Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Taking Aim at Her

The next day, Xie Mingyue rose early.

Behind her courtyard lay a bamboo grove, where she had recently set up a zither stand. As the wisps of smoke curled from the lotus-shaped incense burner, she plucked the strings lightly, lost in idle thought.

Last night, she had questioned Wutong in detail about the relationships between the various households of the Marquis’s residence. The branch of the Marquis of Shunqing was the main household, with three other collateral branches, each with their own growing families. Years ago, when the mansion had been expanded and was not yet bustling with activity, the Marquis of Shunqing and Qi Jinshan had decided to settle these three collateral branches in the western part of the estate, allowing the large family to live together in harmony. Naturally, the management of the household affairs remained in the hands of Xie Wanqing.

Xie Mingyue had pondered much throughout the night; dealing with Qi Xiuyu would not be easy. He was the Luo family’s only son. Even if the Marquis of Shunqing currently favored Qi Jinshan, the Luo family were powerful nobles in the capital, and Qi Xiuyu was the heir. If anything were to happen to him, it would invite a rigorous investigation. Xie Mingyue did not want to resort to crude methods; she preferred to use their own tactics against them. Everything they had taken, she would reclaim, and Xie Wanqing was the perfect breakthrough.

She would start with her.

Xie Mingyue pressed her soft lips together, rose to her feet, and returned to her courtyard to retrieve the stack of account books.

While Lady Yun remained confined to her quarters, Lady Luo lived a life of leisure. When Xie Mingyue arrived with the ledgers, Lady Luo was doting on her grandchild, instructing the kitchen to prepare the dishes Qi Xiuyu loved. Upon hearing the servant report that Xie Mingyue had come to present evidence of Xie Wanqing’s embezzlement of household funds, Lady Luo could not help but knit her brows in frustration.

"The family banquet has only just passed, and she is stirring up trouble again!"

Lady Luo rose from her divan, had the wet nurse take Qi Ruofeng away, and went to the outer chamber. Xie Mingyue was sipping tea, dressed in a seagull-blue brocade cloud-patterned skirt. She lowered her gaze, brushing the steam from the tea, looking elegant and gentle. Lady Luo’s surge of anger suddenly caught in her throat, neither surfacing nor subsiding.

She recalled a time long ago, when Xie Mingyue was still betrothed to Qi Xiuyu. She had been very satisfied with her future daughter-in-law, purchasing many things for her even before the wedding and praising her daily in front of others. Who could have expected that one day, it would be revealed that one of the two Xie sisters was a fraud? When Lady Luo first heard the news, her heart had skipped a beat. Call it selfish, but she had prayed a thousand times that it was Xie Wanqing who was the fake.

Yet, in the end, it was the daughter-in-law she had favored who was cast out of the Xie family, while Xie Mingyue had transformed herself and married the son of Lady Yun—her most hated rival. Lady Luo’s deep affection for Xie Mingyue had turned into a sense of humiliation. At that time, both the Xie family and the Marquis’s residence had suffered much shame, but Qi Xiuyu had married Xie Wanqing, and everything had settled, uniting the two families. Later, as she became a grandmother, those past events had been pushed to the back of her mind.

But now that Xie Mingyue was active again, looking at her blooming beauty, Lady Luo could not help but think of the past. She chuckled to herself—she was old and sentimental. No matter how outstanding Xie Mingyue was, she was still Lady Yun’s daughter-in-law, and since Lady Yun was her mortal enemy, why should she praise her daughter-in-law?

"Mingyue, you claim Wanqing has embezzled funds. Do you have proof?" Lady Luo curled her lip and sat down.

Xie Mingyue lifted her eyes calmly. Wutong stepped forward with two matrons carrying the account books. "Madam, these ledgers are the proof."

She had marked the sides of the books so that even the illiterate matrons could find the relevant pages. Lady Luo took the books and, upon glancing at them, discovered many shocking discrepancies. But... her thin brows tightened. "These are the accounts for your first branch. You come to me with this—are you looking for an explanation?"

Xie Mingyue remained silent. Lady Luo assumed she had guessed correctly; though annoyed that Xie Wanqing had been playing tricks, she was, after all, her daughter-in-law, and she naturally felt compelled to shield her. She spoke earnestly, "It is a good thing that you have recovered and wish to manage the first branch, but Wanqing has helped manage the household for many years. If she has no merit, she has at least put in the effort. The Marquis is here; it is best not to make a scene. Otherwise, they will say you are negligent in all matters, and in the end, it will only damage your own reputation."

