Volume 1, Chapter 19: Calculating Minds

Jiang Rui looked toward the Marquis of Anle and Lady Shen, her heart growing even colder.

"Marquis, Madam, since you have already determined that Lady Jiang Yao is your biological daughter, I have nothing more to say."

She walked to the center of the courtroom, bowed to Magistrate Cui Huaiyuan, and then turned to cup her hands in a respectful salute to the gathered crowd of commoners. She spoke in a clear, resonant voice:

"Today, with Magistrate Cui and all you elders and fellow townsfolk as my witnesses, I hereby sever all ties with the Estate of the Marquis of Anle! From this day forward, we have nothing to do with one another!"

After a moment of stunned silence, a burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the spectators outside the courtroom.

"Well done! Such backbone!"
"Beautifully put!"
"Don't ever go back there!"
...

Even Princess Qingcheng, Li Qingxue, nodded with a hint of satisfaction. "Not bad. You have some spirit; it is far more pleasing to watch than seeing you act like a coward."

Jiang Rui curtsied to Li Qingxue in gratitude.

Cui Huaiyuan lifted his eyelids, glanced at the commotion inside and outside the court, and signaled his subordinates to keep an eye on the excited crowd and maintain order. As for the rest, he couldn't be bothered; he would let Jiang Rui play out her scene. Things had already reached this point, so there had to be a resolution. In any case, it was the Marquis of Anle’s house losing face, not his.

The Marquis and Lady Shen exchanged glances, both at a loss. Neither had expected Jiang Rui to go this far, daring to openly sever ties with the estate. And to do it right here in the Jingzhao Prefecture courtroom, in front of so many people—how were they supposed to clean up this mess?

Jiang Yao also furrowed her brows, secretly alarmed. How had things devolved into this? Jiang Rui was an ancient woman raised under the strictures of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues; how did she dare? *No! I cannot let her succeed!*

Jiang Yao tugged at Lady Shen’s sleeve and signaled with her eyes, "Mother, stop her quickly."

The Marquis agreed, "Go, she has relied on you most since she was a child."

Lady Shen nodded, pulled at the corners of her mouth to force a maternal smile, and stepped forward to pull at Jiang Rui. Jiang Rui sidestepped quickly, avoiding her touch.

Lady Shen offered a sheepish smile. "Rui'er, are you refusing to even acknowledge your mother?"

"Madam Jiang, that is where you are mistaken. Since you have found your biological daughter and show no affection toward me—a daughter you raised for sixteen years—even forcing me into servitude, how could I dare to acknowledge you?"

Since she was severing ties, Jiang Rui saw no need to show mercy. "You have been cold and heartless toward me; there is no need for this pretense of false affection. It disgusts me!"

"You... how can you say such things?" Lady Shen’s expression turned wounded, her body swaying.

Jiang Yao supported her from behind and accused Jiang Rui: "No matter what, the Marquis’s estate raised you for sixteen years. The debt of upbringing is greater than heaven itself. How dare you be so unfilial?"

"Lady Jiang Yao, my biological parents also raised you for sixteen years. We are even." Jiang Rui refused to be shackled by morality. Thinking of her past life, she felt only hatred for the Marquis and Lady Shen. "Don't feed me lies about how you weren't raised by my biological parents. I don't believe it. If one truly investigates, the truth will come to light. Do not think you can hide the truth from the world!"

"What do you know?" Jiang Yao stared at her, uneasy.

"What do you think?" Jiang Rui smiled with inscrutable depth. "You know very well what you promised the Marquis."

Panic flickered in Jiang Yao’s eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about..."

"Enough!" The Marquis stepped forward, cutting off their confrontation. "Jiang Rui, even if you are not our biological daughter, all your food, clothing, and expenses over the years were provided according to the standards of a legitimate daughter of the Marquis. If you just walk away, how do you intend to compensate the estate for all the money spent on you?"

Trying to settle accounts with her? Jiang Rui’s spirit lifted. Good—settling accounts was her favorite thing to do.

