"Mother, these slaves are so audacious that they dared to embezzle so much money. The huge palace has been emptied by these parasites. I ask you to order someone to raid their homes and make them return all the embezzled money."
Xiao Qin'er was so angry that she almost volunteered to search the house.
Gu Jiu looked at Xiao Qin'er with a smile, knowing that as soon as money was mentioned, the other party would jump out on his own initiative.
Nanny Qin's face turned pale.
She really didn't expect that Gu Jiu would actually check the accounts and investigate whether Mrs. Zhu and others were embezzling money.
After all, it has been such a short time, and the people around Gu Jiu are not familiar with the palace, so they have no idea where to start investigating.
The servants in the palace were all relatives, and no one dared to speak carelessly.
However, she still underestimated Gu Jiu's ability.
No need to investigate in the kitchen or get witnesses.
Directly pull out the kitchen account book and compare the prices. It’s written in black and white, and there is no room for falsehood.
As long as you are careful enough, you can find out the tricks in the account books.
After all, he embezzled so much money, he had to find a way to settle the accounts.
If you can't create something out of nothing, then increase the quantity and price.
An egg that costs one cent becomes twenty cents if the price is increased.
One ounce of mutton becomes five ounces if the price is increased.
One hundred chickens, if you change the number it becomes two hundred chickens.
Anyone who has been to the street and paid attention to prices will immediately see the problem with such tactics.
This move is really cruel.
What made Nanny Qin even more frightened was that the fourth lady, Xiao Qin'er, also jumped out to join in the fun and kept encouraging the princess to confiscate the house.
Nanny Qin was still hesitating whether to stand up and speak, but Pei had already made up her mind.
If the embezzlement was only a few hundred or a thousand taels, the Pei family would turn a blind eye.
But a rough calculation showed that in the past few years, at least tens of thousands of taels were embezzled, or even thirty or forty thousand taels. Pei could not tolerate this no matter what.
She immediately ordered, "Wen Zhong."
"The old slave is here."
Wen Zhong was the eunuch beside Pei.
Pei said sternly, "Take your guards and go to these houses immediately. Clean them thoroughly, inside and out, and leave nothing for these parasites. Register all the belongings. Afterwards, I will give you 20% as a reward."
Wen Zhong bowed and accepted the order, "I obey your command and will definitely live up to your trust."
After saying this, Wen Zhong looked towards Nanny Qin who was standing behind Pei, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Nanny Qin felt a chill in her heart and had a bad feeling.
She hurriedly said, "My Lady, how about this servant and Eunuch Wen go over and keep an eye on it?"
Pei glanced at her and said, "No need. You just stay with me."
Nanny Qin was anxious, not knowing what to do.
The palace's chief clerk hurried to Chunhe Hall and said, "Your humble servant pays respect to Her Majesty the Princess."
Pei threw the account book in his face. "Housekeeper, tell me what's going on with these account books? Don't tell me, don't you see the trick here?
These kitchen scoundrels have embezzled tens of thousands of taels of silver in just a few years. As the head of the household, you should be responsible for overseeing them.
But what did you do? You pretended not to see it? Could it be that you also had a share of the money that the kitchen embezzled?"
The palace steward opened the account book, and the entries on it were clearly marked.
As soon as he saw it, he knew it was the work of Madam Gu Jiu.
Only the eldest lady has the ability to check dozens of account books in just one or two days.
He closed the account book, bowed, and said, "I have failed to supervise properly. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
"Of course I will punish you. But first, please explain the situation clearly. Why did you turn a blind eye to such serious corruption? Why have I never heard you mention this matter?"
Pei was really angry.
He actually dared to embezzle her money, tens of thousands of taels, he was seeking death.
Concubine Shen suddenly spoke up and advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Perhaps the Lord of the Household has his own reasons."
"Shut up!" Pei scolded Concubine Shen harshly.
Concubine Shen made such a scene that she lost face. It was really shameful.
Concubine Luo laughed secretly, mocking Concubine Shen for being inappropriate.
Pei pointed at the housekeeper and said, "You must explain everything clearly today. Otherwise, I will report to the prince and hand you over to the warden of the Ministry of Justice for interrogation."
The palace steward sighed. At this point, he could only tell the truth.
"Your Majesty, it's not that I failed to supervise properly. I've reported the kitchen corruption several times, but the people around Your Majesty always blocked my reports. They even said Your Majesty already knew about it, that you were aware of it. I thought that perhaps Your Majesty had a deeper meaning by not touching the kitchen. Therefore, I will pretend that I don't know about this matter."
Pei was slapped in the face this time.
She was visibly stunned. "You said you reported the kitchen's embezzlement several times, why didn't I know anything about it?"
After saying that, she looked towards several trusted maids around her.
The maids all lowered their heads guiltily.
"Tell me! Who was it that stopped the Lord of the Household? And whose family passed on this order to the princess?"
Pei was extremely angry.
OK!
No matter how careful you are, you can never guard against a thief in your own home.
After checking, I found out that the source of the problem was right next to me.
No wonder when Gu Jiu messed up the kitchen, everyone below jumped out to make excuses for the people in the kitchen.
