“Tong Meng, Hongying.”
The two immediately stepped forward. “Here!”
Wen Lingrao glanced at Chu Huan and said unhurriedly, “Invite Steward Chu back to his room and entertain him well.”
She emphasized the word “invite” particularly heavily.
Tong Meng’s eyes lit up, immediately understanding her meaning. He grabbed Chu Huan by the collar and hoisted him up.
Hongying also reacted and hurried forward to help, saying as they walked, “Steward Chu, do slow down, don’t fall.”
Only then did Chu Huan snap back to his senses, struggling desperately. “What are you doing?! Let go of me! I am the Old Madam’s person! You cannot touch me!”
But his meager strength was nothing in Tong Meng’s hands. Tong Meng carried him like carrying a chicken, taking large strides outward.
Wen Lingrao stood in place, watching them walk away.
The servants in the courtyard all lowered their heads, but their ears were pricked up high, not daring to breathe loudly.
Wen Lingrao turned around, her gaze sweeping over them.
“Listen well, all of you.”
“Today, I am going to audit the accounts.”
The courtyard instantly fell dead silent.
The servants raised their heads, looking at each other in dismay.
Audit the accounts? The Princess Consort was going to audit the Marquis’s estate’s accounts?
Wen Lingrao looked at their reactions, the corners of her lips curling up slightly.
“The accounts of the Marquis’s estate have been managed by Chu Huan all these years. Today, I want to see exactly how well he has managed them.”
After saying this, she stepped forward and walked out.
After taking two steps, she stopped again and glanced back.
The servants were still frozen in place; some had confusion on their faces, some had excitement flashing in their eyes, and some had their heads lowered, not knowing what they were thinking.
Wen Lingrao smiled and said no more, turning around and leaving the courtyard.
Behind her, the courtyard exploded into an uproar with a loud buzz.
“The Princess Consort is going to audit the accounts? Is it true or false?”
“Can… can this be audited? Steward Chu has managed them for so many years…”
“Didn’t you see the Princess Consort’s expression just now? I’m afraid Steward Chu is going to take a fall this time!”
“Stop talking, stop talking, let’s follow and see!”
A dense crowd of people followed after her.
Wen Lingrao walked in front, listening to the rustling footsteps behind her, the smile on her face deepening.
Chu Huan’s little schemes had all been heard by her. What fake accounts, what flawless execution; wait until she found the real account book and that silver, let’s see what else he had to say.
…
Chu Huan was carried by Tong Meng, dragged all the way to the door of his room.
The courtyard was not large; it was the kind of row housing the Marquis’s estate provided for servants. Because Chu Huan was a steward, he monopolized a room to himself, which was larger than the other servants’, and there were even two pomegranate trees planted at the door.
Tong Meng kicked the door open and threw Chu Huan inside.
Chu Huan crashed onto the floor, rolled a couple of times, and lay there groaning, unable to climb up.
His face had already been beaten out of shape, and with this fall, it was smeared with another layer of dust, making him look even more wretched.
More and more people followed from outside.
There were the servants from Wen Lingrao’s courtyard, as well as those who rushed over to watch the commotion upon hearing the news, surrounding the courtyard three layers deep inside and out.
Chu Huan struggled to climb up, panting heavily, and glared at Wen Lingrao, who had followed inside.
“Princess Consort, what are you trying to do? Trespassing into a servant’s room, aren’t you afraid of being laughed at if word gets out?”
Wen Lingrao ignored him, independently sweeping her gaze around the room.
The room wasn’t large: a bed, a table, two chairs, and a wardrobe. It was tidied up reasonably clean. There was a teapot and teacups placed on the table, and a few calligraphy and painting scrolls hung on the wall, making it look much more exquisite than a typical servant’s room.
She withdrew her gaze and sat down on a chair.
Hongying had found a Grandmaster’s armchair from somewhere, wiped it with her sleeve, and padded it with a soft cushion. Wen Lingrao sat down with satisfaction. Banxia had already handed a peeled tangerine into her hand and stood by her side holding a cup of tea.
