Chapter 27 Relinquishing Control of the Family

This entire mansion belongs to him; not only the storeroom, but Yao Qingling is also his person.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, chest puffed out, chin slightly raised, his aura as the head of the household leaving no room for her to refuse.

Yao Qingling's lips moved slightly, but her eyes held nothing but disappointment.

"Does my lord mean I should relinquish my power to manage the household?"

Zhan Xingzhuo said coldly, "Hand over the silver, and you'll still have control of the family."

He treated her as his wife, and in addition to his salary, he also let her manage his private property.

He respects her and trusts her; that's enough.

She wanted too much, controlled too much, and went too far!

Since she can't manage the household well, she shouldn't manage it anymore. It would be better for her to be a leisurely lady at home, embroidering, practicing calligraphy, and cultivating her character!

Yao Qingling smiled indifferently and said coldly, "Taoye, go and get the warehouse keys and ledgers."

Tao Ye turned around and went to get it.

Soon after, the ledgers and the warehouse keys arrived.

Of course, these ledgers are Zhan Xingzhuo's private property, and Yao Qingling's dowry is not included.

But this warehouse key...

The new mansion only has one storeroom, where both of their belongings are kept. If the storeroom key is handed over, the young lady's dowry...

As Tao Ye handed over the items, she hesitated and looked at Yao Qingling.

Zhan Xingzhuo saw the hesitation and unease in Tao Ye's eyes and assumed she was worried about Yao Qingling.

Ha, even a little maid is more sensible than her, Yao Qingling is just too proud to admit it.

She really needs someone to teach her.

Zhan Xingzhuo recalled what Zhou Zhining had said, "Qingling has never had any parents to discipline her since she was a child. She is too stubborn and doesn't know when to advance or retreat. This is a great disadvantage for her. When she was in the Duke's mansion, the Grand Princess favored her because she pitied her background. You also only cared about protecting her, but no one taught her properly, which made her temper even worse."

"Now that she's in charge of the new government, she still doesn't understand human relationships and just does things based on her own temper."

"She doesn't know how to assist her husband, she doesn't know how to put her husband first, otherwise she wouldn't have done something to damage your reputation, Brother Xingzhuo."

"She doesn't know how to stand by her husband through thick and thin. If she doesn't change her ways, and if she's taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives and ends up harming her husband, then it will be too late!"

“Brother Xingzhuo, the Grand Princess is your mother after all, and she will not want to see you like this. It is inconvenient for her to teach Qingling. You can invite Rong Mama, who is by the Grand Princess’s side, to the mansion to help you manage the new mansion. She can also teach Qingling manners and how to be a good official’s wife.”

At this moment, Zhan Xingzhuo thought about it again and again, and felt more and more that Zhi Ning was right.

He only treated Yao Qingling well, which fueled her arrogance but did not make her a good wife.

Those people outside praise her as a virtuous wife only because she is his wife, and they flatter her.

Zhan Xingzhuo took the ledger and keys.

He casually flipped through the account book and said coldly, "In a few days, I will invite Granny Rong to the mansion to temporarily manage the affairs. You don't need to go out; stay home and reflect on your actions."

After saying that, he handed the ledger to Minglu, and then took the key to the storeroom.

Suddenly, only Qingling and Taoye remained in the room.

Tao Ye said anxiously, "Miss, the young master wants to go check on the storeroom. Should we go with him?"

The young lady's things are all packed into boxes. What should the young master do if he notices something is wrong?

Yao Qingling sat down with a cold face, her fingers loosely clenched, but she was not in a hurry.

Currently, Zhan Xingzhuo's mind is entirely focused on Zhou Zhining, and he's not paying attention to these things for the time being. If he still cared about her even a little, how could he have ignored her to this extent?

Yao Qingling was pondering what he meant by asking Granny Rong to manage the household affairs.

He forbade her to go out.

Zhou Zhining hanged herself, and instead of punishing others, he confined her to her quarters. How ridiculous!

...

Warehouse.

Since it was already completely dark, Zhan Xingzhu lit a lamp and went inside. He found the box where the silver notes were stored, opened it, and saw a stack of silver notes inside.

Not much, but still several thousand taels.

That's outrageous! Yao Qingling lied to him, saying she had no money, and made him pawn his jade pendant and several paintings and calligraphy pieces, making him a laughingstock in the community.

