Chapter 17
Jiang Zhaoli stared at Jiang Yulin's retreating figure, envy flashing in his eyes: "In fact, I envy my elder sister very much. Second Aunt has been taking care of everything for her since she was a child. She doesn't have to think too much. She just needs to stay in the mansion and wait to marry the person she likes."
Yin Su: "Madam Jiang, do you dislike the present life?"
Jiang Zhaoli said gloomily, "I'm not unhappy, I just think of my parents occasionally and feel lonely in the world."
Thinking of something, she pulled her lips and smiled: "Fortunately, I still have the nanny to accompany me. She is like my mother, teaching me step by step. I am very happy."
Jiang Zhaoli suddenly asked him: "Yin Su, do you miss your parents?"
Yin Su seemed to have heard a joke, and the corners of his lips curled up in a sneer, and then he disappeared in a flash. He answered quickly: "No."
Jiang Zhaoli was surprised: "Why?"
Yin Su's eyebrows were filled with doubt: "I don't know them, why should I miss them?"
Jiang Zhaoli asked tentatively: "Then you... aren't you curious about who your parents are?"
Yin Su shook his head: "Not curious, and--" He paused and didn't say anything else.
His eyes were dark, and I hoped they wouldn't show up.
Jiang Zhaoli asked curiously: "And what?"
Yin Su smiled gently, "And I don't know who they are. Maybe they have passed away, or maybe they abandoned me and had new children. There are too many sufferings in this world. My parents are the most insignificant and unimportant things to me. I have become like this and they don't even remember them. Why do you worry about it, Madam Jiang?"
“The best thing is to be alive.”
Jiang Zhaoli pursed his lips and said nothing, looking at the light not far away. Yes, it is good to be alive. Only by being alive can you do what you want and seek justice for your parents.
—
Jiang Zhaoli ordered Chuntao to bring the account book of the weaving workshop, and Chuntao brought the account book in an instant.
Jiang Zhaoli: "There hasn't been any activity in the weaving workshop these days, right?" she asked as she looked around.
Chun Tao shook her head: "Miss, there is no movement. I heard from Huang Er that Guo Daoquan has been much more honest these days and is quite responsible."
The craftsmen now go to the deputy workshop owner Huang Er for anything. Guo Daoquan has lost his power now, and Jiang Zhaoli will not tolerate him if he dares to be arrogant and rude again. Presumably, he himself knows this, so he simply keeps his troops in place or pretends to be in her sight. In short, this person is arrogant and thoughtful, and is not suitable to stay in the dyeing and weaving workshop.
Chun Tao took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, on which were written the names of about six people. She handed it to Jiang Zhaoli and said slowly, "Miss, this is the final list of stewards that Huang Er asked me to hand over. Please take a look."
Jiang Zhaoli took it and glanced at it casually. There were a few names on it that she was familiar with, most of them were old people who had followed his father. She handed the list back and said, "Okay, let Huang Er decide what to do next. As long as it is obtained through ability and in a fair and just manner, you can take the position today."
She breathed a sigh of relief: "This dyeing workshop needs to be back in operation sooner."
"Go tell Huang Er that I can't go to the market often recently. If the new manager and the owner do anything wrong, the craftsmen can file a complaint with the Jiang Mansion. I will then arrange for someone to take care of it. If the matter is true, I will never let them off easily. In addition, I need you to tell the guards that if any craftsmen from the Jiang Mansion come in the future, don't stop them and notify me in time."
Chun Tao curved her eyebrows, knelt down and saluted, then smiled and said, "Yes, I will tell Huang Er right away. I'm sure those craftsmen will be very happy to hear that. Where did the young lady come up with such a good idea? Now those people who have such ideas should take a break. At least, they dare not do it openly anymore."
Just like blatantly withholding the monthly salary of the craftsmen and blatantly falsifying the accounts to deceive the Jiang family and the government.
After Chuntao left, Jiang Zhaoli looked at the flowers and plants swaying by the window frame.
I don't know how the matter of the wet nurse sending people to look for the man with the jade-faced crown is going, and whether there is any news.
Jiang Zhaoli returned her gaze to the account book, distracted for a moment. The Song family had two workshops. Although she had never been to the rouge workshop, she had secretly sent people to inquire about it. Most of the craftsmen there were women, and they got along harmoniously with each other. They were not as dull and oppressed as those in the dyeing and weaving workshop. In addition, she had created a new type of rouge and it sold very well, so they were not opposed to her as the new head of the family. This was why she only went to the dyeing and weaving workshop at first, and not the rouge workshop.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Jiang Zhaoli.
A maid came hurriedly, walked in front of her, and knelt down to salute: "This servant greets the second young lady."
Jiang Zhaoli flipped through the book without even looking up: "What's the matter?"
The maid said happily, "You asked me to inquire about Madam Zhao. I have already found out. I heard from the servants in their mansion that Master Wen heard your proposal and agreed to let Miss Wen enter the Jiang Mansion without hesitation. Madam Zhao did not agree and had a big quarrel with Master Wen. Unexpectedly, Master Wen beat and scolded her, and locked her up in the woodshed and starved her for two days. Only then did Madam Zhao compromise."
