When Madam Wan heard this, she looked up and said, “Mingzhu, it’s better to let Shuyao manage the Inner Household Affairs of the residence.”
After the old madam passed away, Madam Wan took over the Marquis Residence’s Inner Household Affairs, but within a few years, it was a mess.
At first, she secretly used her dowry to cover the losses. Later, she realized the Marquis Residence was a bottomless pit. If she kept filling it, her dowry would be gone. So she handed everything over to Su Shuyao.
Su Shuyao managed everything well. She not only filled the deficit but also maintained the dignity of the Marquis Residence. While she handled the household finances, most of the stewards in the residence were her people. She earned both prestige and benefits. This kind of responsibility couldn’t be easily transferred, especially not to Mingzhu. That was also why, even though Madam Wan held control over everything, she hadn’t immediately acted against Su Shuyao. Su Shuyao was still valuable.
Su Mingzhu had already expected this and softly persuaded, “Mother, I also have ways to earn money.”
She had been reborn.
In her past life, after forcing Su Shuyao to death, she found the secret perfume formulas in Su Shuyao’s dowry chest. She could also open Spice Shops.
Besides, she knew that next month the weather would suddenly spike, there would be droughts in the north, floods in the south, and even plagues in some areas. If she stocked up on ice, grain, and medicine now, she could resell them for huge profits.
Armed with knowledge from her past life, she was confident her business skills were no worse than Su Shuyao’s. “Mother, trust me. If you find I can’t manage well, we can hand it back to Sister then,” Su Mingzhu said, holding Madam Wan’s arm coyly. “Mother~~”
Madam Wan sighed, “There’s not enough money in the household.”
The land stewards only submitted silver once a year at year’s end. It was already July, and what little had been turned in was long spent. All current expenses were being supported by Su Shuyao’s private funds.
Su Mingzhu said gently, “Mother, doesn’t Sister own over ten Spice Shops? I heard those shops are very profitable. By reason, the Marquis Residence shouldn’t be short of silver. Even if Sister feels wronged, she shouldn’t make things hard for you.”
Su Mingzhu wanted those Spice Shops.
Madam Wan caught her meaning but didn’t respond directly.
To be honest, she had considered taking those shops for herself. But those were built up by Su Shuyao one by one using the dowry left by the old madam. Seizing them rashly would hurt their reputation.
Besides, she knew her own limits. If she took the shops and couldn’t manage them well, the household’s living standards would fall, and the Marquis would blame her. It was better to enjoy things as they were now.
“I have the perfume formulas for the Spice Shop,” Su Mingzhu said, pulling out a small pouch.
Madam Wan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Su Mingzhu pulled out the formula from the pouch. “I found it among the old madam’s books.”
“This is a secret family formula passed down in the Marquis Residence. By rights, those Spice Shops shouldn’t be Sister’s private property but should belong to the public estate.”
“Originally, I didn’t want to say anything. After all, Sister did put in a lot of effort to build those shops. But she went too far this time. I feel bad for you, Mother.”
Su Mingzhu nodded. “Yes.”
Her fingers pinched the edge of the paper until they turned white. Madam Wan clenched her back teeth. That old hag really was something—passing on the Marquis Residence’s secret formulas not to the family heirs, but to an adopted daughter! Even if she looked down on her, she should’ve at least passed it to Mingpei.
Luckily, Mingzhu had found it.
“In that case, I’ll help you take over the Inner Household Affairs, and those Spice Shops—she’ll have to hand them over too.”
With the ancestral formula in hand, they now had a legitimate reason to take Su Shuyao’s shops.
Su Mingzhu could hardly contain her joy. “Thank you, Mother.”
…
In Spring Orchid Courtyard, Su Shuyao was blending fragrances in her room.
When Madam Wan arrived with Su Mingzhu and Su Mingpei, the first thing she saw was Mama Wu and Shuqi kneeling in the courtyard.
“Mama Wu, why are you kneeling?”
Mama Wu was one of Madam Wan’s own stewards, and Shuqi was Su Mingpei’s personal attendant.
Qiushuang replied, “Reporting to Madam, Mama Wu and Shuqi made a mistake. Eldest Miss told them to kneel.”
Madam Wan snorted coldly and walked in.
