Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 517 - 195 Scam

Yueying heard that Yueyao was going to stay at Ma’s Mansion for a while, so she took Cai Qing to Lanxi Courtyard to deliver gifts to Yueyao, nothing overly expensive, just some embroidered items like pouches and handkerchiefs.

Yueying said with a smile, "These were all made from the leftover fabric from the satin third younger sister gave me to make clothes. Third younger sister, I hope you won’t look down on them."

Yueyao was quite surprised, it seemed that her previous advice had an effect, and she was also willing to listen to the suggestions of the maids around her, "Thank you, Eldest Sister."

This time, Yueying didn’t come solely to deliver silver, but to invite Yueyao to join her in a business venture, "Third younger sister, my Maternal Auntie found a business where one thousand taels of silver can turn into one thousand and two hundred taels in a month, the profit is quite considerable. With so much money on hand, you could also take out a little to loan out and earn interest."

Yueyao’s complexion changed drastically upon hearing this, "Your Maternal Auntie is loaning money." Yueyao said this affirmatively, not as a question. With a twenty percent return in a month, lending money was the only thing she could think of.

Yueying asked confusedly, "What do you mean by loaning money?" Ladies from the inner house were not usually told of such sordid matters, so Yueying really didn’t know what it entailed.

Yueyao’s expression turned somewhat unsightly, "To loan money means to engage in usury, loaning to those families in urgent need of money, charging high interest rates. Many cannot repay and eventually end up in ruin. Loaning is an extremely hazardous deed to one’s moral virtue, hence if someone is known to engage in usury, they are looked down upon by others."

Yueying’s face turned pale, "Impossible, my Maternal Auntie couldn’t possibly engage in such things. She told me that it was a business involvement."

Although Yueying had her shortcomings, she had never thought to harm anyone, and she didn’t believe her Maternal Auntie would use money for such purposes.

A flicker of doubt crossed Yueyao’s eyes, something wasn’t right. Lady Mo managed the inner house, how could Maternal Aunt Chen engage in lending without Lady Mo knowing? Considering this, Yueyao asked Yueying, "How much silver did you give to Maternal Aunt Chen?" Perhaps Maternal Aunt Chen really wasn’t practicing usury, it could be that someone had set a trap for her to fall into.

Since Yueyao was quite affluent, Yueying did not suspect Yueyao of trying to entrap her and thus honestly disclosed, "I gave all the money grandmother gave me for my dowry to my Maternal Auntie for the business."

Yueyao inquired, "You gave all the dowry money Grandmother provided to Maternal Aunt Chen?" The Old Madam gave Yueying three thousand taels upfront for her dowry, but Yueyao believed the Old Madam certainly had other private supplements. She hoped not all of it was invested, otherwise, Yueying would suffer a great loss.

Yueying nodded, "I gave all the three thousand taels of silver that grandmother gave me to Maternal Aunt Chen, and then reinvested the one thousand and two hundred taels I earned afterwards. I think, with so much money at hand, you could also invest, it’s always good to have more money by your side."

Yueyao’s face showed a peculiar look, if it weren’t for Yueying’s sincere expression, she might have suspected Yueying was sent by Lady Mo to deceive her out of her wealth, "You reinvested the interest received?"

Yueying nodded, "In just three months, I have already earned two thousand taels of silver."

Yueyao chuckled lightly, as if it was absurd to think that pies just fall from the sky. If she hadn’t guessed wrong, the interest was just a cover; the real purpose was to swindle all of Yueying’s private money. Yueyao was already aware of Lady Mo’s greedy nature and wasn’t surprised at all.

Yueyao advised Yueying, "You should quickly ask Maternal Aunt Chen if there are any promissory notes. If there are, make sure to burn them all immediately, otherwise, if our granduncle finds out, even death would be too light a punishment." Her granduncle cared much for his career and would never allow Maternal Aunt Chen to tarnish his reputation.

Yueyao continued, "If Maternal Aunt Chen doesn’t have any promissory notes, then you should have her quickly collect all the money back. Even if there’s no interest, it’s still better to retrieve the principal."

Yueying was astounded, "Third younger sister, what do you mean by this?"

Yueyao spoke directly, "I’ve heard from my cousin-in-law that many people outside have used these methods to defraud others of their money, the more you invest, the heavier the loss you suffer in the end."

Yueying hurriedly responded, "That can’t be possible, can it?"

Yueyao shook her head. "Eldest Miss, think about it, a twenty percent interest return per month, how is that any different from money falling from the sky? Where in the world are there such eagerly sought-after fortunes? You should quickly take back your money." According to Yueyao’s claim, Yueying wouldn’t be able to get back a single penny. However, knowing it was a scam also had its advantages, at least the money she had at hand would be secure.

Yueying did not stand on ceremony with Yueyao any longer, and left in a hurry.

Hua Lei voiced her displeasure. "Miss, she wanted to dig a hole for you to jump into, why would you still help her? The Eldest Miss doesn’t deserve our help at all."

Yueyao shook her head and replied, "It’s just a small effort, it didn’t take much out of me." She definitely wouldn’t be willing to exert herself physically, but merely helping analyze the consequences wasn’t much.

Xiang Wei caught a glimpse of Hua Lei and blinked, not understanding why Yueyao still kept this maid. She didn’t deny Hua Lei’s loyalty, but she also saw her as a hindrance. Even with loyalty, she should not be kept.

Yueying found Maternal Aunt Chen and inquired whether she had any loan documents. Naturally, Maternal Aunt Chen didn’t have any lending notes on hand, but she did have a promissory note that clearly outlined the principal and interest, as well as the borrower and guarantor.

What Yueyao didn’t know was that Lady Mo was actually lending money as well, but she was clever enough not to do it under her own name. She was acutely aware that once this activity came to light, it would spell major trouble, something entirely different from framing Yueyao—this could lead even Dongfang to divorce her. Lady Mo didn’t dare to lend money under her own name, let alone allow Maternal Aunt Chen to do so, for if trouble arose, she too would have to bear the responsibility.

Yueying, with Yueyao’s words causing some anxiety, said to Maternal Aunt Chen, "Maternal Auntie, let’s not lend the money after all. Could you please collect it back for us?"

Maternal Aunt Chen thought Yueying was delirious, "What are you saying? It’s rare to come across such a money-making opportunity. If we don’t make enough, wouldn’t that be foolish?"

But Yueying was somewhat scared, "Maternal Auntie, I’m worried that this is a scam. Just think about it, a twenty percent interest return per month, where would you find such a good deal? If it were true, then everybody would be rich by now. Maternal Auntie, we better take the money back to be safe."

Maternal Aunt Chen was still unwilling.

Yueying bit her lip and proposed, "Maternal Auntie, let’s do this: if we collect all the money now, I will only take back the principal, and you can keep all the interest." Previously, Maternal Aunt Chen had mentioned that she would only get a third of the interest when she asked Yueying to bring out the silver.

Maternal Aunt Chen’s eyes lit up; the math was simple—after collecting all the money, she would get the interest. Then, she could reinvest the profit to generate more, naturally accumulating more and more money.

Maternal Aunt Chen readily agreed, "Alright, I’ll make her give us the money tomorrow." The person who approached Maternal Aunt Chen for business was an old acquaintance of hers, whom she had known for over a decade, and Maternal Aunt Chen had never once doubted this person. freewebnoveℓ.com

Only then did Yueying feel half at ease.

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