Chapter 18: What use are you?

"Cao family, can you freely take things from the shops in my Regent Prince's Manor?"

A question made the steward's knees go weak; with a 'plop' he knelt on the ground, "Old servant knows his guilt."

Jiang Yun Chu raised her head toward another person and said, "In that case, the clothes and fabrics that have disappeared from the embroidered cloth shop—were they also taken by the Cao family?"

The steward immediately felt the pressure; just a moment ago he didn't understand why that old man was so timid, actually kneeling before a woman.

But when it was his turn, he suddenly realized that under the princess consort's gaze, it was hard not to be timid!

"'It's the Cao family that took them; over the years, the Cao family has come to the shop from time to time to take things, princess consort…"

Jiang Yun Chu didn't speak, merely gave a cold snort; the frequency of her fingertip tapping the tabletop grew slower and slower.

"'Bang!' Suddenly, a maidservant failed to hold the tray steady; the sound of it hitting the floor made all the stewards in the room jump."

And the steward who had just spoken also knelt down.

Just now, however disdainful they were, now they are being slapped in the face; sometimes it's not that they are weak-willed, but simply because the princess consort's aura is too strong.

"'Let's talk about the jewelry shop,' Jiang Yun Chu said with a smile; the brighter her smile grew, the colder her eyes became."

The Cao family, like a worm eating away, consumes the Wang Fu's meat and drinks its blood, yet they still help various forces plant their people inside.

Really, it opened her eyes.

That steward was a woman, dressed in neat black attire, giving off a somewhat refreshing vibe; moreover, the little maid reported that, while everyone else was complaining just now, only this person was off to the side drinking tea.

She participated in none of the discussion and showed no emotion.

"'The jewelry shop's accounts are clean, and I've gone through the account books of the past few years; it's the cleanest shop among these stores.'"

Indeed, the cleanest shop comes from a woman's hands—and yet so many people look down on a woman's hands.

She was somewhat surprised.

To say which shop among these is the most valuable, it's none other than the jewelry shop; yet this steward has the ability to prevent the Cao family from infiltrating the jewelry shop.

This…

This is her method.

And this is what Jiang Yun Chu admires most.

"'Zi Su, reward one hundred taels of silver.' As soon as Jiang Yun Chu spoke, the pupils of the stewards below dilated."

One hundred taels of reward silver—they would have to work desperately for five years to save up that amount.

But the princess consort merely moved her lips and awarded it outright—and moreover, it was a woman!

"'Princess consort, we refuse to accept this.'"

Money can make ghosts turn millstones.

The person who had just knelt on the ground immediately became unhappy.

"'The Cao family is the natal family of the Imperial Consort; how can the things the Cao family took be blamed on my head?' The steward who had just knelt asked, his face full of indignation."

But…

Jiang Yun Chu smiled, the smile not reaching her eyes; and isn't their current attitude exactly what she wanted?

"'Oh?'"

"'The Cao family is the natal family of the Imperial Consort, so they can freely take things from the shops; the Jiang family is my natal family—doesn't that mean I can also freely take things from the shops?'"

"'If that's the case, we might as well move the goods directly to those two families.'"

……

She paused, and her curved brows and eyes suddenly turned sharp.

"'What use are you?'"

Five characters!

That sharp voice, carrying her killing intent from the battlefield, despises those who eat inside and steal outside—they are what she cannot stand the most.

"'Clear water holds no fish'; if this person does not speak, she could give him a chance, but…"

Heh!

Really, treating a bean bun as dry rations!

"'I…' that steward still wanted to defend himself a bit."

But for such a person, Jiang Yun Chu has completely given up.

"'Steward Yun, tell me, why doesn't the Cao family take things from your shop?' Jiang Yun Chu looked at the female shopkeeper."

Zi Su, fearing the princess consort's anger, swiftly poured a cup of tea and brought it over.

Jiang Yun Chu glanced at her; her eyes showed no change, yet she took the teacup.

She took a light sip, moistened her throat, and then set it aside.

"'Replying to the princess consort, my host is the Regent Prince's Manor.' The woman's voice was pleasant, as if carrying a soft, Jiangnan whisper."

But her expression was bland; even if awarded a hundred taels of silver, she showed no emotion.

Jiang Yun Chu thought, this is indeed a person with a story.

"'Did you hear that?' Jiang Yun Chu turned her head, looking at all the stewards."

"'Starting today, within three days I want the account books of all the shops from the past three years.'"

She glanced at everyone's changing expressions, her eyes slightly narrowing.

"'Whether genuine or fake account books, you send them to me; I will examine them myself, and as soon as I find a problematic shop, just wait to be replaced.'"

The stewards below kept wiping their sweat nonstop.

"'Don't bother bringing out the account books of these shops to embarrass yourselves—you can't even keep false books straight; should I, the princess consort, teach you?'"

As she spoke, Jiang Yun Chu swept her arm, sending the account books on the table sliding to the floor; the names of the individual shops were clearly visible.

These account books are what they brought today…

Moreover, the princess consort merely flipped through them a few times while talking, and already picked out the bad accounts…

This…… Is it really the Princess Consort who looked at it herself?

Or did someone else investigate and make it clear, and the Princess Consort deliberately picked it out?

But no matter which, this Princess Consort is probably not to be underestimated.

"Within three days, I want to see the account books; for the previous bad debts, rotting debts, dead debts, I can let bygones be bygones."

"When water is too clear, there are no fish, but……"

She gave a cold snort; that sound, in this quiet room, reached everyone's ears, and those with guilty consciences involuntarily shuddered.

"I don't want you to stir up my water."

"All right, you've been paid your wages, you don't need to come to work anymore." Jiang Yun Chu pointed at the person kneeling on the ground, who was also the person in charge of that embroidered cloth shop.

"Princess Consort, why?"

That steward, face full of dissatisfaction, thought: I let the Cao family take things, but it wasn't just his shop that took them; many shops took them, so why single him out?

Jiang Yun Chu smiled and said, "Why?"

"When you ask that question, you are no longer qualified to be in the Regent Prince's Manor."

She rose from her chair, took two steps, and walked to the steward's side.

"Do you understand?"

After those three words were spoken, the person had already walked out of the side room.

And everyone in the side room was left with only the silence of the room.

"Steward Li, what are we to do?"

"Who says otherwise? Previously, the Imperial Consort never looked at them."

"Sigh, three days time, where am I supposed to get the account books?"

……