Princess Duan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. However, I still feel a little embarrassed."
Zheng Huiyi smiled and held Princess Duan's hand, saying, "Mother, don't worry. My sister-in-law is a reasonable person, she will definitely understand us. Besides, the most important thing for us now is to work together to overcome this difficulty."
Princess Duan looked at her daughter, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes, and said, "You're right, our family should support each other. In that case, I can rest assured."
...
Gu Qinlan hurried back to Jinghong Garden, her makeup already somewhat faded. Her eyes were slightly upturned, and a tired smile played on her lips. She took off her outer robe and removed her elaborate headdress, leaving only a simple set of clothes. Then she said to Hongye, who was standing beside her, "Bring the account book."
Hongye responded and placed a heavy account book in front of Gu Qinlan. Her eyes revealed dissatisfaction and doubt, as if she was puzzled by Gu Qinlan taking over the affairs of the Duan Prince's Mansion.
“Madam, this account book…” Hongye hesitated before speaking.
Gu Qinlan raised her head, her gaze sharp, and glanced at Hongye before saying calmly, "I know what you want to say, Hongye. Now that I've married into the Duan Prince's mansion, these messes will inevitably fall into my hands sooner or later. It's better to deal with them now than to make them worse in the future."
Upon hearing this, Hongye frowned and looked at Gu Qinlan with confusion, saying, "Madam, why are you making yourself suffer like this? Princess Duan is clearly deliberately creating difficulties for you."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly, picked up the account book, flipped through it gently, and said calmly, "Hongye, I know you care about me, but these things always need to be done. Now that I have married the heir apparent, I have the responsibility to take on the affairs of the Duan Prince's Mansion."
Hearing Gu Qinlan's words, Hongye grew increasingly dissatisfied. She couldn't help but say, "Madam, look at these accounts. They're all messy. What are you going to do about them?"
Gu Qinlan picked up the thick ledger and began to flip through it page by page. Hongye stood to the side, nervously biting her lower lip, her eyes fixed on the ledger.
“Hongye, come and see! The cost of the chicken at this wedding banquet is a whopping five taels of silver per chicken!” Gu Qinlan pointed to the figures in the ledger, her voice filled with shock.
Hongye's eyes widened. She knew this price was several times higher than the market price. "This, how is this possible? How can a chicken be so expensive?" Hongye couldn't believe her eyes.
Gu Qinlan frowned and continued flipping through the ledger. "And this too, the cost of hay in the stables is unreasonably high. One shi (a unit of dry measure) of hay costs ten taels of silver, which is more than three times the market price!"
Hongye's expression turned serious; she knew the significance behind these numbers. These unreasonable expenditures undoubtedly indicated that someone was lining their own pockets.
"The cost of the medicines for our masters is also shockingly high. Although these medicines are precious, they shouldn't be this expensive." Gu Qinlan's voice was full of anger.
Hongye gritted her teeth, feeling a pang of heartache.
This money all belonged to the Duan Prince's Mansion, and it was embezzled just like that.
Hongye's eyes widened in disbelief. She had once managed the stables and knew that fodder costs were far more than that. She slammed her fist on the table in anger: "There's definitely something wrong with these accounts!"
Gu Qinlan nodded slightly, a resolute glint in her eyes: "That's right, these problems must be solved. Hongye, what do you think we should do?"
Hongye pondered for a moment, then said, "First, we need to find the loopholes in these accounts, then find evidence to prove that these expenses are unreasonable. Finally, we need to find the person responsible behind it."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly, looking at Hongye with appreciation: "You're right. However, before that, we need to find out where these expenses went. Hongye, could you help me check?"
Hongye nodded, turned and left the room to investigate. Gu Qinlan continued to peruse the account books, her eyes growing colder, clearly showing she was genuinely angry.
A short while later, Hongye returned, holding a thin ledger in her hand: "Madam, I have already checked. Most of these expenses went to a place called 'Bai Cao Tang'."
A hint of doubt flashed in Gu Qinlan's eyes: "Bai Cao Tang? What kind of place is that?"
Hongye explained, "Baicaotang is a herbal medicine shop that specializes in selling all kinds of precious medicinal herbs. It is said that their herbs are of very high quality, but the prices are also very expensive."
Gu Qinlan sneered: "Expensive? They're probably just ripping us off! They dare to deceive us so blatantly, we have to teach them a lesson."
Hongye hesitated for a moment, then said, "Madam, this matter may involve more than one person. We need to proceed with caution."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly: "I know, Hongye. I will handle this matter personally. You just need to help me investigate and find out the truth."
Hongye responded and then left the room. Gu Qinlan sat at the table, quietly considering how to handle the matter.
She picked up the ledger and carefully examined each expense. Suddenly, she noticed something strange: several expenses for medicinal herbs were unusually high, and all of them involved the purchase of the same type of herb.
A hint of doubt flashed in Gu Qinlan's eyes, and she decided to go and ask Hongye. When she arrived at Hongye's room, she found that Hongye was already asleep.
Gu Qinlan gently woke Hongye up. Hongye sat up groggily and looked surprised when she saw Gu Qinlan standing in front of the bed.
"Madam, what brings you here?" Hongye asked in surprise.
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