The Young Proprietor's Wife Demands Repayment—But I'm the Head of the Family

About the story

The Shen family's ancestral rule passes authority to daughters, never sons. At just one month old, Shen Zhiyi inherits thirteen private banks and seventy-two shops. Uninterested in accounts, she delegates power to Xie Wenzhou, an older male relative from a collateral branch, as junior proprietor. But after his wife Xu Wan enters the family, she sells Zhiyi's dowry, suspends her silver token, forces her to sign a false debt note for 270,000 taels, and seeks to expel her so Xu Wan's own daughter can take her place. Xie Wenzhou also assumes the gold seal is merely an ornament meant to amuse Zhiyi. On New Year's Day, Zhiyi publicly revokes its authorization and refuses renewal. Only when the old seal stops working does he understand: the seal represents authority, not a formality.