Chapter 82: Sorting Things Out
When Mama Xu came to see Jinchao, she was being assisted by Mama Tong in organizing the land deeds and property contracts from her mother's dowry.
Since Jinchao hadn't married yet, these matters wouldn’t normally fall under her responsibility. However, Gu Dezhao now wouldn’t oppose anything his daughter did, and Song Miaohua was confined to the Waterside Pavilion, unable to interfere. Naturally, Jinchao took over the management of her mother’s dowry.
In her past life, Concubine Song had taken control of her mother’s dowry and, within a few years, siphoned off all the profits for herself.
Looking at the items Mama Tong had brought, Jinchao couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. These assets would eventually be divided between her and Jinrong. When her mother had married, the Ji family had provided a lavish dowry, and over the years, her maternal grandmother had frequently supplemented it, making her mother’s private wealth exceptionally substantial.
There were over a dozen Villas, property deeds for an entire street in Baodi, several rice shops and silk stores in Sanhe, as well as tailor shops, spice shops, teahouses, and restaurants in Daxing and Wanping, along with several residences. In addition, there was a paper mill and two wineries…
Just these assets alone generated tens of thousands of taels of silver annually! Her mother had been generous when rewarding others, but otherwise, one would never have guessed she possessed such a vast dowry. Moreover, it seemed her mother had managed these assets casually, as the profits from the shops had remained unchanged for years.
Holding a stack of Indentures for the servants working in the Villas and shops, Jinchao fell into silence.
She had been truly foolish in her past life, handing these over to Concubine Song without a second thought! If she had used her mother’s dowry to secure her own future, she wouldn’t have ended up so destitute later, relying on others’ charity to survive.
In her previous life, Jinchao had lacked experience in managing such matters. By the time she inherited her mother’s dowry, Concubine Song had already hollowed it out. Seeing that Luo Yongping managed the silk shops well, she had appointed him as the chief manager, which had helped salvage the businesses.
However, each trade had its own expertise. While Luo Yongping excelled at managing silk shops, he was less adept at handling other ventures.
Take the rice shops, for example. Knowing when to sell old rice versus new rice for maximum profit, how to price and purchase rice from Jiangxi, Huguang, and Zhejiang, and how to transport and store grain—these required an experienced manager to handle properly.
Jinchao sighed. She would have to find time to visit Tongzhou and seek her grandmother’s advice on these matters.
Just then, Mama Xu entered the western chamber with a ledger in hand.
"...You asked for an inventory of the items in Madam’s storeroom. I completed it a few days ago and brought it for you to review."
Jinchao took the ledger from Mama Xu and opened it. Her mother’s storeroom contained a great many items—gold, silver, and jewelry were relatively few, but there were plenty of silks, porcelain, paintings by renowned artists, and furniture made of red sandalwood or chicken-wing wood. All were valuable possessions...
In her past life, she had never seen the contents of her mother’s storeroom. The realization struck Jinchao suddenly!
Back then, when Madam Ji had passed away, she had been too consumed by grief to notice anything else. Who had taken these storeroom items? Combined, they must have been worth tens of thousands of taels!
Jinchao asked Mama Xu, "If I hadn’t taken inventory, would Father have come to collect these things?"
Mama Xu shook her head. "The master never concerned himself with Madam’s belongings. Most likely, he would have sent someone from the Affairs Office to catalog them and store them in the front courtyard’s treasury. By custom, all of this would have been added to your trousseau when you married."When she married into the Chen family back then, she brought a dowry of one hundred and twenty chests, including a dressing table, an intricately carved bed, and vermilion lacquered cabinets—but there were certainly none of these items!
That Steward Sun from the Affairs Office was Concubine Song’s lackey...
Mama Xu hesitated for a moment before speaking to Jinchao, "Speaking of the Affairs Office... this servant has something else to discuss with the Eldest Miss."
Jinchao nodded, signaling her to continue.
