It took Sun, the accountant, a while to realize that Steward Cao was implying that he lacked tact and had offended the maid in Wutong Garden.

To be honest, Accountant Sun also had some regrets.

But it was to no avail.

No, that's not how it is.

The more afraid Sun was of Qin Yuan taking power and disciplining him, the less he wanted to believe that Qin Yuan was capable of handling the job.

Butler Cao rolled his eyes, snorted twice, ignored him, and slowly began to sip his tea from the small teapot.

Before long, the messenger who went to the Xu residence to report the news returned, saying dejectedly, "Lord Xu made a scene when he heard this, insisting that the Marquis's residence accompany one of their legitimate daughters."

That's outrageous.

Shouldn't we be in a hurry to find the person at this point?

Steward Cao said, "What are you saying here? Go directly to Lady Hou and ask her for a solution."

Xu Fu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What? Didn't we say we'd immediately join the search?"

The crowd dispersed.

The servant went in and out, and Hongye took the reward money for me and then hurriedly ran back, saying, "Big sister, the Xu family is really wicked. What will you do if they attack our gates?"

Hongye rushed into the main room, lifted the curtain, and saw Xu Fu grinding ink at the table. She quickly said, "Big sister, come here, come here."

Hongye patted Hongmian's big head in protest and said, "He's so clever, just like you."

The rest became resolute.

Qin Yuan found it strange, so she sat down behind the table and asked, "What is it?"

Hongmian: "Hehehehe."

But they kept repeating the same things they had said before.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Fu said, "That's bad too."

"Thank you for your generosity, Madam," the servant paused, then asked, "Should I go and report to the Marquis and the Eighth Master? What if the Xu family comes to cause trouble?"

Xu Furen frowned and said, "I mentioned before that Gu Shiyi was looking for sources of goods in the city. If they could wait, they would have entered the market sooner. When we initially contributed, the price was seventy taels of silver per catty. Now the market price has risen to seventy-eight taels of silver per catty. I'm afraid it was even lower before."

The servant's clothes were torn, but he didn't look particularly disheveled.

"Do I have to pay extra if I buy less?"

There was no head maid inside calling for Hongye. Hongye went out for a while and then came back and said, "Eldest sister, the person who went to Qin Yuan to report the news has returned."

Hongye knew about the Xu family's plans and whispered to the head housekeepers, "They're just worried about giving money as a gift. Madam is worried about finding the right goods, afraid that they'll have wasted their time. But they can't back out before they give the money."

Hongye nodded: "You've remembered it."

Madam Cai immediately said, "Miss Hongye, your contribution is appreciated."

The head maids said with a forced smile, "Madam, we have something very important to discuss."

As soon as the messenger left, he hurriedly said, "Madam, I went to Qin Yuan to report the news, but Steward Cao kept saying that Sister Xu was lost in our Marquis's mansion, so we have to return a legitimate elder sister to me."

Hongye was shocked.

No one was pushed forward. It was said, "Afterwards, we heard that Madam wanted to buy pepper, and you all contributed. But because of the Qi Prince's mansion, the price of pepper outside the capital is very low, meaning there's no market for it, and nowhere to buy it. So you all thought about that pepper..."

Hongye, who was standing to the side, also shut up and began grinding ink heavily.

Hongmian nodded and said, "Yes, it's said that there's not much pepper in the capital, so if you buy less, you earn less, therefore..."

As the ink dwindled, a pleasant floral fragrance wafted out of the room, mingling with the smell of ink—a truly unpleasant odor.

When Qin Yuan returned to Wutong Garden, the head housekeepers were still there. Cui Ming had already memorized everything they said. Upon seeing her return, she hurriedly said, "Madam, they still have some things to report back to."

Xu Fu laughed and said, "Do whatever you want."

"how?"

Hongye went in and led the people out. Xu Fu tidied his hair and went to the main hall.

Xu Fu raised his eyes, saw your expression, and said nothing, tossing you the ink stick and letting you go.

Xu Fu gave Hongye a wink and said, "The sun is too bright. If there's anything else, they should leave."

Accountant Sun stood aside with his hands in his sleeves and sneered, "If this matter were handled by the Sixth Madam, it would never have turned out this way."

Hongye beckoned to Hongmian and asked, "Should he go and find out what Madam Gu is up to this time?"

The women in charge all said that was what they thought, their faces smiling obsequiously, their eyes darting around, as if they wanted to go in but were afraid of offending Lu Zhu.

Seeing her opponent's attitude, Madam Li quickly chimed in, saying, "Miss Cuiming, yours is also in."

"Steward Cao also said... he also said that the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion was able to bully others by relying on its power, and that they must return the eldest legitimate sister to the Xu family. Then the Xu family drove the servants out, saying that the whole family would come outside the mansion to find out the truth."

Xu Fu said, "Oh no, you already know. Let him get up. We'll have Hongye give him the reward money later."

Xu Fu's lips curled slightly.

The Xu family said, "Let me wait in the hall."

Hongye added, "You've never heard of having to pay extra if you buy too little?"

I only heard that the price was low for small purchases, so why is there an extra charge?

Xu Fu calmed his mind and finished practicing calligraphy.

Hongye smiled and said, "Those are all important matters. They have reason to worry. The smallpox in the mansion is a minor matter. We must not delay. If you have figured it out, just bring the receipt and come in."

Madam Lu rolled her eyes and immediately said, "Miss Hongye, yours is also for use."

Since Lord Gu is using it, it's no longer yours.

Madam Gu was wary and would inevitably try to win people over.

Hongmian said smugly, "Sister Hongye, when you asked about Madam earlier, you hadn't inquired about it yet. It is said that Zhao Mama, who is by Madam Gu's side, spread the word that Madam Gu's family bought some pepper by chance and is willing to help you get rich. However, the quantity is small, and it is first-come, first-served. If you buy less, you will have to pay extra."

The faces of the supervising mothers immediately lit up.

Not many of the mothers in charge began to waver.

"Yes or no, when Steward Cao heard that Sister Xu had met them, he immediately got angry. He said that Sister Xu was invited to the Marquis's mansion to keep the Eighth Madam and the First Madam company, and to arrange a marriage. Now that the marriage is settled, it means that she has met them."

Xu Fu said, "They should first mess up today's errands, then come and ask Cuiming and Hongye for their share."

Qin Yuan was a little impatient and said, "If you don't have anything else to do, hurry back and do everything we talked about before step by step. These are turbulent times, and we can't be careless in the slightest."

That inkstone is your prized possession; you found it outside Lord Gu's study.

After saying that, she got up and walked gracefully towards the main room.

That smallpox outbreak allowed you to quickly take control of the household affairs. If anything goes wrong, the household affairs will likely be handed back to Madam Gu.

Hongye chattered on for a while, then spoke first: "Mrs. Gu is really never idle. Even now, she is taking care of Eldest Sister with all her heart and is still thinking about winning over those steward mothers."