Chapter 92

It turned out that since Zhang Yue and her younger brother returned home alone, all the family's assets had been confiscated and only a large mansion remained. When the uncle's family was driven away by the officials, they secretly took all the remaining valuable items, claiming they were their own.

At that time, Zhang Yue, still in shock, hugged her brother and sat in the main room of their parents, crying uncontrollably as she looked at the familiar objects. The officials, seeing this, did not disturb them, and the former family members all disappeared, leaving them completely unaware of the situation.

Once the officials left, the vast mansion was left with only the two siblings, and Zhang Yue, with no one to rely on, hugged her brother and wept. Fortunately, Xu Hao soon sent money, food, and quilts, and had guards watch over them at night. The siblings, who had been hungry for a day, had a full meal and slept well on the floor, temporarily solving their urgent needs.

Xu Hao then boldly took 100 taels of gold from the confiscated assets of the brothel, telling the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) that it was compensation for Zhang Yue's mental distress and resettlement expenses. This made the commander Jiang Qin so angry that he went to complain, but when Zhu Yuanzhang heard about it, he just smiled.

With the 100 taels of gold, Zhang Yue gradually redeemed a few family members, but the others were either not found or unwilling to return. The gold was also used to buy a 50% share in a new silk shop, and the contract was given to Zhang Yue. This way, she could earn nearly 200 taels of silver per month, barely enough to cover the family's daily expenses. Xu Hao also planned to help the Zhang family acquire some land and other assets in the future, to support Zhang Yu until he grew up.

Xu Hao did not want the siblings to always remember his kindness, so he fabricated a story that all this was a favor from the Emperor. Zhang Yue then felt at ease and accepted it. As the saying goes, both rewards and punishments come from the Emperor's grace. Despite the Zhang siblings being young and having experienced the destruction of their family and various hardships, they did not harbor any resentment towards Zhu Yuanzhang.

From then on, they would have to live their own lives. Xu Hao could not help them all the time and also wanted to train Zhang Yue, so he did not show up for several days.

However, it didn't take long for the distant relatives of the Zhang family to find out that the Zhang family had been re-established in just a few days, and they immediately came with thin gifts, swarming in.

At first, Zhang Yue was very happy. Distant relatives were still family, and at that moment, family ties were so precious to her. She was moved to tears and bowed to her aunts and uncles, who also cried with her. They then proposed to move in to support the siblings, and in her excitement, Zhang Yue agreed without a second thought.

In no time, the outer courtyard was filled with various relatives. After a few days of peaceful living, seeing Zhang Yue's gentle nature and Zhang Yu's naivety, they began to demand furniture and daily necessities without hesitation. The new steward, Zhang Jiu, whose father was the former steward of the mansion and had committed suicide during the disaster, was a loyal servant. Zhang Jiu, who was just a common servant in the countryside and only 30 years old, had no ideas or experience. He went to ask the young mistress, who agreed, and without any hesitation, he contributed all the silver.

The entire mansion had only so much silver, which was not enough to satisfy these greedy relatives. They all complained to Zhang Yue, saying that they had come to help, leaving their homes and businesses, and had spent all their money on various things, expecting the mansion to help, but were disappointed by the stinginess.

Zhang Yue was strong-willed but did not understand these trivial matters and could not see through the deception. She was too proud to ask Xu Hao, one of her benefactors, for help again. After some thought, she gritted her teeth and let the relatives enter the inner courtyard, taking whatever they could sell.

The relatives praised the young lady for being sensible and then swarmed into the inner courtyard. They saw that the Taihu stones in the garden were valuable and took them away. The remaining dozen potted plants in the Jade Pavilion were also taken. The scattered tables and chairs were carried home to be repaired and used. Even the partition windows in the rooms, worth a few copper coins, were removed and taken away.

The Zhang family was like being looted three times, and the looting was so thorough that it need not be described further. In just a few days, the relatives came back, complaining that they had no food left in their rooms. Zhang Yue had no choice but to hand over her few pieces of jewelry to the steward Zhang Jiu to sell, buying some rice, flour, and vegetables.

The problem was that the relatives, who had brought their families, numbered over a hundred. How long would the food last? Additionally, they had to give gifts for various occasions such as childbirth and weddings, which Zhang Yue found unbearable. She sold the siblings' valuable clothes and other items, which only lasted for three days.

