Chapter Nine: Cleverly Securing the Dowry

When Madam Cui heard this, she became anxious. The dowry of Lady Xie was no small sum; she had coveted it for a long time. Now, with Qianxue about to marry, she was planning to use this opportunity to substitute one thing for another, quietly replacing Lady Xie’s dowry. If she handed it over now, all her scheming would be wasted.

She protested, aggrieved, “Master, do you not trust me? As her mother, I should be the one to prepare Mo’er’s dowry. How can I let Mo’er arrange it herself? If others heard of this, who knows what they might say about me?”

Shen Qianmo, tired of her theatrics, interjected bluntly, “Mother, I heard that the physician has been visiting your courtyard frequently these days. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Is that so?” Shen Yi’an looked to Madam Cui and asked, “Rongniang, are you unwell?”

Madam Cui forced a laugh and replied, “It’s nothing serious, Master. Just a bit of chest tightness and dizziness, so I had the physician take a look. He said I’m probably just overworked…”

“Mother is so exhausted, surely from arranging Qianxue’s dowry. How could I trouble you with preparing mine as well? Besides, you need to take care of yourself before Qianxue marries. Luckily, Xu Nanny by my side is quite experienced; she won’t make a mess of things. What do you say, Mother?” Shen Qianmo interrupted, her expression calm.

Shen Qianmo had already learned that Shen Qianxue was indeed pregnant and knew the truth behind the fire that day.

Meng Yunce had always disliked Shen Qianmo. After becoming close with Shen Qianxue, and with Shen Qianxue constantly whispering that her elder sister was dull and foolish, Meng Yunce became ever more determined to break off the engagement. Shen Qianxue came up with a plan; Meng Yunce arranged for Zhao Sanhuai to enter the house to find an opportunity to harm Shen Qianmo. Though Meng Yunce never intended to kill Shen Qianmo, he never imagined Shen Qianxue would be so ruthless as to try to burn her sister alive. He reprimanded Shen Qianxue for this, but she feigned innocence and managed to cover it up.

That day, Shen Qianxue was furious after Meng Yunce scolded her because of Shen Qianmo, so she complained to Madam Cui. By chance, her maid Rulan overheard. Rulan was close friends with Lvzhu, and often passed messages between them; this time was no exception.

Yet, lacking evidence, Shen Qianmo decided to wait.

Madam Cui glanced at Shen Qianmo’s placid gaze, feeling uneasy. For some reason, under that look, she felt exposed, as if nothing could be hidden. Could she know about Qianxue? Panic flashed in her heart; now was not the time to argue. She needed to stall.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Mo’er, you are so considerate and filial. How about this: in a few days, once I’ve compiled a list of the dowry, we can go to the warehouse together and check the items. Would that be acceptable?”

“There’s no need for such trouble. Surely I trust Mother,” Shen Qianmo replied. “Just hand me the warehouse keys. I already have a copy of the dowry list; I simply need to verify it against the items in the warehouse.”

“So be it, Rongniang. You’ve managed it for so many years; you must be tired. From today, let Mo’er take over. You can focus on preparing for Xue’er’s marriage,” Shen Yi’an agreed, unwilling to become entangled in the matter of dowries.

While Shen Qianmo was inventorying the dowry, Madam Cui lay in bed, distressed. The counterfeit items she’d prepared were meant to replace genuine paintings and calligraphy in the dowry. Now, what should she do? Would they go to waste? Even producing the forgeries cost money! Having tried to outwit others, she ended up worse off and was left frustrated.

Her personal nanny, seeing Madam Cui’s reluctance to part with the items, suggested, “Madam, why not place them in the Treasure Pavilion? If some unsuspecting buyers come along, you can sell them. They likely won’t notice.”

Madam Cui, from humble origins and narrow-minded, was greedy for small profits. Though she saw the risk in her nanny’s suggestion, she couldn’t bear losing the money, so she decided to follow the advice.

But who was Shen Qianmo? A psychology graduate, sharp in observation and reasoning. Hearing news that the manager of Treasure Pavilion had met with Madam Cui, Shen Qianmo guessed her intentions.

If Madam Cui insisted on courting disaster, Shen Qianmo would lend a helping hand. She told Xu Nanny, “Xu Nanny, I hear you have a distant nephew who just arrived in the capital seeking your help. Is that true?”

Xu Nanny replied, “Yes, miss. He’s a scholar, but his hometown suffered a disaster and life became unbearable, so he came here hoping for better luck.”

Shen Qianmo nodded and instructed her, “Tomorrow, have your nephew handle something. If he does it well, he won’t be short of rewards.”

The next day, a guest from out of town visited Treasure Pavilion, inquiring whether they had the famous ‘Butterfly Play’ by the painter Pei Zhili of the previous dynasty. The manager, seeing a wealthy client from afar, invited him to the inner chamber and sold him the fake ‘Butterfly Play.’

Unexpectedly, a few days later, the out-of-town guest brought a lawsuit against Treasure Pavilion before the Shuntian Prefecture, claiming the shop sold forgeries. The authorities investigated and indeed found a batch of counterfeit goods. Treasure Pavilion was sealed and fined fifty thousand taels of silver.

When Madam Cui learned this, she was so furious she fainted.

Lvzhu and Xu Nanny worshipped their young mistress more and more. Shen Qianmo remained calm, saying to Xu Nanny, “Your nephew did well. Soon, Linglong Pavilion will be selling a batch of jewelry. Have him buy as much as possible at low prices. If he handles it well, he can be manager of Falling Jade Workshop.”

Linglong Pavilion belonged to Madam Cui, while Falling Jade Workshop was part of Lady Xie’s dowry, but had always been managed by Madam Cui. Over the years, Madam Cui had siphoned countless items from Falling Jade Workshop to Linglong Pavilion. Now was the time to take them back.

Xu Nanny’s nephew was a sensible man; he gave his utmost effort to the task. Within days, he acquired a batch of jewelry from Linglong Pavilion at forty percent below market price. Seeing his business acumen, Shen Qianmo appointed him manager of Falling Jade Workshop. The previous manager, long ago bought by Madam Cui, was dismissed for his advanced age, given a severance payment, and sent away.