Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Token Key

The winter daylight was extremely short,

The sun set in the west, casting a reddish glow over the melting snow, as if setting fire to the seemingly calm surface of the Danyang Marquis’s mansion.

When Shen Qiuci arrived at the Old madam’s room, she was comfortably leaning on a warm couch, skillfully smoking a pipe.

Seeing Shen Qiuci arrive, she took another greedy puff before smiling and beckoning her over:

“Qiu’er, come here quickly!”

She called Shen Qiuci to sit beside her and affectionately took her hand:

“You’ve been ill for so long, Mother has missed you dearly, and I’ve been sending people to your mother’s house to check on your situation.”

The Old madam’s yellowed teeth exhaled puffs of white smoke, making Shen Qiuci feel nauseous.

But she still maintained a polite smile and obediently nodded:

“I’m unfilial, causing Mother to worry.”

“It’s all family, don’t say such distant things.” The Old madam spoke warmly:

“Yuanzhou wants to make Xue shi his legitimate concubine with equal status, I’m sure you’re aware?”

She put down her pipe and sighed heavily:

“In my opinion, this is just nonsense! In terms of background and family status, what does Xue shi have that you don’t? Making her equal to you would not only be an insult to you but also a humiliation to our Marquis’s mansion.”
Her emotions became more and more agitated, and she tightened her grip on Shen Qiuci’s hand:

“So, let’s settle this matter once and for all. I’ll make the decision to promote her to Equal wife with equal status, but outwardly, you’ll still be superior to her, Qiu’er, what do you think?”

After speaking, she seemed to fear that Shen Qiuci would respond and began to explain on her own:

“I’m doing this purely for Chi’s sake, so he can have a legitimate status. You know your body is damaged and can’t bear children, but when Chi becomes the legitimate son, he’ll be filial to you when he grows up, and you’ll have someone to rely on in the future.”

Shen Qiuci remained silent for a moment, then coldly pulled her hand out of the Old madam’s grasp:

“Actually, there are other ways to make the child legitimate. Mother just needs to say the word and adopt Chi as your own.”

The Old madam’s expression turned chilly upon hearing this:

“Qiu’er, you’re not thinking clearly. Mother is doing this for your reputation. Everyone in the capital knows you can’t have children. Now that you’re willing to let Yuanzhou take a concubine with equal status, it’s a show of your magnanimity, isn’t it?”

“It seems Mother has thought it through.” Shen Qiuci lowered her eyes, looking somewhat disappointed:

“I didn’t think it through, almost rejecting Mother’s kindness.”
The Old madam immediately smiled:

“You’re still young, and it’s understandable that you can’t consider everything thoroughly. But now, since we’re marrying a concubine to protect your reputation, the betrothal gifts should come from you, as a way to make up for your inability to bear children, don’t you think?”

Shen Qiuci smiled but didn’t respond.

The Old madam continued:

“As for Chi, he’ll take care of you when you’re old, so it’s only right that you take good care of him when he’s young. In the future, everything Chi needs will come from you.”

“Other than that, one thing’s for sure – everything given to Chi must be the best, after all, he’s my precious eldest grandson, and he can’t be slighted in the least.”

Shen Qiuci nodded obediently:

“Everything will be according to Mother’s arrangements.”

“Good! Good! Hahaha! It’s clear Mother hasn’t wasted her efforts on you.”

The Old madam laughed heartily, her eyes crinkling at the corners:

“One more thing, Qin Xiao’niang is pregnant, and the physician says it’s likely a boy, so she needs to be well taken care of.”

She glanced at the snow-covered courtyard outside the window:

“Pregnant women need to move around to facilitate delivery. But with the cold weather and the snow melting, it’s slippery outside, so it’s not convenient for Qin Xiao’niang to walk around.”
“Her own room is small, and she can’t move around. Why don’t you two switch rooms, and let her stay in your room?”

The Old madam’s gaze turned back, warmly falling on Shen Qiuci:

“After all, when Xue shi was pregnant, she moved into your room, so let’s just follow the same routine now.”

Despite being openly humiliated like this, Shen Qiuci still didn’t utter a single word of rebuttal,”You’re right.”

