Chapter 11: Such an Ugly Manner of Eating

The Old Madam finally looked at the maid beside her and said, "Go and call Concubine Liu over!"

Concubine Liu’s wrists were adorned with three or four large gold bracelets, and her hair was stuffed full of gold hairpins.

After all, Concubine Liu was merely a maid who had suddenly come into wealth and gained Gu Yunhan’s favor; she was currently at the height of her pride and success.

The Old Madam frowned upon seeing Concubine Liu’s appearance, then said to her, "The Third Miss is getting married. You are to take out ten thousand taels of silver to provide for Yunzhu’s dowry!"

"Mother!"

Liu Zhi’s eyes widened in an instant!

Ten thousand taels—how could that be possible!

The Old Madam glanced at the jewelry on Liu Zhi’s body and said, "The money from the sale of the shops was not given to you to squander; it was for you to manage the household. In three days, Yunzhu will be married. You must produce these ten thousand taels by then.

Hanzhi, no matter what, Yunzhu is your sister. You will also take out five thousand taels to buy your sister a few sets of head ornaments as part of her dowry.

It is settled then. I am tired and am going to rest."

"Mother, you know that your daughter-in-law truly does not have a single cent left in her hands. If Mother does not believe me, why not let Nanny Gui go to my room to search? If there is even a single cent, you may take it all to prepare the dowry for my sister."

Hanzhi was also somewhat shocked.

She had originally thought that by handing over the shops and selling them, she had given the money to the Marquis’s estate.

Yet, Hanzhi had still underestimated the Old Madam’s shamelessness.

"Your wings have hardened now, haven't they? You actually dare to talk back to me, your mother! Your maiden family is, at the very least, a family of famous wealthy merchants; do you not know to go back and visit them? It is your honor that our Marquis’s estate was willing to marry a merchant’s daughter like you. It is your blessing to be able to contribute to our estate; do not be ungrateful."

The Old Madam was already in a bad mood, and seeing Hanzhi dare to talk back made her even more furious.

Although a married daughter is like spilled water, she was still her own flesh and blood; how could she bear to let her live a life of hardship?

If it weren't for the fact that Hanzhi’s legs were now crippled, she would certainly have forced her to kneel in the ancestral hall.

The Old Madam’s gaze was like a knife as she glared fiercely at Liu Zhi.

Nanny Gui, who was standing nearby, immediately rushed forward and ripped all the gold bracelets from Concubine Liu’s wrists and the gold hairpins from her head.

Concubine Liu’s hands were left red and raw.

Hanzhi watched, dumbfounded. This was the "upbringing" of a Marquis’s estate—they were no better than bandits.

Nanny Gui did not show Hanzhi any courtesy either.

She truly took people to ransack Hanzhi’s courtyard, turning everything upside down. Fortunately, Hanzhi had already spent all her money, leaving not a single cent.

Nanny Gui confiscated the few bits of loose silver Hanzhi had, and seeing two valuable ginseng roots in the medicine cabinet, she took those as well.

Hanzhi was glad that she had already used those two ginseng roots for soaking in her bath; their medicinal potency was gone, but because she was frugal, she had dried them and put them back in the medicine cabinet.

Concubine Liu had originally intended to come to Hanzhi to cry poor, but seeing Nanny Gui’s bandit-like behavior, she was too terrified to speak and stood there blankly.

"Sister, it is fortunate that I gave you that dress; otherwise, I fear it would be gone now too," Hanzhi said to Concubine Liu with a sense of relief.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Liu’s expression shifted in alarm!

She immediately ran back.

She loved that dress very much, and the gemstones on it were beautiful. If she sold it, it would certainly be enough for ten thousand taels of silver, but Concubine Liu could not bear to part with it.

She truly loved that beautiful dress.

Moreover, it was a gift from Hanzhi, and the Old Madam did not know about it; it was her private property.

"Miss, they have gone too far," Qiu Ju said indignantly from the side.

Fortunately, her Miss was clever and had hidden the silver notes on her person in advance.

She had also sold all those pieces of jewelry. She hadn't understood why at the time, but looking at it now, she was glad they were sold, or else they would have all been taken away.

The few pieces of jewelry she had kept for decoration were also taken by Nanny Gui.

"Now that I am ill and can no longer earn money for their Marquis’s estate, I have no value. I haven't been home in three years, and my relationship with my father is not very good. Without the support of my maiden family, the people in the Marquis’s estate naturally do not hold me in their hearts," Hanzhi said calmly.

Through diligent study and burning the midnight oil, Hanzhi had already learned the characters of this world. Perhaps because of her transmigration, Hanzhi’s memory had become much better.

She still remembered many of the detailed plot points from the book.

The imperial court had now unified the land, so the current Emperor was focusing his main energy on targeting martial artists and had even issued a ban on martial arts.

The original body had actually practiced martial arts, but after the ban was issued, she stopped and focused all her energy on pleasing Gu Yunhan.

If the mistress of a Marquis’s estate were found to know martial arts, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the estate.

Hanzhi no longer had that concern.

She didn't care for anyone in the Marquis’s estate; if she were discovered, it would be a case of collective punishment, and the whole family would be sent to the guillotine.

If it were ordinary martial arts, it wouldn't be so serious.

Since Gu Yunhan himself knew martial arts, she could at most claim he had taught her.

But what Hanzhi practiced was a secret manual of a cult—the White Lotus Sect, the number one cult strictly suppressed by the imperial court.

Hanzhi had obtained this *White Lotus Heart Sutra* by risking her life, utilizing the plot from the book.

The half-dead state Hanzhi was currently in was also a result of practicing this technique.

She had no choice; she couldn't rely on anyone.

Without martial prowess, if she were thrown into a den of beggars, her life would be ruined. Reputation was simply too important for a woman.

Although Hanzhi did not know what Gu Yunzhu had experienced, she remembered the plot of the original book: Liu Ming had wanted to use certain methods to ruin Gu Yunzhu’s reputation so that he could force her to marry him.

The original body had known about this at the time and found Liu Ming disgusting. Not only did she have people beat Liu Ming, but she also sold the courtyard of Liu Ming’s family and drove them out of the capital.

Her original intention was to help Gu Yunzhu, but she never expected to be hated by her for it.

In the end, she was retaliated against by Gu Yunzhu.

Hanzhi would naturally act as a spectator now and would not intervene.

Even if she left the Marquis’s estate later to do business, there were many mountain bandits outside.

Although the Emperor had banned martial arts, wherever there were people, there was a *jianghu*.

Not practicing martial arts did not mean one could not cause trouble.

The poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts.

Practicing martial arts cost too much silver.

Hanzhi had originally had over a hundred thousand taels of silver, and she had spent it all.

Hanzhi had intentionally bought extra medicine, fearing that others would figure out which medicinal formulas she was using.

Hanzhi herself had opened a pharmacy, and the shopkeeper was her confidant. Hanzhi did not allow her purchases to be recorded in the books; she left no records. She would rather lose a little money or let the shopkeeper embezzle a bit than leave behind any evidence.

Hanzhi now had only one pharmacy left that she hadn't sold.

She had also sold many raw materials to Gu Yundian, as Gu Yundian needed these herbs to make rouge and other cosmetics.

Hanzhi had helped Gu Yundian and taken the opportunity to earn quite a bit of money for herself.