Schor Li raised his demeanor, adopting the proud posture of a schor, and cupped his hands in greeting, “I am Li Jinliang, pleased to meet you, madam. Thank you for your concern; I am well.”

  Jiang Fuyue assessed him with a gnce and smiled, “There is no need for such formality, Schor.”

  At that moment, Guyu walked up holding a list of gifts and stood beside Schor Li, saying, “Schor, this is the list personally drafted by the old madam of the mansion. Please take a look.”

  The booklet was extravagant, with intricate golden-threaded designs embroidered on the cover, and the pages inside were gilded—an extreme dispy of luxury. Schor Li's eyes immediately locked onto it, unable to tear away.

  He eagerly snatched the booklet from Guyu’s hands and began flipping through it.

  The more he read, the more shocked he became.

  “Xiuyu incense burner!”

  “Water Ash Elm Taihu stone ornament!”

  “Jade Pixiu!”

  ...

  “A full set of Ruyao tea ware!”

  Schor Li’s voice grew louder and louder, and by the end, the crowd outside gasped in astonishment.

  “My heavens! The earlier gifts were fine, but a whole set of Ruyao tea ware? That must cost at least a few hundred taels of silver!”

  “The Marquis’s mansion really spends extravagantly! To welcome a mere Schor, they spare no expense!”

  “Exactly! Had I known the Marquis's mansion was this generous, I would have gone too! I’m a Gongshi! If I had gone, I wouldn’t have to deal with some Schor!”

  “Right, right!”

  Schor Li closed the booklet, gnced outside, and took in the envious or regretful expressions of the crowd, his smile growing wider.

  He cleared his throat and was about to ask someone to open the boxes so the onlookers could witness the grandness, when Guyu suddenly interrupted.

  “Madam, this isn’t right! The Marquis’s storehouse doesn’t have Jade Pixiu or Ruyao tea ware! These... aren’t they from your dowry?”

  Guyu’s loud excmation drowned out the voices in the room. The earlier murmurs about the wealth of the Marquis’s mansion stopped abruptly, and the crowd, including Schor Li, froze in shock.

  “Madam, what Guyu says is correct,” Jingzhe hurriedly spoke up. “I clearly remember, these items are indeed part of your dowry!”

  Once Guyu finished speaking, even the servants of the Marquis’s mansion started to exchange gnces, and the noise outside grew louder.

  “Is the Marquis’s mansion in financial trouble, or what? Why are they using the daughter-in-w’s dowry?”

  “We don’t even see this in ordinary households, do we?”

  “But the Marquis spends thousands of taels every day at the brothel. It doesn’t seem like they’re in decline…”

  “Ah, the affairs of the Marquis’s mansion are too complicated for us common folks to understand, but I never expected them to be so shameless as to use the daughter-in-w’s dowry!”

  “Well, maybe the Schor asked for it. After all, the Marquis’s mansion comes from a military background. How could they have anything elegant? They probably had to use the young dy’s dowry.”

  “Hmm, that makes sense…”

  Seeing the situation was getting out of control, Schor Li angrily smmed the booklet on the ground. “Nonsense! I never requested the Marquis’s mansion to prepare gifts! They acted on their own! What does that have to do with me?!”

  After saying this, Schor Li suddenly realized his mistake. He quickly added, “Madam, I’m not bming the Marquis’s mansion, it’s just—just a slip of the tongue. Please don’t take it to heart. I appreciate their intentions, but as for the gifts... I ask that you please take them back.”

  As he spoke, Schor Li could feel his heart bleeding. He couldn’t help but silently curse the old madam.

  The old madam had promised to give him face, but who could have imagined that the dignified old madam of the Marquis’s mansion would take gifts from her daughter-in-w’s dowry?

  Now, in front of so many people, how could he accept these gifts?

  Seeing Schor Li’s firm attitude, Jiang Fuyue nodded and responded, “Then… after we return today, I will discuss it with my mother-in-w. We’ll open the storehouse and let the Schor choose the gifts as an apology. Would that be acceptable?”

  Upon hearing this, Schor Li’s face brightened, and his tone became more sincere. “Then, I thank you, Madam!”

  Indeed, this madam was generous and considerate!

  The Marquis’s storehouse! Surely, it contained many fine things!

  “The carriage is ready, Schor, please,” Jiang Fuyue said with a gentle smile.

  “Of course, Madam, please!” Schor Li hastily agreed.

  Outside the inn, many people had gathered to watch the scene. Jiang Fuyue gnced at them, then took Guyu’s arm and returned to the carriage.

  With the sound of drums and gongs, the carriage rolled away, headed back to the Marquis’s mansion in a lively manner.

  On the terrace of the restaurant across from the inn, a man dressed in bck shifted his gaze from Jiang Fuyue’s carriage. With a hint of mockery in his tone, he remarked, “Is this the Madam of the Marquis’s mansion, who, from the moment she entered the household, worked tirelessly for the family, never compining despite being mistreated by her in-ws?”

  The man, standing tall like a fragrant orchid, appeared to be in his early twenties. His handsome features were striking, and his demeanor exuded an exceptional charm.

  “Yes,” said the man in a royal blue robe, casually tossing a fruit into his mouth. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “So?”

  “Nothing,” Shen Chuan said with a smile, shaking his head. “She’s an interesting person.”

  As Shen Chuan turned to leave, Xie Ziqi quickly followed, saying, “You, the emperor's favorite, finally have a moment of free time and come to enjoy such a spectacle? Wait—”

  At the Marquis’s mansion, Liu Mama, who was personally guarding the gate, saw Schor Li arriving and immediately greeted him with a wide smile. “Schor, you’ve had a long journey. We’ve prepared a guest room for you. Please follow me to rest.”

  Schor Li, knowing that Liu Mama was a servant of the old madam, angrily flung his sleeve and entered the mansion.

  Liu Mama wasn’t sure what had happened but didn’t dare to neglect him, quickly leading the way with a smile.

  Guyu watched Liu Mama’s retreating figure and snorted in dissatisfaction. “The old madam is truly something. Gifts from the Marquis’s mansion are all poorly made, while everything taken from Madam’s dowry is top quality. And Liu Mama acts as if she doesn’t know anything, still daring to ignore us!”

  Items like the Xiuyu incense burner and the Water Ash Elm Taihu stone ornament were all bought when the old madam first came to the capital, during a time when her taste hadn’t caught up. They were rough in workmanship and had been collecting dust in the storehouse for years. Now, she dared to take them out and gift them!

  Jingzhe looked at her helplessly. “You haven’t even entered our own courtyard, and you can’t hold your tongue!”

  Guyu snorted again, turning her head away in anger.

  “However, Madam, once this matter blows up, the old madam probably won’t let it slide…” Jingzhe said, worried.

  “She wants to make a scene?” Guyu fumed. “They were wrong first. Do they have the face to hold us accountable?”

  Although Guyu couldn’t keep her mouth shut, she managed to speak in a tone only the three of them could hear.

  Jiang Fuyue remained silent, continuing to walk into the mansion.

  As for the two men from the opposite restaurant, one was from the Jin Country Duke’s residence, and the other… she thought he looked familiar, but couldn’t pce him.