“Yes, madam, she’s still very inexperienced. Why not let her train under me for a few years, and then we can talk about the management rights later?”
"Someone, please invite the young mistress in." Madam Pei ignored Madam Wen completely and only told a maid to invite Jiang Shuwan in.
As soon as Jiang Shuwan entered, she noticed that the atmosphere in the room was different. Old Madam Pei was sitting in a grand chair with anger still on her face, while Madam Wen and Pei Jing were kneeling on one side, crying. Madam Bo was watching the show with her hands clasped in her hands.
Lady Bo, even after being reprimanded by His Majesty, still has the mood to watch Wen Shi's downfall. I don't know if she's just incredibly carefree.
However, it doesn't concern her whether it's left or right.
All she needs to do is get control of the household.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shuwan narrowed her eyes slightly.
When Madam Pei entered the palace, she temporarily handed over the management of the household to her. This should be a formal appointment now.
"Greetings, Madam, and Auntie."
As Jiang Shuwan spoke, she curtsied. She was in a good mood because she thought of the steward, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she looked worried.
"I wonder what the old lady wants to do with her granddaughter-in-law. What is Her Majesty the Empress's decree? Just don't let us be implicated in the Marquis's family because of usury."
Wen was so angry at her words that she almost fell over.
"You shameless woman, you really know how to rub salt in the wound..."
"shut up!"
She had barely started cursing when she was scolded by Old Madam Pei. Madam Wen could only shut her mouth angrily, while Madam Bo rubbed her hands excitedly.
Good boy.
She truly lives up to her status as the Crown Prince's wife; she holds a special position in front of the old lady.
It seems that Wen's control over the household is unlikely to be maintained.
Hmph, once Madam Wen loses her power to manage the household, I don't believe she'll still be able to act like a noblewoman in front of her every day!
"Wan, little girl."
"What are your orders, madam?"
Hearing the old lady call her, Jiang Shuwan quickly raised her head. Her delicate face and clear, bright eyes made the old lady Pei's gloom dissipate.
With all this trouble and distress in the house, only looking at Jiang Shuwan could brighten the old man's mood, and he softened his voice.
"Wan, when I returned to the manor I saw you gathering the maids together. Is something the matter?"
"Replying to the old lady, it's nothing serious. It's just that before you left, you entrusted all the affairs of the inner quarters to your granddaughter-in-law. I thought that with such a big thing happening in the Marquis's mansion, the old Marquis not here, and the lady being confined by you, there's no one to lead the household. The maids and servants are bound to panic. In this situation, it wouldn't be good no matter what happens. So I had the servants close all the doors in the mansion to prevent them from gossiping and also declined all social engagements and entertaining guests."
"During the period of closure, a few guests came to the door. Upon hearing that the Marquis's mansion was closed to guests, the granddaughter-in-law had someone leave their names and left without even entering the door. However, there were a few people who claimed to be servants from the Marquis of Yongwu's mansion and the Duke of Chen's mansion. For some reason, upon hearing that the Marquis's mansion was closed to guests, they not only did not leave, but knocked on the door even louder, as if they wanted to force their way in."
"My granddaughter-in-law was frightened when she heard this and ordered the servants to beat them away. She has just started managing the household and doesn't know if she has done the right thing. She was just about to report this to the old lady, and she hopes that the old lady will not blame her."
"Good child! How could I possibly blame you!"
"Good boy! You did a great job!"
Upon hearing Jiang Shuwan's words, Old Madam Pei burst into laughter, clapping her hands in response.
"The Marquis of Yongwu's family was the one that lent the most money at exorbitant interest rates this time. His Majesty has designated them as the ringleaders, and the whole family has been imprisoned. The Duke of Chen's family has also been demoted by one rank. Good child, it's fortunate that you didn't let them in, otherwise our Marquis's family would have no way to explain ourselves."
"Good child, I was in such a hurry to enter the palace that I didn't have time to tell you about your household affairs. I didn't expect you to handle things so calmly. Excellent! Truly wonderful!"
Madam Pei gazed at Jiang Shuwan with admiration, finding her perfect in every way.
"Old lady, she just got lucky. Anyone can do that: when something happens in the family, the elders go to the palace, and the family stays at home without receiving guests!"
"Oh? If that's the case, why don't you see Pei Jing helping Wan'er? She's also a daughter of the Pei family."
Wen immediately shut up and gave up, while Pei Jing buried her head in shame, afraid that others would see her blush.
"snort."
Madam Pei snorted coldly and refused to look at them.
"Grandma, there is something else I wanted to ask you. I heard that because of usury, many poor people are not even able to eat. I was thinking of building two soup kitchens, firstly to give them something to eat, and secondly to atone for the sins of the Marquis's family."
"It's none of the people's business. Those lowly people don't need to pay back the money they borrowed, so how can they go hungry? Old lady, look at Madam Jiang. She hasn't even taken charge of the household yet, but she's already using public funds to build her reputation. How can she manage the Marquis's mansion like that?"
Seeing Wen pointing at her and scolding her, Jiang Shuwan just smiled slightly, "Madam, you don't know, poor people would never go to loan sharks unless they are desperate. When they have no money, they usually pawn their things first. If they can't pawn anything else, they go to kind-hearted folks in the village or to relatives and friends. Only when they can't borrow from anyone else will they go to loan sharks."
"So even if they don't have to pay back the loan sharks, they still have a lot of debts to pay. I think I can't pay their debts for them, but I can still give them some food. Also, for the farmers who rent land in our manor, we can reduce their rent according to their individual circumstances."
"Lower land rent is just one less dish on our table for us, but it could be life-saving food for them."
"Good boy! Your idea is excellent!"
Madam Pei couldn't help but praise her again and again. She was a kind-hearted person and couldn't bear to see those suffering people. Wen Shi had also gotten involved in the usury issue.
She had been thinking about how to make amends, but Jiang Shuwan had already thought of everything for her, including reducing the land rent. Jiang Shuwan had thought of things that she hadn't thought of herself.
"Wan, it's amazing that you could think of these things in such a short time."
Madam Pei beckoned Jiang Shuwan over. The old lady touched Jiang Shuwan's hand and smiled very kindly, "It is truly a blessing for our Marquis's family to have you as our wife. Look at your wife, all she thinks about is her power to manage the household, she doesn't care about anything else."
Jiang Shuwan immediately looked embarrassed and said, "Grandma, you are too kind to your granddaughter-in-law. Madam comes from a wealthy merchant family, and it is understandable that you do not know the hardships of the poor. My family is only of the fifth rank, and my father was the first scholar in the family. It would be abnormal if we did not know these things. I just hope that you do not mind my low social status."
"Hmph, blessed people have no prejudice against social status. Your deceased grandfather, the first Marquis Wenyuan of our Marquis family, was just a dockworker in the past."
"Wan, you are a smart girl. I have high hopes for you. From now on, you will be in charge of the household."
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