Chapter 237
“Pregnant?”
Wen Yu was quite surprised.
Qi Wu didn’t seem to care much, escorting her to the second gate, “You go to Mother’s courtyard first and tell her. I still have things to do up front, I have to go.”
Wen Yu nodded in response.
Qi Wu looked at her, turned and left, “Mu Bo!”
Mu Bo strode to catch up.
When Wen Yu arrived, Madam Qi was leisurely painting.
Wen Yu watched and smiled secretly, she truly didn’t care about Xu Shi anymore.
“Mother.”
Madam Qi put down her brush and smiled, “Ah Yu is back? How was it?”
“Very smooth. His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince’s Grandson and the Crown Princess’s Granddaughter-in-Law were all there. His Highness the Crown Prince gifted a jade carving, it’s so beautiful. We chatted for a bit, then he allowed this wife to go with Pinting to the back.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince has an extraordinary presence, admirable!”
“Yes. The Crown Princess doesn’t talk much, but she’s not putting on airs.”
“We knew the Crown Princess when she was still unmarried. She is a very intelligent woman. When she married the Crown Prince, he was just a sickly Prince. Although the Emperor loved him the most, he had no power, no influence, and no future prospects. She married him, diligently cared for him, and they have a harmonious relationship. It was truly not easy…” Madam Qi paused for a moment, then continued, “The Crown Prince at that time, was the Emperor’s legitimate son from his original wife.”
With no one else in the room, Madam Qi whispered to Wen Yu, “Then something happened.”
“I know about that, my uncle’s family was even implicated because of it!”
“Actually, it was just bad luck. It’s in the past now, it’s not a big deal anymore, understand?”
“Yes, it won’t be investigated further.”
“That person was so scheming! And then the current Crown Prince was established. There were rumors at the time, saying that the Emperor actually favored Prince Xiang. He didn’t directly appoint him because he was worried that he would be as strong-willed as the former Crown Prince. However, during an autumn hunt, Prince Xiang disappeared mysteriously!”
“Disappeared? A Prince can disappear?” Wen Yu learned about this for the first time.
“Yes. Strange, isn’t it?! That year, Xiao Wu was only twelve years old, he had just returned to the capital, and also participated in the autumn hunt. That time, he was the only one from the Qi family who went, young and didn’t know many people, so he wasn’t investigated. But everyone else was investigated thoroughly! Yet, no information was found.”
“Perhaps because of this, the Emperor gradually handed over power to the Eastern Palace. His Highness the Crown Prince, although his health fluctuates, has held his position firmly for so many years. Now, we can only hope that the Crown Prince can accompany the Crown Prince’s Grandson for a longer period…”
“The Crown Prince’s Grandson’s temperament is a bit awkward. Every time he sees me, he looks angry!” Wen Yu was unhappy.
Madam Qi chuckled, “No, he’s probably just trying to appear dignified. How could he be like that to you, a young woman?!”
“Oh.” Wen Yu understood.
✿✿✿
Coming out of “Delicious and Flavorful,” the cook hurriedly entered the Yuan residence.
“Eldest Madam!”
Wen Xianggui, who was in the room, quickly asked, “How did it go?”
“Reporting back to Eldest Young Madam, this servant went to the shop and inquired around while waiting for Yan Zhu to arrive. There are currently six cooks in the shop, three main cooks and three assistants. The key dim sum varieties in the shop are all formulated by Yan Zhu.”
Wen Xianggui nodded.
“Later, Yan Zhu said she wanted to test this servant’s skills. This servant made a few dishes, and it seemed she was quite satisfied. However… she didn’t say anything, just told this servant to wait for news. And she asked this servant to leave a home address.
This servant didn’t expect this at the time, was momentarily stunned, and hesitated for a long while before mentioning Nurse Xi’s home…”
“Useless!” Wen Xianggui scolded her. Actually, she hadn’t expected this either… “How about… you go live at Nurse Xi’s place for a few days?”
“Yes, I’ll move there later.”
This cook was called Zi Juan, she was Wen Xianggui’s personal maid. Very skillful with her hands, after getting married, she worked in Madam Wen’s shops. She was considered the most loyal and capable worker.
Actually, there were many dim sum shops in the capital that did good business. But for some reason, Madam Wen fixated on Yan Zhu.
After visiting the shop a few times, she found herself particularly annoyed by Yan Zhu!
In the shop, the popular dim sum varieties would actually run out of stock!
People come to buy, but they haven’t made enough!
What kind of business is this?
It’s like they’re not putting any effort into it at all!
It’s as if she succeeded effortlessly! People patronize her business, but they have to depend on her mood!
Tell me, isn’t that infuriating?!
Then think about herself, spending all day racking her brains, making countless attempts, seeking advice from everywhere… yet being easily surpassed by her!
Feeling indignant and unjust, she furrowed her brows and came up with a plan.
She arranged for Zi Juan to apply for work at that shop, on the one hand to steal their recipes and techniques, and on the other hand… it’s not easy to learn from her, but to ruin her is not difficult!
Drop a strand of hair, a piece of nail… if that doesn’t work, hmph! A pinch of croton powder will do the trick!
… This is truly a ruthless person who dares to think and act.
But she didn’t expect that the shop would actually inquire about the cook’s address, are they going to investigate her background?
“You go live at her house first, if there’s no news after a few days… then find another way!”
