Xiao Chenghuai woke up once. After drinking the medicine, he slept more peacefully than before.
Chief Physician Zheng checked his pulse again. When he left, his complexion looked much better than when he had arrived. Before leaving, he repeatedly reminded Granny Cui:
“Follow the Princess Consort’s prescription when preparing the medicine. Do not get the heat wrong, and do not miss the timing. If His Highness does not vomit blood again tonight, he should be stable tomorrow.”
Granny Cui repeatedly agreed. After sending him away, she finally felt her legs go weak. The breath she had been holding all day finally relaxed.
When she returned to the main courtyard, she found that Jiang Zhaoxue was no longer guarding the bedside.
The new Princess Consort was sitting in the outer room. In front of her was a small square table, with several pastries, a cup of hot tea, and a plate of shelled pine nuts on it.
Standing at the doorway, Granny Cui looked for a moment, and that strange feeling in her heart surfaced again.
In other people’s homes, when a newlywed bride entered the manor on her first day and encountered her husband being critically ill, even if she did not cry, she would at least keep watch by the bedside with reddened eyes, desperately trying to show the words “virtuous and proper” written all over her face.
But this one was different.
When saving a life was needed, she saved him. Once the crisis was over, she simply sat down and ate snacks.
Yet no one could criticize her even a single word. If she had no ability, the prince would already have been dead by now.
Seeing her, Jiang Zhaoxue waved her over.
“Nanny, you came at the perfect time. I want to ask you something.”
Granny Cui quickly walked over.
“Please ask, Princess Consort.”
“Who holds the keys to the manor’s treasury?”
Granny Cui froze. When she had heard Jiang Zhaoxue say this in front of Aunt Sun earlier, she had assumed the Princess Consort was only using it to shut her up. But hearing it again now, it seemed she was being completely serious.
“The treasury\… is currently under the Dowager Consort’s control.”
Jiang Zhaoxue nodded.
“I knew it.”
She still had half a piece of yam cake in her mouth, but that did not stop her from getting to the important matter.
“Your prince’s food, clothing, daily expenses, the accounts of the main courtyard, and the cost of medicine—do they all have to go through the Dowager Consort’s hands?”
Granny Cui’s expression turned unpleasant.
“That is how it is in name. His Highness has been ill for all these years, so the household affairs have always been managed by the Dowager Consort. Whenever the main courtyard needs anything, the accounting office always delays it for a while.”
“How long did they delay it?”
Granny Cui lowered her voice.
“Last winter, His Highness needed to replace one type of aged ginseng. The accounting office delayed it for four days.”
Four days. If they delayed a few more, it would have been enough time to prepare a funeral memorial service for him.
She took a sip of hot tea and stood up.
“Let’s go. We’re moving silver.”
Granny Cui was stunned.
“Where?”
“The treasury.” Jiang Zhaoxue casually grabbed the last two pine nuts from the plate and stuffed them into her sleeve. “Your prince isn’t even dead yet, but someone in the manor has already started controlling his medicine expenses. Since I have entered this manor, I cannot just watch my husband die of poverty.”
Granny Cui was stunned again, then became anxious.
“Princess Consort, it may not be easy to enter the Dowager Consort’s side.”
“Then we’ll force our way in.”
Jiang Zhaoxue lifted her foot and walked outside. After taking two steps, she turned back to look at her.
“Are you coming or not?”
Granny Cui gritted her teeth.
“Going! This old servant will call Laifu as well. That boy is strong and can help move things.”
She had spent half her life in the manor. The humiliation and frustration she had suffered from the Dowager Consort’s side was not something that had only happened for a day or two.
Now that the prince had just woken up, and the Princess Consort had such a daring personality that she was willing to challenge the heavens, if she still continued to shrink back, she could forget about protecting her master in the future.
The two of them brought Laifu and several sturdy old maids with them and headed straight for the accounting office.
The steward of the accounting office was surnamed Ge. He was an old fox who had been smooth and cunning for twenty years.
