Since no one asked, Jiang Lingyuan naturally would not bring it up herself.
Regarding her dowry, she had never deliberately hidden it, but she also had no intention of making a grand display of exactly how many valuable things she possessed.
The conversation then moved on to various household matters.
As the newest daughter-in-law of the household, Jiang Lingyuan mostly listened rather than spoke.
Lunch was eaten separately by each household.
On the way back, Jiang Lingyuan finally had the chance to speak with Eldest Young Madam Lu alone.
Their courtyards were along the same covered walkway. After seeing Eldest Madam off to Furui Courtyard and noticing that Eldest Madam had no intention of inviting her to stay for a meal, Jiang Lingyuan walked together with Eldest Young Madam Lu.
Jiang Lingyuan said,”Eldest Sister-in-law, I was thinking of renovating the third and fourth sections of Yilan Courtyard. I wonder if there are any restrictions I should know about?”
Eldest Young Madam Lu had already expected Jiang Lingyuan to bring this up, so she was not surprised.
“There aren’t any particular restrictions. If you use craftsmen from the manor, you will just need to pay the necessary fees.”
“I have already found craftsmen. In that case, I’ll have them come over these next few days.”
These craftsmen were maintained by her estates outside the capital. Jiang Lingyuan owned quite a few residences and shops in the capital, and they required repairs every year.
“Then this afternoon, when I send the seamstresses to take your measurements, I’ll also give you an entry token. The craftsmen can enter freely during this period. However, Fourth Sister-in-law, the craftsmen must be reliable people. It would be best if they don’t go anywhere except Yilan Courtyard, in case they accidentally offend someone.”
Jiang Lingyuan naturally understood the importance of this.
After all, this was the inner residence. If they accidentally disturbed someone, it would become an embarrassing matter.
She immediately replied,”Eldest Sister-in-law, please rest assured.”
Eldest Young Madam Lu nodded casually and did not give any further reminders.
Actually, after these two encounters, she already knew Jiang Lingyuan was not someone who lacked awareness.
She had also gradually realized that this Fourth Sister-in-law was probably not as simple as she appeared.
Today, although Jiang Lingyuan’s outfit was not particularly flashy, the quality of her fabrics and the jewelry in her hair were extremely refined.
Clearly, she was not some impoverished girl without money.
She was the legitimate eldest daughter of her family and had been carefully raised. Naturally, she knew how glorious the Shen family had once been.
Therefore, she did not believe that after the Shen family’s decline, they had truly been left with nothing.
That was absolutely not the character of Lady Ruyi (Madam Shen).
And this Fourth Sister-in-law in front of her had been raised by Lady Ruyi herself.
Eldest Young Madam Lu’s courtyard was closer than Yilan Courtyard.
After they parted ways, Jiang Lingyuan continued walking forward.
She smiled and said to Nanny Rong, “Nanny, you can rest assured now, can’t you? Duke Yu Manor is not some terrifying place. Although everyone here has their own little schemes, they still care about maintaining appearances.”
The truly troublesome people were those who abandoned all restraint and acted without caring about reputation.
Nanny Rong replied, “From what this servant sees, Second Madam is the type who rushes forward with everything she does. That actually makes her easier to guard against. I’m just not sure what kind of personalities Third Madam and Fourth Madam have.”
During morning greetings, the two women had not spoken much.
Jiang Lingyuan smiled.
“We’ll slowly figure them out. It won’t take long before we understand everyone’s personalities in this household.”
When they returned, lunch was already prepared.
Early that morning, vegetables from the estates outside the capital had been delivered, and the cooks were now the two chefs Jiang Lingyuan was accustomed to using.
The meal was not particularly extravagant.
There were four dishes and one soup, Steamed goose with fresh bamboo shoots, Fermented yellow bean sprouts, Crispy fried quail, Fresh mushrooms with vegetable hearts, A soup made with bai ji (Bletilla striata) and pig lungs.
In the rear servants’ quarters, Nanny Hu remained silent.
