Chapter 19: Sending off a Beggar?

"Ask me? Who should I ask?" Li Steward said impatiently, flicked his sleeve, and left the Regent Prince's Manor with a dark face.

Jiang Yunchu returned to her room, her facial expression unchanged, but her mind was filled with thoughtful contemplation.

"Zi Su, tell me about that Yun steward."

"Yes."

"The Yun steward was appointed steward ten years ago out of the blue, and it was the Regent Prince who appointed him, without going through the Imperial Noble Consort."

"Over the years, the Yun steward has eaten and lived in the shop, treating it as his home."

"That's all I know."

"It turns out the steward was appointed by Ning Chengyan—how surprising."

"In this manor, Ning Chengyan has little presence; aside from Bai Zhi, whom he saved and handed over to the Imperial Noble Consort, today I learned that this Yun steward was actually promoted by him."

"Three days passed quickly; all the stewards sent over their account books, and Jiang Yunchu roughly flipped through each shop's ledger before tossing them aside."

"Within an hour, she had divided the ledgers into three piles."

"This pile is the genuine ledgers; Zi Su, note down the shop names so the stewards can be reused later."

"She pointed to another pile and said, 'These stewards are decent at falsifying accounts; think about what they could do in the future.'"

"As for this pile…"

"Jiang Yunchu rubbed her temples, never expecting that the Regent Prince's Manor, which seemed prosperous, was actually devoid of prosperity, leaving only desolation."

"There are many shops, but few are profitable, and moreover the Imperial Noble Consort's natal family is involved, making expenses exceed income."

"Running these shops is worse than closing them."

"Previously the Imperial Noble Consort cared about the manor's reputation, but…"

"She doesn't care."

"What's reputation? The Regent Prince's Manor is full of widows and orphans, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled—just clinging to face while suffering."

"'How should we handle this pile?' Zi Su asked curiously, not understanding what the Princess Consort meant."

"'Have someone investigate these stewards; over so many years, they must have skimmed a lot.'"

"She could accept the theory that clear water has no fish, but she could not accept the act of moving the water away from her."

"These people's ledgers aren't falsified because they don't want to; it's because they can't forge them properly—full of loopholes, their forgeries end up a grotesque mess."

"These people are the manor's woodworms."

"'Yes.' Zi Su went out to make arrangements."

"Jiang Yunchu closed her eyes, leaned her head against the chair back, and relaxed completely."

"Her fingers lightly tapped the desk as images of those stewards passed through her mind, and…"

"Considering her attitude toward the Cao family."

"She had reached another crossroads, unsure of the Imperial Noble Consort's opinion, but at this critical juncture she could not leave Jingdu."

"Moreover, she couldn't let go of the manor; these days of cleaning have already removed some people without a trace, especially the children's courtyards—those who shouldn't exist have been cleared out."

"Her own courtyard also saw the removal of a second-rank maid and a laundress."

"Now the manor is under observation by various forces; any movement must be avoided, so for now she can only proceed with her own methods…"

"Jiang Yunchu!"

"Hearing that voice and form of address, she knew who it was without opening her eyes."

"'I'm in a bad mood now, Ning Hanmo—you'd better have something to do, or I don't mind spanking you!'"

"Jiang Yunchu's voice was faint, she remained leaning against the chair back, her face showing fatigue."

"These days, the manor's children, estates, and shops have all come under her control, and all revenues are distributed by her."

"This was the Imperial Noble Consort's previous instruction, and these shops have already been transferred into her name, representing the Imperial Noble Consort's sincerity."

"Now she and the manor are completely bound together; they cannot be separated."

"Even the days of wanting to lie flat are gone."

"'I want to go horse racing,' Ning Hanmo said, his attitude surprisingly calm."

"Jiang Yunchu opened her eyes, glanced at him, and said, 'Just tell me what you want.'"

"Given his temperament, how would he report to her before going out?"

"Since he came to report, he must be confused or looking for something to do."

"'I…' Ning Hanmo's expression was somewhat embarrassed, even a little ashamed."

"Jiang Yunchu blinked, but showed no other expression."

"'Speak.' She's been tired lately; she dislikes using her brain the most—her past life's intellect was spent on healing and saving lives, and she used to scoff at palace intrigue and domestic scheming."

"Palace intrigue, domestic scheming—is it because of that man?"

"No, no, no—it's because of the power in her hands, because of the interests of those behind her; every woman engaged in palace intrigue and domestic scheming, vying for favor is merely a means to gain power and benefits."

"They are actually quite clear-headed, more so than anyone."

"Only those men are muddle-headed, thinking their women are vying for favor, thinking those women act out of love—how pathetic, how lamentable!"

"She actually doesn't want to use her brain, yet why do these messy affairs never end?"

"'I have no money!' Ning Hanmo said, whining."

"Before, when Grandmother managed the household, he would go out and directly receive silver from the steward."

"Now…"

"Stupid Little Fish told him he needed a note stamped and signed by the Princess Consort, otherwise no one could withdraw even a copper coin from the accounts."

"Even he, the Young Master of the manor…"

"also can't!"

"Jiang Yunchu furrowed her brows, 'What about your monthly silver?'"

Whether it's Ning Hanmo or Ning Yue Xue, each month they have ten taels of silver as pocket money; placed in an ordinary boss's surname household, this money is enough for a family to eat and drink for over three years.

But these kids come from different social classes, so the places they spend money differ, and the amount of silver they need to spend varies accordingly.

But ten taels of silver……isn't that quite a lot?

"Jiang Yunchu, do you know how much my monthly silver is? Ten taels—enough to send off a begging beggar!"

As soon as this topic came up, Ning Hanmo was filled with anger.

He had made plans with his companions today, but when he went to the accounts office to get the silver, he hit a snag; those guys didn't know how they'd mock him.

"Send off a beggar?" Jiang Yunchu slowly sat up straight, then looked at Ning Hanmo with a smiling brow.

What a big mouth.

"Isn't that right? Do you know how much silver a young master spends on one meal? Wherever a young master goes, it's not him treating others—how could others treat him?"

"Does the young master still have any shame?"

Ning Hanmo's self-evident demeanor almost made Jiang Yunchu laugh in anger; she calmly took a sip of cool tea, constantly thinking in her heart, "Child, still young, still young, still young..."

"So immature..."

She kept thinking that, letting herself calm down.

"Shunzi!"

"Your servant is here." Shunzi immediately came running from the gate, then knelt on the ground.