Chapter 144 Extra Chapter 2 (2): "Grandma, Wang Shun has just returned." The two of them lingered on the estate, unwilling to go home...

"Grandma, Wang Shun has just returned."

The two of them lingered on the estate, unwilling to return home, but they still had to inform their families. Now that Jing Shao was able to handle most of the household affairs, and since his grandmother was the most law-abiding person, Shen Wanqing sent Wang Shun home at noon.

"Manager Wang conveyed Madam's message. She said that you and the eldest daughter should take charge of the New Year's celebrations this year, just like last year. However, this year you and the eldest daughter will take over the responsibilities of preparing the meals from last year. Madam and Master will stay on the estate for a few more days before returning."

"I understand. Go and bring Manager Wang in. I have something to say to him."

"Yes, this servant will go right away."

Jing Shao had gotten used to her mother-in-law's reluctance to return once she went to the estate. At first, no matter how nice her mother-in-law's words were, Jing Shao always felt that her mother-in-law must have some dissatisfaction with her.

As time went on, she came to understand that there really are mothers-in-law in the world who don't really want to get involved with their sons and daughters-in-law. Now she only has one request for Shen Wanqing: whether she comes back or not, she needs to send someone to check on her every few days. Once she leaves, there's no news at all, which is very worrying.

Shen Wanqing agreed to this, but she always sent people back on her own initiative. The main reason was that the people Jing Shao sent always asked about every little detail, how she was doing, how Yu Lang was doing, they had to find out everything.

The person she sent back explained the situation to the two of them in a few words. If Jing Shao asked any more questions, there would be only so many, and even if she kept nagging, it wouldn't be Shen Wanqing's opinion. So she couldn't care less.

The maidservant came out of Jing Shao's room and let out a soft breath. This eldest mistress is completely different from the madam. The madam is known throughout the capital for her shrewdness and competence, but over the years, no one in the mansion has ever been afraid of her.

The lady's rules are a clear line, laid out in plain sight, and it doesn't matter who comes. As long as things are done well and that line isn't crossed, everything else is negotiable.

Now, this eldest madam is very strict and there is no room for discussion. What she says goes. Although she never criticizes the servants, and although it seems that the two of them have similar rules, everyone in the mansion is obviously more careful when they are in front of Jing Shao.

Wang Shun arrived quickly. He was the shop assistant that Fang Liang had brought back from the general store years ago, and he had managed all the affairs inside and outside the mansion over the years.

For the past two years, he has been following Shen Wanqing around, and he and his two apprentices have been handling any messages that need to be delivered.

"Manager Wang, don't go back to the estate today. I need to pack some things for you to take to Madam this afternoon."

"I will follow your orders, Grandma."

Wang Shun wasn't a member of the household; to put it bluntly, he wasn't a servant. Jing Shao was initially surprised to learn that her mother-in-law had several such people around her who, despite not having formal indentures, held important positions.

In her view, those she trusted should hold their indentures firmly in her hands; otherwise, how could she expect them to obey her wholeheartedly? Jing Shao had known these principles since she was old enough to understand, so Shen Wanqing's actions were quite a shock to her.

Shen Wanqing didn't explain after learning of her daughter-in-law's surprise. She only took the opportunity to tell Yi'an not to worry about it too much. Fang Liang and the others each had their own duties, and they usually only came to the east courtyard when they entered the mansion, so they wouldn't disturb her life.

Different backgrounds, different temperaments, and inevitably different ways of dealing with people. Shen Wanqing didn't intend for everyone to conform to her, but Jing Shao still took it to heart.

At first, she was unwilling to deal with the stewards outside who did not have indentures, so she could only wait for Yi An to take a break and have him accompany her to visit several large shops and estates in the manor.

While Yi An was talking to Fang Liang and Zhuang Ming, she quietly watched from the side. The more she watched, the less worried she became.

Nowadays, most of her trusted confidants are still from the Tong family, but their interactions with the managers under Shen Wanqing are still quite natural.