If Gu Jiu had not checked the account books and found evidence of embezzlement in the kitchen, Mrs. Zhu and her gang would have been rescued by them.
hehe!
Pei smiled coldly.
Yet no one spoke.
Pei's face twisted as she demanded in a stern voice, "Master Housekeeper, please tell me directly, who among these servants around me is relaying your words? Who is falsely relaying my orders?"
The palace steward bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have had contact with the four maids around you, as well as Nanny Qin. However, every time, they blocked my way.
Originally, I wanted to report this to the prince, but Nanny Qin said that the queen had already made a decision on this matter and told me not to disturb the prince with domestic affairs.
I was foolish and believed Madam Ma's words, so I suppressed the matter."
"You're talking nonsense!" Nanny Qin was anxious. She jumped out and pointed at the palace steward. "I have no grudge against you. Why are you trying to harm me? Did the Madam tell you to say that? Madam, you are in a high position and have great power. You shouldn't argue with me."
Nanny Qin knelt on the ground, crying and feeling very aggrieved.
Gu Jiu had a blank expression on her face. "Mammy, the Lord Housekeeper pointed out you, yet you come to blame me. What's the reason? Or do you think that since the Master is not around, I am easy to bully?"
"I didn't. Madam, you can't wrongly accuse me."
Gu Jiu sneered, "Whether or not you've been wronged, the truth will be revealed when Eunuch Wen returns from the confiscation of the property. Or is it that Madam, you can't wait until that time because you know that Eunuch Wen will definitely find something unfavorable to you, right?"
"No, it's not."
"Then explain the situation clearly. The Lord Housekeeper wanted to see the Princess, so why did you block him? And even dared to falsely convey the Princess's order? Aren't you afraid of death?"
The word "death" shocked Nanny Qin.
She looked towards Pei cautiously.
Pei's face turned pale, "What else do you have to say?
Nanny Qin cried, "Princess, please understand! This servant has truly been wronged!"
The palace steward said, "The last time I requested to see Your Majesty to raise the issue of kitchen corruption was the day after the eldest son's wedding last year. It was in the outer courtyard of Chunhe Hall. It was Madam Qin who turned me away. Chen Liangyuan and Concubine Xu have testified to this. Your Majesty, please send someone to investigate thoroughly."
The time, place, and witnesses are all there.
How would Nanny Qin refute this?
Nanny Qin's face turned pale. "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again. Please give me another chance."
"shut up!"
Pei was very disappointed and angry. "It's a shame that this princess values you so much, relies on you in everything, and treats you well on a daily basis. And yet, you actually colluded with these maids to deceive this princess. Do you really think that this princess is dead and can be manipulated by you?"
The four maids knelt on the ground and kowtowed to apologize.
Pei said angrily, "This princess has been cultivating herself and cultivating her character over the past few years. I have entrusted you with everything. This princess trusts you and usually does not ask about things in detail afterwards.
Yet, you have taken advantage of my trust and acted recklessly, condoning corruption. This is only what has been discovered; I wonder how many more things you have done in private that have not been discovered.
This princess is truly blind to have reused a bunch of you, worse than pigs and dogs. Come, drag them out and hand them over to Chang En for disposal."
Chang En was a eunuch beside Prince Ning, and used to work in the execution department of the palace.
No one who fell into Chang En's hands could survive intact. If they didn't die, they would be crippled.
In short, the ending was miserable.
Several maids and Nanny Qin were all scared when they heard that they were going to be sent to Chang En.
Several people kowtowed so frequently that their scalps were broken.
"My Queen, please spare me, please spare me!"
"I will never dare to do it again. Please forgive me this time, Your Majesty."
"This servant has exposed and reported the crime, and I beg Your Majesty to spare my life."
"This servant has also revealed that Concubine Shen, Concubine Luo, and several kitchen maids are implicated. A lot of the money that Aunt Zhu and the others embezzled went into the pockets of these two concubines."
"I'll beat you to death, you bitch."
Concubine Shen and Concubine Luo jumped up together and hit the maid who reported the crime.
He was extremely vicious, as if he wanted to slap the other person to death.
"How dare you attack me in front of me? Do you still have me in your eyes? Come, take Concubine Shen and Concubine Luo into custody. Also, invite the prince here."
Concubine Shen said angrily, "Your Majesty ordered us to be detained just because of a maid's words, whether true or false. I refuse to accept this. Concubine Luo and I also have the Jade Butterfly Golden Book in our hands. We are people of high rank and will never accept such treatment."
Concubine Luo nodded repeatedly, "Please, Your Majesty, revoke your order. This maidservant was eager to escape and deliberately implicated us. We must not let her off lightly."
"I am not lying. This is absolutely true. If I were to tell a lie, I would be struck by lightning if I leave the house."
The maid named Miju swore and swore, her expression determined. It seemed she had made up her mind to expose the crime and escape.
The other maids were still hesitant and did not take any action.
Concubine Shen angrily scolded, "Who gave you the courage to make random accusations? Do you know that making random accusations will result in death by beating."
