Bai Wei turned around, walked to the table, picked up a pen, and began to carefully draw on the ledger.
She decided to reorganize the accounts, carefully checking each entry to ensure there were no errors.
She wants to uncover the truth behind Li Zan's actions, which he has been hiding for a year.
A few days later, Li Zan went to the account again to withdraw money.
The accountant, Zhang Kui, had spoken with Bai Wei beforehand. When Li Zan came to collect the money again, he said with a troubled expression, "To be honest, sir, for the past three months, because the young mistress and Concubine Yun are pregnant, we've been using only the best ingredients. Previously, because the young master elevated Concubine Yun's status, he allocated her a courtyard and also bought her additional furniture..."
Li Zan's face grew increasingly grim, and he unconsciously tapped the table as he said, "Zhang Kui, you are the accountant of the mansion, and it is your duty to find out where every penny of money goes."
You don't need to explain in detail. I urgently need seven thousand taels of silver. Tomorrow at dawn, I don't care what method you use, just get the silver ready for me.
“Master, even if you sold me, you still couldn’t raise that much silver! The silver in the account is only enough to cover the daily expenses of the whole mansion. By the time of the New Year, we’ll probably be in dire straits!” Zhang Kui kept complaining about the mansion’s predicament.
"What about the shops that are part of the lady's dowry? Just pick one that isn't making much profit and transfer it. Wouldn't that solve the money problem?" Li Zan seemed a little impatient.
“Sir, as you know, that’s Madam’s shop!” Zhang Kui shook his head in distress. “It’s Madam’s dowry. Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn’t dare to sell it on my own!”
"Okay, first, do a detailed calculation of the remaining silver in the account to see exactly how much is left?" Li Zan said slowly, trying to calm himself down.
"Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away." As soon as Zhang Kui finished speaking, his hands were already moving rapidly across the abacus. After a while, he pushed the abacus towards Li Zan, his face full of worry, and said, "Sir, as you can see, there's hardly any silver left in the account."
Li Zan looked at the silver in front of him, sighed helplessly, and turned to leave.
He had barely left when Bai Wei arrived.
“Madam, I have already spoken to the master as you instructed. But the master said…” Zhang Kui stammered, not daring to look Bai Wei in the eye.
"What kind of behavior is this, stammering like that? Just say what you have to say!" Bai Wei glanced at Zhang Kui, then slowly sat down on the rattan chair next to him.
"The master instructed me to sell one of the shops in the madam's dowry that was not making a good profit, to use as working capital."
After saying this with trepidation, Zhang Kui glanced at Bai Wei out of the corner of his eye with unease.
Bai Wei remained calm and did not show any anger. She said indifferently, "Master is so impatient, it seems that he has encountered a thorny issue and urgently needs money to resolve it."
She tightened her fox fur cloak, rose gracefully, and instructed Zhang Kui to continue according to the original plan.
Zhang Kui nodded solemnly, indicating that he would definitely complete the task assigned by his wife!
As night deepened, the chill intensified, and the dew began to condense.
Bai Wei sat under the candlelight, supporting her chin with one hand, and slowly unfolded a piece of paper.
As she unfolded the note, she casually asked Bai Lian beside her, "Bai Lian, what time is it now?"
Bai Lian replied softly, "It is already 9 PM, Madam."
Bai Wei continued, "Hasn't your husband returned yet?"
Her gaze was fixed on the slip of paper, which was densely filled with records of the dates Zhao Shouzhen first set foot in Cangchun Tower, starting from the first month of this year, and the length of time he stayed there...
Bai Lian smiled and reminded him, "Madam, you've forgotten, for the past few months, Master has only returned to the mansion at three-quarters past 9 PM."
"The third quarter of Hai hour! The third quarter of Hai hour!" Bai Wei gritted her teeth in anger, and the veins on her hands bulged.
She suddenly stood up and held the note in her hand above the candlelight.
The moment the flame touched the paper, it burst into flames, illuminating the entire room.
Bai Lian quickly pulled the dazed Bai Wei back a step.
Bai Lian said worriedly, "Madam, how could you be so careless! A spark almost landed on you!"
Bai Wei looked at the leaping flames with disappointment and murmured, "Sparks, sparks have landed on me."
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