Unfortunately, the relatives did not appreciate this and continued to find various excuses to ask for more money. Zhang Yue gradually realized that if this continued, the family would be destroyed again. Moreover, her brother needed to go to school, the servants needed to be paid, and everyone needed to eat. In short, everything required money, and she could not let the relatives run wild.

However, it was easy to invite people but hard to send them away. Zhang Yue, being kind-hearted, had to swallow her pride and send Zhang Jiu to the silk shop several times to withdraw the next month's and the month after's earnings, barely satisfying the relatives' greed.

Seeing that these people were still not satisfied and their appetites were growing, and that they were often gathering to drink and gamble, bringing in all sorts of unsavory people, and that the men and women of the various families were engaging in improper behavior, with daily fights and brawls, Zhang Yue was at a loss. The Zhang family was already destitute, and there was nothing left to care about. The children of the various families were constantly sneaking into the inner courtyard to steal and cause mischief, and the servants were too lazy to clean up.

The relatives also took advantage of their status to boss around the servants, flirting with the maids and beating the boys, causing chaos in the Zhang family. Zhang Yue, hiding in her room, was of no use, and the servants came to complain every day. Some families, unable to bear it, even began to consider leaving.

The Zhang family was falling apart, and every day, relatives came to ask for money. Zhang Yue could no longer bear it and invited the elders over. She tearfully said that the family was in ruins, and everyone could see it. She could not support so many people, and she asked the uncles, aunts, and cousins to go home.

The relatives immediately objected, shouting that they were all surnamed Zhang and were one family. When the family was prosperous, they always received money, silk, and other gifts. Even when the family fell, they came to help with the funeral, spending money and effort. When the siblings returned, they did not ask for repayment and did not mention the monthly allowance, did they?

Zhang Yue nodded gratefully, and the relatives secretly smiled, becoming even more aggressive. They said that they had come to help her rebuild the family, but now that she was on her feet, she wanted to drive them away, which was too heartless.

Zhang Yue shook her head, saying that it was not like that. The family was in trouble and could not support everyone. If she could, she would never have asked.

At this moment, the most senior uncle, Uncle Six, stepped forward and silenced everyone. He asked Zhang Yue if she did not know that the silk shop was very profitable, and why it only gave her 200 taels of silver a month?

Zhang Yue knew nothing about the silk shop, only that it was a gift from the Emperor. She did not know that in the rush to redeem the servants, she had agreed to the prices without negotiation, which would have taken much longer.

Among the twenty-odd people, including the most expensive six girls, the average cost was about ten taels of silver per person. In fact, the remaining 60 taels of gold were worth less than 700 taels of silver, not enough to buy even 10% of the shop.

Zhang Yue, with a bitter face, said she did not know these things and that it was all due to the kindness of her benefactor. The relatives then accused her of being naive and being cheated.

The respected Uncle Six proposed selling the share at a high price. According to his experience, the silk shop, located near the Qinhuai River and close to the palace, was well-decorated and spacious, and could be sold for at least 8,000 taels of silver.

Alternatively, they could each contribute 3,000 taels to buy the remaining 50% of the shop. They would manage it themselves, ensuring a profit of at least 5,000 to 6,000 taels of silver per year. Even if they rented or sold the shop, it was worth 10,000 taels, enough to buy several estates and comfortably support the entire clan.

Zhang Yue felt something was wrong and said that if it was such a profitable business, why was it bought for only 1,000 taels of silver? Moreover, a business is a business, and a shop is a shop; they should not be confused.

The arrogant Uncle Six laughed and said that it must have been the Emperor's intention to match her with the unseen benefactor. Otherwise, why would he be so generous? As a true noble, she was a match for him, and he would have to hand over the shop and the deed honestly, or the marriage would not happen.

Zhang Yue then understood that they were trying to get the benefactor's property and house for free. She was shocked! Could they be so greedy and have no limits? No, she could not let them do this. If she did, they would continue to ask for more money and even ruin her reputation. This was intolerable.

Zhang Yue said nothing and turned back to her room, ignoring Uncle Six's persuasion. Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, the relatives immediately turned on her, cursing the Zhang family for producing a traitor. They left, destroying the room.

That night, Zhang Yue, unable to bear it, cried and sent a trusted family member to Xu Hao's house outside the city.

Now, she could only rely on her benefactor, Xu Hao, for help.