Chapter 802: Fragrance of Snow-Covered Brocade Quilts

Lady Rongguo Mansion, Lixiang Courtyard.

Xue Xue Yima was shocked when she heard Xue Baochai's words: "What big matter did the Second Uncle find out?"

Xue Xue Baochai said: "Sister Baoqin said in the letter that the Second Uncle asked Cai Da Niang to check the accounts and found something strange about the prices of goods entering and leaving the old shop on Yang Pingshi Street.

He asked Ke brother to go to Su Zhou to investigate and found that the shopkeeper of the old shop on Yang Pingshi Street, Cai Cai Ronghui, had embezzled more than four thousand taels of silver profit in the past year by means of high purchase prices and low selling prices.

The Second Uncle has already reported this to the Ying Tian Prefecture and asked Jia Yucun to take Cai Cai Ronghui into custody to deter the other three old shops that were rented out.

The shopkeepers of the other three old shops were worried about getting involved in a lawsuit and confessed to the Second Uncle that they had each embezzled store assets in the past two years.

The Second Uncle re-examined the accounts of previous years. Since we moved to the Love Shenjing, these old shopkeepers had fewer scruples and had been playing tricks on the shop business.

We have only moved to the Love Shenjing for three years, and these four old shops have been embezzled of more than thirty thousand taels of profit, which is truly shocking."

Xue Xue Yima's face turned pale when she heard this, and she gritted her teeth and said: "These old shopkeepers were all cultivated by your father with his own hands and had received the kindness of the Xue family.

After your father passed away, I didn't treat them badly. Everyone had a generous salary, and every family accumulated industries.

They were still not satisfied and wanted to embezzle the Xue family's industries. They are truly wolf-hearted and dog-lunged. Only by handing them over to the government for punishment can I vent my anger!"

Xue Baochai said: "These people saw that we were not in Jinling, so they lost their constraints. They are just greedy people who don't know how to be satisfied, shameless and unrighteous people.

Fortunately, this matter was handled by the Second Uncle, otherwise, these rats wouldn't have been dug out.

The Second Uncle handed Cai Cai Ronghui over to the government for punishment, just to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys. If the other shopkeepers were also reported to the government, there would be many disadvantages.

The Second Uncle said that Jia Yucun is not credible. Reporting the other shopkeepers to the government office would mean the government would get involved and likely profit from it.

If we fall into such a situation, the silver assets embezzled from the Xue family would likely not be fully recovered.

So the Second Uncle told the other three old shopkeepers that as long as they return the embezzled silver assets within a time limit, the Xue family would not pursue it, and would only expel them from the Xue family."

Xue Xue Yima said indignantly: "Doesn't this just let them off cheaply!"

Xue Baochai advised: "Mom, now that the Xue family lacks a foundation in the officialdom, and the Eldest Uncle is already the Jinying Military Governor, the situation is no longer as good as before, and he acts very cautiously.

Brother Cong is a Hanlin official, and his reputation is very important. I don't want to involve him in irrelevant matters at all.

For many things in business, we should rely more on ourselves and leave more room for maneuver. Trying not to trouble others as much as possible is the long-term plan.

As long as the embezzled silver assets are recovered, as long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood.

Besides, the Xue family still has to do business in Jinling, so having fewer grudges is never wrong.

Brother Cong once mentioned to me that Jia Yucun is not credible. His judgment of people is always good, so it's better for the Xue family to stay away from him in the future."

Xue Xue Yima sighed: "Staying away from the government is also a safe way. Just do as your Second Uncle says."

Xue Baochai said again: "Mom, I think that since these four shops have had such things happen, other businesses in the family are likely not immune.

Even if we can't make silver from the family business, we can still maintain and guard the industry. But if we are embezzled like this, even a mountain of gold and a sea of silver will be lost.

Brother is not the material for managing and operating, so I am thinking about whether to hand over the Jinling business to the Second Uncle first.

The Second Uncle is shrewd and capable, with broad knowledge, and is not a person who covets small profits. Ke brother is honest and simple, and is also a trustworthy person.

We will temporarily hand over the business to the Second Branch to manage, and the profit can be divided into three parts for the Second Branch as a reward for management.

In the current situation of the family, it doesn't matter how much silver we earn. Protecting the family industry for long-term inheritance is the top priority.

Moreover, those four shops are rented to the Xinchun Firm, which provides ten thousand taels of rent every year, enough for our family's daily chewing."

Xue Xue Yima sighed: "That's all we can do. If we let these old shopkeepers hold onto it, they will eventually eat it dry.

Your brother is not a person who worries, and he only knows how to drink and mess around with these things in the family every day."

