After giving all these instructions, Xu Yixing already had a rough plan in mind. Asking anyone else wouldn't be as quick as asking his father himself, but he had to be extremely careful about using drugs on him.
After all, he was a veteran who had retired from the battlefield. If he didn't do it properly, he would be exposed, which would be what Si Wen said about hurting the father-daughter relationship.
After settling all matters at home, Xu Yixing rushed to the Bai family almost without stopping. As he expected, his father asked Xu Qian to personally escort him to the Bai Mansion.
My uncle did not attend the moon-viewing banquet. Guarding the palace is a heavy task, so even if the emperor is away from the palace, he cannot slack off in the slightest.
So Bai Fu spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at home alone. After a night of fun, today was quiet and tiring.
When Xu Yi walked in, he saw his aunt and several younger brothers and sisters practicing calligraphy on the stone table in the garden. They were lying together affectionately, which was very heartwarming to watch.
"Yan'er is here!" Yan was very happy to see Xu Yixing. She asked someone to serve tea and snacks, and pulled her to sit at the table.
"My younger brother and sister are so diligent. They should not have to go to Prince Cheng's Mansion to attend classes today. I didn't expect that they didn't forget their studies at home!" Xu Yixing looked at the words on the stone table, some immature and some mature, and praised them sincerely.
"No, the Prince Cheng's Mansion has been on holiday since the fourteenth day. We let them play around for two days and only made up for their lessons today!" Yan asked her children to say hello to Xu Yixing one by one, and then let them go back to their own courtyard.
"Isn't your uncle home either?"
"Oh! Don't you know your uncle well? Even on his days off, he's always thinking about the palace. Today, the emperor is back, and he's out on patrol again. He should be back soon."
"Uncle, you have worked hard. I specially brought some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones given by the Queen and the ladies of the palace yesterday. I thought my brothers and sisters-in-law might be able to use them." With a wave of her hand, Siqin presented a large box.
When Yan saw this, she smiled brightly: "You are such a sincere child! How can you let them use the things the Queen gave you? You should keep them for yourself!"
"I really can't use so much by myself, so please don't be polite to me, aunt."
"Okay, okay, then I'll accept it. They'll be so happy!"
Yan accepted the gift, and it could be seen that she had something else to say: "Yan'er, you just returned to Beijing today, and you rushed here so quickly. You must have something to say, right?" She winked at the maid beside her, and everyone left the yard, leaving no one behind.
"Does my aunt know about me?"
"I don't know the details, but when your father rushed back before the moon-viewing party, I knew something must have happened."
"Indeed. I'm not in a position to tell you the details of this matter, but everything is fine now."
Yan Shi did not ask further questions. She knew her limits very well: "Then why are you here today?"
"Aunt, to be honest, I want to know what were the biggest expenses for my grandfather when he was still alive. If it's inconvenient for you, I don't mind telling you."
Xu Yixing also knew that it was not a good idea to ask for other people's accounts directly, but there was no other way. He had never paid much attention to the affairs of the Bai Mansion when he was alive. Now it would be extremely difficult to check again.
Yan thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing I can't say. These are all old stories. But those were things that happened before we moved in. Maybe I haven't told you everything."
"It's okay, it's okay. Aunt, please say whatever you want, and I'll listen to whatever you want."
"Well..." Yan pinched her fingers and said carefully: "As far as I know, apart from the generous dowry your mother brought when she got married, the Bai Mansion actually doesn't have any big daily expenses, they are all in some fixed categories.
The more common ones are the annual payment for asking the merchant to look after the shop, the annual offerings to the ancestral tombs and property in all seasons, and the money, silk and food that your grandfather would send to his former comrades every year. However, the amount is not fixed and there is always a difference from year to year.
Other expenses, such as paying tribute to the royal family, were also substantial, but this is not included. That’s all.”
Xu Yixing heard about these projects, and they were indeed the ones with the largest annual expenditures. However, this did not sound like a list that could be used to pay the monthly salaries of the shadow guards. After all, these were open accounts, and the whereabouts of every payment were recorded.
"So what are the projects that have been used since my grandfather passed away?"
Yan smiled slightly, not minding Xu Yixing's inquiry into the recent situation in the mansion at all:
“The ancestral worship has not changed. There were old friends and comrades there in the early years, but most of them have passed away in recent years. Your uncle has not maintained it much, but the money you ask for from Mr. Shang has decreased instead of increased.
Yan'er, you know, your uncle and I didn't really care about those shops. We got ripped off a lot a few years ago, so we just sold some of them. So there's not much left now."
Xu Yixing nodded. Nanny Bai had told him about this matter. At that time, his uncle wanted to ask Nanny Bai to help take care of him. However, at that time, Xu Yixing was taking medicine and had a bad memory every day. Of course, she was unwilling to leave him alone to take care of those things.
"So it seems that only the expenses for ancestor worship have not changed..." Xu Yixing muttered to himself. Yan Shi didn't hear clearly, but she was still very curious.
"Yan'er, why are you asking these questions today?"
"Alas! To be honest, aunt, I was checking the dowry that my sister lost at the Sun Mansion today, and I did find something amiss, so I thought of coming here to ask."
"So that's how it is," Yan accepted this explanation. Even she didn't know how much dowry Miss Bai took away at that time, but she thought the amount must be quite large.
"But didn't the Sun family copy them all? Why haven't they found those things yet?"
"The Sun family said they spent a lot of money. My father and I have only taken back the shops and farms. I'm afraid it will be hard to find things like gold and silver."
"God damn the Sun family! I don't know what sin our lineage has committed to deserve to be ensnared by such a family! The Emperor is fair, and once autumn is over, we'll finally have our revenge!"
Yan rarely spoke so harshly, and Xu Yixing couldn't tell if she was genuinely speaking up for him or just pretending. But even if she was just pretending, she was genuinely concerned, and there was no reason for her not to appreciate it.
"Aunt, thank you for answering my questions today. I'm leaving now. I have a lot of things to deal with at home."
"Yan'er!" Yan grabbed Xu Yixing's sleeve and said formally, "I think you can wait until your uncle comes back to ask him the question you just asked. After all, I've only been married to the Bai family for a short time, so maybe your grandfather will give him some instructions."
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