Jiang Wanning looked up. “What do you think, Manager Wang?”
Hearing this, Wang Fu was certain that Jiang Wanning was bluffing. He bowed even lower, but his tone grew more assertive. “Eldest Miss, I have been with this shop for over ten years; even if I have no outstanding merits, I have worked hard. I wouldn’t say I’ve exhausted myself to the point of death, but I have certainly given my all. If you have something to say, Miss, please speak plainly. Do not let me be burdened with baseless accusations.”
Seeing that Jiang Wanning’s expression had softened considerably, Wang Fu felt even more certain of himself, and his stooped back straightened a bit.
Jiang Wanning spoke unhurriedly. “In the 29th year of Tiande—which was last year—if I remember correctly, the grain yield was extremely high. There was no warfare at the border, though the fighting in previous years had destroyed many fields in the neighboring cities. Am I remembering correctly?” She looked at Wang Fu.
Her gaze seemed as though she were truly just asking for clarification.
Wang Fu nodded. “The Eldest Miss remembers correctly. That is indeed the case.”
“In that case, grain prices last year remained high and did not fall. How then, according to these records, was there a loss?”
Only when production is high and supply exceeds demand do prices drop, leading to potential losses. But last year, even though production was high, demand exceeded supply, and grain prices continued to soar. Yet, the ledger stated that the lack of buyers led to the high-priced grain becoming moldy, resulting in a severe loss.
Wang Fu was momentarily stunned, but he quickly replied, “The Eldest Miss may not be aware, but the price of grain was indeed high at first last year. However, the higher the price went, the more we wanted to wait, thinking it might go even higher. Unexpectedly, as the grain sat in storage, it went moldy. This matter was also approved by the Madam.”
Jiang Wanning looked at Wang Fu calmly.
Ever since the Liu family took over the household management, her mother had stopped involving herself in such affairs. Even if things were brought before her, she would dismiss them casually. It seemed the Liu family had counted on this—if anything went wrong, her mother would be the one to take the fall.
Under her gaze, Wang Fu began to feel uneasy and lowered his head guiltily.
Why did she seem so easy to talk to just a moment ago, yet now her eyes felt increasingly piercing, as if they could see right through him? He had seen the Eldest Miss before; she had always been gentle and soft-spoken, especially toward servants like them. Though she was speaking politely today, she gave off a soul-chilling coldness, particularly with those deep, bottomless eyes.
Jiang Wanning continued, “How was the moldy grain handled?”
“This… it was all sold at a low price to some villagers.”
“Show me the purchase records,” Jiang Wanning said. “Shaoyao, in a moment, take the ledger and find those villagers who bought the grain. Since it was bought last year and was moldy grain, most people should remember it. We will verify them one by one.”
“Yes, Miss.” Shaoyao reached out toward Manager Wang. “Manager, give me the ledger.”
Manager Wang froze, his previous composure vanishing. “Eldest Miss, this… do you not trust me? Doing this really chills my heart. I have labored for the Marquis’s Manor for over ten years. Whether it was the Madam or Auntie Liu in charge, they never doubted me like this.”
“Manager Wang,” Jiang Wanning said indifferently, “you should thank the Marquis’s Manor for supporting you for ten years, rather than claiming you sacrificed ten years for the manor. Without the manor, you might not be where you are today. But without you, there would be many more capable and loyal managers ready to take your place. You talk about hard work, but did the manor not pay your wages?”
“This…” Wang Fu was momentarily at a loss for words. “Eldest Miss, that may be true, but I have also put my heart and soul into this.”
“Since you were paid, if you didn’t put in the effort, were you expecting the Marquis’s Manor to place you on a pedestal and worship you?” Shaoyao snapped. This manager was incredibly shameless to even say such things.
“Manager Wang, I merely wish to audit the accounts. How does that ‘chill your heart’?” Jiang Wanning asked. “Or rather, what are you afraid of?”
“I ask the Eldest Miss to investigate clearly. It’s just that in the past, Auntie Liu was never like this.”
“Auntie Liu is Auntie Liu, and I am I. Why? Do you work for the Marquis’s Manor, or for Auntie Liu?”
As Jiang Wanning’s voice fell, Wang Fu’s knees buckled and he sank to the floor. “Eldest Miss, please forgive me. We naturally work for the Marquis’s Manor.”
“Initially, I was just going to do a casual check. But seeing Manager Wang like this, I’ve decided to conduct a very thorough audit.”
“Shaoyao.”
“Yes, Miss.” Shaoyao briskly set an abacus on the table, placed a soft cushion on the chair, and brewed fresh tea. Finally, she pointed to the assistant behind Wang Fu. “You, go buy some refreshments.”
Seeing this, Wang Fu knew that Jiang Wanning intended to audit every detail. “Eldest Miss, your visit today was sudden. Why not come back tomorrow morning? I can prepare and organize the ledgers properly so the Eldest Miss doesn’t get too tired.”
“Isn’t organizing ledgers something you should be doing daily?” As Jiang Wanning spoke, she had already lowered her head to open a ledger. One hand nimbly worked the abacus while the other flipped the pages rapidly.
She continued talking to Wang Fu. “Who usually organizes the books? They can’t even handle such a small task. From now on, any shop belonging to the Marquis’s Manor will never employ such a person again. Do you understand, Manager Wang?”
Receiving no response, Jiang Wanning slowly looked up.
Wang Fu immediately said, “I understand, I understand. I’ll have him get lost right away.” He prepared to stand up, but just as he lifted one leg, Jiang Wanning spoke.
“No rush.”
Wang Fu promptly knelt back down.
Jiang Wanning closed the ledger in her hand and threw it at Wang Fu’s legs. “I have marked all the problematic areas. Give me an explanation first.”
Wang Fu picked up the ledger and flipped through it page by page. The further he read, the more his hands trembled.
How was this possible?
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, and reading so quickly, how could she have singled out all the hidden tricks? Hadn’t they said the Eldest Miss never managed the household and had never learned how to handle accounts? Why was it like this? If he had known, he would have brought out all the fake ledgers instead…
As Wang Fu was thinking, Jiang Wanning threw another ledger directly at his face. “This one is the fake ledger.”
Wang Fu’s body shook, but he still tried to defend himself. “Eldest Miss, if there are parts of the ledger that seem inappropriate, you may investigate them. But you cannot falsely accuse me of falsifying accounts.”
Seeing that Wang Fu still refused to give up, Jiang Wanning said, “Take a closer look at these two ledgers.”
Wang Fu examined the two ledgers minutely. “Eldest Miss, please forgive me!”
He had actually never noticed that there were tiny stamps on the sides of the real ledgers. No wonder the Madam, even if she didn’t manage the household, insisted on personally handling the ledgers before they were distributed. The stamp was tiny and hidden, and the location was different on every book. Who would have noticed?
“I have done a rough calculation,” Jiang Wanning said. “Just from the few volumes I’ve looked at, a thousand taels of profit have been wiped away.”