Wen Lingrao sifted through the original owner’s memories. When she had first married into the manor, the dowry list was thick—eight hundred mu of fertile land in the suburbs of the capital, six shops, and twelve thousand taels of silver tucked away as a nest egg.
Within less than half a year of her arrival, most of these assets had been misappropriated by the Marquis Manor under various pretexts.
The accounting office was not far from the main hall; one only needed to turn through a corridor to reach it. The man in charge was an elderly accountant named Liu, who had served the manor for over twenty years; his hair was already half-white. Seeing the Heir’s wife appear suddenly, he froze for a moment before hurriedly rising to bow. “Why has Your Ladyship come? Do you wish to check the accounts?”
Wen Lingrao stood at the threshold of the accounting office, scanning the interior. The room was filled with several large trunks—those were the ledgers. Against the wall stood a row of cabinets, their doors secured with brass locks. On the accountant’s desk lay brush and ink, and next to them, a small box containing the backup keys for the storehouse and the various courtyards.
“Master Liu, hand over the keys to the accounting office and the storehouse.”
Master Liu’s complexion changed, and he instinctively took a half-step back. “Your Ladyship, these keys have always been kept by the Heir and the Old Madam. What is the meaning of this?”
“I am asking for them, so that means I want them.” Wen Lingrao looked at him with an expressionless face. “What, as the Heir’s wife, must I first ask the Heir’s permission before asking the accountant for the keys?”
Sweat beaded on Master Liu’s forehead. He had been in the Marquis Manor for over twenty years; what scenes had he not witnessed? Since marrying into the house, the Heir’s wife had always been gentle, never even raising her voice—what had gotten into her today? To suddenly demand the keys—was it not obvious that she intended to audit the accounts and take control of the household? But he was merely an accountant; how could he dare to take the liberty of handing over the keys?
“Your Ladyship, I truly dare not hand these keys out lightly.” Master Liu offered a forced smile. “Perhaps you could return to rest first, and allow me to seek instructions from the Heir.”
“There is no need for instructions.” Wen Lingrao interrupted him. “I will speak with the Heir myself.”
As she spoke, she gave a look to Banxia. Banxia immediately stepped forward and reached for the key box on the desk. Master Liu wanted to block her, but he didn’t dare to truly intervene, wringing his hands in anxiety. “Your Ladyship, Your Ladyship! What are you doing! This is against the rules!”
“Rules?” Wen Lingrao laughed. “Has the Marquis Manor ever respected any rules while using my dowry these past few years?”
Master Liu was left speechless.
Banxia had already taken the key box into her arms and opened it to take a peek. Inside hung over a dozen keys of various sizes, each with a tag inscribed with labels like “Storehouse Main Entrance,” “East Storehouse,” “West Storehouse,” “Accounting Office Silver Cabinet,” and so on. She looked up at Wen Lingrao, who nodded. “Take them all.”
Master Liu’s face turned pale; his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. Wen Lingrao did not look at him again, turning to exit the accounting office.
She did not return to her own courtyard, but went directly to the storehouse. The Marquis Manor’s storehouse was on the east side—a standalone structure of three large tiled rooms, usually locked, with keys held separately by the accounting office and the Old Madam. Wen Lingrao used the set from the accounting office. She had Banxia unlock the door and walked around inside.
There were many items in the storehouse, neatly arranged on shelves. Yet, at a single glance, Wen Lingrao could see that at least half of these items were originally part of her dowry. Take those few bolts of Shu brocade—they were specially requested from the palace by her birth mother, the Grand Princess; the patterns on them were tributes from the Western Jin Dynasty, impossible to buy outside even with money. There was also the set of celadon tea sets that her maternal grandmother had left her.
These items now sat in the manor’s storehouse, becoming the “family fortune.” Wen Lingrao did not touch these items, merely telling Banxia to keep the storehouse key safe, then ordered: “Guard the storehouse well. From today on, without my order, no one is permitted to enter or leave.”
Banxia complied, feeling both shocked and admiring. She finally understood—her mistress was playing for keeps. The accounting office and the storehouse were the “purses” of the manor. With her mistress holding them tightly in her hands, and with hundreds of people in the manor needing resources, everything had to pass through here. To hold these was to hold the very lifeline of the Marquis Manor.
Next, Wen Lingrao went to the front courtyard. The front courtyard was where the servants were on duty, and this was the most leisurely time of the day. A dozen or so maids and menservants were squatting under the eaves, basking in the sun and gossiping. Seeing the Heir’s wife arrive, they all rose to bow, muttering to themselves: Why has the mistress come to the front courtyard today?
Wen Lingrao stood before the corridor, and Banxia brought a chair from behind; she sat down. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what she intended to do.
Wen Lingrao spoke, loud enough for everyone present to hear: “Over the past half-year, everyone in the Marquis Manor has worked hard. As the mistress, I have not properly rewarded you all even once. Today, I happen to have some free time, so I will supplement the reward money for this past half-year.”
Saying this, she tilted her chin toward Banxia. Banxia had been prepared; she reached into her bosom and pulled out a bulging purse, dumping it onto a small side table. Clatter-clatter, broken silver rolled across the tabletop.
The eyes of those servants went wide. The Marquis Manor had been tight on cash for years; monthly wages were often delayed by ten days or half a month, and rewards for festivals were cut as much as possible. The people below didn’t dare say anything, but who didn’t have grievances in their hearts? Now that the Heir’s wife was handing out so much silver, who could not be tempted?
Wen Lingrao said unhurriedly, “Throughout the manor, senior stewards will be rewarded two taels of silver; secondary assistants, one tael; laborers and handymen, five mace. As long as you serve in this manor, everyone gets a share.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the place erupted.
“Thank you, Your Ladyship!”
“Her Ladyship is benevolent!”
Several young handymen clutching the silver had tears in their eyes; five mace of silver was enough for them to buy two sacks of flour outside. The news grew wings, passing from ten people to a hundred; in less than half an hour, a long line had formed in the front courtyard. Sweepers, gatekeepers, stablehands, kitchen helpers—even several old matrons from the needlework room came, leaning against the walls to hurry over.
Wen Lingrao sat under the corridor while Banxia read names and distributed silver; she watched silently. At this moment, a crisp notification sound suddenly rang in her mind:
【Ding! Detected that the host has successfully used the “silver bullet offensive” to dismantle the internal cohesion of the Marquis Manor, turning public opinion in favor of the host. Performance rating for this action: A-level.】
【Reward issued: Primary Mind-Reading (Limited Time). Duration: One stick of incense. Method of use: Stare at the target for three seconds to hear their inner thoughts.】
Wen Lingrao raised an eyebrow slightly. Mind-reading? She didn’t rush to use it, first scanning the line. Among those in the middle of the queue was a middle-aged matron, a steward from the Old Madam’s courtyard, surnamed Zhou.
Wen Lingrao looked at her. Three seconds. The matron was lowering her head to count the silver in her hands, and her inner thoughts flooded into Wen Lingrao’s mind:
【Good heavens, the Heir’s wife is truly generous. That pittance of monthly wages in the Old Madam’s courtyard, rewarding only a couple of copper coins during holidays—how can that compare to this? In the future, I should stay closer to the Heir’s wife; I can gain plenty of benefits.】
Wen Lingrao withdrew her gaze, a small smile curling her lips. This mind-reading skill was a good thing. She didn’t delay; while the time was still active, she looked at a few more people. Wen Lingrao listened to each one, feeling much more confident. These servants were usually respectful on the surface, but their little abacuses were clicking away in their hearts. Who was loyal and who was greedy—she knew it all clearly.