jdhmnovel Chapter 173 The Cunning Marquis
Chapter 173 The Cunning Marquis
Su Jianguo spoke up, saying, "Father, this was originally Mother's dowry left to her daughter. It's only right and reasonable. Father, please return the dowry to my sister!"
Su Jianguo was exasperated by his father's irrational behavior. At this point, he should have dealt with the situation first, instead of arguing in front of the common people!
Upon hearing this, Marquis Yongyi's eyes darted around, and he said to Su Yinyin, "As for the dowry, so many years have passed, and many items have been damaged. At most, I can only compensate with some silver. Besides, if you don't have any evidence, don't make up things that didn't happen."
Su Yinyin snorted coldly: "My lord, don't think you can get rid of us so easily. Among those dowries are my mother's family heirlooms, which cannot be measured by silver."
Just as Marquis Yongyi was about to retort, the old woman who had been sitting in the carriage finally couldn't help but get off.
She slowly walked towards the crowd, who all made way for her. The old woman spoke up, "My lord, you have committed many evils and still show no remorse. Yinyin's mother's dowry must be returned in its entirety, and any missing items must be replaced with items of equal value."
Marquis Yongyi was shocked to see the old woman: "Mother, what are you doing here?"
The old woman said sternly, "If I hadn't come, how could I have seen your ugly face?" It turned out that this old woman was the mother of the Marquis of Yongyi.
"Mother!" Marquis Yongyi hadn't expected his mother to show him no mercy in front of outsiders. She was as formidable as ever. He didn't know how his second brother could tolerate their mother's bad temper.
Su Yinyin glanced at the old lady, then turned to look at her uncle. The Duke nodded.
After being reprimanded by the old lady, Marquis Yongyi's face turned pale and then red, but he dared not argue any further.
At this moment, Su Yinyin stepped forward, curtsied, and said, "Madam, you are wise. Yinyin is not a greedy person, but my mother's belongings are of extraordinary significance."
The old lady looked Su Yinyin up and down and nodded slightly: "She's a sensible child. Yinyin, don't you recognize your grandmother anymore?"
Su Yinyin was taken aback. Her memory of her grandmother was vague. Trying hard to recall, she realized she had never met her.
Su Yinyin looked at the Duke. The Duke knew that when his sister married into the Yongyi Marquis's mansion, the Yongyi Marquis had caused his sister a lot of grievances, and it was this old lady who always protected her sister.
All he knew was that after his sister's son died young, the old lady had a fight with his sister and then went to work as an official in another province with her second son. Yinyin never even saw her grandmother.
The old lady, Madam Qin, was related to Su Yinyin's maternal aunt. Su Yinyin's maternal aunt addressed the old lady as "aunt."
The old lady had three sons: the eldest was the current Marquis, Su Gaojie; the second was Su Gaoli; and the third was Su Gaoyi.
For the past ten years or so, the old lady has been living with her second son, Su Gaoli.
He gently patted Yinyin's shoulder to indicate that it was alright. Su Yinyin then gracefully bowed, saying, "Granddaughter greets Grandmother."
The old lady quickly helped her up, her eyes full of love: "Good child, you've suffered so much these years."
Su Yinyin shook her head. "Grandmother probably hasn't heard of Yinyin's twin sister either! Yueyue, Nian'an, come and see Grandmother!"
Two women who looked remarkably alike emerged from behind Su Yinyin. They approached the old lady and curtsied. The old lady stared in surprise, then looked at Su Yinyin with a puzzled expression.
Su Yinyin explained, "Grandmother, when Mother gave birth, they were originally twin sisters, but that concubine, who is now the mistress, switched her own child with Mother's."
Then he ordered his men to send the younger sister to a farmer's family, and instructed that family to torment her day and night, to make sure she was never fed, never had enough to do, and was constantly beaten.
The old lady turned her head and glared angrily at Marquis Yongyi: "How could you do such a thing!" Marquis Yongyi was so frightened that he lowered his head and dared not speak.
The old lady took the two girls' hands and said softly, "Poor children, Grandma will make it up to you properly in the future."
Then, addressing the crowd loudly, he said, "Fellow citizens, be my witnesses. This Su Jianguo is indeed not a child of our Marquis's household. When the Marquis brought him back, he said he was the son of a friend. The friend and his wife had both passed away. Before they died, they begged the Marquis to take him back and raise him, even as a slave or a maid, as long as he had food to eat."
My wife thought my eldest grandson was dead. She was devastated and left the capital for over a decade. She didn't even know her granddaughter had been murdered.
However, Heaven was kind to the old woman. The heir of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, who was also her eldest grandson, did not die.
"We're returning to the capital together today. The position of heir apparent originally belonged to the old woman's own grandson. Now it's simply being returned to its rightful owner."
The old lady's words shocked everyone present, especially the Marquis and Su Jianguo.
They both thought the same thing. If it were true, then the position of heir apparent wouldn't be mine. (It wouldn't belong to Jian Guo anymore; how could I explain that to his mother?)
Su Jianguo's face turned pale, and he hurriedly retorted, "Grandmother, are you mistaken? For so many years, I have devoted myself to managing the affairs of the Marquis's mansion. His Majesty has already appointed me as the heir apparent. How can you strip me of my status based solely on your word?"
Marquis Yongyi echoed, "Mother, this matter should not be decided hastily."
The old lady sneered, "Hmph, is it too hasty? He was never my biological grandson. Now that my biological grandson has returned, the position of heir should be returned to its rightful owner."
The old lady glared at Marquis Yongyi: "Am I wrong, old woman? When you brought him back, who among the elders of the manor, my in-laws, and I didn't know? For your own selfish desires, you dared to deceive the family and disrupt the bloodline of the Marquis's manor."
The Marquis of Yongyi's family protested, "Mother, you are too biased! Even if Jian Guo is not her son, he is still my son, and he carries my blood. It is only right and proper for him to become the heir apparent. Besides, the heir apparent is appointed by His Majesty, how can you, Mother, change it as you please?"
"Oh, are you threatening this old woman? I'm not easily intimidated. I know your capabilities perfectly well. I will explain this to His Majesty myself. You don't need to worry about it."
Just as Marquis Yongyi was about to argue, the sound of hooves came from afar. A white horse galloped in, carrying a tall and handsome young man with a resolute face.
Upon approaching, the young man dismounted and respectfully bowed to the old lady, saying, "Grandson greets Grandmother."
The old lady excitedly took the boy's hand and announced to everyone, "This is my own grandson, the true heir of the Marquis of Yongyi."
Su Jianguo glared at the boy through gritted teeth, his heart filled with boundless hatred. But with everyone watching, he dared not act rashly.
Marquis Yongyi was like a wilted eggplant, wishing him dead.
The old lady continued, "From today onwards, all affairs of the manor, large and small, will be handled by the true heir. As for Su Jianguo, a decision will be made after I, this old woman, go to the palace to meet the Emperor."
"Lord Duke, Yinyin, may I come into your residence for a while?" Su Yinyin could tell that the old lady was genuinely inviting her. So she nodded in agreement.
After the old lady led everyone into the Marquis's residence, she arranged for everyone to sit down in the main hall.