The housekeeper picked up the account ledger and lowered his head. "These are the funds the Madam misappropriated from various departments. Over the past three years, it totals more than six hundred taels."
"I misappropriated them?" Gu Wanning couldn't believe it and refused to admit it.
"Indeed," the housekeeper replied unhurriedly. "According to your instructions, as the mistress of the Marquis Residence, your personal expenditures were always to be prioritized above all else."
Gu Wanning: "…"
"Does… does the Marquis know about this?" Gu Wanning suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
This cold, hard evidence was enough to crush her…
"The Marquis has just returned, so I haven't had the time to report to him yet."
Why would you report it at all?!
Snitches never come to a good end!
Be a good boy and let’s keep this between us!
"There's no need to mention such a trivial matter to the Marquis," Gu Wanning said, pretending to be nonchalant. "It's a mere six hundred taels, that's all."
"This…" The housekeeper hesitated.
"I will explain the account ledger to the Marquis myself. I run this household, I set the rules, and you take orders from me. Even if the sky falls, I’ll be the one to prop it up." Gu Wanning smiled slightly, though a hint of a threat flashed in her eyes.
"Yes," the housekeeper agreed through gritted teeth.
If he didn't report it, the Marquis might not find out, and even if he did, the housekeeper wouldn't necessarily be the "principal offender." But if he snitched now, the Madam certainly wouldn't let him off the hook.
After dismissing him, Gu Wanning collapsed onto the table, her dignified image completely gone. "Aaaaaargh—!"
Where was she supposed to find six hundred taels to fill this hole?!
Xu Weibai wouldn't kick her out over six hundred taels, but he could certainly justify punishing her.
No. She had to find a way to plug this deficit as soon as possible.
Er Ya suggested, "How about you go back and speak with your father? Perhaps he could give you a little?"
Her maiden family?
Forget it.
Her predecessor wasn't close to them. She had only been brought back to the Gu family at the age of twelve; how deep could her feelings for them be?
Furthermore, her twin sister, Gu Wanqing, had grown up in the family home, while she had been raised on the estate. Her sister was both beautiful and talented, famous throughout the capital, while she was uncouth and rude, a laughingstock.
With such a gap, who could feel balanced? It wasn't poverty that bothered her, but the inequality. Her predecessor felt wronged, so naturally, she made a scene. The result of those scenes was a strained relationship.
Moreover, Grand Secretariat Gu's family fortune was like Schrödinger’s fortune—it might exist, or it might not.
The outside world claimed he was a treacherous official who hoarded wealth frantically and had deep pockets. But in her predecessor's memory, her father never brought any money home. Aside from his meager official salary, there was nothing else. As for the "charcoal money" and "ice money"—those gray-area incomes other officials received—she didn't know if he didn't take them or if he took them and hid them away.
In short, Gu Wanning never enjoyed any of it.
When she married into the Marquis Residence, her entire dowry was two hundred taels, including the sixty taels of "trunk-pressing" money. Her predecessor went mad every time she thought about it because when her sister, Gu Wanqing, married Prince Qin, the "ten miles of red dowry" was the talk of the town.
Prince Qin was Gu Wanning's "white moonlight."
And Gu Wanqing was Xu Weibai's "white moonlight."
That was why Xu Weibai had let his emotions get the better of him back then and beat up Prince Qin.
Tsk, tsk. This husband and wife pair both have their eyes on that husband and wife pair.
When the Emperor bestowed the marriage upon Gu Wanning and Xu Weibai, they were just two unlucky supporting characters forced together into a miserable match…
Her three older brothers were all closer to Gu Wanqing, so who would care about her?
In short, she couldn't rely on her maiden family. She had to save herself.
"Er Ya, how much money do we have left?" Gu Wanning thought of an idea.
"Ten taels of monthly allowance just arrived yesterday. In total, we have forty taels and three cents, plus a few hundred copper coins."
"Good. Find a time to go out with me."
It was summer now, and everything was growing. Gu Wanning realized that her predecessor's memories of various crops differed greatly from the modern world. Meanwhile, there were already shops selling goods from the north and south, as well as exotic items from the Western Regions and overseas.
She planned to use her expertise to see if she could find some rare seeds, grow them, and sell them for a high price.
"Then Madam, what do we do now?" Er Ya asked.
Gu Wanning took a deep breath. "Make money!"
She would start by liquidating whatever assets she could find within the residence!
What she didn't know was that the Grand Princess and her entourage had already arrived at the Marquis Residence in a grand procession.
"Where is the Madam?" Xu Weibai’s tone was unpleasant the moment he entered the residence with the Grand Princess. Where had everyone in this massive residence gone?
The gatekeeper trembled. "In the backyard… the Madam is in the backyard…"
"Tell her to come out and receive—"
Xu Weibai felt a pang of guilt, as if he were about to be exposed. He had claimed Gu Wanning wasn't feeling well, so what on earth was she doing in the backyard!
"No need," the Grand Princess said. "We are all family; there’s no need for so much etiquette. I heard before that she was growing vegetables in the backyard? She seems like a diligent and thrifty housekeeper."
Xu Weibai didn't want to speak.
He was thinking: If the Third Concubine being a literal block of charcoal wasn't enough of a shock for you, then go see the other blocks!
As the group walked toward the backyard, they could hear a cacophony of voices and the frantic sounds of chickens and ducks from a distance.
When they got closer, they saw quite the spectacle.
Nearly everyone in the residence was there. Chickens, ducks, and geese were being chased everywhere, running and flying with feathers filling the air. One person fell into a drainage ditch with a cry of "Ouch!" and a mouthful of mud; another was nipped on the buttocks by a goose and shrieked in pain.
Then there was Gu Wanning, leading the charge, holding a pole and poking at a chicken that had somehow flown onto the roof…
The chaotic scene made everyone's heads throb.
"Gu! Wan! Ning!" Xu Weibai’s mouth almost twisted with rage.
He had seen thousands of troops and remained unmoved as Mount Tai collapsed before him; he had smiled and joked even when the enemy was at the city gates.
But!
Seeing this scene now was truly more than he could bear.
The Grand Princess was also stunned, then she let out two dry laughs. "Why are you shouting? This child is quite… lively."
Lively… She truly couldn't find any other word to praise her against her conscience.
"Caught it!" Er Ya, completely absorbed in chasing a duck, lunged forward and grabbed it by its wings.
However, that white duck happened to be stepping on a black boot.
Likely startled, the duck jerked its tail, and a greenish-yellow glob landed on the other boot.
That was Xu Weibai's foot.
Xu Weibai was going insane.
Gu Wanning was crazy, and she was driving him crazy too. They were all going crazy together.
"Everyone, stop!"
Gu Wanning looked back. When she saw the Grand Princess, only one thought crossed her mind.
Oh no, oh no. Why has this grand deity come here?
She just wanted to sell some chickens, ducks, and geese. Was that so wrong? Did this have to involve her grandmother-in-law?
She tossed the pole aside, haphazardly tidied her messy hair, and called out to the three concubines, "Come, follow me to pay our respects to the Grand Princess."