Chapter 22 You want to give, but I don't necessarily have to: *Clatter...* A series of sounds, large and small, fell to the floor, and the teacups on the table clattered...
Splash...
A series of loud thuds followed, and the teacup on the table was smashed to pieces by Shumulu. The anxiety and frustration she had been feeling these past two days because of Shen Wanqing were shattered by He Yi's words.
"Second Master makes it sound so easy. Back then, I didn't want to come back. It's not like we didn't have our own place to live. You insisted that my mother and sister-in-law were all alone and helpless, and that the eldest son's family still had several children who hadn't grown up. You said that if we didn't come back, the family would fall apart."
Shumulu's family lived quite well in the Plain Yellow Banner. When the family divided the property, they didn't treat her and He Yi badly. The house given to the second branch was not as big as the old house, but it was a house with three courtyards, a small garden, and a sweet water well, which was enough for the second branch's family to live in.
After the family separated, Shumulu would only return home two or three times a month at most, bringing some gifts to visit Tongjia. Tongjia would then go around praising her as a dutiful daughter-in-law. When she moved back in, it was nominally Heyi who was dutiful, but the one who truly served her every day without complaint was Shumulu.
However, they were family after all, and moving back wasn't without its advantages. Putting aside everything else, just renting out the vacant house after moving back would earn them two or three hundred taels of silver each year. This money all went into Shumulu's private treasury, and He Yi never inquired about it.
“I’m back. I’m the one who takes care of everything in this family. My sister-in-law stays at the Buddhist altar and prays to the Bodhisattva every day. She’s a great Bodhisattva, what can she do?”
"Yes, I know how people inside and outside the manor see me. Everyone thinks I want a second wife to replace the first wife. How can I replace her? Should I take Yulang's position as a lieutenant and give it to my son, or should I take over this whole family and drive the first wife out? I don't think so."
"I'm just... just managing this household and being nicer to my confidants. If the family gets anything good, I'll save it for you, Tu Nan, and Hui Zhong first. I've also accepted the year-end gifts from the shops and estates, but so what?"
“Every steward has his own selfish motives. Since her husband died, Niohuru can’t take care of this or that. Now that I’m in charge, all the benefits should be mine. If she’s jealous, she can take them back if she’s so capable.”
"Isn't this what they call robbery?" He Yi calmly watched Shumulu's anger turn into feigned anger. Although her last few words were excessive, she had lowered her voice so that at least the people outside couldn't hear what she was saying. He Yi knew that Shumulu was listening to him.
“In the past few years, the two branches of the family have put their money into the common fund and used it together. The eldest branch contributes 70% and we contribute 30%. The second wife knows exactly how much money the second branch has spent throughout the year.”
"The old lady and Fuxuan were originally supported by the eldest son's family, and the eldest son's family also owns more of the family's land and shops. Including this west courtyard, to put it bluntly, we are just living here now, the house still belongs to the eldest son's family, so what's wrong with them contributing more?"
"The family's annual expenses are only around three thousand taels, and the two wives contribute a total of five thousand taels to the public fund each year. At the end of each year, the second wife's account is always left with four or five hundred taels. Where did the more than one thousand taels of silver that don't match go? Do you want me to continue?"
He Yi didn't continue speaking, but pulled out a slip of paper from his sleeve. It was a loan note for usurious lending, with the seal and signature of Guangyuan Bank on it. Shu Mulu knew what it was all about at a glance.
"If I keep this money in my hands, I can either buy land or shops. Our family's income is limited. Can I take this money out? If I can't take it out, it can only sit there. Why can't I lend it out to make money?"
Guangyuan Bank is a large and reputable bank; the interest they pay me every year is delivered on time and in full. As for what they do with the money, I neither care nor ask. Even if they lend it out at exorbitant interest rates, so what? Who forced them to borrow it?
Everyone knows what the silver deposited in Guangyuan Bank does with it. Shumulu Shi doesn't consider herself a saint; as long as Guangyuan Bank doesn't lack her money, why should she care so much?
"Besides, does the Second Master have no use for this money? Where do you think the money for the clothes he wears, the things he uses, the money he spends on entertaining his colleagues and patronizing prostitutes came from?"
“I used it, so I just watched what the second wife did and did these past few years without saying a word.”
Did He Yi have ulterior motives? Of course he did, but what he sought was never that little bit of money.
As the second son of Shuai Yanbao, he was the young master of the second branch of the viscount's mansion from birth. Later, when his father divided the family property, he became the second young master of the minister's mansion. Even after his father passed away, because his mother and elder brother were still alive, he never felt that his life was any different from before.
After the family separated and he became the Second Master of the Minister's Mansion, he went from being the Second Master to the Second Master He, a Second-Class Imperial Guard. Even though the servants were all from the mansion and his food, clothing, and daily necessities were all the same as before, he still felt awkward and uncomfortable. So when his elder brother passed away, he was very willing to return.
He's back, and he's still the second master of the former Minister's mansion. However, he can't stay in that position forever; the thoughts he had five years ago are no longer enough to satisfy He Yi's desires.
Being a second-class imperial bodyguard sounds good, but He Yi still feels it's not the path for him. What He Yi is thinking about now is to find a way to be sent to a post outside the capital for a few years, and once he has accumulated enough experience, he can return to the capital and join the Six Ministries, so that he can follow in his father's footsteps.
