After lunch, Gu Chenran called Wen Ling over and handed her a pearwood box.
“What is this?” Wen Ling asked.
Gu Chenran opened the red sandalwood box, which had four layers inside. They contained land deeds, keys, account books, and various contracts for the guards and servants in the prince’s mansion.
Wen Ling’s eyes instantly lit up when she saw the large-denomination banknotes.
Gu Chenran explained, “Looking back now, it’s probably because of the Evil Heart within me. Ever since I was eight years old, any woman around me would fall ill and die suddenly. Later, after I established my own prince’s mansion, even the maids and elderly female servants I hired would meet with misfortune. So, I simply stopped hiring women altogether. Now that you’ve married into the household, it would be inconvenient without any female servants. That’s why I’m directly granting you authority over the household. If you’re short on manpower or need anything, you can simply arrange for it yourself.”
Wen Ling didn’t stand on ceremony either. She took the wooden box symbolizing authority over the household and said with a smile, “In that case, I won’t hold back. I have good luck and naturally attract wealth. Perhaps the prince’s mansion’s assets will grow even more substantial in the future.”
Gu Chenran didn’t mind. “It’s fine. Don’t feel burdened. Spend as you please. After all, our prince’s mansion doesn’t have much money to begin with, and I might not live much longer anyway. Let’s make the most of each day.”
Wen Ling gave a thumbs-up. “Well said. Your mindset is quite progressive, Your Highness. I’m sure we’ll cooperate very happily in the future.”
On the way back, Ting Yin was extremely excited. “Madam, the prince is completely different from the rumors! It’s only the first day, and he’s already given you authority over the household!”
Wen Ling remained much calmer. “That’s because I’m useful to him. If I were truly useless, a foolish wife like me would be nothing but a disgrace to him.”
Ting Yin thought about it and realized it was indeed true.
If Madam were still the foolish eldest daughter of the Wen family she once was, it would be a tremendous disgrace for a prince of such stature to be ordered to marry a simple-minded woman as his principal consort.
How could he be so courteous and respectful, even granting her authority over the household on the very first day and entrusting her with managing the household affairs?
Ting Yin gritted her teeth and said, “Then Madam, we really don’t need to hold back. Let’s spend lavishly from now on!”
Wen Ling was amused. It seemed this little maid was a promising talent!
That very afternoon, Wen Ling sent Ting Yin out to find a slave trader and bring over a group of government-owned slaves with clean backgrounds.
As a Word Spirit, Wen Ling also possessed the ability to see anyone’s past and future at will.
However, she couldn’t see Gu Chenran’s, because after they became husband and wife, they were bound by a shared fate.
She couldn’t see her own past or future, and likewise, she couldn’t see Gu Chenran’s.
In less than half an hour, Wen Ling selected twenty slaves with upright character from the over two hundred government-owned slaves brought by the slave trader.
The slave trader was surprised. “Have you finished selecting so quickly? Madam, there’s no need to rush. You can take your time to choose carefully. If this batch isn’t suitable, I can bring another group for you.”
“No need, these ones are quite good,” Wen Ling declined. She had Ting Yin pay the silver and complete the Indenture Contracts.
The slave trader liked decisive and straightforward madams like Wen Ling and even offered a discount of thirty taels of silver.
Wen Ling was delighted when she found out and regarded the slave trader more favorably.
She observed the slave trader for a moment, then took the initiative to kindly remind him, “If you trust me, should any wealthy families approach you for business within the next three days, do not go. Otherwise, you may face mortal danger.”
Wen Ling had only glimpsed the events that would unfold for the slave trader over the next seven days.
Originally intending to see if she could offer him some assistance, she happened to witness this slave trader being brutally beaten and left for dead on a rainy night seven days later.
“Ah… what?!” The slave trader jolted in shock.
He looked up at Wen Ling in astonishment, unable to comprehend why this princess consort would say such… metaphysical words.
Wen Ling merely nodded at him before turning to leave.
Ting Yin said to the slave trader, “Our mistress has some understanding of fortune-telling and physiognomy. I advise you to trust her words. It’s better to be safe than sorry—money can always be earned again, but life is only given once!”
After speaking, Ting Yin escorted the dazed slave trader out of the estate.
Once outside, the slave trader suddenly shuddered, goosebumps rising all over his body.
Forget it, forget it—it’s true that money can be earned again, but life is only given once. It’s best to heed the advice!
From the twenty newly purchased individuals, Wen Ling selected four to serve as her personal attendants for cleaning and maintenance in her inner courtyard. She renamed them Facai, Baofu, Xiaofa, Xiaocai, Xiaobao, and Xiaofu.
The four were usually assigned duties by Ting Yin. Her inner courtyard was quite spacious, requiring daily upkeep and maintenance.
Wen Ling specifically called Xiaofa into her room and got straight to the point, “I know who you are—Yang Lan, the second legitimate daughter of the former Imperial Censor, am I right?”
Xiaofa instantly looked up, unable to hide the shock in her eyes. Though surprised, she did not deny it, “H-how did you know, Mistress?”
The former Imperial Censor had been impeached for forming cliques and pursuing private interests, and incriminating evidence of private correspondence had been discovered in his residence.
In a fit of rage, the Emperor ordered Yang Censor beheaded, and his entire clan was exiled to the borderlands.
It was said that during the journey into exile, they encountered bandits, and the entire clan perished, with no survivors.
Yang Lan had been frail since childhood and was raised in a manor on the outskirts of the city. She had never made a public appearance in the capital before the incident.
After the incident, she was protected by a loyal maidservant, who assumed the identity of the maidservant’s long-deceased niece from her hometown, turning Yang Lan into a slave.
As a slave, she could not live and work like a normal person outside—she needed a master.
That was how Yang Lan ended up in the hands of the slave trader, and this was the first household she had sought.
Yang Lan had already been terrified, fearing she might be recognized in the capital.
Now that she had been recognized, her heart sank halfway. As the daughter of a disgraced official, once she was taken to the authorities, everything would be over!
Thinking of this, she fell to her knees with a thud, kowtowing fervently to Wen Ling.
“Mistress, my father was wrongfully accused. He truly did not form cliques or pursue private interests. He was honest and upright as an official—he was not a bad person!”
“This servant’s entire family has already perished unjustly. Of the whole clan, only this servant remains. This servant wants to live—as long as there is life, there is hope to clear my parents’ names. Even if the hope is slim, this servant does not wish to give up!”
“Mistress, this servant will serve you wholeheartedly from now on, remaining loyal to you. This servant will do anything you ask. Please, give this servant a chance!”
Wen Ling helped the kowtowing Yang Lan to her feet and said earnestly, “I know your father was wrongfully accused. Your entire clan died unjustly. I know.”
Yang Lan stared blankly at Wen Ling, asking in disbelief, “You… believe me?”
Wen Ling nodded, “I know.”
She did not say she believed, because she saw in her the same decades of unwavering diligence her father had shown in the officialdom.
She never trusted others lightly; she only trusted what she saw.
Yang Lan finally could no longer hold back, covering her face with her sleeve as if finding an outlet, and burst into tears.