Chapter 814: Life and Death Game at the Mansion Gate

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

The Matriarch temporarily put aside her thoughts about Yu Jin Chuan, thinking that according to Phoenix Girl's calculations, her daughter-in-law wouldn't be able to keep this maid for long, so she would just let it be.

She said to Lady Wang, "You don't need to be soft-hearted. This matter is truly too serious. If Qin Linjiang Xian and his wife act as if nothing happened, how will you muddle through?"

"It is better to follow Jia Cong's wishes. Go back and speak clearly, let this couple leave the mansion quickly. Out of sight, out of mind."

"If they are gone, half the talk will disappear. Even if the collateral relatives on the street have some idle talk, it will fade after a while."

Wang Wang Xifeng echoed from the side, "The Matriarch is right. Now that the public treasury has less income than in previous years, every month is tight."

"These restless servants should naturally be removed one by one. Not only will it remove hidden dangers from the household, but it will also save on expenses……"

Jia Cong didn't care much about Wang Wang Xifeng's words, but seeing Lady Wang's depressed and uneasy expression, his suspicions deepened.

Qin Yong coerced the innocent to death; for such a wicked deed to be exposed, Lady Wang still wanted to protect Qin Linjiang Xian and his wife. Her abnormal concern for the Qin family was truly too strange.

Jiang Liu had once found out that Qin Yong had come into a windfall two months ago, which was why he had money to eat and drink on the pleasure boats, leading to the incident with the singing girl.

Moreover, he had boasted drunkenly in a tavern, which Jiang Liu happened to overhear, making him suspect that Jin Rong had been framed, which was highly likely related to Qin Yong.

Jia Cong originally wanted to use the victim's complaint to let Qin Yong fall into the hands of the government.

As long as Qin Yong was interrogated under the yamen's torture, the truth about the source of his unexplained wealth and whether it was related to framing Jin Rong would all come to light.

According to Jia Cong's vague deduction, these matters were highly likely related to the East Road Courtyard.

As long as Qin Yong confessed that the matter involved the Jia mansion, the Zhen'an Prefecture would have to pursue the conviction based on the confession. If the East Road Courtyard had any dark secrets, they would no longer be able to be covered up.

When the time came, as the head of the household, he could handle it according to family rules and clear the gloom from the household, preventing so many disobedient and covetous people from setting dark traps.

……

But he hadn't expected that Qin Yong would go out wandering yesterday and not return all night, which happened to let him escape the Zhen'an Prefecture's arrest.

Jia Cong's expected result had thus fallen through, and he had to put it aside for the time being.

Fortunately, the disaster of Yu Jin Chuan had been resolved, which could be considered fulfilling the entrustment of Xue Baochai and Jin Jin Chuan.

Wang Wang Xifeng originally wanted to use Qin Yong's matter to criticize Lady Wang for poor household management, thereby involving the reduction of monthly allowances, but she couldn't find a suitable opening for the time being.

And because of Qin Yong's matter, the second branch was hard to excuse, making them increasingly weak in front of the first branch, which added to the Matriarch's worries.

Judging by the current situation, the second branch's lax management had led to a major mistake, making it even harder for them to avoid the edge of Wang Wang Xifeng's proposed cuts.

If the second branch wanted to get a thirty percent increase in their share next year to let Jia Baoyu and the first-class maids live decently, they would have to cut their own second daughter-in-law first to block the first branch's mouth.

The people in the hall had different thoughts, and after settling the disposal of Qin Linjiang Xian and his wife, they dispersed.

As Jia Cong walked out of the hall, he saw Yu Jin Chuan following behind Lady Wang, constantly looking back at him.

In her moving, bright eyes, there was a restrained joy and a deep sense of gratitude.

It seemed Yu Jin Chuan didn't know about his arrangements, but she must have felt something, which made Jia Cong instantly read her gaze.

He had a warm expression and a slight smile on his lips, nodding slightly toward her.

Seeing Jia Cong's expression, Yu Jin Chuan's bright eyes brimmed with shy joy, revealing a hint of innocence and radiance, and she turned her head to follow Lady Wang into the distance.

……

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Phoenix Girl's Courtyard.

The weather was overcast and the cold wind was biting, but the courtyard was full of life. Maidservants and elderly women from all over the mansion were coming and going, often with soft laughter.

Today was the day for distributing monthly allowances. Few people came to Phoenix Girl's courtyard on ordinary days, but this day was the busiest of the month.

Wang Wang Xifeng wore a bright red felt cloak, followed by the maid Feng'er, returning all the way from Rongqing Hall.

The people from various departments coming to collect their monthly allowances immediately ceased their clamor the moment they saw Wang Wang Xifeng enter the courtyard, and they all bowed to her, causing the courtyard to fall silent in an instant.

Now that the Second Grandmother held the power of managing the West Prefecture and had Cong Sanye Cong of the East Prefecture supporting her, she was the "God of Wealth" in the eyes of all the servants in the mansion.

They also knew that the Second Grandmother had hundreds of schemes and was extremely fierce, even more so than ordinary men, so no one dared to be presumptuous in front of her.

