Chapter Sixty: Half of the Butler's Rights
Song Yiqiu didn't even need to turn around to know who this sarcastic person was.
She leaned lazily against the pillar, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky:
"Is there no food left in the East Palace? Why does His Highness the Crown Prince go wherever there's excitement? He's like a stray dog on the street smelling meat."
His Highness the Crown Prince was so taken aback by her vulgar analogy that his lips twitched and his face darkened instantly.
Ever since she learned that his birth mother's death might be related to her grandmother, this woman has become increasingly lawless and barbed in his presence.
He suppressed his anger, walked to her side, and coldly snorted:
"Song Yiqiu, I did save your life, after all. If I hadn't jumped down in time, you would probably be dead by now. Why don't you even thank me? Instead, your words are like knives?"
Song Yiqiu finally turned her head, glanced at him, and looked indifferent:
"Your Highness saved me, isn't it because I'm more useful to you alive than dead? It's just a matter of mutual benefit, why make it sound so high-sounding and hypocritical?"
"you!"
The prince was furious. He found that every time he talked to this woman, he would get so angry that his liver would ache.
He had initially intended to hint that he could help her when he saw her difficult situation, but that thought vanished in anger.
He angrily flicked his sleeve and said:
"Fine! What a perfect win-win situation! Song Yiqiu, you'd better stay sharp-tongued! I hope you never have to beg me for anything!"
After saying that, he snorted coldly, turned around, and strode away.
Song Yiqiu watched his retreating figure, then turned back expressionlessly to continue gazing at her moon.
Beg him? It'll happen sooner or later, but definitely not now.
Meanwhile, inside the Song family ancestral hall, the lights were on, but the atmosphere was oppressive.
Song Sangyu knelt on the cold ground, her eyes red and swollen from crying, clutching her father's clothes and begging for mercy in a pitiful voice:
"Father! Father, you must believe me! It was all that wretched woman Ying'er's fault! She stole my birthday gifts! She framed me on purpose! Your daughter is innocent!"
Ying'er knelt on the other side, leaning against her third brother's chest, crying weakly and helplessly, shaking her head repeatedly:
"My lord, please understand! It really has nothing to do with me. I wasn't in charge of the banquet, how could I have such power? I just... I just didn't want the household to lose face, so I took the fake goods... Waaah..."
Third brother Song Haochu immediately chimed in:
“Father! Ying’er meant well and is timid, how could she do such a thing? Sang Yu must have messed it up herself and is trying to shirk responsibility!”
Song Sang's voice trembled as she pointed at her third brother and cursed:
"Song Haochu! Have you been blinded by greed? You'd even slander your own sister for such a despicable woman?"
"Enough!"
Mr. Song slammed his hand on the table, his chest aching with anger.
"Shut up, all of you! Haven't you lost enough face today? You've completely disgraced the Song family!"
Madam Song Shen hurriedly pleaded for her daughter:
"My lord, please calm down. Sang Yu is still young, and this is her first time organizing such a large banquet. It's inevitable that there will be oversights. She only meant well and wanted to make it as grand as possible, so that she could take this opportunity to get closer to the Earl's wife. Who knew it would backfire like this..."
Upon hearing this, Song's father became even more furious:
"Young? Is this the good daughter you raised? You entrusted such an important matter entirely to her fooling around? You must be getting old and blind!"
"Now look what's happened! The whole capital knows that my Song family has a daughter who used counterfeit goods to celebrate a birthday and is incompetent in managing the household. Where am I supposed to put my old face? If it weren't for Yunniang and the others coming to my rescue today, I would have loved to smash my head against this ancestral hall and die!"
Just then, Song Yiqiu slowly walked in. Looking at the crowd kneeling on the ground, she spoke calmly:
"Father, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."
Mr. Song was in a bad mood and said irritably:
"explain!"
Song Yiqiu said:
"At today's banquet, the dishes were of inferior quality, the drinks were mixed up, and even the birthday gifts had problems... It seems that everything points to Sangyu's poor management."
"But upon closer reflection, why would so many things go wrong at the same time? In Yi Qiu's opinion, it's not necessarily all the fault of her sister and mother."
"I'm afraid some unruly servants in the manor took advantage of my sister's youth and delicate appearance to deceive their superiors and embezzle money, which led to this farce today."
Upon hearing this, Song Shenshi and Song Sangyu, as if grasping at a lifeline, quickly echoed:
"Yes, yes, yes! Yiqiu is right! It must have been those servants who did it!"
"It's because they embezzled money that I was made a fool of!"
Seeing this, Song Yiqiu seized the opportunity to speak:
"In that case, Father, why don't you bring the accounts from this birthday banquet? Let's compare them on the spot and see who is so audacious as to abuse their power for personal gain! This will clear Mother and Sister's name and severely punish the wicked servants!"
The moment the word "ledger" was mentioned, everyone present except Song Yiqiu's expression changed instantly!
They all knew perfectly well that they had each withdrawn large sums of money from the public account to squander.
Just as he was about to speak up to stop her, Song's father, who was in a fit of anger, felt that Song Yiqiu's words made a lot of sense, and immediately shouted:
"Yes! Bring me the account books. I want to see which parasites dare to embezzle my Song family's money!"
The ledger was retrieved quickly.
As Mr. Song flipped through the pages, his face grew increasingly pale, especially when he saw the final tallied figure of the deficit, at which point he flew into a rage:
"Outrageous! In just a few months, they've embezzled nearly eight thousand taels of silver? This is practically emptying the treasury! Investigate! This must be thoroughly investigated!"
Just then, Fourth Brother suddenly stood up and said in a nonchalant manner:
"Father, it's just a few thousand taels of silver, why get so angry? I've been on a winning streak lately, I'll make up for the loss!"
After saying that, he actually pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket and slammed them on the table!
Song Yiqiu sneered inwardly; they had taken the bait after all.
She deliberately exclaimed:
"Fourth Brother is truly generous. I just wonder how long his winning streak will last? He's made up for it this time, but what about next time?"
"Ultimately, it's because the stewards and managers of the manor failed to strictly control their servants and prevent embezzlement, leading to numerous loopholes. Today it's a birthday banquet incident, but who knows what kind of trouble will arise tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, Song's father wholeheartedly agreed.
His gaze fell on Song Yiqiu. He pondered for a moment and said:
“Yiqiu, you are a calm and knowledgeable person, so you are not as suitable as this steward…”
Song Yiqiu immediately interrupted him and curtsied:
“Father, your daughter is about to inherit the title, and I am afraid that I will have a lot of external affairs in the future, and I am not proficient in the affairs of the inner quarters.”
"I think that Aunt Yun is gentle and cautious, and today we have seen that she is good at raising her son. It would be better to entrust some of the management of the household to Aunt Yun so as to share the burden of Mother's hard work and clean up the long-standing problems in the mansion."
After thinking about it, Mr. Song agreed, finding it reasonable.
"Very well. Yun, from now on, you will assist Madam in managing the household's procurement, account reconciliation, and other related matters."
Aunt Yun was both surprised and delighted, and immediately knelt down to express her gratitude.
Only then did Song Sangyu suddenly realize the truth.
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