Chapter 439: 439

“Well of course, Ruoruo certainly will need to remarry one day, there is no worry that girls from the duke’s residence will remain single. However, she can hardly expect to marry into a prestigious house like Duke’s Residence anymore. Therefore, using this expensive thyme wine for her dowry might seem wasteful,” Madam Bai reasoned.

“I don’t consider it a waste. If I’m marrying into an ordinary household, I should prepare more valuable things for my dowry as a form of financial security,” Wei Ruo calmly replied.

The smile on Madam Bai’s face began to falter, her lips twitching slightly.

Then, her tone turned serious, “Ruoruo, don’t take this the wrong way, but times have changed. It’s lucky that the two jars of wine your friend gifted you happen to be useful. You should feel proud to contribute to the Wei family. You should gladly hand them over, rather than hesitating and making everyone uncomfortable.”

“Aunt, no offense, but if you want the thyme wine, get it with your own abilities. Why should you blame me for not giving it to you? Shouldn’t you also be weeping in the imperial palace, blaming the emperor for not bestowing a better official position on uncle, condemning the examiners for not allowing your son to become a scholar?” Wei Ruo retorted.

“What are you implying? Are you ridiculing your uncle and cousin?”

“Aren’t I stating the truth? If you can’t get what you want, you should think about why you lack the ability to get it, instead of blaming others for not giving it to you.”

“You impertinent girl, how dare you disrespect me like this? I’m your Aunt! Don’t you have any respect for your elders?”

“I would rather not have elders who only concern themselves with their own benefits.”

“Very well, it seems I hold no place in your heart! Come, let’s go to Shou’an Hall. Let your grandfather and grandmother make judgement!”

Saying so, Madam Bai grabbed Wei Ruo’s wrist and tried to drag her away.

Wei Ruo then yanked her hand back, looking down at her reddened wrist and coldly glancing at Madam Bai, “No need to be so rough, I can walk.”

Before leaving, Wei Ruo turned to Xiumei, “Meimei, pack away the thyme wine, lest it gets stolen by rats.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Madam Bai lost her composure, “Are you calling me a rat?”

“Rats are the ones who want to steal my wine, aren’t you one?” Wei Ruo replied.

Madam Bai’s face darkened, “We’ll see how long you can keep up this defiance!”

The Duke and Duchess were mid-nap within the Shou’an Hall.

In the past few days, they had been losing sleep over the rescinded marriage proposal from the Marquis Xuanping Residence. Having just drunk a calming tea, the Duke was finally able to sleep.

The Duchess was tending to him.

Hearing the uproar from outside, the Duke furrowed his brows and asked a maid what was happening.

“It’s the second Madam. She has brought Young Miss here and requested for both the Duke and Duchess to mediate,” the maid hurriedly reported.

“Mediate? What has Bai started again?” the Duchess said displeased.

Upon hearing this, the Duke climbed out of bed, “I’d like to see what they’re up to!”

With that, the Duke put on his outer robe. The Duchess reluctantly followed him out of the chamber.

Indeed, Madam Bai and Wei Ruo were standing in the other room.

Upon seeing the elders, Madam Bai started to complain, recounting how she had asked Wei Ruo for the thyme wine but was refused.

In the end, Madam Bai, feigning grief, began to tear up, “Father, mother, my husband has been diligently working and trying every possible way to secure a good future for our family. While his contributions may not be apparent, he undoubtedly has been hardworking. Wanting this wine is not for personal gain, it’s for the good of our family! Yet Ruoruo not only fails to understand, she even lashed out at me, accusing me of all sorts of things…”

As she spoke, Madam Bai’s eyes reddened as she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

The Duke strained his face as he listened. He then turned to Wei Ruo, “Is it true, what your aunt has said? Do you have two jars of thyme wine?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why your aunt wants the wine?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you refuse?” The Duke’s face darkened with anger.

“Why must I give it to her? It’s mine. I have every right not to.”

“Yours? While living under this roof, everything you eat, wear, and use is provided by this family. Now that there is a rare opening where you can be of use, are you planning to quibble over trifles?”

The Duke’s anger reached a boiling point.

Seeing this, the Duchess quickly intervened, “My lord, control your anger. Ruoruo may not necessarily be unwilling to help.”

“Then ask her. Ask her if she is willing to bring out those two jars of wine.”

The Duchess turned to Wei Ruo, “Ruoruo, tell your grandfather quickly! You are willing to bring out the wine.”

The Duchess desperately tried to send Wei Ruo signals with her eyes.

“I’m not.” Wei Ruo stubbornly held her ground.

The Duke slammed his hand down on the table, “Did you hear that? Did you hear that?”

The Duchess comforted him, “My lord, calm down. This matter does not warrant such a fuss over two jars of wine. If she doesn’t want to, then let it be.”

Madam Bai interjected, “Father, mother, this isn’t just about two jars of wine. You might not know how popular this thyme wine is in the Capital City. The patriarch of the Lu family is particularly fond of this wine. His son had brought him a few jars from the Taizhou prefecture, and he is about to drink them dry. Many people have been assigned to find more! Even Minister Qi has publicly praised this wine. He mentioned that it is incomparable to ordinary wine.”

“In our possession, these are merely two ordinary jars of wine. But when offered to others, they can earn us great favor! Considering this, I swallowed my pride and asked Ruoruo for them.”

With Madam Bai emphasizing the importance of the situation, the Duke immediately made a decision, “Bring me those two jars of wine!”

Madam Bai hid a triumphant grin.

Just as she had predicted, the Duke and Duchess were acting as expected. If this were years ago, they might have been hesitant, but now that Wei Ruo held no more value, they would not continue to indulge her.

Jin, the old maid, led the other maids, including Mingzhu, to retrieve the wine from Changchun Garden.

Just as they were leaving, Wei Yichen walked in and stopped them.

“Hold on.”

He then approached his grandparents.

“Grandfather, grandmother, Ruoruo’s belongings belong to her. I hope you won’t defy her wishes and take it upon yourselves to claim her possessions.”

Everyone in the room was startled. Wei Ruo also looked at Wei Yichen in surprise…