Chapter 141 Changsi comes forward, and Mrs. Zhou has nothing to say
"Grandmother will give you the key and jade token to hold the household title."
When Madam Xiao finished speaking, everyone in the hall was shocked.
Mrs. Xiao Zhou's eyes widened and the gentle smile on her face disappeared.
She originally thought that the old lady would at most let Xie Yao learn some things about managing the household, but unexpectedly, she actually said that Xie Yao was the mistress of the palace and handed over the keys to the household!
She worked diligently in the Xiao family, serving her parents-in-law and the old lady, and also gave birth to many children for her husband Xiao Wenyuan. Everyone who saw her praised her, but the old lady didn't even let her see the jade card of the head of the family.
Mrs. Zhou was also stunned. She liked her niece-in-law, but she didn't expect that the old lady would hand over the power of the family so quickly.
In this way, I will have to treat my niece-in-law as my ancestor in the future.
She immediately turned around and called to her trusted maid, "Quick, find the hand-soothing cream that Third Master bought me last month, pack it up, and give it to my niece-in-law later."
"You don't even want to use the hand cream yourself."
"What can I use my old hands for? My niece's hands are used to hold a knife, so they will definitely be useful."
She lowered her voice so that only Mrs. Zhou next to her could hear it.
Mrs. Xiao Zhou was stunned and secretly cursed her useless mother-in-law for trying to please her nephew's new wife.
"Except for these keys, the account books, the warehouse books, and your dowry in the warehouse, the housekeeper and my servant, Nanny Luo, will explain everything to you later."
Old Madam Xiao didn't care what Madam Zhou and Madam Zhou thought, and said again.
"There is still some cash in the mansion, which has been kept in your grandfather's Xu's Bank. It is entrusted to a famous female accountant in the capital. You can ask Nanny Luo for details."
Hearing her mention the female accountant of Xu's Bank, Xie Yao curled the corners of his lips calmly.
The maids and nannies serving in the hall exchanged glances privately.
After the old lady said this, it seemed that from now on, the mistress of the palace would really be replaced by the young Princess Jingbei.
Xie Yao saw the resentment in Madam Xiao Zhou's eyes, and raised her red lips, deliberately speaking modestly: "Thank you for your trust, Grandmother. However, as your granddaughter-in-law, I have just arrived in the mansion and am still unfamiliar with the people and things here. I am afraid that I will make mistakes and betray the trust of Grandmother and the prince if I suddenly take charge of the household."
She took the initiative to speak out her own problem, giving Mrs. Zhou an excuse to speak.
"Silly child, who is born to be the head of a family? I——"
Old Madam Xiao took her hand and patted it. She was about to say that she had prepared everything for her when she saw the granddaughter-in-law of the third house, Madam Zhou, holding her waist and standing up.
"It's natural for a grandmother to love her granddaughter-in-law, but the princess is young after all. Little do you know that the Jingbei Palace is so huge, and the purchase accounts and interpersonal relationships are extremely complicated. There can be no mistakes. If something goes wrong, outsiders will say that the palace is mistreating the bride."
She sighed softly, as if thinking about the old lady.
Madam Xiao narrowed her eyes and observed Xie Yao. Seeing that she looked calm and composed, she nodded secretly and said, "What do you want?"
Madam Xiao Zhou stroked her belly and said, "In my opinion, it would be better to let Nanny Luo, who is by Grandmother's side, teach the princess first. When the princess becomes pregnant in the future and has children for the Xiao family, it won't be too late to take over the power of the family."
Xie Yao looked at her and revealed a familiar smile: "What did you say, cousin-in-law?"
Mrs. Xiao Zhou quickly replied, "I definitely don't mean to look down on the princess!"
Xie Yao: "Are you saying I don't know how to manage accounts and finances?"
Madam Xiao Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile. "The princess has been practicing martial arts on the border. She's as skilled as any man, but just because she's skilled in martial arts doesn't necessarily mean she can be a good planner, right?"
Mrs. Zhou smiled innocently and said, "That's not necessarily true. I think my niece-in-law might be a well-rounded person."
Madam Xiao Zhou cursed at her mother-in-law in her heart. "Take the accountant at your Xu's Bank, for example. She's famous for her meticulousness. But she learned from the young master of the Xu family for ten years before she became successful. Could it be that you, Princess, are born with the ability?"
Xie Yao raised her eyebrows, turned around and looked at Chang Si who was standing at the door of the hall.
Mrs. Xiao Zhou glanced in the direction of her gaze and did not take the ordinary maid seriously.
"The princess's sister has several maids as a dowry, but as far as I know, the only major maid was the one you brought back from the border. Could it be that she knows how to manage the accounts?"
Xie Yao suddenly smiled when she heard this and said to the outside of the door: "Changsi."
"The servant is here."
Following a response, everyone saw a girl in a plain blue cloth skirt with beautiful and calm features walk in. She looked to be about 28 years old. She bowed to Xie Yao with dignified and capable manners.
Madam Xiao Zhou scoffed, "Is this the maid the princess brought into the palace? What? Are you saying she can compare to the female accountant of the Xu family?"
