Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 270 - 22: Phases of the Moon (Part 1)

Duke Li left behind a large amount of wealth only to provide a fallback for the family.

But who would have thought that the Ruan family had no fallback at all, as the person in power turned out to be a madman.

Mrs. Qin held onto all those things, yet she could only watch helplessly as the Ruan family fell apart, becoming homeless and destitute.

The night before she left the Capital, she not only told Ruan Qiniang about those old secrets but also left her all the things, so that any surviving descendants of the Ruan family could receive a generous inheritance.

The first Duke Li was a military general who helped the Founding Saint Martial Emperor conquer the world. Although the wealth of Duke Li’s Mansion couldn’t compare to that of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, it wasn’t too shabby either.

Moreover, Mrs. Qin’s former husband—Duke Xian, had also earned merits on the southern battlefield in his youth.

Later, after his first wife passed away—who came from one of Yunnan’s three main Tusi clans, the Feng family—Duke Xian stayed there for five years, serving as the Yun-Gui Governor.

That place is close to Great Light (Burma), Laos, and Siam (Thailand), with abundant jade, gemstones, precious herbs, bird’s nests, leathers, and other goods, giving you an idea of how much private wealth Duke Li had.

So even if Susu only received a small portion, it amounted to at least a hundred thousand taels of silver.

In fact, Susu received nearly one hundred fifty thousand taels’ worth, with gold and silver notes mostly being Datong Notes accepted by banks nationwide, totaling over one hundred ten thousand, and the remaining box of precious jewelry valued at about forty to fifty thousand.

When Susu left the Capital, Ruan Qiniang also gave her what was meant for the Sixth Son, asking her to manage it, which was a lot more.

Although Qiniang had corresponded with her brother, she never dared to bring out such wealth, but with Susu, she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Even without acknowledging kinship, they could still find ways to improve the lives of his siblings. Their father may have been a scumbag, but he was truly wealthy!

Mrs. Qin trusted her daughter’s character and believed that she wouldn’t keep all those things to herself, thinking that Susu probably got them, and with that thought, Susu indeed wasn’t lacking in money.

However, "Even if she is not short of silver and money, what kind of good things could she have with her status? Now she is a Fourth Rank Madam, and in the future, she can’t solely interact with the families of low-ranking officers. Naturally, with Susu’s character and appearance, she doesn’t need those mundane things to embellish herself, but others might not be so discerning. People have the tendency to treat you based on the robes you wear first and your character second."

While Mrs. Qin said this, she listened to what Mrs. Sun said. If her actions led others to suspect Susu’s identity, she truly would have no place to cry!

Thus, she stopped what she was doing, choosing only a few low-key yet extraordinary items for Mrs. Sun to note down, together with some previously selected furnishings, which wouldn’t appear too outlandish.

"Get two boxes of gemstones and two boxes of beads from the west from the warehouse and personally deliver them to her. Privately give them to her. As the master said, she just arrived, and there are bound to be things missing in the household. I remember when we first arrived, many gifts for warming the house were sent; choose some useful ones and send them to her. As for supplements like bird’s nests and snow clams, pick the best ones and pack them for her. Also, pick a few boxes of clothes and jewelry brought in from outside to keep for her to reward others."

Mrs. Sun knew the lady had already compromised. As a servant, it was not her place to constantly contradict the master’s words. Moreover, this wasn’t the master’s dowry, hence even if not given to Miss Thirteen, someone else would benefit.

Compared to those ingrates, Miss Thirteen was naturally more close-knit.

Every family has their own difficulties!

Mrs. Qin prepared the items for Susu and instructed Mrs. Sun to deliver them early the next morning and invited Susu to come again in a few days; this time she wanted to formally issue an invitation and introduce her to the upper circles of Hami.

Upon seeing Susu, Mrs. Qin felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart, and despite the late hour, she ordered the courtyard to be set with an altar, an incense burner, and offerings of incense.

That night was cool as water, with a sparkling starry sky, and Mrs. Qin whispered in her heart, "Sister Wan (Aunt Su’s name is Su Wanwan), I’ve met the Thirteenth Lady. She’s even more beautiful than you, like the bright moon in the sky. Now she’s married, living harmoniously with her husband, who is young and promising, and is already conferred as a Fourth Rank Madam. I hope your spirit in heaven can protect these unfortunate children."

Before long, Commander Liu came out with a cloak, draped an ochre-colored Lu Cloth cloak over Mrs. Qin, and accompanied her in the night in silence.

Mrs. Qin quietly placed her hand into the large hand of the tall man beside her, feeling the rough hand tightly holding hers, revealing a smile in the moonlight, as she heard him say, "Madam, according to the celestial signs your husband observed at night, tomorrow will be a fine day!"

Mrs. Qin looked up at the starry night, softly saying, "Husband, you’re truly amazing!" exhibiting a rare bit of innocent foolishness!

Mrs. Sun, holding a cloak in her hands but realizing someone else had beaten her to it, stood in the shadows not far, unable to resist looking up at the sky as well. So this is what celestial observation is all about!

Who was it that said: If you are well, it’s a sunny day!

Now, leaving aside the romantic moment between the old couple, when Hong Sheng and Susu returned home, Susu had already concealed all her emotions before stepping out of the carriage, for now, she absolutely couldn’t show any flaws.

She didn’t expect her brother and their situation to be so dire. Although she knew from the start that the current Emperor was narrow-minded, she didn’t expect him to be so insane; doesn’t he fear how future historians will judge him?

There were only five surviving males of the Ruan family’s direct line, the oldest being the Sixth Son, who was only twelve then, and the youngest being just three; what could such young children do?

Aunt Qin actually said they were constantly being watched and heavily suppressed.

Some soldiers even received orders to make their lives difficult, using any methods they pleased. Thinking of the Sixth Son taking four even younger children through hardships to the Northwest, facing not only military conscription but also numerous trials and schemes, Susu felt a surge of resentment, taking great effort to suppress it.

Hong Sheng seemed preoccupied and didn’t notice Susu’s unusual behavior as they entered the rooms, dismissing the servants.

"Wife..."

"Husband..."

"You speak first..."

"You speak first..."

Susu and Hong Sheng looked at each other, then laughed simultaneously as though laughter could dispel the gloom in their hearts.

Hong Sheng pulled Susu to sit on the bed, saying, "Let me speak first then!"

His expression turned slightly serious as he said, "Susu, I’ve discovered news about my cousin. I felt his name was familiar when I heard it, but I didn’t recall it at the time. You know I was promoted to Commander, serving as a deputy to the Commander, responsible for training and military discipline. Commander Liu had long intended to train a Vanguard Army while the Hami Guard had no wars currently, and pushed me into this exhausting job which might not even pay off." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

At this, Hong Sheng sneered, "They all think I’m young and easy to fool! Even though the Commander declared that elite soldiers should be selected from all the households, when I reviewed the list and had my brothers investigate, aside from the Left Thousand Households I previously led, the remaining four households all sent in the troublemakers."

Hong Sheng gripped Susu’s hand, saying slowly and deliberately, "My cousin’s name is also on the Vanguard Camp’s list: Ruan Sixth Son, Ruan Yu, and in the Northwest Army he’s indeed quite known!"