Hand over the ledger
Fu Yan'er has never liked Fu Zhi Qiao. Fu Zhi Qiao not only surpasses her in terms of status as the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, but is also more beautiful than her.
Because of her frail health, Fu Zhi Qiao always appeared delicate and frail, attracting pity from others. Whenever the two appeared together, people's eyes would always fall on her first, and they would never notice her.
Fu Yan'er had long been dissatisfied, but because of Fu Zhiqiao's status as the eldest sister, she had to swallow her anger and act subservient to her.
She was still young after all, and the expression on her face completely betrayed her thoughts. Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't help but frown. It seemed that her status as the eldest son of the main branch made her very unhappy!
Meanwhile, inside Tingxue Hall.
A maid entered the room, bowed to Yu Roulan, and whispered, "Madam, the Second Madam is waiting for you in the main hall."
Zhao Xialan led the newly promoted steward and several maids and servants to Tingxue Hall in a grand procession. All the servants she brought were waiting at the entrance of Tingxue Hall, while only the head steward and the steward followed her into the house.
When Yu Roulan walked into the main hall, Zhao Xialan was sitting in a chair drinking tea.
What brings the second wife here so early in the morning?
Yu Roulan asked with some confusion, "I wonder what brings you here today, sister-in-law?"
Zhao Xialan curtsied to her, "Sister-in-law, I heard that Second Master has been busy with many things, and that Zhi Qiao is ill. I couldn't leave for a while, so I rushed over to see if Zhi Qiao is alright."
Yu Roulan didn't take it seriously. Fu Zhiqiao had been in a coma for two whole days, and there were rumors that she might not make it through. If the second branch of the family had been willing, they would have come long ago. Why wait until today?
"Zhi Qiao is fine, just a little weak. Thank you for your concern."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zhao Xialan smoothed a strand of hair at her temple and said, "Sister-in-law, there's actually another matter I wanted to discuss with you today..."
Yu Roulan considerately said, "Second sister-in-law, please speak freely if you have something to say."
Zhao Xialan leisurely sipped her tea: "Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. As you know, my sister-in-law, the current situation in the manor is quite complicated. My brother just passed away, and recently there have been many gift-giving and banquets, with various families exchanging favors. The servants are all in a flurry of activity. We can't afford to have any trouble managing the household affairs..."
At this point, she slightly raised her head to look at Yu Roulan's expression, "Second Master has many affairs and social engagements outside. As his wife, I should share his burdens. Second Master said that from now on, I will be in charge of all the affairs of our household. Although I am not as clever as my sister-in-law, I have learned a thing or two from my mother in my youth. However, without account books, mistakes are bound to happen..."
Under the guise of visiting someone in the hospital, they actually came to demand control of the housekeeper.
Zhao Xialan's words sounded very high-sounding, but they were indeed a very good reason.
During this time, Yu Roulan was busy with her husband's funeral arrangements and taking care of her sick daughter. The continuous work over the past few days had really taken its toll on her, and the second wife used this as an excuse, leaving her with no way to defend herself.
Although Yu Roulan was somewhat tired, her face remained calm.
Fu Mingjie is now in charge of the Fu family, so it's understandable that he'd let his wife take over the household affairs. However, once the account books are handed over, the eldest branch of the family will completely lose its voice within the Fu household. She doesn't care much about that, but Fu Zhi Qiao, as the only bloodline of the eldest branch…
For her daughter's sake, she had to consider more issues.
Seeing that Yu Roulan did not answer, Zhao Xialan spoke again: "Sister-in-law, don't worry. Although my brother has passed away, my second uncle will definitely find a good family for Zhi Qiao in the future."
These words tore away all the previous friendly pretense.
Yu Roulan had always relied on Fu Changyue as her pillar of support. Now that her husband was gone, how could she possibly withstand the onslaught of the second wife?
Zhao Xialan was very pleased with herself. Things change, and now her and Yu Roulan's roles have been reversed. Yu Roulan is a widow, while she, Zhao Xialan, is the matriarch of the Fu family.
Yu Roulan's face turned pale. Although she was gentle, she was not stupid. She did not expect Zhao Xialan to threaten Fu Zhiqiao with her marriage.
Fu Zhi Qiao has to observe three years of mourning for her father. Three years is enough time for the second branch of the family to completely take control of the entire Fu family. At that time, she and her mother will have to be subordinate to the second branch of the family, and they will no longer have the initiative to choose their own marriage partners.
