The west side room suddenly fell into complete silence.
Neither Seventh Miss nor Xu Fengjia spoke for a time.
With the calculating party having the advantage over the unsuspecting, even though Seventh Miss was usually cautious and careful, even though the Sixth Branch could be said to be absolutely powerful within Duke Pingguo’s residence, this scheme wasn’t something that could be easily broken just by understanding it. The trap Fifth Young Madam had arranged for half a year appeared flawless from every angle. Whether knowing or not knowing seemed to make little difference. From the day Seventh Miss proposed reviewing the accounts, she had already been drawn into the trap.
After quite a while, Xu Fengjia finally released a cool breath, complaining listlessly, “You inner chamber women, living in luxury every day with fine clothes and jade-like food—why can’t you cherish your blessings more? All day long just plotting these harmful things! It damages karmic merit!”
Seventh Miss couldn’t help but smile faintly. “I’ve never heard you mention karmic merit before. Why are you now spouting the reasoning of old matrons?”
She paused, then admitted, “It’s precisely from wracking our brains with such calculations that we fall ill. Otherwise, why do you think female family members are frail and often sick? Where does this constant illness come from?”
The two fell silent again.
Duke Pingguo’s vast family wealth—more than half would certainly be passed down to the Sixth Branch in the future. Even if Duke Pingguo’s residence itself had no money, the dowries that Seventh Miss and Fifth Miss successively brought into the Xu family were enough to support the household. Therefore, the Sixth Branch would never be anxious or agitated over silver.
But for the other branches, the situation was different. The Yang family was wealthy because Grand Master had sat in the position of Jiangnan Governor-General for over ten years—the best position in all the realm, with both prestige and profit. Before that, he had also climbed up through excellent posts like Jiangsu Education Commissioner and Jiangsu Provincial Administration Commissioner. He was also skilled at management, which was how he accumulated such a vast family fortune. But the natal families of the other young madams, though noble, certainly weren’t as prosperous as the Yang family when it came to wealth.
The rich died rich, the poor died poor. Young madams with modest dowries meant the young masters would inherit limited wealth in the future. Growing up their whole lives in this Duke’s residence of luxury and extravagance, in the future they could only end up comfortably well-off rather than enormously wealthy… How could Fifth Young Madam not want to scheme for some silver? How could she not want to keep this household in her own hands and profit for a few more years?
Xu Fengjia wasn’t unable to understand this logic. He sighed again before asking with annoyance, “Since it’s like this, do you have any way to respond?”
Just from his tone, Seventh Miss knew that this young general who was fearless across battlefields felt somewhat intimidated when it came to inner chamber struggles.
For someone with Xu Fengjia’s personality, such underhanded tactics were indeed very difficult to handle. He naturally wanted to bring the matter into the open directly, but even he knew that doing so was the worst of all bad strategies. After all, Fifth Young Madam hadn’t left a single shred of evidence for them to seize.
Seventh Miss also sighed deeply. She rallied her spirits and consoled Xu Fengjia. “I’ve told you—you have your battlefield, I have mine… Leave inner chamber matters to me to handle. You needn’t worry.”
Xu Fengjia responded with a low sound. He grasped Seventh Miss’s hand, unconsciously playing with her slender jade-like fingers while asking softly, “What do you plan to do?”
Seventh Miss shook her head, answering honestly, “I don’t know yet.”
She paused, organizing the infinite threads of thought in her heart before saying dreamily, “However, we can try analyzing the current situation.”
She fumbled for a moment, lit the oil lamp, then took out from a small cabinet a copper-bound loose-leaf book she’d specially commissioned. She moved the glass lamp to the horizontal board at the head of the bed, laboriously moved the book over as well, then took out a small bottle of ink and extracted a quill pen from the small cabinet.
Xu Fengjia moved to the inside of the bed, watching Seventh Miss with an amused expression and smiling. “You’re making quite the grand production!”
