Chapter 809 You Shall Be Treated as a Deserter if There Is No Contract
Infanta Qinghua had a dowry, and it was not regular-scaled at all. It was the emperor who granted the marriage, so it was natural for her to have such a splendid dowry. And even the royal members added many things to it. It could be said that it was the most extravagant dowry in the capital city.
However, after Infanta Qinghua left, the second branch became the supervisor. So old Madam didn’t dare to ask how much the dowry had been left. It was not only the second branch but also herself.
After the death of Infanta Qinghua, Old Madam wantonly obtained a share of the dowry. Now there were not many left in the warehouse, and almost all the good ones were in others’ pockets. Some of them were in her hands, and Madam Jiang of the second branch still had some dowry, which couldn’t compare with the dowry of Infanta Qinghua. When she was married, she didn’t bring many dowries.
The Jiang family was not a very rich aristocratic family. Moreover, there was a reason why she was raised in Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Old Madam coughed in a low voice and said, “How can I trouble you with this matter, Great Elder Princess? The Fifth Girl is the Miss of our Duke Xing’s Mansion, so she should follow the rules of Duke Xing’s Mansion. What’s more, she is married to Prince Chen. So it’s natural for us to prepare a sumptuous dowry!”
She had intended to do so anyway. Shao Wanru was about to be married to Prince Chen and chose to help Duke Xing’s Mansion at this time. Old Madam did not dare to neglect this matter.
However, it was just a luxury dowry, which was different from that of Infanta Qinghua. Old Madam meant that she would prepare a new dowry for Shao Wanru– one that would not be considered shabby. And it had nothing to do with the previous dowry of Infanta Qinghua.
Or some things once belonged to the dowry of Infanta Qinghua, but not all of them.
She thought that Rui’an Great Elder Princess would agree with what she said. After all, she had expressed her good intentions.
Unexpectedly, Rui’an Great Elder Princess darkened her face and said, “Old Madam, what do you mean? Why don’t you give Zhuozhuo Qing’er’s dowry? Hao’er is a boy. He and Zhuozhuo can share this dowry!”
“It’s not that we don’t want to give it to Wanru. I mean that we will add something to his share!” Old Madam said euphemistically. After Shao Yanru’s incident, it became inappropriate for her to confront Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
“Thank you, Old Madam. Since I’m here now, please ask the Third Madam of your mansion to come over and check Qinghua’s dowry. I will divide them into two parts for the brother and the sister so as not to make them hate each other in the future!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess nodded and said with reason.
Old Madam opened her mouth, suppressed the anger in her heart, and explained gently, “Great Elder Princess, what I mean is that we will give Infanta Qinghua’s dowry to Wanru. If we don’t give Infanta Qinghua’s dowry to them, who else can we give it to? However, since Great Elder Princess intends to divide the dowry, it seems that we have done something to Infanta Qinghua’s dowry. People might laugh about it!”
Her tone was completely different from the way she talked to Rui’an Great Elder Princess in the past. She sounded mild as if she didn’t want to argue with Rui’an Great Elder Princess, which was not like her at all.
If it were in the past, Rui’an Great Elder Princess would not cross the line if Old Madam wanted to compromise. But when she thought of what Nanny Gao had said on the note and that ring, she felt angry.
For so many years, she had only paid attention to Hao’er’s affairs, but she didn’t expect that the people in Duke Xing’s Mansion were so shallow that they were even greedy for their daughter-in-law’s dowry. Originally, it was for Hao’er. The main branch only had Hao’er, who was raised in Duke Xing’s Mansion and was also very close to Old Madam.
As long as Hao’er was happy, Great Elder Princess would not go too far. Originally, she thought that Old Madam would not touch Qinghua’s dowry. She had always kept an eye on it, and Hao’er was to use it in the future, she once believed that Duke Xing’s Mansion would not do such a thing.
Unexpectedly, not only did Duke Xing’s Mansion do this, but they also went too far. Great Elder Princess remembered the ring because she added it on purpose when Qinghua said that she liked this ring. Unexpectedly, it was wrapped in a piece of paper and sent to her.
As long as she thought that the old woman in front of her not only hurt her daughter and son-in-law but also embezzled her daughter’s dowry and even intended to ruin the future of her grandson, Great Elder Princess became furious and almost couldn’t control herself.
Thinking of what her granddaughter said to her in the letter, Great Elder Princess suppressed her anger hard, but she couldn’t show any joy on her face. “Old Madam, I just want to see Qinghua’s dowry.”
She looked as if she had no choice but to see the dowry today.
“Great Elder Princess, it’s inappropriate!” Old Madam couldn’t keep her smile on her face.
“Inappropriate? I just want to see the dowry I gave to my daughter and you think that is inappropriate? Have the people in Duke Xing’s Mansion used the dowry?” Great Elder Princess snorted and looked at Old Madam’s face sharply. “The people in Duke Xing’s Mansion are reluctant to see my daughter living in the mansion but take my daughter’s dowry for granted? I’ve never heard of such a thing like this before!”
