Chapter 2: Letting It All Go to Hell

Right on cue, Gu Nanxi prepared to begin her performance.

Gu Nanxi opened her eyes slightly, only to see a tall, imposing youth dressed in mourning white standing in front of a bright, beautiful young girl, watching her with wary eyes.

Clearly, he was the eldest son, Su Xuanming.

Gu Nanxi met the gaze of the young girl. The girl did not flinch; instead, she offered a slight smile, her slender hands fiddling with the hemp rope at her waist, her expression brimming with a sense of inevitable victory.

This was the female lead, Li Ningjing.

"Sister-in-law, Su Xuanming is being utterly out of line! How can he bring a merchant girl into the mourning hall? Has he ever cared about the reputation of the Marquis of Yongchang's manor? Why haven't you dealt with this matter immediately?" The speaker had bronze skin and a shifty, rat-like appearance; his small eyes darted around, making him look like a man of ill intent.

While he spoke of considering the interests of the Yongchang Marquis Manor, his eyes betrayed a desire to see this matter escalate.

If it were according to the original host's temperament, seeing the prestige of the Marquis Manor trampled upon like this, she would surely have lost her temper and driven Jingniang out.

It seemed this man was the eldest brother of the Marquis of Yongchang.

The original host had only two sons and one daughter. The second son was a sickly invalid; if the eldest were to be ruined, perhaps the title of this Marquis Manor could fall into the hands of the first branch of the family.

Sigh, one wondered what deity the Marquis of Yongchang had offended. In this entire household, everyone was either a villainous cannon fodder or a person with a sinister heart.

"Mother." The youngest daughter, Su Yunyan, hesitated to speak, eventually swallowing her words.

Gu Nanxi caught sight of the pure jade hairpin in Su Yunyan's hair. The craftsmanship was exquisite, possessing the aura of "a piece of jade worth ten thousand taels of gold."

Su Yunyan's monthly allowance was only five taels; how could she afford such a jade hairpin?

Naturally, someone had gifted it to her.

Gu Nanxi looked back at Jingniang. Jingniang kept her head lowered, showing no disappointment that Su Yunyan had not spoken up to plead for her.

"Cough, cough, cough... Mother, life is short. With my frail constitution, I fear I cannot carry on the Marquis Manor's lineage. Why not let my eldest brother have his heart's desire? That way, you might soon hold a precious grandson in your arms." The second son, Su Xuanming, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughing as if his lungs were tearing.

He was dressed in plain white, looking austere and simple, save for a short sword hanging at his waist that did not look like a household item.

He occasionally rubbed the hilt of the sword with gentle movements, clearly cherishing it deeply.

The Old Madam of the Marquis Manor, appearing from out of nowhere, spoke indifferently: "Daughter-in-law, Xuanming was taken by me when he was a child and raised at my knee. You have always disliked him. But on such a major life event, you should show some maternal compassion and feel some sympathy for Xuanming."

As the Old Madam's words became increasingly barbed, Su Xuanming became like a firecracker, his face darkening until he looked ready to explode.

At the critical moment, Jingniang gently tugged at his sleeve.

Su Xuanming actually suppressed his rage, pressing his lips tightly together. His eyes burned with fire, looking at Gu Nanxi as if she were an arch-enemy.

The guests, who were supposed to be mourning in the courtyard, saw a good show unfolding and began to file in.

The "Compassionate Mother System" in her mind, seeing that Gu Nanxi was taking too long to react, began to instigate: "This female lead gave the youngest daughter jewelry and the second son a precious sword, and your mother-in-law has always been at odds with you. She is clearly trying to isolate you! Show the momentum of a transmigrated female lead and let her see who the real boss is!"

Gu Nanxi gave the crowd a lazy glance and beckoned Su Xuanming with a finger.

Su Xuanming looked at Jingniang beside him, and upon meeting her incredibly worried eyes, a surge of immense courage ignited in his heart.

With a sense of impending doom, Su Xuanming walked up to Gu Nanxi.