He had said before that he would settle accounts with her after the Spring Festival banquet, and now it seems that taking away her power and confining her to her quarters was absolutely the right thing to do!

Minglu lit the lamp for him and looked around. He felt that the storeroom was a bit strange, but the light was dim and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it for the time being.

However, the young mistress, putting aside everything else, kept a close watch on the new mansion; she certainly wouldn't have emptied the storeroom.

The young mistress is devoted to the master, but she's just too jealous and refuses to bow down to him, which is why things have come to this.

Minglu said, "Master, with these silver notes, not to mention buying a house, we can also go to Jingyuan to pick out two more top-class maids for Miss Zhou, buy a few maids for her, and prepare some other items. Then we can bring Young Master Xiao'er here, and it will feel like a home."

Zhan Xingzhuo's thoughts were interrupted. He glanced at him and his heart stirred slightly at the word "home".

He nodded.

The man took the box directly away. As for the other items... he stood at the storeroom door and glanced inside. He would have them checked and verified when Granny Rong arrived!

Zhan Xingzhuo remained in the study, and the next day he went to pay with the silver notes. He settled Zhou Zhining in, added maids and servants for her, and asked a doctor to treat her illness. He was very busy.

Yao Qingling was confined to her quarters, and guards stood watch at the entrance of the courtyard, stopping her from going out whenever they saw her.

Yao Qingling was stuck in the main courtyard and couldn't get out, which made Tao Ye anxious and pacing around in circles.

"Miss, we can't get out, how can we sign a contract with the head manager of Xinghe Shop?"

Yao Qingling sold several shops, but she didn't negotiate with each one individually; instead, she sold them all at once as a package deal.

The brokerage firm has facilitated the negotiations, and the deal is almost finalized. Today is the day to sign the contract.

Yao Qingling walked back into the house, glanced at the courtyard gate, thought for a moment, and said, "I can't go out. You can take my seal and represent me."

When high-ranking officials and nobles engage in private transactions, it is not necessary for the nobles themselves to appear in person; a trusted agent is sufficient.

Yao Qingling wanted to go in person to get to know the head manager of Xinghe Shop, so that she could make a friend when she went into business in the future, which would give her more options.

But now it seems that this friend is not in a hurry to do it.

Tao Ye took Qing Ling's private seal and went out. The guards almost refused to let her go, but Tao Ye was quick-witted and put on the airs of a head maid, which allowed her to leave smoothly.

Yao Qingling breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she had left safely.

She clenched her fist gently; the divorce had to be done quickly.

...

The capital city prison.

Lin Qiao brought roast chicken, liquor, steamed buns, and pastries from Xinglongzhai as usual, but she was missing a dish of braised beef.

This time, she spoke very little, just silently eating and pouring wine for her brother.

Lin Shiyuan held his wine cup, casually glancing at her, and asked, "Were you punished by your master?"

Lin Qiao shook her head, her voice weak, and said, "No, I'm fine."

Her tone was off, and Lin Shiyuan's voice was stern and cold: "Raise your head."

Lin Qiao steeled herself and raised her head to meet her brother's gaze.

Lin Shiyuan had risen through the ranks in the army, developing a sharp eye that could see through people's lies at a glance, let alone his own sister whom he knew well.

The little girl wasn't very perceptive, but she knew her brother must have seen through her act, so she stopped pretending. She closed her eyes, stretched her neck, and looked like she was willing to be punished: "Brother, I was kicked out by the young mistress. I didn't stay in the courtyard in Tongluo Lane."

In fact, she had been wandering outside for several days.

She stopped setting up a stall, afraid of being recognized and causing trouble for the young mistress.

But she had no way to make money, and some of the silver the young mistress had given her was stolen. She risked her life to save half of it, but she was injured in the process. She spent a lot of money on doctors and medicine.

Now she understood why her brother insisted that she find a place to settle down.

She thought her marksmanship would protect her, but she couldn't defeat the horde of beggars.

They took advantage of her being a child, robbing her of her iron spear and her silver. She will get them back sooner or later!

But after visiting her brother this time, she didn't know when the next time would be.

If she could bear it and stay in Tongluo Lane, the young mistress would give her twenty taels of silver every month...

Lin Qiao was saddened, and tears streamed down her face.