Actually, Shang Yunruo wasn't asleep.
When she heard the message from Liu Qian, in a fit of anger, she blew out the lamp in the room and ordered the entire courtyard to do the same. Everyone was to go to bed early that day, and no one was allowed to light a lamp without her order!
She hadn't even blamed Chu Jinli for failing to fulfill his promise properly, yet he got angry instead and even wanted her to go and invite him back personally. In her dreams!
In that hazy dream, most of the scenes were about how arrogant and domineering she was and how disappointed Chu Jinli was in her. However, the reason for their conflicts was not revealed.
She always thought it was because Chu Jinli didn't like her and was too cold towards her. With her impulsive nature, she became even less likable to him, ultimately leading to the tragic outcome.
She had learned her lesson from the dream. She would stop being naughty and overbearing, think things through before acting, and was confident that she could get along well with him.
However, his actions today made her have a new speculation.
Perhaps, her extreme behavior in the dream wasn't entirely her fault. Didn't Chu Jinli bear any responsibility at all?
"Sister-in-law, are you still awake?"
Chu Yan's voice came from outside the window, rescuing Shang Yunruo from her gloomy mood.
She walked to the couch by the window and said, approaching the window, "Are the account books safe? Aunt won't burn down the Marquis Mansion out of desperation, will she?"
Chu Yan replied, "I've arranged the Prime Minister's guards to watch over them. Don't worry."
Only then did Shang Yunruo feel relieved. "I've been meaning to ask you. How did you come up with the idea of borrowing the guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Chu Yan answered, "Because I knew I couldn't count on my elder brother."
Shang Yunruo fully agreed this time. "We're really lucky to have you today."
In the moonlight, Chu Yan looked at the face inside the window that was even more radiant than the moonlight. He took a small step forward, propping his elbows on the window frame, and leaned slightly towards her.
"So, what reward will sister-in-law give me?"
His voice was soft, like a stone dropping into the water, creating ripples.
Shang Yunruo felt a flutter in her heart. An indescribable feeling welled up in her heart, like a kitten's tail brushing against the back of her hand, making her feel ticklish.
She swallowed hard and asked, "What kind of reward do you want?"
Chu Yan replied with a smile, "Will you give me any reward I ask for?"
Shang Yunruo cleared her throat. "Tell me first."
Chu Yan deliberately elongated his voice. "I want you..."
Shang Yunruo's heart skipped a beat. Then he slowly finished his sentence, "...to teach me how to make that pastry you're best at."
Realizing that he was deliberately teasing her, Shang Yunruo issued an order to evict him. "Sure. I'll teach you after I get the seal back tomorrow. Go back quickly."
Chu Yan smiled but didn't take her order seriously. He asked, "What are you going to do tomorrow?"
Shang Yunruo answered, "I'll take the evidence to Grandmother and ask for a fair judgment."
Chu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Grandmother has always favored Uncle. Uncle always complains to Grandmother about not inheriting the title, and that's how Aunt got the right to manage the mansion."
Shang Yunruo suddenly understood. After thinking for a while, she said, "Then I'll invite all the clan elders. In this way, Grandmother won't be able to make a one-sided decision."
Chu Yan said slowly, "The clan elders talk about benevolence and morality, but they're all people who won't act without personal gain."
Despite her worries, Shang Yunruo thought that Chu Yan, at such a young age, could see human nature so clearly. He was truly extraordinary.
No wonder he would be granted a title and become a general in the future, even making her father wary of him.
Shang Yunruo nodded. "I understand. I'll think about it some more."
Chu Yan softly responded with an "um" and said loudly, "Then I'll leave. I wish you success tomorrow."
Listening to his departing footsteps, Shang Yunruo felt the brightness and purity that a young man should have. She couldn't help but curl her lips.
If he always remained so sunny, he probably wouldn't turn into the dark figure in her dream.
She leaned on the couch and fell asleep in a daze.
In a thick fog, she seemed to be trapped in that dream again. Shang Yunruo tried to struggle awake but couldn't. She could only experience everything in the dream as if it were real.
