novelaction Chapter 199 Selfishness
Chapter 199 Selfishness
All of this was her doing. If she had stopped scheming against Yu Zhe and stopped constantly taking Li Yunge to the Yu residence in an attempt to take Zhen'er away and blackmail Yu Zhe, causing him endless trouble, then the three of them would not have been driven out of the capital.
Now, not only have they been banished from the capital, but they are also being sent to take up posts in places so far away. The places the father and his two sons are going to are all relatively poor areas, places that can be described as desolate and harsh.
Lord Li roared at his wife, "This is all your doing! Now look what's happened, you've ruined the whole family!" He then berated his daughter, Li Yunge, "You really wanted to marry Yu Zhe that badly? Are all the men in the world dead?!"
Li Yunge was terrified and dared not utter a single word.
Now, her whole family has been implicated, and even if she still wants to marry Yu Zhe, she doesn't dare say a word. Alas, it's all her elder sister's fault for going too far. If she hadn't slapped Old Madam Yu, Yu Zhe wouldn't have looked down on the Li family's daughter so much. Perhaps he would have agreed to let her be his second wife, so he could take care of her elder sister's daughter.
Mrs. Li also felt very wronged.
All that trouble she went through was for the good of the Li family. If Yun Ge married Yu Zhe, with her cunning and beauty, there was no doubt Yu Zhe would love her. After all, Yu Zhe's niece was a princess, and the regent's princess at that! If Yu Zhe fell for Yun Ge, wouldn't the Li family's fortunes rise ever higher?
Who was she doing all this for? Most importantly, wasn't it for her husband, so his official position could rise higher and higher? Throughout history, it's always the victor who takes all; she was just unlucky to have failed in her duties, thus incurring the wrath of her entire family. If she had handled things well, wouldn't her whole family have benefited?
Madam Li rolled her eyes at her husband: "Why are you yelling?! I was doing all this for you, for this family! Yu Zhe is the uncle whom the Princess Consort of Duan regards as her father. Such a good marriage can't be broken off like this! You wait, one day I will win Zhen'er's heart over to the Li family!"
"Zhen'er is Princess Duan's cousin. If she's willing to speak up for the Li family to Princess Duan, it'll be a piece of cake for you all to return to the capital and become high-ranking officials! You can all go and take up your posts elsewhere; I'll stay in the capital and look for opportunities to get to know Zhen'er!"
In truth, she couldn't bear to leave the bustling capital to make a living in that impoverished mountain village. In the capital, she owned several shops as part of her dowry, and two estates in the suburbs. Even if her husband and son didn't give her a single penny, she could still live a carefree life in the capital.
Upon hearing this, Li Yunge immediately perked up: "Mother, I'm not leaving either. I'll stay in the capital to be with you!" She was already fifteen years old. If she went to that remote mountain village, wouldn't she have to marry a farmer?
Upon hearing this, Madam Li immediately offered her support: "Yes, Yun Ge should stay too. She's already fifteen years old, and we need to find her a husband in the capital."
Lord Li, however, had his own concerns: "No, she must come with us. Otherwise, if she causes a major incident, our whole family might be forced to return to our hometown to farm!"
Go back to my hometown to farm? Are you kidding me? If I go back like this, won't I be looked down upon by my clansmen? No way! Even if I have to serve as an official in the harsh Northeast, it's better than being sent back to my hometown to farm!
Li Yunge: "Father, don't worry. This time, I will definitely not do anything reckless. I will do everything I can to leave a good impression on Yu Zhe and make him willingly marry me! After all, Zhen'er is my niece. With me, his aunt, taking care of her, Yu Zhe will feel more at ease, won't he?"
Lord Li looked at her in disbelief: "Are you really sure you won't cause trouble, won't anger Yu Zhe, and really have a way to make him willingly marry you?"
Li Yunge: "Father, I'm only fifteen, so I have plenty of time to win over Yu Zhe. I won't use any underhanded methods. I'll just go to the Yu residence with Mother every now and then, saying we want to visit Zhen'er. I think as long as we're sincere enough, Yu Zhe won't just keep refusing."
As long as he gives us a chance, we will seize it and make Zhen'er like and depend on us. I will do my best to make Zhen'er only want me, and that she will cry uncontrollably and refuse to eat if I leave. In another year, Zhen'er will be one year old. One-year-olds already know how to recognize people! Before Zhen'er is six months old, my mother and I will not bother the Yu family. After six months, when things have calmed down, we will go to their door. That way, the Yu family won't be so wary!
Lord Li nodded approvingly: "Hmm, that's a good idea. Wait six months, until the Yu family's guard is down, then you can visit. Besides, babies under six months old don't recognize people; even if you treat her well, she won't know. Going after six months is perfect timing!"
Madam Li: "Don't worry, we're not fools. We'll definitely repair our relationship with the Yu family. After all, Changge still has Zhen'er, her child. With that child as a bond, it won't be so easy for Yu Zhe to sever ties with us!"
Lord Li pondered silently for a long time before nodding: "Very well, you may stay for now. However, if you act carelessly and anger Yu Zhe and Princess Duan, bringing more trouble to our Li family, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Madam Li nodded vigorously: "My lord, I understand. Please rest assured! This time, I will definitely consider everything carefully before taking action!"
Lord Li: "In ten days, we will be setting off to take up our posts, and we don't have enough money on hand. Sell two dowry shops and one dowry estate to raise some money for the three of us, father and sons."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li felt a surge of anger rising within her, but outwardly she dared not show it: "My lord, selling the dowry shops and land? Isn't that a bad idea? Besides, in just a few days, what good buyers can we find? Wouldn't we be losing a fortune?"
