Later that evening, Qingyan had breakfast and sat in the corridor. She couldn't help but think that this scene was very similar to what she had seen yesterday at Chenggan Palace. A bitter feeling welled up in her heart; she had ended up on the same path as the other concubines.
She rested her left hand on the armrest of the armchair, her eyes coldly fixed on the scene below.
"Where are you two on duty?!" Qingyan felt something was amiss. Su Peisheng usually arrested people in groups of families, so there were very few loopholes.
The two little girls exchanged a glance. They were so focused on saving their family that they forgot they were the last remaining bloodline of their family and that they absolutely could not expose their family unless it was absolutely necessary.
They've lost their minds; their actions will only plunge their families into further trouble.
"This servant and Xiaomei do odd jobs in the kitchen." Qingyan felt uncomfortable all over when she heard where they were.
"Sulan, go to the kitchen and see how many people like that there are!" Qingyan was a little worried about the kitchen. No wonder, as her mother said, the servants in the kitchen must be kept in constant watch.
Qingyan looked in the direction Sulan left, then took the small kitchen's account book from Sushu's hand. It recorded the daily silver needed for the kitchen. It had to be said that the silver used in the past few months was much more than before.
She used to think that some waste and spending was normal because of the Spring Festival, but now she doesn't think so anymore.
As time passed and the sun rose higher, the two girls kneeling in the courtyard began to sway. Large beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads. She did not soften her heart. In modern times, girls of this age would be in school and would not be exposed to such distressing things.
In the Qing Dynasty, girls who turned fourteen or fifteen were considered to have reached the age of marriage. Compared to them, Qingyan appeared exceptionally innocent.
"In just fifteen days of the Spring Festival, the purchases outside cost about a thousand taels of silver. The account book you showed me before recorded only four hundred taels. Who's behind this?!" Qingyan slammed her hand on the armrest and looked coldly at the people in front of her. They seemed obedient, but in reality, they were all plotting how to empty their mansion!
Qingyan's words instilled fear in everyone; this...
The servants kowtowed one by one, saying that they deserved to die. Qingyan took a small snack and put it in her mouth to suppress the urge to vomit.
"Who manages the purchasing during the Spring Festival?" she asked coldly.
A servant in his thirties stepped forward, knelt in the middle, and reported that the account book was prepared by the deputy steward himself.
The deputy steward of the mansion was sent by the Imperial Household Department. Su Peisheng was always by her side, making such a fuss that she was unaware of these things.
Yin allowed the deputy chief steward to stir up trouble in the mansion, and when the time was right, he would take them all down in one fell swoop.
"It is this servant!" The deputy steward of the mansion took two steps and knelt down in the courtyard. He did not take Qingyan seriously. Even Yin was not his match, let alone Qingyan.
He knelt with his head tilted back, and those who had followed him in corruption felt emboldened.
She placed the quilt heavily on the table, glanced at Su Lan, and walked to the corridor. She ordered the servants to bring over the board. The young servants were all dressed in the gray uniforms of the Tribunal and were holding mahogany canes. The servants kneeling on the ground were all stunned.
The Prince's residence also had people who conducted trials, but they were all selected from the Imperial Household Department. Today, however, the people appearing in the corridor were different; they all came from the palace, and even the servants from the Imperial Household Department had sweat on their backs.
"Master, everything is ready." Su Lan waved her hand, and the people from the Criminal Investigation Department came down from the corridor and walked to Qing Yan's side.
The men exuded a menacing aura, which terrified the timid maids. They trembled as they watched them, knowing that if their master gave the order, the servants of the Criminal Division would certainly not let them off easily.
Qingyan took two deep breaths to calm his agitated mind completely, and looked at the account book page by page. After the New Year, some people were dealt with, but the amount of corruption was much less than this time.
She had to admit that Yin was right; these servants needed to be disciplined from time to time, otherwise they would catch you off guard.
"Deputy Steward, is this the account book that has been submitted?" After Qingyan finished reading it, he threw it directly in front of him.
The deputy steward looked down and became even more worried. This ledger was clearly not the one he had submitted; he had handed it over to another trustworthy person long ago.
"You servant..." The deputy steward was considering how to escape.
"Eru, take men and ransack the deputy chief steward's courtyard!" Qingyan frowned. Not only were many of the things purchased for the mansion gone, but even some of the precious food bestowed upon him by the palace had been greedily taken by this man.
The deputy steward was taken aback. The Fujin rarely used the method of confiscating property. There were still many things in his courtyard that had not been cleaned up. If the Fourth Fujin saw them, it would definitely be a big problem.
For a moment, the deputy general manager didn't know how to react.
Erlu left with the guards, and by the time the deputy chief steward came to his senses, he had already been tied up by the guards.
"Today, I will not keep any of the corrupt officials recorded in this ledger. Those sent by the Imperial Household Department will be returned, and those purchased by the mansion will be beaten to death!" Qingyan said fiercely. "Sulan, have all the people on duty come here."
Apart from the guards at the gate, the rest of the servants in the huge mansion had gathered in the main courtyard. Their faces were all very grim, and they knew that the Princess Consort had taken a swagger.
Those who had signed life-or-death contracts with the mansion were all dragged out, and their cries for mercy did not shake her determination to punish them.
The servants in the Criminal Division had already received word that the Fourth Princess Consort was pregnant. Therefore, when the servants were beaten to death, no blood should be drawn, as it would be very unlucky. The people sent by Consort Tong were all extremely skilled. The guards of the mansion dragged those people out of the ranks, pressed them one by one onto the benches, and began to beat them.
At this moment, the servants' faces were all pale, and some of the timid maids covered their mouths, trying their best to suppress their sobs.
The mouths of the servants who were beaten to death were stuffed with handkerchiefs. Apart from Qingyan's personal servants and the servants of the Trial Division, the rest of the servants began to feel afraid.
"Master, the master has returned to the manor!" Su Zhu rushed in from outside. When Yin arrived at the manor gate, he found that none of the servants in the courtyard were on duty, so he immediately asked about the situation.
Qingyan nodded. Yin would not interfere with her dealing with the servants. These people from the Imperial Household Department should have been dealt with long ago; there was no need to wait until now.
Yin stood at the doorway, gazing at Qingyan from afar. Her stern little face was so beautiful in his eyes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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