Chu Taifei was surprised by the County Lady’s honest answer. She glanced at her and said sternly, “Are you expecting me to praise your great progress?”
Mian Tang seemingly bashfully pursed her lips and smiled at Taifei.
Chu Taifei, no longer interested in discussing her handwriting, proceeded to quiz her on banquet procedures. To her surprise, Mian Tang answered methodically and thoughtfully, as if she had managed grand affairs before.
Originally, Chu Taifei had intended to intimidate her. Lian Chushi had warned that women of lowly birth were adept at reading people and tended to bully the weak while fearing the strong. Aware of her gentle nature, Chu Taifei didn’t want to be bullied by a seductress who had ensnared her son. She aimed to establish her authority as a mother-in-law and teach Liu Mian Tang her place, preventing future insolence born from her son’s doting.
However, upon interacting with Liu Mian Tang alone, Chu Taifei found her speech appropriate and far from sycophantic. Her attitude was neither servile nor arrogant, showing no signs of anxiety about potential mistreatment from her future mother-in-law.
Mian Tang was beautiful, her eyes radiating gentle light when she smiled. Not only men appreciated beauty; even women could be captivated by such a stunning woman’s every expression.
With the sharp thorns Chu Taifei had mentally prepared to find no worthy opponent, her demeanor naturally softened. She then asked Mian Tang to review the accounts.
At first, Mian Tang merely glanced over the ledgers. However, after turning a few pages, she began to flip back, furrowing her brows. She hesitantly asked, “Taifei, why are the daily expenses of the household so high?”
Sipping her tea, Taifei replied, “The Wang Fu has not only inner quarters but also outer courtyards, estates, and villas. Which of these doesn’t require money? Not counting the guards, there are several hundred people inside and out. Did you think it was like an ordinary household where 100 taels could last two or three years?”
The accountant responsible for auditing chimed in, “Taifei is correct. She reviews these accounts monthly. How could there be any errors?”
Mian Tang smiled, “Since I’m here to learn, I might as well be thorough. May I see the Wang Fu’s older accounts to gain a better understanding?”
Her request wasn’t unreasonable, so Taifei naturally ordered someone to fetch the previous years’ ledgers from storage.
When the old accounts arrived, they formed a thick stack arranged by year. Mian Tang walked over, examined them, and pulled out a few volumes.
The accountant, assuming she wanted to tally the accounts, reached out to take them. However, Mian Tang remained silent, instead grabbing the abacus in front of him and placing it before herself. She began rapidly manipulating it with one hand, filling the hall with the clacking sound of beads.
Her method of tallying differed from others. Without looking at the abacus, she manipulated it with one hand while her other hand swiftly traced down the ledger entries before turning the page. Her effortless efficiency left Taifei and the servants amazed.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Mian Tang had combed through several thick ledgers. She quickly wrote down the figures she had mentally noted, addressing the accountant who had claimed there could be no errors rather than Taifei:
“Years ago, the Wang Ye responded to the Empress Dowager’s call for frugality by adjusting the household staff, eliminating more than half of the servants. That year, expenses totaled 3 million taels. For several years after, they fluctuated around this amount. However, in recent years, this figure has been climbing annually. This year, despite the Wang Ye’s absence, it has nearly reached 6 million taels. Given that the people’s livelihood has been stable and Jiangnan’s food prices haven’t fluctuated greatly, I’d like to ask you about the reasons for this significant increase.”
Perhaps stunned by Mian Tang’s impressive abacus skills, everyone took a moment to process her words. The accountant caught off guard, stammered, “In recent years, we’ve held several birthday celebrations for Taifei, and there have been other annual affairs requiring funds…”
In truth, while Taifei had reviewed the accounts before, she had only checked if the expenditures were reasonable, not bothering with minor discrepancies. She certainly hadn’t compared current expenses to those from years past. Although the amount had increased yearly, the increments had been small and seemingly reasonable, escaping notice.
Now that Mian Tang had brought out the old accounts for comparison, revealing a difference of nearly 3 million taels, it seemed outrageous. Taifei’s eyes widened as she pulled out this year’s ledger to re-examine it.
Hearing the accountant’s explanation, Mian Tang smiled slightly, “I’m not in charge of Wang Fu’s affairs and am new here, so everything seems novel to me. As long as the money has been spent reasonably, that’s fine… Taifei, I have an old ailment and am feeling tired. May I retire to rest?”
At this point, Taifei was too preoccupied to worry about her. With her son away, how could expenditures be so high? People might think she was indulging in revelry in the Wang Fu! Those damned servants must be deceiving her and embezzling money somewhere. She was determined to investigate thoroughly, even if it meant staying up all night!
So when Mian Tang somewhat rudely asked to leave and rest, Taifei impatiently waved her hand, indicating she could go.
Mian Tang left with a slightly quicker step. The Art of War states that the key to delaying tactics lies in the word “delay.”
Now that Taifei was upset and intent on causing trouble for her, it was fortunate that the Wang Ye had left for his Eastern Province tour today and wouldn’t return soon. If Taifei were to make things difficult, Mian Tang’s title would protect her from severe treatment, but it would still damage their relationship.
So she gave Taifei something to occupy herself with. The messy accounts from the past few years would likely keep her future mother-in-law busy for some time, allowing Mian Tang to catch her breath and attend to her affairs.