Mama Xu said, "Tai Furen often sends gifts to the household. Sometimes they aren’t placed in Madam’s private storeroom but are directly stored in the Affairs Office’s warehouse instead. Thinking these items should be properly accounted for, this servant went to the Affairs Office to inquire. But Steward Sun there claimed the household’s items had already been mixed with Madam’s belongings. He couldn’t distinguish which was which... This servant suggested checking the inventory ledger, but Steward Sun said the ledger could no longer be found..."
"...However, this servant had spent considerable time in the Affairs Office and clearly saw the Second Miss come to take medicinal herbs sent by the Ji family. Steward Sun’s ledger was right there in the side cabinet—he simply couldn’t be bothered with this servant. Later, this servant found out those herbs were delivered to Concubine Song, who claimed she was weak and needed nourishment."
Jinchao grew furious upon hearing this and snapped the ledger in her hand shut.
How long had it been since Mother passed away, and already these stewards dared to disregard Mama Xu? Even when Mama Xu went to inventory Mother’s belongings under her authority, they had the audacity to brush her off!
How dare Gu Lan just take and use Mother’s medicinal herbs as she pleased! Concubine Song caused Mother’s death, yet she still had the nerve to use what Mother left behind—wasn’t she afraid of retribution? Did Steward Sun think that just because Concubine Song was pregnant, he could look down on them?
But then again, it made sense. The entire household only knew Concubine Song was with child, and the power over household affairs had been temporarily handed to the Eldest Miss. Who would have guessed Concubine Song had fallen out of favor? Yet her former lackeys still fawned over her!
Jinchao couldn’t help but laugh coldly. "I’d like to visit the Affairs Office myself and see how they try to brush me off."
A pack of dogs bullying others under their master’s shadow—she still had quite a few scores to settle with them.
She asked Mama Xu, "Where were the people from Concubine Song’s courtyard reassigned to?"
Mama Xu replied, "This servant handled the arrangements personally. Qiaowei was assigned to cleaning and laundry at Tong Ruo Lou, Yu Xiang was sent to serve in Concubine Luo’s quarters, and the other third-rank maids and matrons were mostly transferred to the attendants’ section."
Jinchao nodded with a faint smile. "Go fetch Yu Xiang for me. I have something to instruct her."
The rhubarb in Mother’s medicine had been added by Luo Liu. But thinking back now, would Luo Liu have dared to do something so bold without orders from above? Steward Sun was Concubine Song’s man—had he also been the one to hand over Mother’s belongings to Concubine Song in the past life?
If she didn’t punish Steward Sun, how could she ever command respect in this household? An example must be made.
Mama Xu acknowledged and left to fetch Yu Xiang from Concubine Luo’s Tranquil Residence.
Yu Xiang wore the plain blue upper garment of a third-rank maid and a simple white embroidered skirt. Her face was gaunt, and her hair was adorned only with a plain wooden hairpin.
After kneeling and performing the proper greetings, Yu Xiang remained silent as Jinchao studied her for a long moment before asking, "Yu Xiang, how do you find Tranquil Residence?"
Yu Xiang bit her lip, her eyes reddening.How could she fare well in Tranquil Residence! It was all Mama Xu's doing, deliberately assigning her there! In Tranquil Residence, there was Concubine Luo, who was eager to please Gu Jinzhao, along with two maids utterly loyal to her. Not to mention the stable matrons who had received Jinchao's favors!
All these people knew about the enmity between Song Yiniang and Gu Jinzhao, and they were well aware she was one of Song Yiniang's trusted aides. How could they possibly treat her well?
On her very first day in Tranquil Residence, she was assigned to sleep in the smallest, dampest servant's quarters. All her jewelry was taken by those two stable matrons, who claimed it was her "tribute." Though the courtyard was supposed to be cleaned by the stable matrons, the task was entirely pushed onto her. If she didn’t do it well, Qingyi and Qiukui—Concubine Luo’s maids—would scold her, blaming her for the mess.
