"Grandma, it's been about ten years since you started investigating."
"There's no point in investigating any further."
Jiang Shuwan told this to Madam Pei, who thought about it and agreed that it made sense, so she called a halt.
The old Marquis had just finished court, and Madam Pei invited him over.
"You despicable scoundrel, lining your own pockets, morally corrupt, what kind of behavior is this!"
When the old Marquis saw the accounts, he was so angry that he summoned Lady Wen.
"Sir, I was wrong..."
Wen had no way to deny it and cried bitterly.
She cried as she said she regretted it.
She admitted her mistake well, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
After more than twenty years of friendship, the old Marquis was somewhat soft-hearted, but he still made her return all the money she had embezzled.
Jiang Shuwan found out 70,000 taels, while Wen Shi returned 100,000 taels.
This number was also discussed between him and Madam Pei.
The Wen family managed the household for twenty years, and in the last ten years, they embezzled 70,000 taels of silver.
In the first ten years, especially when she first took over the family business, she certainly wouldn't dare to take action.
If she continued to embezzle for a few more years, and the total amount was added up to 100,000 taels, it wouldn't be an injustice to accuse her.
The housekeeper also demanded that she hand over half of it.
"Yes, madam, your daughter-in-law accepts the punishment."
Wen sniffed, feeling extremely distressed at the thought of giving away 100,000 taels of silver.
But we have to admit it.
This is a shameful affair. There are only four masters in the house: Madam Wen, Jiang Shuwan, the old lady, and the old marquis.
Even his third and fourth wives were not there.
The maids and servants urged Chang Mama to hurry away to the outside.
This audit and punishment of the Wen family members were not to be participated in by anyone other than their closest confidants.
Moreover, they all instructed people to keep it strictly confidential and not to divulge it to outsiders.
If it were known outsiders that the mistress was using the housekeeper to line her own pockets, a family like theirs would lose all face and dignity.
After punishing Wen's family.
Madam Pei then spoke of the family's achievements over the past two years.
The manor originally earned over 100,000 taels a year, and sometimes even more if the harvest was good.
This time, when she looked at the account books, she saw that the household's income had dropped to 100,000 for several consecutive years.
"The old lady is really not a daughter-in-law who is incompetent in managing the household."
"It turns out that the weather has been bad these past two years, and the harvests from the manor's fields and estates are 20-30% less than in previous years."
Wen cried out that he was wronged.
That's true.
The harvest from the fields has indeed been less than in previous years.
For example, Granny Tao originally redeemed herself from her servitude and bought dozens of acres of land to make a living.
The only reason is that the harvest has been poor in recent years, and the elderly in the family have also fallen ill.
The whole family was sold into slavery again.
The decline in the harvest at Tianzhuang Mountain Villa was not her fault.
"I can't control the business of the shop, and I also want the shop to make more money."
"It's just that there are many different kinds of shops in the capital, and the competition is fierce, so business is not easy."
In addition to various estates and manors, the Marquis's mansion also had a considerable fortune.
The biggest source of income is the shops they own.
The shop is doing well, so she has more opportunities to help herself.
She was also feeling down because business was bad at the shop.
Right now, I feel even more distressed.
The old lady found out the accounts, and naturally, she had to hand over all the money she had embezzled.
I feel so sorry for her.
It's all her fault for sending those palace flowers; it led to this whole mess.
Fortunately, the old lady had someone investigate secretly, so apart from the people in the room, no one outside knew.
It was the power of housekeeping that Jiang Shuwan bit off half of.
There are roughly two people in charge of managing the household affairs.
One inside, one outside.
"Inner" refers to all matters concerning the people and affairs of the inner quarters.
The term "outer" refers to the profitability of various farms, manors, and shops.
The Marquis's mansion relied mostly on the latter for its expenses.
There's generally not much to do at Tianzhuang Mountain Villa; they just need to grow grain as usual.
The operations of shops are much more complex.
Deciding what to sell at what time of year and what products need to be adjusted is quite complex.
Women cannot go out as freely as men.
When it comes to managing the shop's business, the person in charge often just does whatever they say.
It's not easy to be deceived by the manager.
It's a tough job that's physically demanding and not necessarily rewarding.
Some reasonable male owners would also inquire about the shop's affairs.
Firstly, it could help the mistress of the house, and secondly, it could intimidate the shopkeepers.
It wasn't unheard of for servants to bully their masters in these families.
However, the old Marquis was busy with court affairs, so the Wen family managed the shop's affairs.
Wen was born into a royal merchant family. Although the social hierarchy was based on scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, she still felt that merchants were inferior and lacked the refined elegance of aristocratic families and officials.
Judging from her own experience, Jiang Shuwan was also a young lady from an official family and had no desire to manage external affairs shops.
As he thought about it, Wen felt as if the whole world had become dark and gloomy.
The old lady demanded that she hand over half of her housekeeping authority to Jiang Shuwan.
If Jiang Shuwan isn't stupid, she'll definitely pick on matters concerning the inner quarters.
It's a pity that she managed the inner quarters so well these days, yet Jiang Shuwan reaped the rewards.
I hate her so much!
On the other hand, Jiang Shuwan was also contemplating whether to wield power on the inside or outside.
If you want to avoid being lazy, staying at home is definitely the best option.
She has a family to support her.
The mansion has been peaceful lately, and the head maid and the storeroom maid dare not cause trouble.
After all, the Wen family's corruption had only just been exposed.
These two old women, along with Madam Wen, lived like dogs.
If she were in charge of the inner quarters, it would definitely be quite easy for her.
It suits her laid-back, easygoing attitude.
The old lady didn't mention anything else, only the business of several shops in Kyoto...
The big boss is implying that she should take over the management of the shop!
This gives her more authority.
We can also see her abilities...
Why!
Previously, some merchants from the West Market wanted to curry favor with her and make money by following her.
Later, an old lady wanted her to take over the shops in the mansion.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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