Tu Shi trembled all over!
No sooner had she left than Madam Tu went mad, groaning and sweeping everything movable in front of her pillow onto the floor with her movable arms, her eyes bloodshot.
Xie Zhaozhao hates her and wants to take revenge on everyone in the main branch of the family. She uses Yuebai to threaten herself.
Granny Wan sighed and said, "Madam, please don't be angry. You have suffered, but she didn't hold it against you for trespassing into Qingpu Courtyard and trying to sell the soldiers. That's already very kind of her. We can just keep things on the surface from now on."
Tu was furious: Ugh ugh ugh
Are you on her side too?
Granny Wan shook her head: "I've served you closely for decades, how could I side with her? Madam, we're all getting old..."
You're getting old, wouldn't it be better to enjoy your retirement? You haven't managed the Marquis's mansion well even after decades in your hands.
When Xie Zhaozhao came out of Tu's place, she saw Lu Shi loitering around the entrance of Qingpu Courtyard, all respectful and with a smile on her face.
This is an attempt to make amends.
Xie Zhaozhao smiled and had someone lead her into the tea room of Qingpu Courtyard.
"Third sister-in-law, thank you for your strong recommendation today. Otherwise, this good opportunity would not have come my way," Madam Lu said obsequiously.
What I was really thinking was that the old lady had no other choice now.
Xie Zhaozhao glanced at her, knowing what was on her mind, but didn't expose it. She simply said, "I just went to my sister-in-law's place, and she reacted very strongly to you taking over the management of the household."
After saying that, he picked up the tea and took a small sip.
Madam Lu was indeed furious: "She reacted so strongly? She just wants the second branch of the family to be suppressed by her forever."
"As the Earl's wife, she is indeed more qualified to take over the management of the household, and besides, Mother has always favored her. However, how will you know who is better able to manage the Earl's mansion if you don't try?"
Madam Lu hesitated for a moment and said, "Third sister-in-law, I have never managed the household affairs before. You said that I and the young mistress would jointly manage the household affairs. How should I cooperate with her?"
Xie Zhaozhao found it amusing that the Lu family wanted to seize power and eliminate their partners right from the start.
"Don't worry, the young mistress won't pose a threat to you!" Xie Zhaozhao said with a smile. "When the eldest sister-in-law was in charge of the household affairs, she had specialized channels for staffing, clothing for all seasons, food ingredients, etc. Second sister-in-law might as well compare prices from different suppliers and have more options. You'll always be able to find a better supplier than before."
The most urgent task is to secure suppliers.
Personal connections and under-the-table deals—these are the fundamental reasons for vying for control of the household management!
Could it be that taking charge of the household affairs is just for accumulating good deeds and making selfless contributions?
Mr. Lu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized!
He excitedly grasped her hand: "Third sister-in-law, what you said has enlightened me. Don't worry, I will never let Qingpu Courtyard down in anything from now on."
She originally only knew that being in charge of the household affairs was a way to show off her power, but she never expected that there were so many intricacies involved.
Choosing the right suppliers for everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation requires wisdom from the head of the household. This not only allows them to extract "rebates" but also enables them to quickly build their own network of contacts.
Xie Xiangxiang barely made it to work after only three days in office, and Xie Zhaozhao's single sentence perfectly captured the essence of effective management.
Suppliers can take a secret commission, or they can arrange for their own people to build a solid network of connections both inside and outside the government.
To put it bluntly, even if Madam Tu's legs become as strong as lightning in the future, and even if the future Countess wants to take over the management of the household, she won't be able to.
Lu Shi finally understood what it meant to have a poor temple but a rich abbot; they were poor in money, but rich in more than just money!
Only then did Lu Shi truly understand how vast the gap was between Xie Xiangxiang and Xie Zhaozhao.
Madam Lu acted swiftly and decisively, first returning to her parents' home and bringing along her eldest daughter, Lu Pingping. This niece had been managing the household affairs with her sister-in-law for many years and was extremely shrewd.
