After Zhang took over the household, she practiced nepotism and embezzled public funds. Steward Mo had long been disgusted by her way of doing things.
As a retainer of the Marquis's household, he was only loyal to the Marquis and his wife.
Seeing that the crowd lacked manners, Butler Mo took the lead in raising his teacup in return,
"Second Madam, you're exaggerating. We receive a monthly salary from the Marquis, and it's our duty to help the Marquis's household."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang glared at Steward Mo, her face dark and her eyes seeming to spit fire.
Steward Mo held a certain position among the retainers of the Marquis's mansion, and the other stewards greeted him with the same courtesy.
Seeing this, Zhang felt bad inside, but she forced a smile and calmly introduced Gu Qianluo.
"Second sister-in-law, this is Steward Mo, who manages our Prince's estate. The Prince's estate has a total of six estates, covering an area of about 6,000 mu. You can find out the details of the estates from Steward Mo."
"This is Steward Zhu from the Imperial Kitchen. He is mainly in charge of the Marquis's household food procurement and cooking. In addition, the Marquis's household has two ranches in the capital, each with a herdsman."
"This is Steward Zhang from the pawnshop's warehouse. He is in charge of the Marquis's household finances, including the receipt and expenditure of money and grain, and the cancellation of account books."
"You should be very familiar with this gentleman. He is Yin Bo of our Marquis's Mansion, the chief steward of the mansion. He is in charge of purchasing supplies for the servants, maids, and young men in the household."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianluo stood up and nodded to the various housekeepers in goodwill.
"Have all the stewards not eaten yet? Why don't you eat before you leave?"
After a brief introduction, Zhang began arranging meals for the stewards.
With such meticulous care, it's no wonder that he's managed to win over all the housekeepers so well.
Upon hearing this, Butler Mo and the other butlers exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with delight, and they all thanked her, saying, "Thank you for the meal, Madam!"
"Second sister-in-law, you just finished dealing with the matters of Luoying Palace this morning and came to keep the appointment this afternoon. You must be feeling tired."
"Why don't we go back to the main hall to rest while the opera troupe is still here?"
Upon hearing this, a trace of resentment flashed through Gu Qianluo's heart.
Gu Qianluo has been very self-disciplined since childhood and has always been conscientious in her work. If she is going to study, she wants to study it thoroughly.
She came here today to learn about the specific affairs of the Marquis's residence, but so far, she still only knows the basics.
But she also understood the saying, "Teaching an apprentice can lead to the master's own starvation."
Presumably, Zhang didn't explain the duties of each steward to her in detail because she was worried about this.
Gu Qianlu's gaze was cool as she politely returned Zhang's smile and softly requested,
"Thank you for your understanding, sister-in-law, but Qianluo thought that the housekeepers had finally managed to get together."
Why not take this opportunity to learn more about the matters from them?
This will also reduce the probability of mistakes when helping my sister-in-law with her affairs in the future.
Upon hearing this, the light in Zhang's eyes dimmed slightly, but she forced a smile and said,
"That's right, that's right. It's rare for them to come all the way to the Marquis's residence, so we should say more."
Seeing that Madam Zhang had compromised for her sake, Gu Qianluo nodded politely and smiled, "Thank you for your understanding, sister-in-law."
"Then, all you stewards, simply give the Second Madam a general overview of the matters under your jurisdiction!"
After Zhang finished speaking, the stewards below remained expressionless, glancing left and right.
Only Butler Mo, just like before, set an example by taking the lead.
Zhang's eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze fell on Butler Mo, and a surge of anger rose within her.
He picked up the teacup beside him, gently swirled it in front of his nose, took a small sip, and said slowly.
"Madam, why don't I, Old Mo, speak first? Our Prince's Mansion currently owns six estates: three in the eastern suburbs, one in the northern suburbs, and two in the southern suburbs. These six estates have a total of..."
Half an hour later, each steward had given a detailed introduction to the affairs under their jurisdiction.
"Second sister-in-law, are you satisfied with the housekeepers' introduction?"
If you have any further questions, just ask them.
A hint of joy appeared in Gu Qianluo's eyes. She nodded in satisfaction to Zhang Shi and said,
"Sister-in-law, Qianluo has already learned a bit about the affairs of the various stewards. It's getting late, everyone must be hungry, right?"
"In that case, please, stewards, move to the flower hall for your meal."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Madam!" The officials bowed and walked towards the flower hall.
"Second sister-in-law, it's getting late, let's go together!"
"Great! Thank you for your hospitality today, sister-in-law."
"Look at you, we're all family, why are you being so polite? Come to Baixiangju often and chat with me to relieve your boredom!"
Gu Qianluo raised her eyebrows slightly, smiled, and said, "Okay! I'll be there whenever you call, as long as you're available."
On the other side of Baixiangju, in the inner hall, two men with similar faces sat at a chess table, playing chess.
Although they looked alike, their temperaments were quite different. One wore a silver-white wide-sleeved robe, while the other wore a dark-colored narrow-sleeved brocade robe. One was like a cold-faced Yama, while the other was like a handsome immortal, just like their personalities.
"Jinheng, I have heard that after the Lantern Festival, you will lead troops to quell the rebellion of the northern bandits."
"Hmm, Big Brother's information network is really good."
"I am useless as your elder brother, unable to fight alongside you and go into battle to kill the enemy."
Chen Jinran slowly placed the white piece in her hand and exhaled a heavy breath.
"Brother, don't say that. You've always been my role model and the treasure of our Chen family."
However, Jinheng is dull-witted and not good at studying; otherwise, I also wanted to follow in my elder brother's footsteps, enter the imperial court as an official, and bring glory to our family.”
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