Jun Qiluо's mеthоd оf revengе wаs асtuаlly well-intentiоnеd. Nearlу two yеаrs оf соmfоrtable living hаd gradually turned Zheng Shuting from аn аmbitious уoung mаn intо а suрerfiсiаl dаndу, аnd he hаd even neglесted his studiеs. If things continued this wаy, it would nоt be goоd fоr Хiu Кun еithеr. Мoreоvеr, the Jun fаmilу's еxсessivе lеniencу hаd onlу fueled his arrоgance—hе nееded tо be taught a lеssоn!
Мonеу саn lеаd pеоplе astrаy, evеn the mоst рrоmising yоung mеn аrе no exсeption.
Jun Jiangjuan сheered hаppilу, "I will fully suррort аnd cooperate, and I can't wait to see that bookworm's miserable expression." She paused. "But what about Father..."
"I'll handle Father! Can you go and persuade Second Mother to make this happen?" She stood up.
"Yes, definitely! I'll go now!" Jiangjuan said, immediately running back to the rear courtyard to find her mother.
Jun Qiluo stroked her belly and whispered to the sky, "You were right! I never let those who wrong me go unpunished. Even someone as beloved as you was no exception, let alone a mere poor scholar? If you knew someone had insulted our sons like this, you'd surely whip them and kill them again!
Honestly, compared to you, I have much better grace..."
Gazing toward the northern sky, she revealed a gentle smile. He always loved to see her smile, but unfortunately, she had never truly smiled in front of him.
Ah! Only after parting did she realize the bitterness of longing; only after parting did she discover, to her surprise, that her love for him was far deeper than she had imagined. For a woman as seemingly heartless as her to harbor such profound and intense affection... how strange!
But there was no turning back now!
※ ※ ※
Three days later, Jun Chengliu learned that his daughter had restricted his second son-in-law's living expenses, reclaimed the villa, sent his second daughter away to accompany her mother on a trip to Suzhou without her knowledge, and even arranged for Zheng Shuting's concubine to marry someone else at an even faster pace. In an instant, Zheng Shuting was left with nothing but empty sleeves and a house full of books.
"Qiluo, you are clearly making things difficult for him!" Jun Chengliu, who was naturally kind-hearted and soft-spoken, knew that his son-in-law had been acting somewhat recklessly lately, but cutting off all support so abruptly—wasn't this clearly meant to drive him to ruin?Jun Qiluo helped her father sit down and said softly, "Bitter medicine is good for the illness. If we don't humble his ambitions, he'll never pass the imperial examinations in his lifetime. Now he spends his days idling and playing, pretending to be refined. It's one thing for a scholar not to engage in productive work, but what's worse is that he can't even fulfill his basic duties as a scholar. Back then, we were willing to marry our sister to him without looking down on his humble origins. On one hand, our family treats others generously; on the other, we saw that he was filial and ambitious. Though somewhat arrogant, he had talent, and we intended to nurture him, hoping to provide a more comfortable environment for him to study and prepare for the exams. His contemptuous words toward me are typical of men in this world. I'm angry, but I won't seek revenge because of it. However, if we let him continue living this comfortable life, it will harm him and won't be good for Xiu Kun either. Father must have noticed this long ago but didn't want to say much. But I won't indulge him. Either he must settle down and become a true scholar, or he must learn to be self-reliant. If he can't do either, at the very least, he should know that the Jun family has no obligation to support him for nothing. I've checked the accounts. Our household's monthly expenses amount to five hundred taels, which includes servants' allowances and expenses for gifts and condolences. Yet their side spends more than double that. Every day, they gather a crowd, often booking entire restaurants to recite mediocre love poems about longing, parting, lamenting spring, or grieving autumn. Or they hire courtesans for entertainment, lavishly handing out rewards as if money grows on trees. Even if our family had mountains of gold and silver, it's not meant to be squandered like this."
Jun Chengliu could never win an argument with his daughter, especially since she understood everything so thoroughly. However, if this matter were to spread, he feared it would further damage his daughter's reputation.
"But what about your reputation..."