Therefore, He Yi was more than willing to return all the family affairs to the eldest son's family, so that he could gain a huge favor for the Shen family. As for money, He Yi had never lacked money in recent years, and he didn't think that losing the little bit of money that Shumulu had been hoarding since she took over the household would be a big deal.
Besides, one should cherish their reputation in this world. Since there are already rumors circulating, it should be clarified in time. However, this is a small matter in the inner quarters. What does it matter if the steward doesn't manage the household? If it's time to let go, then let go. There's no point in forcing it.
In fact, He Yi had already vaguely revealed this idea to Shumulu before Yu Lang got married.
At that time, He Yi had just revealed to Shen Hongshi his intention to take up a post outside the capital. Whether the matter would be successful, where he would go, and what official position he would get were all uncertain. Shumulu pretended not to understand, so he was not in a hurry.
Now that the Shen family has taken the initiative to ask for it, and there are some clues about Shen Hongshi's side, He Yi had already made a decision during dinner: to separate the accounts of the East and West courtyards and return the account books of the East courtyard.
Shumulu had calmed down, but her eyes were filled with even more overwhelming anger. She was seething with rage but didn't know where to vent it, so she could only dig her fists into her palms. "No, I won't agree."
After saying that, Shumulu turned and went back into the inner room. She was afraid that if she looked at He Yi again, she would feel so disgusted that she would vomit.
After marrying He Yi, Shumulu knew he was a cold-hearted man. He appeared refined and courteous on the surface, but his blood was cold inside. In all the years she had slept in the same bed with him, Shumulu had never felt a trace of warmth.
The only advantage was that this man cared about his reputation, and because he cared about his reputation, she, as his legal wife, could at least maintain a semblance of dignity. It was precisely this dignity that she could hold onto that made Shumulu Shi work even harder and devote herself wholeheartedly to the second wife; only in this way could she prove her worth.
But now it's unnecessary; the bad guy has already been dealt with. He Yi has more pressing ambitions, and this whole mess of hers has become a burden. The best outcome would be for her to meticulously organize the East Courtyard's accounts until they appear perfectly correct and then voluntarily submit them to the East Courtyard.
It would be best to send it to the Shen family, so that He Yi could use this favor to make Shen Hongshi more dedicated to his post in the provinces. As for himself, he might have to bring his whole family with him to the post, so the whole "managing the household" thing would just be a joke anyway.
The two masters of the West Courtyard had a big fight, so frightening that the servants there practically walked on tiptoe. Shen Wanqing woke up from her afternoon nap and sat drowsily on the bed, listening to Biyun talk about what happened in the West Courtyard while trying to stay awake.
"I heard that the second master was trying to persuade the second mistress to separate the accounts of the east and west courtyards, and wanted the second mistress to take the initiative to return the accounts of the east courtyard, but the second mistress was unwilling."
"Then let's just listen for now. If we wanted to advise you, we would have done so earlier. Why did things have to turn out like this now?"
The "good cop, bad cop" trope didn't work on Shen Wanqing, and besides, what she had said before wasn't a lie.
Who said I should get the accounts back right away? What's the state of the public accounts over the past few years? How much silver is left over? How much silver is owed? Where did the large sums of money go? Where do the people who do the household shopping come from? I'm completely clueless right now. What's the use of just getting them back?
Let's observe first, like an apprentice, and watch carefully how the Shumulu clan prepares for the Mid-Autumn Festival. By witnessing such a large-scale event once, we can understand about 70-80% of the situation without even asking.
Yu Lang knew nothing of what had happened at home. He arrived early at the duty room located outside Yuqing Palace, waiting for the retired minister Ma Wu to assign him specific duty hours.
The guards at Yuqing Palace have been replaced quite a bit, and with so many new recruits, mistakes are inevitable. This time, only half of the newly recruited guards were selected for duty, including three personally chosen by the Crown Prince.
Yu Lang was assigned to the same shift as Geng E, a first-class guard, while E Shan was assigned to another shift, taking turns with Yu Lang's shift. The two of them were standing together and had quite a bit to talk about.
"Oh, I heard you're from the Hesheli family. You bumped into the Crown Prince outside the palace that day and even owe your master a wedding feast?"
"How come such a simple thing has spread everywhere?"
"What do you think? The master only selected three people. Lord Geng was originally a confidant of His Majesty, and we can't compare. I served the Crown Prince a few years ago, but unfortunately I wasn't capable enough to come to Yuqing Palace back then. Now it's good, I'm finally back to serve the master."
Eshan is a handsome man. His family are ordinary bannermen of the Bordered White Banner. Seven years ago, he took up the post of Blue Feather Guard. He was promoted every three years, from Blue Feather Guard to Third-Class Guard and now to Second-Class Guard.
He must have suffered a lot and experienced a lot along the way, and he certainly wasn't as carefree and cheerful as he appears now.
Since he was willing to adopt this approach to get close to him, Yu Lang naturally wouldn't turn him away. He had already inquired about it; this E Shan, though of humble origins, had managed to win the Crown Prince's heart for so many years—there must be something special about him.
The two walked at the back, whispering to each other, and only parted ways when they reached Yuqing Palace. As a newcomer, one should always be more attentive. Today, it happened to be Yulang's turn to be on duty outside Jide Hall, so Yulang naturally took on the first shift.
Before he had even stood there for half an hour, he heard footsteps coming from inside, getting closer and closer until they stopped right in front of him: "Lord Yu, the Crown Prince wants you to come in and talk to him."
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