The accountant, hearing the madam’s exaggerated reaction, whispered, “Madam, when the young madam was managing the household, she always used her own dowry funds to cover the manor’s expenses. Now that Zhong Kui has been handed over to you, Chen Momo from the young madam’s side has withdrawn all the silver from the accounts…”
Originally, all the accountants had been purchased after Jiang Yao married into the family, with their deeds of sale held firmly by Old Madam Pei, née Tang.
Jiang Yao naturally wouldn’t continue letting the Pei family take advantage of her.
Not a single coin remained in the accounts.
Although Liu Shi was greedy, it stemmed from her relatively comfortable childhood and youth. After her family’s fortunes plummeted, she couldn’t accept this gap and endured a period of extreme hardship.
It wasn’t until Jiang Yao fell for her son that their circumstances improved, even surpassing the Pei family’s standard of living before their decline. Jiang Yao’s provisions for the Pei family’s food, clothing, and daily necessities were more extravagant than what she had enjoyed as an official’s daughter.
However, after over a decade of hardship, her character had become somewhat distorted.
After several years of being supported by Jiang Yao, she could no longer bear to return to those difficult times.
Even the thought of such days made her tremble with fear.
Yet she didn’t believe she would ever have to endure such hardship again.
She believed that since her daughter-in-law had married into the Pei family, everything she owned rightfully belonged to the Peis.
She didn’t even consider that Jiang Yao could escape her control.
She thought Jiang Yao’s retreat to the Wu’an Marquis Manor was merely a threat to the Pei family, an attempt to force Xingyu to apologize to her!
That little bitch was dreaming too high!
Currently, there were no immediate expenses in the manor.
Liu Shi had no choice but to temporarily ignore the empty accounts.
But she couldn’t hold out for more than two days before breaking down and running to Old Madam Pei in tears.
“Mother, that little bitch has taken all the money from the accounts, not a single coin left! We can’t cover the manor’s expenses anymore!”
It was true—they could no longer manage.
The Pei family had over a dozen masters, big and small, not counting the servants Jiang Yao had bought after marrying in.
Including these servants purchased to care for the Pei family, there were several dozen mouths to feed.
All their deeds were held by Old Madam Pei. Now that Jiang Yao was no longer managing Zhong Kui, the Pei family had to provide for these several dozen servants themselves.
Only Pei Muzheng received a salary, about four taels of silver per month. When Jiang Yao was managing the household, he spent his salary on himself. Now, even if he contributed it, it wouldn’t cover the Pei family’s daily expenses.
The kitchen’s food purchases had always been funded from the accounts.
While staples like firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, and seasonings were bought every half-month, fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat were purchased daily.
After several days without fresh provisions, the kitchen had been using leftover vegetables and meat from previous days.
The meat lasted barely two days before running out.
For the past two days, they’d been eating dried vegetables or preserved goods.
The standard of meals had severely declined.
The Pei family wasn’t particularly fond of preserved foods either.
Coupled with the lack of fresh fruit, everyone had been looking somewhat listless lately.
More importantly, it was time for the monthly stipends to be distributed.
Even if Liu Shi ignored the servants at Muyun Yuan, there were still over a hundred people to account for—the Pei family’s dozen-plus masters, various stewards, servants, and outer courtyard laborers—with monthly stipends and rewards totaling around three hundred taels of silver.
Over the years, Liu Shi had managed to squeeze some silver out of Jiang Yao.
But it wasn’t nearly enough in total.
Just the monthly stipend alone cost three hundred taels of silver, not to mention other daily expenses.
Of course, she was unwilling to bear this burden and could only go to her mother-in-law to weep.
Old Madam Pei didn’t want to intervene, but she had no choice.
She feared her daughter-in-law might be foolish enough to gather servants and force open Jiang Yao’s treasury at Muyun Yuan. If word got out, the Pei family would lose all face.
Moreover, she felt there was still room for negotiation.
She believed that once Jiang Yao returned, her grandson could coax her into handing over the Guanjia Quan (right to manage the household) back to Jiang Yao, which shouldn’t be a big issue.
