Volume One, Chapter 20: The Marquis's Residence Gets Taken Advantage Of

Seeing that Chu Yao remained silent, Lady Li braced herself and spoke up:

"The Clan Head is right. Since such an incident has occurred, the Marquis's Mansion is willing to compensate Brother Yun. However, may I ask what specific expectations his parents have?"

The woman who had been kneeling at Lady Li’s feet, wailing and making a scene, suddenly stopped her crying. She sniffled and declared loudly, "Brother Yun's future is ruined. His life is destroyed. Your mansion must pay ten thousand taels of silver."

"Ten thousand taels! How could it be so much?!"

When Lady Li had asked for their demands, she had prepared herself to be extorted. Yet, upon hearing the sum, she was still shocked. They truly had the audacity to demand such an exorbitant amount. Purchasing a servant or a maid would cost no more than three to five taels. For a child from a humble family, who had merely lost two front teeth and suffered a split lip, they had the nerve to demand ten thousand taels! How was this any different from robbery?

"If our Yun had entered the civil service, what would ten thousand taels even be worth?! Your mansion has robbed my son of his future! Since he no longer has a path forward, this ten thousand taels is for his livelihood."

"Even so, ten thousand taels is far too much!"

A man’s voice cut through the air. Chu Yao looked over to see Cheng Wenyuan and his elder brother, Cheng Wenbo, entering the room one after the other.

Seeing the two young masters arrive, Lady Li felt she finally had support and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After taking a seat, Cheng Wenbo said, "It was merely children playing around, leading to an accidental injury. Our mansion is willing to cover the medical expenses and provide some additional compensation."

The woman raised her eyes, looking at Cheng Wenbo with a hostile expression. "Young Master, then according to you, how much should you compensate our Yun?"

"Beyond medical expenses, another one hundred taels."

"Absolutely not!"

The woman was accustomed to small-scale trade; she was adept at haggling and making a scene. Hearing him try to dismiss her son's entire future for a mere hundred taels, she gritted her teeth and refused point-blank. Though she had few talents, her son was the apple of her eye. She had pinned all her hopes on him becoming a top scholar, only for the Marquis's fifth young master to ruin him. If she couldn't get justice for her son, she would turn the world upside down.

"One hundred taels?! I’ll give you one hundred taels—why don’t you knock out your own two front teeth and split your lip, Young Master? Would that work for you?"

Cheng Wenbo wiped his own mouth, frowning in silence. One hundred taels to knock out his own teeth? What kind of joke was this?!

"Why? Not willing? Is the dental work of the Marquis's Mansion so precious, while my Yun's is worthless? Let me make this clear: whoever dares to mention such an absurd price again, knock out your own teeth first before we talk!"

"We are all of the same Cheng blood; we are one family. Let’s talk this through calmly," Lady Li urged persuasively.

"We came here today to talk, but your mansion lacks sincerity! We came to discuss this out of respect for our shared ancestry. And what do you offer? If you cannot negotiate properly, we will see you in court tomorrow. I have already made inquiries—intentionally hurting someone and knocking out two teeth is a punishable offense! If you don't show sincerity today, we will report you tomorrow. Since our Yun’s future is destroyed, Tong’s future won't matter either. By then, not only will Tong lose his prospects, but your entire Marquis's Mansion will be disgraced for raising a menace that ended up in the hands of the magistrate. I want to see how the other young masters of your mansion will maintain a good reputation to join the government!"

Upon hearing these words, Cheng Wenyuan realized that this family had set their sights on milking the mansion for everything, and it was unlikely to end easily today. He looked toward the Clan Head and asked respectfully, "You are the head of the Cheng clan. Please, give us a fair word. How should this matter of compensation be settled?"

The Clan Head stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "It is true that Tong caused serious harm to Yun, and ruining one's appearance is no small matter. The ten thousand taels demanded by Yun's mother is indeed excessive, but the one hundred taels suggested by Bo is equally unreasonable. In my view, both sides should take a step back. Five thousand taels. Yun's parents, do not complain it is too little, and the Marquis's Mansion, do not complain it is too much. What do you both think?"

"I disagree. Five thousand is too little! How could that be enough to buy my son's future?!"

The woman was clearly dissatisfied and opened her mouth to argue, but was intercepted by the man beside her.

"Yun's mother, listen to the Clan Head. We are all kin of the Cheng clan. We will see each other often in the future; we cannot burn all our bridges. Five thousand it is."

Cheng Wenyuan turned to look at Lady Li, and seeing her nod through gritted teeth, he agreed. "Very well, five thousand taels it is."

Just then, Chu Yao’s voice rang out. "Clan Head, Lady Dowager, Brother Yun’s mother, I have a suggestion. I wonder what you all think?"

The old Clan Head gestured for Chu Yao to continue.

Chu Yao said, "As the ancient saying goes: 'To suddenly acquire a thousand pieces of gold is easy, but to guard them and keep one's fortune secure is difficult.' I have no objection to the amount the Clan Head has set. However, this money is meant to be the foundation for Brother Yun’s future. Receiving such a large sum at once might easily attract the wrong kind of attention. It would be better to compensate Brother Yun with a shop from the Marquis's Mansion of equivalent value. In this way, Brother Yun will have a livelihood and a trade to rely on, ensuring he is well-provided for in the future. What do you think?"

The Clan Head had no objections and looked toward the woman beside him. The woman’s eyes darted around; she felt that receiving a shop was a good idea, as she wouldn't have to worry about her husband gambling the cash away. Furthermore, her son would have a shop to manage, giving him a purpose. She nodded quickly. "We are willing to accept a shop."

The Lady Dowager, who had been worrying about not having enough cash on hand for the compensation, immediately agreed upon hearing Chu Yao’s suggestion. "Agreed."

Although she was loath to part with a shop, she was even more reluctant to pay out cash. Moreover, the mansion's accounts were low, and Chu Yao refused to contribute her own funds, meaning the burden would eventually fall on her. She couldn't bear the thought of using her private savings. Thinking of this, she glared at Chu Yao with resentment. The wretched girl had brought so much in her dowry, yet she wouldn't contribute a penny to help the mansion.

Chu Yao mentally sifted through the shops owned by the mansion and offered a selection of properties with matching market values for the woman to choose from. After some deliberation, the family of three selected a grocery store.

In the end, they were sent away with a shop, and the matter was finally resolved.

Cheng Wenbo and Cheng Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief and saw the Clan Head out. No sooner had they returned than they heard Lady Li erupting in anger. "Bring Tong here! We shall use the family discipline!"

Cheng Wenbo said with an indifferent expression, "Grandmother, Tong is incorrigibly wayward. He pays no heed to my guidance and distracts me from my studies. It would be best if he no longer comes to my Qinghui Pavilion."

"Bo, you have only been managing him for a few days. If you wash your hands of this, who will look after Tong? Yuan is very busy at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; you cannot expect him to oversee Tong after his shift. Guang is away and rarely returns even every few months. How can he manage him? This matter still requires your attention."

Cheng Wenbo remained unmoved. "Grandmother, I have the imperial examinations this autumn. I cannot sacrifice my future for the sake of Tong. You should find another way."

With that, Cheng Wenbo flicked his sleeves and walked out.

Watching his retreating figure, Chu Yao sneered in her heart. The Cheng family members were all selfish and cold-hearted in exactly the same way. It was just that she had been unable to see it back then, blinded by their jade-like appearances and their aloof, noble exteriors. She had mistaken them for unattainable, virtuous gentlemen, worshipping them as if they were immortals untouched by the mundane world.