Chapter 382 Madam Yuan

Chapter 382 Madam Yuan

Xie Wanniang and the old woman sent by Princess Dekang agreed to exchange estates ten days later. She didn't mention that she wanted to investigate, but instead made an excuse that she had some trivial matters to deal with recently and was too busy to get away.

During the ten days she delayed, her guards secretly investigated both of her and Princess Dekang's estates.

Out of caution, they not only went to the estates to inspect them in person, but also investigated the ownership records of the two estates and the general situation of their previous owners.

Whether it was because they had too little time to investigate and couldn't uncover the deeper secrets, or because the two estates were indeed without any problems, the final result they reported back to Xie Wanniang was that the two estates did not appear to have any suspicious activities at the moment.

Xie Wanniang nodded and said, "Let's dig deeper," and then took the initiative to arrange a time with Princess Dekang to exchange properties.

To her surprise, on the very afternoon of the day she had arranged to complete the formalities with Princess Dekang, another uninvited guest arrived at her home.

This uninvited guest was Xie Wanniang's biological father's half-sister. Although her father did not value her and her aunt when she was at her maternal home, she had a good eye and chose a promising husband for herself.

Although her husband was just a merchant, her father-in-law seized the great opportunity during the war and, with the family's abundant wealth and resources, managed to raise a volunteer army.

This rebel army's fighting strength and cohesion were certainly no match for the Yuan clan's army, but this shrewd merchant was not originally in that position.

He simply wanted to take advantage of this chaotic period to change his family's social standing.

With this in mind, he carefully chose the Yuan family as his betting target.

The troops surrendered without hesitation, and money and supplies were continuously provided, showing a sincere devotion to their lord, even at the cost of their own fortune.

At that time, the head of the Yuan family was still the new emperor's grandfather. Although the old man knew in his heart that this person was not truly loyal to him and that his actions were ultimately for the benefit of this person and his family, he did not care about these things.

To put it bluntly, among those who followed him to "quell the rebellion," who was risking their life for him for nothing?

People need to eat, and they all have aspirations; if they put in effort, they will inevitably expect something in return.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. As the ruler, he was happy to exchange benefits with his subjects in certain areas.

The woman who rashly approached Xie Wanniang was the one who, after her father-in-law led his men to surrender, decisively persuaded her father and aunt to find someone to act as a matchmaker and marry her off to him.

At that time, the family was still a merchant family, while she was the niece of the old man of the Yuan family. Since the old man had no daughters to marry and the second branch of the family had no legitimate daughters to marry, she and her two other half-sisters were the younger generation of the Yuan family who were closest to the old man of the Yuan family and were ready to marry.

Considering the social standing of both families at the time, she could be considered to be marrying down. However, given her uncle's consistent approach to life, the family she chose was bound to rise to prominence very quickly.

She will soon gain status, never lack money, and elders will not put on airs in front of her. Most importantly, the marriage partner she has chosen is handsome and quite shrewd. It can be said that this is the best marriage she can get.

As for whether that family will refuse, they have just joined the Yuan family. If they refuse the olive branch extended by the Yuan family, are they afraid that others will not doubt their sincerity in joining the family?

By leveraging the influence of the main branch of the family and choosing the perfect time to propose, she smoothly married her current husband.

And her husband did not disappoint her. After the establishment of the Great Wei Kingdom and the unification of the world, their family was not only granted the title of Earl based on their past merits, but he also naturally became the second-rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue because of his expertise in business and accounting.

With both a noble title and real power, he can be considered a true winner in life.

From this perspective alone, Madam Yuan can be said to have married the best among her half-sisters.

Perhaps accustomed to smooth sailing, this person came uninvited after hearing about the estate exchange agreement between Xie Wanniang and Princess Dekang.

Unlike the royal relatives who had previously caused trouble in front of Xie Wanniang, this Lady Yuan was always smiling and didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

"Hui'an," she called Xie Wanniang by her title affectionately, and stretched out her hand to take Xie Wanniang's hand in a familiar manner, "I am your third aunt, your father's younger sister."

