Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Eavesdropping
"Oh? What did Manager Qian do wrong?" Nan Xu asked with a smile, pretending to be puzzled.
Manager Qian was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheek, wondering why Nan Xu was pretending.
As soon as you see how proficient the maid is in using the abacus, you can tell she is an expert. They were just trying to do a perfunctory job, and the account book was also crudely made. They must have found the problem the first time, so wouldn't it be exposed again if they did it again?
It is said that whether to reveal the secret early or late, whether to wait for the master to speak or to say it yourself, there is a saying about this.
Manager Qian didn't want to be criticized because of this, he still wanted to save his reputation.
"Stop it, stop it." He hurriedly snatched the abacus from Songguo's hand and knelt down in front of Nanxu with a plop, his face full of shame. "Madam, stop it. There's something wrong with that account book. It's Qian's negligence. Please punish me, Madam."
He was fat to begin with, and when he knelt on his knees, his belly stuck out high. Nan Xu was worried for him when she saw him.
Judging from his figure, no one would believe that he was someone who was used to walking in the fields.
The sun rose higher and higher, and the power of the autumn tiger still remained. There was no ice in Jingyuan anymore. Chunya took out a round fan to fan Nanxu. The breeze blew on her face. Nanxu supported her forehead with her hand and looked at Qian Guanshi, whose long gown was almost soaked with sweat, with a comfortable look.
"Really?" Nan Xu's tone was indistinct, her emotions unresolved. She tapped the jade pendant at her waist intermittently and said slowly, "If that's the case, why didn't Manager Qian tell me earlier? This would have saved my maid from all the trouble. You're just teasing me."
The word "play" was a bit heavy, like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Manager Qian's heart was beating like a drum, and he kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
He can't be accused of deceiving his master like this!
He looked around and suddenly spotted the silent Manager Li behind him. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Manager Li's clothes, almost pulling him to stumble. "Li Qi, why are you hiding? If you hadn't said that the Madam is just a woman and can't understand the accounts, I wouldn't have listened to you. I..."
Halfway through his words, Manager Li covered his lips with his hand, stared at him fiercely, and signaled him to stop talking.
No matter whose idea it was, the facts were before their eyes. But as long as they insisted that it was their subordinates who made the mistake, could Nan Xu, the newly married bride, still take over their job?
At most, they can be punished for not exercising strict discipline, and at most their monthly salary and bonuses will be deducted for half a year. As long as they leave the Earl's Mansion, they still have the final say in matters outside.
Li Qi stared at Manager Qian intently, his eyes filled with cruelty. He knew that this Qian was unreliable...
The man surnamed Sun was stronger than him, but he was a tough guy who refused to form an alliance with him. Noticing the unhappy look of the woman above him, Li Qi suppressed his emotions and pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly.
"Madam, Manager Qian panicked and babbled a bit, so please don't take it personally." He cupped his hands, finally showing some respect. "When the Earl was first conferred the title, these properties were originally the property of criminals reclaimed by the court. They were supervised by people sent by the inner court, and we were responsible for their management. Later, the properties managed by the three of us all belonged to the Earl. Although the inner court has removed several supervisors, we are still on the inner court's roster, and the palace also sends people to supervise us regularly. Therefore, the accounts cover not only our Earl's mansion, but also the annual contributions to the court."
When he said this, he calmed down and looked up at Nan Xu. He saw that Nan Xu looked calm and didn't seem surprised by what he said.
His heart, as dry as a well, trembled inadvertently. He lowered his head and continued, "I'm not saying this to shirk responsibility for the accounting problems. It's just that we were pressed for time to review it for Madam, and we were worried that the people below would harbor resentment, so mistakes were inevitable."
As soon as these words came out, before Nan Xu could say anything, Yuxiang glared at them and pointed at them, cursing, "Bullshit!"
It's fine if this is just to scare those people from small families, but actually using it to fool his own wife is simply - bullshit!
"Alright." Seeing her agitated expression, Nan Xu scolded her and used her round fan to press her arms down. "Girls, it's not polite to say such things. Besides, even when beating a dog, you have to look at the owner. Steward Li's words are directly pointing to the palace. Yuxiang, don't be so presumptuous."
Seeing that she didn't seem to want to pursue the matter any further, Manager Qian collapsed to the ground. Manager Li breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was full of ridicule. He had heard that the Yong'an Marquis Mansion was no longer in favor with the emperor, and it was just a bluff.
However, Manager Sun, who was sitting in the back, was stunned for a while, picked up the teacup and took a sip to hide the worry that flashed across his face.
"Madam, you are wise. I respect you." Manager Li said to himself, and was about to sit back down with satisfaction. Before leaving, he did not forget to kick Manager Qian who was lying on the ground.
Nan Xu looked at his unconcealable pride and finally stopped smiling.
"Whether you beat a dog depends on the owner, but if you beat something that's not even a dog, I don't think the owner will blame you."
Manager Li was just about to sit down when he heard these words. He looked up suddenly and saw Nan Xu, who had been idle just now, now sitting upright in an armchair, staring at him with sharp eyes, and pointing with the round fan in her hand, which was as sharp as a knife.
"You also said that this is the property given to the Weiyang Marquis's Mansion by the court, so it must be under the control of my mansion. If that's the case, can't I, a third-rank marquis' wife, do anything to a mere steward like you?"