This dream was actually about her attempt to seize the seal. However, she didn't have the help of Chu Yan and Chu Jinli, nor did she obtain the evidence in the account books.
She only relied on two pieces of evidence: the inferior ingredients and the fact that Chu Yan was underpaid to accuse Aunt.
Aunt cried and complained that she didn't respect her elders and that she deliberately bought inferior ingredients to frame her. As for the matter of underpaying Chu Yan, Grandmother didn't even ask a single question.
Then Uncle also complained to Grandmother, saying that they were both Grandmother's sons. Since the elder brother had inherited the title, and now that the elder brother was gone, shouldn't he inherit it? Grandmother directly gave the title to Chu Jinli. Was that fair?
Now, just because his wife was managing the mansion, she was being suspected of embezzlement by a junior. Their whole family was living a miserable life.
In the end, Grandmother not only didn't give the seal to Shang Yunruo but also severely scolded her and punished her to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days.
From then on, she lost all her prestige in the Marquis Mansion, and Chu Jinli was even less willing to talk to her.
Finally, she woke up under Chu Jinli's cold and disgusted gaze.
That gaze lingered in front of her for a long time. In the dream, she cried her heart out because of that gaze. She felt that Chu Jinli would never talk to her again.
Shang Yunruo wiped her cheek. The tears were already cold, but the feeling of despair lingered.
She sat quietly by the window for a long time until her emotions finally subsided. Then she began to seriously think about how to get the seal back tomorrow.
This dream was very timely, as if it was deliberately warning her.
The difference between the dream and the present situation should be that her actions had changed the outcome. It seemed that she had to change her strategy tomorrow.
—
Unlike Mu Chenxuan's place, the Jinghuiyuan was still brightly lit.
Since He Shi returned in a sorry state, after washing up and brushing her teeth, she had been crying and making a fuss non-stop and refused to eat.
Maybe she had eaten too much horse manure, so everything she ate tasted like horse manure.
Chu Bei earnestly advised her to eat more. He Shi said with a gloomy face, "I won't eat. I'll just starve myself for a while and pretend to be sick. Tomorrow, I'll go to the old lady's place and make a scene!"
She looked at Chu Bei. "You go too. Cry to the old lady about how you didn't inherit the title back then. Appeal to her emotions and help me get even!"
Chu Bei hesitated and said, "Do we have to make a scene like this again? Will this method still work after using it so many times?"
He Shi glared at him. "It has worked every time we've used it, which means the old lady knows she's sorry for you in her heart. Moreover, Jinli values filial piety the most. As long as Shang Yunruo gets angry and talks back to me, I can take the opportunity to say that she doesn't respect her elders. That big hat will be enough for her to bear!"
He Shi knew the Chu family very well. If it were in another family, she might never be able to turn things around. However, in the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, as long as she grasped these two points, she could enjoy a lifetime of good fortune.
Chu Xiuyi understood. "In this way, we just have to wait for her to file a complaint, and then wait for her to get angry and lose her temper!"
He Shi said proudly, "Yes. The more fiercely she loses her temper and scolds us, the more disgusted Jinli will be with her. As long as we act pitiful and weak, we can tame her."
Chu Xiuyi laughed. "No wonder Miss Yang said she was stupid. She really is! She still wants to fight with my mother!"
The next day, the spy in the Marquis Mansion came to report that Shang Yunruo was counting the account book boxes and that she had invited all the clan elders early in the morning.
Finally, the moment had come. He Shi, who had looked sickly just a moment ago, excitedly jumped out of bed. Knowing that it was time for her to act, she quickly took her husband and went to see the old lady of the Marquis Mansion.
As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw seven or eight large boxes neatly placed in the hall. These were the boxes where she had stored the real account books.
She let out a loud wail that echoed through half of the courtyard. "Mother-in-law! Mother-in-law, I'm so wronged! Shang Yunruo doesn't respect her elders. She even dares to slander her elders..."
Halfway through her wailing, she noticed that the old lady and the clan elders in the main hall were looking at her like she was a madwoman.
And in the few boxes that Shang Yunruo had opened, instead of account books, there were... fruits?