The Duke of Zhenguo glanced at Zhu Yu: "The shops that Xiaoyun's mother married into were all highly profitable. How could they be losing money after only a few years?"
The Duke of Zhenguo glanced coldly at Madam Fang: "If you're not good at management, then hand it over to someone who is. I told you before I left that Uncle Qing has many capable people under him, so why not hand it over to Uncle Qing? Even if you really need to deal with someone, Xiao Yun doesn't understand, so why don't you send me a letter?"
Fang dared not answer. That dead woman left behind so many shops. If they were handed over to the steward, wouldn't all the profits go into the public account? Or should they be left to Lu Yucheng and his sister?
This won't do.
Lu Yucheng said, "Since the stepmother has sold these five shops, I checked the accounts yesterday and didn't see any money coming in from the sale. I wonder where the stepmother has put the money?"
The Duke of Zhenguo also looked at her.
Fang murmured, knowing she had hidden all the money. She needed money to bribe the servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Zhu Yu's face also turned cold. Lu Xiaoyun's birth mother's dowry had actually fallen into Fang's hands and become her private property.
Seeing that she remained silent, the Duke of Zhenguo shouted, "Madam Fang, I'm asking you a question! Where did the money go? Selling off five shops is no small sum; it must have cost at least twenty or thirty thousand taels!"
Fang trembled, clenching her teeth and choking back tears, "Your Excellency, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. In such a large mansion, with hundreds of people, you and the young master have never taken a single penny of your salary into the mansion. The mansion only has a few properties, and the annual income is visible, but I'm the one who manages all the social interactions in Shengjing City."
"You also frequently withdraw silver from the public account to appease the soldiers. Where would I get so much silver? If you don't believe me, you can ask Uncle Qing if we have enough silver in our accounts. A month ago, when you returned to the manor, you took out 100,000 taels of silver. Where did you get so much money?"
The Duke of Zhenguo was taken aback. How could such a large mansion as the Duke of Zhenguo not even be able to come up with 100,000 taels of silver?
Zhu Yu pouted and said, "But what about my mother's shops, farmland, and estate? Don't those make money?"
The Duke of Zhenguo and Lu Yucheng both looked at Madam Fang again.
Fang bit her lip, unable to speak for a long time. Lu Xiaoyun's mother's family only had her as their legitimate daughter, and they brought her all the good things to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
When that woman who died young married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, there were more than twenty shops, all of which were extremely profitable.
She owned five estates and a hundred acres of farmland. She only sold five shops, and the annual income from those was around 30,000 to 50,000 taels of silver.
Zhu Yu looked up, seemingly bewildered, and asked Lu Yucheng, "Brother, do all the favors and gifts from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion go through the stepmother's private treasury, instead of the public accounts?"
Lu Yucheng: "When did Mother's dowry become her private treasury?"
Zhu Yu nodded, seemingly understanding yet not quite.
The Duke of Zhenguo stared intently at Madam Fang.
Fang's face turned deathly pale, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, twisted the handkerchief tightly, as if she were wringing the face of the wretched girl in front of her.
"Speak!" the Duke of Zhenguo shouted.
"I...I...I..." Fang stammered for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't say a word.
Zhu Yu seemed to only then notice Luo Wang standing respectfully to the side, and tugged at Lu Yucheng's sleeve.
Lu Yucheng then noticed Luo Wang's anxious expression: "What is it?"
Luo Wang pursed his lips, glanced at the Duke of Zhenguo, then at Madam Fang, and hesitated before speaking.
The Duke of Zhenguo frowned and said, "What is it that you are hesitating to say?"
Luo Wang hurriedly apologized: "The young master instructed me to keep a close eye on the stepmother's personal maid, Wei Mama. This morning, I discovered that Wei Mama had sneaked out of the mansion, turned several times, and entered a secluded courtyard."
"I avoided the servants guarding the courtyard and followed them inside, only to find that Mother Wei had entered a secret room."
As he said this, he looked up at Fang Shi again and saw that her face was as white as paper, and fine beads of sweat were rolling down her forehead.
Luo Wang bent down and picked up the sheet that Fang had thrown on the ground: "I immediately followed her in and found that what was on this sheet was hidden inside."
"There are also some deposit slips, but they're far away, and I couldn't see how much money was in them," Luo Wang added.
Fang stood frozen in place. Wei's mother was such a fool. She didn't even know she was being watched, and she actually went to secretly look at the things hidden in that secret room.
That house was bought by Wei Mama a few years ago using the money that Lu Yucheng had given to Lu Xiaoyun. Since the money didn't go through the public account, the house didn't need to be registered under the name of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
They moved all their belongings there in several trips, and also bought several servants to guard the courtyard.
These idiots, they don't even realize they've entered the secret room.
We've been supporting them for nothing.
"Where is Madam Wei?" the Duke of Zhenguo asked in a deep voice.
"I have locked the man in a secret room, and I have also apprehended the servants guarding the courtyard. I have come to request instructions from the Duke and the Heir Apparent on how to deal with these people."
At this moment, Zhu Yu acted as if he were invisible, standing quietly to the side. The evidence was already laid out before him, and Fang Shi could not deny it.
The Duke of Zhenguo glared at Fang Shi with eyes as sharp as knives and ordered, "Luo Wang, lead the way to that residence."
Fang almost collapsed to the ground.
"Father, Father, I beg you, Mother's cold hasn't healed yet..." Lu Yuyi knelt down before the Duke of Zhenguo and pleaded with him.
The Duke of Zhenguo said coldly, "Who gave you permission to see her? Wasn't I clear enough? The second young master of the dignified Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is actually crawling through a dog hole! What kind of behavior is this!"
The servants guarding the gate were so frightened they didn't dare to breathe.
"All servants who fail to properly supervise the servants shall be given twenty strokes of the cane and be released from the mansion!"
"Take Fang Shi with you!" the Duke of Zhenguo ordered again.
"Go back to your own courtyard and study hard. When your father returns, he will test your lessons."
About half an hour later, the group arrived at the house that Luo Wang had mentioned.
The house was located in an inconspicuous location; for Shengjing City, where land was extremely valuable, this place was considered extremely remote.
A blue cloth carriage used by servants was parked at the back gate of the house, bearing the emblem of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The Duke of Zhenguo merely glanced at it indifferently.
Luo Wang pushed open the courtyard gate and led everyone inside, where there was a two-section courtyard.
Inside the inner room, six burly men who guarded the courtyard were bound up and gagged with rags, and thrown into a corner.
Luo Wang stepped forward and pulled the cloth out of the man's mouth.
As soon as the man saw Madam Fang, he shouted, "Madam, you've finally arrived! This man brought four or five thugs, and as soon as he came in, he arrested us without saying a word. You must help us!"
Zhu Yu blinked: "You know her?"
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