A gloomy cloud hung over the Zhao family.
The sun blazed fiercely outside.
Yet inside the main hall, it felt as cold as an ice cellar. Zhao Hao looked sorrowful. Seeing the room full of the old, the young, and the weak—completely stripped of their former prosperity—he felt a sudden urge to escape... But he couldn't.
He was the only pillar left to support the family.
"...No matter what, I am leaving, and no one can stop me!"
The woman's voice was shrill and resolute.
Zhao Hao snapped back to reality, smiling bitterly. He had no idea how to handle the current situation—his sister-in-law was clamoring for a divorce to return to her maiden home. Even though he was angry, as her brother-in-law, there wasn't much he could say...
But he still had to try and persuade her.
"It's not that we want to stop you, but my brother's fate is still unknown, and my nephews are still so young. Isn't it a bit too heartless of you to demand a divorce right now?"
"I'm heartless?"
His sister-in-law sneered, pointing right at Zhao Hao's nose:
"What does your nephews being young have to do with me? Let them find their own biological parents. It's not like I gave birth to them. Oh, I almost forgot. Third Brother, you committed such a scandalous act yourself, no wonder you don't feel guilty at all!"
Everyone knew exactly what that scandalous act referred to.
The person involved naturally knew it too.
"What... what nonsense are you spouting?"
Hearing this, Zhao Hao became extremely agitated. The movement pulled at the unhealed wounds on his face, and after uttering just one sentence, he couldn't help but cover his face and groan in pain.
"You know in your heart whether it's nonsense or not."
His sister-in-law held her head high, casting a disdainful look at Old Madam Zhao, who sat at the head of the room with an ashen face, eyes closed as she counted her prayer beads. Cursing the old hag in her heart, she continued:
"Why put on this hypocritical act of trying to keep me here now? When things were fine, you Zhao men put all your effort into tormenting your wives. Now that disaster has struck, you suddenly remember marital affection?"
"Speaking of which, I really ought to thank Miss Su."
A look of vindictive pleasure appeared on her face.
"If it weren't for her, I would have rotted away in this filthy place of the Zhao family for the rest of my life. To thank her, I am going to set up a longevity tablet for Miss Su and offer her three sticks of incense every single day."
"Shut up!"
Old Madam Zhao snapped her prayer beads, slammed the table, and stood up furiously. "You wretched woman! As long as I, your mother-in-law, am still alive, it is not your place to speak! Not to mention your husband is still alive, but even if he were dead, you would have to remain chaste for him your entire life! Return to your maiden home? Keep dreaming!"
"Pah, you're the one dreaming."
The Zhao family daughter-in-law was no longer afraid of her, unleashing a torrent of pent-up frustrations:
"Still hoping your son is alive? When has Miss Su ever been soft-hearted in her revenge? He's probably been dead for a long time, and they just haven't notified you to collect the corpse. I have no intention of being a widow."
She sneered and issued a final warning:
"With the way the Zhao family is just waiting to die right now, I advise you to improve your attitude and tone it down. Who knows, if I'm in a good mood later, I might even offer you some scraps of food."
She said all this in one breath.
Seeing Old Madam Zhao so infuriated she nearly fainted backward, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. However, she also knew that the Zhao family wouldn't truly be reduced to begging in the streets—
Even though the rice business was gone, they still had their land.
At worst, they could take the remaining old, weak, sick, and disabled back to the countryside to farm and live as landlords.
Unless... Su Ning decided to go all out and eliminate them directly. But that was unlikely. If she really did that, everyone would guess she was the murderer, bringing too much trouble upon herself.
"Sister-in-law, you are going too far."
Zhao Hao clenched his fists.
He felt powerless inside.
He couldn't understand why his sister-in-law could be so heartless. Even if she had been mistreated in the past, after being married for so many years, was there really no affection left? The family was in a precarious situation; this was exactly the time when the whole family needed to unite to overcome the crisis!
If it were Wen Yun... she would never act like this.
A flash of tenderness crossed his eyes.
But it quickly turned into disgust.
Everything could have been fine. It was all the fault of that meddlesome Su Ning, who tore apart his perfectly good family, causing discord between husband and wife, and alienation between mother and son.
Just then, a joyous commotion suddenly erupted outside.
Faintly, they could hear:
"He's back! The eldest master is back! Young Madam Shang saved him and brought him back!"
The people in the room exchanged glances.
They were all in shock.
Under the bright sunlight, Shang Wenyun walked in front. Following behind her was an emaciated man in tattered clothes—it was none other than Eldest Zhao. Seeing them, he excitedly threw himself forward, kneeling before Old Madam Zhao, hugging her legs, and crying:
"Mother, your unfilial son has returned."
"It is good that you are back."
Old Madam Zhao's face was covered in tears. She patted her eldest son's back, repeatedly asking if he was hungry or thirsty, paying no mind to anyone else.
It didn't matter that she didn't care.
Zhao Hao's gaze was glued to Shang Wenyun. He took a few steps forward, asking with excitement and caution, "Wenyun, have you... have you forgiven me? There really is a hidden story behind that incident; it's not what you think."
"Take your time and tell me."
Shang Wenyun barely maintained her composure to keep her hatred from showing. A little impatience could ruin a great plan; she couldn't let her own emotions spoil the young miss's grand scheme.
