Chapter 195 How can I feel so embarrassed?

As soon as Ye Jiayao opened her eyes, she saw Chunyu gritting his teeth at the account book.

"When did you come back?" Ye Jiayao rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Xia Chunyu quickly put away the booklet: "Did I disturb you?"

"No, I'm a light sleeper. What time is it?"

"Dinner will be served soon, why don't you lie down for a while?"

Ye Jiayao got off the bed and slipped on her shoes: "I'm not going to sleep anymore, so I won't feel dizzy later."

Xia Chunyu took out a receipt from his sleeve pocket: "The red envelope given by Second Aunt, I deposited it in Datong Remittance, at least there is 8 cents interest, you keep the receipt."

Ye Jiayao looked at the data above. It turned out to be 36,000 taels. Wasn't it 18,000? Did he save his share as well?
This guy is quite self-conscious. He even gave her the profits from Tianshangju for safekeeping. Now, the silver notes she has on hand add up to more than 200,000 taels. If she hadn't spent a large sum of money on Chunfeng's wedding banquet, she would have 300,000 taels by now.

I am so rich, so rich. My wallet is fat and I feel confident. I am in a good mood!

However, Second Aunt was too generous. She gave out eighteen silver notes with a face value of one thousand taels. I wonder how much Second Aunt gave to Chunfeng and the others. My own red envelope of one thousand one hundred taels seemed a bit too much to give!

"Chun Yu, let's discuss something. As for the red envelope, how much do you think we should give?" Ye Jiayao thought it would be best to ask Chun Yu's opinion.

Xia Chunyu left the embroidered cushion and leaned on the pillow where she had just lain, feeling the warmth and her lingering warmth and faint fragrance. He squinted his eyes and thought comfortably, "When we got married, my eldest brother only gave me 500 taels. I guess it would be good if they can give me 800 taels this time. We are equals, so there is no need to give so much. It's enough to give about the same as my eldest brother and his family, so as not to make a big difference and make them look bad."

Ye Jiayao said: "I thought so too, so I gave you 1,100 yuan, just to show my wholehearted love!"

Xia Chunyu smiled and said, "That's enough. You don't need to compare yourself with Second Aunt. She's a very wealthy woman. Besides, we paid for the wedding banquet. That's enough."

"It's good that Chunfeng knows about this matter. As for Liuli, even if you give her a few hundred thousand, she won't look down on you."

Ye Jiayao couldn't help but nod. That was true. It would be a losing battle anyway, so why waste the money?

As they were talking, it was already the 1st quarter of the evening. Dinner in the mansion was usually served at 15:30. Xia Chunyu changed into casual clothes and went upstairs with Ye Jiayao.

When I arrived at Youshi's room, I could hear Liuli talking through the curtain.

"Originally, the emperor wanted Chunfeng to go to the Dali Temple, but I think it's also good to stay in the Zhanshi Mansion. Chunfeng has already mastered the affairs there, so I asked the queen mother to arrange a position of Shao Zhanshi for Chunfeng. Mother, what do you think?"

Xia Chunyu could not help but frown. On the surface, Shao Zhanshi was a fourth-rank official, two levels higher than the fifth-rank Dali Temple Minister. Moreover, as he assisted the crown prince, Chunfeng would naturally be more valued when the crown prince ascended the throne in the future. However, the emperor was in his prime and it was unknown when the imperial career would be passed on. Besides, the crown prince was a loyal and honest person but lacked courage. Now the fourth prince was gradually emerging and had many supporters. There were too many unknowns.

Regarding the struggle for imperial power and the question of taking sides, Xia Chunyu has always followed only one principle, which is loyalty to the emperor. No matter who sits on the throne in the future, it will not be wrong to be loyal to the emperor.

Ye Jiayao didn't care about these things, she only cared about the present. It was obvious that Liuli had lowered her status and started to use Chunfeng's future to please Youshi. As a mother, what she cared about most was her son's future.

I only heard Youshi say: "What about Chunfeng's own opinion?"

"He said he should ask his second brother what he thinks."

"Then... let's listen to Chunyu's opinion first!"

Only then did Xia Chunyu lift the curtain and walk in.

"Greetings to mother."

Ye Jiayao followed suit and bowed.

You asked someone to show them a seat and said, "You have come at the right time. Liuli and I are discussing Chunfeng's matter. Please listen and help us make a decision."

Xia Chunyu said, "I have heard it just now. I think the emperor's arrangements are all meaningful. Since the emperor wants Chunfeng to go to the Dali Temple, it is better to listen to the emperor's wishes. Besides, the young scholar Ji who is beside the prince is highly regarded by the prince and is also the cousin of the princess. Unless a better job is arranged for Ji, I am afraid he will not be welcomed if he goes there."

"What's the big deal? Can't we just ask the emperor to promote him?" Liuli said lightly, as if it was a very simple matter.

"As the saying goes, one person has one job, and one move can affect the whole body. Promotion is no joke." Xia Chunyu used the simplest words to explain this complex issue.

The cleverness of Youshi is that she does not only focus on the immediate interests, but also looks at the problem from the overall perspective. Chunyu's words have made it very clear that the current Shaozhanshi is the prince's confidant. If you insist on squeezing him out to become the Shaozhanshi, it will be a thankless job. It would be better for you to go to the Dali Temple and be in charge of deciding cases. It is a place that can train people. It is natural to enter the Ministry of Justice after working there for a few years.

