Chapter 52: Concealed Private Property
Qi Huaijing kept his word and said he would come to the manor to play, but he didn't do anything serious. He took Chen Tang around all day, playing with cats and dogs, and had a great time.
Chen Tang sat more and more steadily on the horse's back, looking into the distance. The cold sky was pale blue, the autumn trees were slightly red, and the cold grass was sparse and yellow. It was a picturesque autumn scene... Everywhere he looked, there were the Qi family's properties.
There was always one thing on her mind.
After staying there for more than ten days, seeing that the autumn wind was getting colder, Qi Huaijing set a date for his return. He asked people to prepare chores for the return journey and returned to the backyard early.
As soon as he entered the door, Chen Tang pulled him to sit down, sent the servants away early, and quietly told Huaping to watch the courtyard gate and not let outsiders in, and then closed the doors and windows.
Qi Huaijing looked at her busy work and couldn't help but smile knowingly...
Unexpectedly, she brought out a stack of account books and spread them out on the kang table between them.
"Look at this."
Qi Huaijing then realized that it was a serious matter and flipped through it casually.
"This is... the account of the farm?"
Chen Tang nodded, sat upright, and remained serious, determined to have a good talk with him about this matter.
"Exactly. I recently discovered that there is something wrong with this account."
Qi Huaijing raised his eyebrows, "Oh? Then tell me, what is the problem?"
Chen Tang flipped open the account books from previous years and explained in detail while pointing out the numbers he had marked as problematic.
"You know, my second brother has always been in charge of the farm, and my sister-in-law has been in charge of the accounts. If you look at the farm's accounts, every line and every page matches, and it looks very neat and beautiful. But - when you really get to the farm, as long as you ask carefully about the harvest in the fields and calculate the prices at the market, you will find a lot of problems, such as the price of rice and beans last year..."
Qi Huaijing was secretly surprised to see that she spoke in an orderly manner. It turned out that she learned so quickly.
It seems that she always chatted with the peasant women in the fields at the village entrance, not just to help him find a good meal.
Chen Tang finished explaining them one by one, and then took out the new accounts he had calculated.
"Look, judging from the accounts, the annual income of this farm is about 1,000 taels of silver. If the year is bad and there is a disaster, only more than 800 taels of silver will be brought in... But if you calculate it carefully, the harvest of this farm is not just that, at least one-third is concealed. In other words, just looking at this farm, at least 300 taels of silver are concealed every year and fall into the private account of my second cousin's family."
The Qi family has many branches, and they have not noticed this mistake for so many years. I'm afraid that Qi Chengzhou's methods and Qin Jiangyun's scheming are indispensable.
Chen Tang knew that he was not good at arithmetic, so he calculated carefully for a long time this time, and made sure again and again that he was not wrong. Then he decided to explain it to him clearly. Unexpectedly, after hearing it, Qi Huaijing smiled slightly and was very calm.
"Just know it in your heart, don't worry about it."
Chen Tang frowned, watching his expression. The man was leaning on the kang couch, and even after hearing the news concerning his family business, he still had a half-smile on his face. His handsome profile was reflected in the heavy shadows of the lights, and he looked very open and unrestrained.
What a rich and carefree young man.
She held the handkerchief in her palm and chose her words carefully.
"...Husband, even though our family has the reputation of being the legitimate heir, we can't just let it go like this, right? You and I are from a business family, not a family that values etiquette and laws. If there ever comes a day when brothers quarrel... I'm afraid that etiquette and laws alone won't be enough to hold back the real money in my second brother's hands."
Qi Huaijing still nodded.
"You are right."
Seeing that he really had no reaction, Chen Tang sighed slightly and secretly complained, could it be that this gentleman has really learned Madam Yue's style completely, and as long as he doesn't owe him money, he doesn't care about anything else?
Seeing that she silently closed the account book and looked like she didn't want to pay attention to him, Qi Huaijing smiled and pulled her back.
"There are quite a few private accounts in the family. In addition to this ancestral farm, there are also four shops owned by my second brother. From the accounts, each shop has an annual income of 1,500 taels, but in fact it is more than that... Add in other businesses, and after all the calculations, at the end of the year, he has about 2,000 taels of silver that is not in the public account."
Seeing that he had explained it clearly, Chen Tang finally believed that he really knew what was going on. He sat down next to him, stroked his hand, and spoke frankly.
"Huai Jing, I know you have been rich since childhood and don't like to suffer. You also know that I am not the kind of person who covets wealth and I have no intention of forcing you to take charge of the family... But we have a family and we also need to build a career. Since the second brother has other intentions, you should be more careful in the future. Apart from anything else, pay more attention to everything, don't be kept in the dark, and don't be easily controlled by others."
Qi Huaijing was deeply moved by Chen Tang's sincere words. He smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek.
"My wife has really improved. Not only does she remember these words, but she is also reminding me now."
Chen Tang had been full of things on his mind, and he had been talking to him for half a day. But seeing that he just wanted to play around and was not serious, he could not help but frown, got up, pushed his hand away, and tried to leave.
Seeing that she was a little annoyed, Qi Huaijing smiled and held her hand.
"Don't be angry first, listen to me... I really have something to hide."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang immediately turned around and sat down, looking concerned.
"What's the secret? Just tell me. You and I have been married forever. Although I don't know much about these things, I will help you wholeheartedly to the best of my ability."
Qi Huaijing held her hand, sighed helplessly, and pondered for a long time before speaking.
"I really don't want to get involved in my second brother's private accounts because... I also have private accounts."
Chen Tang: “…”
"I have five shops and two farms in Beijing, with a combined net profit of more than 18,000 taels of silver per year - none of which goes into the public account."
Such a large number made Shen Tang a little stunned, but he didn't look like he was joking at all.
"The shops and farms in the capital... these should be the property of your grandfather's family, right?"
Qi Huaijing smiled and shook his head.
"You underestimate the old man too much. The Yue family's shops and farms, big and small, can bring in at least 200,000 taels of silver every year. He just doesn't care about these few small shops... They are really my own property."
Chen Tang was shocked. She had only heard that the Yue family was wealthy, but she didn't know that they were so wealthy.
No wonder Mrs. Yue is so domineering.
With such a family background, anyone can be more arrogant.
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