Such humiliation was bad enough, but then Concubine Luo said she wanted oat milk porridge. They bought hulled oats and made her peel each grain one by one! Her hands bled before she’d even finished half a bag. After cooking the porridge and presenting it to the concubine, Concubine Luo suddenly lost her appetite and casually handed it to a serving matron instead. She watched helplessly as the matron drank the porridge she had labored over all day, while she herself hadn’t even had a sip of water.
After days of such torment, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Yu Xiang remained silent. Gu Jinzhao naturally understood everything—it would be strange if Yu Xiang were comfortable in Tranquil Residence!
Jinchao said to her, "You were originally a second-rank maid serving Concubine Song. You shouldn’t be doing the work of a third-rank maid. By now, you must realize this is simply the consequence of following the wrong mistress. It’s not too late to change... I have a task for you. If you’re willing, I’ll reassign you to the Attendant’s Office, restore your position as a second-rank maid, and give you fifty taels of silver. Are you willing?"
Yu Xiang was exhausted and bewildered. Once, as Concubine Song’s trusted aide, who would dare mistreat her? Now, even seven- or eight-year-old maids in Concubine Luo’s courtyard dared to order her around—they knew no one would speak up for her. She had once been a fiercely loyal maid... but now that Concubine Song could no longer protect her, she had to survive.
People change. She wanted to live better, to escape that hellish place, Tranquil Residence!
She felt a twinge of guilt toward Concubine Song... but it vanished in an instant.
It didn’t matter anyway. Concubine Song had always favored Qiaowei far more than her. Whenever there was dangerous work, Concubine Song had always assigned it to her—never to Qiaowei.
Yu Xiang whispered, "If Eldest Miss can get me out of Tranquil Residence, this servant will obey your every command! May I ask what you wish me to do...?"
Jinchao smiled. "Mama Xu, I’ll head to the Affairs Office first. You go find Xue Sixteen and have him bring the guards immediately."
Mama Xu glanced at Yu Xiang, understanding what the Eldest Miss intended, and left with a knowing smile.
Jinchao asked her coolly, "Before Madam passed away, you met with Luo Six in the Strange Willow Grove. Were you plotting to tamper with Madam’s medicine? Adding rhubarb to it—where did the rhubarb come from? Did Concubine Song provide it, or was it Luo Six? Or was someone helping Concubine Luo...? You must explain everything clearly."
Yu Xiang was stunned. The Eldest Miss actually knew about the rhubarb! But now that she had decided to side with her, she had no reason to hide anything.Yu Xiang thought for a moment and said to Gu Jinzhao, "The Eldest Miss guessed correctly. At that time, this servant was following Concubine Song's orders to discuss the rhubarb matter with Luo Liu. However, the rhubarb wasn't provided by Concubine Song, and Luo Liu never leaves the estate, so he definitely couldn't have obtained it. This servant suspects someone else was involved... though I don't know who that person is. Luo Liu is far too timid to dare harm the madam... After all, we're just lowly servants who couldn't possibly accomplish such a thing!"
Jinchao's heart stirred—just as she suspected! The rhubarb matter wasn't as simple as just Concubine Song colluding with Luo Liu.
That Steward Sun from the Affairs Office must be the one truly conspiring with Concubine Song. In her past life, not only had the two of them plotted to harm her mother, but after her mother's death, they had completely embezzled everything from her mother's private treasury, leaving nothing behind. In this life too, they not only sought to harm her mother but also aimed to seize the belongings her mother had left in the outer courtyard!
Thinking of this, Jinchao felt an extraordinary rage rising within her, yet her expression remained perfectly calm. She said coolly to Yu Xiang, "In that case, you'll come with me to the Affairs Office... We must settle accounts with someone."
PS:
This chapter is late—we were doing experiments until 1:30 AM =?= After eating and coming back to proofread, it's already this late~
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