After Transmigrating, I Was Kidnapped By A Scheming Beauty Into The Bridal Chamber - Chapter 7

The servants at Jiang Manor were currently divided into two factions: six guards trained by Wu Daoyuan and three household slaves led by Old Woman Wu. The original staff, like the two kitchen maids and the elderly gatekeepers (Chuntao’s parents), remained. Erzhuzi, the carriage driver, was the cook’s son. When Miss Jiang was young and vulnerable, these servants had to keep their heads down, secretly loyal to their former master.

But things had changed. With Miss Jiang now married and having someone to rely on, these old servants had finally stood up for themselves. Chuntao’s mother boldly pushed past Old Woman Wu, escorting Chuntao back to retrieve the dowry list. Old Woman Wu stomped her feet in fury, while Wu Daoyuan, realizing he couldn’t rely on her, felt helpless. The series of sudden crises over the past few days had left him overwhelmed.

The dowry list, written on red paper with gold trim, detailed the dowry Old Master Jiang had prepared for his granddaughter before his death. Knowing his daughter was incapable of handling such matters, he had made arrangements in advance.

“Chuntao, read it aloud,” Jiang Chenyu instructed.

“Yes, Miss,” Chuntao replied, unfolding the list and beginning to read in a clear, resonant voice:

Five pairs of jade bracelets

Ten pairs each of pearl, jade, gemstone, and agate earrings

One pair of emerald pendants, one pair of jade and South Sea pearl pendants

Ten strings of pearl, jade, coral, and agarwood bracelets

Ten rings of red gold, ivory, white jade, and gemstones

Ten hairpins: pearl-inlaid, gemstone-inlaid, and filigree-gold phoenix hairpins.

Fifty bolts of brocade, antique-patterned satin, gold-embroidered cotton, peacock silk, light smoke gauze, and plain silk gauze.

Ginseng, angelica root, fleeceflower root…

The list went on and on, a long, detailed scroll that left Shen Hetang secretly stunned. She realized how naive she’d been, now experiencing firsthand why families in ancient times started saving for their daughters’ dowries from birth. Old Master Jiang had struck just the right balance; the gold jewelry was limited, and while the items were valuable, they lacked the immediate allure of silver and gold, which might have tempted someone to claim them as their own.

Then came the main event: a clothing shop on West Street, a pastry and dried fruit shop on East Street, two hundred acres of fertile land, and a three-courtyard estate. Chuntao, showing off her memorization skills, recited the entire dowry list without missing a single word.

This is definitely a rich lady boss, Shen Hetang thought to herself. A real golden goose!

Wu Daoyuan had remained composed until the shops and estate were mentioned. His expression then soured, as if he’d just swallowed something foul. The Jiang Family owned fifteen shops in total. Because the old man had started as a peddler, their investments were diverse rather than focused on a single industry. After Wu Daoyuan took over, he struggled to keep them afloat, barely earning enough to cover annual expenses.

When the relatives heard about Chenyu’s dowry, they knew it was less than half of Wu Daoyuan’s wealth. They were resentful. Why should an outsider get so much while they, the blood relatives, could only watch? Since it was a family division, each of the three branches should get a shop. After all, they had all helped Jiang Guangsheng when he was down on his luck.

Great-Uncle voiced this thought, and Wu Daoyuan’s face turned green with anger. But Chenyu added fuel to the fire: “If Father agrees to give two shops to Great-Uncle and the others, I’ll contribute my pastry shop to help our relatives.”

This statement won the relatives’ approval, and they began arguing with Wu Daoyuan. Finally, Aunt threatened to take him to court, accusing him of embezzling Jiang Family assets. Though Wu Daoyuan had been in Qingyuan County for years, he was still an outsider. If things escalated this far, even if he won, the County Magistrate would seize everything, and he’d alienate the entire Jiang Family.

Thinking of this, he stared intently at Jiang Chenyu, feigning hurt as he said, “Chenyu, we’ve relied on each other for so many years. Do you truly not care about our bond at all?”

Hearing his words, Jiang Chenyu recalled the kindness he had shown her over the years. But she wasn’t a fool; she saw through his hidden motives clearly. Now, even the memory of his supposed kindness made her feel sick.

Seeing her silence, Shen Hetang assumed the young woman was wavering and spoke up for her. “Father-in-law, Chenyu has no intention of harming you. She’s merely taking a small portion of what rightfully belongs to her. You still inherit the vast majority of the Jiang Family’s wealth. As a stepfather who married into the family, the Jiangs have shown you the utmost sincerity. As compensation for protecting Chenyu and her mother, you’ve never been treated unfairly. Please hand over the items quickly.” Shen Hetang’s calm tone carried an air of finality.

“That’s right, nephew-in-law, the Jiang Family has always treated you well,” the crowd chimed in, surrounding Wu Daoyuan with their voices. “Now that Chenyu has her own family, it’s only natural to divide the estate. Just agree to the division.”

Faced with such overwhelming pressure, Wu Daoyuan finally relented and agreed to the division.

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