At this point, the two exchanged a glance, and both had already made up their minds.
Ordinary methods are clearly not going to work.
We have no choice but to find another way.
Gu Shiliu stood up and said, "I have something to do, you go ahead and do your work."
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Gu Shiba exclaimed, "Isn't it okay if I do all this kind of thing?"
Gu Shiliu didn't stop walking or turn his head. He simply raised his left arm and waved it behind him, saying, "The Marquis has other instructions. Let's all go about our business."
Gu Shiba: "...What a cunning Gu Shiliu..."
In fact, Gu Shiliu wasn't lying.
Lord Gu did indeed have many things to entrust to him, such as finding a way to investigate the background of Physician Li and Qin Yuan's maternal family.
For example, investigate the family members mentioned by Old Madam Gu to see what their character is like, what their family background is like, and whether they have any scandalous affairs.
Such examples are numerous.
...
As dusk fell, Qin Yuan finally received confirmation: the Five Cities Garrison Command sent a captain, along with a eunuch from the palace, to convey the message from the Prefect of the Capital and the palace, granting permission for the Marquis's residence to open its doors the next day.
Hongye returned from outside and said, "These people are overjoyed. They just received their money today, and the gates of the manor will open tomorrow. They can take turns going back to visit their families and spend a little money along the way."
Cui Ming said, "Actually, it's nothing. Most of the servants live in the mansion, only those with families live outside."
Hongye retorted, "You don't understand. Who would want to stay here all day without being able to go out? When you can come and go as you please, you might not want to go out for a walk even after several months. But when you can't move around freely, you always want to go out for a stroll. Now that the mansion has suddenly been opened, people's hearts are all unsettled."
Qin Yuan changed the subject, asking, "How is Hongmian's job going? Has anyone come forward to complain?"
Hongye said, "No."
Qin Yuan instructed, "Pick a plate of dishes from tonight's meal and give it to her, so she can do her job well in the future."
The red leaves responded.
Several maids outside quietly called Hongye out. After a while, Hongye returned, and Cuiming asked, "What's wrong?"
Hongye laughed and said, "They all asked me if I'm going to teach bookkeeping today."
Qin Yuan also laughed: "Now that you're a teacher, find a few more good ones. I'm short-staffed here, and it's not good to have my hands tied up because of things in the manor."
Hongye and Cuiming felt a surge of warmth in their hearts upon hearing this.
Unlike others, Steward Qin Yuan liked to delegate authority to those close to her, which gave them many opportunities.
Who wouldn't want to be someone important and valued?
Hongye said, "Then I can only teach her slowly. There is a bright and clever Xiaohong right now, and she also wants to come. Why don't you want her, Miss?"
Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about it later. The Marquis hasn't made a decision yet, and they still need to keep people around them."
The red leaves fell silent.
A short while later, Lord Gu sent a messenger with a message: "Sixth Master is keeping Lord Hou for drinks. Lord Hou will not be back today for dinner and will rest in the study tonight. Madam, please do not worry."
Qin Yuan not only didn't worry about it, but actually breathed a sigh of relief.
She had Cuiming arrange several dishes in a food box and asked the servant to take them back, saying it was to add some food for the Marquis and the Sixth Master to enhance their enjoyment.
The servant happily took it back, and sure enough, the Marquis rewarded him.
Qin Yuan said, "Since the Marquis is not coming to eat, let's eat together."
Hongye picked up a plate of vegetables from the table, took it outside, and shouted loudly, "Hongmian, Madam rewarded you with vegetables, saying you've been working diligently these past few days."
The maids outside screamed.
Hongmian felt very honored and stepped forward with a beaming smile, saying, "Thank you for the meal, Madam. Thank you, Sister Hongye."
Hongye said, "You can eat slowly outside. I need to go inside and serve you."
Hongmian smiled and agreed.
Hongye then said to everyone, "After we've eaten and rested for an hour, we'll learn to look at the account books again."
The maids quickly agreed.
Hongye then turned around and went back.
Qin Yuan and Cui Ming, who were inside the house, heard the commotion and laughed, "You're making such a fuss just to offer a dish."
Hongye said, "It doesn't matter to others, but Hongmian loves to be in the limelight. Giving her this will only make her happy."
Qin Yuan stopped eating and looked at Hongye with a half-smile.
Cui Ming laughed and said, "Then why did you add a sentence at the end?"
Hongye raised her chin, looking arrogant, and said, "I was just letting her know that no matter how strong she is, she can't be stronger than me."
Qin Yuan couldn't help but laugh, pointed with her chopsticks, and said, "Hurry up and eat. If you do your job well, who can surpass you?"
After the meal, the three of them sat down and drank tea.
Qin Yuan thought to herself, "Once the manor is officially opened, it's time to send over some new tea."
Hongye said, "This tea is so good, I never get tired of drinking it."
Cui Ming couldn't help but sigh.
"Back when I was at the Qin family mansion, I never imagined I would be able to drink such good tea in my life. At that time, only the master and mistress had good tea in their courtyard, but it couldn't compare to this. We could only drink some old tea leaves, which were only bitter."
Qin Yuan said, "I've been busy these days and haven't written to my father yet. When they come to visit, I'll send them some good tea and ink back."
The three then discussed what they would do after establishing their own residence, and before they knew it, it was already late.
Hongye went to find the maids to discuss the account book, while Cuiming didn't rest either, slowly flipping through the account book under the lamp.
After handing over the matter to Gu Shiliu, Qin Yuan dropped everything and stopped caring about the outer courtyard's accounts.
Cuiming asked curiously, "Miss, why don't you take a closer look at the accounts of the outer courtyard anymore?"
Qin Yuan said, "If we can't find any major errors in the general accounts of Hongye, we don't need to investigate further. In recent years, the Marquis has been in the northern frontier, and his manor hasn't had much social interaction. Even if there were, there are precedents to follow. As for the imperial rewards and the rent and goods paid by the estate, they are all accounted for. As long as Accountant Sun doesn't cheat or make mistakes in these areas, there's nothing to investigate. If I take over, I will naturally set up new accounts. With you all watching over things, he won't be able to cheat. As for what I asked Sixteen to investigate, we can only use Sixteen's method to investigate."
Cuiming understood, so she tossed aside the ledger and said, "Then I don't need to look at it anymore. I already know what Miss taught me before, and that's enough for me."
Qin Yuan said, "That's fine. Once Manager Wu hands over the shop's accounts for this season, you can take a look at them again. You should always put what you've learned into practice so you don't forget it."
Early the next morning, Steward Han ordered people to set up firecrackers outside the mansion gate and set them off.
With a series of crackling sounds, red and yellowish-brown scraps of paper were scattered on the ground, and the air was filled with a pungent, acrid smell of smoke, which quickly attracted a crowd to watch the spectacle.
The more daring little kids even squeezed in to pick up the few firecrackers that had fallen.
"The Marquis of Dingbei's residence has finally opened its doors."
Steward Han smiled, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to everyone, saying, "Yes, we received a letter from the government yesterday, so we opened the gates today, set off some firecrackers to ward off bad luck and illness, and pray for good fortune."
As they were talking, the Xu family, who had come eagerly to cause trouble, had already crowded to the front of the door, shouting and making a scene.
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