Xue Xue Yima looked at her daughter and said: "There is no one in this family to support us, so everything is stretched thin.

Now it seems that your idea of renting out the shops was truly a foresight. Fortunately, Cong Ge'er is willing to help, which truly helped our family a lot.

When we first came to the Jia Mansion, it was my fault as a mother for not looking far enough. Cong Ge'er was only a scholar at that time and didn't have today's glory.

I was instigated by your aunt to engage in some golden-jade marriage, which truly delayed you. Now his official title is heavy, and he is still in the period of great filial piety."

Xue Baochai's face flushed red, and she scolded: "Mom, why talk about these useless things? If you say it again, I will be angry."

Lady Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie Courtyard.

Winter days are short; just past the hour of You (5-7 PM), the night was already dim. Inside and outside the courtyard, lamps and candles were shining, and maids and servants were busy back and forth, preparing to set the tables for the meal.

Liu Wuer and Ping'er were busy with daily chores all day and were planning to return to the East Prefecture when they saw Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife lift the curtain and enter the room, holding a large package in her hand.

She laughed: "Second Mistress, the package just sent by the post station was sent by Lady Lian Bao Er Ye from Liaodong, and there is also a letter."

Wang Wang Xifeng's eyes brightened when she heard this, and she laughed: "He still has some conscience, remembering to send things back for the New Year."

"Liu Wuer, you stay for a while. I am not very literate, so you help me see the Bao Er Ye's letter and see what it says.

You and Ping'er both stay here for dinner. It's lively with more people. I'll let the little maid pass the word to the East Prefecture."

As she said this, she opened the package and saw two high-quality fox furs, several old wild ginsengs, a box of sliced blood deer antlers, and some medicinal herbs she didn't recognize.

Liu Wuer was very familiar with these items, because every year when the Liaodong manor sent the harvest, there were mostly these Liaodong local products.

She opened the letter and read it once, saying: "Second Mistress, Lady Lian Bao Er Ye said that there was a routine transfer at the end of the year, and he was transferred to Yonglan Pass to serve.

The Assistant Regional Commander of Yonglan Pass, Deng Hui, is a comrade-in-arms of Cong Sanye. Knowing that Lady Lian Bao Er Ye is Cong Sanye's brother, he takes good care of Lady Lian Bao Er Ye daily.

Because Lady Lian Bao Er Ye is literate, it is very rare among the exiles at the border. General Deng let the Bao Er Ye be the secretary of the pass, responsible for managing the grain warehouse and recording accounts.

Lady Lian Bao Er Ye said that everything is fine over there. These annual goods were sent by people in the army. He sent two wild ginsengs each to the Old Lady and the Second Old Master.

The rest are kept for the Mistress to nourish her body after childbirth, and the two fox furs are for the eldest daughter to make clothes.

Bao Er Ye also said that there are many grain matters at the border at the end of the year, and he will leave the pass with the army to transport grain in a few days, and he will be able to return to the pass for the New Year."

Wang Wang Xifeng laughed: "Since the Bao Er Ye went to Liaodong, I have been asking about the exile in the army. Usually, they do chores and hard labor, and it's good enough to live a whole life.

Although the Bao Er Ye is literate, without the reputation of Brother Cong in Liaodong, others would definitely not treat him so well, and he would be able to be assigned as a secretary of the pass.

The name Deng Hui sounds familiar, as if I have heard it somewhere?"

Liu Wuer laughed: "Second Mistress has a good memory. Last time Cong Sanye returned from Liaodong, there were two Liaodong military colleagues who entered the capital together to report on their duties and receive rewards.

One was Assistant Regional Commander Liu, who was later promoted to Regional Military Commissioner of Liaodong, and was also recommended by Cong Sanye to the Emperor.

The other was Deng Hui, who was originally the Mobile Corps Commander of Yonglan Pass and had fought against the Jurchens with Cong Sanye, and was promoted to Assistant Regional Commander because of this.

Cong Sanye also entertained them in the mansion. The banquet in the outer courtyard was handled by the Second Mistress here, so the Mistress naturally heard his name.

I heard Cong Sanye say once that these two are his close friends in the Liaodong army and had fought side by side with him, so I remember it very clearly."

Wang Wang Xifeng sighed: "No wonder this Assistant Regional Commander Deng takes such good care of the Bao Er Ye. In the end, it is because he owes Brother Cong's favor.

The Bao Er Ye has been in Liaodong for a long time. Fortunately, there is Brother Cong's old comrade in the army to take care of him, so he is well-fed and stable, and I can rest assured."

Liu Wuer read the letter, and the three sat down to eat together. ===== CHAPTER 803 =====