Chapter 809

Lady Rongguo Mansion, Phoenix Lady's Courtyard.

The eldest daughter was babbling, not knowing what she was saying, her little hands waving randomly.

Ping'er felt love in her heart when she saw this, clapped her hands at the eldest daughter, and the little girl subconsciously threw herself into her arms.

Ping'er held her in her arms and walked around the room, unable to put her down, saying, "What the mistress says is all reasonable, but the situation in our family is different."

"Second Master is the old lady's most pampered son, and Cong Sanye was ordered to inherit the Lady Rongguo title; when Second Master was in a hurry to move out of Rongxi Hall, Cong Sanye also gave him face."

"But the second branch moved into the East Courtyard, and others will not feel at ease; although this is an imperial decree and clan law, the old lady must also be unwilling in her heart."

"Although these rules of the mistress are bright and upright, if they are to be handled properly, the waves will definitely not be small, and the second aunt will inevitably stir up trouble."

Wang Wang Xifeng said, "What you say also makes sense, but the matter must be handled."

"Third Brother inherited the Lady Rongguo title, and the time has not been long; others haven't paid too much attention to these details."

"But it won't last long; there will always be people gossiping."

"The eight branches in the Divine Capital, the twelve branches in Jinling, those old noble families that often interact with us, none of them are simple."

"Letting a side-branch wife who moved the mansion occupy the title of the main mansion's housekeeper for a long time, wouldn't that become a big joke?"

"Those who know will say our first branch is merciful, but those who don't know will only say that I, the housekeeper sister-in-law, am just a decoration,"

"Laughing at me as a useless coward; I won't take this idle anger."

"However, these few matters cannot be handled all at once; wanting to kill someone with one stroke is also counterproductive."

"We cannot let the second aunt be a rabbit that bites when pushed; she goes to Rongqing Hall every day to stir things up; although she can't hurt us, it will also be quite a headache."

"Everyone has a mouth; if we let Third Brother, this Hanlin scholar, be the subject of unpleasant gossip and ruin his reputation, that would be a loss that outweighs the gain."

"Our glory and wealth as women, and our prestige for the rest of our lives, all depend on him, so this matter must be handled cautiously."

"I heard that the old lady has already spoken, that Bao Yu will marry and move back to the East Courtyard, but that Cai Xia will be left in the West Mansion to raise the child."

"I don't know if it was instigated by the second aunt; it sounds very uncomfortable, and there will likely be no shortage of such things in the future."

"If we don't have some sharp means, others will have no scruples in their hearts, thinking our first branch is easy to fool, and who knows what other tricks will come out."

"I have also thought it through clearly; this matter must be slow first and fast later, small first and big later; cutting with a small knife bit by bit, we must give people time to catch their breath."

"First, find a way to cut back on small items; once everyone sees the trend and gets used to it, the matter will be done."

……

Although Ping'er did not have Wang Wang Xifeng's scheming, she was also a clever and intelligent person; hearing these words, she quickly understood her intentions.

She smiled and said, "It is still the mistress who thinks carefully; it is fortunate that Cong Sanye let the mistress manage the West Mansion, saving him so much trouble and worry."

Wang Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "You two shouldn't just do manual labor every day; you should also use your minds more; in the future, the second young lady will have to marry."

"The family business of these two mansions is too cumbersome; even if Third Brother marries a legitimate wife, it is not something one person can manage, so you two will have to help worry about it."

Beside them, Liu Wuer listened to Wang Wang Xifeng's words, but in her heart, she was thinking about what the second mistress meant by slow first and fast later, small first and big later; she didn't know what was slow, and what was small?

Wang Wang Xifeng said, "In the next few days, when I have time, I will go to Rongqing Hall to first open the topic with the old lady and blow wind in her ear in advance."

"Rongqing Hall is a sieve that leaks wind; there is no better place to spread rumors."

"When the second aunt knows that the first branch wants to strip her of her face, she will inevitably feel wary and not dare to stir up trouble recklessly."

"I guess the prestige she cares about most is nothing more than the allowance of the housekeeper wife; she might even grab the big and let go of the small."

"As long as this matter tears open a gap, it will be easy to handle if we proceed step by step; grinding people with a soft knife, others won't be able to pick faults, and the old lady won't be anxious either."

……

Count's Mansion, Jia Cong's Courtyard.

At sunset, Jia Cong returned to the mansion from the firearms workshop outside the city; after the five hundred rear-loading guns were inspected and put into storage, the workshop did not stop its construction progress.

In the last half month, dozens more rear-loading guns had been built, and the construction efficiency and precision had improved considerably compared to the past.

The firearms workshop was stable, and Jia Cong's other energy was focused on the Reception Hall, participating in the daily negotiations between the Great Zhou and the Remnant Mongols as usual.

The rest of the time, he maintained communication with Noyan Noyan Taiji, but the letters Noyan Noyan Taiji sent to the grasslands had not yet received a reply.

