Seventh Miss quickly summoned Stewardess Wu Xun to Bright Virtue Hall for questioning.

This middle-aged stewardess had a square face with rigid features and a stern expression that made her rather disagreeable to look at. At best, she appeared cold and intimidating. Even in Seventh Miss’s presence, she showed no hint of a smile. After paying her respects, she glanced at Seventh Miss once, then turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.

For a moment, Seventh Miss said nothing, merely tilting her head to gently blow on the light brown tea. The old stewardess beside her kept sighing, her dejection overflowing.

Stewardess Wu Xun covertly observed the old stewardess and sneered inwardly.

This newly appointed Heir’s Wife probably couldn’t wait for such an incident to occur, so she could weed out the old staff and make room for her own people.

The head of kitchen procurement and the small storehouse manager—these were positions with extremely lucrative benefits. Once Stewardess Lin Shan and Stewardess Peng Hu were removed, it would be perfectly natural to install her own dowry servants in their positions. Within a few years, her private coffers would be mountains of gold and silver. When her own children were born in the future, even without titles, they would have abundant family wealth waiting for them.

Not to mention that digging a bit deeper into this matter would lead to Accountant Zhang, dealing a heavy blow to Fifth Young Madam. Over this past year, the open and covert struggles between the two sisters-in-law had been witnessed by all the servants.

Such a perfect opportunity—if the Heir’s Wife was willing to let it pass lightly, she was either foolish or simply didn’t want to manage the household anymore. Only the old stewardess was senile enough to think her tears could move the Heir’s Wife.

She sat composed and calm, drinking tea in silence. After a while, sure enough, she heard Seventh Miss ask, “What exactly is the problem with this account book?”

Stewardess Wu Xun immediately put on a pained expression. Lifting her skirt, she knelt down and first kowtowed to Seventh Miss.

“Young Madam, please allow me to report…”

She then related, with additions and omissions, what the two accountants had said. Essentially, given capital prices, there were suspicions of inflated procurement figures. Though not immediately obvious, with a bit of attention one could notice many questionable items. Moreover, according to this account book, the discrepancies in silver already amounted to at least several thousand taels.

Her words were more conservative than what the two accountants had said, but this was understandable. After all, Stewardess Wu Xun still had to continue working at the Xu household. Speaking too absolutely would make it difficult to face her two colleagues in the future.

With the Heir’s Wife’s shrewdness, she naturally understood this underlying meaning.

She indeed showed some interest, slowly leafing through the account book Stewardess Wu Xun had presented, pondering in silence.

After another long moment, she sighed softly. “Even so, Fifth Sister-in-law is so magnanimous and honorable. To say she would do such a thing—I don’t believe it. Moreover, this Stewardess Zhang is also an old servant of the household. After so many years without incident, why would problems suddenly arise these past few years?”

Her words conveyed not only mournful regret but also a hint of backing down.

Stewardess Wu Xun immediately thought of Fifth Young Madam’s eyes.

Those ice-cold eyes seemed to have bored into her skull, now staring coldly at her, making Stewardess Wu Xun break out in a cold sweat.

In that flash of thought, she heard her own voice.

“Normally, I shouldn’t say this to Young Madam.” Remarkably, her voice only carried a hint of hoarseness. “However, the dowry Fifth Young Madam brought through the door wasn’t as substantial as yours. Even including all the furniture, it only amounted to twenty or thirty thousand, with more than half being large items difficult to convert to cash. In the household, for food, clothing, and daily expenses, extra reward money is needed everywhere—Young Madam knows this…”

Seeing Seventh Miss’s face still showed hesitation, she swallowed and added fuel to the fire. “People die for wealth, birds die for food… Young Madam has always lived in comfort and luxury. Perhaps you don’t understand that for money, some people will do anything.”

“Is that so?” Seventh Miss raised her tone slightly, seeming somewhat surprised.

Stewardess Wu Xun couldn’t help but lift her head to glance at Seventh Miss.

The Heir’s Wife’s eyes were like two unfathomably deep pools. Now these two pools curved into crescents, smiling warmly as they watched her, repeating again, “It’s really like that?”

Stewardess Wu Xun suddenly felt she couldn’t read the Heir’s Wife’s thoughts at all.

Steeling herself, she nodded and hoarsely assured, “Young Madam, it is like that.”

Seventh Miss withdrew her smile. Her long fingernails lightly tapped the white jade cup, producing soft knocking sounds.

“Don’t spread word of this matter for now,” her voice turned cold. “When the time is right, I’ll naturally inform Grandmother and Mother. This kind of matter isn’t something we can decide on our own—whether to investigate or not… Do you understand?”

Stewardess Wu Xun felt her heart sink.

This cursed Heir’s Wife had again chosen the least error-prone path.

Fine then. Fifth Young Madam had made arrangements for this situation long ago anyway.