"Are you and your husband doing well at the estate? It's been unusually cold these past few days. How is your husband's old leg injury? Should we invite another doctor to stay at the estate with you? It would be more reassuring to have another doctor around."

"Don't worry, Madam. I knew you would be worried about this. She even asked me to tell you that everything is fine with them. They've put all the New Year's arrangements on you and the eldest daughter. As long as you don't feel wronged, that's all that matters."

Feeling wronged? Jing Shao quickly shook her head. Before she got married, the wives of the Tong family would go to the housekeeper to get chores every New Year. Each person was responsible for one task, and they had to report what they had done that day and what tasks had been assigned to them every morning and evening.

If you do well, that's expected; if you don't, your mistakes will be pointed out in front of so many sisters-in-law, and they'll explain where you went wrong and what you should do. Every year before the Lunar New Year, several sisters-in-law and cousins ​​are scolded until they cry.

Unlike me, who, in my first year in the household, went through everything with my mother-in-law, not only the big and small affairs of the household, but also the affairs of the estates, shops, and even the people and things under the command of the magistrate.

Before the Lunar New Year last year, my mother-in-law divided the task of preparing for the New Year between herself and Sui Ning. Each of them was responsible for a task, and my mother-in-law would clean up any mistakes they made.

After the New Year was over and the first month of the lunar calendar had passed, each of them was given a small booklet with a list of things they had missed or done wrong. They were told to go back and review it so they would remember it and avoid making the same mistakes next time.

After seeing Wang Shun off, Jing Shao got up and went back to the side room to take out the booklet her mother-in-law had given her. She planned to copy it first and then send this copy to her sister-in-law, hoping that Sui Ning would not repeat the mistakes she had made this year.

“Madam, we sent someone to ask if you had time to go back for a couple of days. Now that Madam isn’t coming back, do you think we should still go back?”

"Of course I'll go back. I'll go back tomorrow and come back the day after. It'll only be a day or two. My younger sister is still at home, so it won't cause any problems."

Jing Shao glanced at her maids. They were all servants born into the Tong family, and her mother had already given them their indentures when she married. However, the rest of their families were still with the Tong family, so they naturally spoke up for the Tong family more often.

When Jing Shao first got married and went back to her parents' home, she would just answer whatever her mother asked, and that was it; she didn't take it to heart.

To everyone's surprise, the Tong family thought Shen Wanqing was quite shrewd, using the steward's power as bait to so easily win over their daughter's heart.

The Tong family wanted their daughter to live well when she married into the Hesheli family. But beyond that, they hoped their daughter's heart would lean towards her maternal family. That way, if Fu Qing's branch of the family needed to rely on the Hesheli family, Jing Shao would speak up for her maternal family.

Jing Shao didn't notice at first, but no one is a fool, and over time she realized it. The maids around her would always intentionally or unintentionally sow discord between her and her mother-in-law.

This year, Jing Shao and Sui Ning will switch roles in managing household affairs. With such a large mansion and so many social interactions, if they take turns managing the household for two years, then there won't be anything difficult for them in the future.

Especially since Jing Shao is leaving the capital with Yi An next year, and no one knows when she'll return. If she doesn't leave a deep enough impression on the household and the entire Hesheli family's social circle before she leaves, will this house still be hers when she comes back?

What should have been a perfectly good thing turned into "not having time to relax for two days" in the mouth of her own maid, as if it were a mistake for her mother-in-law to let her manage these affairs of the mansion, and that she was being deliberately made difficult for her.

Jing Shao stared at her maidservants with a cold face for a long time, making the two maidservants who were serving in the room almost cry with fear, before waving her hand to let them out.

These two women were not only maids given to Jing Shao by the Tong family as part of her dowry, but they were also carefully selected by the Tong family to be obedient and pretty enough, and their families had served as concubines for three generations.

Everyone in the capital knew that Yulang had spent half his life with Madam Shen, but everyone in the capital tacitly agreed that this was an exception. Even their son, Yi'an, could not possibly live a life solely with his legal wife like his father.

It would be best if Jing Shao had a good relationship with her husband after marriage, but if they didn't, she couldn't let outsiders benefit from it. These two maids would be used by Jing Shao to serve Yi An, at least to win over her husband's heart.

