Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C009

One's own disaster became an opportunity for others.

If one was to ask if the great aunt hated it, she naturally did, but at that time, she didn't have the opportunity to think about it in detail.

Her son and daughter-in-law had died, and her husband had also passed away. Someone else had inherited the title, and she, an old woman who was an eyesore, was the first to be affected.

If it had been just her, it would have been fine. She would have considered it a reunion with her family. But her son and daughter-in-law had left her a granddaughter, who became a bond that prevented her from dying.

Thinking back to those days, the great aunt's old eyes filled with tears.

"At that time, you had just been sent back from the border. You were very sick, and many doctors were invited, but none of them could cure you. Finally, an imperial physician was invited from the palace, and your condition improved, but you forgot everything that happened before. At that time, I had to go to the manor to avoid the limelight, and I couldn't take you with me."

"Qi Pei insisted on keeping you in the Marquis's mansion, saying that since you are of the Marquis's bloodline, there is no reason for you to be left outside. In fact, she is worried that this title was passed down because of your father, and she is afraid of being criticized. Therefore, it is impossible for her to let you go with me."

"After thinking it over and over again, I think that with this relationship, they should not dare to harm you. It is safer than following me outside. I might as well stay outside and let you stay in the Marquis's mansion, under everyone's eyes, so that you can grow up safely."

Wushuang never expected there to be more to the story.

In her previous life, she couldn’t understand why Wuxia’s family had invested so much effort in her.

It was said that it was for her marriage engagement, but at that time, no one dared to take that engagement seriously. Prince Wei sending someone to pass on a message to the Marquis Changyang's mansion, saying that it was when she reached her coming-of-age ceremony, but these actions against her had already begun many years before that.

To make her think that she was their biological daughter, to develop a sense of kinship with her second uncle's family, and when she was a little older, to find Master Qin to teach her, to cultivate her to be humble, cowardly, and timid, and to use the people around her to influence her, to make her alienated from her biological grandmother.

Mei Wushuang had only met her great aunt once in her previous life, so she naturally did not know about all this. She never would have guessed that there were so many entanglements and secrets involved.

“The Marquis’s mansion may appear splendid on the outside, but in reality, it has long been living beyond its means. Your great-grandmother had it hard. Your great-grandfather was a wastrel who nearly squandered the entire family fortune, so the Marquis’s mansion has been putting on a brave face since your great-grandmother’s generation…"

“Thanks to your father’s success, he was also filial. All those years he went out to fight in wars, he gave all the rewards he got to me for safekeeping. Your grandfather knew that the eldest branch of the family always targeted us, so he didn’t ask for any of those things, saying that since your father earned them, they belonged to your father."

“He was also very farsighted, and he was annoyed that Qi Pei was always finding fault with us, so he took the opportunity to divide the family property. So, although it seemed like the several branches of the family were still living together, in fact, the family had already been divided. When Qi Pei and his son took over the Marquis's mansion, they only inherited an empty shell. Apart from the title passed down from their ancestors and the land granted to them, there was nothing else."

“But Qi Pei and her son didn’t believe it, because according to the daily expenses of the mansion, the Marquis’s estate should be far more than this. How would she know that all of this was supplemented by your father’s own money? Although your grandfather said that he didn’t want your father’s filial piety, how could a son truly be unfilial?"

“I was worried that the mansion to fight like crows over food and clothing all day long, so I listened to your father and gave the mansion a sum of money every year. But then your father was gone, your grandfather was gone, and I was forced to hide in the manor, so naturally I would no longer subsidize those people.”

At this point, the great aunt seemed to be amused and laughed twice.

“She thought your grandfather had given all the family property to me and that I had hidden it, but the official accounts of the Marquis's mansion only show so much, and everything can be verified. Later, she admitted that I had not hidden any family property, but she knew that I was in control of the second branch's property."

“From that point on, she set her sights on this family fortune. At the time, I thought it was a good idea. Being greedy for money is better than being greedy for life. I used this family fortune to keep her in line so that she would treat your illness and find imperial physicians for you. Later, after your illness was cured, I couldn’t take you with me. I had no choice but to send five thousand taels of silver back to support you every year."