“Madam,” Su Shuyao greeted calmly, as if expecting this visit. She wasn’t surprised at all.
Madam Wan went straight to the point, “Shuyao, thank you for managing the household during this time. Now that Mingzhu is back, it’s time to hand over the responsibilities. With Mingzhu here, there’s no reason for you to keep holding onto the Inner Household Affairs.”
Afraid Su Shuyao wouldn’t give in, Su Mingpei added, “The Inner Household Affairs were only handed to you because Mother was ill. But you’ve refused to give it back once you got hold of it…”
Clearly, it was Madam Wan who begged her to manage things, yet in Su Mingpei’s mouth, it turned into her seizing power.
Su Shuyao calmly interrupted, “I’ll hand it over.”
“Qiushuang, bring out the account books and the tally plates, and give them to Madam.”
Qiushuang had already prepared everything. She handed the items over and said, “Madam, once you’ve received them, please sign and seal. I’ll have someone escort your people to inventory the storerooms.”
At Madam Wan’s signal, Shuangjiang stepped forward, took the ledger and tally, checked through them, then quietly reminded, “Madam, something’s missing.”
Madam Wan asked, “What’s missing?”
Shuangjiang replied loudly, “The account books for the Spice Shops, their property deeds, and the employment contracts for the clerks and shopkeepers are missing.”
“Spice Shops?” Su Shuyao reminded, “Madam, those are mine.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
Su Mingpei shouted, “Yours?! Those shops were opened using the Marquis Residence’s ancestral formula. How can they be yours?!”
“I’m telling you, the Spice Shops belong to the Marquis of Weiyuan. Don’t even think about keeping them for yourself!”
Su Shuyao replied calmly, “Back when I started those Spice Shops, didn’t Madam personally say those were mine, and that all profits or losses had nothing to do with the Marquis Residence?”
Madam Wan had indeed said that—mostly because she was afraid of losses and didn’t want the household to pay for them. Who would’ve thought the business would thrive and become so profitable?
Su Mingpei shouted, “Insolent! Is that how you talk to Mother?! You were told to hand them over, so stop with the nonsense!”
Qiushuang’s eyes widened, and she shielded Su Shuyao like a protective hen. “The Spice Shops are out of the question! They’re Eldest Miss’s personal property—her dowry!”
Back then, she had accompanied Eldest Miss through storms and hardships, starting from a single shop, expanding bit by bit to ten. She had watched Eldest Miss stay up late experimenting with scents, watched her humbly flatter the housekeepers and ladies from various noble families, suffering countless sneers and ridicule.
Only she truly understood how difficult it had been.
When the shop first opened, the Marquis had disapproved of the young lady exposing herself in public, fearing it would tarnish the family’s reputation and tried to stop her. Later, when he saw her making money, he handed over the Inner Household Affairs to her. While enjoying the profits, he still complained about the stench of money on her.
Now, Madam wanted to take everything away with just one word.
“How dare you talk to Madam like that?! Slap her!” Su Mingzhu ordered harshly. “All the fragrances in the Spice Shops were made using the Marquis Residence’s ancestral formulas. When did they ever become Sister’s alone?!”
Qiushuang argued, “That’s not true! Every scent sold in the Spice Shops was personally blended by Eldest Miss. I’ve never seen any so-called formula…”
Two rough servant women seized Qiushuang from both sides, raising their arms to slap her. Su Shuyao interrupted, “Stop. If you hit Qiushuang, who’s going to fetch the property deeds for the shops?”
Su Shuyao exhaled softly. No wonder Su Mingzhu was so confident—she had found the “formula.”
But to create a good scent, a formula alone wasn’t enough. It required skill and craftsmanship.
Not to mention, the best-selling fragrances from her shops never had written formulas. Every recipe was in her mind.
Throughout the capital, only her blends were truly unique.
That was why the perfume trade was normally monopolized by powerful noble families, yet her Spice Shops had carved out a niche.
The cost of spices was extremely high. If the scents didn’t sell, Su Mingzhu would suffer catastrophic losses within two months.
She could also secretly convert these shops into her own true assets.
Su Mingpei roared, “Su Shuyao, don’t be shameless! Those shops belong to the Marquis Residence—you’re not getting away with them!”
Su Shuyao smiled faintly. “Take them then. They’re yours.”