Hearing that the Princess Consort had arrived at night, Steward Ge slowly came out to greet her, a fake smile hanging on his face.
“Princess Consort, you have come so late at night. Is there something you need?”
“Open the treasury.” Jiang Zhaoxue said.
Steward Ge’s smile did not change.
“The treasury keys are with the Dowager Consort. This old servant cannot make decisions here.”
“Then what about the medicine expenses for the main courtyard?”
“This\… also requires the Dowager Consort’s approval.”
Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him and nodded.
Steward Ge thought she understood. Just as he was about to relax, he saw her step aside and say to Laifu,
“Kick the door open.”
“Ah?”
Laifu’s mouth fell open.
This round-faced servant was the most clever one in the main courtyard. He knew that doing this would offend the Dowager Consort, so he stood there hesitating and did not move forward.
“You can’t kick it down?” Jiang Zhaoxue looked at the two sturdy old maids behind her. “Then you two do it.”
Steward Ge’s face turned pale.
“Princess Consort! This is the accounting office!”
“I know.” Jiang Zhaoxue said. “That is why I tried courtesy before force. Since you do not acknowledge the prince, nor do you acknowledge me, I can only take it myself.”
Steward Ge was sweating anxiously and hurried forward to stop her.
“There is no such rule!”
“Rules are made by living people.” Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him. “Your prince nearly died tonight, yet you are still sitting here guarding the keys to the treasury. In my opinion, you seem quite eager to prepare his funeral.”
Steward Ge felt a chill run down his back.
Why was it that every word this new Princess Consort said seemed to lead straight to someone’s grave?
He was about to stop her again when a sharp voice suddenly came from behind.
“The Princess Consort truly has quite an impressive display of authority.”
Everyone turned around.
Aunt Sun was supporting a woman dressed in fine silk as they walked over.
The woman had taken good care of herself. Her brows and eyes were gentle-looking, but her gaze was not.
She wore a fox-fur cloak, walked slowly, and carried herself with great authority.
She was none other than the current Dowager Consort of Jing Prince’s residence, Madam Meng.
This was Jiang Zhaoxue’s first time meeting her face-to-face. She did not bow. Instead, she looked the woman up and down, while casually calculating her fate.
Her destiny was ordinary, but her methods were quite ruthless.
Seeing that Jiang Zhaoxue remained standing without moving, Dowager Consort Meng’s brows immediately lowered.
“On the first day of entering the manor, a new bride should come and pay respects to her elders. Instead, you ran to cause trouble at the accounting office. Is this how the Jiang family teaches its daughters?”
Jiang Zhaoxue answered quickly.
“The Jiang family never taught me. I grew up outside since I was young. No one taught me.”
Dowager Consort Meng had clearly not expected her to respond like this and was momentarily left speechless.
Jiang Zhaoxue continued.
“Besides, if I had not been busy saving the prince today, I would have had time to go pay respects to the Dowager Consort. Now that he has only just stabilized, the Dowager Consort does not ask about the prince’s condition but questions my manners first. It seems the household rules of Jing Prince’s residence are indeed very strict.”
Granny Cui, standing nearby, felt her heart pounding.
This was blatantly slapping the Dowager Consort in the face.
Dowager Consort Meng’s expression darkened.
“Are you blaming me? Huai’er has suffered since he was young. His birth mother passed away early, and this palace raised him with my own hands\…”
Jiang Zhaoxue still did not move.
Aunt Sun’s expression turned cold.
“You do not even bow after seeing the Dowager Consort?”
“Enough.”
Dowager Consort Meng suppressed the anger that was about to erupt and forced out a smile. She walked closer and reached out to fix Jiang Zhaoxue’s wind-blown hair.
“Such a poor child. You were sent here in such heavy snow and did not even bring a hand warmer.”
Dowager Consort Meng pretended to sigh. Then she turned back to Aunt Sun and said,
“Add two more charcoal braziers to this child’s room. Don’t let her catch cold.”
“I don’t need it.” Jiang Zhaoxue said. “I only came here to get the prince’s medicine expenses.”