Lu Pingping didn't rest and immediately started checking the accounts from the beginning.
After verifying the information, Lu Pingping said, "Most of the household's income comes from the Grand Secretary, and you were recommended by the Grand Secretary's wife. You should thank her no matter what."
"Should I send her some gifts? But I don't think she needs anything."
"Aunt, the Grand Secretary and his wife have survived a great calamity. No matter what, we must hold a welcome banquet for them."
Lu Pingping said that she would squeeze out the money even if she had to, and that she absolutely had to do it.
Madam Lu felt that her niece's words made sense, and unable to contain herself, she went to the old lady's place and told her that she wanted to hold a welcome banquet for her third brother.
The old lady was initially unwilling, but Madam Lu said, "Mother, the whole mansion is now relying on our third brother. They suffered a great calamity and returned safely, yet they didn't even hold a welcome-back banquet. Isn't that too disheartening?"
"Is there any silver left in the account?"
"Even if there is no money, each courtyard must tighten its belt and get it done."
The old lady was speechless after being rebuked, and said, "Then let's do it!"
The welcoming banquet had ten tables. Gu Yongnian brought his family from the northern part of the city, and the old lady also took the opportunity to call over the three Zhi sisters and Zhi Baiju.
Madam Lu originally didn't want to, but Xie Xiangxiang said to her, "Second Aunt, you've just taken charge of the household affairs, there's no need to offend the old lady."
Mr. Lu gritted his teeth and agreed.
The banquet was very well organized, with almost everything from wine to dishes being of the highest quality. Not only did Madam Lu keep twenty jars of wine for herself, but she also received three hundred strings of cash from the winery, butcher shop, and vegetable farmers for their new supplies.
Even so, the cost was still at least 500 strings of cash less than the same banquet held by the Tu family back then.
Madam Lu couldn't wait to curry favor with the old lady, and even went to Xie Zhaozhao to show off how capable she was, secretly sending ten jars of the wine she had embezzled to Qingpu Courtyard.
Seeing that she was being polite, Xie Zhaozhao decided to give her a little more pointers and asked, "How much did the banquet cost in total?"
Madam Lu thought she was complaining about spending too much money, so she hurriedly defended herself, saying, "The total cost is 1,500 guan, but when Gu Chengyan was made the heir apparent, my sister-in-law held a celebratory banquet with ten tables, which cost more than 2,700 guan. It was not as good as this banquet."
"How much did you reimburse the old lady?"
“I reported the truth. It was the first time, and I wanted to show her that my abilities were no less than my sister-in-law’s.”
Xie Zhaozhao laughed and said, "You underreported the expenses for the old lady."
Mrs. Lu looked at her, puzzled.
"This is your first time managing the household affairs. You organized a banquet of the same standard better than her, and you spent less money. Although you embarrassed your sister-in-law, you also increased the old lady's appetite. The whole eldest branch of the family is unhappy, and the other branches are not necessarily grateful to you."
Seeing that Madam Lu didn't seem to understand, Xie Zhaozhao continued to enlighten her, "You spent so little money the first time, what do you plan to do next?"
Only then did Madam Lu realize that the first time brought too many benefits, and the old lady might be satisfied, but the starting point was too high, and she would have little room for maneuver in the future.
Most importantly, once the appetite is fostered, it can never be satisfied. If it is even slightly exceeded, it will be suspected of embezzlement.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Madam Lu disregarded etiquette and knelt down to kowtow to Xie Zhaozhao.
Xie Zhaozhao pulled her back: "Second sister-in-law, I didn't do anything, I can't accept your generous gift!"
When the news that Lu had spent a total of 2,500 strings of cash on the banquet reached Tu's ears, Tu, who was well-versed in the ways of the world, stared wide-eyed, unable to get up even if she wanted to.
Lu must have received guidance from a master, but she just can't expose it.
"You're embezzling, I'm going to eat you up!"
He was so angry that he coughed up a mouthful of blood!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com