"Wait until your father feels better, then I'll ask him what he thinks," Yu said tactfully.

Liuli could not help but feel annoyed. She was really planning for Chunfeng's future, but she didn't expect Chunyu, the brother, to hinder her. Was he afraid that his brother would be stronger than him? Or was he deliberately trying to embarrass her?
She was extremely unhappy but could not show it. Now she had to work hard to redeem everyone's bad impression of her.

"Is father feeling better? The Queen Mother asked me to bring some top-quality Gastrodia elata, saying it's very effective in treating headaches." Liuli gave Xiaoya a wink, and Xiaoya came forward with a box in her hand.

"I'm sorry to have made the Queen Mother worried. This is the Marquis's old illness, caused by the sandstorms at the border." Yu asked Mama Sun to accept the gift.

Although Liuli did not admit her fault clearly today, this gesture of goodwill was also a disguised admission of fault. Youshi was very relieved. She did not expect Liuli to be virtuous and filial, as long as the family could live in harmony. Zhou Xingjia came in to report that dinner was ready, and the second aunt and the third lady had already sent someone to inform them.

You said, "Let's go eat first!"

When Liuli saw Youshi stand up, she immediately stepped forward and took Youshi's hand.

Yu was stunned for a moment, a little uncomfortable with Liuli's hospitality, but she did not refuse and let her help her out of the room.

Ye Jiayao was watching from behind with her eyes wide open. She couldn't do such a thing! Youshi wasn't old, she was still a beautiful lady with her charm.

Xia Chunyu raised his eyebrows and smiled, as if to say, learn from this.

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes in dismay. Forget it! I'm willing to exchange my sincerity for sincerity, but I can't do such empty things.

Today's dinner was the most well attended. Yu sat at the top of the table, and the guests were seated in order of age. Originally, on the left was the second aunt, Xia Peishan, followed by Qiao, Ye Jiayao, Liuli, and on the right was Zhou and her three daughters.

But after Liuli helped Youshi to sit down, she sat directly next to Youshi, taking Xia Peishan's seat.

The person who wanted to remind them was too embarrassed to do so. Just as Youshi was about to speak, Xia Peishan said, "Oh, when did the rules in the mansion change again?"

Zhou said hurriedly, "Second Aunt, please sit here with me."

Yu Lian's meal today was not given in vain. Liuli actually got along so well with Yu Lian and even agreed to help the master find a suitable job. Naturally, she had to protect Liuli.

Xia Peishan sneered and said sarcastically: "In terms of status, I am now a commoner. It is good enough for me to have a seat at the dinner table."

Then he walked over to Ye Jiayao and sat down.

Mrs. Qiao didn't dare to act rashly: "Second Aunt, you should sit here with me."

Liuli was suspicious. It seemed that Second Aunt's words were directed at her. Could it be that she was sitting in Second Aunt's seat?

Normally, she would not allow it. As a princess, shouldn't she be able to sit in this seat? But today's purpose is to change everyone's view of her. Anyway, this second aunt will not stay here for long and will return to Taiyuan soon.

Then he stood up and said politely, "I'm really sorry, this is the first time I'm having a meal with my family. Usually in the palace, the Queen Mother always lets me sit next to her."

Then he offered a seat to her: "Second aunt, please sit here."

Xia Peishan was a little surprised. Liuli today was completely different from yesterday! Was she really taught a lesson by the Queen Mother and knew she was wrong?

Zhou said jokingly, "Liuli, this is not your fault. You are a new bride, so it's not your fault if you don't know. It's Second Aunt, you are comparing yourself to the younger generation!"

Xia Peishan had calmed down and had no intention of blaming Liuli, but Zhou's words clearly embarrassed her. This bitch, why did she step on Liuli when she wanted to flatter her?
"My sister-in-law is really sensible! Since you are so sensible, why don't you know to pay back your debts? It has been many years since you borrowed 100,000 taels of silver from me. When will you pay it back?" Xia Peishan sneered contemptuously.

Zhou pretended to be confused: "When did this happen? Why don't I remember it?"

Since there was no IOU, she would not acknowledge the debt.

"Okay, everyone sit down and eat! The food is getting cold." Yu was afraid that the two would quarrel again. The atmosphere in this family had been so disharmonious recently, as if gunpowder was buried everywhere and could explode at any time.

Liuli took Qiao's seat, so Ye Jiayao was left with the last seat and sat with Yinlian.

However, it didn't matter where she sat. Second Aunt could ridicule her, but it was better for her to avoid trouble. It was not worth it for such a small matter.

The dinner was still very sumptuous, but Liuli seemed to have no appetite and took small sips.

You Shi saw this and asked, "What kind of dishes do you like? Let me tell Zhou Xing's wife later. She is in charge of the kitchen, so she can ask the cook to make them."

Liuli said: "The lunch was delicious, very much to my taste."

Mrs. Qiao said, "The lunch was prepared by my second brother and his wife."

Liuli said embarrassedly: "Ah, I didn't know. Thank you so much, second sister-in-law."

When Ye Jiayao heard this, she felt like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken.

"It's just a small favor, you're welcome, sister-in-law." Ye Jiayao said with a faint smile.

Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, "It's easy for Liuli to like Jinxuan's cooking. Why don't you just let Jinxuan cook for you in the future?"

Liuli became more and more embarrassed: "How can I feel embarrassed about that?"

(End of this chapter)