“Even if my daughter is gone, Zhuozhuo and Hao’er are still here. It is not up to you to deal with the dowry, right?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess became angrier as she spoke. She suddenly stood up and glared at Old Madam coldly. “Let’s go into the palace and talk to the Empress Dowager. I will tell Her Grace that you embezzle Qinghua’s dowry and Zhuozhuo’s dowry. Let’s see how the Empress Dowager will deal with it!”
Seeing that she was about to drag her, Old Madam panicked, hurriedly stepped back, and said, “Great Elder Princess. Why can’t we just settle this in peace?”
“If I don’t do something, will your family return the dowry?” Great Elder Princess said in a sharp voice.
Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion was also angry and said to Great Elder Princess coldly, “Great Elder Princess, don’t make irresponsible accuses. Don’t talk nonsense without evidence. Even if I go to Empress Dowager, I will say the same thing. Is it wrong for us to add dowry to Wanru’s dowry? How dare you talk that nonsense!”
Her words sounded reasonable. In front of Empress Dowager, she just needed to insist that it was true.
Madam Dowager secretly made up her mind.
“Old Madam, let me ask you again. Is my daughter’s dowry in the warehouse?” Great Elder Princess asked firmly.
“Of course it’s in Qinghua’s warehouse. Great Elder Princess, if you don’t believe me, you can ask the supervisor. When Infanta Qinghua left, the supervisor was still the servant from your mansion. Great Elder Princess should have great trust in the people in your mansion!” Old Madam said coldly.
She had prepared for some things in case that Rui’an Great Elder Princess would hear some rumors and come over to make trouble.
“Bring her here!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess said coldly and sat down again.
Old Madam breathed a sigh of relief and winked at Nanny Yu. Nanny Yu nodded and went outside to call the old maid guarding Infanta Qinghua’s private storehouse.
The old maid came quickly. After bowing to Great Elder Princess and Old Madam, she stood aside.
Great Elder Princess looked at the old maid from head to toe but did not recognize her. However, Nanny Gao whispered in her ear to let her know that this old maid was indeed the one who accompanied Infanta Qinghua. Her whole family was devoted to Infanta Qinghua, and she followed Infanta Qinghua to Duke Xing’s Mansion.
However, after staying in Duke Xing’s Mansion for so many years, she had long forgotten who her former master was. It could be seen from her indifferent face when she came up to Great Elder Princess.
“Are you at the service of Qinghua or Duke Xing’s Mansion?” Great Elder Princess’s cold eyes fell on the old maid, making the old maid feel scared. She hurriedly lowered her head and said, “Your Highness, I am the servant of Infanta Qinghua. I came here with Infanta Qinghua.”
“So, your contract is still with Qinghua?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess asked again.
This question made the old maid tremble. Of course, her contract was not with the main branch and had been taken over by the second branch. But she didn’t dare to say this and could only nod.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess ignored the old maid and turned to Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion, saying coldly, “Old Madam, do you still have Qinghua’s stuff? Let’s see how many contracts of servants she has left. If not, we can treat them as escaped servants!”
The old maid’s face immediately turned pale. If she was regarded as a deserter, she would be punished. For a moment, she looked at Old Madam with pleading eyes.
Old Madam coughed in a low voice and said unhappily, “Great Elder Princess, Qinghua has been gone for so many years. Even if we look for the contracts she brought with her at that time, it is not likely to find them in a short time. Please allow us to sort out Qinghua’s belongings first. We can’t make a mess just because there is nothing for the time being!”
Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion intended to delay it for a while. After all, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was not a member of Duke Xing’s Mansion. She couldn’t keep an eye on her mansion all day long. If she delayed it, again and again, she a.s.sume Rui’an Great Elder Princess would forget about this.
“Are they lost?” Great Elder Princess said coldly.
“No. We just can’t find them for the time being!” Old Madam coughed again.
“If so, gather the people that Qinghua brought with us. Let’s go to the government to prepare the case and offer them a new contract!”
Rui’an Great Elder Princess still sounded unyielding.
If she did it, these people would certainly return to Great Elder Princess’s control. By then, even Old Madam had no right to ask how Great Elder Princess would deal with these servants.
The old maid staggered and almost fail to stand. Her eyes became more and more anxious. They came here with Infanta Qinghua. After so many years, few of them were still loyal to Infanta Qinghua. Most of them had sworn fealty to Duke Xing’s Mansion and became servants of the Jiang family of the second branch. How could they be willing to return to Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion?
Moreover, Great Elder Princess came aggressively. At first glance, they knew that she was here to demand justice. If Great Elder Princess knew the truth, they might not be able to keep their lives.
“Great Elder Princess, it’s not that we can’t find her. It’s just that we can’t find her for the time being. Why do you have to be so aggressive? Is it because you are dissatisfied with Yanru’s marriage that you made such a big scene and let the people in the capital city laugh at her?” Old Madam said coldly and firmly.
At this time, she had to be tough. If she blindly obeyed Great Elder Princess, things would become out of her control.
Infanta Qinghua’s servants were members of Duke Xing’s Mansion and knew some things about Duke Xing’s Mansion. If they returned to Great Elder Princess’s hands, she would inevitably find many problems. So Old Madam would not let go of these people.