"And after you got married, all the family property of the second house that I had in my hands, except for the half that I would give you as a dowry, would be given to the Marquis’s mansion as a condition for her to guarantee that you could grow up safely and that she would not harm you…”

The great aunt said a lot, and Wushuang just listened to her while silently shedding tears.

She had not expected there to be so many things going on behind the scenes, and that she had been able to grow up in peace was entirely due to her grandmother's years of maneuvering.

And what about her?

Not only was she not close to her grandmother, but she also listened to these people's alienation and alienated her grandmother. Even in her previous life, she only met her grandmother once and handed over all matters to Nanny Zhao.

Perhaps her grandmother was very disappointed when she died in her previous life?

Disappointed that her own granddaughter turned out to be like this.

“Just now, that girl Lamei came to see me, just for this matter. She is Qi Pei's maid, and now she is capable, and has become a housekeeper. I guess they have no money again, so they are anxious to get that family property from me. These people never think about being self-reliant. Once they have nothing, they think of others. The whole family is rotten to the core…”

When she said this, the great aunt started panting, panting very hard. Wushuang also hurriedly woke up from her trance and hurriedly went to help the great aunt catch her breath.

“Grandmother!”

Great aunt's face was ashen. Obviously, the two consecutive events tonight had consumed her limited energy, but she smiled, looking very amiable and kind.

“Child, don't panic, don't be afraid.”

The great aunt stroked her forehead. “Everyone dies eventually. I should have died a long time ago. If it weren’t for you, I would have followed your grandfather and father when they passed. It’s good that you understand. I used to think it would be better for you to live your life in ignorance. The grudges of the previous generation shouldn’t involve you, but I was worried about Qi Pei’s character. I was afraid that she would harm you in secret."

“These things have been weighing on my mind. I didn’t know what was best for you. Now that you know everything, it can be considered fate. You can be more careful. The grudges and entanglements of the older generation have nothing to do with you. Don’t worry about them too much. As long as you can protect yourself and live a happy life, your grandmother can rest in peace.”

“Grandmother……”

Wushuang shook her head, tightly grasping her great aunt’s hand, tears streaming down her face.

“My good child, don’t cry. Let your grandmother finish speaking. I’m afraid if I don’t finish speaking now, I won’t have the chance to do so in the future.” Great aunt beckoned Meifang to pour her a cup of water and serve it to her.

“I don’t know how you came here today. Did Meifang tell you something? After I came to this manor, I dismissed all the people around me, for fear that they would get in Qi Pei’s way and suffer her schemes. Only this girl, she came back from the border with you that year, saying that she was an orphan adopted by your mother."

“I asked her to leave, but she refused. Later, I had no choice but to find a nearby family to foster her. She worked on the farm during the day, and secretly came to serve me. Because everyone knew she was the daughter of a nearby farmer, no one suspected her. I originally planned to leave her to you after I died, but now it saves me the trouble.”

“It was Miss, who asked, asked me to bring, bring her here.”

Yes, Meifang had a severe stutter, which was why she was so quiet and tried to avoid speaking whenever possible.

Although Meifang stuttered, she was not stupid. She still did not understand why Miss had asked to see her great aunt. Was it because she knew that Meifang was her great aunt's person? But very few people in the manor knew about this, and it was even less likely that Miss would know.

Little did she know that Wushuang had the ability of "foresight" because in her previous life, Meifang had become her maid.

At that time, Wushuang had already married into the Zhao family, and Meifang was a rough maid who followed her from the Marquis Changyang's mansion as part of her dowry. At first, Wushuang didn't notice her at all, but later, after an accident, she found out that this girl was a stutterer and that she was also part of her dowry.

Because she came from the Marquis Changyang's mansion, Wushuang didn't want to use her at first, but she had no one else to use at the time, and her situation in the Zhao family was not good. She also saw that although this girl was a stutterer, she was loyal to her and never left her side. After a long time, she could see that Meifang was not from the Marquis's mansion, so she promoted her to be her personal maid.

Who would have thought that something would happen in the middle, and Meifang died to save her. Since then, this loyal maid has left a mark in Wushuang's heart.

Previously, even Mei Wushuang had not expected to encounter Meifang at this manor, which was the reason for her astonishment just now.

