After Fourth Madam Jiang Suxin left Madam’s room, her personal senior maid Bao Zhu followed her out of the courtyard. Seeing no one around, she quietly asked, “Madam, did you tell Madam?”
“Madam was just smashing things in anger over Third Miss wanting to go out. I was busy trying to calm her down—how could I dare mention it? In a few days, when Madam’s mood improves, I’ll speak then.” Jiang Suxin thought of her mother-in-law’s instructions—her heart wasn’t too willing, but not listening wouldn’t do either.
Actually, in her view, her mother-in-law had no need to target Sanniang over such small matters. A woman’s greatest wish was to marry into a good family. With the master gravely ill, to whom Sanniang would be promised was just a matter of her mother-in-law’s single word. Her mother-in-law should yield to Sanniang in small matters, going along with her and coaxing her, rather than making things so that now Sanniang was extremely cautious in everything. Continuing like this, the marriage matter probably wouldn’t pass simply either—it would inevitably cause a huge commotion.
Jiang Suxin’s natal mother was also a principal wife, and her methods of dealing with her concubine-born sisters and brothers were much more skillful. She neither let them threaten the position of her own children nor gave outsiders opportunities to gossip.
Compared to her mother, her mother-in-law’s methods of dealing with Sanniang were far too hasty and impatient.
Sometimes Jiang Suxin would think that perhaps because her mother-in-law was a concubine elevated to principal wife, she feared the legitimate Sanniang in her heart, feeling she was already a rank below Sanniang. Therefore, after grasping the Qiu family’s property in her hands, in matters big and small, she had to win over this eldest miss to be satisfied.
“Madam, shall we go back?” Bao Zhu asked.
“…” Jiang Suxin remained quiet for a moment. “No, let’s go look at the storehouse.”
Weighing everything, currently it was better not to risk her favored position—she should temporarily follow her mother-in-law’s intentions. In any case, everyone knew that although she also had a set of storehouse keys, the one who made the big decisions was still her mother-in-law. Even if there was trouble, it wouldn’t fall on her head.
The Qiu Mansion’s inner quarter storehouse held all kinds of valuable things—from red coral screens worth tens of thousands of taels of gold down to a single gold-and-jade wine cup. Unless already bestowed by the master or madam, anything taken from the storehouse had to be returned in its original condition.
In the first month, Fourth Concubine borrowed a set of jadeite and pearl hair ornaments to return to her natal home. Who knew that when returned, a large pearl worth three hundred taels was missing? Madam made the concubine compensate with her private money. Fourth Concubine had secretly given her silver to Seventh Miss—where would she get three hundred taels? She could only help embroider for her family’s silk and satin shop. Even now she still owed the balance.
Upon entering the high-walled courtyard where the storehouse was located, several steward women came forward, half-kneeling to greet Fourth Madam.
Jiang Suxin had them all rise and sat down in the hall next to the storehouse. A young maid brought fragrant tea, and she leisurely took a sip.
“Does Fourth Madam want to conduct a spot inspection?” The highest-ranking person here besides the masters was Old Woman An’s daughter-in-law, known as An Shun’s wife.
The items in the storehouse were inventoried every two months, either personally counted by the masters or reported after being counted by designated maids, wives, or old women. Temporary spot inspections were a tradition passed down from when Qiu Sanniang managed the storehouse. Jiang Suxin thought it good and continued using it.
The rules Qiu Sanniang established for managing the storehouse were written down clearly, with clear rewards and punishments. Even the storehouse manager was bound by these rules, which greatly opened Jiang Suxin’s eyes when she first took over. But her mother-in-law feared these rules would be unfavorable to exercising her private authority, so when she replaced all the storehouse servants, she simply abolished the book and reverted to the rules from when the master managed the storehouse. If her mother-in-law withheld things from the storehouse and didn’t return them, that couldn’t be pursued.
Jiang Suxin had An Shun’s wife bring the ledger. Glancing at it, she asked, “Is there no banquet in the outer garden today?”
An Shun’s wife replied, “No one has come to say so.”
“Then—today we’ll seal the storehouse for a complete inventory.” Jiang Suxin closed the ledger. “Bring the assignment tokens.”
