Butler Han hurriedly said, "Please speak, Madam."

Qin Yuan said, "Previously, the stewards and stewardesses followed Granny Zhao in giving their share of peppercorns. Now that the price of peppercorns has dropped sharply, many people are going to Granny Zhao, hoping that the Xu family can sell the peppercorns and reduce their losses."

Everyone knows about this.

Butler Cao asked, "Pepper prices have been falling continuously, and the Xu family is at odds with Sixth Master. How could you possibly agree to return the money to them?"

Qin Yuan said, "I think they have a lot of resentment."

Steward Qian said, "Of course. Many of them were afraid they wouldn't be able to buy pepper after the price went up, so they even paid extra to buy it, only to lose even more money in the end. Now they can only watch helplessly as the price of pepper drops, unable to get a single penny back. How can they not be resentful?"

Accountant Wan asked, "What are your plans, Madam?"

Qin Yuan said, "I expect pepper prices to rise sharply, and I'm trying to persuade them to keep these people. If anyone is unwilling to stay, I'm willing to buy them at the current price, but if prices rise sharply in the future, I'm afraid they might harbor resentment."

Now that we've received it, everyone is extremely grateful and will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with thanks.

After the holiday, prices surged, and people will feel resentful again.

Humans are inherently greedy.

Butler Cao remained silent.

Butler Qian said, "Madam, why bother? You'll only be blamed anyway, so it's better to ignore it."

Butler Han said, "Madam can post a notice saying that she is optimistic about pepper and intends to buy it at market price. If someone is willing to sell their share, a written agreement will be drawn up, and the price fluctuations of pepper in the future will not matter."

Steward Cao said, "What good is a written agreement? It won't change people's minds. We'll be charging the market price for both those inside and outside the mansion. If we charge those inside the mansion, some people will inevitably complain. It's better to charge those outside the mansion. It's much more straightforward and efficient to settle the payment quickly."

Butler Qian sighed, "Madam is kind-hearted."

Wan the accountant remained silent for a while before saying, "If Madam says she wants to buy pepper, anyone with a source can be introduced to the mansion, and a small commission or thank-you money can be given. Those who don't care much about the commission will wait and see, while those who do will take this opportunity to sell to Madam, thus reducing a lot of complaints."

"Wonderful!" all the butlers exclaimed.

Qin Yuan nodded and said, "That's right, let's do it that way. All matters will be handled by the Wan Accountant. We won't accept any more payments after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Wan Zhangfang immediately agreed.

After all the matters were discussed, everyone dispersed. As they walked out of the council courtyard, Steward Cao put his arm around Accountant Wan's shoulder and said with a grin, "You're a good kid. You haven't let us down."

Wan Zhangfang was being strangled so badly he was coughing.

Butler Han tore Butler Cao apart and said, "She's a woman of substance, she can't withstand this kind of treatment from you?"

Steward Qian laughed and said, "We two have been promoted today, and we will need the help of our colleagues in the future to share the burden of our master. How about we have a drink together tonight? Accountant Wan and I will be the hosts, and we'll order some snacks and wine for us to enjoy together?"

Wan Zhangfang immediately said, "There are only young children at home, and I can't stay out late. How about we get together another day?"

Before Steward Qian could speak, Steward Cao said, "It's alright, we're all acquaintances, no need to be so polite. Another day at noon, we'll have the cook add a few dishes and buy some wine for us. We can have a little drink and it won't interfere with our business."

Butler Han said, "This is a good suggestion. It's practical. The chefs in the main kitchen are excellent, and the things they buy are cheap and of good quality."

Butler Qian smiled and said, "That's fine, but it's a bit thin."

Butler Cao said, "That's for the best. There will be plenty of opportunities to drink and chat together in the future. We're both people who do things carefully, so let's take it slow and steady."

Wan the accountant smiled and agreed.

The housekeeper had no choice but to give up.

After returning home, Wan the accountant immediately drafted a notice and posted it.

The mansion immediately became lively.

"With pepper prices plummeting these days, why does the household still want to buy pepper?"

"I happen to no longer want the money I have; could I resell it to the manor?"

The office was packed with people.

Wan Zhangfang was already in poor health, and he would start coughing after saying just a few words.

Butler Cao took a small teapot, sipped the tea, and stood aside with a grin, saying, "Go ahead and accept it, Madam will take as much as she wants. Madam has had her eye on pepper for a long time, but hasn't been able to get it yet. We're all just following Madam's lead in giving gifts."

"Oh, you guys are lucky. We bought in after giving our money as a gift, and now the price has dropped by half. We can't sell it even if we want to."

A supervising mother sighed deeply.

Wan the accountant asked, "Now that Madam has her eye on this, are you still going to make a move?"

The headmistress was stunned.

Butler Cao said, "If we make a move now, we'll only be able to watch them make money later. There won't be any going back then."

The head housekeeper said, "Let me think about it."

Wan Zhangfang said, "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Madam will have people go out to collect them. If you want to sell them, you'd better hurry."

The head housekeeper immediately said, "We'll talk about it later."

After this happened several times, the people holding the money calmed down.

Many people are no longer planning to sell.

“We all see how capable Madam is. Selling now would be a huge loss. Madam has high hopes for pepper. If we hold onto it, we might not only make a profit, but we might even break even.”

"But... what if Madam is mistaken too?"

"Then let's just pretend we never had this money."

"But I bought a lot back then."

"Why don't you sell half and keep the other half? Just in case the price goes up..."

"Let me think about it some more."

On the other side.

Hongmian blocked Wang's mother at the intersection, gesturing with a smile: "Wang's mother, don't forget your monthly allowance for the next two months."

Mother Wang spat and said, "Do you think I'm as short-sighted as you? It's not even time to pay the monthly allowance yet, what's the rush?"

Hongmian suddenly realized: "So, Mama Wang is going to wait until the monthly allowance is paid to give me this money? I thought you forgot. It's good that you remember. I've already promised Sister Hongye and Sister Cuiming that I'll use this money to treat the sisters and mothers in Wutong Garden to a good time."

Hearing this, Wang's mother became even more adamant that she hadn't forgotten.

"I'm a woman of my word, and I keep my promises."

Hongmian happily replied, "Okay, that's enough with Mother Wang's words."

After Hongmian left, Wang's mother looked pained and spat at her retreating figure, "You little hussy, you really dare to take it, you have the nerve to take it."

The onlookers said, "Even if you back out, there's nothing she can do about it."

"Didn't you see her bringing up Hongye and Cuiming, the two girls who get on Madam's good side? Am I supposed to sue them? If I make a scene in front of Madam, wouldn't I lose face? It's this little vixen who's using them to win people over."

Mrs. Wang kept grumbling and complaining.

An old woman said, "You should be more careful with your words and actions in the future, or you'll lose money if you're not careful."

"It's all because of that mouth of yours," Wang's mother said angrily, slapping herself across the face. "See if you dare to talk so much again! Two months' allowance! My goodness! And it's also Madam's fault. How could a lady from a respectable family know how to handle accounts? Who would have thought?"

What did you just say?

Gu Baozhu suddenly jumped out and asked, "What did you say about my third sister-in-law, you old woman?"