“The prince’s medicine expenses are naturally arranged by the manor.”
“Arranged until he vomited blood?”
Dowager Consort Meng’s gaze turned sharp, and no one around dared to raise their head.
Jiang Zhaoxue stood there calmly without avoiding her gaze and continued.
“The prince has been bedridden for so long, yet the main courtyard’s expenses have been delayed again and again. If the Dowager Consort truly did not know about this, then tonight’s matter is a good opportunity to investigate early. But if the Dowager Consort did know\…”
She stopped there and did not continue.
Yet leaving the sentence unfinished made it even more uncomfortable than saying it outright.
Dowager Consort Meng stared at her.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I am saving the prince.” Jiang Zhaoxue said. “And while I’m at it, I’m also finding a way for myself to survive. If Jing Prince’s residence is truly so poor that it cannot even afford medicine, then as the Princess Consort, I have to at least leave myself enough to eat.”
As she spoke, her gaze swept toward Steward Ge.
“How much silver passes through the accounting office every year, and how much has been missing from the medicine accounts—just investigate once and it will be clear. If the Dowager Consort wants to preserve dignity, I will help preserve it. If the Dowager Consort does not, then tonight, in front of everyone, we can open the treasury doors and slowly go through the accounts.”
Dowager Consort Meng had originally thought that the Jiang family had sent her a soft and easily bullied girl who grew up in the countryside. Even if she had some temper, at most she would only fight with the maids and old servants in the inner courtyard.
Who would have thought that the moment this girl entered the manor, she would dare to break into the accounting office?
What troubled her the most was that Xiao Chenghuai had truly woken up.
If that man really recovered, today’s situation would come back to bite her.
“Fine. Since the Princess Consort says this is for the prince’s sake, then as his mother, I have no reason to stop you. Aunt Sun, give her the keys.”
Aunt Sun was shocked.
“Your Highness!”
“Give them to her.”
Aunt Sun could only take out a string of keys from her sleeve.
Jiang Zhaoxue took them and weighed them in her hand.
“Thank you, Dowager Consort.” After saying that, she added, “Later, I will have the accounting office copy the records and send them to you. It would be inconvenient if you do not even know how much your own manor has lost.”
When the lock was opened, the boxes inside were neatly arranged.
She glanced around, first counting the medicinal materials, then the available silver. Finally, she selected three boxes of gold ingots and raised her chin toward Laifu.
“Move them.”
Laifu’s mouth fell open.
“All\… all of them to the main courtyard?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that a little too much?”
Jiang Zhaoxue looked at him.
“Your prince’s life is precious. Even three boxes of gold used to support him would be considered too little. Hurry and move them.”
After thinking about it, Laifu felt that she was right. The prince had almost died today, so why were they still worrying about saving silver?
His back immediately straightened. He called over two maids to help and carried the boxes out.
Steward Ge stood to the side, his heart bleeding.
Those were the liquid funds that had been kept in the accounting office!
Jiang Zhaoxue closed the treasury door, tucked the keys into her sleeve, and turned back to smile at Dowager Consort Meng.
“Dowager Consort, please rest early. If the main courtyard lacks anything tonight, I will not come and ask you. I will simply take what is needed myself, so I won’t disturb your peaceful sleep.”
After saying this, she left.
A group of people followed behind her. Some carried boxes of gold, while others carried medicinal materials. They walked with such confidence that it was as if they had every right to do so.
Dowager Consort Meng remained standing where she was, unable to say a word for a long time.
Aunt Sun cautiously called out, “Your Highness?”
Dowager Consort Meng raised her hand and slapped her.
“Useless!”
The slap sent Aunt Sun’s face to the side. She staggered a few steps before falling to her knees on the ground.
Dowager Consort Meng had never expected that the Third Miss sent by the Jiang family for the luck-changing marriage would turn out to be such a person.
She had only just entered the manor, and already the entire inner courtyard of Jing Prince’s residence was about to be turned upside down.