A complete inventory meant counting everything. Sealing the storehouse meant nothing could be taken out, only brought in.
An Shun’s wife found it strange—it was almost the end of the month. Doing a complete inventory now, wasn’t this being full and looking for trouble to do? But though she thought this, she didn’t dare delay and quickly brought the assignment tokens.
Jiang Suxin assigned tasks one by one but didn’t plan to personally count. She had Bao Zhu follow into the storehouse while she kept only An Shun’s wife in the hall to talk.
“This is Madam’s intention.” Jiang Suxin was good at reading expressions—how could she not know An Shun’s wife was grumbling behind her back?
An Shun’s wife immediately put on a smiling face. “Fourth Madam, I knew you wouldn’t seal the storehouse for no reason.”
Jiang Suxin knew she was trying to please her but didn’t mind. “Usually, who does Third Miss send to get things from the storehouse?”
“Since handing over the storehouse keys, Third Miss hasn’t come at all. Each time receiving Madam’s rewards, she mostly sends her senior maid Bai He, and also the second-rank maid Lu Ju.” The An family were confidants Zhang Shi brought from her natal home—how could they not know about the conflict between Madam and the eldest miss? Hearing Fourth Madam inquiring about Sanniang’s affairs, An Shun’s wife answered very diligently.
“Only these two?” Jiang Suxin asked indifferently.
“I’ve only seen these two. However, I did hear my mother-in-law mention something from a few days ago—Madam disciplined a rough-work maid from Third Miss’s courtyard, called Mo Zi. I was puzzled—how had I never heard this name?” An Shun’s wife was quite talkative.
“It wasn’t really discipline, just a single slap.” Jiang Suxin put down her cup and stood up, then instructed An Shun’s wife, “Remember, today no one can take anything from the storehouse. If something is urgently needed by the masters in the outer courtyard, have them come find me.”
“Yes, Fourth Madam.” An Shun’s wife followed behind Jiang Suxin and saw her to the courtyard gate.
After Jiang Suxin had walked out of sight, An Shun’s wife found a trusted young maid. “Quickly go to Mama An and find out clearly what Madam’s intention really is.” Fourth Madam was truly good-natured—saying it was like saying nothing. When the time came, the one who offended people would be herself.
Seal the storehouse? Where was it so easy to seal!
Fifth Young Master would take jewelry from the storehouse to give to his maids at the drop of a hat, every few days. Normally, An Shun’s wife would give it on one end and quickly report to Madam on the other. Whether to scold or turn a blind eye was all decided by Madam. Her mother-in-law said that if it was small items worth ten or dozens of taels, Madam basically didn’t care. If by chance today she didn’t give it and it was brought to Madam, could Madam scold her own son yet help her? Simply impossible.
When the young maid reported back that it was Madam wanting to give Third Miss a hard time, An Shun’s wife had a clear idea. She got a bag of melon seeds, brewed a pot of tea, and sat in the corridor, spitting out shell after shell.
The incense implements, tea vessels, and hair ornaments and jewelry needed for the seven-day fasting purification ritual all followed certain regulations. Hermitage gates were clean places that didn’t favor gold and silver vessels, emphasizing plain elegance, yet couldn’t lose the status of a daughter from a wealthy family, so jade items were best. With departure tomorrow, they would certainly come today to get jade.
Just past noon, someone knocked on the door ring.
The gatekeeper maid asked in a thin voice who it was.
“I’m the maid Bai He from Third Miss’s courtyard.”
The young maid quickly glanced at An Shun’s wife in the distance.
An Shun’s wife beckoned the young maid over and whispered instructions in her ear.
The young maid stood behind the door and raised her voice slightly. “Today the storehouse is sealed for complete inventory—we can only receive items, not give out items. Come again tomorrow.”
Outside was quiet for a good while.
An Shun’s wife thought the person had sensibly given up and been easily dismissed, and couldn’t help feeling pleased.
Just then, a clear and bright female voice she had never heard before reached into the courtyard, making the maids and servants look at each other in bewilderment.
“What we’re taking isn’t public property, but items belonging to Third Miss that are stored in the storehouse. What does that have to do with the inventory? First open the door and invite the steward woman to speak.”
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