Jiang Shuwan had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, so she quickened her pace and arrived at the Fourth Madam's room just in time to see an old woman carrying a basket of charcoal into the house.

Medium-quality charcoal.

This is neither the Fourth Madam's allowance nor Pei Shushu's allowance.

Both mother and daughter were proper mistresses in the mansion, and the charcoal they were supplied with was top-quality smokeless charcoal.

"Young mistress."

The old woman who brought the charcoal didn't expect Jiang Shuwan to arrive so quickly, and for a moment she stood at the door, unsure whether she should go in.

The sounds of Pei Shushu and the Fourth Madam arguing could still be heard coming from inside the house.

"Madam is skimping on our charcoal. My mother forbade me from telling the old lady, and now she's even keeping it from the young master's sister-in-law?"

“What do you know, you’re just a kid. Remember what I just said? You’re not allowed to talk about charcoal with your sister-in-law.”

"I know, I know, you've said it almost eight hundred times already. Don't talk about charcoal with the old lady, don't talk about it with the young master's sister-in-law, and don't even tell the maids and servants in the house."

"Whoever dares to say that I'll break their legs, Mother is too cowardly. If Madam hadn't been stingy with our charcoal, how could Mother have fallen ill from the cold?"

"If you ask me, we should complain to the old lady and make her lose face."

"What nonsense are you talking about, you little brat? Madam has always been good to us, it's just that it's hard to buy charcoal this year..."

"Hmph, Mother, don't try to fool me. Madam has trouble buying charcoal. How come there's not a piece missing from her charcoal supply? When I visited Madam on New Year's Eve, her room was warm as springtime with the smokeless charcoal she used."

"Moreover, the madam doesn't treat us very well on a regular basis; she often deducts from our allowance..."

"Alright, stop talking. Be careful not to let your sister-in-law hear you. I asked the old woman to add charcoal, but she hasn't come back yet. Go check on her. It's cold in the house. We can't let your sister-in-law see. Cough cough..."

As the fourth wife spoke, she coughed, and then saw Jiang Shuwan lift the curtain and walk in.

The charcoal-giving woman followed behind, looking quite embarrassed.

Did the Crown Prince's wife hear this?

The fourth wife looked astonished and glanced at the old women guarding the door.

The old women all lowered their heads; they had originally intended to remind the Fourth Madam and Pei Shushu.

Jiang Shuwan's stern glare was enough to frighten them into immobility.

Good boy.

I only knew that the young mistress was a generous mistress.

I never expected a single look to be so terrifying.

Her eyes were cold and stern, unlike those of a gentle and refined young lady from an official family.

The old women all kept their heads down, occasionally glancing at Jiang Shuwan out of the corner of their eyes.

Jiang Shuwan's previous glare was incredibly sharp and deadly.

Now she has toned down her sharpness, looking as beautiful and delicate as a fairy, without a trace of murderous intent.

The young mistress's face changed way too quickly.

The servants were terrified, fearing both Jiang Shuwan and the Fourth Madam's wrath.

"Never mind, you can all leave."

Seeing their reactions, Fourth Madam knew that Jiang Shuwan had probably overheard most of what she was trying to hide.

She didn't make things difficult for the servants and told them to leave.

Pei Shushu looked up at Jiang Shuwan with a wronged expression, wanting to say something, but the fourth madam tugged at her sleeve.

The little girl lowered her head and took the bamboo basket to add charcoal.

Her eyes were red, which suggested she had suffered a lot of grievances.

"My aunt is sick. Why didn't you tell me? I would have asked her to send a doctor over."

"No need, I've already seen a doctor. It's just a slight cold."

Pei Shushu just said it was from the cold, but now she says it's from a cold.

It seems that the fourth wife is determined to cover up for Wen Shi.

Jiang Shuwan sat down in front of the Fourth Madam's bed, talking to her while looking around the Fourth Madam's room.

The furnishings in the Fourth Madam's room were far inferior to those of the Wen family.

Whether it's tables, chairs, benches, or various decorative items, they're not on the same level.

This is normal, after all, Lady Wen is the mistress of the Marquis's mansion.

She was also from a wealthy merchant family, and her dowry was far greater than that of the fourth wife.

But the Wen family even deducted her allowance; they were really stingy…

Jiang Shuwan sat in the room, feeling the chill in the air.

The fourth wife was allotted two basins of top-quality charcoal.

Pei Shushu is the same as her.

The mother and daughter together had four basins.

There was only one basin of charcoal burning in the room, and it was only a medium-sized fire.

Just like in my previous life.

Jiang Shuwan lowered her gaze.

In her previous life, also after the New Year, she was in the house settling accounts.

Suddenly, Madam Bo rushed in from outside, gloating, saying that Madam Wen had been scolded by the old lady for withholding charcoal from the fourth branch of the family.

The previous life, and this life.

It snows heavily in February and melts in March, plus a cold snap in spring, causing the price of cold charcoal to soar.

If we follow the usual practice of giving two basins of charcoal to the Fourth Madam and Pei Shushu, the price will be four or five times higher.

Wen felt bad about wasting money, so he replaced the top-grade charcoal with medium-grade charcoal.

The quantity was also insufficient.

Medium-grade charcoal produces more smoke when burned, and its heat output is not as high as that of high-grade charcoal.

The weather was cold, and before half a month had passed, the fourth wife had finished burning all the charcoal.

She had hoped things would get better in the spring, but the weather this year has been strange; it's still so cold even though it's March and spring has arrived.

They had to add their own money to buy charcoal.

However, her dowry was limited, and charcoal prices were high at the moment.

Pei Shushu was also of marriageable age and wanted to see what other people were preparing for their dowry.

To save money, the fourth wife added charcoal to Pei Shushu's fire.

She lit only the lowest grade of charcoal herself, and only had one basin of it, just to make do.

Sure enough, he caught a cold within a few days.

When Pei Shushu found out, she was furious.

However, the Fourth Madam forbade Pei Shushu and the servants from spreading the word, so it was never exposed.

Later, the fourth wife's condition worsened and she fell into a coma. In a fit of anger, Pei Shushu confronted the old lady.

That's why Wen was reprimanded.

When the old lady heard the news, she was gloating and told Jiang Shuwan about it as a joke.

Jiang Shuwan had been busy taking care of Madam Pei's health these past few days and hadn't thought about this matter.

I had just finished my work today when I remembered this matter, so I brought Xiao Tao over.

Xiao Tao also learned a lot.

The fourth wife and Pei Shushu were also legitimate mistresses in the household.

In the dead of winter, I actually got sick from the cold.

These past few days, Pei Shushu has moved into the Fourth Madam's room, not only to take care of the Fourth Madam, but also to save on charcoal.

These two masters living together could only manage to put together a pot of medium-grade charcoal.

They're living a rather frugal life.

"I'm sorry that the young master's wife has made a fool of herself, but this is by no means the fault of the madam."

"The price of coal is just too high this year, and my wife has always been good to us."

The fourth wife was also embarrassed, feeling quite ashamed that the younger generation would see her like this.

But she still chose to protect the Wen family.

The Wen family had always been stingy with the money of their four sons.

It was only because her husband, the fourth master, was a good-for-nothing who spent his days either idly or fooling around outside.

Her family wasn't very supportive either.

The Wen family took advantage of the weakest members of their fourth branch of the family and never hesitated to bully them.

However, Wen Shi needed to rely on her compassionate nature to gain a reputation, and Pei Shushu also had a lot of influence in front of the old lady.

So it's not too bad to skimp on the details.