Xie Wanniang was speechless.

After arriving in the capital, she did her homework and naturally knew about this Madam Yuan, as well as her background and general experiences.

The problem is, she doesn't even acknowledge her own father, so where did this aunt come from?

Honestly, Xie Wanniang felt that she had said the phrase "not even recognizing her own father" so many times that it was almost worn out.

She truly couldn't understand how these people could so readily ignore certain important facts for the sake of their own interests.

Quickly dodging Madam Yuan's outstretched hand that reached out to grasp her left hand, Xie Wanniang frowned as she looked at the smiling noblewoman. "My father's surname is Xie, not Yuan."

Madam Yuan was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly smiled again, and her expression changed from simple warmth to the kind of tolerance and affection that an elder usually shows to a temperamental junior.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say." Madam Yuan walked familiarly towards the front courtyard of the Princess's residence, smiling as she said to Xie Wanniang, "Although this is the first time I've met you, it feels like we've known each other for over a decade or two. Putting everything else aside, I feel like we're definitely meant to be together."

Xie Wanniang remained noncommittal; she didn't think that a chick treated as prey could "get along" with a weasel that came to pay New Year's visits.

Although she was actually covered in sharp thorns and very prickly, and not a pitiful little chick that could only be eaten by wild beasts, people still came to her door because they smelled meat.

The two took their seats in the flower hall, with Xie Wanniang sitting at the head of the table without any hesitation, clearly overshadowing Madam Yuan.

Madam Yuan's expression changed again, but unlike Jiang Tong's family, even if she disliked and looked down on Xie Wanniang, she could still greet Xie Wanniang with a smile and act exceptionally close to her after a moment of emotional change, all for the sake of the good things Xie Wanniang had.

Xie Wanniang admitted that she could never match such shamelessness.

Impatient with Madam Yuan's attempts to ingratiate herself, Xie Wanniang, after the maidservant served tea and snacks, immediately cut to the chase, asking, "May I ask what brings Madam Yuan here?"

The word "presumptuous" caused Madam Yuan's expression to change slightly again, but since Xie Wanniang had already gone this far, she really couldn't continue rambling on.

"It's nothing really, I just wanted to get to know you so we can keep in touch in the future."

She was very careful not to say anything about aunt or niece again, but her eyes and expressions were all hinting at it.

Xie Wanniang thought to herself, "How come this is never going to end?"

She said, "Madam Yuan, are you sure you have nothing else to do? If not, I have some other things to take care of, so I won't keep you company any longer."

Since the other party was an uninvited guest who had arrived without prior notice and seemed to have some ulterior motives, she bluntly asked him to leave, which he deserved.

Madam Yuan was surprised that Xie Wanniang was unwilling to even pretend to be polite.

You know, in the social circles of the capital, everyone has always placed great importance on maintaining a friendly and amicable appearance.

Some people may hate each other so much they could tear each other apart, yet they still greet each other with a friendly smile when they meet.

She asked herself, although she was indeed an uninvited guest who had come without permission, as Xie Wanniang had said, she really didn't have any grudges against Xie Wanniang.

It's unreasonable for Xie Wanniang to be so hostile towards her just because she didn't send out an invitation in advance. That would be so disrespectful and lacking in manners.

Madam Yuan was furious, but remembering the purpose of her visit to Xie Wanniang, she softened her expression once again and put on a smile.

"Since you have other important matters to attend to, Huian, I won't waste time chatting with you. We'll be visiting each other often anyway, so there's no need to rush into idle talk."

Xie Wanniang thought to herself, "I know I don't want to waste my time on you, so why don't you just say what you want to do? What's with all this nonsense?"

She looked directly at Madam Yuan and asked, "So, what exactly do you want from me, Madam?"

Madam Yuan suppressed her anger, and the smile on her face looked like a mask, extremely stiff. "Actually, it's nothing, just a small matter."

Seeing that Xie Wanniang had fallen silent, she had no choice but to take the initiative and continue, "I heard that you plan to give the newly purchased hot spring resort to Dekang?"