“Yes.” Zi Juan walked out, took a few steps, then stopped, “Madam…”
“What else is there?”
“Is the jade pendant you often wear still there?”
“Yes!” Wen Xianggui casually picked up a box from the cabinet beside her. “What for?”
“Today, when Yan Zhu bent down, the jade pendant she wore around her neck slipped out. This servant was startled, thinking that your jade pendant was lost!”
“How could mine be lost?” Madam Wen took out her own jade pendant, “And how could she possibly have something like this, you must have seen wrong!”
✿✿✿
“Madam, this servant has helped you keep your jade pendant for over ten years, how could I mistake it?! It’s really exactly the same! I couldn’t see the characters on the back, but the jade color and the pattern on the front are identical!”
“How is that possible? This was given to my mother by my grandmother, and later my mother gave it to me. It’s a family heirloom of the Wen family! What kind of person is Yan Zhu, how could she be worthy of it?!”
“Madam, why don’t you go back and ask Old Madam about it? This servant swears, they’re absolutely identical!”
✿✿✿
At the back, Tan Shi was talking to Liu Shi.
Liu Shi was very respectful towards her mother-in-law, reporting only the important matters at hand.
Tan Shi was satisfied with her daughter-in-law’s attitude.
At this time, a maid came in and reported, “Old Madam, Fifth Master and Fifth Madam are back. Fifth Madam has gone to Eldest Madam’s place.”
Tan Shi’s face slightly darkened. Liu Shi didn’t speak either.
After a while, Tan Shi asked, “Have you looked at the previous accounts?”
“I’ve only looked at the accounts for the last two months of last year, and the expenses for the whole year. I don’t want these things to pass through other people’s hands, so I haven’t finished looking at them yet!”
“There’s no need to look at everything, just have a general idea of each month’s expenses. Then compare it to the expenses when you were managing the household. You’ll immediately know how much that person has embezzled.”
“Yes.”
Tan Shi further advised her, “Actually, whoever manages the household, these things are unavoidable. If you ignore it, there’s no problem, but if you point it out, it becomes a fault! Now that you have a general idea, it might be useful in the future. You’re not short of money, handle things gracefully.”
“This wife understands.” Liu Shi had no expression on her face, but she was unhappy being so blatantly instructed by her mother-in-law. She didn’t even know how long she would be managing the household for? Would she embezzle such a small amount of money?
She was being underestimated!
“Xiao Wu is quite close to the Eastern Palace…” Tan Shi sighed.
“Mother, don’t worry, Father-in-law has a firm grasp on this matter.”
“I hope so! Youduan and I have been separated for so long… and your whole family was out there struggling, if we can’t even get this benefit… wouldn’t all those hardships have been in vain?”
“Exactly. That’s why Yue’er looks down on Xiao Wu. They’re both descendants of the Qi family, but look at the difference in their lives!”
“Isn’t that right?! I just can’t stand the sight of the one Xiao Wu married!” Tan Shi felt extremely sour.
“A troublemaker!” Liu Shi was truly worried about her son, Qi Yue was someone who meant what he said, ruthless and with a dark heart. Sometimes, he acted recklessly!
If he really caused trouble, this wasn’t at the military post…
But how could she dare to say this to Old Madam? She could only sigh inwardly, it would have been better if he hadn’t come back.
✿✿✿
Wen Yu returned to her room, changed clothes, and had some tea to rest.
She thought to herself that these past few days had been really busy, but she didn’t know what she had been busy with.
“Madam, Zhang Cai and his wife request an audience!”
“Oh! I completely forgot about meeting them, please invite them in!”
Zhang Cai, along with his wife and children, came in and knelt down.
“Please rise! I’ve been busy these past few days and forgot about meeting you.”
“We also know that Madam has been busy!” Zhang Cai and his wife beamed. “We were afraid of disturbing you!”
“Let’s not stand on ceremony! Both Mother and my husband have said that your family is meticulous and loyal in your work. How about this, if you don’t have anything urgent, continue doing what you were doing before. I’ll make arrangements when I have some free time.”
“Yes! Madam, this… is Fifth Master’s private account…” Zhang Cai’s wife held the account book, feeling apprehensive. It looked quite thick, several volumes…
Actually, there wasn’t much inside.
She smiled bitterly, if Madam saw how poor Fifth Master was, would she believe him?
If she didn’t believe it, and she discussed it with Madam Wen… if the truth came out…
She really didn’t know what kind of chaos would ensue!
“Leave it here, I’ll take a look later. If I have any questions, I’ll ask you.” Actually, Wen Yu wasn’t really paying attention to these things.
Her mother-in-law was so generous to her, just to decorate this room, she brought out many famous paintings and antiques. Moreover, she also had shops!
Besides, she herself wasn’t short of money.
Her husband had just started working, his private property was nothing more than his monthly allowance and gifts from elders, how much could it be?
“Yes.” Zhang Cai’s wife quickly put it down…
“Xiao Xiang, give them the gifts I prepared to take back!”
Zhang Cai and his family saw the big and small packages, and the silver taels. It seemed that Madam had prepared in advance, it was really giving them face!
The whole family left with a thousand thanks.
Wen Yu asked Qing He to put away the account book and rested her chin on her hand, thinking about Wei Shi’s matter.
The fifth day of the New Year, welcoming the God of Wealth!
May the God of Wealth bless everyone!