She lowered her voice and agreed, “As Young Madam commands.”

Seventh Miss said nothing more and had someone escort Stewardess Wu Xun out.

Once she left, the old stewardess stopped sighing.

Not only did she stop sighing, she straightened her back and showed complete contempt. “I never imagined it would actually be her! Betraying those who feed her, greedy for money! Yet she has the gall to slander others!”

Someone as experienced and shrewd as the old stewardess—how could she not see that Stewardess Wu Xun’s eagerness to persuade Seventh Miss must have ulterior motives?

Seventh Miss also smiled with satisfaction.

“Truly a capable person,” she praised Stewardess Wu Xun leisurely. “I originally couldn’t decide whether it was her or Stewardess Cai. I didn’t expect Stewardess Wu to be so anxious to solve my problems—she practically pointed at herself to make everything clear.”

Indeed, Stewardess Wu Xun had appeared far too eager. Compared to her previous indifferent attitude toward Seventh Miss, her anxiety to make Seventh Miss believe in the account problems had almost nakedly revealed her allegiance.

It seemed everything matched her conjectures without much deviation. Fifth Young Madam was preparing to deploy Stewardess Wu Xun as her backup move.

Seventh Miss fell into contemplation again. After a long while, she casually instructed the old stewardess.

“It’s time to let everyone in the household know what good deeds our Fifth Sister-in-law has done.”

The old stewardess’s expression shifted. “Isn’t it too hasty?”

Seventh Miss smiled and explained, “That performance just now was simply to make Fifth Sister-in-law believe I’ve taken the bait. Since that’s the case, the bigger this matter becomes, the more it will satisfy her wishes.”

The old stewardess had a sudden realization. “This old servant was mistaken!”

Seventh Miss’s inaction, her pretense of wanting only to peacefully take over the account books—this was merely to draw out the mole in the accounting office. Now that the mole had surfaced, she could turn passive into active, not needing to wait for Fifth Young Madam to make her reveal.

“Besides, if we wait for Fifth Sister-in-law to spread the news, won’t everything proceed completely according to her rhythm?” Seventh Miss spoke while smiling. “A good rumor can sometimes kill two birds with one stone—it just depends on how you manipulate it. With such a perfect opportunity, we can’t afford to yield it to others.”

She gently placed her teacup on the table. “Fifth Sister-in-law wants to play with me, so I’ll play along… However, how to spread this news will depend on the old stewardess’s arrangements.”

The old stewardess gazed at Seventh Miss and said sincerely, “With your methods, Zhang Shi will surely end in bitter defeat—Young Madam, please rest assured, this servant will absolutely not disappoint you.”

It was only at this moment that she truly became convinced and impressed by this concubine-born second wife.

#

Over the next few days, the Grand Madam was unusually quiet, as if she had suddenly lost interest in tormenting Seventh Miss. Even Fourth Young Madam became uncharacteristically quiet, leaving Seventh Miss with a rare period of leisure.

Seventh Miss was happy to relax. Normally she only spent one shichen in the morning handling household affairs. When matters arose, she would send people to find the appropriate stewardess, who would handle things as needed. There wasn’t much that required Seventh Miss’s personal arrangement.

Since Stewardess Li Geng had submitted her two reports, the stewardesses’ attitudes toward Seventh Miss had softened one by one. Seventh Miss then randomly selected Stewardess Sheng Jin—also an old servant from Madam Xu’s side—and instructed her to write a work report and personnel summary. Stewardess Sheng Jin was delighted. Early the next morning, in front of everyone, she handed Seventh Miss two stacks of paper even thicker than what Stewardess Li Geng had written.

The others’ gazes toward her suddenly contained more fervor. People are just that peculiar—things they didn’t care about before, once Seventh Miss whetted their appetite this way, everyone suddenly wanted them. Stewardess Lin Shan and Stewardess Peng Hu had already privately prepared reports and submitted them to Seventh Miss.

When Seventh Miss got up early to practice martial arts with Xu Fengjia, she smiled while recounting these tactics to him like telling stories.

Xu Fengjia listened with gleaming eyes. After a long moment, he asked Seventh Miss, “How exactly is your head constructed? Such methods for managing subordinates—you might as well come work under me.”

Seventh Miss had worked up a full sweat. She took out a handkerchief to wipe it away before replying, “Just small tactics, merely going with the flow. If you couldn’t see through even these methods, how would you lead troops in battle? It’s just that you look down on the small world of the inner quarters and can’t be bothered to scheme like this.”

For a moment, though knowing Xu Fengjia was only joking, she still showed a hint of longing. “But there’s no need for me to fight wars with you. If I were a man though, I’d be willing to travel the great rivers and mountains with you.”

Xu Fengjia laughed heartily. “Nonsense! If it were me, I’d also prefer touring mountains and waters to fighting wars.”