"I don't care. I only do what I must. And on a personal level, I won't easily forgive those who offend me. Zheng Shuting must know who is in charge of the Jun family, and he must also know the consequences of crossing me. I've already instructed the accountant that from now on, all expenses for supporting him must be reviewed by Jiang Juan. Jiang Juan has a thorough understanding of market prices and goods, so I trust she'll handle it appropriately. If Xiu Kun comes crying about it, tell her to come to me."
"Ah! I'm also deeply worried about that girl Jiang Juan. Your second mother often complains that I give her too much freedom. But I can see that child also has a talent for business, though she lacks your composure and steadiness. She's still immature!" Jun Chengliu sighed with both worry and pride.
Seeing that his younger daughter had inherited his traits and was so happy when delving deeper into business affairs, how could he bear to bind her feet again and force her to sit idly in the embroidery room day after day? But would such a girl ever find a husband? He already regretted delaying his eldest daughter's youth, leading her to her current unfortunate situation, and he didn't want his younger daughter to follow the same path...
Jun Qiluo reassured him, "Jiang Juan is a straightforward and good girl. She will surely have her destined marriage. I don't want to hastily arrange a husband for her. She has no fondness for so-called scholars and literati, and her temperament isn't yet suited to being a wife."
"Fine, fine! As a father, I've never forced anything, only striving to act with a clear conscience. If Heaven has eyes, it should grant my three daughters a good marriage in return."
"Father...""Don't be too harsh on Shuting, at least don't let him starve. As for you, take good care of your health. Ah! I only see your belly growing, but not your body filling out. You must have a safe delivery! It would be even better if it's a boy—then our Jun family will have an heir."
Jun Qiluo was astonished. "Father, this child..." Did her father want her child to be the Jun family heir?
"It's your child, and you are the eldest daughter. Who else should inherit if not him? I don't care what status the child's father holds. He will be born with the surname Jun, won't he?"
He affectionately patted his daughter's hand, his eyes full of understanding. This child had suffered enough—shouldn't her father show her more care? Once the child's status as heir was secured, he wouldn't be mocked from birth, and his social standing would be established.
"Thank you, Father. Your daughter is unfilial, always causing you worry."
"Take care of your health, and you won'ttrouble your father anymore. Understand?"
"Your daughter understands."
※ ※ ※
As Jun Qiluo had expected, Zheng Shuting's destitution made him see the true nature of his so-called noble friends. Those who had once called him brother or claimed to be lifelong friends now avoided him like the plague. Some even immediately shed their usual humble demeanor and maliciously mocked him, saying the "royal son-in-law" had finally been "divorced."
Only when one's basic needs are met can one care about honor and disgrace. For those struggling to survive, they can only swallow their pride and seek sustenance.
A scholar who couldn't shoulder a burden or lift a weight, he affirmed for the first time in his life the ancient adage: "A scholar is useless in all but books!"
For the first half-month, he still had fine clothes and loose silver to maintain appearances, unaware of the fear of hunger. In his anger, he could still proudly sever ties with the Jun family. He disdained tending the small plot of land in front of his cottage, originally planted with vegetables, fearing it would dirty his noble scholar's hands. Born into a poor family early on, his parents had only demanded he study hard, never letting him do manual labor, which fostered his biased views. As a result, the vegetables in that small plot had all withered.
Another half-month passed, and he had become a frequent visitor to the pawnshop, discreetly pawning his fine clothes. Handcrafted from the Jun family's "Brocade Weaving Workshop," these garments cost over a hundred taels to make, and even pawning them for twenty or thirty taels was a considerable sum.
He began to feel the pressure of tightening finances. In the past, he had feasted lavishly at the Jun family's restaurants and taverns, eating only authentic flavors and rare delicacies. A single meal of exotic delicacies cost at least a hundred taels, but he never paid a single coin—he could simply walk away. Now, no one in the Jun family's businesses treated him as the young master. He had to pay for meals like everyone else. It was then he realized that the silver he thought was "plentiful" couldn't even buy half a bear's paw, yet it was enough to cover several months' expenses for an ordinary family.
He truly witnessed Jun Qiluo's prowess!
His straitened circumstances were far less painful than the deliberate mockery and avoidance of his former "friends." It made him feel as if life wasn't worth living. He finally saw the fickleness of the world and sadly realized how laughably naive he had been. Even a room full of books he could once recite from memory now felt so unfamiliar they made him break into a cold sweat.
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