Princess Duan stared wide-eyed at Zheng Longyu: "You...you actually embezzled so much silver!"
Zheng Longyu was so frightened that sweat beaded on his forehead. He quickly explained, "Mother, this servant was only doing this for the benefit of the Duan Prince's Mansion. Those tonics are indeed effective. This servant only dared to do this in order to improve the quality of my breast milk."
Gu Qinlan said coldly, "Zheng Longyu, do you know that your behavior has violated the law? If it is verified, you will be severely punished."
Zheng Longyu's face turned pale, and he looked at Gu Qinlan with despair.
At this moment, the wet nurse suddenly cried out, "Mother, Princess Consort, I really know I was wrong. Please give me a chance. I am willing to compensate for all the losses. I only beg you not to hand me over to the authorities."
Princess Duan hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Qinlan: "Qinlan, what do you think..."
Gu Qinlan looked at Princess Duan and suggested, "Mother, why don't you hand Zheng Longyu over to me and let me deal with him?"
Princess Duan hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Alright, Qinlan, you decide what to do."
Gu Qinlan turned to Zheng Longyu and said, "Your crimes are serious. I'll give you two choices: one is to commit suicide, and the other is to be demoted to a servant, never to rise again. Which one do you choose?"
Zheng Longyu stared wide-eyed at Gu Qinlan in horror: "I...I'm willing to be demoted to a servant, please, Princess Consort, have mercy!"
Gu Qinlan looked at him coldly: "Fine, since you've chosen to be demoted to a servant, then you'd better atone for your sins. If you make even the slightest mistake, I will not let you off easily!"
Zheng Longyu nodded hurriedly: "I will definitely atone for my sins and never dare to make the slightest mistake again."
Gu Qinlan turned to the wet nurse, her tone stern: "You ate more tonics but didn't feed them to Young Master Fengyun; that's also a crime. What kind of punishment are you willing to accept?"
The wet nurse turned pale with fright and said in a trembling voice, "I am willing to accept any punishment, please, Princess Consort, have mercy."
Gu Qinlan looked at her and softened her tone: "Alright, since that's the case, you can work as a lowly maid in the Prince Duan's mansion to atone for your sins."
The wet nurse looked at Gu Qinlan gratefully: "Thank you, Your Highness, I am willing to atone for my sins."
Gu Qinlan looked at Princess Duan and smiled, "Mother, the matter has been handled properly, please rest assured."
Princess Duan looked at Gu Qinlan, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes: "Qinlan, you are truly my good daughter-in-law."
Gu Qinlan smiled and replied, "Mother, you flatter me. I am just doing my best to share the burden of the Prince Duan's Mansion."
Gu Qinlan turned to Princess Duan and asked, "Mother, have you really never looked through the account books?"
Princess Duan nodded slightly, a hint of sorrow in her eyes, and replied, "That's true. Ever since Huiyi grew up, I've entrusted her with managing all the affairs of the household. I haven't actually looked at the account books because... I'm illiterate."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinlan frowned slightly, surprised that the Princess Consort of Duan was illiterate.
She pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Mother, no wonder the servants dared to be so presumptuous. It turns out you are illiterate, and they thought they could get away with it. However, we can't entirely blame you, after all, you have always focused on the affairs of the household and the children."
Princess Duan gave a bitter smile. She gently patted Gu Qinlan's hand and said, "Qinlan, you are a sensible woman, and I know you won't blame me. However, I am really worried that if the situation in the manor continues like this, I'm afraid a great disaster will befall us."
Gu Qinlan gently grasped Princess Duan's hand and said firmly, "Mother, don't worry, I will find a way to resolve this matter. First, I will read the account books to you so that you can understand the true situation in the mansion."
A hint of gratitude flashed in Princess Duan's eyes. She nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Qinlan."
Gu Qinlan picked up the account book and began to read it aloud to Princess Duan, word by word. Her voice was gentle, and she showed no disdain whatsoever. Princess Duan listened attentively, nodding occasionally and sometimes interjecting with a question.
After reading for a while, Princess Duan suddenly said, "Qinlan, you read so well. I can almost see the words on the ledger. Your voice makes me feel very at ease."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly and said, "Mother, you flatter me. I just wanted you to understand the truth. Although I don't recognize the words on the account book, I believe that as long as you study hard, you will definitely be able to master them."
A resolute glint flashed in Princess Duan's eyes. She gently patted Gu Qinlan's hand and said, "Qinlan, thank you. I will try my best to learn and will not let the servants look down on me again."
Gu Qinlan picked up the account book and began to read it aloud to Princess Duan, word by word: "Pork is twenty taels of silver per catty, mutton is thirty taels of silver per catty, and tofu is five taels of silver per piece..."
Princess Duan frowned, her face growing paler. She interrupted, "Qinlan, is this account a joke? How can the prices of pork and mutton be so outrageous?"
Gu Qinlan nodded slightly and said seriously, "Mother, Huiyi handed these accounts to me yesterday. She said that she had personally checked them. I also felt that these numbers were not right, but the account book is written in black and white, and it is indeed the case."
Princess Duan's face instantly turned ashen. She gripped the armrests of her chair tightly, burning with rage. But she knew all too well that these problems with the accounts were not a recent occurrence, and there must be something fishy going on behind the scenes.
“Huiyi…” Princess Duan gritted her teeth as she uttered her daughter’s name, a fierce glint in her eyes. “She dares to fool me like this. It seems I’ve been too lenient with her.”
Gu Qinlan gently grasped Princess Duan's hand, trying to calm her down: "Mother, please calm down. The problem with the accounts has been going on for a while now. It's not too late that we've discovered the problem. As long as we take appropriate measures, we can definitely correct it."
"Qinlan, you're right. We can't let people like this continue to fool us." Princess Duan slowly stood up and said with a firm look in her eyes, "From today onwards, you will personally oversee all affairs of the Duan Prince's Mansion, big and small. We can't let people like this take advantage of us any longer."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly and agreed, "Mother, please rest assured, I will do my best to manage the household affairs for the Prince Duan's residence."
Princess Duan bit her lip, somewhat embarrassed, and took Gu Qinlan's hand, saying apologetically, "Qinlan, I was wrong to blame you for what happened before. I... I am truly ashamed."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly, a hint of tolerance and understanding flashing in her eyes. She gently patted Princess Duan's hand and said softly, "Mother, you are too kind. Sister Huiyi is young and inevitably a little immature. I understand your concerns and am grateful for your continued care."
Upon hearing this, Princess Duan's eyes flashed with emotion. She held Gu Qinlan's hand tightly and said, "Qinlan, you are such a magnanimous person. Unlike me, I am always troubled by these trivial matters."
Gu Qinlan smiled gently and said, "Mother, who can be without fault in this world? The key is that we must learn to be tolerant and understanding. My younger sister is still young and doesn't know how to handle these complicated interpersonal relationships yet. I will teach her slowly."
Princess Duan nodded and said with emotion, "You're right. Huiyi did indeed talk back to you before, and I thought you would hold it against her. I didn't expect you to be so magnanimous. It really makes me ashamed."
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