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Su Wenyue was holding two sets of Clothes in her hand at this time when Grandma Chen came in, she teased, “Grandma has been out so long, have you made a lot of silver? Want to share some with us?”

“Madam, don’t tease this old servant like this, this is a reward from Madam Yao.” Grandma Chen knew that her mistress was joking, but she still took out the pouch that Mrs. Yao Qin had given her, which contained half a tael of broken silver.

The amount was hardly generous considering she was the wife of an official, and especially since the silver was given to Grandma Chen who served so closely next to the mistress. One would not expect too much, but two or three taels of silver at the least should have been given; yet this was only half a tael, not even a full one.

Although Mrs. Yao Qin had been stingy, Su Wenyue could understand; not everyone had such a powerful mother’s family to support them. Here in Xinluo Town, most of the officials ranked from seventh to ninth grade, with only their regular Salary to rely on. It was normal for their Days to be tight.

“Since it’s silver earned by Grandma Chen, she should keep it.” Su Wenyue declared. The amount was not significant, and Grandma Chen was not one to fuss over such a small sum, so she smiled and accepted it.

“Putting these words out there, it seems that even though we’ve been quiet for a while, no one dares to kick us while we’re down. If anyone wants to ingratiate themselves with the magistrate’s wife, they’d better weigh the possibility of attracting trouble to themselves.” Xiao Xi said with a somewhat unpleasant tone. Just these past days alone had been enough to unveil the true colors of many. How many had sought favor when Master was promoted? Now that it was rumored that Madam had offended the general magistrate, not only did people avoid Madam, some even added insult to injury, quickly changing their faces.

Originally, Su Wenyue did not intend to reveal the connections her Su Family had in Chang’an, but now by letting Grandma Chen spread the rumor, it was meant to send a message – even if she did not want to show off, she couldn’t let others step on her. Yet this wouldn’t solve everything. The magistrate’s wife probably wouldn’t let the matter go just because of a few rumors. Indeed, her connections in Chang’an were there, but they were too distant to solve immediate problems. And as for the County magistrate’s wife – even if she was willing to help, she couldn’t do much since even the County magistrate had to follow the general magistrate’s lead, who knew what move Mrs. Wang Sun would make next.

Madam Zhou was not content to stay put, and it had only been two days since Su Wenyue had rejected the general magistrate’s wife. Seeing that there had been no repercussions and Mrs. Wang Sun had returned from the provincial capital, Madam Zhou grew restless again. After some thought, she headed over to the Han Family.

“Madam, that Mrs. Zhou is not a good person. I think it’s better if you don’t meet with her. Who knows what she is scheming?” The Servants around Su Wenyue had a negative impression of Madam Zhou, and now that Su Wenyue was pregnant, the last thing she needed was stress. They did not want Madam Zhou to come too close to Su Wenyue and potentially upset her with pointless worries.

“No, let’s meet her. I want to see what she’s up to this time. Is it perhaps another warning?” Su Wenyue, despite her dislike for Madam Zhou, had to admit that Madam Zhou did have a knack for news, which might mean she had some insider information. It wasn’t that Su Wenyue would take her word for it, but it was good to be cautious.

“Please have a seat, Mrs. Zhou. It’s been quite quiet here for several days. I wasn’t expecting your visit at this time. Is there something I can do for you?” Su Wenyue leaned against a large cushion, asking indifferently.

Madam Zhou, observing Su Wenyue’s demeanor, felt certain the rumors were true. She had never expected that Su Wenyue would have such good fortune and a strong background in her mother’s family. No wonder she dared to refuse the magistrate’s wife. At the time, she had wondered why Su was suddenly so foolish as to offend the magistrate’s wife. It turned out her backing was so solid that she wouldn’t have bothered to come all this way otherwise.

“How could you say that, Madam Han? I’m not that sort of opportunist, to fawn over those with advantages and hide from those without, to kick others when they’re down – that’s what nasty people do. I felt an immediate connection with Madam Han, and I greatly admire you. And today, I came to see if there’s anything I could help with,” Madam Zhou said.

“Ah, so Mrs. Zhou is here to offer help. But recently, Our family has been doing quite well; there’s nothing that requires Mrs. Zhou’s assistance. I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint your kind intentions.”

Madam Zhou had planned everything nicely, but Su Wenyue wasn’t playing along. She was left wondering how to proceed when anyone else might have felt awkward. Madam Zhou, being a shrewd woman, quickly figured out a way to respond.

“You speak too modestly, Madam Han. I’ve heard about your issues with the magistrate’s wife and Madam Wang, and to put it frankly, I really admire your integrity, how you dared to refuse the magistrate’s wife. That’s not something ordinary people can do. However, admiration aside, there’s no denying that the magistrate’s wife and Madam Wang are not the forgiving types. Having offended them, I’m afraid you might face trouble, so we ought to find a way to smooth things over,” Madam Zhou suggested with added urgency.

Su Wenyue raised an eyebrow: “From your words, Mrs. Zhou, it seems you have a solution?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have come all this way otherwise. I’ve been so worried these past two days I’ve hardly slept, but after much thought, I finally found a solution. However, it requires Madam Han to set aside her pride and cooperate.”

“Let’s hear it, then.”

“My thought is for me to act as an intermediary. You would apologize to Madam Wang and admit your mistake, which I will try to smooth over with her too, to have her let bygones be bygones and move on.” As Madam Zhou spoke and saw Su Wenyue’s expression turn cold, she quickly added.

“I know your mother’s family has influence, and I’ve heard all the talk. But power from afar can’t quench an immediate fire, and if something serious happens, by the time word reaches the Capital City, the day lily flowers will have gone cold. Remember, the general magistrate governs our region, and we all live here and interact daily, so being at loggerheads won’t help…”

Madam Zhou was fervently trying to persuade Su Wenyue to follow her plan, but Su Wenyue saw right through it. Madam Zhou was playing mediator to curry favor with both sides.

“Grandma Chen, show her out!” Su Wenyue had expected some news from Madam Zhou, but without waiting for her to finish, she issued an order to dismiss the guest.

Madam Zhou left the Han Family in a most embarrassed state, her face unable to maintain its usual composure. She could not fathom why Su Wenyue had been so ruthless as to have a servant send her away. This ungrateful Su Wenyue, since she wouldn’t heed her advice, let her wait and see how things turn sour. Really, she thought she could do as she pleased just because of her supposed connections in the Capital City!

Madam Zhou, fuming with rage, didn’t return home but went directly to the Wang family, determined to make sure Su Wenyue understood the consequences of crossing her, knowing anyone who did never ended well.

“Madam, this Mrs. Wang is narrow-minded and likes to play tricks. Aren’t you afraid that she’ll do something underhanded after being offended so severely this time?”