So, suppressing her heartache, she allocated three hundred taels of silver to the accounts office.
Needless to say, this money had been squeezed out of Jiang Yao over the past three years.
Liu Shi was stingy; she didn’t deduct the monthly stipends of the masters, which remained ten taels each, but she cut the servants’ stipends by hundreds of wen, saving nearly twenty taels of silver.
Unbeknownst to her, this move nearly caused an uproar among the household servants.
“Is our lady so desperate that she even skimps on our servants’ money? Is she trying to starve us to death?”
“Ah, it was much better when the young mistress was in charge. We ate well then, with three meals a day including meat, and we had hearty portions at noon and evening. Now, it’s like digging through a pot of vegetables and finding barely two slices of meat. The vegetables are all wilted leaves with no oil, making it hard to work efficiently.”
“Did you know? In the year since the young mistress married into the Pei family, she’s been using her own dowry to cover the household expenses.”
“Heavens, is that true? Has the Pei family fallen so low? I thought they were once a Hou Mansion (Marquis Manor) and must have had some savings. So this is how it is…”
Regardless of the situation at Pei Manor, Jiang Yao was living quite comfortably at Wu’an Marquis Manor, undisturbed by anyone.
Pei Muzheng stayed home eating and drinking for several days until he couldn’t take it anymore.
The three hundred taels Old Madam Pei had allocated to the accounts office were nearly depleted from recent expenses.
Liu Shi even skimped on the kitchen purchases.
The kitchen staff, who were relatives of the Pei family, were bold by nature.
Liu Shi halved the daily kitchen budget compared to when Jiang Yao was in charge.
The kitchen steward would further deduct a portion, leaving even less for actual purchases.
With this meager sum to feed over a hundred people, the quality of fruits, vegetables, and meat plummeted, often consisting of leftovers from the previous day.
Once, they even bought spoiled meat, causing the Pei family masters to suffer vomiting and diarrhea, forcing them to secretly call a Langzhong (doctor).
The servants, who received only two or three slices of meat each, were largely unaffected.
After her own bout of illness, Liu Shi was furious.
She wanted to force open Jiang Yao’s treasury at Muyun Yuan.
But she couldn’t even get past the courtyard gate, which remained tightly shut.
Enraged, Liu Shi stood at the gate and hurled insults.
No one from Muyun Yuan paid her any attention.
Pei Muzheng also felt he couldn’t endure this any longer.
After breakfast one day, he said, “Grandmother, Mother, today is my day off. I’ll go to Wu’an Marquis Manor to apologize to Yao Yao and bring her back.”
Liu Shi initially thought, “Why bother? Let her stew and come back on her own.” But after managing the household for these few days, she couldn’t handle it anymore and could only seethe in silence.
She secretly resolved that once her son coaxed that little bitch back, she would feign illness and make her stand night watches every day to torment her.
Old Madam Pei quickly agreed, “You should go bring Yao Yao back. Apologize properly to Marquis Wu’an and Yao Yao at Wu’an Marquis Manor.”
Pei Xingyu bit her lip and said nothing.
She, too, had been very unhappy with the food and drink these past few days.
Yet even when Jiang Yao left, she failed to gain any advantage at Muyun Yuan or obtain any jewelry, for the servants of Muyun Yuan did not even open the courtyard gate.
Pei Muzheng went to the Hou Mansion and met with the Marquis Wu’an.
The Marquis Wu’an treated him with extreme coldness, flicking his sleeve as he said, “So you finally remember to come.”
Pei Muzheng replied respectfully, “Father-in-law, it is my fault. What happened at the Guogong Fu that day was only because I was too worried about Yao Yao and momentarily lost my judgment, mistakenly thinking… Additionally, regarding my younger sister, she is still young and speaks without restraint. I have already reprimanded her. Once I bring Yao Yao back, Xingyu will also apologize to Yao Yao.”
Seeing his sincere attitude, the Marquis Wu’an did not give him too hard a time.