"Since I am leaving the estate, I will naturally return everything I have received from it." Jiang Rui’s tone was calm as she withdrew the three thousand taels of silver notes that Princess Qingcheng had given her from her sleeve.

"The Caiyun Pavilion was an estate business I managed. Yesterday, Princess Qingcheng had a misunderstanding regarding the shop and smashed it up. I came to report it to the magistrate to seek compensation. Fortunately, the Princess was magnanimous; we resolved the misunderstanding, and I retrieved the compensation."

Jiang Rui stuffed the thick stack of silver notes into the Marquis's hands and chuckled lightly. "Now, I have returned everything to the estate. From here on, there is no longer any connection between me and your house."

The thickness of the notes in his hand stunned the Marquis. Hearing about the Caiyun Pavilion being smashed by the Princess, he looked at Lady Shen in confusion. Lady Shen, feeling guilty, dared not meet his eyes and instead lashed out at Jiang Rui:

"But I didn't tell you to report this to the magistrate! What do you mean 'no further connection'? You’ve been living off the estate for over a decade; do you think a mere three thousand taels is enough to pay us back?"

"Finally stopped pretending to be a loving mother?" Jiang Rui glanced at Lady Shen with sarcasm. "Madam, you are much more accustomed to this calculating persona; it suits you best."

She was not going to pay them back with silver; did they expect her to, like in her past life, work as a slave and beast of burden to pay them back? They didn't deserve it!

"Three thousand taels isn't enough? Then how about seventy thousand taels?"

Jiang Rui’s words were astonishing and struck like thunder. "Is that enough to buy my freedom from the Marquis's estate?"

"Seventy thousand taels?" Lady Shen was stunned. "Where would you get that much silver?"

Jiang Rui laughed at herself; in this world, silver was truly what moved people the most.

"Marquis, Madam, the estate has been in deficit for a long time. It was only after I took over the management of the estate's properties at the age of fourteen that the decline was reversed. I brought life back to the farms and shops, and the revenue began to flow. In these past two years, I have earned seventy-six thousand taels of silver for the estate. After covering the deficits and daily expenses, there should have been thirty-five thousand taels remaining, all of which I handed to you, Madam. Here is the ledger."

Jiang Rui pulled a small, palm-sized ledger from her waist and waved it at the Marquis and Lady Shen. "Do you need me to read out every single line of the accounts?"

The crowd gathered at the courthouse entrance was shocked by the figures Jiang Rui cited, and they began to whisper among themselves:

"My heavens! She earned seventy thousand taels in two years? If I had that kind of money, I’d be set for life!"
"If you ask me, the Marquis of Anle is being heartless. Even if she isn't their daughter, she earned so much for them—why drive her away?"
"Exactly! If I had a daughter who could earn money like that, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams."
"Oh, the Marquis of Anle’s house is finished. The Marquis is incompetent, and the Madam doesn't know how to run a household; they have to rely on an outsider to cover their debts. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"Indeed, I heard the estate has been failing for a long time. Look at other noble houses—would they ever make such a scene at a government office? It’s a disgrace!"

The whispers and mockery were like sharp blades piercing the Marquis’s pride, leaving him utterly humiliated.

"Shut up! Everyone, shut up!" the Marquis roared, frightening the onlookers into silence.

The secret of the estate’s deficit had been exposed in public. It would soon be known throughout the city. The Marquis was furious and embarrassed, his face turning pale and green—a truly spectacular sight. Lady Shen glanced at the Marquis cautiously and retreated, terrified of being caught in the fallout.

Jiang Yao’s previously calm face showed disbelief, as if she were wondering how a grand Marquis’s estate could have been in debt.

Princess Qingcheng curled her lips, looking at the Marquis’s family with even deeper disdain.

Cui Huaiyuan, who had been sitting in the best seat to watch the drama, rubbed his forehead, feeling embarrassed for the Marquis.

Just then, the bailiff Liu Qing, who had been sent to query the Binzhi Pavilion, finally returned. He was accompanied by Manager Qian of the Binzhi Pavilion.