For someone like him who had killed his way to wealth and honor on the battlefield, he naturally wouldn’t panic and lose his composure over one or two of Fifth Young Madam’s schemes. After the initial surprise, he had now completely calmed down and even had the leisure to tease Seventh Miss, somewhat easing the tense atmosphere in the room.
Seventh Miss rolled her eyes at Xu Fengjia and explained softly, “I like leaning against the welcoming pillow to write things. Last time I entered the palace, I saw Consort Ning had this kind of Western quill pen. For casually writing things, it’s actually more convenient than the small brushes we commonly use.”
She dipped it in the ink bottle to absorb some pine-soot ink, opened the notebook, slowly wrote several lines, then paused the pen to analyze with Xu Fengjia.
“To see through Fifth Sister-in-law’s calculations, the first thing we need to clarify is whether Fifth Sister-in-law actually used these years of managing the household to seek private gain and line her pockets.”
Xu Fengjia lowered his eyes and said without consideration, “No matter who manages the household, seeking private gain is definitely happening. Fifth Sister-in-law’s dowry also wasn’t very large. I’d say, ninety-nine out of a hundred chances, she definitely did it.”
Seventh Miss also nodded. “Indeed. If so, we proceed to the second question.”
She casually drew the first circle on the paper, then branched out several lines. “What methods did Fifth Sister-in-law use to profit?”
One should know that though there are countless ways to make money in this world, Fifth Young Madam, as a woman in a great household, couldn’t manage the Xu family’s outside businesses. Though she indeed guarded seventy to eighty thousand taels of silver, her moves couldn’t be too large. The paths available for her to profit were very limited.
Seventh Miss wrote as she thought. “Bribing the kitchen purchasers and warehouse, colluding inside and out like the two immortals transmitting the way, inflating costs to profit from the difference… This is what Fifth Sister-in-law hopes we’ll suspect.”
Xu Fengjia also helped supplement. “Personnel purchases are also something where tricks can be played, not to mention annual fabric, jewelry… monthly allowances for each courtyard, annual gifts sent into the palace to honor Aunt… In short, wherever silver moves in and out, tricks can be played.”
“When Mother handed outside matters to Eldest Brother and inside matters to Fifth Sister-in-law, she actually already avoided many abuses.” Seventh Miss furrowed her brows slightly, using the soft hair at the tip of the quill to gently stroke her chin. Biting her lip in thought, she continued, “It’s just that she’s only managed household affairs for a few years. Though Mother’s health isn’t good, it hasn’t reached the point of being completely unable to manage things. Her moves couldn’t have been too large. To profit from this, I estimate earning seven or eight thousand taels a year would be the limit. And this doesn’t even count the cut for several accomplices…”
Xu Fengjia suddenly frowned and asked, “Fourth Sister-in-law said Fifth Sister-in-law made at least fifty thousand taels. Is this figure accurate? Do you think she might be…”
He was fundamentally questioning an important piece of evidence: Seventh Miss’s current speculations were all built on the foundation that what Fourth Young Madam said was true. If they didn’t trust the fifty thousand tael figure Fourth Young Madam mentioned, then all speculation would need to be overturned and restarted.
Without consideration, Seventh Miss shook her head. “Fourth Sister-in-law wouldn’t help Fifth Sister-in-law deceive me. With just one word from me, Mother-in-law could pin her firmly in the residence, unable to go anywhere for the rest of her life. She has no reason to deceive us for Fifth Sister-in-law’s sake. Moreover, the figure of fifty thousand taels is much larger than what we imagined. If it came from Fifth Sister-in-law’s instruction, she would say a smaller figure.”
Just making tricks in purchasing and warehouse would indeed be hard to embezzle as much as fifty thousand taels. If Fourth Young Madam had intended to help Fifth Young Madam, casually saying thirty thousand taels would be equally shocking but much more believable.
“She spends year-round circling around the Grand Madam.” Seventh Miss analyzed for Xu Fengjia. “Shensi Hall and Shendu Hall are neighbors. With frequent comings and goings between the two sides, much information can’t be concealed. It’s quite possible she overheard something. Given Fourth Sister-in-law’s nature, Fifth Sister-in-law probably wouldn’t be especially guarded against her…”
When information was flying everywhere and truth was hard to distinguish, one absolutely couldn’t panic and fear trusting any information. What should be believed must be believed without doubt. This wasn’t just trust in others, but could be said to be confidence in oneself.
