Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 191: Eight Thousand for Eighty Thousand

Xie Shi'an wandered the streets all day.

He visited teahouses, taverns, brokerage firms, gambling dens... The moment people heard his name was Xie Shi'an, they would immediately mock him before driving him out.

The Xie family's troubles had erupted one after another, creating such a huge scandal that most of the capital knew about it.

Finding employment to make a living was simply impossible.

After great difficulty, he finally found a bookshop where he could write letters for illiterate people. Each letter paid only ten copper coins. Even if he wrote a hundred letters a day, he would only earn one tael of silver.

One tael of silver couldn't even buy one of the inkstones he used to use.

Such backbreaking work couldn't even cover daily expenses—what was the point?

Xie Shi'an returned to the Xie residence with a dejected expression.

Back in his own courtyard, San Jiu still served him his meal. After eating his fill, he got up and headed toward Yuan Shi's courtyard.

Just as he reached the entrance, he heard voices coming from inside.

"Madam, our situation is getting increasingly difficult..." Ting Yu wept into her handkerchief. "Yun Ge'er and Kang Ge'er are both at the age where they're growing rapidly. Yun Ge'er is one thing, but Kang Ge'er still needs to drink milk. We can't afford a wet nurse... Look how much thinner Kang Ge'er has become. If this continues, I'm afraid he won't survive."

Since Concubine Tao had left, Kang Ge'er had been raised in Yuan Shi's courtyard. Yuan Shi still had a loyal old maidservant attending to her, and with the maidservant's help in everything, her burden was somewhat lighter. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to get through these days.

She spoke up: "The household has no income now. If we spend money recklessly and extravagantly, we'll eventually exhaust our resources..."

All the men in the family were dead, and the silver had all been spent. She had pawned her jewelry from over the years to obtain just over a hundred taels of silver.

She recalled how the Xie family's monthly expenses used to exceed a thousand taels of silver. Those good days were gone, never to return...

Back when Yun Chu, her daughter-in-law, managed the household, she didn't have to worry about anything. Now that she was in charge herself, she wished she could split every copper coin into two to spend...

"Madam, did you know that the Madam eats lavish meals every day..." Ting Yu bit her lower lip. "Although the Madam chose to remain in the Xie family, she shows no consideration for this large household. She clearly could support Kang Ge'er, she clearly could prevent everyone from being in such a wretched state, yet she deliberately..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Xie Shi'an walked in from outside.

"Is Concubine Yu blaming Mother?" His voice was clear and bright. "Since Mother married into the Xie family, she became a member of the Xies. It should be our Xie family who provides for Mother. Yet now, Mother can only maintain her previous lifestyle with support from the Yun family. Could it be that Concubine Yu wants the Yun family to support the entire Xie household? On what grounds? On the basis of you, Concubine Yu, betraying Mother to climb into Father's bed? On the basis that I'm not Mother's biological son? On these grounds?"

His words made Ting Yu's face alternate between red and white.

She never imagined that Xie Shi'an would actually defend the Madam...

The Madam's lifestyle was no different from before the Xie family's downfall, while Xie Shi'an had been reduced to such a pitiful state. Didn't this contrast make Xie Shi'an feel even the slightest resentment?

"An Ge'er is right." Yuan Shi nodded. "When people are down on their luck, they should avoid begging from others even more. Otherwise, they'll always remain inferior."

Ting Yu twisted her fingers together.She had always been a servant and didn't care about being looked down upon; she simply wanted to make her current life more bearable.

She spoke up: "But if we don't seek help from others, we'll always remain beneath them. Without Madam's intervention, our Xie family will stay like this forever, and you, Eldest Young Master, will never advance beyond this point."

Xie Shi'an looked at Ting Yu and said: "Concubine Yu, your eagerness to have Mother help the Xie family is solely because of the court debt on Yun Ge'er. How about this—I'll take on Yun Ge'er's debt."

Ting Yu's face showed disbelief: "Do you really mean that?"

The debt on Yun Ge'er's head was a staggering sum of over eighty thousand taels of silver—a burden that had crushed her completely.

She never expected Xie Shi'an to voluntarily offer to assume this debt.

Not daring to show too much delight, she asked cautiously: "Are there any conditions?"

"Concubine Yu is indeed clever." Xie Shi'an said unhurriedly, "I plan to start a business and need capital. If Concubine Yu gives me one hundred taels, it will offset one thousand taels of the debt. That means you only need to give me over eight thousand taels, and Yun Ge'er will be debt-free from then on."

"E-eight thousand taels..." Ting Yu smiled bitterly, "Eldest Young Master overestimates me."

Having served in the Yun family since childhood, her accumulated monthly stipends and occasional rewards over the years amounted to less than one thousand taels.

After becoming a concubine in the Xie residence, though she was half a mistress, she had no dowry. Apart from her monthly stipend, she had no other sources of income...

How could she possibly produce eight thousand taels?

"If Concubine Yu can't provide it, then I'll find ways to raise the capital myself." Xie Shi'an said word by word, "I've given you this opportunity, Concubine Yu. Don't blame me later for failing to fulfill my responsibility as the eldest brother."

Having said that, he turned to leave.

Ting Yu grabbed his sleeve: "Can I give you some first and pay the rest gradually?"

Xie Shi'an nodded generously: "Fine. Then give me the court's promissory note. I'll put my thumbprint on it once you've paid the full eight thousand taels."

When Yun Chu returned home at nightfall, Ting Feng recounted everything that had happened in the Xie family in detail.

She marveled once again at Xie Shi'an's talent—how he could carve a path forward even in such desperate circumstances.

Though Ting Yu was merely a concubine, she was also a mother. For Yun Ge'er's sake, she would surely go all out to gather eight thousand taels.

"Ting Yu is truly despicable! Where has Madam ever treated her poorly that she must drag the Mistress into scheming against Madam?" Ting Feng said indignantly, "Why doesn't she consider that with the Xie family in such a state, she should be coming to Madam to repent and seek a way out?"

"Because she knows Madam won't pay her any attention." Ting Xue changed the subject, presenting several drawings, "Chen Bo sent these potential site selections. Please take a look, Madam."

These were locations for the shelter. Yun Chu examined them carefully.

Before undertaking this project, she had studied historical records from various dynasties. Since the Southern Dynasty, subsequent rulers had established shelters, but due to layers of corruption in fund allocation, very little silver actually reached the widows, orphans, and other vulnerable people. Moreover, the court only provided one-time funding for such institutions—it was nearly impossible to secure additional financial support later...Warfare requires funds, frequent floods and droughts demand money to resettle displaced people, and constant repairs to city walls and official roads—everywhere money is needed... The silver needed for welfare institutions always gets pushed to the back, always neglected...

This is why, even with imperial shelters, beggars can still be seen everywhere on the streets.

She lacked the capacity to help all the homeless.

Among widowers, widows, orphans, and the childless, she could only choose to aid the most vulnerable orphans—children who had lost their parents or had been abandoned.