However, those corrupt ledgers revealed just how grand the promises Huaiyang Wang had made to her were. This dilapidated Wang Fu – did he think she’d be eager to take it over?
With him departing for battle, many speculated he might not return. It wasn’t surprising that subordinates were restless, each plotting for their interests. However, with Cui Xingzhou heading to the Eastern Province next, he couldn’t address the parasites at home even if he wanted to.
Mama Li had once said that while many dreamed of marrying into noble houses, the responsibilities were no less than those of capable officials in the Six Ministries.
If the mistress of the house couldn’t manage affairs well, the entire household would fall apart at the first setback in an official’s career. Weren’t there plenty of noble descendants in the capital who relied on pawning family heirlooms to get by daily?
That’s why when selecting brides for these great families, besides a virtuous background, capability and intelligence were crucial. Those legitimate daughters who managed household affairs by their mothers’ sides were sought after regardless of their looks!
Mian Tang’s diversionary tactic of occupying Taifei with the accounts indeed gave her some breathing room. Although Taifei summoned her a few times after that, it was always to help audit accounts, leaving no time for interrogations or tests.
Mian Tang felt it wasn’t her place to deeply involve herself in Wang Fu’s internal affairs before marriage, but she did point Taifei in the right direction to prevent her from being completely deceived by treacherous servants.
In the following days, the sound of punishment boards echoed constantly in the Wang Fu. The thorny sticks and leather straps originally prepared for Mo Ru found good use. The servants’ embezzlement schemes involving the birthday banquet and estate purchases were uncovered. After the authorities arrested the culprits, nearly one million taels of silver were recovered.
On the day the silver notes were returned to the accounts, Mian Tang seized the opportunity to compliment Taifei on her competence, praising her for single-handedly solving the largest corruption case in Zhenzhou Prefecture.
Her flattery skills were unparalleled, always hitting the mark. As she spoke, even the listener began to believe it. Chu Taifei nodded in agreement, feeling that she had indeed handled the situation forcefully this time and could finally give her son a satisfactory explanation.
Having lived a gentle life, she finally had an achievement to boast about to her grandchildren. In front of the servants, Taifei’s aura of authority grew stronger without her even raising her voice.
However, the servants were sharp-eyed. Now when they looked at the willowy Huaisang County Lady, even her gentle smile seemed to carry a hint of hidden depths.
Thus, the servants reached a consensus – Wang Ye’s future bride was no pushover and wouldn’t tolerate any misconduct!
Meanwhile, after being unceremoniously driven from the Wang Fu by Cui Xingzhou, Lian Chushi returned home only to face her husband’s rebuke.
It turned out that the next day, Huaiyang Wang had sought out his uncle-in-law to firmly reiterate that the engagement between the two families had been dissolved and would not be renewed.
Lian Hanshan’s face burned with shame as the Wang Ye spoke. When he heard that his wife had instigated Taifei to beat Wang Ye’s servant, he nearly jumped up in anger.
Finally, Huaiyang Wang told his uncle-in-law, “Aunt and cousin have been visiting quite frequently lately. However, since I’ve dissolved my engagement with her and become newly betrothed, we must avoid suspicion. In the future, if they come to the Wang Fu without Uncle’s accompaniment, it might be inconvenient…”
The implication was clear. How could Lian Hanshan not understand that Huaiyang Wang was unwelcoming towards the troublemakers from the Lian family?
Upon returning home, he flew into a rage, severely scolding his wife and daughter. He also warned Lian Chushi not to act recklessly just because she was Huaiyang Wang’s aunt.
“How could you arbitrarily interrogate the Wang Ye’s servant?” he demanded. “The Wang Ye now holds military power and deals with crucial military affairs daily. What right does a woman from the inner quarters have to question his attendant? Be careful not to provoke the Wang Ye into disregarding family ties and charging you with colluding with the enemy!”
Lian Chushi was indeed in the wrong this time. Even her daughter Lian Suilan was annoyed that she hadn’t heeded the advice and had done something to invite criticism.
Although Lian Chushi couldn’t enter the Wang Fu, her heart burned with hatred. She felt her nephew had been bewitched by a vixen to the point of disregarding his family. She fervently hoped her sister would assert herself and, taking advantage of Cui Xingzhou’s absence on his Eastern Province tour, properly discipline that woman as a mother-in-law should, teaching her to know her place.
Ideally, this would make Cui Xingzhou change his mind and nullify the betrothal.
However, after waiting and waiting, all she heard was news of Wang Fu reorganizing its affairs and investigating embezzlement. Reportedly, Taifei had taken swift action and recovered several large sums of money.
Lian Chushi waited and waited but never heard any news of the formidable Taifei disciplining her future daughter-in-law.
Barred from visiting Wang Fu due to Huaiyang Wang’s prohibition, she was unaware of the details and grew increasingly anxious.
Fortunately, the Zhennan Hou Furen was hosting a tea party. Hearing that Chu Taifei would bring Huaisang County Lady along, Lian Chushi hurriedly took her daughter Lian Suilan to the Hou Fu as well.
After all, with the Wang Fu marriage temporarily off the table, they needed to see if they could secure a match with the Zhennan Hou family. Lian Suilan wasn’t getting any younger and couldn’t afford further delays.