Chapter 27 Something's Wrong: Yesterday, Shen Wanqing caused a ruckus, and then He Yi's return infuriated Shumulu. Today, they went in again…

Yesterday, Shen Wanqing first caused a scene, and then He Yi's return infuriated Shu Mulu Shi. Today, when she entered the West Inner Courtyard again, Shen Wanqing felt that several maids and servants were looking at her with daggers in their eyes.

Shen Wanqing had anticipated these reactions. After all, she was the one who deliberately made things difficult for others. It was already a favor that they didn't sweep her out with a big broom. Did she expect them to happily welcome her in?

But she never expected He Yi to have such an attitude. With him interfering like this, Shen Wanqing felt a little apprehensive as she walked to the door of Shumulu's house. She stopped and thought about which leg to step over the threshold first before she braced herself and went inside.

"You're here?"

"I've arrived. I've come to pay my respects to you, Second Aunt."

He Yi didn't come back last night. She didn't ask whether he stayed in the study in the front yard or went to her aunt's. As far as Shumulu was concerned, it didn't matter where He Yi went; she didn't want to see him anyway.

This morning, when Shumulu heard that He Yi had sent a nanny to guard the second gate of the west courtyard, she knew why he had sent the nanny. So she simply sent a maid to the main courtyard to ask her mother-in-law, Tongjia, for leave and did not go to the main courtyard to pay her respects.

"Did you see Granny Dong, who works for your second uncle? Did she say anything to you? Did she say when she would hand over these things I have to you?"

Despite her husband's grand ambitions, Shumulu knew in her heart that she could not disobey his decision. She still had two sons, and she couldn't afford to really fall out with He Yi. As the second wife of the Hesheli family, she not only had to hold onto her position securely, but she also had to sit comfortably and firmly in it.

"Second Aunt, what are you saying? That old woman only told me that Second Uncle was worried that you were too busy and tired by yourself, so he asked me to come and help you."

Shen Wanqing wondered if the second branch of the family had lost their minds. One of them insisted on holding onto the power of the family and refused to let go even a little bit, while the other wanted to push the entire Hesheli family onto her. Why didn't they ask themselves what they really wanted?

“I’m still young. When I was at home, I had older sisters, older brothers, and a mother. All I did all day was eat, sleep, and play. How could I possibly take on any responsibility? I told my second aunt yesterday that I came here to learn from her how to behave and how to handle things. I wouldn’t dare to meddle in anything else.”

Accounts can be good or bad. While she doesn't claim she only wants the good and avoids the bad, Shen Wanqing at least needs to figure out just how bad the accounts are and what pitfalls lie within them before taking on the task.

She took it over without any prior knowledge, and she really felt that it was no wonder Yu Lang and his second uncle couldn't see eye to eye; it was just that He Yi was a truly dishonest person.

Upon hearing this, Shumulu frowned and looked at her. As an insider, she was already stunned by Shen's attempt to seize her control of the household and her husband's betrayal. She didn't understand Shen Wanqing's meaning at all. She just felt that Shen was so troublesome. She had reluctantly offered a way out, but Shen didn't know to take the opportunity to back down.

"Whatever you want. If you want to learn, then learn. Anyway, it's hard to say how much longer I can stay in this West Courtyard."

At this moment, Shumulu was in a rather reckless and indifferent mood, letting Shen Wanqing stay as if nothing had happened. She waved her hand to the maid on the other side, and the head maids who had been waiting outside came in one by one to report on the things that had been done yesterday and to assign the tasks to be done today.

At this time, Shen Wanqing sat aside and tried her best to remain inconspicuous. After all, Shumulu was working for the family at the moment, and she didn't need to upset her.

The old women who came in first were clearly Shumulu's confidantes. They were all very decisive and efficient in their speech and actions. They also tacitly avoided looking at Shen Wanqing, clearly showing that they did not take Shen Wanqing seriously at all.