Lord Li nodded: "Hmm, you're right. How about this, take your jewelry to the pawnshop and pawn it, or melt it down into gold or silver ingots!"
Over the years, his wife had purchased a large amount of jewelry every year, all at his expense. Now that he and his two sons had been demoted to poor, remote places as officials, how could they not take some money for protection? Besides, his wife was pretending to try and keep Yu Zhe in the capital; did he not know what she was really thinking?
Isn't it because she's unwilling to endure hardship? Talk of trying to win over Yu Zhe is basically impossible! As long as Princess Yulin and Prince Duan are around, neither his wife nor his second daughter has a chance of success! In the end, he and his two sons might be dragged down by this mother and daughter again!
Since that's the case, he might as well squeeze some of his wife's dowry out of her. Without so much dowry, his wife wouldn't be so arrogant and might think twice before acting. Besides, if his wife and daughter caused any serious trouble in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about his wife taking so much dowry with her if he wanted to divorce her.
It wasn't that he was petty; it was just that his wife sometimes lacked common sense. He needed to raise more money to share with his two sons. Taking more money to their posts would prevent them from being too destitute. Especially his eldest son, who was going to that harsh, cold northeastern region. If they were short of money, how could he perform his duties properly? He might even resort to embezzlement and bribery for money!
However, now that the three of them have been banished from the capital, their every word and action might be monitored by Prince Duan's men. They mustn't give them any ammunition. Otherwise, the three of them will have no chance of ever rising again!
Upon hearing her husband's words, Madam Li was immediately shocked and couldn't help but object, "How can that be? These jewelry pieces are for Yun Ge. I can't leave her with nothing when she gets married, can I?"
What a joke! These are her jewelry pieces; she must keep them for a rainy day. If her husband and son remain in that impoverished place for over a decade, how can she manage without enough money in the capital? Selling her jewelry—how could her husband even bring himself to do that?
Lord Li was furious: "I don't want a single copper coin from the jewelry; I'll give it all to my eldest son! The dangers on the way to that harsh Northeast and the hardships he'll face after taking office are no better than what he faced in Yi County a few years ago! Without a large sum of money to support him, how can my son successfully reach the Northeast and make a name for himself there? Are you suggesting that my son embezzle and take bribes?"
Madam Li: "What's wrong with embezzlement and bribery? Even a minor county magistrate, if he serves in a poor place for three years, can still amass at least fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver. It's just that you three, father and sons, have been officials in the capital for so many years, yet your family is getting poorer and poorer!"
Lord Li roared, “My sons and I have always had a good reputation because we don’t embezzle or accept bribes. It’s all because of you, you stupid woman, who instigated Changge to beat her own mother-in-law, which led to our daughter’s death in childbirth. Otherwise, given Yu Zhe’s relationship with the Princess Consort of Duan, our Li family could have easily made a fortune by investing some money in business.”
With the Prince Duan's mansion as their backer, who would dare to lay a hand on the Li family's shop? A while ago, he co-owned a restaurant that was doing quite well; given another year, it was sure to be a huge success. But then, at this crucial juncture, his daughter died in childbirth.
Madam Li hesitated, "My eldest son is all alone, why does he need so much jewelry? Why not just use half of it?" She had a lot of jewelry, some of which came from her dowry, some were gifts from her two sons, some were bought for her by her husband, and some she bought herself with his money. Even if she pawned it, it would still be worth at least thirty to fifty thousand taels of silver.
Lord Li: "Keep two sets of commonly used ones, and find the rest for me. The eldest brother is going to that harsh, cold land thousands of miles away. Do you think having too much money will make him bite his hands?!"
At this moment, he increasingly disapproved of his wife's hypocritical pretense. As a mother, she was making such excuses to raise money for her son. You see, hiring ten highly skilled镖局 (bodyguard agencies) members to go to the Northeast and have them stay in their son's new post for a month or two to help him establish himself would absolutely cost at least twenty thousand taels of silver.
Furthermore, not only his eldest son, but also he and his youngest son needed to be escorted by a security escort agency. Upon arrival at their destination, the agency would inevitably have to stay for ten days to two weeks. In the end, it would be more than a month.
In this way, the father and his two sons would need at least fifty thousand taels of silver to get by. Without that much money, he would surely be in a state of panic. Besides, in addition to paying the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), he would need to keep some as a reserve. Even if he didn't spend more, he would still need at least three to five thousand taels of silver per person, right?
Currently, he has at most 15,000 taels of silver on hand. His eldest and youngest sons probably don't even have 1,000 taels. His wife's refusal to help and her constant excuses are infuriating him.
The reason why Lord Li thought of hiring a security escort agency and asking them to stay in the place where he was to take office for a longer period of time to help them establish a foothold was precisely because he drew on the experience and lessons learned by Yu Zhe when he went to Yi County.
Madam Li was still reluctant, sitting in her chair without moving an inch: "But if we give it all to you, what will Yun Ge and I do? Are we supposed to starve?"
Lord Li was furious: "Since that's the case, you and Yun Ge will come with me. As long as I eat, I will never let you drink porridge! In that case, you can at least pawn your jewelry and raise some money for the boss, right?"
The voice was extremely stern, carrying an undeniable sharpness.
Madam Li was startled and reluctantly said, "Alright, I'll go pack up my jewelry right away!" She then hurriedly headed towards her bedroom.