Chapter 42 The only one: "I am gentle by nature, not ignorant or stupid..."
Chapter 42 The Only One
Upon hearing that it was a whole wall of trumpet creeper flowers, Meng Yu felt as if someone had hit the nail on the head. Her eyes darkened, and she quickly glanced away, no longer looking at it.
Meng Yu got up and walked back, gesturing to Huai Yin.
Huaiyin said to Miaoqiu, "Madam must be a little tired from walking. Come back when you have time. Have someone bring over all the account books from the estate."
Miaoqiu responded and left.
Back at Longxiang Pavilion, a stack of account books was piled up like a small mountain. Miaoqiu said, "Sister Congxin said that the account books for these six estates over the years are all here. Madam, please take your time to look through them. If you find anything you don't understand, you can call her over."
Recalling how Ying Congxin's gaze kept falling on Lu Xiuyi last night, Meng Yu roughly understood, and raised her hand: "When did Congxin arrive at the manor?"
Huaiyin translated it exactly as it was said.
Although she didn't know what she meant by asking that question, Miaoqiu still replied, "I heard that three months ago, after Madam Zhuang came from Tongzhou, General Chu sent people to bring Sister Xin and Sister Diexue over to serve Madam Zhuang."
Meng Yu asked again, "Then in what year did the general take over these estates?"
"As far as I know, these were originally under the name of the Eldest Princess. After the Eldest Princess passed away, they were managed by the Marquis's Mansion. Since the General moved out of the Marquis's Mansion, they have been under the General's name and taken over by the General."
Meng Yu lightly tapped the table with his knuckles and slowly raised his hand: "So, it's been a few years since the general took over. The ones who know these accounts best are the managers of the estates, not Cong Xin."
Miao Qiu was taken aback by Meng Yu's quick thinking and could only nod.
Huaiyin realized what was happening, crossed her arms, and said coldly, "If that's the case, if there are any unclear points in the accounts, Madam, just summon the steward to see him. As for Congxin, now that Madam is here, she should just follow the General's instructions and serve Granny Zhuang well. That's her top priority. She doesn't need to think about anything else."
When these words reached Ying Congxin's ears, she was feeding her thrush under the eaves. Upon hearing this, she slightly bent the bone in her hand holding the birdseed, bit her lower lip, and replied calmly, "I know."
The toes of the thrush were poked and left with slight bloodstains.
***
As the sun set, darkness gradually descended.
When Lu Xiuyi returned from the military camp, he saw Meng Yu, dressed in a coral-red orchid-patterned ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), sitting upright at her desk under the orange lamplight. She held a pen in one hand and flipped through accounts with the other. Her hair was adorned with coral hairpins, a unique feature of newlyweds, with blood-red beads hanging on both sides of her dark hair, making her snow-white face even more charming. The coldness and stubbornness she had shown when facing him had faded from her eyes, and she appeared gentle and quiet.
He stood quietly by the door with his arms crossed, and looking into the distance, he exuded a sense of tranquility and peace.
The window next to the desk was opened, letting in a cool night breeze. Feeling a bit chilly, she stopped writing, rubbed her arms, and then hurriedly continued writing.
Lu Xiuyi watched, and couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. He quickly tiptoed over to the wooden cypress, pulled off an outer garment and draped it over his arm, and walked towards her.
When he reached her side, he gently draped the cloak over her shoulders, but she didn't react at all. Instead, she bent down and tapped the empty teacup beside her with her pen.
Are they treating him like Huaiyin?
Lu Xiuyi raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. He poured her a cup of tea as instructed, but when he touched the teapot, the tea inside was cold.
When he lifted his eyelids again, he saw that Meng Yu had already brought the teacup to her lips. In his haste, he subconsciously reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. He said gently, "The tea is cold. Don't drink it. It's bad for your stomach. I'll have someone refill your teacup."
A hand with distinct knuckles suddenly grabbed her wrist, and a man's gentle voice rang in her ears. Meng Yu was slightly startled and snapped back to reality from the mountain of accounts.