Seventh Miss made a face at him and entered the room with light laughter. After washing up, she eagerly grabbed a small steamed bun made with chestnut flour and took a bite. “I’m starving! Last night before bed I wanted a bowl of noodles, but your Heir refused. Something about getting indigestion and not being able to sleep… Wulang, is your father mean or not?”

Guyu and Chunfen carried Silang and Wulang into the room. Wulang was first. Hearing Seventh Miss speak this way, he said with a grin, “Father is mean!”

Silang had a different opinion. “Father is not mean!”

The two little fellows started babbling away at each other. These children could now speak quite fluently, often arguing in language and at speeds others couldn’t quite understand.

In the midst of the commotion, Xu Fengjia also entered the room, carrying the fresh, clean scent of a recent bath. He smiled, “Well now, the moment I’m gone, you all slander me.” Saying this, he sat beside Seventh Miss, took a steamed bun for himself and bit into it. Seventh Miss instructed Lixia, “Pour a bowl of clear soy milk for the Heir.”

Silang and Wulang showed no particular reaction to the word “mother.” After arguing with Silang for a bit, Wulang found it boring and squirmed, wanting to get on the kang with Seventh Miss. “Seventh Auntie, play with me!”

Guyu and Chunfen quickly coaxed him, “Seventh Auntie is eating!” They made a show of giving both children some adult food to eat. After the couple finished breakfast and straightened their clothing, they left together to pay respects to the Grand Madam.

As they walked, Xu Fengjia instructed Seventh Miss, “Fourth Brother will probably arrive home in the next day or two. Go sit at Cautious Solitude Hall and see if there’s anything not properly prepared. Don’t let Fourth Brother feel he’s been neglected.”

His voice suddenly paused, and his footsteps slowed. Seventh Miss stopped and followed Xu Fengjia’s gaze, only to notice that at the entrance to Little Cuijin Courtyard, two or three stewardesses were walking while whispering to each other, constantly glancing toward the couple. But once Xu Fengjia noticed them, they scattered in all directions like a flock of startled birds, each lowering her head to attend to her tasks.

She couldn’t help but smile faintly and whispered, “The old stewardess handles matters most reliably.”

In just these few days, rumors had spread throughout Duke Pingguo’s household. Probably before Mid-Autumn, they could advance several more steps.

Xu Fengjia looked at her and twitched his lips, also replying in a low voice, “You arranged it well. Even I’ve heard about it, let alone them. Look at Grandmother’s expression these past few days…”

Seventh Miss immediately perked up.

“Even you know?” She grabbed Xu Fengjia’s sleeve and pressed urgently, “How awful! You didn’t tell me earlier! Waiting until now to mention it.”

Xu Fengjia was quite surprised. “I only found out yesterday. Didn’t I come back late? I was afraid of troubling your mind, so I didn’t say anything. Then later I completely forgot—why, did you really not want me to know?”

“You’re being foolish,” Seventh Miss rolled her eyes. “If you know, Father must certainly know too.”

Normally, besides frequenting Bright Virtue Hall and Pleasant Mountain Residence, Xu Fengjia rarely entered Little Cuijin. If even he already knew, then Duke Pingguo Xu Heng had most likely also received the news that the accounts had been found to have problems.

With Xu Fengjia’s intelligence, naturally a moment’s thought made him understand all the twists and turns. He crossed his arms with a half-smile. “It’s a pity I have to go to Tong County again… Otherwise, I’d really like to watch the excitement at Dream Splendor Pavilion!”

Seventh Miss rolled her eyes at him again before laughing softly herself.

“Not just you! Probably hundreds of people can’t wait to ask me face-to-face why there’s still no action.”

Problems in the accounts were, after all, only rumors. Though Seventh Miss hadn’t denied them, she fundamentally hadn’t confirmed that problems had been found in the accounts either. Whether Fifth Young Madam wanted to clear her name or confess, she suddenly had no target. She herself couldn’t very well come forward demanding a thorough investigation—after all, these were baseless rumors. Taking them seriously would only make Fifth Young Madam appear excessively guilty. Therefore, though the atmosphere in the household had grown increasingly tense these past days, on the surface everyone maintained harmony, laughing and chatting as if no one knew about it, all looking perfectly cheerful.

“What I find strange,” Xu Fengjia also pondered, “is that by rights, this would be the perfect time for Grandmother to speak up. Yet the old lady has instead settled down, acting as if she doesn’t know about it, talking about Fourth Brother from morning to night.”

Seventh Miss glanced at Xu Fengjia and chuckled softly. “By the time you figure this out, the day lily will be cold!”

She did feel some uncertainty though. “However, Grandmother’s behavior is indeed quite intriguing…”

Seeing Pleasant Mountain Residence right before them, both fell silent, climbed the steps, lifted the door curtain and filed into the main hall.