As for the Chengyuan Marquis Manor... even a broken ship has three jin of iron nails. No matter how much it may have declined, it still holds a title bestowed by the Emperor. Its status remains noble, and it maintains connections with the most powerful and influential people in Shengjing.
Lin Jingyue had spent years in business. She knew that in trade, simply having quality goods and a comprehensive stock wasn’t enough; one had to have backing.
In her past life, due to her status as a merchant's daughter, she had spent a fortune and exhausted every effort only to latch onto a fifth-rank official. Not only was she treated as someone to be summoned and dismissed at will, but she also had to carefully appease any relative of the official who came to visit, just to write off the debts.
It wasn't until a military household rose to the rank of General who Defends the State and returned to the Capital that, relying on his military power and reputation, combined with her management skills, the Lin Family finally vaulted to become the wealthiest in Shengjing.
It was during that time that Lin Jingyue first tasted the sweet fruits of power.
In this life, rather than staying in the Lin Family to work until her hair turned white just to earn silver for Lin Jingyan, and rather than waiting year after year to curry favor with a husband in hopes of having a noble title bestowed upon her, it would be better to... take a gamble. By changing her identity and leveraging the influence of the Chengyuan Marquis Manor, she could take her fate firmly into her own hands.
Seeing that Lin Jingyue remained silent, Lin Jingyan did not mind, saying airily:
"Since Jingyue is already a young lady of the Chengyuan Marquis Manor, Father, you must provide her with a letter of severance. That way, the people at the Manor won't be annoyed or make things difficult for her."
Every word sounded as if she were looking out for Lin Jingyue, which filled Lady Jiang with emotion and made her even more dissatisfied with Lin Jingyue.
What kind of person was she, that Yanyan would be willing to hand over wealth and glory to her, and even go through such trouble to look after her?
A flicker of coldness crossed Lin Jingyue’s eyes. Lin Jingyan wasn't acting out of kindness; she clearly wanted to cut off her retreat.
She wanted to force Lin Jingyue into a position where, if she were bullied by the Marquis Manor, she would have to swallow her tears, rather than being able to return to the Lin Family to weep and beg for silver like the Lin Jingyan of her past life—relying on that silver to gain the fleeting approval of the Manor.
Before Lin Hengan could nod, Lin Jingyue put on an expression of alarm and said with a feigned guilty conscience:
"But I am not the Marquis's biological daughter, and I don't look very much like my older sister. Even with the token in hand, what if the people at the Manor see through it? Impersonation is a crime punishable by death, and it might even implicate the Lin Family."
Lin Hengan paused. "No need to worry. If anyone asks, just say you look like the late First Madame of the Chengyuan Marquis Manor. After all, she has been dead for more than a decade, and memories have long since blurred."
Lin Jingyue lowered her eyes, sneering inwardly.
If she didn't know that the late First Madame of the Chengyuan Marquis Manor had left behind an eldest son, and that the First Madame's maiden family was also in the Capital, she might have actually been fooled.
Lin Hengan saw through her thoughts instantly; she didn't want to risk her life without sufficient profit.
Fine, truly worthy of being his daughter!
"If you agree to take Yanyan’s place at the Marquis Manor, I will give you three hundred taels of silver and a shop—the very one you were eyeing recently."
Lin Jingyue’s mind raced, and she slowly looked up.
Lin Jingyan panicked. If that shop were managed well, it would be worth millions in silver; how could they hand it over to a Lin Jingyue who was being kicked out of the family?
Lady Jiang was also dissatisfied. "Returning to the Marquis Manor is an opportunity to reach the heavens in one step. Is the wealth of the Manor not enough for you to enjoy? Must you wring silver from our hands? Furthermore, the Lin Family has raised you for over a decade; you should be repaying that debt of kindness. How can you justify asking the Lin Family for money?"
Lin Jingyue smiled gently. "Mother is right. Since the Marquis Manor is such a path to the heavens... perhaps it would be better for my sister to go. After all, the Chengyuan Marquis is her kin; surely there is no reason not to acknowledge her. As for me, I shall stay with the Lin Family to serve you both and repay your great kindness."
