Calculate property

Mrs. Lin hurried to her yard, where Qin Wenxin and Qin Wenbai were counting the small change on the table.

Qin Wenbai watched helplessly as his sister put most of the money into her purse, and only then did the small amount of change belong to him.

"Xin'er, how can this be enough? I have to go boating on the lake with some young masters tomorrow. If I don't have enough money for bribes, I will not only lose face!" Qin Wenbai slammed the table and started arguing with Qin Wenxin.

Qin Wenxin didn't care: "I am your sister, and those rouge and powder are on my mind every day. If I don't use them for too long, they will laugh at me."

Mrs. Lin on this side quickly ordered Nanny Zhang to take the account book away, and she only left the latest half on the desk.

At this moment, looking at his two children shouting and yelling in the room for the silver, he suddenly felt his forehead throbbing.

"Okay, you two go back to your own yard. Don't come here again today without my order." Madam Lin ordered them to leave and asked Nanny Zhang to ask them to leave.

But before the two of them could ask any more questions, they heard heavy footsteps outside, mixed with a few faint voices.

"Mrs. Lin, how are you?" Qin Yuyao appeared at the door first, with a smile on her face that was so eye-catching that it made Mrs. Lin's eyelids twitch.

Seeing this, Qin Wenxin stepped forward and stood in front of her mother. "Big sister, what do you mean by this? I haven't seen you come to pay your respects these past few days, and it's fine. Every time you call me Madam Lin, you know, my mother is also your mother!"

After hearing this, Qin Yuyao showed a faint smile on her face, but the smile did not reach her eyes: "Madam Lin is my father's wife. Is there anything wrong with me addressing her like that? After all, I miss my biological mother. I think Madam Lin can understand my filial piety."

Madam Lin pulled Qin Wenxin behind her. Even though she was furious, she managed a smile. "Of course, you're right to call me Madam Lin."

Then she looked at the three aunts from the palace, including Aunt Liu, and a look of confusion appeared on her face: "Yuyao, what brings you to my yard?"

Hearing this, Qin Yuyao smiled slightly and pointed at Aunt Liu. "This Aunt Liu is a special teacher in the palace. She is very good at accounting. After all, I grew up on the farm. Today, I just need Aunt Liu's help to see how to organize my dowry and betrothal gifts."

The more relaxed she spoke, the darker Mrs. Lin's expression grew. By the end, her face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"The master has prepared your dowry. Including the dowry and property your mother brought before, they are all kept intact." Mrs. Lin said to Qin Yuyao, but her eyes were looking at Aunt Liu who was writing furiously.

However, Aunt Liu had already seen through today's drama and naturally did not give Madam Lin any extra glances. After taking note, she simply said, "Miss Qin, the betrothal gifts sent by the Prince of Zhen'an's Palace seem to be missing a box of oriental pearls, a box of gemstones, and two thousand taels of silver."

Aunt Liu's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone in the room to hear. She spoke with such confidence that it was too little.

Mrs. Lin's face was already very ugly at this time, and Qin Wenxin and Qin Wenbai behind her also looked erratic.

"Yuyao, all the betrothal gifts were moved in right in front of you. I don't know whether it's a lot or a little. Is there any misunderstanding about you bringing Aunt Liu to my yard?" Mrs. Lin looked at Qin Yuyao, her eyes trying to show sincerity.

Hearing her say this and seeing her pretending to be so righteous, Qin Yuyao was not surprised: "Mrs. Lin certainly didn't move it before, but Qin Wenxin and Qin Wenbai must know where the things went."

Seeing Qin Yuyao pointing the finger at the brother and sister, Mrs. Lin's eyes darkened. She was thinking, "The money has already been dispersed, and the things have all been exchanged for banknotes. Even if you want to find evidence, you won't be able to find it."

"Yuyao, I don't know much about this matter. If you're worried, just look for it yourself. It will also help the aunts know how the Princess of Zhen'an has become so unreasonable and treated my younger siblings and stepmother like this."

After Mrs. Lin finished speaking, she picked up her handkerchief and gently pressed the corners of her eyes, looking as if she had lost something and it had nothing to do with me.

Seeing this, Qin Wenbai took a step forward and rushed in front of Qin Yuyao. He raised his hand high, as if to attack her, but suddenly withdrew his hand after his eyes met Qin Yuyao's clear eyes.

She cried out, "How could you be such a sister? If my mother hadn't sent someone to bring you back, you wouldn't have become the Princess of Zhen'an. You'd probably still be washing clothes and cooking for some hunter or butcher in the village!"

These words were extremely harsh, but the information contained within them was so overwhelming that the three aunts immediately lowered their heads, pretending they hadn't heard them.

The maids and servants in the room all retreated, not wanting to experience this incident where knowing too much might create a rift between them and their master.

Although Aunt Liu was a member of the palace, it was not appropriate for her to interfere in the affairs of the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, so she looked at Qin Yuyao with a questioning look.

