"Do you know how much money is in there?"
"Five thousand taels."
"How do you know everything?" Siqin stepped on the stool and saw what was in her hand. She almost fell down. Fortunately, the eldest daughter was married and there was no one watching over the yard. Otherwise, she would not be able to enter and exit so smoothly.
"That's what my sister said. We're short of money right now, so let's use it first." Xu Yixing looked at Siqin with a smile. She looked shocked, her eyelashes trembling. "You didn't bring it back, did you?"
Siqin curled her lips when she heard this, thinking that if she didn't take it, then her trip would have been in vain. She dug out her heart from her bosom for a long time and finally pulled out a thick roll of paper, which was all wrinkled.
"That's right. You keep this money for me. You can put it anywhere, but don't put it in my room. If someone finds it, I won't be able to explain myself. You will decide the expenses as well. Just report to me every day how the banknotes are used."
"Is this...really possible, Miss..."
"I can't give it to her anytime soon. Besides, she's so rich, she won't care."
Employ people with confidence, and don't employ them if you doubt them. Nanny Bai once said that instead of constantly worrying about your subordinates' betrayal and putting more constraints on them, it's better to identify one person and give him power directly. Xu Yixing didn't understand this before, but now he seems to understand a little bit.
Maybe... if he could trust Si Wu, who had been with him since childhood, wholeheartedly instead of bringing up Si Wen to share power with her, she wouldn't betray him?
"Well... okay, I'll put it away." Siqin put away the banknotes, still feeling scared.
"Did Xiaohui say anything?"
"I did."
"Okay, great."
Xu Yixing's small treasury had a total of 20,000 taels of silver, which was divided into four parts when she got married: 5,000 taels in her own hands, 5,000 taels with Nanny Bai, 2,500 taels each for the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of War, and the remaining 5,000 taels were all on the beams of the boudoir. Now she had a clear goal.
"I don't think Mother will give us a good life these days. If you follow me, I'm afraid you will suffer."
"How could that be? Following the young lady, this servant does not feel wronged."
Xu Yixing took Siqin's hand and patted it gently, feeling a little emotional. This girl is really pitiful. Compared with Siwen and Siwu, her life is too miserable. She doesn't have the airs of a maid at all. I won't let her be like this in the future. Her good life in the past was all thanks to the love of Nanny Bai and my father. Now she has to rely on herself to fight for it.
Before going to sleep, Xu Yixing was afraid that he would have a nightmare again, so he covered his heart and muttered for a long time, saying things like "Don't worry, I will avenge you", hoping that Yi Yan would not disturb him.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Xu Yixing had just woken up when he heard someone talking outside the door.
"These are the items that Madam gave to the second young lady to buy for her room. They are all very valuable. You must be careful with them!" It was the voice of Mrs. Gu.
Siqin's voice also rang out: "Madame Gu, please be quiet. You've come too early. The Second Young Miss hasn't woken up yet."
Mrs. Gu's voice didn't drop, but instead rose eight degrees: "What time is it? Second Miss hasn't woken up yet? This is not the norm for ladies of a noble family. Mother-in-law is awake, why hasn't she gone to pay her respects yet?"
Xu Yixing glanced out the window. It was just dawn. Mrs. Gu was just talking nonsense. If Mrs. Gu could get up that early, he would have taken her last name!
It seemed like she was anxious to take revenge on me. "Siqin, who's outside?"
Siqin heard this and hurried in to serve, telling Xu Yixing that Mrs. Gu had come to cause trouble early in the morning. Xu Yixing was naturally not afraid of her, after all, he had thought yesterday that Mrs. Gu would not let it go.
After quickly washing up, Xu Yixing went out and saw Mrs. Gu standing in front of the door like a big rooster, followed by a dozen maids, each holding something in her hands.
"The second young lady got up so early!" Mrs. Gu said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Good morning, Ma'am. I wonder why you come here so early in the morning. Do you have any instructions for me?"
"Madam has instructed that some rare ornaments be sent to the second young lady. You go and replace everything inside." After saying this, she flicked her handkerchief, and more than a dozen maids filed in and placed the things in their arms in various corners of the room.
Xu Yixing stood at the door and looked around. He saw that what they put in were indeed some beautiful ornaments, and they were obviously treasures searched from his father's warehouse.
"Second Miss, there's no need to bother looking at these. These are all Master's favorite treasures. The things in your room are much more magnificent than what the eldest Miss had in her room. Madam specifically ordered them to be bought for you, so that no one would complain to Master about not having enough money!"
When Nanny Gu said the second half of the sentence, her whole body did not move, only her neck shook from side to side, like a mynah bird imitating human speech, which almost made Xu Yixing laugh.
Xu Yixing pretended not to understand the sarcasm in these words and thanked Gu very sincerely: "Thank you for your help, Madam. I will go to pay my respects and thank you in person later."
"Don't," Nanny Gu covered her nose with her handkerchief. "Madam has said that the Second Miss can skip the formalities of greeting for the next few days. Instead, she wants you to copy the Diamond Sutra a hundred times and burn it when Madam goes to the temple to burn incense at the end of the month."
Siqin's face changed. Why was her young lady punished to copy books again?
"Mammy, the young lady didn't do anything wrong, why is Madam punishing her?"
"Young lady, you are wrong. You are just copying Buddhist scriptures. It is a good deed that will accumulate merits and blessings. Why should you be punished? Also, you don't need to leave the courtyard in the near future. Copying Buddhist scriptures requires concentration. Please stay here."
After saying this, Mrs. Gu took the maids away, leaving her back to Xu Yixing. She also closed the courtyard gate, completely locking Xu Yixing and the others in the courtyard.
"Miss, what should I do?"
"I said yesterday that Gu would never let us have a good life. You see, she is so stingy." After saying that, he took Siqin's hand and went into the room again. Looking at the brand new decoration, he sneered.
"Miss, are these things real or fake? Why would she be so kind to send them to us?"
"Really. Do you think she means well?" Xu Yixing glanced at Siqin. This girl is clever, but her brain is not bright enough and she needs more training.
"That..."
Xu Yixing pointed at these items and introduced them to Siqin one by one: "This is a double fish jade pen holder, this is a pair of Ru kiln Drunken Spring vases, this is a gold-threaded glazed kang screen, that is a white jade lychee plate, that is a multicolored glazed teacup, the one on the cabinet is a jade statue of the loving mother Guanyin, and the one on the bedside is a carved jadeite pendant."
Every time Siqin heard one, her eyes would brighten a little bit. This is too precious!
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