Xu Fengjia bit his lip in thought, then nodded decisively. “You’re right!”
He added another sentence. “Speaking of meticulousness, I truly can’t compare to you.”
Saying this now, there was no longer that trace of reluctance from before.
The faint smile at the corners of Seventh Miss’s lips appeared and vanished in an instant.
“From the fifty thousand taels of silver, Fifth Sister-in-law must have found a particular path to wealth…” She suddenly tapped her forehead lightly. “I’m so stupid! She has so much money in hand and the Duke’s residence as backing. Privately lending at high interest, with compound interest for less than two years, that’s another fifty or sixty thousand taels in interest alone.—Only someone like Zhang Shi would do something so unconscionable!”
There had always been people willing to do even capital crimes for profit, let alone usury. For someone like Fifth Young Madam who had a powerful backing, others wouldn’t dare embezzle her principal either. She had absolutely no risk—not to mention lending at eight percent which was high, even lending at three percent interest per month, if she casually put out ten thousand taels to circulate, over these years, how could the gains be only fifty thousand? Fifty thousand was already a conservative estimate!
Of course, usury had always been the most reputation-damaging activity. Even when reduced to desperate straits, great households would never use such crooked means to profit. Usury’s compound interest—once it couldn’t be repaid, when creditors became vicious and extreme, forcing debtors to sell sons, daughters, fields and land to pay debts was commonplace. Only tyrannical village bullies who oppressed men, dominated women, and ran rampant would involve themselves in such business!
Xu Fengjia’s breathing immediately became heavy. He suddenly said, “No, the capital is at the Emperor’s feet. Such things have always been strictly controlled. If Fifth Sister-in-law had involvement, Feng Zixiu definitely would have received wind of it. By reason and sentiment, he would have told you…”
Seventh Miss smiled coldly.
“Do you think she’d be stupid enough to openly lend using the Xu family’s name? Though there aren’t many money houses in the four-nine city wards, there are always ten or twenty. She invests silver—would she fear the money house privately swallowing it? With the Xu family’s golden signboard in front, this business is both secure and profitable. She has no conscience whatsoever—why wouldn’t she do it?”
She fiercely drew three lines under the words “usury,” saying indisputably, “Unless I’ve misjudged Fifth Sister-in-law, she must be profiting through this path. For someone so conscienceless, this path that’s both secure and profitable—she has no reason not to take it!”
“According to what you say, Fifth Sister-in-law definitely already retrieved her principal by the end of last year, quietly settling the accounts without a trace.” Xu Fengjia also accepted Seventh Miss’s view, continuing to advance steadily. “This kind of thing doesn’t need many people. Having one trusted person in the accounting office would be enough.”
Seventh Miss bit her lower lip and nodded. She was also slowly figuring out some patterns.
“If it were me, I’d directly bribe the two biggest stewards in the internal accounting office—Wu Xun’s wife and Cai Le’s wife. Only these two head stewards can access the silver in the warehouse and can make the accounts without leaving any trace. Small stewards like Accountant Zhang’s wife have too little power and aren’t very useful. With one of these two head stewards bribed, accounts settled, money in place—there wouldn’t be a single trace.”
She immediately understood another connection. “And this steward can now be put to use. If I didn’t take the bait and didn’t investigate Fifth Sister-in-law, then it would be time for her to make her move.”
Ancient times had no professional auditing institutions. So-called account reviews actually just meant these two head stewards presiding, pulling out the account books for the person in charge to examine. These two people were ostensibly impartial, having dealings with no particular branch, so they naturally possessed some credibility. If Seventh Miss didn’t happen to have some auditing experience and specially found two outsiders from Yangzhou to review the accounts, she could only trust the audit results these two stewards provided.