...
"You got it that easily?"
Su Ning found it a bit unbelievable, but the mortgage reports, transfer documents, and government paperwork in her hands all told her it was true: she now owned thousands of acres of fertile land.
In less than two days.
"I didn't expect it either."
Shang Wenyun sighed softly, recounting everything that had happened to Su Ning in detail. After hearing it, Su Ning understood. The Zhao family was like a desperate gambler at the card table; grasping at any hope of turning the tables, they bet everything without hesitation.
With Eldest Zhao's successful rescue as a precedent.
Coupled with Zhao Hao's confidence in their marital affection, how could they not trust Shang Wenyun? After all, that truly massive secret hadn't been exposed yet.
So when Shang Wenyun suggested...
...that she could help deal with Elder Sun and get the Zhao family's rice back, they believed her, swiftly choosing to mortgage their land for money to redeem the rice.
They even urged her to hurry up.
After all, Peiping was experiencing a grain shortage, with prices rising three times a day. The faster they redeemed it, the more they could earn later!
"Blinded by greed."
Su Ning passed her judgment, but the Zhao family acting this way suited her perfectly... Her mind began calculating how many people these lands could settle. The first batch of refugees had already appeared in Peiping, so she needed to seize the time to defeat Elder Sun's group.
Although she had money, she had no intention of being a sucker.
Hah, one silver dollar for a peck of wheat.
They weren't afraid of choking to death on their greed.
After setting the time to close the net, Su Ning finally had the mood to comfort her subordinate, who was still fighting on the front lines for her despite enduring a massive blow:
"Don't worry, the Zhao family will soon have nothing left." Rewards, oh rewards, come quickly! Her account, which was about to spend thirty million, desperately needed to be replenished!
"Mhm."
Shang Wenyun nodded with a smile, not mentioning that she wasn't anxious at all. Instead, she was thoroughly enjoying every passing second. The closer they got to that moment, the more a rich sweetness blossomed in her heart.
She suddenly thought of the other woman who was also a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family.
The woman who didn't hesitate to threaten publishing a divorce notice in the newspaper just to completely break free from the Zhao family. Before leaving, she had even sought her out to persuade her... She couldn't remember the other words clearly.
But one sentence was very good:
It must be smoke rising from our ancestral graves that earned Miss Su's favor. How could such a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck be ruined on the Zhao family?
She blinked and responded in her heart.
It won't be.
She would hold this luck in the palm of her hand and never allow anyone to destroy it.
...
It was still that secluded courtyard.
They were all familiar faces, except for the unfamiliar Zhao Hao. The crowd frequently cast teasing glances his way, and finally, someone spoke up to mock him:
As the ancients said, marrying a virtuous wife is indeed the right path.
Don't you agree, Mr. Zhao?
Zhao Hao's face was flushed with embarrassment, completely at a loss for words. It was Elder Sun who stepped in to smooth things over: Alright, everyone here is on the same side, so let's drop the subject.
Seeing the room quiet down, he nodded in satisfaction. Not everyone was as disrespectful and unyielding as Su Ning. At the thought of this, his inner displeasure began to bubble up—
When I acted as a peacemaker, you refused to give me face, and I let it go.
But when a mere assistant said a few pleasant words to plead for mercy.
You actually listened?
Suppressing the annoyance in his heart, Elder Sun coughed lightly twice to draw the room's attention and said: Currently, the vast majority of the grain in Beiping is in our hands. I believe that the current price of grain is still a bit too low. Doubling it again would be more appropriate.
What do you all think?
Not bad.
Even doubled, those peasant bumpkins are still getting a bargain. I think it could go even higher. Besides, it's not like we have to worry about it not selling.
The crowd roared with laughter.
It was true. So what if the price went higher? People had to eat to stay alive. If they had no money, they could sell their children or their wives. If they still had no money, they could go steal, rob, or cheat.
Isn't this pushing it a bit too far?
After the man said this, he noticed the unfriendly glares directed at him and hurriedly explained:
I'm just afraid the government will take action again. Even if Mayor Chen just wants to line his own pockets, if the commoners really start a riot, he will be forced to step in and quell the public anger... It might be better to hold off on the price hike for a bit.
I'm afraid that when the time comes, he won't be able to quell it even if he wants to!
Elder Sun sneered:
Even if Su Ning loses his mind and is willing to throw his money around, he won't be able to buy a single grain of rice within the city. By the time rice from other regions is shipped in, those lowly commoners will have long starved to death.
Hmph, he wouldn't dare.
A collective sigh of relief washed over the room. When Zhao Hao heard it, he realized he had been holding his breath as well. The older the ginger, the spicier it gets; he still had a lot to learn from these veterans.
He did some quick mental calculations.
If the price of grain doubled, he would make back all his principal and interest... and the price could still go up later.
Zhao Hao couldn't help but smile.
Chewing over Elder Sun's words from just a moment ago, his fear of Su Ning dissipated significantly—
Having money wasn't everything!
Right at that moment.
The subordinate who had been assigned to keep watch rushed in hurriedly. Forgetting to lower his voice, he shouted loudly: This is bad! A huge fleet of grain transport ships just arrived at the docks. Every single ship is fully loaded with grain, and they are all flying Su Ning's flag!