"And Miss Wen, for some reason, was unusually calm when she heard the news. People in the mansion said that Miss Wen was possessed by an evil spirit. In the past, when men who came to propose marriage were of a lower status, she would yell at them without caring about her dignity. But now, she is acting in an uncharacteristic way and has no intention of resisting at all."
Jiang Zhaoli understood roughly what was going on and smiled at her: "Okay, I understand. Go down and claim your reward."
The maid was pleasantly surprised, her face full of smiles: "Yes, I thank you, young lady."
Jiang Zhaoli closed the account book and planned to go to the Tax Bureau, which was mainly responsible for managing the taxation of the entire Luocheng. Every year's taxation should be recorded.
She wanted to go and see for herself how much money Guo Daoquan had embezzled.
Changming Street was crowded, so Jiang Zhaoli took a shortcut. She walked along the alley in the south street and passed through it. Most of the people here were government residences, so it was a bit deserted.
When I reached the middle alley, suddenly, a sharp sound came intermittently, like the sporadic crunching sound of a mouse gnawing on something, or the "creaking" sound of a stick scratching against the wall.
Jiang Zhaoli seemed to have noticed something and suddenly stopped, his bright eyes quickly looking around.
The next moment, five or six people suddenly rushed out from the end of the alley, all wearing black clothes and masks, each holding a long wooden stick, and approached her step by step, with hatred and anger in their eyes.
"Who are you and what do you want to do?" Jiang Zhaoli stared at the people approaching calmly. He tensed his body, clenched the jade fingers in his sleeves, and tried to make the sound of his voice as smooth as possible.
"What are you doing?" The man paused for two seconds and said viciously, "I don't like you and want to teach you a lesson." One of them spat in her direction, his eyes full of mockery.
Hearing this voice, Jiang Zhaoli felt familiar. She narrowed her eyes slightly, pressed her body against the wall, and asked in a cold voice: "Are you the managers who were driven out of the market by me a few days ago?"
"Tsk~, Miss Jiang is really smart. She is worthy of being the new head of the Jiang family. She guessed it right at the first try."
"Second Miss Jiang, ever since you kicked us out, we have been living worse than pigs and dogs. We even sold our house. All these sufferings are caused by you. You are the head of the Jiang family, so what? If I am not happy, you can forget about being happy."
The man changed the subject and his voice suddenly rose: "It is said that people should leave a way out for others, but you didn't even give us the most basic survival, so don't blame us."
"You forced us to do this."
Jiang Zhaoli: "You are confusing right and wrong. If you hadn't openly violated the neighborhood rules, why would I kick you out?"
"The rules have been the same for ten years. Why did you disrupt them after taking office?"
Jiang Zhaoli was almost so angry that he laughed: "If I had taken over my father's position ten years ago, the rules would have been even stricter than they are now. Now you have taken the Jiang family's money for nothing for ten years, and I haven't even come to settle accounts with you one by one, but you are coming to me instead."
Jiang Zhaoli suddenly thought of someone and asked, "Do you know why I drove you away?"
Several people looked at each other and snorted, "Of course it's because you found evidence that we withheld money from the craftsmen."
He feels so self-righteous that he still doesn't think it's wrong to withhold other people's monthly salary. He even thinks that as the supervisor, he should handle their monthly wages.
Jiang Zhaoli said calmly: "Since you have evidence of dividing the spoils, it should be a very meticulous account book, and it should be kept well. Think about it carefully, how did I get it?"
The man clenched his fists, wishing he could bite his back teeth and break them: "Of course someone betrayed us and gave you the account book. Otherwise, how could you, a woman, catch us?"
Jiang Zhaoli smiled but said nothing.
Seeing that she had no intention of continuing, the man asked coldly: "Who is it?"
Jiang Zhaoli: "Whoever instigated you to come find me is the one behind the scenes. He wants to kill two birds with one stone and get rid of you and me, so he will do this. Since you know his secret, you should have thought of this."
"As the head of the family, I already suspect him. Once I find solid evidence, I will naturally not let him stay. He came up with this plan because he is sure that I will drive you away. He can take this opportunity to convince you to blame me for all the mistakes and let you seek revenge on me, so that he can reap the benefits."
After hearing what was said, several people began to hesitate and were unwilling to step forward.
Suddenly, one of them picked up a stick and pointed it at her, snorting, "Even if he is not a good guy, he has indeed shown us a clear path. The Jiang family has always been wealthy, and they have countless silver and money. After we hold you hostage and ask the Jiang family for a sum of money, we will leave immediately. After that, Miss Jiang Er doesn't need to ask, we will naturally settle the score with Guo Daoquan."
Jiang Zhaoli was speechless for a while. Is there something wrong with these people's brains? They insisted on resisting her to the end. She had no intention of making things difficult for them, but after she talked them through, they still refused to give up.
Several people came forward one after another. Jiang Zhaoli stepped back a few steps and said, "I advise you to stop now. I will bring others with me. His martial arts are very powerful. He can deal with several of you by himself."
Several people looked at each other and laughed: "Where are the people?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a green figure dropped from the sky and landed steadily in front of her, and his arms easily wrapped around her behind his back.
His eyes stared at them coldly, but his words were very gentle: "Is Madam Jiang okay?"
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