Although Princess Dekang was of noble status, she was a generation younger than this Lady Yuan. Lady Yuan often addressed her juniors, including Princess Dekang, by their titles, just like she was doing now. This served two purposes: firstly, to highlight her status as a member of the royal family, and secondly, to make others feel that she was close to these people.

Xie Wanniang was too lazy to pay attention to Madam Yuan's petty schemes. She nodded, "That is indeed the case. But what does this have to do with you, Madam?"

While cursing Xie Wanniang in her heart for being disobedient, unfilial, and disrespectful to her elders, Madam Yuan continued to try her best to maintain her professional fake smile, "Oh dear, Hui'an, don't speak so harshly. I have no ill intentions towards you."

Xie Wanniang remained noncommittal, saying, "Madam hasn't said what you want to do yet."

Madam Yuan continued with a forced, gentle smile, saying, "It's like this, my eldest daughter is almost of marriageable age, and for the past two years I've been trying to find her a better estate."

Xie Wanniang wanted to roll her eyes. So all she wanted was to buy or exchange an estate with her? What was so wrong with just saying it directly? If it was okay, it was okay; if it wasn't, it wasn't. There was nothing shameful about it.

However, Xie Wanniang soon found herself in a very embarrassing situation.

Madam Yuan said, "I won't let you suffer a loss. I will definitely make up for every penny you paid for that hot spring resort."

Xie Wanniang: ? ? ?

What do you mean? You want to buy her hot spring resort?

She reminded Madam Yuan, "I have already agreed to transfer my hot spring estate to Princess Dekang; it is impossible to sell it to anyone else."

She is a person with a strong sense of contractual obligation. Unless Princess Dekang breaks the contract, she will definitely fulfill her promise to the other party.

Moreover, she felt that this Madam Yuan was quite inexplicable. Knowing that she and Princess Dekang had already made an agreement, this person still said such things. Was she trying to steal something from Princess Dekang?

To Xie Wanniang's surprise, Madam Yuan replied, "I know, I don't want your hot spring estate. You've already promised Dekang, so I can't let you break the contract."

Xie Wanniang had a vague, outrageous guess in her mind, but she really couldn't believe that there could be such a shameless person in the world.

However, the truth is that humans are indeed a mysterious group capable of constantly producing bizarre and unusual creatures.

There are always some people whose existence seems to be designed to push the boundaries of what normal people can understand.

Madam Yuan, with a tone that suggested she was being very considerate and understanding, smiled and gave her final answer: "I was thinking that since you want a hot spring resort, there's no need for you to keep Dekang's resort, is there? Instead of keeping it, you might as well sell it and use the money to find a new hot spring resort."

Xie Wanniang was so angry she laughed. Good heavens, this Madam Yuan not only came to her door to take advantage of her, but also portrayed her actions as being considerate of her and helping her solve her problems.

This is truly shamelessness beyond belief.

She asked Madam Yuan, "Do you think I'm illiterate? That I'm not clear-headed? That you can fool me however you want?"

Madam Yuan's expression held three parts surprise, three parts confusion, and four parts tolerance. "Hui'an, what makes you say that? I didn't say anything excessive, did I? Why are you suddenly angry?"

Xie Wanniang rolled her eyes at her without any politeness, "Alright, stop pretending. Looking at you makes me want to throw up my dinner from last night."

She beckoned to Cunyu, who was standing dumbfounded not far from her, and said, "Come here, tell this Madam Yuan why I suddenly turned against her."

Cunyu snapped out of her daze, curtsied, and replied, "Yes."

Although she was a maid and not good at business, she was mentally sound and could still figure out such simple accounts.

She gave a slight curtsy to Madam Yuan, “Madam Yuan must know that hot spring resorts in the capital are very difficult to buy. My princess was fortunate enough to acquire one, but Princess Dekang really wanted it, which is why she offered a high price to my princess to purchase it.”

She deliberately emphasized the word "high price" to prevent Madam Yuan from continuing to pretend to be ignorant.