Chapter 4
My sister took my hint and wasted no time. The very next day, she went to the palace gates with a petition to seek the emperor’s judgment.
Princess Duanyang was from Prince Heng’s family and was the reigning emperor’s first cousin. Prince Heng was dead, but her brothers were still very much alive.
She had been the darling of her family, too. My sister’s maternal uncles all held court appointments. When they learned of the disgrace at their sister’s funeral, they stepped forward one after another to impeach Father.
And so Father received more than a reprimand. He lost his official post.
He had held a sinecure as a cavalry general. Now even that salary was gone.
With my sister running the household, he certainly wasn’t getting a penny from her.
Father, his first love, and his precious daughter enjoyed a month of life without anyone keeping them in check. Then they couldn’t manage anymore.
He had always bought everything on credit and had the bills sent home for the household accounts office to settle.
But my sister cut him off. When the shopkeepers stopped getting paid, they stopped extending him credit.
After more than a decade with him, Jiang Youwei surely had plenty of land, deeds, and silver tucked away.
But why would she spend her own money?
After just over a month, she began crying poverty, saying there was nothing left for household expenses and accusing my sister of targeting her.
She brought Shen Yunzhi and Father to our gates, threatening to dash herself against them.
“You may hate me, Eldest Miss, but Zhi’er is your father’s own flesh and blood! How can you refuse to tolerate your own sister?
“Yes, I was a lowly singing girl, but I once came from an official’s family. I never chose to enter that trade. I was with the count first. It was the princess who stole the man I loved…”
Her singing-girl training clearly included acting. Though past her first youth, she still wept prettily enough to inspire pity. Father’s heart was breaking.
“Wei, don’t say that!
“It’s all this unfilial girl’s fault! She even dares defy her own father!
“Shen Aoxue! Tell me, did you order the accounts office to stop paying our bills? This is Count Zhongyong’s residence. I am your father! I am the head of this household!”
My sister laughed.
“Father, you wrong me terribly.
“I haven’t been stingy or forbidden the accounts office to pay you. There simply isn’t any money in your account!
“When Mother married you, you were penniless. If His Majesty hadn’t made you a count and built this residence, you would have married into Prince Heng’s household.
“Mother’s dowry paid for all our household expenses. Your meager salary and fief income went straight to your mistress and your precious daughter.
“Even that wasn’t enough. Mother had to give you tens of thousands of taels more every year.
“Every payment is recorded in the accounts.
“I am Mother’s only daughter. Under our dynasty’s laws, a woman’s dowry passes to her children when she dies.
“Surely, as my father, you don’t expect your daughter to use her dowry and private savings to support you, your mistress, and your illegitimate child?”