After saying this, Butler Han glanced at Butler Cao, who was squinting and enjoying his tea with a contented expression, as if he hadn't heard him.
Steward Han glanced at Accountant Sun again.
Accountant Sun was clearly quite taken aback, his nonchalant expression vanishing as he asked, "What? Does Madam want to see the accounts from the outer courtyard?"
Hongye nodded: "Yes."
Accountant Sun looked at Gu Shiliu and asked, "Did the Marquis say the same thing?"
Gu Shiliu smiled and said, "Of course, the Marquis already said that he would also like to ask the Madam to take a look at the accounts of the outer courtyard. The Marquis has been fighting on the frontier and hasn't paid much attention to the accounts of the outer courtyard since he came back. Now that the Madam is in charge of both the inner and outer courtyards, isn't that perfect?"
Accountant Sun slumped back in his chair, looking quite unwell.
Hongye then asked, "Accountant Sun, is there something amiss?"
Accountant Sun: "..."
The maidservant by the lady's side is really wicked. The Marquis asked the lady to look at the account books, and she said there was anything wrong with them.
Hongye was about to agree to come up, but Gu Shiba coughed heavily a few times and said, "Hongye, didn't you have any food when you got back to Wutong Garden?"
Accountant Sun's face once again revealed an expression of agreement, which made Hongmian's throat itch at the sight.
Hongye smiled and said, "Of course. Madam requires you to write down the obvious points and transcribe them out. Naturally, every point must be accurate and correspond to every detail."
Hongmian stopped laughing and said, "Steward Cao is right. I was mistaken. I thought that Accountant Sun was not saying anything because he didn't want Madam to see the account books."
Red cotton is bad, let's bring that up again.
Hongye chimed in, "Butler Han is right. Let's start with the accounts from 1987, since they're corrupted."
Before Accountant Sun could speak, Hongmian, who was standing to the side, smiled and waved the handkerchief in her hand, saying, "Sister Hongye, Accountant Sun looks so unwell. Is there something wrong with the account book?"
Hongmian apologized without any hesitation, "You said you were mistaken. Since Accountant Sun thinks that way, let's take our time handing over the ledgers. The sooner we finish the accounting, the better we can go back for lunch."
Steward Cao immediately put down the small teapot in his hand and laughed, "Hongmian, why are you talking like that? The manor has never checked the accounts in all these years, it's only natural that Accountant Sun is surprised."
Accountant Sun angrily said, "There are too few account books; I'm afraid they won't be available anytime soon."
Butler Cao, who had been speaking, said, "Give us the one from 1987. Write a note, sign it, and Madam can return it for a new one whenever she's finished reading it."
Gu Shiba beamed with joy.
After the handover of the bad and difficult accounts was completed, Hongye and Accountant Sun made a record in front of everyone. The two old women then packed the account books into a box and were about to leave when Accountant Sun stopped us again.
Hongye paused for a moment before saying, "You...you thought of that? You're Madam's dowry maid, it would be bad to always think of bringing fewer people for Madam to use. Hongmian is a simpleton, but she's good at handling things, even Madam has said something about you..."
Butler Han's eyes were full of smiles as he said, "Madam's instructions are absolutely right. It's too early. Miss Hongye, please go back slowly. You can still catch Madam's meal."
Gu Shiba said, "Does the Marquis still have anyone to serve him? Eighth Master is also in the inner courtyard. Would I dare to ask Eighth Master's servant to make two trips for him?"
Gu Shiba comforted him, "Oh no, oh no, that's just what you think. Hongmian is definitely that kind of person. You're just thinking that he'll make a vague impression on people after he teaches them, and that it'll be a short while, yes, yes."
Hongmian hurriedly asked, "Does Sister Hongye know how to read the account books in the inner courtyard?"
Hongye then left.
Hongye added, "But Madam will definitely look at it. When Madam checks the account books of the dowry shop, she will find the mistakes after a while."
Hongye couldn't help but laugh.
Hongye said, "Is that what you mean by 'less'? If you can understand the accounts of the inner courtyard, you can definitely understand the accounts of the inner courtyard. If you can understand them, you might make a mistake and wrongly accuse me."
Butler Han glanced at Accountant Sun's expression, sighed inwardly, and said, "Should we take a few more books first?"
Hongye gestured with her chin toward the two stacks of account books under Sun's desk and said, "Those have all been checked. I imagine the account books in the inner courtyard can be checked as well."
Gu Shiba and Hongye were both speaking in low spirits, giving Hongmian a chance to interject.
Hongye said, "You know, you have to see it to know if it is true or not. Today, when I checked the account book, I had time to look at the details."
Hongye said to Gu Shiba, "If he goes back to Wutong Garden with you, then there will be food. Just have the main kitchen cook for you."
Butler Han and Cao Linlun spoke up.
Accountant Sun was both shocked and angry. He scolded, "That head maid of his has a sharp tongue. You were just acting impartially, and he held a grudge against you. Back when the Eighth Madam was in charge of the inner quarters, what was wrong with what you said? You managed the accounts for so many years. You didn't make any contributions or work hard. How could he follow Zi to smear you like this?"
As for Gu Shiba, Cao Linlun, and Steward Cao, they all served as witnesses outside.
That Hongmian is not only fierce, but also holds a grudge.
“That’s bad. The main kitchen has limited variety, and the madam and son share the same dishes. Those few days you’ve been eating in the inner courtyard with the Marquis, it must have been so monotonous. You’ve been wanting to go back to Wutong Garden to eat something different.”
"Forgive your bluntness, but there are many similarities between the account books in the inner courtyard and those in the inner courtyard. If you don't understand the differences, Miss Hongye, would you rather rush to a conclusion or have us go over it one by one?"
After entering the seventh gate, Hongmian said, "Does Accountant Sun mean that you are afraid that you might misinterpret my words and wrong me?"
Butler Han asked in surprise, "Is it too little?"
1987?
Hongye then noticed that Gu Shiba was still following ahead, and said, "Ah, he's still there. Is he going to the inner courtyard to serve the Marquis his meal?"
Hongmian's complexion was not good at all.
Hongye said in a muffled voice, "You've got it."
Accountant Sun then summoned several senior accountants, who first brought over the account books for the next eight years and handed them to Hongye. They then helped me check the account books that Hongye had handed over to ensure there were no alterations or damages.
Gu Shiba asked, "Why do you say that?"
When they returned to Wutong Courtyard, Hongmian went to check on the main kitchen. Gu Shiba whispered, "Hongye, is he stupid? Does he have to tell Madam before he teaches you how to read account books? Besides, he's already shown you up in front of Madam, making you a step ahead of the other maids in Wutong Courtyard. What if you contradict him if he teaches you everything?"
Hongmian lowered her head again, leaned closer and asked sweetly, "Madam is really incompetent. If Sister Hongye learns it, can she teach you?"
Hongmian said, "It's because Accountant Sun always mentions that Madam Eight is related to the Eighth Madam. You just think that Accountant Sun would say that Madam Eight must refuse before she can look at the account book."
Cao Linlun: "..."
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