Chapter 348: Chapter 355: Not a Kind Person
Madam Sun’s words were clearly provocative. Previously, she had been fearful of the power of Marquis Beian Mansion, but now that the Sun Family had found an even more substantial backing, the pent-up grievances could finally be vented, and politeness was no longer a consideration.

Su Hengyi was a patient man, believing that a great man can bend and stretch, yet he couldn’t stand by and watch his younger sister being bullied by this mother and daughter duo. Su Wenyue, afraid that her big brother would clash with Madam Sun and her daughter and get the Su Family involved, quickly reached out to pull at Su Hengyi’s sleeve and, beating him to it, spoke first.

“That’s quite a coincidence, as I wasn’t very satisfied with either of those two locations. It was with great difficulty that I had decided to buy them, only to have Madam Sun snatch them up first. It seems they were truly not meant for me, and for that, I must actually thank Madam Sun for aiding me in making up my mind. Those two locations don’t look so great; definitely not suitable for business. Buying them to keep them unused is not a bad idea, especially since Madam Sun is so well-off, consider it a charitable act,” Su Wenyue said with a smile, her words aggravating to hear and directly confronting the Sun Family.

Su Wenyue knew her situation well. Since the Sun Family had set their minds on dealing with her, retreating would be futile. Better to stand firm. Even if the Sun Family had secured the support of Prime Minister Wang, their ability was limited. After all, this was Yiyang Prefecture, not Chang’an, where Prime Minister Wang’s influence wasn’t as potent. The Sun Family, at most, could leverage Prime Minister Wang’s power for some underhanded maneuvers behind the scenes.

As for the Su Family, as long as they didn’t openly take a stand and with Marquis Beian Mansion firmly behind them, the Sun Family would unlikely trouble them directly. Moreover, the Sun Family didn’t possess such capability in business dealings. Su Wenyue didn’t want to drag her mother’s family into this, also wary of Prime Minister Wang’s side. It was unnecessary to create a sensation at this moment. They had no choice but to address the enmity already established with the Sun Family.

“Mrs. Su, don’t be too arrogant. Being too undisciplined might lead to suffering,” said Sun Qianru, who had come today specifically to embarrass Su Wenyue, longing to see her grovel before her presence. Now that her family had risen through their connection with Prime Minister Wang, there were plenty desiring to curry favor with them. Yet, Su Wenyue still maintained such an attitude, disregarding her entirely. This was unacceptable.

“That is exactly what I would like to tell you. It’s best to stay humble in life and not to become complacent as soon as you gain a little power. What goes around comes around; who knows what the future holds?” Su Wenyue replied with a half-smile.

“Su Wenyue, do you realize what you’re doing now? Now that I am favored by Prime Minister Wang, I am not like I used to be. If you don’t know your place, who knows what troubles your countryside-born Husband might run into,” Sun Qianru believed Su Wenyue was acting this way because she wasn’t aware of the situations unfolding outside, stressing her point to intimidate and make Su Wenyue submit out of fear.

“You need not worry about that. My Husband is upright and dutiful and has always abided by the law and order. It is widely known that Prime Minister Wang is an honest and upright official. Moreover, with Prime Minister Wang in his lofty position, he surely wouldn’t trouble my Husband without cause, unless some nefarious individuals were misusing Prime Minister Wang’s name for their own wicked purposes. I trust that Prime Minister Wang would never let them off lightly once he finds out,” Su Wenyue said.

With her statement, Su Wenyue didn’t want to give anyone the chance to exploit her words since Madam Sun and her daughter were flaunting Prime Minister Wang’s name. One misstep could lead to trouble. Prime Minister Wang was most concerned with his reputation and tended to do things in the name of the public good, so Su Wenyue’s words did not give Madam Sun and her daughter any grounds to find fault.

“You…,” Sun Qianru, pointing at Su Wenyue, was about to say something inappropriate, but was stopped by Madam Sun.

Madam Sun hadn’t expected Su Wenyue to be so verbally adept and assertive. With a cold expression, she said, “What a sharp-tongued Mrs. Su you are. You’re tough now, but don’t regret it when you suffer the consequences.”

Unintimidated, Su Wenyue retorted with a fake smile, “Don’t worry, Madam Sun, even if I do regret it, I won’t be bothering you.”

“Good, very good, Mrs. Su, you really are something. We shall see!” Madam Sun sneered several times, truly infuriated now. She had come here expecting to leverage her family’s newfound connections to trouble Mrs. Su and to vent her frustrations, but instead of venting, she spent money and now was bringing back a whole stomach of anger.

Frustrated, Sun Qianru followed Madam Sun, “Mother, are we just going to let her off like this? Mrs. Su is so arrogant. Shall we have someone teach her a lesson?”

“Qian Ru, you’re not young anymore, use your brain before you speak. If that were possible, would I have bothered with all these efforts? Mrs. Su, after all, is part of an official’s family, we can’t be too blatant without a proper handle on things, or else we’ll just be causing trouble for your father,” Madam Sun said sharply, already irritated and now responding to her daughter’s thoughtless suggestion with displeasure.

Sun Qianru, realizing her rashness, pursed her lips and glared furiously at Su Wenyue before reluctantly leaving with Madam Sun.

Su Hengyi had observed his sister’s demeanor from start to finish. Even with Madam Sun using Prime Minister Wang’s name as a threat, she showed no fear or retreat, managing to send Madam Sun and her daughter off in defeat and maintaining the upper hand. He nodded in satisfaction. His sister had matured, and while he had been concerned that her temperament would lead to being bullied, he could now rest assured that she could handle herself. However, today’s incident meant that Madam Sun and her daughter would definitely not let things rest.

“Younger sister, Madam Sun and her daughter are not easy to deal with, and they are narrow-minded. By offending them today, they will surely seek ways to retaliate. Please be extra careful in the future,” Su Hengyi earnestly advised.

“Big brother, don’t worry. I am aware of this. Han Yu and I have long had a feud with the Sun Family. Whatever they want to try, they can bring it on. Han Yu and I will have ways to handle it,” declared Su Wenyue, undeterred by the Sun Family’s lowly tactics, confident that caution would prevent any harm.

Su Hengyi nodded, looking at his sister’s fearless spirit. The once spoiled and mischievous young girl had indeed grown up. “I’m just giving you a heads-up. As long as you have a plan, that’s fine. If you need any help, just send someone to let me know,” he reassured her.

Having their targets purchased by the Sun Family, Su Hengyi and Su Wenyue returned empty-handed and set out to find new prospects. However, Su Hengyi learned from the experience and sent someone reliable and close to him to keep the information confidential. Su Wenyue wasn’t truly satisfied with the two stores anyway—otherwise, having someone meddle like that would have been exasperating.

“Big brother, since the store purchase fell through, let’s head back. Keep a keen eye out for me, and if you find something suitable, just secure it directly. You know what I’m looking for,” said Su Wenyue. She wasn’t afraid of Madam Sun and her daughter repeating their tactics; she simply couldn’t afford to waste time on them. She was eager to buy and set up the store so she could start making money as soon as possible.