There were not so many coincidences in the world. If there was a coincidence, there must be a reason. Later, she had a second thought and guessed that Meifang might be great aunt's person, which was why she had later tentatively requested Meifang to take her to see great aunt.

Therefore, it was great aunt's deep affection for Wushuang that had not changed over two lifetimes, which led to the coincidence before them.

***

Wushuang was still thinking about how to explain why she had Meifang bring her there, but she did not expect great aunt to not care about it at all. Perhaps her current state of mind made her unable to care about these details.

The great aunt sighed slightly and said, "I've thought about it so much, and I've been feeling uneasy and torn. After all, man's calculations are not as good as heaven's. But it's also good this way. Since you're here, grandmother's plan should change."

Seeing that great aunt's tone was wrong, Wushuang hurriedly looked up at her.

The great aunt took a deep look at her granddaughter.

At this moment, because of this crying, Wushuang's forehead hair was no longer in its original position, her hair was messy, and her face was also revealed.

"Since you were able to find me, it means you already know that those people are sweet on the surface but bitter at heart. Yet, you still maintain your current appearance. It's obvious that you have your own considerations. I won't say more about the rest."

The great aunt caressed her delicate little face, her eyes filled with the light of memory: "I knew that my granddaughter shouldn't be like that. You're so beautiful. Your eyes are a bit like mine, and some like your mother's. It's like you've gathered the best of both of us in your growth."

“Your mother was a beautiful woman. She was delicate, and your father was deeply in love with her. In fact, it was good. It was their fate…”

She sighed with regret, as if she had fallen into memory again. After a long time, she sighed and said, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Now I want to talk about my death.”

“Grandmother…”

Wushuang wanted to stop her, but the great aunt interrupted her: “Good child, listen to me carefully. Back then, I had no choice but to make an agreement with Qi Pei. I thought that if I endured it, I would be able to see you get married, but I overestimated my health."

"I had planned to fulfill my promise and give those things to Qi Pei, but now that you're here, I'll give them all to you. You can use them to spend or keep them close. Money is a good thing. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to live in peace until today."

"In fact, besides our second branch's property, I also have your mother's dowry. Your mother was a businesswoman who, by chance, married your father. Back then, her family gave her a lot of dowry, which was no less than your father's property. For all these years, I haven't touched a single thing, because I wanted to keep it as your dowry."

The great aunt did not mention how she had managed to conceal the family fortune while enduring the grief of losing her son, daughter-in-law, and husband. However, it must have been incredibly difficult and required great wisdom and courage.

As it turned out, the great aunt's efforts had not been in vain. Otherwise, she would not have been able to contend with a powerful Marquis's mansion all these years on her own.

"Once you leave here, go back to the capital and find…"

"And your marriage, I knew about that back then. In order to protect you, I even used it as leverage to threaten Qi Pei. Many years have passed, and everyone thought it was just empty talk. I didn't expect the other party to still remember it. That's good. Although he's much older than you, and his reputation wasn't good when he was young, your father saved his life. I think he shouldn't treat you badly..."

Prince Wei's reputation was not merely poor, it was so bad that it could make children stop crying. However, the great aunt had been living in seclusion for many years, so it was natural that she would not know the current gossip.

And why would the Marquis's mansion tell great aunt about this matter?

Wushuang guessed that it was most likely for the valuables in great aunt's hands. The great aunt's health was not good, but she was not dead. How could she easily hand over her belongings? Therefore, the Marquis's mansion revealed the news that Prince Wei was about to return and that she was going to get married.

In this way, great aunt would most likely hand over her belongings. After all, her granddaughter was getting married and could not do so without a dowry. And she had dragged on for so many years, and was now at the end of her life, so she could only choose to do so.

The great aunt's love for her could move the sun and the moon, but she still underestimated the wickedness of human hearts.

That was why Mei Wuxia plotted her marriage, not only because she valued Prince Wei's status, but also because she valued her dowry.

In her previous life, she had followed Mei Wuxia's plan and schemed to bring about her own marriage to Zhao Jianzhi. Naturally, the means she used were not very honorable, and both families considered it shameful.

Therefore, the wedding was not a grand affair at the time, and she naturally did not have much of a dowry. On the contrary, when Mei Wuxia married Ji Yang, her dowry was so large that it caused quite a stir in the capital.

Now that she thought about it, those things were all hers.