"Look at me, I actually forgot about this." Yu Roulan bit her lip and gave Cui Mama a look to get the account book. She never had any intention of fighting for power. Since Zhao Xialan wanted the power to manage the household, she might as well do her a favor and hand over the account book so that she could have some peace and quiet.
After an incense stick had burned for a while, Granny Cui returned with the account book.
After entering, Granny Cui bowed to Yu Roulan, then had the servants behind her carry in several boxes and handed the keys to Yu Roulan.
"Madam, all the account books from the past few years have been moved here."
Zhao Xialan called over the butler who was waiting outside the door, took out the top ledger and handed it to him. The new butler took the ledger and looked through it in front of everyone.
The new housekeeper was an unfamiliar face; he was Fu Mingjie's newly promoted confidant.
Zhao Xialan calmly sipped her tea, while the new housekeeper looked at the ledgers, trying hard to find loopholes.
Before long, the steward pointed out the problem, "Second Madam, there is a discrepancy in this account..." This account book mainly records the various purchase expenditures of the mansion. At the end of last month, there was a sudden extra expenditure of two thousand taels, which was clearly recorded in the account book.
What does "second wife" mean? Looking at the account books in front of her and then suspecting her of embezzling public funds?
That's incredibly insulting!
Yu Roulan was furious, but before she could speak, a commotion arose at the door.
After strolling through the garden, Fu Zhiqiao was on her way back to her small building when she discovered that the people standing in front of the Tingxuetang courtyard were all strangers.
Just as she was wondering, Ginkgo whispered to her that she was the Second Madam's person.
Second Madam? Isn't that Fu Yan'er's mother?
Fu Zhi Qiao's first reaction was that the visitor was up to no good. After thinking for a moment and considering the relationship between the first and second wives, she decided to come and see for herself.
As soon as he reached the entrance of the main hall, he was stopped by two guards.
Fu Zhiqiao frowned: "?"
Wasn't the eldest young lady ill for a long time? How could she still have such a strong aura! Seeing her unfriendly expression, the servant who reached out to stop her spoke tremblingly, "Eldest young lady, the second madam ordered that no one be allowed in. Please don't make things difficult for us..."
Zhao Xialan ran to Tingxue Hall to stop her from entering? And these maids, they don't even call her "Little Sister" anymore, they just call her "Young Lady" directly?
The second wife's ambition was written all over her face.
"This is Tingxue Hall!" Fu Zhiqiao's tone revealed impatience.
The servants all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe, even though their hands trembled uncontrollably with fear, they still dared not let Fu Zhi Qiao in. The Second Madam had ordered that no one else be allowed in, and if she failed to do so, she would be punished with more than a dozen strokes of the cane when she returned.
Fu Zhi Qiao looked at their reactions and sneered inwardly. It seemed that the eldest son's family was still too easy to bully; even the maids dared not listen to her.
"Guards, drag her away!" Fu Zhi Qiao shouted loudly for the guards to come over. The two guards in Ting Xue Tang were specially arranged for her by Fu Chang Yue. She had been frail since childhood and had always been carefully protected. Having two guards in the manor was an extra layer of protection.
Upon hearing their young mistress's cries, two guards rushed in and tried to drag away the maid who was blocking the door. However, the other side consisted of many women, which made the guards hesitant to act, and the two sides began to scuffle.
The noise outside was quite loud, and since it was only separated by a carved wooden door, the sound quickly carried into the main hall.
Yu Roulan asked, "Who's making a racket outside?"
Fu Zhi Qiao pushed the door open and came in. The maid who had been blocking the door glanced at Zhao Xia Lan and then withdrew.
Looking at the several large boxes on the ground and the account books in the housekeeper's hand, Fu Zhiqiao understood everything. She glanced at Zhao Xialan, a hint of undisguised anger flashing in her eyes.
Zhao Xialan's demand for Yu Roulan to hand over the account books was definitely premeditated. Fu Changyue's business account books had just been taken away, and now she was rushing to take away the management account books in Yu Roulan's hands.
This family is really impatient!
"What is Second Aunt doing?" Fu Zhi Qiao was also at a loss. She slowed down her speech and glanced at Zhao Xia Lan out of the corner of her eye.