This was because Pei Muzheng was the Zhuangyuan Lang, who had been directly appointed by imperial decree to enter the Grand Secretariat.
Those in the Grand Secretariat were all favorites of the Emperor.
Although the personnel in the Grand Secretariat were not fixed, all members were personally selected by the Emperor to serve there.
The highest-ranking official in the Grand Secretariat was the Neige Daxueshi, a first-rank official also known as a Grand Secretary, a position of exceptional prestige and purity.
Even if one did not ultimately reach this position, upon leaving the Grand Secretariat, a second or third-rank official position was still attainable.
Currently, Pei Muzheng’s official rank in the Grand Secretariat was only equivalent to the sixth rank, but it already essentially guaranteed him a second or third-rank position in the future.
Therefore, the Marquis Wu’an would not make things too difficult for Pei Muzheng.
It had to be said that this son-in-law of his had talent and capability.
If he weren’t already married to Yao Yao, he would have preferred him to be Wu Wu’s husband.
Even though Jiang Yao was his biological daughter, she had been raised by merchants for over a decade after all, and was unworthy of such a distinguished man.
It was just that Wu Wu had particularly high standards these years, delaying marriage until seventeen, which also gave him quite a headache.
Pei Muzheng immediately straightened up and said, “Thank you, Father-in-law.”
“If you ever bully Yao Yao again, I will be the first to not spare you.”
The Marquis Wu’an ultimately offered this warning.
Pei Muzheng hurriedly agreed.
Only then did the Marquis Wu’an have a servant lead Pei Muzheng to Shengan Courtyard.
Along the way, Pei Muzheng couldn’t help but glance around.
He knew this was Wu Wu’s home, and he wanted to see Wu Wu.
But he could not do so.
At least for this period, he could not see Wu Wu.
Otherwise, if someone were to see them and misunderstand, Jiang Yao’s words at the Guogong Fu would come true.
It would bring catastrophic disaster to the girl he loved.
When Jiang Yao at Shengan Courtyard heard that Pei Muzheng had come, she did not make things difficult for him and allowed him to enter.
Pei Muzheng entered the room to find Jiang Yao reclining on a daybed, wearing a ruqun dress.
As she lifted her head, her fragrant cheeks outshone snow, her radiant skin making the somewhat dim room brighten.
Pei Muzheng’s breath caught at the sight.
It had to be admitted that there was not a single flaw to be found in Jiang Yao’s appearance.
But he preferred Yuan Wu’s talent and her cool, elegant looks.
Pei Muzheng entered the room and coaxed her gently, “Yao Yao, I’ve come to take you home. Father-in-law has already spoken to me, and I was wrong. Xingyu already knows she was wrong too. After I bring you back, Xingyu will come apologize to you, alright?”
Jiang Yao remained half-reclined on the daybed, lowering her eyes as she said, “Then I’ll wait a couple more days before returning.”
Pei Muzheng felt a stir of anger inwardly. He had come personally to fetch her, yet she was still putting on airs and unwilling to return?
Just as he was about to say something, he noticed Jiang Yao’s eyes reddening slightly. “This is the courtyard where my birth mother lived. I want to stay a couple more days. After two days, I will return on my own.”
Pei Muzheng ultimately found it inappropriate to say more and coaxed her with a few additional words.
Seeing Jiang Yao in low spirits, he also felt somewhat irritated and said, “Then I’ll take my leave first.”
Jiang Yao responded indifferently, watching him leave with a flick of his sleeve.
As she watched his retreating figure, Jiang Yao let out a cold laugh.
It wasn’t that she was deliberately putting on airs or planning to never return to the Pei family.
Rather, she knew the Pei family must be in complete disarray at the moment, so she intended to let them remain chaotic for a couple more days.
Additionally, she needed to return to the Jiang family once.
Taking advantage of her planned visit to the Pei family the day after tomorrow, she intended to secretly make a trip back to the Jiang family.
She missed her parents, her two elder brothers and their wives, her little nephews and nieces, and her younger brother.