Seeing this imposing display, Chu Huan’s heart drummed wildly, but his mouth still refused to yield.
“Princess Consort, what exactly do you want to do? If this lowly one has offended you in any way, you can just say it directly. Why bother tormenting someone like this?”
Wen Lingrao pulled off a segment of the tangerine, placed it in her mouth, and chewed slowly without even lifting her eyelids.
Chu Huan gritted his teeth and added, “This lowly one is the Old Madam’s person and has served in the Marquis’s estate for more than twenty years. Even if I don’t have merits, I have toiled hard. Treating this lowly one like this today, is the Princess Consort not afraid of chilling the hearts of the servants in the estate?”
The surrounding servants looked at each other, but no one dared to make a sound.
Wen Lingrao swallowed the tangerine, took a sip of tea, and only then lifted her eyelids to glance at him.
“Steward Chu, you really have a lot to say.”
Chu Huan choked on his words.
Wen Lingrao pulled off another segment of the tangerine and said unhurriedly, “Were you just thinking that your fake accounts were cooked flawlessly, and no one would be able to uncover them?”
Chu Huan’s expression changed.
Wen Lingrao continued, “You also thought that those things were hidden so covertly that no one could find them.”
Chu Huan’s eyeballs widened drastically, and his lips began to tremble.
Wen Lingrao looked at him and smiled. “Steward Chu, what are these things you spoke of? Where are they hidden?”
Chu Huan opened his mouth, but couldn’t squeeze out a single word. In his heart, however, he was screaming: How did she know? How does she know everything?!
Listening to the screaming in his heart, the smile on Wen Lingrao’s face deepened.
She stuffed the last segment of the tangerine into her mouth, chewed it, swallowed, took another sip of tea, and only then spoke slowly and deliberately.
“Under the bed.”
Chu Huan’s entire body stiffened.
“In the secret compartment,” Wen Lingrao added.
Chu Huan’s face turned as white as paper, devoid of any color.
Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, his whole person was like he had been struck by lightning, completely motionless.
The surrounding servants didn’t know what had happened, but looking at Chu Huan’s ghost-stricken appearance, they knew that something major had definitely occurred.
Wen Lingrao looked at his expression and nodded in satisfaction.
“Steward Chu, your expression is even more spectacular than I imagined.”
Only then did Chu Huan snap out of his daze, his lips trembling as he shook his head desperately. “Im… impossible… How could you possibly know…”
Wen Lingrao tilted her head, her face full of innocence. “Know what? I don’t know anything at all. I was just making a casual remark; who knew Steward Chu would have such a massive reaction?”
Chu Huan almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
A casual remark? Could a casual remark be so accurate? She even knew about the secret compartment under the bed, and she called that a casual remark?!
He wanted to say something else, but Wen Lingrao was no longer looking at him.
She set down the tea in her hand, sitting in the armchair with a languid posture, but her gaze suddenly grew sharp.
“Ling Ji.”
She called out softly.
The servants looked at each other, not knowing who she was calling. Tong Meng also froze for a moment and looked around, but saw nothing.
But in the very next moment—
A black shadow silently appeared behind Wen Lingrao.
It was a young man in his twenties, dressed in tight-fitting black martial attire, with a cold and stern countenance.
He just stood there quietly, as if he had always been there, yet clearly no one had seen him just a moment ago.
Tong Meng’s pupils shrank, and he subconsciously pressed his hand against the hilt of the blade at his waist.
He had practiced martial arts for over a decade; any rustle of leaves in the wind around him couldn’t be hidden from him.
But as for when this person had arrived and how he had arrived, he actually hadn’t sensed it at all!
The servants were also dumbfounded, staring blankly at the black shadow, not daring to breathe.
Wen Lingrao didn’t even turn her head as she said indifferently, “Go into Chu Huan’s room. Under his bed, there is a secret compartment. Bring out everything inside.”
Ling Ji’s figure flashed, and he disappeared before everyone’s eyes.