"The hostage residence was built in an abandoned house. It's said that the family that previously lived there committed a crime and was executed, so everyone considered it unlucky. Since Yelü had nowhere to stay when he arrived, the Ministry of Revenue used it as his residence. The surrounding families weren't closely connected to them, and they only heard shouts and cries of killing, so they didn't dare to come out to see what was happening. They only came out to put out the fire for fear of being caught in the crossfire. When the Ministry of Works handed over the house, they rushed to meet the deadline, so the gardens inside weren't finished. The Yelü family didn't know how to maintain it, so it was full of dead branches and leaves, burned to the ground. Last night's fire left a layer of black ash inside, and it will cost a lot of money to clean it up now."

The red leaves are so vivid, it's as if I were there last night.

Cui Ming smiled.

Qin Yuan said, "You've inquired very thoroughly."

Hongye felt smug but said modestly, "Not at all, I just heard it while chatting with Steward Cao and Steward Han."

"There are also sixteens."

Cui Ming added a sentence leisurely.

Qin Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.

Hongye simply said frankly, "Yes, and there's also Sixteen. I just happened to run into them coming back. They were all covered in soot. Sixteen even had one of his eyebrows singed off while putting out the fire. Miss, don't you have some good medicine? Why don't you send some over to them?"

Qin Yuan laughed and said, "This is incredible! I have some good stuff that you don't know about. You can just send it over directly, why are you telling me all this?"

Hongye said, "If we take it without telling you, wouldn't that make us thieves?"

Qin Yuan said, "They just got back now. They've been busy all night. Is the kitchen ready? Don't go to bed hungry."

Hongye said, "I've arranged everything. The Marquis is in excellent spirits. He even went to the front yard to watch the Seventh Miss practice martial arts before going to his duty. He changed his clothes in the study so as not to disturb you."

Qin Yuan nodded.

It was another busy morning. After finishing their daily tasks, Cai's mother and the others stayed behind but didn't get down to business. Qin Yuan asked, "Do the mothers have anything to say?"

Madam Cai smiled and said, "This old servant would like to recommend someone to be the chief accountant, but... I have some concerns."

What are you worried about?

Madam Cai said embarrassedly, "That person is actually related to me."

"We should not avoid recommending people based on their own kinship. Besides, the person who recommends someone will naturally be rewarded, but if they do not perform well, they will also be punished."

As soon as Qin Yuan said this, Cai's mother made up her mind.

"Everyone in this mansion has served here for many years, and they are all related by some degree. The person I want to recommend is of the best character, so I am not afraid of being implicated by him."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan raised her eyebrows slightly, already having a general idea of ​​who Cai's mother was going to recommend.

"Tell me. Whether you have the ability to manage accounts can be found out by testing you, but your character is something everyone can see."

Madam Cai smiled and said, "Now that you mention it, Madam, I dare to speak. That man used to work under Accountant Sun, managing the accounts. He was a reliable worker, as we all know. His family has followed their master to the battlefield for generations, managing money and provisions. However, he was sickly as a child and didn't go. In recent years, he has recovered and started working in the household. He is always hardworking and never argues with anyone. His brother lost his wife and ran away, leaving behind their children. Now, he is the one supporting his nephews and nieces."

Qin Yuan smiled and asked, "Is this person surnamed Wan?"

Madam Cai exclaimed with delight, "So the master knows him too!"

Qin Yuan said, "Someone recommended me to that position."

Mrs. Cai said happily, "It's clear that everyone thinks he's a good person. I always said he wouldn't be wrong, and I didn't say that just because he's my relative."

Qin Yuan said thoughtfully, "That's right. Everyone recommends him to me because they mean well for the Marquis's family. If he's not up to par, he'll only bring trouble upon others."

Mrs. Cai nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean."

Several people then recommended candidates, and Wan, the accountant, was mentioned several times. There was also an accountant surnamed Cui and an accountant surnamed Jiang.

Qin Yuan wrote down everything, and then asked the people why they recommended him. After understanding the reasons, she said, "I have written down everything you said. They all have their strengths. As for whether they are competent, we will have to wait for the test to determine."

Everyone felt that their opinions had been approved by Qin Yuan, and laughed, "Of course, we are just making a suggestion. We still need Master to make a decision after a comprehensive evaluation."

Some curious people asked privately, "I wonder how Madam tests people?"

"Perhaps it was the old accountant that the Marquis invited to look at the accounts?"

"It might be something like setting a question."

Hongmian passed by and, upon hearing this, snorted and said, "What do you know? The madam is very capable; naturally, she personally tested us."

An old man who disapproved of her behavior sneered, "Although Miss Hongmian is someone that the madam has recently promoted, one should still be mindful of the occasion and the appropriateness of one's words. The madam is still young, and it would take at least a decade of experience to be able to manage the accounts. Besides, does the madam know how to do abacus? Even if she does, she wouldn't compete with the accountant."

Hongmian huffed and puffed, extending her palm and saying, "Then dare we make a pact? If Madam personally examines this, your monthly allowance will be mine."

"And what if you lose?"

"My monthly allowance is yours!"

A peacemaker said, "Alright, alright, she's just a little kid, she's not even fully grown yet, how can you be so shameless?"

Then Hongmian said, "How could a lady of such high status compare herself to an accountant in bookkeeping and abacus calculation? You should also shut up."

Red Cotton doesn't appreciate it.

"Let's just say whether you dare to bet or not. Madam is the daughter of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and she is very knowledgeable."

"Let's gamble!"

The two made a vow by high-fiving.

Hongmian beamed and said, "Mama Wang, Madam is so kind to us for our hard work. She's going to give us double our monthly pay this month. Please don't forget."

Mrs. Wang also laughed and said, "Don't cry when the time comes, you little brat."

"I'm just afraid that you, esteemed sir, might forget things. If you do, everyone will be our witnesses. I'm willing to take out seven cents of silver to treat everyone to a meal."

Hongmian immediately pulled everyone together to bear witness.

Everyone was already happy to hear that she would receive double the monthly pay this month, and they were even happier when they heard that there would be a feast to take advantage of. They all loved to watch the excitement and urged Wang Mama to join them.

Madam Wang also said, "How could I possibly lose? Anyway, it's just a way to present something to someone else, so I'm willing to take seven cents of the silver to treat everyone to a drink."

Hongye overheard this and ran back to Qin Yuan, saying, "This is incredible! That little hussy Hongmian got lucky."

The sighs continued.

Hongmian got such a great opportunity to make money.

Cui Ming said, "I have a solution. You go and tell her that Madam hasn't even said she'd give everyone double their monthly pay yet, but she already told everyone. She should be punished, and you should get at least half of the winnings."

Qin Yuan couldn't help but complain, "I'm still sitting here, which shows that you all have too little to do and are so bored that you want to make money off me."