It wasn't until they took their respective pairs of cards and left, and another woman who looked to be in her forties with a small silver abacus hanging from her waist, that Shumulu frowned involuntarily.

“Madam, according to the old custom of the manor, this month’s monthly salary and half a month’s bonus should be paid in advance because of the festival. Would you like to pay them before the festival or after the festival?”

“The rules are the same every year. You’re not new to managing this business, so why are you asking me again today?”

Because she had something on her mind, Shumulu, who hadn't slept well all night, felt a throbbing pain in her temples. She could manage to keep up with the previous women who came in to give her advice, but now that someone had come seeking her advice, she couldn't suppress the nameless anger and irritability in her heart.

"In reply to Madam, that's exactly what I told the accounting department: just pay the monthly wages that are due, why are you asking why?"

But they said the accounts were a bit tight this month. The money that should have been used to pay monthly wages had been used to settle accounts with those supplying meat and vegetables to the household, so they didn't have any money available for monthly wages right now. The money from outside wouldn't be back until after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Alright, I understand. Tell the accounting department to wait a couple more days; the pre-holiday monthly salary will definitely be paid. As for the bonus..."

Before the old woman could finish speaking, Shumulu interrupted her. She glanced at Shen Wanqing seemingly casually, and seeing that Shen Wanqing's expression was normal, she continued, "As for the reward money, we'll wait until after the festival. It will definitely be issued."

It is now the 30th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. It is neither the end of the dynasty nor a time of famine. The Eight Banners are still in a period when they are capable of fighting and serving. The Hesheli family has a considerable amount of money, whether it is the salary of the Zuo Ling (a military officer), the grain rent for the Zuo Ling's land, or the rent collected from their shops and estates every year. How could even the money meant for monthly wages have been misappropriated?

Shen Wanqing keenly noticed this asymmetry and glanced at Chunxian. Not long after the old woman in charge of accounts left, Chunxian also slipped out.

As usual, Shumulu was busy all morning. As usual, Shen Wanqing got up and left after she was almost done with her work. She did not intend to stay and bother her so that she could not even eat in peace.

Shumulu, on the other hand, came to her senses completely after the old woman left. She was afraid that Shen Wanqing would notice something was wrong, so she deliberately lingered a little longer when Shen Wanqing got up to leave.

"Lunch is all prepared. Please stay and eat with us. Don't think that I, as your aunt, wouldn't even offer my nephew's wife a meal."

"Second Aunt, I haven't finished packing my dowry yet, so let's go back first. You've been busy all morning, so hurry up and have some food and take a nap. Let's not talk about those formalities as a family."

Not only did Shumulu not notice anything amiss on Shen Wanqing's face, but she also felt that Shen Wanqing genuinely cared about her exhaustion after a long day. If anyone was tired, she was tired every day, but who in the family appreciated her exhaustion?

Now that someone has finally come along who genuinely tells me to eat and get some sleep when I'm tired, it turns out that this person is actually the Shen family, who wants to take control of the family business from me. How utterly ridiculous!

Shen Wanqing neither knew nor wanted to know Shumulu's complicated thoughts. What she cared about now was why the accountant was short of money for monthly wages. If such a large household had to move monthly wages around so much, there must be something else going on.

“Grandma, I asked about the old woman I saw at the Second Madam’s place this morning. She’s the old woman in charge of the accounts in the inner courtyard. There are three such old women in the family. One is Mama Fei, who is in charge of kitchen shopping, and another is Mama Peng, who is in charge of daily chores. If there are any missing cups, plates, bowls, chopsticks, or any other items, we ask her for them.”

This old woman's surname is Zhang. Her father worked in the old master's accounting department, and her family had served the Hesheli household for generations. In terms of prestige, they were among the most respectable of the servants.

"This kind of person shouldn't be asking the second wife about when the monthly allowance will be paid. The family has been managing the accounts for so long, how can they be so insensible?"