Isn't that Huaiyin next to her? The kitchen made some of her favorite snacks, and she had asked Huaiyin to take them. Now, she thought Huaiyin had returned.
Looking up, Meng Yu saw that Lu Xiuyi had already let go of her hand and was walking out. As he approached the door, the corners of his lips that had been raised turned down heavily: "Madam is looking at the accounts inside, why is there no one serving her? Even the tea has gone cold and hasn't been refilled. All the maids who serve in the room, come here, Master."
Those who were busy in the yard heard this stern shout and immediately lowered their heads in fright, stopping what they were doing.
Just then, Miaoqiu returned from outside with two maids carrying water. Seeing Lu Xiuyi standing at the door with a dark face and a hushed silence below, she quickly knelt down and explained with trembling body, "Reporting to the General, Sister Congxin was counting the newly bought wine at the back door. There weren't enough people, so she asked me to call over the maids who were free."
Chu Ze brought over a round-backed chair, and Lu Xiuyi sat down, his face growing even darker: "Call her over."
Before long, Ying Congxin arrived with her head bowed, slightly curtsied to the person seated, and asked in a barely perceptible soft voice, "I wonder what General has instructed me to do?"
The messenger didn't dare tell her why Lu Xiuyi had summoned her, but only told her to immediately stop what she was doing and come to Longxiang Pavilion.
"Kneel down."
A sharp shout rang out overhead, piercing through the darkness and the chilly evening breeze, landing in Ying Congxin's heart and stirring up waves.
thump!
There were still some pebbles on the ground that hadn't been swept away. Ying Congxin put her knees down, and her knees rubbed against the pebbles, making her frown slightly: "I don't know what I did wrong to make the general so angry. Please enlighten me, General."
The candlelight flickered under the eaves, and the man's face, illuminated by the lamplight, seemed to be covered with a layer of white frost: "Who are you?"
Lu Xiuyi's words came out of nowhere. Ying Congxin didn't know what he meant by asking. Who was she? Didn't he know her perfectly well?
Unable to guess what had happened, Ying Congxin panicked: "I am from Tongzhou, and my name is Ying Congxin."
Lu Xiuyi frowned, and his deep voice suddenly rose a few decibels: "I'm not asking you that. I'm asking what your status is in this mansion?"
His tone held a hint of impatience, and Ying Congxin hurriedly replied, "This servant is Zhuang Mama's personal maid."
Where is Meng Yu?
Upon hearing Meng Yu's name, Ying Congxin paused for a moment, immediately guessing why Lu Xiuyi had summoned her. Resentment and jealousy instantly spread to her lowered eyes. She subconsciously bit her lip, her tongue pressed tightly against her white teeth, as if she was full of disdain for the answer she was about to give: "It's...it's the General's wife."
Hearing the dissatisfaction and grievance in her tone, Lu Xiuyi felt that her emotions came from nowhere, and warned her in a cold voice: "She is not only the general's wife, but also the only mistress of this mansion. These maids in Longxiang Pavilion are all sent by the master to serve her, not to serve you. What right do you have to order them around?"
Ying explained with trembling heart, "This servant saw that we had just bought a lot of new wine today and was too busy to handle it all, so I asked Miaoqiu to call someone over."
"I vaguely remember there are five people in the wine cellar. They would be more than enough to count the new wine you bought. Even if we take a step back and say there really aren't enough people, are the people on the back porch just sitting around doing nothing? You better remember this: I'm letting you off this time because of Madam Zhuang. You have no right to order people around at Longxiang Pavilion. If anything like this happens again, I won't let you off easily."
The man's voice seemed to carry an overwhelming rage, making Ying Congxin's eyes redden. After several deep shouts, Longxiang Pavilion fell silent, everyone standing there like wooden statues, not daring to move.
In the end, Miaoqiu was demoted to a third-class kitchen maid, and unless ordered otherwise, she should never set foot in Longxiang Pavilion again.
When Huaiyin and Zhimian returned slowly from the kitchen, they heard the news and couldn't help but clap their hands in delight.
