At this point, Mrs. Lu couldn't care less about saving face.
Nothing is more important than substance.
If she lost her job, her family would blame her to death.
Every position is important, and it's not easy to get a job in the household. If she loses her position as the head housekeeper today, she'll be at the mercy of others tomorrow. Her children and grandchildren won't benefit either, and all the opportunities will go to others.
After all these years of being bossy and domineering, Mrs. Lu doesn't even want to think about what that feeling was like.
Mother Lu turned her head and looked pleadingly at the several steward mothers beside her.
The stewardesses all avoided Lu's mother's gaze, not daring to plead for her.
Lady Hou's move was truly terrifying.
No one could have imagined that the seemingly delicate and youthful Lady Hou would be so shrewd and swift in her actions.
Even the Sixth Madam, who had managed the household for many years, couldn't do that.
They had no connection with Qin Yuan and were stunned by this move, so they didn't dare to speak up and risk offending her, fearing they would be next.
Nobody's bottom is completely clean.
If this gets investigated...
Qin Yuan said, "What are you doing, Cui Ming? Quickly help Mama Lu up and let her rest over there."
Cuiming quickly stepped forward to help Mama Lu up and set her aside, saying softly, "Madam only asked you to sort out the accounts. You can come to see Madam whenever you have sorted them out."
Madam Lu's lips trembled as she said in a hoarse voice, "But this old servant's job..."
Cuiming sighed helplessly, "Tasks don't wait for anyone. Is it really that difficult for Mama Lu to manage these accounts?"
Lu's mother has become mute.
She couldn't very well explain why she couldn't.
If they can't figure it out, then they'll bring up old grievances again. Given how meticulous Lady Hou is, there'll be no way out for her.
I'm afraid the whole family will be implicated and driven to the village.
Madam Lu gritted her teeth, her hands trembling as she held Cuiming's hand, and whispered a plea: "Good girl, I know you are the most respectable person in front of the madam. Please think of a way. I can't afford to lose this job. My family's situation is different from others. You can find out if you ask around."
Cuiming couldn't pull her hand away, so she had no choice but to say helplessly, "Madam has other instructions. Come find me later."
Mrs. Lu glanced gratefully at Cui Ming, then calmed down a bit and stood to the side with her hands at her sides, waiting for Qin Yuan to finish the morning meeting.
But Qin Yuan still had something to say after she had finished dealing with all the affairs of the steward mothers.
"Today, one person after another has been barging into Wutong Garden. Have they forgotten the rules I set?"
Qin Yuan ordered someone to bring the old women guarding the gate to her. She only asked this one question and did not listen to their explanation. She said, "You have made a mistake and must be punished. Considering that this is your first time, I will punish you lightly. If there is a next time, I will not let you off easily."
The old women begged for mercy repeatedly, but to no avail. They were all forced onto the bench and tortured under Hongye's watch. They were beaten with twenty thorny sticks, but dared not make a sound.
Hongye continued to scold, "The madam is the mistress, and you must abide by the rules she sets. If you make a mistake today and beg for forgiveness, and he makes a mistake tomorrow and begs for forgiveness too, and the madam agrees to it all, wouldn't this courtyard be in chaos?"
Qin Yuan sat to one side with a cold face, remaining silent.
The supervising mothers were even more terrified when they saw this.
Mrs. Lu trembled all over as she watched; despite the sweltering heat, cold sweat soaked her back.
After Qin Yuan finally finished dealing with the affairs of Wutong Garden, the old women were also taken away. The head housekeepers surrounded Qin Yuan with smiles and said, "Madam, we know that you are in the pepper business, and we all want to join in. Please let us get rich with you."
Qin Yuan smiled gently.
That smile was like a spring breeze blowing and peonies blooming.
Everyone was stunned.
He felt a mixture of affection, respect, and fear towards this lady.
They all secretly cursed themselves for being foolish.
Such a beauty is just a good-for-nothing, and they can't afford to look down on her.
The Marquis isn't blind; it's a shame they thought the Lady couldn't defeat the Zhao family.
They've really lost their minds.
Qin Yuan said softly, "Those of you who are willing to contribute should go find Hongye. I only had this idea for the pepper business, and I don't even know where the pepper is yet. You all want to contribute. You should know that there is no business that only makes money and never loses. If you lose your capital, don't cry."
"How could that be?"
The crowd fawned and said, "Don't worry, Madam. We're not naive children; we know all this."
Qin Yuan nodded gently, "That's good. Is there anything else? If not, I'll go back and rest. The sun is getting stronger and stronger, and it's giving me a headache."
Hearing this, everyone felt that it would be a real pity if she got tanned while sitting in the courtyard with her fair and delicate skin.
"Madam, please go back. Hongye can talk to us."
Qin Yuan then returned to the main room as gracefully as a willow in the breeze.
Hongye stayed in the courtyard, busy making receipts for the several supervising mothers and explaining the items.
Everyone seemed to have agreed beforehand, each contributing fifty taels of silver.
Just as we finished our work here, several more "manager mothers" arrived, also begging to contribute money.
They happened to be right at the same spot.
Hongye was busy for a long time before she finished sorting out the accounts. After counting them, she discovered that all the stewardesses in the mansion had put in fifty taels of silver.
“It’s like these people planned this all along,” Hongye said, showing Qin Yuan the ledger.
Qin Yuan glanced at it and said, "Not surprising."
Hongye said, "Miss, you're not going to say you expected this again, are you?"
Miss was intelligent before, but not as quick to anticipate things as she is now.
Can arranging a marriage and getting married really change that much?
But the second young lady still has the same brain disorder.
Gu Jinghui, holding a book not far away, coughed lightly, the meaning of which was very threatening.
Hongye immediately changed her tune, saying, "Did Madam already guess that?"
Qin Yuan said, "Do I even need to guess? They all want to curry favor with me, and I've already told them that even Manager Leng doesn't have a good outlook on the pepper business, so naturally they can only give me a small amount of money."
"Then why is it fifty taels?"
“You asked Gu Shiliu for fifty taels of silver as a gift, and when Cai Mama saw this, she also gave fifty taels. Naturally, they followed suit.”
Hongye smiled and said, "So there's a story about me and Gu Shiliu here."
After comforting Madam Lu, Cuiming returned and said, "Madam Lu frightened Madam Lu quite a bit. I saw that her legs were weak when she went out."
Qin Yuan said, "Later, please invite Rong Mama to sit with us. Tell her that the Marquis has something to ask about the origins of the people in this mansion. I don't know the details yet, so I can only ask Rong Mama."
He paused, then added, "Call Xiaohong over too."
Hongye asked, "Are we going to use this child?"
Qin Yuan nodded: "I saw her come over and coax them a few times before they left. Perhaps they are not much different in age, and it's easier for children to talk to each other. It would be better to let her spend more time with these two children, so that the Marquis won't have to worry."
Gu Jinghui put down the book he hadn't turned a single page of for a long time and said, "I'm not worried at all."
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