The maidservant Miju said firmly, "I didn't frame you. Everything I said is true."
Ouyang Fu suddenly stood up from her seat and walked over to Miju.
"Miju, I know you. Your brother works at the farm, your sister-in-law works in the kitchen, and your nephew is learning skills from the steward. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your family. Do you know that slandering the master will not only lead to consequences for you, but also for your family."
What a good trick of coercion and inducement.
Gu Jiu looked at Ouyang Fu with a smile on her face. For her mother-in-law, Concubine Shen, Ouyang Fu really tried her best.
Ouyang Fu didn't care about anyone's gaze, she couldn't let the tangerine continue to climb and bite.
Her words were a warning not only to Miju, but also to everyone else. Keep your mouth shut, and you'll still be alive. Anyone who dared to speak out would be beaten to death, and their entire family would be implicated.
The threat worked.
The few maids who were originally hesitant all backed down and only apologized, not daring to blame anyone else.
Only the tangerine stood in mid-air, unable to go up or down.
She was pale and looked frightened.
Xiao Qin'er snorted, "Second sister-in-law, how dare you threaten others in front of my mother? What are your intentions?"
have to!
Before Pei had finished fighting with the two concubines, Xiao Qin'er and Ouyang Fu, the sisters-in-law, started fighting again.
Ouyang Fu turned around and looked at Xiao Qin'er. "Fourth sister-in-law, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. I just kindly reminded Miju to be more careful with her words. Don't say nonsense, it will be very dangerous."
Xiao Qin'er chuckled, "Mother, take the maid Miju away and have her interrogate her. The truth will be clear at a glance. No matter who it is, as long as they have embezzled the money, they must return it all."
Ouyang Fu smiled softly. "Fourth sister-in-law, I remember last month the needlework room reported a batch of silk being damaged by moths. So, how did you deal with the damaged silk? Today, in front of Mother, why don't you teach us?"
Xiao Qin'er's expression changed slightly, and she gritted her teeth at Ouyang Fu.
Ouyang Fu smiled contemptuously. Xiao Qin'er was still a little too young to fight with her.
Gu Jiu looked at the scene with a smile on his face.
She knew that if these two people fought, Xiao Qin'er would definitely suffer.
Xiao Qin'er was too impatient and placed too much emphasis on money. These two points alone made her lose to Ouyang Fu.
In addition, she was not careful enough in her work and her methods of corruption were too brutal, so it was no wonder that Ouyang Fu caught her.
Xiao Qin'er didn't complain about losing.
After learning her lesson, Xiao Qin'er didn't dare to speak carelessly again.
However, I took it to heart.
Pei had been watching this farce with indifference. She knew Xiao Qin'er's embezzlement very well. For Liu Yi's sake, Pei had always turned a blind eye.
But Xiao Qin'er was unexpectedly too careless and was caught by Ouyang Fu, who exposed her secrets in public.
Pei was very disappointed.
Xiao Qin'er has made no progress.
Pei asked angrily, "Did this princess allow you to speak?"
When she said this, her eyes swept towards Ouyang Fu, obviously criticizing her.
Ouyang Fu returned to her seat, lowering her head and looking docile, a change from her previous aggressive attitude.
Xiao Qin'er snorted coldly: "Pretend! Let's see how long you can keep pretending."
Pei continued, "This princess will thoroughly investigate the kitchen corruption. No matter who is implicated, no one will be spared."
At this time, the servant who went to invite King Ning came back.
"Your Highness, the prince said he won't be coming. He asked me to tell you that in these troubled times, less trouble is worse than more. It's up to you to decide whether to beat or kill the servants who have committed crimes, or to confiscate their property. Also, the prince said he'd like to invite Lord Shen and Lord Luo for a drink someday."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shen and Concubine Luo smiled happily.
He lowered his head, secretly happy in his heart.
Both the Shen family and the Luo family are officials with backgrounds and heritage.
The father and brother of Concubine Shen and Concubine Luo were also officials appointed by the court.
In other words, the Shen family and the Luo family are both helpers of King Ning.
Therefore, Prince Ning turned a blind eye to the corruption of Concubine Shen and Concubine Luo, and just regarded it as pocket money for the two concubines.
Pei knew this would be the result.
However, she was still furious.
This is outrageous.
Pei directly ordered, "From now on, Shen and Luo, you two will no longer be in charge of the matter. Hand over all the keys to the cards in your hands."
Concubine Luo was dissatisfied and made a few excuses in a low voice.
Bang!
Pei slammed the table, pointed at Concubine Luo, and angrily shouted, "As long as I am alive, I have the final say in this palace. If you don't accept it, then get out."
Concubine Luo was very embarrassed. She covered her face and ran out crying.
Pei snorted coldly, "Who else disagrees with this princess's arrangement?"
No one said anything.
Pei felt a little better.
She thought about it and decided that she couldn't leave Miju, Qin Ma and the others to Chang En.
If a few maids can't stand the torture and tell everything, and it reaches the prince's ears, it will be troublesome.
Pei made a decision. When Wen Zhong came back, she would hand over the maids and Nanny Qin to Wen Zhong.
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