Her words were exceptionally sincere, and in any case, she was not the one in a rush.
The three people in the hall were stunned.
The Marquis Manor had already sent people to recognize their kin; they had to hand a daughter over, otherwise, wouldn't they offend the Manor and ruin the Lin Family's business?
Lin Hengan glared at Lady Jiang, his voice becoming unprecedentedly gentle:
"Your mother didn't mean that. It's just that you know the family situation. We aren't exactly wealthy in Shengjing, and with the new shops we've just purchased, there isn't much liquid silver to spare..."
"Father! It was my idea to have my sister return to the Manor in my place; it is only right that I compensate her."
Lin Jingyan had made up her mind to drive Lin Jingyue out of the house so she could taste the suffering she herself had endured in her previous life. Gritting her teeth, she walked to the door, called a maid, and whispered a few words.
The maid left and soon returned with a wooden box.
Lin Jingyan took the box and opened it, revealing a deed and a blood jade bracelet:
"This is a shop Father and Mother prepared as my dowry. It specializes in sugar trade; you won't even need to manage it carefully to earn ten thousand taels a year. If you agree to sever ties and return to the Manor, I will give you this shop. And this blood jade bracelet goes with the Blood Jade Bead. Take it, and when the time comes, show it to the Old Madame; I guarantee no one will doubt your identity."
She wasn't lying about that.
The Chengyuan Marquis was lost in his life of luxury and had long forgotten his late wife who died in childbirth. As for the Old Madame of the Manor, she only wanted to provide an answer to her eldest grandson and the late First Madame’s maiden family—how much could she really care?
With the two masters of the house indifferent, the others would be even lazier to investigate.
Lady Jiang looked at the deed and couldn't help but gasp. That shop had cost a huge sum of money to acquire!
Lin Jingyan gave her a look to calm her down and generously shoved the wooden box into Lin Jingyue’s hands. "Jingyue, I have treated you poorly in the past. Consider this shop my compensation to you."
Seeing that Lin Jingyue remained silent, Lin Hengan said coldly, "It is settled then! Go and pack your things, come to the main courtyard to sign the letter of severance, and follow the Chengyuan Marquis Manor’s steward back."
Lin Jingyue’s thoughts turned. After bowing deeply to Lin Hengan and Lady Jiang in the hall, she turned and left.
Once she was out of sight, Lady Jiang complained, "Yanyan, why did you give her that shop? That is one of your father’s most valuable assets, bringing in tens of thousands of taels every year!"
Lin Jingyan’s lips curled up. "Father, Mother, just wait and see. Lin Jingyue will trip up over that shop in no time. By the way, Father, hurry and find that shop Lin Jingyue had her eye on, along with that small grocery store. I will manage them myself."
When Lin Jingyue returned to her courtyard to pack, Bochun, the maid who had been with her for years, felt as if the sky had collapsed:
"Miss, how could you agree to this? If there’s even a slight mistake... nine heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it! The Eldest Miss bullies and makes things difficult for you every day, even stealing your bird's nest soup to have both portions for herself. Now she even wants your life!"
"And the Master and Madame are simply too biased. I could overlook it usually, but for such a life-threatening matter, they shoved you out without any regard for your survival..."
Lin Jingyue gathered the few pieces of jewelry and valuables in her vanity case and picked out two sets of clothes. Without responding to Bochun, she asked instead, "Are you willing to go to the Chengyuan Marquis Manor with me?"
To survive in the Marquis Manor, one needed a trusted confidante. Bochun had been loyal in her past life; rather than choosing someone else, she would choose her.
Bochun agreed immediately without hesitation. She grabbed her own small bundle and supported Lin Jingyue as they headed toward the main courtyard.
She was just a dispensable maid. After seeing Lin Jingyue add a few lines to the letter of severance, Lin Hengan signed it readily and handed over Bochun's contract of indenture as well:
"From now on, you are no longer of the Lin Family. Do not return here again. We do not covet the wealth of the Marquis Manor, and you are not to come asking the Lin Family for money."