Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1075 I Will No Longer Hide

When Tao Yanyan mentioned Lord Fang, Lord Zhao panicked instantly, only then realizing who the distinguished person Lord Fang had instructed him to wait for was! It was clearly the lady in front of him!

He glanced at Lord Su and said, "There's no need for Lord Fang to step in; I will handle this impartially." With that, he dismissed the clerk and took up the pen himself.

He couldn't stop Madam Su's name from being written on the paper, and he was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

"Lord Zhao, you have treated me with such disrespect! I will not rest until you have done this!" Lord Su pointed at Lord Zhao and cursed.

Lord Zhao stamped his official seal on the new contract without even glancing at him.

Seeing that things had already come to this, Madam Su could only advise, "Master, please calm down. We still need to count the money." In any case, they had already gotten 80% of the money, and their second branch of the family had gotten the better deal.

At Tao Yanyan's signal, Xianglan took out the silver notes from her bosom—three 1,000-tael notes, one 500-tael note, plus a separate 100-tael note—and handed them to Madam Su.

Lord Su wanted to step forward and take it, but Shuang'er blocked him, so he didn't have the chance at all.

"Lord Su, you're supposed to be a fifth-rank official, how can you act so disgracefully? You even tried to steal the money from orphans and widows. Are you trying to fail your performance evaluation?"

Tao Yanyan spoke softly, her voice full of disdain.

Lord Su snorted coldly: "You can buy the shop if you want, but it's none of your business how the Su family operates!"

He turned and glared angrily at his sister-in-law: "I won't say much to you in front of outsiders. When you return to your residence, remember to send the three thousand taels of silver to the second branch of the household."

Su Xing angrily said, "Why should my second uncle get a share of the shop that my father left us? We paid money to live in the Su family's house, and we won't give you the money from selling the shop. At worst, from today onwards, we will never go back to the Su family's house again, and my mother and I will move out and live on our own!"

Madam Su pulled Su Xing aside. Without her father, her daughter would have no one to rely on. In the end, she would still need the Su family to find her a good marriage in the future. They couldn't afford to break off relations.

“Mother, don’t worry. I know you’re afraid that leaving the Su family will hinder my marriage prospects, but we really can’t let them bully us like this! At worst, I won’t get married in the future. After I come of age, I’ll go out and find work to support you in your old age. Let’s not go back to the Su family, okay?”

"You can't act impulsively!" Madam Su pulled her daughter back, wiped away her tears, and thanked Tao Yanyan: "Thank you so much for your generosity in buying our shop, Madam. The contract is done, so we'll take our leave now."

Tao Yanyan glanced at Su Xing, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and beckoned her closer. Su Xing stepped forward and curtsied to Tao Yanyan. Tao Yanyan took a hairpin from her hair and handed it to her: "This hairpin is for you. If you ever encounter trouble in the future, go to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence and find Lord Gu. Show him this hairpin, and he will help you."

When Tao Yanyan announced Lord Gu's name, Lord Su almost lost his balance. His gaze involuntarily drifted towards Tao Yanyan, growing increasingly alarmed with each passing moment.

"You...you...you are..."

Tao Yanyan gave him a cold, stern look, and Lord Su knelt down with a thud, trembling like a leaf.

"Your Majesty, I...I deserve to die! I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

"What? You are the Empress?" Lord Zhao's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

Upon seeing this, the others all knelt down. Madam Su and Su Xing were also stunned for a moment and quickly knelt down as well.

Tao Yanyan looked at the people kneeling in the room and said softly, "Since you already know my identity, I will not hide it anymore. Today, I have truly watched a good show. Guards, convey my order that the Prefect of the Capital shall conduct a monthly assessment of his subordinates' mastery of the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Anyone who cannot recite the laws or does not act in accordance with the laws shall be demoted one rank and fail the Ministry of Personnel's assessment at the end of the year."

Lord Zhao was covered in cold sweat. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and did not do anything foolish for Lord Su today, otherwise he would have been wronged to death.

"Pass on my message to the Minister of Personnel: Lord Su is attempting to seize his widowed sister-in-law's property. He is of low moral character and abuses his power to oppress the people. He will not be eligible for promotion for five years."

After saying that, she glanced at Su Xing before leaving with her entourage.

After the Empress left, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was only when Madam Su Er cried out that everyone's thoughts were brought back to the present.

"My lord, what should we do? We've offended the Empress!"

Lord Su's face turned pale. He was now holding a sinecure with no real power. If he was not allowed to be promoted for five years, his career in officialdom would be over. What was even more worrying was that not being promoted was bad enough, but he was afraid that the Minister of Personnel would be opportunistic and give him a low evaluation, which would result in him being demoted two ranks.

"It's all your fault! Did you do this on purpose? You just randomly picked a buyer and it turned out to be the Empress!" Madam Su the Second pointed at Madam Su the First and cursed. Madam Su the First was helped up by Su Xing: "You two are heartless. You've met a living god today. It's truly a blessing from heaven."

Lord Su seemed to remember something and pulled his wife aside, saying, "Alright, stop talking. Let's go back to the manor. Haven't we been embarrassed enough today?"

After reprimanding his wife, Lord Su instantly changed his tune, saying to Madam Su, "Sister-in-law, you are truly blessed to have found such a great buyer as the Empress for your brother's shop. This is a blessing for our Su family! Xing'er is also commendable for receiving a hairpin as a gift from the Empress. You must cherish her and find ways to maintain good relations with the Ningyuan Marquis's residence in the future. Come on, let's go back to the manor!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Su's mind immediately became active. She forced a smile despite her discomfort and said, "Oh, I was confused just now and said the wrong thing. Please don't take it to heart, sister-in-law."

She looked at Su Xing, her lips twitched, and she still reluctantly said, "Xing'er, your clothes are too plain. Come on, Auntie will take you to get a new outfit. We're going to a banquet in a few days, and Auntie will definitely dress you up beautifully so you can attract attention among all the high-ranking families."

Madam Su nervously tucked the silver notes into her pocket and pulled her daughter along, saying, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'll take my daughter to get new clothes made myself."

Seeing that her sister-in-law was ungrateful, Madam Su's face darkened.

"Alright, alright, it doesn't matter who takes her, Madam. Let's go back to the manor first. Let my sister-in-law take Xing'er. Sister-in-law, you must come back early. I'll ask the kitchen to make some extra dishes that Xing'er likes tonight. We'll be waiting for you." Lord Su pulled his wife away, and the yamen instantly fell silent.

Madam Su turned around, bowed to Lord Zhao, handed fifty taels of silver to the broker who was still in shock, and then left with her daughter.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha, hahahahahaha, I actually managed to buy the Empress a shop she wanted! Hahahahahahaha, what incredible luck I had! Hahahahahaha..."

A broker emerged from the government office, grinning with wide white teeth. His menacing laughter startled passersby, who quickly gave way.