“Fifth Sister-in-law has considered every aspect very thoroughly.” She couldn’t help but sincerely sigh. “No matter what I think, she has backup moves waiting… Being able to encounter such a formidable opponent is truly my Yang Qi’s honor.”
Xu Fengjia laughed despite himself. “You’re not lacking either! Someone who can see through all these twists and turns—looking throughout the whole household, I think there’s only you.”
He quickly shifted the topic back to Fifth Young Madam. “If so, trying to catch Fifth Sister-in-law’s weakness probably won’t be so easy. It’s already July. With silver, she can naturally gradually settle the accounts so you can’t detect anything. Even if you detect it, there are explanations… This path won’t work.”
Seventh Miss bit her lip, staring at the countless clues she’d written before her. The quill drew randomly on the snow-white coral paper, drawing line after line. She thought again of the Grand Madam’s abnormal guilty conscience within her concern this morning.
They say the older you get in the martial world, the smaller your courage becomes, but the Grand Madam absolutely wasn’t that type of personality. Rather, she was like ginger and cassia—becoming spicier with age.
If Fifth Young Madam had already settled the accounts and laid down this unsolvable trap, why would the Grand Madam be so concerned?
Seventh Miss weighed this thought, then abandoned this thread of clues.
Xu Fengjia was right. If Fifth Young Madam indeed used usury to profit herself, then even if she guessed it, she couldn’t do anything to make things difficult for Fifth Young Madam. The deadlock before her still couldn’t be resolved: investigating when she knew nothing could be found, or not investigating, which meant she lacked capability. Whether investigating or not, the Xu family’s upper echelon… no, Duke Pingguo wouldn’t be satisfied!
The move Fifth Young Madam spent half a year preparing for her was like spring rain in Jiangnan—dense and continuous, moistening things silently. By the time Seventh Miss saw through it, her entire body was already wrapped in spider webs, actually having a flavor of being unable to help herself.
In both lives, only Fifth Young Madam could make Seventh Miss feel such an intense sense of crisis.
She first calmly obtained half a year’s time, probably beginning to lay the scheme then, transferring Accountant Zhang’s wife away to confuse Seventh Miss’s vision—this seemingly idle chess piece actually played a role. The subsequent scheme was deadly when it matched the situation, and when it didn’t match, could be held back without being triggered, causing no harm to Fifth Young Madam either. If she could enter the trap, naturally good. If not, exposing that chess piece within the accounting office to force Seventh Miss into the trap, using small to gain large—still profitable.
From any angle, this was a terrifying opponent. The only advantage she currently held was her identity as the Heir’s wife. If positions were reversed and she were the Fifth Branch’s daughter-in-law while Zhang Shi was the Heir’s wife, probably Seventh Miss wouldn’t even have a chance to turn the tables.
But now, she still had many factors she could utilize. Though Fifth Young Madam’s calculations were clever, she might not be able to calculate Seventh Miss to death.
She began calculating her own chips in her heart.
Zhang Shi didn’t know Seventh Miss had found two accountants to review the books. In everyone’s minds, Seventh Miss was currently flipping through the account books herself, familiarizing herself with the Xu family’s accounting methods. The real account review would only unfold after several more days. Seventh Miss’s usual low-profile personality gave her the most precious time to respond.
And those who would unconditionally stand by her side included Ninth Brother, Feng Jin, and Xu Fengjia. Those who would conditionally support her included Grand Master, Grand Madam, Madam Xu, Imperial Consort Xu, and Sixth Miss.
She unconsciously drew circles around these chaotic names. Many ideas kept emerging, only to be rejected by Seventh Miss herself.
This was after all the Xu family’s household matter. With Duke Pingguo Xu Heng blocking the front, outsiders wanting to intervene would not only lose propriety but also lose reason…
Seventh Miss’s eyes suddenly brightened. She turned a page, dipped the quill pen again, and began scribbling messily on the exquisite paper.
“Fifth Sister-in-law’s move is excellent in every way, but ultimately injured by being too clever…” As she wrote, she chatted with Xu Fengjia. “For many things, a single word ‘clever’ isn’t enough.”