Chapter Thirteen: One Can Only Rely on Oneself

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The delicate young girl’s voice rang out with startling force, every word landing like a hammer blow.

Liang Shanru stood straight and unmoving. Even Zhou Shen forgot, for a moment, what else he might say on her behalf.

In a daze, he seemed to see Liang Ji as he had been twenty years ago.

The people in the hall exchanged glances. Even the white-haired old man who had been shouting at Zhou Shen fell silent.

She did not appear to be putting on an act. Once she promised the money, she would certainly pay it.

A thousand taels of silver.

Over the years, the Marquis’s household had provided them with only one or two hundred taels at a time. They had been forced to watch everyone’s expressions, and whenever trouble arose, they still had to let themselves be used as someone else’s weapon—as today had proved.

Who could possibly remain unmoved?

If only they could obtain something from Liang Shanru as well...

The Marquis and his wife had already realized that the situation was turning against them.

Madam Zhou was the most devious of the pair. She suddenly raised a hand to her forehead, then went rigid and toppled backward.

The Marquis of Changle caught her swiftly. He cried out anxiously for his wife, then hurriedly called for the servants to come in, support Madam Zhou away, and summon a physician.

The couple’s performance was so transparently false that Liang Shanru gave a cold laugh.

“Lord Marquis,” she called after him, “are you about to say that today’s matter cannot be settled after all?”

“Are you trying to drive your aunt to her death? You ungrateful wretch!” The Marquis of Changle nearly seized another object from beside him and hurled it at her, but checked himself at the last moment. “Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow!”

He swept out of the room, leaving behind an order that the guests be escorted out properly.

Not only Zhou Shen and Liang Shanru, but all the Liang clan members present had heard it.

Who, exactly, had abandoned all propriety and courtesy was obvious without anyone needing to say so.

Zhou Shen looked at the old man who had spoken earlier with a faint, sardonic smile. “It seems the Marquis of Changle’s household is nothing special after all.”

He took Liang Shanru by the hand and was about to leave, but she did not move.

Puzzled, he glanced back. When he saw the signal in her eyes, he released her hand.

Liang Shanru crossed the room in a few quick steps and stopped before the two men. This time, she offered them the most complete and respectful bow.

“I truly will need some time to gather the two thousand taels of silver. At the latest, I will have someone deliver it to your homes by tomorrow evening.

“It is what you deserve, Uncles. Please do not say that you do not need it.

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“I may not remain in Yangzhou in the future. Once I have severed my ties with the Liang family, even if fate should bring us together again someday, we will have no further connection. Please regard this as the last small gesture I can make as your niece.”

“Shanru...” The man on the left still wished to protest, but the man on the right firmly pressed him down.

“If this is what you insist upon, then we will accept it. Shanru, the road ahead is long and uncertain. Take good care of yourself.”

Zhou Shen understood her intention as well. He waited until she had finished speaking with them, then stepped forward, patted her lightly on the shoulder, and led her out.

* * *

Once they had left the marquis’s residence, Zhou Shen’s expression was calm, revealing neither anger nor pleasure.

He did not get into the carriage. Instead, he walked slowly down the bustling avenue with his hands clasped behind his back.

Liang Shanru hurried after him. She followed for the length of an arrow’s flight before calling out with a wry smile, “Uncle Zhou, you walk so quickly. How am I supposed to keep up?”

His face remained impassive, but he slowed his pace.

“You had already made up your mind. On the way here, you told me not to concern myself with the Liang family because you had your own solution.

“Two thousand taels of silver. That is your solution?

“Shanru, you—”

He had meant to scold her, but she was truly pitiable. If the Liang family had not driven her into a corner at every turn, why would she have needed to act this way?

The rebuke reached his lips, only to change into something else.

“With me here, I could have beaten those old fools into submission.”

“If the Liang clan were full of ungrateful wolves, you could beat every last one of them and I still would not throw away so much silver for nothing.” Liang Shanru followed his line of thought. “But my two clansmen are genuinely decent men.

“Father told me before that his childhood had been difficult. Yet those two never joined the rest of the Liang family in ostracizing or bullying him. Whenever they encountered him at the clan school, they would even protect him when they could.

“They have never mistreated me over the years either. When the Marquis of Changle tried to force me into marriage, they also did what little they could to help.

“Even if the marquis and his wife had not pressured me like this, I intended to leave them some money before I departed. Since matters have now come to this, I can use the kindness they showed me to set an example for the rest of the Liang family. It saves you a great deal of effort.”

“You are grateful to them, and there is nothing wrong with giving them some silver. But there is no need to give them so much.” Zhou Shen sighed and ruffled her hair. “Besides, if you are giving these two men two thousand taels, and the others decide they want a share, how much more will you have to hand out?”

Liang Shanru let out a small sound of realization. “That is what you are angry about?”

Zhou Shen shook his head. “I am not angry.”

Her smile deepened.

“I will not give them a single coin, so you may rest easy.

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“As for my two clansmen, if I offered them only one or two hundred taels, Madam Zhou would know that once the accounts were settled, I would be taking far more than ten thousand taels from the Liang family. She might grit her teeth and offer three or five hundred taels to buy them off. Would I then have to compete with her over the price?

“After thinking it over carefully, I decided that Madam Zhou would never bring herself to part with two thousand taels. It is the most suitable amount.”

Zhou Shen was faintly astonished.

He truly had not expected someone her age to have planned everything so thoroughly. He had thought she had merely been driven to desperation and finally fought back, and that the extent of what she could calculate would therefore be limited.

Yet he had suddenly realized that the so-called letter begging for help had only been meant to bring him there and keep the situation under control. She had already made up her mind—and even he had been included in her calculations.

The young girl’s face shone with the brightest, most radiant smile. Zhou Shen laughed twice along with her.

“So you had everything planned from the beginning. You wrote to me for help merely to use the reputation of the Huainan Military Governor to intimidate the Liang family.”

Liang Shanru’s smile vanished at once.

But Zhou Shen was not blaming her.

“That is no bad thing. It is far better than foolishly allowing others to manipulate you, leaving yourself powerless even after they have torn you apart and swallowed you whole. Do not be afraid.”

“You are not angry with me?”

Zhou Shen shook his head again. A young girl’s heart was sensitive by nature, and after being held in the grip of the marquis and his wife for so long, the more he said, the more uneasy she would become. So he deliberately changed the subject.

“I did not bring that much ready silver with me to Yangzhou. Fortunately, I still have some properties here. Come with me, and I will withdraw—”

“Uncle Zhou!” Liang Shanru raised her voice several degrees. “Please let me find a way to handle this money myself first.”

Clearly displeased, Zhou Shen frowned and put on a stern expression.

“What are you being so polite about with me? How could you possibly come up with several thousand taels? Since Madam Zhou has been guarding against you, you probably cannot even withdraw the money from the shops that once belonged to your mother!”

“Please give me some time to think of a solution.”

Liang Shanru remained unmoved, looking as though nothing he said could make her yield.

Seeing his expression grow increasingly grim, she hurriedly added, “After what happened today, I finally understand that sooner or later, a person must rely on herself. When I was young, I had my parents to protect me. Later, I believed that the Marquis and his wife truly cared for me, and that I could depend on them. But what happened?

“Writing to you and Aunt for help was unavoidable, but life is long, and one will encounter countless troubles, great and small. How many times can a person truly be driven to the end of the road? I cannot rely on others for everything.

“Uncle Zhou, I know you care about me, but please allow me to deal with this myself for now.

“In any case, you are here in Yangzhou to support me. If I truly cannot gather the two thousand taels, I will still come to you and ask to borrow it.

“But what if I can manage it?”