The youth was a full 1.8 meters tall.

Sitting on her stool, Gu Nanxi had to tilt her head back just to see his chin.

Gu Nanxi rubbed her aching neck and signaled for the youth to crouch down.

Su Xuanming hesitated for a moment before crouching.

"I do not agree," Gu Nanxi said flatly.

Seeing Su Xuanming's fury rising as he prepared to stand up and confront her, the Compassionate Mother System was still clapping in her mind, shouting for them to fight!

Gu Nanxi continued, "Your second brother's precious sword, your younger sister's jade hairpin—were they both gifts from Jingniang?"

Su Xuanming's expression shifted several times. He was a somewhat rigid person who held gift-giving in low regard.

But since the person doing it was Jingniang, and it was for the sake of their marriage, he could only pretend not to notice.

Now that his mother had exposed the matter in a single sentence, Su Xuanming's momentum faltered.

"Ah, um, well, yes," Su Xuanming admitted dejectedly.

A Tibetan Mastiff ready to spring had instantly turned into a drowned rat.

Gu Nanxi couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, you."

"Madam, everything is my fault. Please do not blame Master Su; it was I who begged him! Since the Old Marquis passed away, Master Su has been unable to eat or sleep. I only wanted to accompany him and see the Old Marquis off."

Jingniang could not hear what the mother and son were saying. She only saw Gu Nanxi say something to Su Xuanming, after which he became listless and his aura collapsed instantly.

Fearing that Su Xuanming would be persuaded by Gu Nanxi, Jingniang ignored everything else and fell to her knees before Gu Nanxi with a heavy *thud*.

Most of the guests were matriarchs of prominent families; which household didn't have a few "Green Tea" types in their courtyard? One could smell the scent from a distance.

"The Madam of the Yongchang Marquis Manor is truly unlucky. Her husband has a 'Green Tea' in the back courtyard, and now her son wants to marry one! Just thinking about it makes me feel aggrieved for her."

"Fortunately, the one Jingniang is clinging to is Su Xuanming. If she had clung to my son, I would have to resort to family discipline and break that brat's legs."

The ladies' voices were neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone present to hear.

Jingniang, however, did not care in the slightest. Having managed shops for many years, she had heard countless rumors; how could she be angered by this?

Moreover, the more fiercely these people cursed, the more Master Su would pity her.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Su Xuanming looked at Jingniang with eyes full of guilt.

He knelt down as well: "Mother, this is all my fault. It has nothing to do with Jingniang. If you wish to hit or scold me, I will accept it all."

Gu Nanxi said weakly, "You are indeed at fault as well."

Su Yunyan looked at Gu Nanxi with worry. Her mother had always been cautious with her words and actions, paying great attention to decorum. Why was she acting so unseemly now? Could she have been pushed too far by her brothers?

Gu Nanxi picked up a cup of tea to moisten her lips. Only then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, did she speak slowly.

"You knew how to cater to her interests, so why didn't you know how to cater to mine?"

Gu Nanxi tilted her head, studying Su Xuanming for a long moment before saying as if realizing something: "Could it be... that you do not know what your mother likes?"

For a moment, Su Xuanming could not react. What did his mother mean by that? Was she being literal, or was she being sarcastic?

Jingniang also withdrew her pitiful expression, her whole body on guard, waiting for Gu Nanxi to unleash a major blow.

Gu Nanxi signaled for Su Xuanming to lean in close to her ear. "Let mother tell you a secret: in all my life, I am only devoted to one thing! And that is gold!"

"Huh?!" Su Xuanming rubbed his ears in disbelief. Was this still his mother, who was elegant and pure, who supposedly lived on dew and found talk of wealth vulgar?!

Gu Nanxi said with feigned anger, "What? My dear son, whom I raised with such care—even if I sold you by the pound, you would fetch at least a hundred gold pieces. As a merchant girl, how could she not know this principle? Does she really think she can get a good son like you for free?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all was silent.

(End of Chapter)