After leaving Yanqing Palace, Jiang Xingjian asked Lin Jiayue why she took matters into her own hands.
Lin Jiayue said with a smile: "Do you not believe that I can manage the Hou Mansion well, or do you not believe that I can make more money for the Hou Mansion?"
"Didn't you see the success of Bingpu? Moreover, even the empress believed in me and gave me five thousand taels of silver to open a new shop. What do you have to worry about?"
Jiang Xingjian had a gloomy look on his face: "Did you know that if you take my wife's money, this business must be profitable?"
"There is no guarantee that business will be profitable? Your Majesty is not such an unreasonable person."
Lin Jiayue smiled and held Jiang Xingjian's arm, and said sweetly: "But if I handle this business, it will definitely be successful. Don't worry."
Jiang Xingjian shook off Lin Jiayue's hand and strode away.
When Jiang Man met her for the first time, he must have felt that Lin Jiayue was clever and smart, as he did at first, but this kind of cleverness could not withstand the test of time. If she made any mistakes in the Hou's Mansion, he would be the one to take care of them. But if she made a mistake under the imperial power, he didn't know if she could afford to overthrow the entire Hou's Mansion.
Jiang Xingjian's face was ugly, and she was even more upset when she thought about Concubine Jiang's words asking Lin Jiayue and Song Wan to take charge of the Hou Mansion together.
Jiang Man was both his elder sister and the biological mother of the fifth prince. The concubines in the harem did not need to open a shop to earn money, but the prince needed a strong maternal wife. Now that Concubine Jiang had spoken, the matter of being the head of the family was not just a private matter of the Hou Mansion, and he could not refuse at all.
Seeing Lin Jiayue holding five thousand taels of silver, Jiang Xingjian became more and more annoyed.
When the two returned to the Hou Mansion, Lin Jiayue hurriedly went back to her room to think about business, while Jiang Xingjian went to Fuhe Hall with a cold face.
"Your sister has always had a strong temper since she was a child. Shu'er is less than five years old now, and she moves so fast, and she is not afraid of stretching her arms too far."
Mrs. Jiang half-squinted her eyes and slowly fiddled with the agarwood beads in her hand.
Jiang Xingjian knelt aside and said in a low voice: "The palace is very difficult and dangerous, and my sister is having a hard time in it. We in the palace can help as much as we can, and now we have no choice but to obey the imperial concubine's orders."
"You have been manipulated by your sister since you were a child..."
Mrs. Jiang stood up, and Jiang Xingjian hurriedly helped her, only to hear Mrs. Jiang say: "It's good for your sister and brother to support each other, but Man'er has a radical temperament. I didn't agree to her entering the palace back then. If she didn't When you enter the palace, you and Song Wan will not cause trouble like today."
"With a virtuous and intelligent girl like Song Wan as your good wife, coupled with your talent and temperament, you may not be able to protect the glory of the Marquis Mansion for another hundred years, but now you are going to take the risk to snatch the beauty in the mirror, the moon in the water..."
"I'm afraid that I won't be able to earn wealth and glory in the future, but will end up in a bad place."
Jiang Xingjian had a sullen face, but in his heart he said that the matter had come to this point and there was no turning back.
"Come on, now that the Marquis Mansion has been handed over to you, you will be the one to decide what happens in the house. How many years do I have to live, old lady? Otherwise, if I point my fingers now, I will cause discord between your siblings and I will become a sinner in the future. "
Mrs. Jiang waved her hand and asked Baozhu, the eldest maid beside her, to send Jiang Xingjian out.
After everyone had gone out, Mrs. Jiang sighed softly: "I don't know how many princes and grandsons in the past have died in their infancy. Now, as a five-year-old child, he has to fight the entire Marquis Mansion to become the enemy of the Song Mansion. I'm afraid Song Lan'an knows. Jiang Man is so stupid that he almost laughs out loud."
"Since the old lady knew something was wrong, why didn't she try to persuade the uncle?"
A woman helped Mrs. Jiang sit down and comforted her in a low voice.
Mrs. Jiang said: "You have watched Jiang Man grow up, and you still don't know her temperament? Back then, I just said that she was arrogant and would not marry into a high family and become a clan wife, but she turned around and hooked up with the emperor to enter the palace."
"Now that she wants to interfere in the affairs of the palace, if I stop Yi'er, it will only make her feel grudge and distance herself from the Hou family."
"She is from the Jiang family. If something really happens, can the Hou Mansion escape? It's better to let Yi'er watch and be safe."
The old lady also sighed, and could not think of any other way except to say a few words of comfort.
After coming out of Mrs. Jiang's room, Jiang Xingjian went to the main courtyard of Lanting with a sad look on his face.
When he arrived, the mother-in-law in the mansion was reporting the accounts to Song Wan. They could not have been more respectful. The accounts in their hands were clearly written, standardized, and detailed. Song Wan looked at them for a while, then signed the receipt from the mansion with a smile.
"Grandma, this is the kitchen expense of the house this month."
Song Wan took them and looked at them one by one. He saw that he had saved thousands of taels of silver before the whole month was over.
"My aunt manages the family well and is praised by everyone in the inner and outer courts."
Granny Liang said: "Yes, yes, it was very hot a few days ago. If grandma hadn't cooked mung bean soup to relieve the heat and gave it to the boys in the outer courtyard, I'm afraid she would be sick a few times now."
"Ordinary little things are not worth talking about."
Song Wan quickly adjusted his abacus and felt relieved when he saw that he had indeed saved a lot of money by changing the rules of the house.
"Grandma, how do you account for the picture of the Autumn Moon and Mountains that you sent to the Sun Mansion yesterday?"
Song Wan didn't even raise his head: "There's no need to go in, just treat it as a private gift to Mrs. Sun."
"Zhang Shaoqing's authentic work?"
When Jiang Xingjian heard this, he stepped forward and a group of housekeepers and women saluted. He raised his hand and waved a few of them without saying anything.
"There is no reason to use a woman's dowry to supplement her husband's family. I will give you the original piece in cash later."
"As long as your husband makes the decision."
Song Wan smiled lightly at him, then lowered his head to settle the accounts. Jiang Xingjian thought for a while and dismissed the women, and sat in front of Song Wan.
"Husband, do you have something to say?"
"There is indeed something I need to discuss with you..."
Jiang Xingjian frowned and couldn't speak after thinking for a long time. Song Wan noticed his embarrassment and knew it must be related to Lin Jiayue. She didn't rush him and just bowed her head to sort out the tickets in the house, and she had no intention of prying.
After a long time, Jiang Xingjian asked, "How is the marriage between Jiang Yan and the Sun family going?"
"Mrs. Sun still has some concerns. Although she has not agreed, we have already talked about it. After Miss Sun and the hairpin ceremony, we can make a decision."
"What are your concerns? Jiang Yan is quite compatible with the Miss Sun family. The Sun family should not deny this marriage."
Song Wan said calmly, "Mrs. Sun doesn't like people who act extremely unruly. She is also afraid that the crowds and chaos in the backyard will burden Miss Sun."
"Where is the Hou Mansion..."
As soon as he uttered a few words, Jiang Xing simply shut up.
I originally wanted to let Lin Jiayue and Song Wan manage the family together, but now it's hard to say it.
When Song Wan finished settling his accounts today, Jiang Xingjian still hadn't expressed his intention.
There was a hint of uneasiness in her heart: "After waiting for so long, I think there is something important, and it would be better to say it first."
Jiang Xingjian touched her nose and whispered, "I want Jiayue to manage the family together with you."