As soon as Wang Wang Xifeng entered the hall, the maidservants and elderly women who were receiving their monthly silver became efficient, and the noisy nonsense was reduced.

But not long after, everyone quickly received their monthly silver and dispersed. The courtyard became quiet again.

Wu'er smiled and said, "It still takes the Second Grandmother to keep things orderly. These elderly women and maids have so much to say; things that could be handled in one sentence have to be dragged out into ten."

"It's noisy enough to give one a headache. As soon as the Second Grandmother enters the courtyard, they all quiet down, and things get done extremely quickly."

……

Wang Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "These people don't know what they say behind my back; it's nothing more than being fierce and mean."

"But in such a large household, with so many people inside and out, if you aren't fierce and mean, how can you suppress the household? Sooner or later, it will turn upside down."

"The Second Mistress was also a fierce person back then, but now that she has lost some momentum, the East Road Courtyard has had a major incident, and even the main gate was blocked by government officials just now."

Wu'er and Ping'er's expressions changed slightly, and they hurriedly asked what had happened.

Just now, the Zhen'an Prefecture had entered the East Road Courtyard to make arrests, and although rumors had spread on Ningrong Street,

the matter had just happened, and although the Rongqing Hall had received the news, it hadn't spread throughout the inner courtyard of the West Prefecture.

Wu'er and Ping'er had been busy with inner household chores and distributing monthly allowances, so naturally, they hadn't heard the news yet.

Wang Wang Xifeng recounted the situation in the Rongqing Hall in detail, and Wu'er and Ping'er were shocked.

Ping'er said, "Last time, when Musk's incident happened, everyone said this Qin Yong was no good, which was why Musk would rather die than submit."

"I didn't expect this person to be so wicked. A family servant is so arrogant that he actually coerced an innocent girl to death. This talk is truly too ugly."

Wang Wang Xifeng said, "That's not the most bizarre part. Even after such a disgraceful incident, the Second Mistress still protected Qin Linjiang Xian and his wife blindly."

"It was only after Cong Sanye Cong and the Master scolded them that she reluctantly let go. This matter looks truly too strange."

"What benefits did the Qin family give the Second Mistress to make her protect them so desperately? If there's no secret here, I absolutely don't believe it."

"Moreover, Qin Yong has escaped, and the government can't catch him. This matter won't settle down for a while, and I don't know if there will be any changes in the future."

"Originally, the second branch had a major mistake in household management, and the Second Mistress couldn't shirk the blame. I wanted to use this momentum to accomplish the plan of cutting expenses."

"But judging by the situation in the hall just now, I couldn't find a suitable opening, and the Second Master was also present. He and Cong Sanye Cong have a bond, so some things are hard to say."

"But the expenses of the West Prefecture next year will be tighter than this year. If these offensive things aren't done, the ones who will suffer in the end are us few managers."

"Now that the second branch has had a major leak, if we don't strike while the iron is hot, it will be even harder to accomplish in the future."

……

Wu'er said, "The Second Grandmother is absolutely right. The East Prefecture has less than a hundred people, and there are no elders to observe etiquette, so naturally, everything is simple."

"But the West Prefecture is a Duke's mansion. If we don't establish rules and let everything be muddled, sooner or later we won't be able to afford the expenses."

"However, regarding what you said about the Second Master being present and some things being hard to say, I don't think so."

"Cong Sanye has been close to the Second Master since he was young, not only because the Second Master protected and supported him when he was young, but also because their temperaments are compatible."

"The Second Master is upright and values poetry and etiquette, and Cong Sanye also admires him; he has mentioned his good points in conversation."

"If the Second Master knows about these plans of yours, he might not necessarily be unhappy. As long as it is said in a suitable occasion, it might even be accomplished."

Wang Wang Xifeng's eyes brightened slightly, and after a moment of thought, a smile appeared on her face, looking exceptionally dashing and beautiful.

She smiled and said, "Wu'er is still the most meticulous and intelligent. These words have reminded me; I was truly thinking too narrowly before."

She shouted toward the door, and the maid Feng'er entered nimbly, asking, "What are the Second Grandmother's orders?"

Wang Wang Xifeng said, "Go call Mother Lin here. I'll wait for her in the inner room; I have important matters to order her to do."

Wu'er and Ping'er looked at each other, Wu'er even more confused. She had only said it casually; did the Second Grandmother already have an idea?

Not long after, Feng'er brought Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife back, and Wang Wang Xifeng took her into the inner room.

Wu'er and Ping'er heard voices coming from the inner room, but because of the thick warm curtain, they couldn't hear the specific content.

After a short while, Lin Lin Zhixiao's wife came out of the inner room and walked out of the courtyard without stopping.

Ping'er saw Wang Wang Xifeng's strange expression and couldn't help but laugh, "What kind of formation is the Second Grandmother setting up? Why is it so mysterious?"

Wang Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "The tricks in a theater troupe—if you want to perform well, you can't reveal the bottom. If I tell you, it won't be effective. Just watch and see."

……

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, East Road Courtyard.

In the inner courtyard, Li Wan was holding her son Jia Lan, walking around, directing the maids and elderly women to do their jobs and stay at their posts. ===== CHAPTER 815 =====