Only then were Liu Wuer and Qingwen promoted to first-class maids. Zhen Ying Lady Lian doesn't even count as a maid; she is a foster daughter-in-law wearing a necklace, and Lingguan is not in this category either.

Because Zhi Shao received gifts from the Empress, the Jia family dared not treat her as a maid and set a monthly allowance of two taels, the same as the young ladies. These are all the displays of Jia Cong as the master.

Xue Baochai thought that since her aunt moved to the East Road Courtyard and lost the power of the mistress of the West Prefecture, she had been brooding over it and valued her past dignity even more.

Yuchun is her only first-class maid, so how could she give her away so easily?

Jia Cong continued: "That's why I find it suspicious. This is not the Second Aunt's usual style.

Why would she not directly refuse when Qin Linjiang Xian's wife pleaded, but only use the excuse that Yuchun hasn't reached the age of fifteen to delay and push it off?

You should know that this reason doesn't hold water. Yuchun will eventually grow up, so she is just holding Qin Linjiang Xian's couple for a while longer.

The Second Aunt has actually decided to marry Yuchun to Qin Yong. This is simply exchanging gold for rotten copper, which is unimaginable and makes one suspicious."

Xue Baochai felt enlightened after hearing Jia Cong's words and felt that the matter was indeed unusual.

She said: "Brother Cong is right. I only thought about Auntie using Yuchun to win over people, but I didn't think of this layer."

Jia Cong said: "A gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit. But where there is something abnormal, there must be a root cause.

Although I can't see the reason now, the Second Aunt and Qin Linjiang Xian's couple, or the Second Aunt and this Qin Yong, cannot be as simple as winning over the household.

There must be some entanglement that others don't know about, otherwise, she wouldn't offer such heavy benefits."

Xue Baochai was shocked in her heart. Thinking carefully about Jia Cong's words, she vaguely felt that his guess must be correct.

Although she was also considered a clever person, she was, after all, confined to the inner house, and her knowledge and thinking were limited. She didn't have the experience of Brother Cong in the world, so her thinking was more comprehensive and detailed.

On the side, Jinchun felt even more anxious after hearing Jia Cong's words, not expecting her sister's matter to be even more troublesome than she thought.

She was terrified and couldn't help but kneel on the ground, saying: "Cong Sanye, my life was saved by you, and now my sister is also involved in a disaster.

Although my sister doesn't speak much, she is a person of strong character in her bones. If she is forced too hard, she will definitely go to a dead end.

I beg Cong Sanye to show mercy and save Yuchun. We sisters will never forget Cong Sanye's benevolence and will repay you even if we have to be like cattle and horses."

Jia Cong saw her pear blossoms with rain, her pretty face filled with both indignation and helplessness, and his heart softened slightly.

He helped her up and said: "I am the master of the two mansions. If there is injustice in the house and I already know about it, I will not sit idly by.

I have spoken to Yuchun a few times, and she is also a decent maid. If she doesn't want to, I won't let anyone force her.

I have my own way to deal with this matter. You don't need to make it public for now; just keep it in mind."

Xue Baochai asked: "I wonder what good way Brother Cong has?"

Jia Cong said: "The First and Second Branches haven't separated yet, and the contracts of the maids of the Second Branch are all kept in the public treasury. In theory, the public treasury can allocate and control them.

But Yuchun has been the Second Aunt's personal maid since she was a child, and her status is different from other maids.

Inside, there is the father's face, and above, there is the Old Lady sitting there. With so many people watching inside and outside, it's not good to intervene directly, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.

Actually, the easiest way is for me to talk to my father. As long as he doesn't allow Yuchun's marriage, this matter will definitely not happen.

It's just that although doing this is satisfying, if the Second Aunt knows I intervened, she can't do anything to me.

But she will vent her anger on Yuchun, and she will only suffer in the Second Branch from now on. Even if I can think of another way, it will be more troublesome.

So I can only work on Qin Yong. If he were a good person, there would be no way to start, but since he is a treacherous and vicious person, things will be much simpler..."

Xue Baochai and Jinchun saw that Jia Cong was confident, and both felt relieved. Seeing that the sun was about to set, Xue Baochai said goodbye and left.

After Xue Baochai left, Jia Cong's thoughts didn't stop. He hadn't told Xue Baochai everything about some of the things he said just now.

With Wang Xing Fu Ren's temperament, she seemed to be too biased toward Qin Linjiang Xian's couple and the notoriously bad family-born servant Qin Yong, which made him secretly vigilant.

In fact, saving Yuchun was not too difficult for Jia Cong, but he didn't want to take the unknown aspects behind this matter lightly.

Wang Xing Fu Ren had caused quite a few things recently, whether it was her intentional collection of the Zhen family's hidden silver or her intention to get involved in the Xinchun Firm's business.

Wang Xing Fu Ren was good at calculating, coveting wealth, and was secretive and greedy, which was evident. Although she wasn't too smart.

But this restless style of hers was extremely dangerous in a great mansion. If she was not careful, it would easily bring disaster to the family. ===== CHAPTER 800 =====