Seeing that Aunt Liu didn't say a word, Madam Lin raised the corner of her mouth slightly under the handkerchief. Humph, Qin Yuyao, you are still too naive to come to me to find something.

"Mrs. Lin is an elder, after all, so I naturally wouldn't rummage through things carelessly. I just wonder if I could take the account book off your desk and have a look at it?"

As Qin Yuyao spoke, everyone's attention shifted to the desk. There was indeed an account book there, open, and a small abacus placed beside it indicated that someone must have done some calculations there.

Hearing her ask this, Madam Lin said without hesitation: "Since you insist on seeing it, Yuyao, then take it. I believe that with Aunt Liu present, she will definitely not make a mistake."

Seeing that her words were putting her on a pedestal, Aunt Liu's face turned grim. She took the account book and flipped through it, but after checking it from beginning to end, she looked at Qin Yuyao hesitantly.

"Ms. Qin, the numbers on this account are all correct. All the shops and farms, including your biological mother's, are registered normally." Aunt Liu's voice became much softer as she spoke.

There's clearly something wrong with this account book. It would be fine if there really was such a good mistress. But the fact that those things were lost is a fact, unless this Miss Qin deliberately made such a scene.

When Aunt Liu was distracted, Qin Yuyao beside her moved. She took the account book from her hand, flipped through it, and put it back.

"It was I who misunderstood Madam Lin. Aunt Liu, let's go back and count again. Maybe we made a mistake." Qin Yuyao said calmly, not feeling any worry because the facts were so different.

But Qin Wenbai, who had been listening for a long time, went from being a little frightened to being arrogant again in just a moment.

"You say you're leaving and you're leaving? Today you brought people to your mother's yard in such a high-profile manner. Everyone in the mansion saw it along the way. You must kneel down and apologize today!" Qin Wenbai pushed away Jin Yu who was blocking her and faced Qin Yuyao head-on.

Qin Wenbai's words were very impolite. Mrs. Lin just called out softly, "Wenbai," and then said nothing more. It was obvious that she wanted to see how Qin Yuyao would react.

But when she turned her gaze to Qin Yuyao's face, she didn't see any panic. Suddenly, Mrs. Lin felt a little disappointed.

"I don't understand what you mean, brother Wenbo. I just brought Aunt Liu here to check the accounts. How is that bad to Madam Lin?" Qin Yuyao looked at him with a smile, and even took a step forward to listen carefully to how he would answer.

Seeing that he didn't answer, she continued, "After all, I'm marrying into the Prince of Zhen'an's mansion. If I don't manage the household accounts well in the future, not only will I be embarrassed, but Madam Lin will also be laughed at."

Qin Wenxin, who had been watching coldly from behind for a long time, stepped forward and grabbed Qin Wenbai. Although her expression looked a little ugly, she was at least much calmer than Qin Wenbai.

"Big sister is right. We are all from the same mansion, so there is no need to be so unfamiliar with each other. But mother allowed you to check the account book, so big sister should at least apologize. Otherwise, if there is anything missing in the mansion in the future, you will dare to come directly to me." As she spoke, Qin Wenxin looked at the maids who were still in the room.

Hearing this, Qin Yuyao smiled slightly but did not follow her question. Instead, she changed the subject and said, "Wenxin, the emerald ribbon around your waist looks really nice."

Qin Wenxin immediately turned sideways, trying to hide the emerald on her ribbon. However, this action instantly drew the attention of several people to her.

Aunt Liu's eyes were sharp, and she instantly recognized the value of the gem. Furthermore, its color was clearly identical to the remaining gems in the betrothal gift, so the origin of the ribbon was questionable.

"Sister Wenxin hadn't seen this jeweled ribbon a few days ago, but she brought it out today. Could it be that she feels a little sorry for this good thing?" Qin Yuyao was still talking, but her tone had turned cold.

Madam Lin patted Qin Wenxin on the shoulder, looked at Qin Yuyao and said, "Why are you so aggressive? Xin'er and Wenbo are just telling you some advice on how to behave in society. If you don't want to listen, then don't listen. I've already looked at the account book. Since there's nothing else to do, you can leave."

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Qin's voice came from outside: "Why are you leaving? Who is being so aggressive again? Lin Wanyin, look at what you've done! Not only can you not discipline your children, you actually let someone do something as despicable as stealing your sister's betrothal gifts!"

Mrs. Lin's face turned pale instantly. If her two children were not by her side, she would have collapsed.

But she still forced herself to look at Old Madam Qin who had already entered, and forced a smile on her face: "Mother, what are you talking about? How could I not discipline Xin'er and Wenbo?"

Listening to Madam Lin's excuses, Madam Qin sat down with the help of Nanny Liang and snorted coldly, "Hmph, you're still trying to make excuses after all this? If it wasn't for Yuyao sending people to look for me, how long would you have kept it a secret from me?"