Chapter 66 A Battle of Wits and Courage, Playing Tricks

When Madam Gu arrived at Furui Hall, she happened to see the figure of Yang, the second wife, leaving. Her heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely guessed that something had gone wrong with the banquet.

Upon entering, one immediately sees Dou Bochang sitting at the head of the table with a solemn expression, while Dou Wenyi sits languidly to the side.

Madam Gu was displeased, but spoke softly, "Yi'er, if you're unsure about something, why bother your father?"

Her face was delicate, and when she frowned slightly, a deep sorrow arose.

“Mother,” Dou Wenyi said with a smile, her clear eyes revealing a hint of mockery, “It wasn’t that I wanted to disturb Father, it was Second Aunt who said there was no money in the account and sent someone to invite Father.”

Madam Gu was stunned; she never expected to be attacked so suddenly.

"...Brother-in-law, I also want to book a few tables at Fanlou Restaurant for the old lady, but we don't have the money. Besides, Yuelaixuan Restaurant was definitely on my sister-in-law's list of restaurants. She's always handled the banquets so well; she must be very familiar with Yuelaixuan..."

Yang's words were laced with veiled sarcasm, implying two things: first, that Gu was deliberately providing false precedents; and second, that Gu had previously received benefits from Yuelaixuan.

Dou Bochang, recalling Yang's sarcastic remarks, grew increasingly furious. "Second sister-in-law said there are only a few hundred taels in the account?"

Madam Gu replied with extreme caution, "Bochang, we do have a few shops, and money needs to be in circulation for purchasing and paying wages. The money in the accounts is more than enough for our daily needs. Don't worry, I have not misappropriated anything in the accounts."

She initially thought that Yang was foolish and couldn't handle many things properly, and that if something went wrong at the banquet, Dou Bochang would naturally remember her kindness.

Unexpectedly, Yang, that blockhead, has finally seen the light. Her ambitions are far from small, and she actually dares to investigate her accounts.

Dou Wenyi paused slightly as she flipped through the account book, and sighed softly, "Mother seems to be very good at managing the household. However, Granny Tong has spent nearly three thousand taels of silver in the last two months, and she hasn't paid it back to balance the accounts yet."

Tong Mama was a confidante of Madam Gu. Her lips tightened. "Fourth Miss, every penny of this money is a special fund for the kiln. Those kiln workers and master craftsmen need to be paid wages, and we also need to give gifts to the nobles in the guild. Everything depends on money... How could a young lady like you understand these intricacies?"

The Dou family's kiln was originally the grandmother's private property. The Dou family was not wealthy and sometimes even faced financial difficulties.

She voluntarily donated it to the public. Because it was an old kiln with a long history, it was very famous and its porcelain was highly sought after and sold extremely well. The Dou family later opened several porcelain shops with the help of the kiln, and the business was always good. The Dou family's porcelain was even exported overseas.

In her previous life, both the kiln and the porcelain shop became part of Dou Mingyan's dowry.

Dou Wenyi closed the ledger. "In the past six months, the porcelain shop has handed over less than a thousand taels of silver. What is the reason for this?"

"Fourth Miss, all porcelain pieces have some loss during firing. It's a stroke of luck if one or two out of a hundred blanks turn into masterpieces. Besides, those masterpieces are just displayed in the shop; they're merchandise. You have to sell them to make money!"

Tong Mama's words were filled with the grievance of being misunderstood.

Madam Gu was moved and took the initiative to comfort her, "Granny Tong is an old servant in the mansion. She has always managed the money and expenditures of the mansion and has never made a mistake. She has worked hard and made great contributions. Even the old lady has seen it."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Granny Tong said, "Thank you for your understanding, Madam."

Dou Wenyi smiled enigmatically and said, "Is that so? But why does Granny Tong have a loan agreement from Baoqing Pawnshop? And it just so happens to be for three thousand taels of silver?"

Granny Tong's face stiffened, and she panicked instantly. "Fourth Miss, you can't make baseless accusations against me! This old servant comes from a humble background and would never betray my master..."

Dou Wenyi smiled. "Want evidence? That's easy. Just search your place, and everything will be clear."

"Does it exist or not?" Dou Bochang roared in fury.

"No one here is allowed to leave! Men, search the place!"

Besides its pawnbroking business, Baoqingdian Pawnshop also secretly lent money, earning exorbitant interest rates. Some impoverished students traveling to Beijing for the imperial examinations would borrow money from Baoqingdian Pawnshop to pay for various expenses related to their studies.

The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty explicitly prohibit any official's family or others from privately lending money at exorbitant interest rates.

Granny Tong has such audacity!

Upon receiving the order, the attendant immediately led his men straight to Granny Tong's residence.

Granny Tong shuddered and knelt down with a thud. "Master... this old servant was confused for a moment and became greedy. I thought I could repay the money in a month. I know I was wrong!"

Dou Wenyi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. "Granny Tong, you can empty the Dou family's pockets with just a pretext. You're really something."

"You insolent wretch! Why don't you confess the truth?" Dou Bochang was an official after all, so he understood perfectly well.

Ultimately, lending money at exorbitant interest rates is a huge deal. Without Madam Gu's approval, where would she get the audacity?

No wonder Dou Mingxiu achieved nothing in his official career; it turns out he inherited Gu's short-sightedness.

This matter is extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake could lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family. Madam Gu is not only obsessed with money, but she also cannot distinguish right from wrong. Does she want to implicate the entire Dou family?

Granny Tong's face was pale. She secretly glanced at Madam Gu, whose face was filled with anger, but she remained calm and composed, except that the handkerchief in her hand was almost crumpled into a ball.

"Sir, it really was all my doing."

Dou Bochang remained unmoved. He looked at Dou Wenyi again, completely baffled.

He felt that Dou Wenyi's eyebrows had subtly changed, and she was radiating confidence. The timid, indecisive, and easily manipulated image of her was gone.

No matter what kind of trouble she's encountered these times, she seems to always manage to emerge victorious and avoid disaster. Could severing ties with Xie Guidu and breaking off the engagement really change someone's fate?

Soon, the servant returned, and sure enough, he found several IOUs and deeds in Granny Tong's book.

Dou Bochang stared intently at the deeds, his gaze heavy. "Madam, what do you think should be done about this?"

Tong Mama's face turned ashen. At this point, she finally realized that Dou Wenyi not only wanted to use her as a scapegoat to establish her authority, but also intended to hunt down Madam Gu. How dare she!

Dou Wenyi slowly sipped her tea.

Madam Gu remained silent for a long time before saying with great distress, "Bochang, no one is perfect. The world is difficult, and things are not always black and white. Considering that she has worked hard even if she hasn't made any great contributions, and that she hasn't committed any serious mistakes, let's forgive her this time. How about giving her half a year's salary?"

With Granny Tong managing the Dou family's businesses, why would she need that little bit of monthly allowance?

Dou Bochang felt this was all bark and no bite, and that it shouldn't have been done this way. Based on his previous experiences, listening to her was definitely the right thing to do!

His eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Yi'er, what do you think?"