Nanny Luo rubbed her eyes, then pulled another nanny beside her and asked, "My eyesight is blurry, please take a quick look, is this the one..."
Another maid nodded: "Isn't my vision blurry? But I think it is true!"
Some people who had dealt with Changsi in the past recognized her, but they were not sure.
Xie Yao pointed at Changsi and said calmly, "This Miss Changsi is exactly the most famous female accountant in the capital that my cousin's wife mentioned. She came into the mansion with me yesterday. She is the maid that my grandfather, the Xu family, gave me as a dowry."
"What?!"
The whole room was in an uproar, even Mrs. Zhou looked envious.
She had heard of the reputation of the Xu family's female accountant. The Xu family was willing to give such a capable person as a dowry to their niece-in-law. It can be seen how much they value this granddaughter!
Seeing her stunned and deflated daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhou stopped pretending and burst out laughing.
Madam Xiao Zhou was incredulous. "I... I have five hundred taels of silver deposited in the Xu's Bank. Every year, I have to pay more than ten taels for management fees alone. How could the Xu family, who value profit so much, be willing to give such a valuable accountant to you as a maid?"
"Mrs. Xiao Zhou is wrong."
Nanny Luo's eyes fell on Changsi, and she said with certainty, "This old servant helped the old lady with her accounts before, and I met the Xu family's female accountant a few times. It was this girl."
Chang Si replied respectfully, "This servant greets Aunt Luo."
Madam Zhou: "You are the one who values money, your whole family is a money-oriented family. Didn't you see how much dowry the Xu family gave to their niece-in-law yesterday? Their granddaughter, who is so dear to their hearts, is coming to our Xiao family to suffer injustice?"
Madam Xiao Zhou was about to say, "Aren't we one family?" but Madam Xiao smiled and said, "It turns out Yaoyao had already made preparations. It was I who worried too much."
She had also heard of the reputation of the Xu family's female accountant.
Old Madam Xiao liked Xie Yao more and more. It was a blessing for the Xiao family to marry such a granddaughter-in-law.
Then, her eyes darkened: "Wenyuan's family, do you have anything else to say?"
Xie Yao's eyes were as sharp as Old Madam Xiao's, but her tone remained calm: "With Changsi here, the accounts and miscellaneous affairs of the mansion can be sorted out. Do you think I am not capable of taking on the responsibility of managing the household now?"
Although the new bride has an unstable foundation when entering the house, it is not safe for her to rashly take over the management of the household.
But since the old lady gave it to her, she deserves it.
She would not refuse foolishly to gain a reputation for being humble, or to comfort herself by retreating to advance, but in fact she would feel depressed.
Mrs. Xiao Zhou's face turned pale, and she finally lowered her head in embarrassment, speechless.
If we continue to argue, it will only make us more embarrassed.
Seeing that she had yielded, Old Madam Xiao continued, "Yaoyao, Madam Qi has been with me for over thirty years and knows the household affairs best. And there's the maid Tangxin, who is careful and steady in her work. From now on, the two of them will follow you and help you and Changsi manage the household."
Aunt Qi was an old nanny over fifty years old. She and a cute round-faced maid greeted Xie Yao together.
"Thank you for your consideration, Grandma."
Xie Yao bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Old Madam Xiao looked at her and suddenly remembered the scene when Madam Jingning entered the mansion many years ago when she was still young.
The other people in the hall looked at Xie Yao with more admiration and respect.
After the tea ceremony, the old lady asked everyone to have breakfast, then went back to rest and let everyone go.
As soon as they walked out of Ninghui Courtyard, Mrs. Zhou caught up with them and pulled Xie Yao aside to talk.
"Niece-in-law, we agreed that you have to teach me a few moves."
As she spoke, she handed a palm-sized enameled and gold-trimmed porcelain vase to Xie Yao.
"This is what your third uncle bought me last month. He said it can moisturize my skin and hands. I'm old now and can't use it, so I'm giving it to you, my niece-in-law. Also, you are so beautiful, but you dress so simply. Come back to my courtyard. I have plenty of rouge and powder for you to try."
Xie Yao took the porcelain bottle, touched the jade bracelet on her wrist, and felt a warmth in her heart.
The Xiao family is more like her family than the Wenchang Marquis' Mansion.
Madam Zhou glanced at Aunt Qi and Tang Xin who were following behind them and whispered:
"Madame Qi and Madame Luo, the head of the palace, are both close to the old lady. They have been in charge of the old lady's affairs for half their lives. Tang Xin is also Madame Luo's biological daughter. There is nothing wrong with her. In our Xiao family, no one will dare to make trouble for you from now on."
Xie Yao thought to herself that Madam Xiao must have thought everything through long ago. Even if she hadn't thought about it for a long time, she would help her take over the key to the household smoothly.
Bai Su pushed the prince's wheelchair and went to the corridor of the palace with the princess.
Xie Yao thought of A Rong, who was holding a small wooden sword and said that he wanted to emulate General Gu, and asked, "Why did Madam Zhou's daughter say she wanted to marry the princess?"
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