But now Jing Shao doesn't want to use them anymore, no matter the reason. So after thinking for a while, she got up and found the two people's indentures, and decided to take them to the Tong family tomorrow and not bring them back.

Shen Wanqing had no idea that sending Wang Shun back to deliver a message could save her son from disaster.

The next day, she lay half her body on Yulang, burying her face in front of him and rubbing against him haphazardly, but she still couldn't shake off her sleepiness. So she simply relaxed and lay back down, intending to stay in bed longer.

"What time is it?"

"It's still early. It snowed heavily again last night. They should be outside shoveling snow off the roof right now."

Even though the room was warm and cozy in this kind of weather, Yulang was still woken up just before dawn by a chill on his knees that he couldn't quite describe as either a stinging or a cold pain.

He didn't move after waking up, just huddled together with Shen Wanqing like little dogs seeking warmth, his mind wandering aimlessly. He'd been so busy all these years, and this kind of free time where he didn't have to do anything was all too rare.

Even though she was the one who made all the decisions between them, Shen Wanqing acted as if she had received a royal decree, confidently hugging her husband and going back to sleep. By the time she finally woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, and she could just wait for lunch.

But Yu Lang clearly didn't want to waste this little bit of waiting time, so he pushed Shen Wanqing's waist and coaxed her towards the back of the house. The hot spring pool was right behind the house; Shen Wanqing knew perfectly well what they were going to do there at this hour!

The hot spring completely shut out the cold air from outside, and Shen Wanqing was so hot that she took off the clothes she had just put on. Enraged, Madam Shen climbed onto Lord Yu's shoulder and bit his arm hard in a fit of pique.

But at this moment, Yulang was no longer afraid of pain. He hugged Ren and called her Jiyun, Madam, and Great-Grandma indiscriminately. He coaxed her like flipping a pancake and did it several times until the lunch prepared outside was half cold. Only then did the two of them return one after the other.

Yu Lang was unusually lazy while he was at the manor. In the morning, he got up and coaxed Shen Wanqing to have sex on a large rock that was warm from the hot spring. After that, he lay on the warm couch until the afternoon, unwilling to move.

When Chang Shun brought over the official documents and a blank greeting letter, Yu Lang pretended not to see or understand them, and kept looking at Shen Wanqing. Shen Wanqing had no choice but to get up and write for this gentleman.

Having lived in this world for so many years, she has learned some skills. For example, the small regular script that Shen Wanqing uses to write is now entirely her own habit and hand gesture, with no trace of the original owner remaining.

Furthermore, Shen Wanqing has mastered Yu Lang's handwriting so well over the years that it's almost indistinguishable from the real thing. In recent years, Yu Lang has been too busy with court affairs to attend to matters of state, leaving him with little capacity for maneuver.

Even though Baoshan and others helped manage things under the command of Zuo Ling, and even though Shen Wanqing was in charge of the women in the inner quarters and matters such as weddings and funerals, there were still some matters that Zuo Ling Yu Lang had to decide.

Sometimes he would stay in the palace for the entire day, and sometimes he would go to Tongzhou with his men and not return for several days. In order not to delay important matters, Shen Wanqing actually adopted the method she used when she was in school, imitating her parents signing their test papers.

When Yulang returned, Madam Shen, who hadn't reported her schemes to him for many years, surprisingly took the initiative to tell him about forging his signature on her reply. She had thought he was just putting on an act to make a scene, but to her surprise, Yulang immediately gave her one of his frequently used seals.

That personal seal was carved for him by Shen Wanqing many years ago, after Yu Lang had pestered her. He always carried it with him and used it for matters related to banner affairs. Over time, everyone knew that Lord Yu used this seal to distinguish between banner affairs and matters of the imperial court.

He gave the private seal back to Shen Wanqing, which meant that from now on, the actual commander was both Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing.

"Look, does my handwriting look similar?"

"I'll send this to the palace tomorrow. I wonder if the Emperor will be able to tell that this greeting letter wasn't written by me."

