The reason Su Hele kept insisting on using her dowry was to put pressure on Chen Wanrong. However, she never expected Chen Wanrong to be so straightforward.
Caught with her intention exposed, Su Hele immediately lowered her eyes and said,
"I didn't mean that, Mother-in-law. I'm really worried."
Hearing this, Chen Wanrong gave a non-committal smile and said,
"I appreciate your concern, but you can start with things that don't cost much silver. Well, I've been receiving guests all day and I'm exhausted. That's all for now."
Saying so, Chen Wanrong rubbed her temples, looking fatigued.
Su Hele wanted to say something more, but saw that Chen Wanrong had already closed her eyes, clearly indicating that she wanted to end the conversation.
Seeing this, Su Hele had no choice but to leave. However, her determination to amaze everyone remained unchanged.
On the way back to Bitao Courtyard, Su Hele ordered,
"Su Mo, take some people to the Su Mansion tomorrow and transplant the chrysanthemums and bamboos here. Be careful not to damage them."
Su Hele was a bit worried. If it weren't for He Jin telling her not to go out for the time being, she would have gone back to supervise the work herself. Those were all her treasures.
Su Mo quietly glanced at Su Hele and tentatively said,
"Someone has been arranged to guard the old mansion. Your flowers and plants should be fine. The chrysanthemums are okay, but it might be difficult to transplant the bamboos."
She didn't dare to give any advice originally, but it was not easy to transplant bamboos.
If they survived, it would be fine. But if they withered after being transplanted, she might not be able to escape the blame.
Su Hele gave Su Mo a cold look and calmly said,
"That's why I'm asking you to take people there. More people can always come up with a way."
Su Mo bit her lip and said tremblingly,
"I'll obey your order, but if we take too many people there, we may alarm the mistress..."
Su Hele snorted and said,
"Some people are vulgar and ignorant. It's normal that they can't appreciate my ideas for the time being. When I completely transform the scenery in the garden and amaze everyone, they will surely change their minds."
She was looking forward to seeing their regretful expressions.
As for the silver, since they couldn't hire craftsmen, they could just let the servants in the mansion learn.
Anyway, they didn't have to study characters every day now and were quite idle.
...
As the sky gradually darkened, the bustling mansion during the day became very quiet.
In the outer room of Tingfeng Courtyard, there were more candles than usual, making it as bright as day.
Under the candles, Snowball jumped up and down, chasing a moth. In the glazed fish tank by the window, several colorful carp were swimming up and down, wagging their heads and tails.
Su Nansheng was sitting by the window, holding the half-embroidered sachet in her hand.
Bitao lit another candlestick and placed it on the mahogany table:
"Mistress, the young master sent a message saying that he has to deal with some follow-up matters regarding the bandit suppression in the next few days. He's very busy and will stay in the study these days."
Hearing this, Su Nansheng paused for a moment and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
She didn't know how to face He Xun, so this was just fine.
Thinking so, she tightened the embroidery needle again and asked,
"After Su Hele left our courtyard, did she cause any more trouble?"
With her character, she surely wouldn't give up so easily. She just didn't know who she would turn to for help.
Although she didn't know why, she heard that it was Concubine Li who pleaded with Chen Wanrong to exempt Su Hele from punishment.
Did she reach some agreement with Concubine Li?
"Of course she did. She went to the mistress's place, but unfortunately the mistress was receiving guests. It's said that she waited for a long time," Bitao said excitedly.
Su Nansheng also smiled slightly and asked, "And then?"
"And then? There's no 'then' anymore. She went straight back to her own courtyard after coming out of Qionghua Courtyard. She probably didn't get what she wanted."
Su Nansheng brought the sachet closer to the candle and looked at it. The smile on her face widened.
Su Hele thought that everyone was like Mrs. Deng, always protecting and favoring her.
Now that she couldn't get what she wanted, she must be extremely angry. She didn't know what bad ideas she would come up with.
"If she comes to find me in the next few days, just say I'm not here."
It would be nice to see Su Hele being frustrated, but she was too lazy to entangle with her and waste time.
...
Early the next morning, Su Nansheng was summoned by Chen Wanrong.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Nanny Du bustling around.
Chen Wanrong was standing in front of a half-person-high bronze mirror, turning around to check her dressing.
She was wearing a black silk dress embroidered with auspicious patterns today, looking solemn and steady. Both her makeup and jewelry were simple and plain.
Chen Wanrong had been going out to banquets frequently these days, always dressed in gorgeous clothes and ornaments. It was rare to see her so plain. Obviously, she had dressed like this on purpose today.
Just as she was secretly wondering, she heard Chen Wanrong smile and say,
"I've made an appointment with the wife of the Duke of An to go to Hanguang Temple to worship Buddha and will stay there for a few days. During this period, I'll leave all the affairs of the mansion to you."
Su Nansheng understood and smiled. No wonder.
"Since Mother has given the order, I'll surely follow it. However, I've been in charge of the accounts before, and I'm afraid it'll be difficult for me to handle the management of the mansion. Concubine Li has been in the mansion for many years and must have a lot of experience. How about asking her to manage the mansion for a few days?"
Although Chen Wanrong didn't like to haggle over things, she had held the power of managing the mansion tightly in her hands for all these years. Concubine Li had never had a chance to get involved.
Now that she had taken over the accounts of the mansion and Concubine Li had no chance to interfere, she must have been dissatisfied for a long time.
If there was no deterrence from Chen Wanrong, God knows what Concubine Li would do. Moreover, there was also Su Hele there.
Hearing this, Chen Wanrong sighed and said,
"I originally arranged it like this before, but unfortunately Concubine Li's old problem has flared up again. She may be willing but unable to do it."
"Mother may have forgotten that there's also the second young mistress. Concubine Li just needs to give a few instructions and make some decisions. The rest can be done by the second young mistress."
Su Nansheng gave a very sincere suggestion.
However, Chen Wanrong frowned and asked, "Are you sure?"
Well...
"Concubine Li is after all the mother-in-law of the second young mistress. They should cooperate well."
Su Nansheng was of course not sure. This was just a good opportunity to see who was the stronger one between them.
"Fine. You don't have to worry about this. I'll make other arrangements."
Chen Wanrong saw Su Nansheng's reluctance and didn't force her anymore.
After all, managing the accounts was already tiring enough.
If the mansion were peaceful, it would be okay to manage it as well. But unfortunately, there was someone restless in the mansion.
Thinking of Su Hele's words and deeds yesterday, Chen Wanrong had a headache.
Forget it. She'd just leave this annoying matter to Concubine Li to deal with.
...
At the mansion gate, Su Hele watched Chen Wanrong leave from afar and a faint smile appeared on her face.
Staying in Hanguang Temple for a few days?
Wasn't this just the opportunity for her to amaze everyone? When Chen Wanrong came back and saw the great change in the scenery of the mansion, she would surely be very surprised.
Thinking so, Su Hele turned to Su Mo and said,
"Tell the servants to wait in the front hall. I have something to tell them. And why haven't you set off for the Su Mansion yet?"