Is this an attempt to establish authority in the outer courtyard through the accountant Sun?

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "We'll wait and see."

Hongye didn't even look up: "Miss, just watch."

Cui Ming chimed in, "I'd love to see it too."

Hongye worked hard, the abacus beads clicking away, and with the help of Qin Yuan and Cuiming, she finally finished calculating all the accounts for the inner courtyard.

They were all transcribed one by one, and over the years, the total amount was quite considerable.

Hongye clicked her tongue in amazement. "Sixth Madam has been making so much money over the years, her wealth must be enormous. When Miss takes charge of the household in the future, she should properly show her respect and she will accumulate a huge fortune."

Cuiming said, "I'm afraid the Sixth Madam doesn't have that much wealth. The Sixth Master said that she supports her family and always asks her for money. Moreover, she can't keep all the profits to herself; she has to share some with him."

Qin Yuan remained silent, staring blankly at the few lines of text.

Hongye asked, "Miss, do you feel something is amiss?"

This wasn't a major mistake; it was just something I marked off while reviewing the accounts.

Hongye saw it too, blinked, and remained silent.

Routine material requisitions and withdrawals were not recorded by the supervisors or supervising mothers; they were simply withdrawn and withdrawn, with monthly inventory and accounting done separately. Routine purchases also did not have designated vendors; they were simply recorded according to agreed-upon deadlines.

Why?

The Marquis said, "It's still the bad side of things. You just suddenly remembered something."

Gu Shiba chuckled and said, "I know what's wrong with this accountant Sun. The next time Shen Changle was printing a poetry collection for Eighth Master and getting the money, I made things difficult for her. Without Eighth Master's note, you could testify, but I still had to ask you to find Cuiming to stamp the private seal before you could get the money. You were almost locked out of the mansion."

Seeing the Marquis's solemn expression, Hongye asked no more questions.

Qin Yuan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

I was just following along for the sake of it, and I kept asking the lady what she had been doing lately, but I didn't mention Jingzhi or anything like that.

Hongye agreed, then asked curiously, "Is that important?"

Even experienced accountants can be that slow.

Accountant Sun's lips curled slightly.

That attitude was far less bad than it was towards Hongmian.

"But you've got nothing to do sitting there. How about Accountant Sun brings out all the account books from the inner courtyard over the years, and you can hand them over?"

Gu Shiba smiled and said, "You were dragged here by Miss Hongye to help move things."

When the group arrived, Accountant Sun was idly working on his abacus.

Therefore, when I saw Hongye leading her people back, Accountant Sun wasn't surprised at all. I stretched my long neck back, put on a smile, and asked, "Miss Hongye, is there anything you need here?"

Hongye winked and said, "It was you who made the request to Madam."

Gu Shiba listened to this, thinking to himself that the maids around the madam were all cleverer than the last. He would ask for Da Hong again in a few days, and the eight maids would know how to cause trouble.

Gu Shiba then asked, "What can be found on the plate?"

Accountant Sun looked at the two stacks of account books with a small head. He knew he would have to go through them one by one, which would take forever.

How could the account books of so many young people in the inner courtyard be finished so quickly?

Gu Shiba was shocked, her eyes widening: "So slow?"

Butler Han stood inside the room with his hands behind his back, his face calm and composed, and simply said, "That's true."

Hongye also brought two old women to help carry the account books. When asked, she said, "You've finished counting the account books from the inner courtyard over the years, and you're just about to return them."

As I was pondering how to get these head accountants to help, I heard Hongye say, "The two stewards and Gu Shiba have all seen it here. The account books you brought are all over there. Accountant Sun, please quickly go through them today."

Accountant Sun's expression changed, and he no longer seemed to agree.

Gu Shiba asked, "What is he taking Hongmian with him for?"

In total, there are five or six months a year when the monthly allowance is paid later than the scheduled date.

Accountant Sun looked at Hongye with suspicion.

"Okay, with his silver tongue, he can say whatever he wants."

As she spoke, she saw Gu Shiba again, nodded, and asked, "Brother Shiba, did Cuiming give you any instructions after you came here?"

Yes, to be fair, that setup was quite intimidating.

Cuiming leaned over and took a look. The young lady was staring at the record of the monthly allowance payment date, which was sometimes a few days late.

Gu Shiba asked again, scratching his head and frowning, "Why do I have to ask him and Hongmian to return the account book?"

"Something is amiss, but..."

Hongye had the old woman put the box she was carrying down before saying, "Accountant Sun, those are the account books from the inner courtyard over the years. We haven't finished looking at them yet. Please check them and write a receipt. Gu Shiba can be a witness here."

Hongye said, "Madam has repeatedly instructed that you have returned the account book without making any changes, although it is missing or damaged. It is safer to leave it without a witness."

On the seventh day, after finishing her daily affairs, Hongye informed the Marquis and then took Hongmian to find Accountant Sun, where they happened to meet Gu Shiba.

Hongye laughed and said, "That brat of a girl is as cunning as a sieve; even her eighteenth brother is kept out of her sight."

Qin Yuan said, "Hongye, when you're taking stock of the outer courtyard's accounts, remember to mark this out too."

Gu Shiba had already run out to call for help, and soon Steward Cao arrived, but Steward Han hadn't followed him yet.

Hongmian said, "It's because Accountant Sun has angered everyone. Of course, Brother Eighteen is so busy, how could he have gone to see Jijing?"

At that time, Accountant Sun really did have something to do.

The appearance was truly impressive.

Accountant Sun swallowed hard and said, "Why did it have to come to this?"

Before the mansion was sealed off, many things outside the mansion were added.

Gu Shiba thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'm in trouble anyway, I might as well go and take a look."

Hongmian chuckled and interjected, "Of course, it's because Sister Hongye wants to help you get revenge. Next time you go to Accountant Sun's office to record the amount of Jade Complexion Cream for Madam, I make excuses and make things difficult, implying that Madam is falsifying accounts and that I need to ask Eighth Madam's permission before I can record it. That really made you very angry. When you came back and told Sister Hongye, she was also very angry."

Hongye chuckled and snorted, saying, "Of course."

Hongmian then asked, "Eighteenth Brother, did he go to see the Silent Demon with you?"

Before hearing the reason, Steward Cao sat under the armchair, sipping from the large teapot, and said, "Madam has considered everything carefully. When Cuiming ordered someone to take away the account books, she did some calculations, only thinking that the amount Madam returned and the amount left by Accountant Sun would be sufficient. In order to avoid any disputes in the past, it is indeed necessary to check again to see if there are any omissions, alterations, or missing parts."

"?"

Hongye said, "You're good at talking about that. Once my eldest sister tells Jingzhi, he'll naturally know too."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shiba immediately said, "Go and call Steward Cao over as well, and let Steward Cao be a witness as well."

Hongmian whispered to Hongye, "Sister Hongye, without Brother Eighteen standing there, Accountant Sun still needs to hand over the account books quickly?"