Today, Chunxian accompanied Shen Wanqing to the West Courtyard. Compared to Qingshuang, who was brought from the Shen family, Shen Wanqing felt more at ease using her, and she spoke more freely.

"Besides, I'm still here. What's the big deal? We can't wait until I'm gone to talk about it. This is definitely not right. This afternoon, have Granny Feng go back tomorrow and talk to my mother directly."

I said I wanted to check if the second wife had any properties outside the family, or if she had any loans from money lenders. If not, I'd check her land holdings. The money couldn't just disappear like that, and what do you mean by "it won't come back before the festival, but it will come back after"?

"Don't worry, Madam. We'll be sending holiday gifts home tomorrow. I'll have Granny Feng take two purses and two pairs of insoles back with us. Just say that you miss Master and Madam and want Granny Feng to go back and visit them."

It's perfectly reasonable for a newlywed woman to visit her parents' home every few days, so she has her nanny send her some embroidery she made herself. No one would suspect anything about it.

"Does Xueyan have any other needlework or embroidery work?"

When it comes to embroidery, Shen Wanqing really gets a headache. The original owner was quite good at embroidery, and she had even tried to pick up a needle and thread herself. It wasn't that she didn't know how, but she simply didn't have the patience. She couldn't even stitch for fifteen minutes before feeling a surge of frustration, and she would throw the sewing basket far away and not want to look at it again for the entire day.

"Yes, these past few days, Grandma has been reading at night, which has benefited Xueyan. When she got back to the back room, she kept saying that it was only comfortable to do chores in front of Grandma, as it didn't strain her eyes at all."

“Then take a few more things from her, and send some to the old lady, the first wife, and the second wife tomorrow. Don’t let people say that I’m being biased and only thinking about my mother.”

"Don't worry, Grandma, everything is prepared for you."

After receiving the task from her daughter, Madam Xu complained to her trusted nanny all night, saying she had never seen such a troublesome girl who was already thinking of digging into the family's wealth after only a few days of marriage. But after complaining, she got up the next morning and quickly arranged for people to investigate.

However, secretly investigating the assets of one's in-laws' family can't be done in a big way; it takes more than a day or two to find out the truth about such things.

So neither Shen Wanqing nor Madam Xu was in a hurry. One investigated carefully while the other continued to report to the West Courtyard every day. This annoyed Madam Shu Mulu to the point of numbness. Every day, as soon as Shen Wanqing sat down, Madam Xu would serve her a cup of tea. To outsiders, it all seemed quite proper.

Five consecutive days of duty at Yuqing Palace had really made Yulang feel stifled. He used to think that the people in the Imperial Guard were always a cut above the Imperial Guards, even the volume of their voices was different.

Yu Lang, a military officer, scoffed at this. So what if they were closer to their master? Did they have to act all high and mighty? They were all handpicked from the Upper Three Banners; weren't they all respectable men since childhood?

It wasn't until now, when it was his turn to be a second-class guard protecting Yuqing Palace, that Yulang truly understood that one's position determines one's actions, and one's thoughts and perspectives become completely different.

The loud voice was to maintain necessary authority. The guards were responsible for shifts around the imperial city. As long as the waist tag matched the person, there wouldn't be any major problems.

However, the guards of Yuqing Palace were there to watch over the Crown Prince, stationed outside Jide Hall. Even if someone had a waist token, it had to be carefully checked before they could be allowed to pass. After all, their master was right behind them, and they would be fully responsible for whatever happened.

With this sword hanging over his heart, Yu Lang felt more exhausted in these five days than he had in a whole year at the guard camp. It wasn't that he couldn't stand up during his shifts, but rather that he was purely mentally exhausted.

The last shift on the fifth day was the night shift, and the shift ended just as the palace gates opened in the early morning. After handing over the shift to the guards who had just entered the palace, signing and sealing the documents in the duty room to make the task clear, Yu Lang left the palace through the side gate of Yuqing Palace. Standing at the palace gate with the morning sun shining on his face, Yu Lang finally let out a long sigh of relief.