Manager Li seemed to have not expected her to suddenly attack him. He was about to retort, but Nan Xu did not give him a chance.
"You're right. The three of you are already members of the inner court, but so what? If I replace you, I will still provide the same annual tribute to the palace. Steward Li, the capital is so big, it shouldn't be difficult to find another 'Li Qi' with the same name."
She looked at Steward Li and sneered twice, her eyes devoid of any warmth. "Steward Li, tell me, when I do this, will the inner court turn a blind eye? Or will they report this to the emperor to punish me in order to protect you, an unknown little steward?"
Manager Qian was about to get up, but he was frightened by these words and fell to the ground again. He felt uncomfortable with the impact on his belly, and the shout of "Li Qi, you bastard" became weak.
Manager Li stood there staring at him blankly, the smugness on his face gradually turning pale.
However, Manager Sun put down the teacup in his hand and calmly went to help Manager Qian who was unable to stand up.
*
When Duan Wenpei returned from the Ministry of Justice, it was already late.
Recently, several cases of corruption involving officials have been piled up together, causing quite a stir. The court discussed this and ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple to jointly try the cases.
Duan Wenpei was very busy for a while, as he was busy catching the Zhao family in a trap here and trying the case there.
So when Liu Hui heard that Nan Xu punished Li Qi, who was in charge of transportation, today, he didn't react much.
Liu Hui waited for a while, and seeing that he really didn't care at all, he said anxiously, "My God, do you really not remember who Li Qi's uncle is?"
Duan Wenpei leaned back on the couch with his eyes closed, resting his mind, and asked him, "Who is it?"
"It's Xie Huan, the inner court's chief steward. Master Xie Huan should know that he is the godson of the chief steward Guo Huai!"
"Master, Xie Huan has a terrible temper. If Li Qi goes to Xie Huan and persuades Guo Huai, and Guo Huai goes to His Majesty and says something to him from time to time, then, oh, Master, where are you going?"
Duan Wenpei walked in a hurry. Liu Hui watched him rush out of Guangwen Pavilion like the wind and head towards the backyard, then he hurriedly chased after him.
Apparently, after failing to reconcile with his wife, the two of them are having another falling out...
This is the first time I have stepped into Jingyuan since that day when I parted ways with Nanxu in the garden.
The yard was very quiet, and the maids and servants moved around in an orderly manner, walking silently.
He did not panic when he saw Duan Wenpei coming. He bowed as he should and went in to report as he should.
Duan Wenpei sighed a little. He was not good at managing the household and was not very proficient in it, but he could see that Nan Xu was capable of taking care of the miscellaneous affairs.
He quickly stopped the maid who was about to go in to report and said that he would go in. The maid didn't know the inside story and didn't dare to disobey, so she had to let him in.
Passing through the corridor lined with purple bamboos and crossing the arch bridge, Nan Xu's living room is right in front of you. The slatted window is half open, and you can see Nan Xu's slim figure sitting on the couch.
There seemed to be someone talking inside. Duan Wenpei's heart moved slightly. He found a blind spot and stood outside to listen to what was said inside.
At first, there were intermittent voices, but after a moment, no one knew who said what. Nan Xu suddenly shouted "ridiculous", and then there were sounds of people kneeling down in twos and threes.
Duan Wenpei glanced inside, his eyes fixed on Nan Xu's slightly trembling right hand.
In the room, Nan Xu was so excited that she forgot that she had an injury on her left ankle. She stood up suddenly, but fell back onto the couch because of the pain. Her face was immediately covered with sweat.
Nanny Jiang was so frightened that she didn't know what to do. She just kept kowtowing, muttering, "Everything is my fault. Madam, please take care of yourself."
Yuxiang hurriedly helped Nanxu sit down. Chunya found the ointment prescribed by the imperial physician and rubbed it on Nanxu, and then asked someone to prepare an ice pack.
The ice relieved the pain in her ankle, and Nan Xu regained her composure. She looked at Nanny Jiang, whose forehead was red from the knock, and felt mixed emotions.
"Mammy, please get up first."
Nanny Jiang was the dowry brought by her mother from her natal family. Although she was not as useful as Mother Wang, she had been with A-niang for so many years. Nan Xu could understand other things, but she just couldn't understand why Nanny Jiang had to kill Yu Ming.
Why?
Yuming grew up with her, and all the old maids in the Hou Mansion had teased Yuming with candy, but she just didn't understand what Nanny Jiang did.
Seeing that Nan Xu's pain had eased, Nanny Jiang stopped kowtowing, but she didn't get up either. She just took a few steps on her knees and knelt in front of Nan Xu. "Madam, I'm not a cruel person. I'm just afraid, afraid..." She seemed to be hesitant to speak, and didn't know where to start.
Nanny Jiang was already quite old, and Nan Xu didn't like having to kneel in front of her like this. She signaled with her eyes to the maid at the door to come in and help Nanny Jiang up.
"What are you afraid of, Mammy?"
Nanny Jiang was forced to sit on a low stool. Her gaze drifted away as she looked at Nan Xu's swollen ankle and said woodenly, "I'm afraid that Madam will become estranged from Master Bo because of Yu Ming's matter."
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