Chapter 2: Another Scheme

Chapter 2: Other Schemes

"Qiuju, accompany me to the Liu family."

Hanzhi said to the maid beside her.

"Miss, you are already this ill, yet the Old Madam still insists you handle these matters and demands you pay your respects today—this is simply going too far!"

Qiuju was Hanzhi’s trusted maid, brought with her from her maiden home. Having always followed Hanzhi, she naturally had her mistress's best interests at heart.

It was a pity, though. Later on, Qiuju would be framed by Gu Yunhan for seducing him and sold directly into a brothel.

If not for that, the female lead would certainly not have been deceived so miserably by this family.

"Everything is worth it for my husband. Qiuju, take one thousand taels of silver from my dowry."

Hanzhi glanced at Liuzhi, who was standing outside the door, and spoke to Qiuju.

Liuzhi was a maid assigned by the Old Madam.

The original owner had been so foolish as to let her become a personal maid.

Naturally, she had to be on guard against Liuzhi while speaking.

"Miss, your dowry is almost exhausted. For the past few years, you have been using your dowry to subsidize the household expenses."

Qiuju said to Hanzhi with some anxiety.

"For my husband, for the Marquis's estate, it is worth it even if my entire dowry is emptied."

Hanzhi said, sounding weak and listless.

Hanzhi’s dowry was substantial; in order to secure ties with the Gu family, the Han family had provided a generous dowry.

Those shops were worth a great deal of money and were located in prime spots.

However, with a casual remark from Gu Yunhan—claiming that it was unseemly for a woman to show her face in public—he had his subordinates take over those shops.

Then, the shops began to lose money every month, and all the household expenses were paid out of Hanzhi’s dowry.

In truth, the shops were profitable, but all that money was being siphoned off by Gu Yunhan to grease palms and build connections.

It was precisely because of this that Gu Yunhan was able to become a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel so smoothly.

Though the rank was low, it held real power.

This was under the feet of the Emperor; even a ninth-rank minor official was impressive, let alone a seventh-rank one.

Furthermore, Gu Yunhan was extremely generous toward his sweetheart.

Most of the people from those shops had been left to his sweetheart, Liu Hanyan, and he had even purchased a large residence for her in the capital.

The original owner had been forced to return to her maiden home to beg for help from time to time, only to be despised by her sister-in-law.

But now, it was still early enough. At the very least, those shops were still under Hanzhi’s name and hadn't been sold off. Later, when Hanzhi said she wanted to audit the accounts and manage them herself, the scumbag directly transferred those shops into Liu Hanyan’s name, claiming they were performing poorly and had been sold.

As the mistress of the house, she was left penniless, truly a miserable and wretched state!

Hanzhi set out with Qiuju and Liuzhi.

Just as they reached the gate, they encountered the Marquis's second young master, Gu Yundian.

"Greetings, Second Brother."

"Oh, it’s Sister-in-law! I heard you were gravely ill today, yet you are still going out?"

Hanzhi hadn't expected that Gu Yundian, a gambler, would actually remember she was ill. Compared to Gu Yunhan, who lived in the same capital but rarely came home, he was far better.

Seeing Gu Yundian, a thought suddenly sprouted in Hanzhi’s mind.

Money in Gu Yunhan’s hands would only go toward supporting his mistress.

Rather than giving it to Gu Yunhan, it would be better to give it to Gu Yundian and let him gamble it all away.

"Second Brother, it is truly an urgent matter. My husband is busy with official duties and finds it inconvenient to handle such trivialities. Now, my own health is failing, and I have no time to manage the shops. My husband has always been high-minded and unwilling to deal with merchants.

As the saying goes, 'there is no merchant who is not treacherous.' The shops I brought as my dowry are all prime locations in the capital, yet after three years of my husband’s management, they lose money every year.

As a woman, it is not convenient for me to show my face in public, and now my body feels so heavy that just walking a few steps leaves me with a splitting headache.

Therefore, I have a presumptuous request: I would like to trouble you, Second Brother, to help manage these shops. You have seen all kinds of people in the capital, you are very amiable, and you have many friends. If you were to manage these shops, you would certainly not be deceived by the shopkeepers below."

Gu Yundian’s gaze fixed on Hanzhi, and for a moment, his eyes grew fervent.

He knew about Hanzhi’s shops; the largest restaurant in the capital was part of her dowry. If he could take charge of these shops, he wouldn't have to spend a cent on food and drink in the future.

"Do you really want me to manage them?"

Gu Yundian was so excited that, in that moment, he forgot to call her Sister-in-law.

He even forgot his manners.

Gu Yundian had been useless in both literature and martial arts since childhood, and because his parents favored his elder brother, he had never been valued by anyone.

"Second Brother, you have dealt with all walks of life for years. In business, one must meet all kinds of people and chat with them. My husband is high-minded; it is truly difficult for him to manage shops!

I believe that even at your worst, Second Brother, you would certainly not lose money.

If my dowry weren't already bottoming out, and if this final sum didn't need to be sent to the Liu family, I would not have resorted to this.

Moreover, you are no longer young, Second Brother; it is time you started managing the household.

When you marry, it will surely be a significant expense. If you don't understand the ledgers, you can come to me, and I can offer some guidance.

I believe you have a talent for business, Second Brother. If there is extra money in the future, you can use it to grease some palms, and you might even secure a position in the capital. Then, you will have more choices for your marriage.

At that time, these shops can be managed by your wife.

I only wish for this Marquis's estate to stand for a long time. Everything now depends on you, Second Brother. My husband is busy with official duties, and I dare not disturb him."

Hanzhi spoke with great sincerity.

She wore the expression of someone earnestly concerned for Gu Yundian’s future and life prospects.

No one wants to be a loser forever.

Gu Yundian had never expected that the Marquis's estate had reached such a state.

He looked at Hanzhi, who appeared frail and tottering, her face devoid of any color, and she actually looked somewhat pitiful.

He was even more surprised that Hanzhi, who usually never gave him a kind look, would value him so much and think he was more capable than his elder brother.

He suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders grow a little heavier.

Furthermore, he knew Gu Yunhan’s situation.

He knew that Gu Yunhan was keeping a mistress outside and had even brought an illegitimate child back to the estate, registering it under Hanzhi’s name.

Gu Yundian was also well aware of Gu Yunhan’s "high-mindedness." In Gu Yundian’s view, Hanzhi’s judgment wasn't bad after all; she had finally discovered his strengths. In dealing with people, he was definitely better than Gu Yunhan. A person like Gu Yunhan certainly couldn't be better at business than he was.

"Sister-in-law, since your health is poor, don't go out. Let me handle this matter today! Don't worry, I will certainly handle it beautifully for you."

Gu Yundian patted his chest and said to Hanzhi, full of confidence.

Hanzhi had quite a few shops!

Those shops were all money.

Having gained an advantage, Gu Yundian naturally worked quite hard and became a bit more polite toward Hanzhi.

"That would be inappropriate. Second Brother, you are a man; how could you handle such trivial, messy affairs? Let me handle this. If you have time, you can go look at the ledgers; I have already organized them and had Liuzhi send them to your room."

"In that case, I will trouble you, Sister-in-law. Rest assured, I will certainly not let you down."

For the first time, Gu Yundian felt that coming home was such a happy thing. His steps were light, and he practically skipped away.

(End of chapter)