Chapter 790: Coveting Leads to Disaster in Rongqing Hall

Rongguo Prefecture, Lixiang Courtyard.

In the hall, a pot of daffodils was offered on the table, with emerald leaves like orchids and white flowers with golden stamens, emitting a fragrant scent, adding a touch of elegance to the room.

The maid Tongxi was using iron tongs to stir the charcoal brazier, turning the red-hot red mud charcoal blocks from the bottom to the top, making it increasingly warm and steaming.

Lady Wang was wearing an indigo mud-gold long jacket with fur lining, holding a white porcelain flower-painted copper hand warmer, smiling and chatting with Xue Yima Xue.

Yu Chuan stood by Lady Wang's side, wearing a fur-lined sleeveless jacket, holding two bolts of silk in her hands, her expression somewhat uneasy.

Thinking of the scene in the East Road Courtyard just now, Lady Wang sent her out of the hall to talk to Qin Xian's wife.

She heard the conversation between the two under the west window. This damn Qin Xian's wife really talked about matching herself to Qin Yong.

Yu Chuan heard Lady Wang only use her young age as an excuse and didn't strictly refuse this matter, which made Yu Chuan very disappointed.

Because she was angry in her heart, she accidentally made a noise, heard Qin Xian's wife coming out to check, and naturally ran away early to avoid it.

Not long after, the Lady sent someone to find her, asking her to follow her to the Lixiang Courtyard of the West Mansion.

On this journey, Yu Chuan was restless, feeling that the Lady who had served for many years had suddenly become so strange, making people unwilling to be close.

By the time she reached the age of fifteen, there wasn't much time left. If the Lady really matched herself to Qin Yong, could she only hang herself?

But she was still so young, she didn't want to die like this, and she didn't want to be trampled and manipulated by others like this.

At the beginning, she and her sister served by the Lady's side. For so many years, the Lady had never beaten or scolded the maids by her side, and she was considered generous.

Although the Lady was fierce to her sister later, forcing her sister to jump into the well, which made Yu Chuan very scared.

Fortunately, her sister was saved by the third master Cong, and this matter passed quickly, and the Lady treated her the same as before.

This made the worry in Yu Chuan's heart gradually fade away. She felt that the days in the future would surely pass plainly like in the past.

By the time she grew to sixteen or seventeen, like other maids, she would be sent out to marry. Having been the Lady's maid, she might be able to marry a proper person.

But she never dreamed that she would be targeted by this Qin Xian's wife, who even wanted to match her to her rascal son.

She had served the Lady for so many years, and the Lady knew what kind of goods Qin Yong was, yet she didn't help her stop it. Her heart was too cold...

Yu Chuan thought of these, and became more and more restless. The two bolts of silk she held seemed to become exceptionally heavy.

Lady Wang smiled, "I haven't been here for a long time. Yesterday, the shop entered some new silk from Gusu."

"I think two of the patterns are suitable for you and Bao Yitou to make clothes. I came to pay respects to the Old Matron today and brought them to you by the way."

Lady Wang let Yu Chuan take the two bolts of silk. Xue Yima Xue smiled, "This looks like top-grade goods from Gusu. The color and style are also excellent."

Xue Yima Xue played with the silk while feeling suspicious in her heart. Her sister's behavior was really strange.

Since she saw the affair between Cong Ge'er and Bao Yitou, she determined that the two had an improper illicit affair, and from then on, the two sisters developed a grudge.

Later, she wanted to squeeze the Xue family out of the Jia Prefecture, and the two sisters became even more distanced. Since that time, her sister hadn't come to Lixiang Courtyard to visit.

Suddenly coming to show favor today, Xue Yima Xue determined that there must be a reason for it.

Xue Yima Xue smiled, "It's making you spend money, sister. These two materials are excellent. Bao Yitou will definitely like this pattern."

Lady Wang smiled, "It's just two bolts of material, not worth anything. Why don't I see Bao Yitou coming out?"

Xue Yima Xue smiled, "Bao Yitou went to the East Mansion to talk to the sisters after lunch."

"The weather is too cold now, and the sisters rarely go out to visit. They usually gather in the second sister's courtyard to keep each other company and pass the time."

Lady Wang heard the two words "East Mansion," and felt uncomfortable in her heart. She originally wanted to use Baochai, but it didn't happen, and she was a bit disappointed.

She said, "I came to talk to you today, and I happen to have a matter to ask for your advice."

Xue Yima Xue heard this, and sure enough, she didn't go to the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. Her sister had always had a firm idea, so how could she ask for her advice? It was mostly asking her to contribute.

She smiled, "Two sisters don't need to be so polite. Just say whatever you have, sister."

