.
"Madam, Aunt," Xu Xi said, "Master Xiao, who teaches calligraphy at our academy, is the County Princess of Qingyang of the Prince of Zhennan's Residence. She likes the jewelry designs I made. Now she plans to open a jewelry store in Beining and wants me to draw the jewelry designs for the store. What do you think?"
"Oh?" The old lady thought for a moment, then asked with surprise, "County Princess of Qingyang, are you the wife of the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Ying?"
Yes, it's her.
"Oh, then why does she still teach at the academy and run a jewelry store?" the old lady asked in surprise.
Even the upper echelons of Beijing society have their own small circles. Xiao Ruotong is related to the imperial family; her father holds a prominent position, and the family she married into, the Duke of Ying, is also top-tier. When the Duke was still alive, the old lady had attended banquets of this most elite circle.
Later, the Duke passed away, and his title was demoted. Zhao Yuanxun only held a sinecure in the court and had no real power. The rest of the Zhao Family were also unsuccessful, so people in this circle stopped sending banquet invitations to the old lady. Therefore, the old lady was unaware of Xiao Ruotong's current situation.
Although Xu Xi knew the details from the system, she didn't intend to say them, only vaguely stating, "Perhaps he wanted to relax. Master Xiao's calligraphy skills are so high; it's a pity he just stays at home. As for the silver shop, it was only after seeing a few jewelry designs I drew that he decided to open it. The Prince of Zhennan's Residence has a shop in Beining; we can just appoint a manager, purchase some jewelry, and hire a few craftsmen."
Xu Xi could paint, and she painted so well, so the old lady didn't care much about Xu Xi painting jewelry designs, thinking it was just a casual sketch.
At this moment, she could only marvel at Madam Xiao's good fortune; opening a jewelry store was as easy as playing a game for her. Unlike the Marquis's mansion, which faced countless difficulties in opening a shop or starting a business due to a lack of funds.