Chapter 17: Where did the five stone of rice go?

Ning Hanmo's face, which had just been grim, instantly bared its teeth; his whole body resembled an angry little beast, ready to bite anyone who stepped forward.

Alright, hurry back to the courtyard; you can still walk, so you do have some merit.

Your willpower is not bad.

She rarely praised him, but Ning Hanmo indicated he wasn't happy at all.

Hmph!

The little guy stomped his foot, his face clouded over, and he stormed out angrily, but he misjudged his strength; when he tried to lift his leg over the threshold, his toe struck it and he pitched forward.

After Jiang Yun Chu instinctively rose, she slowly sat back down; aside from An San, who was secretly protecting her, no one saw her rise and sit.

"My little ancestor!" Shunzi tried to grab him, but it was too late; he lunged straight to the ground, intending to be a human cushion.

And An Wu didn't move; no one knew where he was hiding.

Today Bai Zhi was on duty; she simply lifted Ning Hanmo up with one hand and set him down steadily.

Hahaha...

Inside the room, a burst of laughter came.

Jiang Yun Chu couldn't help it; Bai Zhi lifted Ning Hanmo as if he were a little chick.

Ning Hanmo is pickier with food, much harder to feed than Yue Yue.

Moreover, when the child reaches a certain height, he looks much thinner; the little hellion looks like a baby chick.

"Stupid woman!"

Ning Hanmo shouted, refusing to yield, and then ran off in a fluster.

He looked as if a dog were chasing him; it's hard to imagine his floating steps could move so fast.

One has to admit, his willpower is truly strong!

"Princess Consort." Bai Zhi helplessly glanced inside; the young master's state just now was indeed miserable, yet the Princess Consort still mocked him.

Jiang Yun Chu raised her brows: "Isn't he just reaping what he sowed, unable to survive?"

He set the trap himself and must bear the consequences; isn't that only fitting?

"Princess Consort!" Bai Zhi stomped her foot at the gate.

After these days of contact, they have come to understand the Princess Consort's temperament; as long as one doesn't play petty tricks, she is very easy to get along with, and even if one jokes daily or voices one's opinions, the Princess Consort permits it.

Jiang Yun Chu walked out of the room, looking at Bai Zhi, and said: "Each child has a different nature; he never ceases hostilities, how could I miss the chance to strike him?"

She said Ning Hanmo's willpower is strong, not as a criticism; this child truly has strong willpower.

The more frustrated he gets, the braver he becomes—that's his current state; during this period, it hasn't ceased to be his thought process.

Moreover...

She admits she has some rather odd tastes.

In the blink of an eye, having entered the Wang Fu for over a month, these days aside from teaching Yue Yue to read and write, she has merely been reading medical texts; all the medical books in the study have been read through by her, though not yet fully digested, her mind has retained them.

The rest of the time is spent wits and courage against the little hellion; yesterday the system gave a hint that the little hellion's remodeling progress is 50%, already halfway done.

With the system's certification, it also shows her method is viable.

"Princess Consort, all the stewards are waiting outside." Zi Su entered the room, made a slight bow, then walked to Jiang Yun Chu's side and replied.

Jiang Yun Chu today wore a purple outfit, simply fastening her hair with a white jade hairpin, which also facilitated her daily movements.

"Go to the side room and let the maid attend the tea." Jiang Yun Chu said lightly, then continued holding the medical book without rising.

They say a new official brings three fires upon taking office; her fire hasn't even ignited yet, but these stewards have lit a fire for her.

Then she had best wait and see.

"Yes!" Zi Su gripped her hands tightly, then hurried out to make arrangements.

The Princess Consort is angry; this is the third time she has become angry since entering the Wang Fu: the first time was because of Madame Feng, the second because of the maid Xiao Hong, and today is the third.

Those stewards, I fear...

The hourglass kept flowing; time also crept on without any pause.

A full half-hour passed, and the side room was already in an uproar.

"What does the Princess Consort mean? Our shops are all waiting for us to take charge; there's no time to waste here."

"This isn't just fooling around!"

"Exactly, we've been drinking tea; I've already gone through three pots. If the Princess Consort doesn't want to see everyone, she needn't have summoned us."

"What on earth is going on?!"

Each steward: some sat on stools, some stood, some paced back and forth.

"Princess Consort, those stewards can't sit still." The little maid reported the situation, and Zi Su immediately relayed it to the Princess Consort.

Jiang Yun Chu raised her eyebrows: "Just can't sit still?"

Just half an hour ago, they lacked even this bit of patience; managing the shops probably lacks patience as well.

"Princess Consort, should we placate them?" Zi Su asked doubtfully.

Actually she also didn't know what the Princess Consort intended to do, but over these days she has learned that whatever the Princess Consort does has its own purpose.

"No need; let those who want to leave go, don't stop them." Jiang Yun Chu didn't put down her medical book, nor even lift her eyes.

"Yes." Zi Su left the room, gave a glance to the maid reporting the news, and that maid directly returned to the side room.

After another half-hour, the people who had initially kicked up a fuss each quieted down; some yawned, some made several trips to the restroom; initially they had angrily complained at each other, now they couldn't be bothered to say a word.

"Princess Consort." The gatekeeping maids each bowed.

The wilted stewards each sat up and straightened their clothes.

"Princess Consort."

Let's not talk about whether they're convinced or not; rites must not be abandoned; each of them, no matter how they complained earlier, must now observe the proper etiquette.

Jiang Yun Chu took the central seat, then gazed at the bowed crowd, scanning around; although they kept their heads low, the expressions on their faces still revealed some thoughts.

"Never mind."

She said softly, and the stewards hastily straightened their backs, some faces turning red.

"Who is the steward of the Fengqing Granary?" Sitting in the middle, Jiang Yun Chu asked lightly.

An old man immediately stepped out of the crowd, wiping sweat from his forehead, bowing in salute, "Replying to Princess Consort, it's me."

"Tell me, on February 23rd, where did the missing five dan of rice go?" Jiang Yun Chu's expression was faint; the people could see no expression on her face.

"February 23rd!" The steward's forehead sweat increased as he struggled to recall that day.

Finally……

"Replying to Princess Consort, it was the Imperial Consort's natal family who came to the shop and took five dan of rice."

The steward finally remembered: that day the Cao family came to take the rice; such things often happened before, and the Imperial Consort never inquired, so it was just a muddled account.

Jiang Yun Chu's fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, the smile on her face carrying a hint of nonchalance.