At this time, the busiest people in the Marquis's mansion were Ning Shi and the heir. Ning Shi was busy with all sorts of things in the mansion, and she and her sisters-in-law, including Yao Shi, spent their days arranging for people to clean and take inventory of the mansion's daily utensils. After the New Year, the mansion would also host a banquet for some relatives and friends. They had to figure out where to drink tea and wine, and even what kind of wine and tableware to use at the banquet. Then they would find them, clean them, and put them away, so that they could be sent directly to the kitchen when needed.

The young master, accompanied by the Marquis, met daily with the head managers of various shops in the manor, bringing the year's account books to settle accounts and settle payments. This was the most important task of the year for the Marquis's manor. Not only did they settle the money, but they also had to summarize the sales of this year compared to previous years, identifying what was done well and what was not done well. The Marquis and the young master were too busy to handle everything, and knowing that Xu Di had already finished his own work, they sent someone to invite Xu Di to come and help.

Xu Di has his own set of methods. Right now, he only needs to deal with the old lady's estates. As for the shops under the old lady's name, there are people who help the old lady take stock, so Xu Di doesn't need to do anything. After the crops on the estates are harvested, Xu Di starts to take stock and settle the harvest, and everything is done ahead of schedule.

Xu Di had been looking forward to a good rest, but before he could relax for long, he was invited over by the Marquis's men.

The Marquis's study has been receiving a wave of big-shot managers every day for the past few days. Some of them are from out of town and even travel to the capital several days in advance. The Marquis is a man who knows how to make money and has been secretly doing a lot of business.

Several managers were already seated in the study. After Xu Di arrived, he bowed to the managers and then stood behind the Marquis and the Heir Apparent.

The young master had some reservations about the Marquis's decision to summon Xu Di, but since the Marquis was in charge of the mansion, not him, he could only keep his opinions to himself. Besides, the young master was a very kind person, not the sharp-tongued type. When he saw Xu Di bow to him and make a few jokes with him, his resentment dissipated and he was fine.

Xu Di was a shrewd man, and he could easily see through the young master's thoughts. However, considering the young master's usual character, Xu Di knew that he was just acting on impulse and was not one to hold grudges, so he didn't take it to heart. Instead, he listened attentively to the conversation between the Marquis and the shopkeepers sitting below.

Anyone who can become a head manager must have their own unique skills. The things these people say are meaningful, and Xu Di felt that listening to them really gave him a more comprehensive understanding of many things in this world. Therefore, he listened very carefully.

While chatting with the shopkeepers, the Marquis secretly kept an eye on Xu Di. Seeing Xu Di listening attentively, he nodded in approval. His eldest grandson was the most outstanding among his grandsons in terms of talent, temperament, and even ability. He had already become a scholar at a young age. The Marquis felt that his family would go far in the future.

After the instructions were given, it was time to check the accounts. The manor had a dedicated accounting office, and the accountants had already taken the ledgers brought by the managers and were checking them. When the Marquis led his men to the accounting office, the abacus beads of the accountants were moving rapidly. The managers not only brought the ledgers and the year's profits, but also some gifts from their subordinates. Of course, when they were about to leave, the Marquis would not let them go empty-handed. Usually, they would bring back several cartloads of goods after delivering them. So, in the past few days, the heir apparent and his men had purchased a lot of things. Regardless of what kind of fabrics or dried goods could be transported over long distances, even the items from the more famous pastry and pickle shops in the capital were bought back in boxes. The pickle jars were tied together with thick hemp ropes as shock absorption, so that they could be transported by horse-drawn carriage over long distances.

Xu Di helped the Crown Prince collect and distribute things, and was busy until the lamps were lit in the courtyard.

Xu Di noticed that one of the heir apparent's attendants had been waiting nearby. After the heir apparent finished his work, the attendant came over, whispered a few words to him, and then left after receiving the heir apparent's instructions. When the day's business was finished, and the Marquis wanted the heir apparent to stay for dinner with Xu Di, the heir apparent said to the Marquis, "Father, a close friend of mine has invited me to discuss something with you, so I will not be able to have dinner with you."

The Marquis looked at the heir and said, "Go and do what you need to do. Come back early after dinner, or you won't be able to come back once curfew starts."

The prince agreed, bowed, and left.

Xu Di looked at the Marquis, who, seeing Xu Di looking at him, smiled and said, "Eat it while it's hot. You've been busy all afternoon, aren't you hungry?"

Xu Di quickly sat down, leaned close to the Marquis, and whispered, "Grandfather, I think Uncle has something on his mind."

Upon hearing Xu Di's words, the Marquis said, "Oh? Your uncle is just going out to meet a friend. Isn't that normal social interaction? What could possibly be going on?"

Xu Di said, "You can distinguish between good and bad friends. There are many things in our manor that cannot be told to outsiders. If someone with ulterior motives tries to use my uncle to break through the defenses of our manor, what will happen?"

The Marquis said, "You, at such a young age, are already quite shrewd. Your uncle is indeed quite close to someone, and that person is even the Crown Prince's man."

Seeing the Marquis's calm demeanor, Xu Di said, "So everything was under Grandfather's control. No wonder Grandfather didn't care. Grandfather, what exactly happened?"

The Marquis said, "What's going on? It's just that. How can your uncle, a man, not have some normal social interactions? Since he's willing to go, let him go and make friends."

Seeing the Marquis's confident demeanor, Xu Di said with great interest, "Grandfather, tell me about it, please enlighten me."

The Marquis put down his chopsticks and said, "Sit down first, and I'll tell you slowly."

Xu Di quickly sat down and saw a small wine cup in front of the Marquis. He picked up a small copper pot with a tin wine pot inside, which was placed on a small clay stove on the side of the table, and poured a cup of wine for the Marquis.