Mother Tao's face suddenly turned red, and she could not help but argue: "Madam, I am worried about my great aunt and you. She is so reckless in amassing money, I am afraid she will also tamper with the accounts. When the time comes, she will either blame our great aunt or leave the mess to you? She gets the benefits, and we have to take the blame for her!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "The money for the inner courtyard should be taken from the outer courtyard office, right? There should be two managers in the office who are responsible for the accounts of the inner courtyard! How much was taken? How much was used? How much is left? There are rules to follow. Even if the accounts are not clear in the past two or three years, the eldest sister has been in charge of the family for more than one or two years. The accounts of the early years should have been deposited in the treasury. Even if she wants to tamper with it, it is only the accounts of the past few years. She wants to turn over all the previous accounts. I am afraid her hands are not long enough to reach the office." At this point, she smiled, "Besides, she is so impatient to reform, and it is not just our interests that are infringed. If others don't say anything, why should we take the lead? Even if we take a step back, the third lady is the housekeeper, and it is the decision of the dowager lady. Even if there is a big mistake, it is the dowager lady's intention. Can she shout and kill and make a fuss so that everyone knows it! The third lady may not be relying on this point to dare to point fingers and hit. Just sit back and watch!"

Mother Tao looked at Eleventh Lady, who looked calm and composed, with shock in her eyes.

Didn't the eldest wife say that she was young and had a calm personality, but was also a little cowardly? How could she know these things!

The thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately realized that the eldest wife had chosen the wrong person.

I'm afraid that this Eleventh Miss is so low-key and reserved at home that the eldest wife, who spends her days hunting geese, may lose her sight...

Mother Tao was in a state of confusion. If she was confident before that she could complete what Yuanniang had asked her to do, now she was full of doubts. She nursed Yuanniang and followed her to the Xu family. She had been through so many things. She knew the importance of "being prepared for any eventuality". Many times, it was because of the precautions that she was able to escape unscathed. But now, how much has this Eleventh Lady revealed, and how much is hidden in places they cannot see? What is her real purpose? Will she be good to Zhun Ge? Everything made her sweat down her spine as soon as she thought about it...

For a moment, she looked at Eleventh Lady with a wary look in her eyes: "Madam is right! We need to think about this matter carefully."

Eleventh Lady watched as Mother Tao's expression changed from shock to confusion, from confusion to worry, from worry to forced calmness... She couldn't help but smile slightly.

It seems that her goal has been achieved - the Xu Mansion is so complicated that the only people she can use and let her use are the people left by Yuanniang. She wants to cooperate with these people, instead of being used by them or used as a shield. Then she has to show them her ability. Otherwise, no one will take her words to heart!

So she simply took this opportunity to ask Mother Tao some more important questions.

"...Do you know how many properties the Marquis has?"

Mother Tao hesitated for a long time, her lips twitching, and she looked like she didn't know how to give an answer.

Eleventh Lady looked at him and didn't rush to ask, but said: "Don't you think it's strange that the Third House is so eager to make money?"

Mother Tao's expression really changed after hearing this, and she said hurriedly: "Speaking of which, in order to support the emperor's succession, the old marquis sold most of the family's property. After the second master died, the old marquis felt that things were unpredictable, and when he was still alive, he divided the remaining property of the Xu Mansion - including the deceased eldest master, one share for each person. Later, the old marquis died, and the marquis inherited the title. The family was in chaos due to internal and external troubles, and the lady was still alive, so no one mentioned the division of the family. As a result, the family's life became better and better, and no one mentioned it anymore."

Eleventh Lady pondered and said, "Do you know who holds the share of the deceased master?"

Mother Tao said, "I took it out to buy sacrificial land at that time. The old marquis said that future generations would also remember the merits of the old man."

"How many acres in total?"

Mother Tao's forehead was already slightly sweaty: "A total of 2,000 acres."

Two thousand mu. When the eldest wife bought the farm for herself as a dowry, it seemed that one mu of land was five taels of silver. Based on this conversion, each family can get 10,000 taels of silver. In other words, the Xu family has only about 50,000 taels of silver. This should also include real estate, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, which will be discounted once they are sold. The actual distribution may not be 10,000 taels of cash... Looking at the Xu family now, the embroidery in the Xianling Pavilion in the Qingwei Xiaoyouche alone is worth a lot of money, not to mention the furnishings in Yuanniang's room and the green flowers and trees in the lady's yard all year round. Xu Lingning and Xu Lingkuan are both fourth-rank officials, with an annual salary of 360 taels of silver and 144 shi of rice. Xu Lingyi receives three salaries. The Marquis of Yongping received 1,300 taels of silver and 522 shi of rice per year, the Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince received 720 taels of silver and 288 shi of rice per year, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commands received 522 taels of silver and 210 shi of rice per year. Even so, sometimes the silver would be converted into silk…

She couldn't help but look at Mother Tao with a smile: "That is to say, not a lot!"

