After leaving Li Jingshu's place, Wanru followed Geng Youran back to Geng Youran's courtyard.
"Sister, do you think Consort Li deliberately made us responsible for checking the account books?"
Why do you say that?
“It’s obvious. These ledgers were previously managed by Consort Nian. Now they’ve been temporarily handed over to Consort Li, but she’s asking us to check them. It’s clear that she thinks there’s something wrong with these ledgers and doesn’t want to offend anyone.”
Geng Youran stared at Wanru, making Wanru feel uneasy.
"Sister, why are you looking at me like that?"
"I've noticed you seem to have some hostility towards Consort Li. Is it because of Hongshi?"
Wanru did not speak up to defend herself or offer any explanation.
Geng Youran became even more certain that she had guessed correctly.
“Wanru, Hongshi made a mistake, but Consort Li has already repented. You shouldn’t make things difficult for yourself like this.”
"Doesn't your sister have any complaints at all? Hongzhou almost became disabled."
Geng Youran was first taken aback, then felt disappointed.
"I not only resent, but I can even say I hate."
Wanru was startled by Geng Youran's answer.
“I helped her recover so she could give birth smoothly. In the end, I lost my first child. Later, Hongzhou was injured one after another, and we were both plotted against, yet I still had to speak up for her in front of the prince. Thinking about it this way, I am the most hypocritical person in this mansion.”
"No, sister is not."
Wanru quickly tried to stop Geng Youran from continuing, but Geng Youran did not stop.
“Wanru, as women living in this dynasty, we can only survive by submitting to men. This is our fate. I do not want to accept my fate, so I signed an agreement with the prince with both hands, so that if one day the prince gets tired of me or weary of me, Hongzhou will not suffer. The prince once praised me as the most insightful woman he had ever met, but he does not understand the pain behind that insight, nor does he want to understand it.”
Then Geng Youran looked at Wanru seriously and continued:
“Our son will not be an ordinary prince; you must learn to be patient.”
Geng Youran's words were actually a major taboo, and Niohuru Wanru was also taken aback, but she knew that Geng Youran would not lie or boast, so she could only nod.
"It's good that you understand."
For a period of time afterward, Wanru came to Geng Youran's courtyard every day to check the accounts with Geng Youran.
In April, continuous rainfall caused rivers to overflow in the Lingchuan area, which, combined with the terrain, led to severe flooding. Emperor Kangxi ordered the dispatch of a special envoy to oversee the matter.
In addition, officials were called upon to donate money and goods to set an example.
The Yong Prince's Mansion naturally got involved in this matter as well.
However, because of this incident, some discrepancies were discovered when checking the accounts.
In fact, Geng Youran and Niohuru Wanru had already discovered that there were problems with Nian Yunrong's accounts before the new year, but the amount was not very large, so they thought they would talk to Nian Consort privately and make up for it with their private treasury.
However, this year, since Nian Yunrong became pregnant, the hospital's expenses have increased several times over, and the accounts of the mansion's logistics department also don't match up.
"Butler, what exactly is going on?"
"Princess, this servant is just a steward. I do whatever my master tells me to do, and I know nothing else."
"Know nothing at all? What a fine 'know nothing at all'!"
Geng Youran slammed her hand on the table, then stood up.
"Then let me ask you, where did the extra houses and land in your hometown come from? Don't tell me it was a gift from the Prince. I've calculated it; based on your current monthly allowance, even if you didn't eat or drink, it would take you twenty years to acquire that land. You've only been working in Prince Yong's mansion for a few years, and you already dare to accept bribes!"
Upon hearing this, the butler hurriedly knelt down on the ground:
“Your Highness, those houses and lands really don’t belong to me! I’m truly innocent! Those houses and lands were all arranged by Consort Nian.”
"Consort Nian?"
"yes."
Did she say what it was for?
"No."
Geng Youran felt that this matter could not be made a big fuss about. Nian Gengyao was the prince's right-hand man and was currently fighting in Tibet. She could only put the matter aside for now, discuss it with Wanru later, and then tell Yinzhen.
That evening, Yinzhen ate at Geng Youran's place. Geng Youran barely touched her food, which Yinzhen found unusual.
"What's wrong? Did the chef in the manor not cook to your liking today?"
Hearing Yinzhen's voice, Geng Youran finally came to her senses:
"No, it's quite delicious."
Yinzhen glanced at the empty plate in front of Geng Youran and said nothing.
That evening, Yinzhen asked Geng Youran if she had encountered any trouble recently while helping Consort Li manage the household affairs.
After hesitating for a long time, Geng Youran finally spoke up.
“My lord, when Wanru and I were checking the accounts, we found that there were several discrepancies in the amounts. Most of these discrepancies occurred when Consort Nian was managing the affairs of the mansion.”
"...You mean, Consort Nian embezzled public funds?"
Geng Youran quickly waved her hand.
"That's not what I meant. However, I did find out some things. The steward said that Consort Nian bought a lot of houses and land in his name. And this money..."
Geng Youran did not continue speaking, but Yinzhen already understood.
"I will handle this matter. However, Consort Nian is currently resting during her pregnancy, so let's not discuss this with her for now. As for the accounts, I will balance them first."
"I will obey Your Highness."
Yinzhen thought Geng Youran was very sensible and didn't see the disappointment in her eyes before she went to sleep.
The next day, Geng Youran told Wanru about Yinzhen's decision.
"How could Your Highness do such a thing? This only emboldens her!"
"Since the prince has already said so, let's do as he says."
Wanru nodded reluctantly, which was taken as an agreement.
Meanwhile, Li Jingshu was still tidying up her things.
"Consort, is it really alright for us to hand over those account books to Consort Geng and Consort Niohuru?"
"They've done it before, so there shouldn't be any problem."
"But didn't you say there were problems with those ledgers?"
Li Jingshu smiled indifferently:
"Don't worry, they know what to do. By the way, did you find the pair of 'Gold and Jade Bamboo Bracelets' that I asked you to look for?"
"Found it."
The maidservant quickly handed the box containing the bracelet to Li Jingshu. Li Jingshu took it, opened the box, and smiled with satisfaction.
"This was given to me by the Emperor when the Prince brought me into the palace the year I was made a concubine. I've never been willing to wear it."
"Consort, this is your favorite bracelet. Are you really planning to give it away?"
Li Jingshu gently touched the bracelet with reluctance:
"Yes, they've been with me for many years. But since it's Hongshi's wedding, I naturally want to prepare something decent."
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