The Old madam didn’t expect Shen Qiuci to be so agreeable, and her face showed increasing layers of smiles, making her cheeks ache.

Pei Yingchun, who had been observing the conversation from the side, took the opportunity to make several eye signals to the Old madam.

The Old madam sighed and said with a helpless tone:

“Your little sister-in-law’s fate isn’t good either. She was already wronged when she married a general, and who would have thought that her husband would lose his leg in battle and become disabled, feeling hopeless.”

The Old madam looked at Pei Yingchun, shaking her head:

“What do you think? Seeing her like this, how can I, as her mother, not care? And you, as her Eldest sister-in-law, can’t just stand by and do nothing, can you?”

“What difficulties is my little sister-in-law facing?” Shen Qiuci immediately asked with concern.

Pei Yingchun said: “My husband, Eldest sister-in-law knows him, has been feeling hopeless since his leg was broken, and he’s been wasting away at home. I finally managed to cheer him up, and we thought about opening a restaurant together since an official career isn’t possible, and we could make a living that way. But, alas, we’re short on funds…”

She paused, quickly took out a list, and handed it to Shen Qiuci, saying anxiously:”Eldest sister-in-law, take a look, we’ve calculated that we need around 2000 taels to open a restaurant in a good location in the capital. This amount of silver isn’t much for Eldest sister-in-law, so when can you give it to me?”

Shen Qiuci glanced at the list, then took Pei Yingchun’s hand and said warmly:

“We’re both women, eldest sister-in-law can certainly understand. Everyone says that you’ve been supporting your husband’s family these years, but I don’t think so. Between husband and wife, they should support each other, and when difficulties arise, they should face and solve them together.”

As she spoke, she handed the list back and shook her head:

“I’ve looked at the list, but how can 2000 taels be enough? Opening a restaurant requires decoration, hiring staff, and initially, we need to find ways to build a reputation and attract customers, all of which require expenses.”

She thought for a moment and said:

“How about this, eldest sister-in-law will prepare 3000 taels for you? Having a bit more is always better.”

Pei Yingchun looked at Shen Qiuci in utter disbelief, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.She was overjoyed, her lips curving upwards uncontrollably, and she spoke in a choked voice:

“I knew it, eldest sister-in-law has always been the one who loves me the most!”

The Old madam couldn’t sit still either,

She pulled out a list from somewhere and handed it to Shen Qiuci:

“Qiu’er, take a look, this is the list of expenses the mansion will need recently, prepare around 10,000 taels. I’m not sure how much silver we have in the account of the family’s gold shops, if it’s not enough, selling a few shops wouldn’t be a big deal.”

She spoke casually, as if the Shen family’s gold shops were just the Marquis mansion’s property.

Shen Qiuci didn’t show any expression, and continued along the lines of the Old madam’s words:

“I remember Mother’s teachings from the past. The men in my family are all dead, and the silver will eventually belong to my husband’s family, don’t you think, Mother? I think Mother’s right, and I’m willing to do it, but…”

The mother-daughter duo were both beaming with joy, but Shen Qiuci suddenly stopped talking,She placed the bill on a small table and looked troubled:

“There’s just one thing that’s bothering me.”

The Old madam asked anxiously:

“What’s wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell Mother, and Mother will take care of it for you.”

Pei Yingchun also chimed in:

“Who would be shameless enough to bully our sister-in-law? I’ll make sure they pay for it!”

Shen Qiuci said with a grievance:

“It’s not about bullying within the family. It’s just…”

She looked at the Old madam:

“I heard that while I was ill, Mother gave the token key to Xue shi?”

The Old madam’s face froze, and she smiled awkwardly:

“Don’t worry about this. She was just temporarily managing the household for you, and now that you’re back, you’re the mistress of the house, and the token key will naturally be returned to you.”

Pei Yingchun also said:

“Exactly! In my heart, there’s only one sister-in-law, and that’s you. As for Xue shi, if she hadn’t given birth to a child for big brother, I wouldn’t even bother with her.”

Shen Qiuci smiled:

“Since Mother says so, I’ll feel relieved.”

She lowered her eyes, hiding the hint of teasing in her gaze:

“I’m just troubled Mother to retrieve the token key for me as soon as possible, so outsiders don’t make a mockery of me.”