"With such a commotion outside, I thought that given your personality, you would definitely come out to stop it." After dealing with these trivial matters, Lu Xiuyi had someone refill Meng Yu's tea, and then sat down next to her to leisurely sip his tea.
Meng Yu was speechless at his overly familiar manner, but since she was under his roof, she couldn't say anything. She simply raised her hand and replied, "I am mild-mannered, not stupid or foolish. Since she wanted to intimidate me, why should I speak well of her? Besides, she is Zhuang Mama's person after all, and you dislike extravagance and killing. How could you possibly take her life over such a trivial matter? Since her life is not in danger, why should I say anything more?"
Only the two of them remained in the room. The candlelight cast a hazy glow on her face, highlighting her snow-white complexion, which possessed a delicate beauty, a charming allure, and an inexplicable captivating allure. Lu Xiuyi watched her use sign language, her fingers moving nimbly through the air like dragons. He suddenly felt that this language was more captivating than any other language in the world.
"Yes, Yu'er is right."
She said so much, but to his surprise, he didn't refute her. Instead, he stared at her intently, his dark eyes filled with amusement.
A subtle, romantic atmosphere filled the air. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Meng Yu sat up straight, feeling slightly uncomfortable, and raised her hand, saying, "I haven't finished looking at the accounts yet. If you need to, you can go ahead..."
Before she could finish gesturing, Lu Xiuyi said with a faint smile, "I have nothing to do right now, and besides, we are newlyweds. If I keep running around, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. You can look at your accounts, and I'll look at my books."
As he spoke, he got up and went behind the bookshelf to randomly pick out a book to look at.
The ambiguous atmosphere gradually dissipated after he stood up, and Meng Yu felt relieved and continued with her work.
The accounts of the three villages in the western and northern suburbs were very clear. Every account, from income to expenditure, was recorded in great detail. A quick glance was enough to understand everything. On the other hand, the accounts of the three villages in the eastern suburbs had some problems with every single account, from income to expenditure.
If it were only a small difference, Meng Yu wouldn't care. However, since Lu Xiuyi took over, there has been an expenditure of nearly five thousand taels of silver every year, with the reason given as purchasing charcoal and cotton clothes for the people on the estate to get through the winter.
Charcoal is a consumable item that must be purchased every year, which is fine. But who is so precious as to want to wear new clothes every year, even needing to buy cotton-padded clothes annually?
After briefly reviewing the accounts, Meng Yu immediately summoned Cui Zhuangtou to her residence. She didn't mince words and told him directly that she believed there was a problem with the funds.
Since the death of the eldest princess, these three estates in the eastern suburbs have been managed by Cui Hao. Even after they came under Lu Xiuyi's name, the management remained unchanged.
Relying on his years of accumulated experience, Cui Hao didn't take Meng Yu seriously at all. Faced with her questioning, he calmly explained in a high-pitched voice, "Madam is a young lady from a secluded family. How would she know about the affairs of the estate? There are many tasks on the estate, unlike those that young ladies can handle by writing a few words or exchanging a few sentences in their rooms. We are busy every day, and with all this walking around, our clothes are bound to get worn out. Since they are worn out, it is only natural that we need to buy new cotton clothes every year."
Having anticipated his response, Meng Yu had already written down her questions on a piece of paper: "If there is any damage, just report it according to the quantity, and then purchase more accordingly. Besides, I think that you who manage the estate are naturally not like the tenant farmers in the fields. You rarely go to the fields, so how could you damage your cotton-padded clothes after walking just a few steps? Moreover, if you purchase a batch of cotton-padded clothes for five thousand taels of silver, the quality will certainly be top-notch. Since they are made of more expensive materials, they can be worn for at least three or four years. Why do we need to purchase more every year?"
Her questions made Cui Hao break out in a cold sweat. In the past, when the General's Mansion sent messages, it was just a token inquiry, and General Lu never bothered with it. He only needed to bribe the people who came to investigate, and everything would go smoothly.
I originally thought that since this new lady was a concubine's daughter at home, she must have never managed a household or kept accounts, and she must not know anything about the market outside. I thought I could just fool her and get by. Who would have thought that she would start to calculate so seriously?
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