Mother Tao's face changed slightly when she listened: "Why haven't I thought about this in detail... I've always wondered why Third House is so smart, why is she jumping around so anxiously. It turns out that the so-called public treasury money is all our Marquis's property... And Second House, she wants to buy a painting today, a vase tomorrow, and she doesn't feel bad at all when she spends hundreds or thousands of taels. I'm surprised that Eldest Aunt has never been a stingy person, so why did she get angry with the Marquis over money two years ago?" As she spoke, she was already spinning in circles.

Eleventh Lady's eyes flickered as she listened. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mom. Since there is no money in the mansion, all we are using is the dowry of the Tai Madam. Maybe the Second Madam is also using her own dowry!"

"Oh, what do you know!" Mother Tao was a little excited, and "you" became "you". "When the second wife married, it was just a small farm of 400 mu and 36 loads of dowry. I heard that some of the 36 loads of dowry were filled by the old lady with her own money to save face for the second wife. Later, the second wife became a widow and had no children. The old lady was afraid that she would have no one to rely on, so she divided her dowry. The second master, the fourth master, and the fifth master each got a share. The second master's was given to the second room, the fifth master's was taken out when the fifth wife was engaged, and our eldest aunt never saw the marquis's. When you got married, it was not written at all how much land and acres of land should be divided between you... and the 10,000 taels of gold and 10 hectares of good land that the marquis got. At that time, the eldest aunt was no longer there, and you hadn't entered the house yet. Where did this account go? No one knows!" As she spoke, she turned around, "No, I have to find someone to inquire about this matter in the office. Brother Zhun has a share of these properties!"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but sigh secretly after listening to this.

The silk and brocade moved people's hearts. Xu Lingyi was not dead yet... No wonder some people were willing to kill and burn for the sake of inheritance.

"Don't worry about this matter." She understood what she wanted to know and said with a smile, "lest you make a fuss about something that didn't exist."

Mother Tao thought what she heard made sense and suppressed her excitement. Eleventh Lady saw that it was getting late, so she sent Mother Tao away and went to the lady dowager's place.

The Fifth Lady had not arrived yet. The Third Lady was holding the account book and talking to the Dowager Lady. When she saw Eleventh Lady come in, she stopped the conversation and bowed to Eleventh Lady with a smile.

She thought of what Mother Tao said about the Third Lady wanting to reform the kitchen system!

This should be what he is talking about!

Eleventh Lady returned the greeting with a smile, then stepped forward to ask how the lady was doing, and said with a smile, "Mother and Third Sister-in-law are settling accounts, right? Then I'll go help Wei Zi and the others prepare the chopsticks." Having said that, without waiting for the lady to speak, she turned around and went to the west room.

The third wife continued the previous topic: "... This way, we can save those people from arguing over food. It will save a lot of trouble."

The lady smiled as she listened: "Who is the kitchen's chief comprador?"

The third lady's smile was somewhat forced: "It's Gan Laoquan."

The lady looked at her and said with a smile: "In that case, let's do as you say!"

"Yeah." The joy could not be concealed on the third lady's face.

“But…” The lady changed the subject.

The Third Madam immediately showed a nervous look: "But what? Just tell me, mother!"

The lady took a sip of tea slowly and said calmly, "However, let each room come up with the menu of their favorite food, and then let the kitchen match it accordingly. Don't make your own decisions and cook whatever you want."

The third lady quickly responded with a "yes", but her expression was somewhat disappointed.

"Since everything is fine, why don't you help Eleventh Lady set the table?" The lady said calmly, "She is young and just got married, and you are her sister-in-law, so you should behave properly."

The third wife felt even more anxious. She took a deep breath, then stood up with a smile and said "yes".

Mother Du, who was serving the lady at the side, couldn't help but sigh.

The lady sighed as she listened: "You want to ask me why I let her do it when I knew she wanted to make money?"

Mother Du smiled and said, "You have always been kind-hearted. You are pitying the Third Madam and are worried that she will have a hard time in the future."

"I don't pity her." The lady looked a little lonely, "I pity Qin'er and Jian'er." She added, "Speaking of which, she must have put a lot of thought into coming up with this idea. It's a pity that her mind is not focused on other things!"

* * * * * *

Eleventh Lady had dinner at the Lady Dowager's house, helped her to sleep, and then went back to sleep.

Dong Qing was already waiting there anxiously: "Madam, the grandmother said that she will find time to come and see you later."

Well, it's done, it can't be undone. Since they can't tear each other apart, everyone has to discuss how to persuade the first wife and how to tell Shi Niang about this matter.

She woke up from a nap and her great-grandmother had not come yet.

Eleventh Lady was afraid that the eldest lady would come and not be able to find her, so she left a message and went to the lady-in-waiting first, arriving at the door just in time.

The lady just got up and said with a smile: "This child is still on time!"

Mother Du was helping the lady put on her shoes and said with a smile, "That's right. This morning was the same as yesterday. Chen Zheng was still a quarter of an hour away."

The lady said "Oh" and raised her eyebrows.