"If I can't figure it out, what benefit will Lord Yu offer me?"

“I belong entirely to Madam. What else does Madam want?”

"Stop, that kind of platitudes won't work on me."

Shen Wanqing didn't believe his words, "I belong to you completely." Besides, even if it were true, what would she do with his life? It would only be useful to him and then take advantage of him.

"Last month I saw a set of jewelry that I liked, but it was a bit expensive."

"How much silver, Jiyun, tell me?"

Yu Lang already sensed something was wrong, but Shen Wanqing had finished all the work for him this afternoon, so he couldn't back out now. He could only muster up his courage and listen to her quote.

"One thousand two hundred taels, is that enough for Lord Yu's private savings?"

…………

That's enough, more than enough. Just recently, Baoshan secretly gave Shen Wanqing 1,500 taels of silver, which he had skimmed off from the account meant for Shen Wanqing, keeping it specifically for his own private savings.

I've spent some of it recently, and I have about 1,300 taels left. Now, Shen Wanqing is asking for 1,200 taels worth of jewelry. If Shen Wanqing didn't know I had this hidden stash of money, then something fishy would really be going on.

"When did Jiyun find out? If she did, why didn't she tell me?"

"I knew it as soon as Baoshan handed over the accounts. Did he really think I was so easy to fool?"

Shen Wanqing sat down next to Yulang and poked his chest several times with her finger. "Two hundred taels of silver, you probably went to drink with Akdun and the others in secret. What did the doctor say? You just ignored it."

Yu Lang isn't addicted to alcohol, but he has a high tolerance for it and occasionally goes out drinking and dining with friends and colleagues. Shen Wanqing's attitude towards these things has always been that as long as he knows his limits, anything is fine. After all, who doesn't have hobbies?

However, since the injury to his knee was brought to the fore, the doctor advised him to drink less alcohol during the winter.

Yu Lang readily agreed in front of Shen Wanqing, but once he stepped outside, he wasn't so obedient. He spent two hundred taels of silver eating out in just over a month; no wonder his leg pain seemed worse this year than last year.

"I was wrong." Yu Lang admitted his mistake very quickly, after all, Shen Wanqing had already exposed his true colors, so there was no point in being stubborn anymore.

"Seriously, I really am craving it. You know Aktun and the others, we agreed to just have a little to satisfy our cravings, but we never got enough from the start."

Yu Lang tugged at Shen Wanqing's sleeve and continued to argue—no, to explain—and Shen Wanqing listened patiently until he finished speaking before asking, "So, will Lord Yu buy the headdress or not?"

An explanation might suffice, but punishment is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, if he continues to sneak around like this next year, his leg might be completely ruined in a few years.

"Buy it! I'll buy it when we get back!" Yu Lang hugged Shen Wanqing and chuckled sullenly. "Ji Yun is still good to me; she even left me a hundred taels."

Hearing this, Shen Wanqing couldn't help but laugh. Humans are truly wondrous creatures. If they don't like you, nothing you do is right; if they like you, they'll think it's perfectly fine no matter how much money you try to swindle from them.

He had just asked for 1,200 taels of silver, and the man was actually thinking of leaving him 100 taels. Luckily, no one else heard him say that, or it would have been a real joke.

A day is not short, but the two of them did nothing together and it passed by in a flash. Looking at the sunset streaming in outside, they realized that the sun was about to set.

Yu Lang wanted to eat mutton hot pot for dinner and was about to get up to tell the kitchen to prepare it when he heard hurried footsteps. It was Yi An, whose expression revealed an indescribable panic. Yu Lang's heart skipped a beat.

"What's going on at this time? Is it something from the palace...?"

“Father, please sit down.”

Yi An's physique was already more robust and upright than Yu Lang's. The way he helped Yu Lang into the house and sat him down made Shen Wanqing, who was also getting up, panic. Given this situation and his attitude, she could roughly guess what had happened.

Yu Lang looked up at his wife, then looked back at his son. After calming himself down, he stood up again and patted his son's shoulder to indicate that he was alright.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Father, the old lady is dying."