Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 6: Dowry Filled the Public Coffers

Yun Chu had just returned to the Xie residence.

Mama Zhou from Old Madam’s side immediately invited her to Anshou Hall.

Xie Laotaitai sat in the main seat, with the eldest daughter of the Xie family, Xie Ping, seated below.

“You’re here,” Old Madam said calmly. “Take a seat first.”

Yun Chu sat down, and Mama Zhou served her tea.

She took a sip. This was the tea the emperor had awarded to the Yun family years ago. Her mother had sent it to her, and she, in turn, had respectfully offered it to Old Madam.

Old Madam had stored it away for several years and only now felt it was worth bringing out to drink.

She set down her teacup. “May I ask why Old Madam has summoned me?”

“Chu’er, Old Lady Li, who manages the gardens, said the entire courtyard will be planted with jujube trees this year?” Old Madam spoke lightly. “Was this your decision?”

Yun Chu nodded. “I gave the order.”

“Mother!” Xie Ping couldn’t hold back and interjected. “Our family holds a flower-viewing banquet every spring. If we plant jujube trees this year, how can we possibly hold the banquet?”

Xie Laotaitai frowned.

Out of respect for the status of the Yun family’s legitimate daughter, many noble ladies and young misses from prominent families attended the flower-viewing banquet each year.

For this year’s banquet, she had made extensive preparations in private. But now, with no flowers left, what kind of banquet could they hold?

Would they admire jujube blossoms instead? That would be nothing but a laughingstock.

Yet, in her heart, she knew Yun Chu was not someone who acted without reason. She softened her tone and asked, “Chu’er, why is this?”

“Our Xie family has so many masters and servants. Does Old Madam know how much silver is spent in a single day?” Yun Chu sighed. “We spend more than we earn. If we don’t cut back on expenses now, life will become unsustainable in the future. The reason I ordered Old Lady Li to plant jujube trees is that they are cheap and easy to maintain. We won’t need to change the flowers with the seasons, saving five to six hundred taels of silver each year. Moreover, when the jujubes bear fruit, we can sell them for additional income.”

Old Madam looked astonished. “Our Xie family’s shops are doing excellent business. How could our income be insufficient?”

Xie Ping chimed in, “The Xie family’s cosmetics shop is the most prosperous one on Osmanthus Lane. The shopkeeper said it earns over a thousand taels of silver a year. How could we not even afford to plant flowers?”

“Over a thousand taels of silver…” Yun Chu laughed. “Ping Jie’er, you don’t manage the household, so you don’t know how expensive daily necessities are. A thousand taels of silver can’t even cover the Xie family’s living expenses for a month. Where would we find extra money for flowers? If I hadn’t used my dowry to fill the gaps, how could the flower-viewing banquets of the past three years have been so grand?”

Xie Ping was incredulous. “Mother used her own dowry to cover the Xie family’s shortfall?”

Old Madam slammed her teacdown heavily. “Impossible! Our Xie family would never use a daughter-in-law’s dowry. Chu’er, you mustn’t speak carelessly.”

As a family of scholars, they valued their reputation highly. If this matter were to spread, how could Jingyu hold his head up in official circles?

Yun Chu raised her hand. “Ting Shuang, the account books.”

Ting Shuang hurriedly presented the meticulously organized ledgers.

“These are the Xie family’s account books. Every month’s income and expenses are clearly recorded.” She instructed Ting Shuang to place the books in front of Old Madam. “Every month, we spend more than we earn. I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t want Old Madam to worry about such trivial matters. But since the topic has come up today, it’s better to lay everything out clearly rather than be doubted.”

Old Madam, having been educated in the classics, could only understand the Four Books and Five Classics. She was not well-versed in business matters.As for Xie Ping, a thirteen-year-old girl who had never been taught, she naturally understood nothing about household accounts.

"Bring An Ge'er here," Old Madam said. "His tutor says he's quite skilled with the abacus. Let him examine the household accounts."

Using a daughter-in-law's dowry was deeply shameful - they couldn't simply accept whatever Yun Chu said.

Since they couldn't understand the accounts themselves, they should summon someone who could.

Mama Zhou received the order and immediately went to the ancestral hall to fetch him.

Xie Shi'an had been kneeling in the ancestral hall with little else to do, so he came quickly.

Having understood the situation during the walk over, he paid respects to the elders upon arrival before promptly picking up the account books to examine them.

"Our Xie family is indeed spending more than we earn..." Xie Shi'an said slowly. "Last year, our total income was five thousand six hundred taels of silver, while our expenses reached thirteen thousand taels."

Xie Laotaitai was astonished: "How could the difference be so large?"

Yun Chu might deceive her, but An Ge'er wouldn't.

Xie Shi'an held the account book as he explained: "The Xie family only has shop rental income. Father's salary and the manor outside the capital - none of that silver appears in these accounts."

Xie Laotaitai remained silent, for this was true and she had no defense.

Ting Feng, standing behind Yun Chu, murmured quietly: "The master's and lord's silver should go into the public accounts. Why does it seem like our madam, an outsider by surname, is the one whose dowry has been made public property..."

Though her voice was very soft, everyone present heard her clearly.

Before Old Madam could speak, Yun Chu stood up directly.

She walked to the center of the room and made a slight curtsey: "Since marrying into the Xie family, whether serving elders, raising children, helping my husband build connections, or managing the Xie household's numerous affairs, I dare say I've made no mistakes. Yet now, for trying to save expenses by planting date trees, I face such interrogation... Old Madam, my abilities are limited. I return the household management authority to you today."

Ting Shuang stepped forward and placed the box containing the tally tokens before Old Madam.

Old Madam frowned.

Originally, the Xie family had only seven or eight maids and matrons, which she had managed quite easily.

But now, with her grandson serving as an official and the Xie residence grown large and prosperous, managing such a big household with so many people was no simple matter.

"Chu'er, you're overthinking this," Old Madam said, her mind racing though her expression remained affectionate as she took Yun Chu's hand. "Over these past four or five years, it's precisely because of you that our Xie family has prospered. You are our family's great benefactor. This matter today was Grandmother's oversight. I apologize to you, so don't speak in anger."

"Old Madam, I'm not speaking in anger," Yun Chu said with lowered head. "An Ge'er has seen the accounts and should understand the Xie family's current situation. If I continue managing the household, my dowry will eventually be depleted. Then I'd have to return to the Yun family to ask my mother for silver. I presume Old Madam wouldn't want this matter to reach the Yun family either."

Xie Laotaitai felt somewhat embarrassed.

If the Yun family learned that the Xies had used Yun Chu's dowry, the consequences... at minimum, they would stop promoting Xie family members; at worst, they might submit memorials of impeachment.

The Xie family had taken three generations to establish themselves in the capital - they absolutely couldn't afford any mishaps.

Considering this, Old Madam said: "An Ge'er, calculate how much of your mother's dowry has been used over the years."

Xie Shi'an had someone bring an abacus. With rapid clicking sounds, he soon calculated: "Altogether, twenty-one thousand two hundred thirty-five taels."

Xie Laotaitai felt a pang in her chest.But she knew very well that no matter how reluctant she was to part with this money, she had to make up the sum.

The only consolation was that her grandson's wife was devoted to the children, and this money would eventually find its way back into the Xie family's hands.

She waved her hand, and Mama Zhou behind her understood the command, entering the inner chamber to retrieve a thick stack of banknotes.