If he wasn't bewitched or his mind wasn't clouded, who would want to marry a divorced woman? It's not like he can't find a wife.
Wang Mengyun's words were brief and to the point; she knew that Qiu Mingxuan would definitely make a move next, and she only needed to sit back and watch the two tigers fight.
If Qiu Mingxuan can't win, isn't there still Princess Xilan? She likes Lin Shikang so much, can she just stand by and watch the Yang family prosper?
**
Stargazing Tower.
"Madam Cen, the script you wrote is absolutely brilliant! What's new about it?" Guo Zhenyu couldn't wait any longer.
Guo Zhenyu was a businessman with the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level). Thanks to Yang Cui's play scripts, he earned a lot of money in advertising and book sales.
Previously, when Yang Cui was not in Kyoto, they had fewer opportunities to cooperate, but now that Yang Cui has come to Kyoto, they have more opportunities to cooperate.
"I'm new here and may not have time to create anything recently."
"I understand, I understand." Guo Zhenyu nodded repeatedly. "But if you find other profitable businesses, don't forget about me."
Su Murong stepped on his foot and said irritably, "Trying to steal my business? Are we still brothers?"
"Don't you earn enough? Your brother should earn some too. Don't you understand the importance of respecting elders?"
"Dream on!"
Su Murong and Guo Zhenyu refused to back down and started arguing.
Seeing this, Yang Cui smiled and said, "I do have a few new ideas about business, but we can discuss the specifics in a few days."
Guo Zhenyu was afraid that Yang Cui would abandon him, so he immediately said, "Madam Cen, I can't be left out of this matter. Just tell me what you need me to do, whether it's money, effort, or a position."
Su Murong: "I'm familiar with Kyoto. Is there anything I need to prepare in advance?"
"My husband and I need to discuss this further; we'll talk about it again in a few days."
Yang Cui wanted to improve the well-being of the retired soldiers, so she needed to discuss the specifics with Cen Xiao.
As soon as they left the Star Gazing Tower, Qinglan rushed out and almost bumped into Yang Cui.
With her face bruised and swollen, Qinglan knelt before Yang Cui: "Madam, please save me, please save me."
One encounter was a coincidence, but is this one also a coincidence?
Since I'm new here and under the watchful eyes of everyone, ignoring it certainly won't work.
"Young lady, you have stopped me many times and asked me to save you. It seems that our fate is truly deep."
Qinglan's heart skipped a beat.
"Madam, please save me! My father is going to sell me to a brothel. I don't want to go to that kind of place. Please buy me! I'm willing to endure any hardship. Please, I beg you!" Qinglan cried, tears streaming down her face, and then kowtowed repeatedly to Yang Cui.
"Are you really willing to endure any hardship and do any kind of work?"
"Yes, please take me in, madam."
"Then let's sign a contract of servitude." As soon as Yang Cui finished speaking, Xi Hongmei immediately borrowed a pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the restaurant and wrote a contract of servitude. Qinglan signed and affixed her fingerprint without even thinking.
"Since you have sold yourself to me, you are now my person. From now on, you will work as a laundry maid in my mansion. Hongmei, you can arrange it as you see fit."
If someone is approaching you with a specific purpose, Yang Cui might avoid Qinglan today, but tomorrow there will be Honglan and Lülan. It would be better to keep an eye on her and see what their true intentions are.
*
When they returned to the general's manor, Xue Bing, the steward of the estate, brought them the account books.
As a general, Cen Xiao was granted 500 mu of land by imperial decree, and Xue Bing was in charge of managing these 500 mu of land.
Previously, the General's Mansion had no mistress, and Cen Xiao was away from the capital for most of the year, so it was basically never managed. Now it's different. Yang Cui is the mistress and a businesswoman herself, so there's no reason for her not to manage her own business.
Cen Xiao was appointed a first-rank general not long ago. Of the 500 mu of land, 300 mu were granted to him at the beginning of the year before last when he was appointed a first-rank general. The other 200 mu were granted to him five and six years ago, respectively.
Yang Cui picked up the ledger and casually flipped through it: "The harvest is very poor."
"Some of the tenant farmers on the estate are the families of soldiers who died in battle, and the general only charges them 60% of the rent."
Normally, 80% of the rent should be collected, with only 20% going to the tenants. This is considered Cen Xiao's way of providing relief and care for the families of martyrs.
Yang Cui didn't speak, but continued to look through the pages. After a while, she said, "In the past two years, we have sent twenty shi each of sorghum, red beans, and mung beans, sixteen shi of millet, twenty shi of rice, and thirty shi of wheat to the General's Mansion. This is fifty-six more shi of grain than before."
"Yes."
“Besides the people I just brought back, the General’s Mansion originally had a population of forty-six. As far as I know, the General’s Mansion has only added five people in the past two years.”
After saying that, Yang Cui looked at Xue Bing, wanting to know how he would explain.
Fifty-six shi is five thousand six hundred jin. Can five people eat five thousand six hundred jin of grain in a year?
Xue Bing knelt down with a thud: "Madam, I don't know anything! The General's Mansion said they wanted so much, so I sent this much. I don't know anything about it!"
"Who was your contact? And who told you you needed so much grain?"
"It was Steward Qiao who said there wasn't enough food, so I had so much delivered. I don't know anything else, please investigate, Madam."
Cen Xiao originally meant well, but now he fears he has raised an ungrateful wretch, with someone taking advantage of the absence of the general's mansion to line their own pockets.
Yang Cui ordered her men to take Xue Bing into custody first. More than 5,000 jin of grain was no small amount, and this was only what they had found so far.
Yang Cui instructed everyone not to spread the word about this matter and to keep it a secret so as not to alert the enemy.
Yang Cui then began to examine the accounts in detail.
Yang Cui wasn't an accounting major, but after the incident involving 5,000 jin, she felt increasingly that something was wrong with the accounts.
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