The cooks under her command were nowhere near as skilled as the two chefs Jiang Lingyuan had brought with her.
Moreover, they did not know Jiang Lingyuan’s preferences, so naturally they fell behind.
What she wanted was not merely to remain the manager of Yilan Courtyard’s kitchen.
Now she had clearly seen that Jiang Lingyuan was capable of suppressing Nanny Jin.
So she needed to follow Fourth Young Madam.
The only question now was how to make Jiang Lingyuan trust her.
After all, Jiang Lingyuan was not lacking in people.
Shuanghua was embroidering a pair of socks. They were made from beige cotton cloth, with a precious floral pattern embroidered on them.
“Godmother?”
Shuanghua looked at Nanny Hu’s serious expression and felt somewhat nervous.
She was also one of Yilan Courtyard’s senior maids, but among the four senior maids, she was the least noticeable.
Nanny Hu came back to her senses.
“Are those for Fourth Young Madam?”
Shuanghua lowered her head.
“Yes. I don’t know whether Fourth Young Madam will like them.”
“I’m afraid this won’t do.”
“Your embroidery skills are excellent, but the fabric is not good enough. I have a piece of Songjiang triple-pattern cloth. Use that to make Fourth Young Madam’s socks.”
“Alright.”
Shuanghua obediently agreed.
Then she asked,”Nanny Hu, what are you planning to do in the future?”
“I see that Fourth Young Madam already has Nanny Rong beside her, but Nanny Rong doesn’t seem to handle many matters. I’ll see whether I can help and follow Fourth Young Madam. These next few days, find some little maids to keep an eye on Nanny Jin.”
Nanny Hu did not believe Nanny Jin would honestly accept her defeat.
She was probably already plotting something.
Shuanghua pursed her lips.
“I saw Xiangxue take out the inner garments she made for Fourth Young Master and wash them. She should be preparing to send them to Fourth Young Master at the academy soon.”
Sending things to the academy had always been controlled by Nanny Jin.
That way, Nanny Jin could take the monthly allowance allocated to Yilan Courtyard.
No one knew how much she had secretly taken over the years.
And now, Nanny Jin clearly had no intention of giving up control.
Suddenly, Nanny Hu realized what she should do.
She knew far more about the affairs of Yilan Courtyard than the people currently beside Fourth Young Madam.
This was exactly where her value lay.
Nanny Hu immediately stood up, intending to go see Jiang Lingyuan. But then she remembered Jiang Lingyuan usually took an afternoon nap.
She stopped.
The seriousness disappeared from her face.
“Rest first. We need to have energy this afternoon.”
Shuanghua immediately put down her embroidery and helped Nanny Hu prepare the bed.
She herself did not plan to rest.
She wanted to finish the socks as soon as possible over the next few days.
At this moment, Jiang Lingyuan was not taking a nap either.
She was examining last year’s account books sent by her northwest trading caravan.
There were too many irregularities in the records.
Her sharp instincts told her that it was not only Duke of Zhenguo’s side that had encountered problems.
There might also be issues on her side.
Jiang Lingyuan did not panic.
She merely instructed Nanny Rong, “This matter is extremely important. Have Su Min and Shen You investigate secretly. Send me the information as quickly as possible.”
The fact that these account books had only arrived now already indicated there was a problem.
Jiang Lingyuan rubbed the bridge of her nose.
She needed to establish herself firmly in Duke Yu Manor as soon as possible.
Otherwise, there were some matters she would not be able to control.
There was one move she could try now.
Thinking of this, Jiang Lingyuan wrote a letter and handed it to Nanny Rong.
“According to the location written on it, personally deliver this.” She had deliberately written the letter with her left hand.
Nanny Rong understood the importance of the matter.
She immediately returned, changed into an inconspicuous outfit, and left.
Only then did Jiang Lingyuan finally have time to lie down on the beauty couch and rest with her eyes closed.
She wondered whether each step she had taken so far was correct.
She possessed too much wealth.
Although she had kept a low profile all these years, perhaps she had still attracted attention after all.