Lady Wang had a warm expression and said, "It is said that the Xinchun Firm's business in Jiang Nan is prosperous. Because it wants to expand the stall, it rented the Xue family's ancestral shops."

"I think the Xinchun Firm is doing big business in Jiang Nan, and it will be the same in the Love Shenjing. But the Xinchun Firm only has one branch, the Xiuniang Incense Shop, in the Love Shenjing."

"This lineup sounds a bit unlike it. It will definitely open more branches in the Love Shenjing. It just so happens that I have two dowry shops in my hand..."

Xue Yima Xue was startled. No wonder her sister suddenly came to visit. Seeing the Xue family renting shops and making money, she wanted to follow suit.

She hurriedly asked, "Does sister also want to rent the dowry shops to the Xinchun Firm?"

Lady Wang heard this and felt disdain in her heart. Her sister married into a merchant family, and her vision was much lower than her own.

Not to mention that the kid in the East Mansion was a formidable character, and even that woman surnamed Qu in Jin Ling was someone she had never met.

Her sister actually dared to hand over the ancestral shops to others to manage, and it was a place like Jin Ling that was beyond reach.

She didn't even worry about being tampered with. If someone used means to swallow the Xue family's ancestral shops, she wouldn't know who to reason with.

She would absolutely not do such a rash thing. Besides, the method she used could earn more silver than renting shops.

She smiled, "I don't rent these two shops. You also know the situation of the Jia family. Since the second branch moved to the East Courtyard, it has not been as good as before."

"The monthly allowance of the West Mansion is tight, not enough for the consumption of so many people in the second branch. I don't know how much I have subsidized myself."

"Most of it depends on the harvest of these two dowry shops. Besides, the shop business has always been good, and there are many hard goods that are good to sell in the warehouse."

"If all the shops are rented out, it will be a big loss. Not to mention the dowry slaves in the shop, they have nowhere to be placed."

Xue Yima Xue heard this and didn't believe it. A few days ago, Wang Xifeng mentioned the silver used by the West Mansion at the end of the year in Rongqing Hall.

The monthly allowance for the masters and slaves in the East Road Courtyard had quotas, and the West Mansion distributed them according to the head count every month.

The daily grain, rice, and vegetables used in the East Road Courtyard were also distributed from the public mansion according to the head count.

The Old Matron doted on the brother-in-law the most, and the brother-in-law and the third master Cong had deep affection. The Old Matron was an old hand at managing the house.

Feng Yitou was such a shrewd person, she would never deduct the monthly allowance for the East Road Courtyard, which was simply not worth it.

Xue Yima Xue was also a housewife who managed the house, and she knew clearly that the distribution of monthly allowances was enough for the daily consumption of the East Road Courtyard.

There was no need for her sister to spend her own private silver. Her sister's words could only fool outsiders, but those who knew the roots didn't believe it.

Xue Yima Xue sighed in her heart. To put it bluntly, her sister was just not convinced that the first branch was in charge, and she still held a grudge against losing the power of the Rongguo managing wife.

Holding hatred in her heart, she said these crooked words. If these words were passed to Feng Yitou and Cong Ge'er, they would definitely say that her sister didn't know what was good for her.

This was clearly eating the food of the West Mansion, putting down the bowl to scold the mother.

If this angered Cong Ge'er and Feng Yitou, cutting off the monthly allowance and rice, and throwing a few small shoes over, would her sister wear them or not?

She asked, "Since sister doesn't want to rent the shops, why mention the Xinchun Firm doing big business?"

Lady Wang said to Yu Chuan, "I am talking to Xue Yima, you don't need to serve here, go out and stroll by yourself."

Yu Chuan understood in her heart that the Lady and Xue Yima were talking about things, and didn't want her to hear them.

She happened to want to find her sister Jin Chuan to discuss, but she had never been able to get free time. This happened to be what she wanted, so she naturally hurried out of the hall.

Lady Wang smiled, "I think if the Xinchun Firm wants to do big business in the Love Shenjing, it must expand its shops like in Jin Ling."

"My two shops, although the business is not prosperous, still have a lot of spare space."

"As long as Cong Ge'er is willing to speak, the perfume, soap, and other items of the Xinchun Firm can be sold in my shops, which saves them the consumption of renting shops."

"I, as an elder, will not take advantage. I will use the market price to purchase goods from the Xinchun Firm with real silver, and will not let Cong Ge'er and Miss Qu suffer losses."

Xue Yima Xue understood now and said, "Does sister mean to distribute the items of the Xinchun Firm?"

Lady Wang smiled, "Since sister is in the imperial merchant family, you understand as soon as I say it."

Xue Yima Xue saw the joy on her sister's face, seemingly quite proud of her idea, and couldn't help but feel a bit funny in her heart. ===== CHAPTER 791 =====