Zhao Xialan was quite pretty, but her cheekbones were a bit high, her eyes were slightly upturned, and her lips were thin, so she didn't look like someone easy to get along with.
Zhao Xialan, who was being stared at, couldn't help but shiver. She felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and a chill crept up her spine.
Zhao Xialan was a little uncertain about Fu Zhiqiao's gaze just now. She seemed to see the sharp edge beneath her niece's delicate exterior.
I must be seeing things. How could a pampered daughter raised in seclusion have such a captivating aura?
And in just two days, who would have thought that the person who was originally terminally ill would be standing perfectly fine in front of her now!
Zhao Xialan smiled awkwardly and said, "Zhiqiao, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
She came to ask for the account books while the eldest son's family was in chaos. The eldest brother was dead, and the niece was sick. The eldest son's family was in a state of panic, and there was no better opportunity than this.
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't answer. She took two steps forward and took the account book from the steward. She casually flipped through the household's expense accounts, then threw the account book back into his hands and sneered, "What? Second Aunt, are you here to check the accounts? Do you suspect that my mother is embezzling the household funds?"
Zhao Xialan's expression changed, and Yu Roulan also looked at her in surprise. Why did this child speak so directly? Yu Roulan couldn't help but tug at her sleeve, signaling her not to speak carelessly.
Fu Zhi Qiao pretended not to notice and looked at Zhao Xia Lan with a smile, waiting for her answer.
The original owner of this body will be of marriageable age in a year or two, and Yu Roulan intends to teach her some household management skills, and privately she will take her along to manage the accounts.
The Fu family's expenses on food, clothing, and daily necessities were substantial. Purchases, banquets, and gifts were all meticulously recorded, and the money was deducted from the central treasury. Every expenditure and income in the central treasury was meticulously documented, detailing who received the money, when, and where it was used. This particular expenditure of two thousand taels was only pointed out because its destination was not clearly recorded.
If the ledgers don't match, then there's a problem with the person in charge of the accounts.
Zhao Xialan was no pushover either. She found loopholes in Yu Roulan's account so that she could take the account book with a legitimate reason, making everyone mistakenly believe that Yu Roulan was mismanaging it and that's why she wanted to take the account book.
Zhao Xialan exchanged a glance with the housekeeper, smiled slightly, and said, "Qiao has misunderstood. You've only recently regained consciousness and don't understand household affairs. There are over a hundred people in our household, so it's best to keep a clear account of all expenses to avoid not knowing where the money went. What do you say, sister-in-law?"
Zhao Xialan passed the question to Yu Roulan.
Upon hearing this, Yu Roulan felt extremely uncomfortable. She also carefully reviewed the account books, then took one from Granny Cui's hand, opened a page, and said to Zhao Xialan, "This page contains last month's expenses. The steward mentioned that the money was used by my second brother for emergency purposes. Many things happened afterward, and I haven't had time to record it in the Zhonggong's books yet. Would you like to take a look, sister-in-law?"
Fu Mingjie took the money. He was in a hurry to get some money, saying he needed it to "grease palms." When Yu Roulan heard it was for business, she didn't dare delay and immediately gave him the money.
Later, Fu Changyue died suddenly in an accident, and before Yu Roulan could register, Zhao Xialan found a loophole.
After all that fuss, it turned out that her own master had taken the money and used it. Zhao Xialan's face turned pale and then red, her expression quite comical.
"Second Aunt is truly insightful!" Fu Zhiqiao retorted, "Since my mother didn't embezzle any money, shouldn't Second Aunt apologize?"
Yu Roulan grabbed her hand again, signaling her not to say anything more. The second branch of the family was already set in stone, and they didn't need to offend anyone too much.
"The rosewood treasure chest contains the account books, and the land deeds and keys are kept in that gilded box." As she spoke, Yu Roulan gestured for Granny Cui to take out the keys. "These are the keys to the large and small storerooms in the mansion. If you're worried, you can check the account books from the past few years again."
Investigate? No, I'm not investigating anymore. If I keep investigating, Fu Zhi Qiao will eat people alive.
Seeing that Yu Roulan was so sensible, Zhao Xialan's tone softened, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? Of course I believe you." Taking the keys and account books, she smiled broadly, "Since you've always managed these affairs of the household, please give me your guidance in the future..."
After saying that, she told someone to carry the box back.
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