Xie Mingyue laughed softly, her gaze cold. "True, I did not manage the household before, and that was a mistake. But if the Madam wishes for Xie Wanqing to make amends for her faults, she must first look at the amount she has embezzled."

She produced a summary she had prepared. At a glance, Lady Luo’s eyelids twitched, and she nearly gasped for air. Thirty thousand taels! Xie Wanqing was daring enough to have siphoned thirty thousand taels from the first branch’s accounts over these years!

"Go and call her here!" Lady Luo’s face darkened, and she felt too embarrassed to continue scolding Xie Mingyue. With such a massive sum of money, it was no wonder Xie Mingyue would not let it go. Her heart trembling, she asked, "Mingyue, Jinshan does not know about this, does he?"

If Qi Jinshan were to find out, she would have no face left as the Madam of the house. She had always disliked the first branch, holding herself as the rightful mistress, yet she had not expected her own daughter-in-law to be secretly siphoning the first branch’s silver! If Lady Yun were to find out, she would surely laugh until her teeth fell out. How could she maintain any authority in the residence after that?

Xie Mingyue smiled faintly. "These are matters of the inner chambers; why would I trouble the Eldest Master with them?"

Lady Luo felt a slight sense of relief and promised, "Wanqing’s actions are indeed excessive. I will certainly make her fill this hole." Xie Wanqing had her dowry from the Xie family; no matter what, she should be able to produce thirty thousand taels.

Seeing that Lady Luo’s people had gone to summon Xie Wanqing, Xie Mingyue curled her lips again. "Mother, do you think I am merely pained by the loss of that silver? You are mistaken. The younger sister-in-law not only manages the first branch’s accounts but also the second branch and the public funds, does she not? If she could siphon funds from the first branch, how can Mother be certain how much she has siphoned from the second branch and the public treasury?"

Lady Luo was struck by a jolt, her hands tightening on the armrests of her chair. It was true—for years, she had delegated all authority to Xie Wanqing. Was it possible that...

Meeting Xie Mingyue’s clear, water-like eyes, Lady Luo’s heart began to thrum like a drum. She prayed that this matter would not grow too large for her to contain.

Xie Wanqing did not know why Lady Luo had summoned her, but hearing that Xie Mingyue was also present, she arrived with a heavy heart. When she saw the stack of ledgers beside Lady Luo, her heart sank. She knelt at the entrance, acting submissively. "Mother, I know I was wrong. I should not have touched the first branch’s funds. It was only because the eldest sister-in-law was gravely ill, and Feng’er was born, and my husband was serving as an official away from the capital—where relations are not as tight and every matter requires grease—that I felt compelled to act."

The affairs of men were indeed not to be neglected. Qi Xiuyu’s life away from home did require significant expenditure. Hearing this, Lady Luo thought that thirty thousand taels might not even be enough, which only deepened her fear that she had touched other funds as well.

"Stay there and kneel." She glared at Xie Wanqing with annoyance; she was a daughter of a noble family, yet she always acted with a weak, petty air. Then, glancing at Xie Mingyue, who was sipping tea with such elegance, Lady Luo wanted even less to look at the floor. "Go and bring the account books for the second branch and the public treasury."

She no longer trusted Xie Wanqing.

Kneeling on the floor, hatred began to fester in Xie Wanqing’s heart. She had survived all these years, only for Xie Mingyue to appear and stir up trouble! Fortunately, after handing over the first branch’s ledgers that day, she had spent the night tidying up the others. Although there were omissions, they were all trivial matters; even if Lady Luo checked, she would find nothing.

The ledgers were soon brought in. Lady Luo examined a few closely; with her sharp eye, she could find no major faults. It seemed that Xie Wanqing had mostly limited her meddling to the first branch.

"You are still somewhat clear-headed. Since you have touched the first branch’s silver, return it immediately, do you hear?" She sighed, ordering Xie Wanqing to fill the void.

Xie Wanqing was reluctant, but having been caught in the act, she could only nod.

Xie Mingyue, however, smiled once more.

"Madam, just because the account books are in order does not mean there are no issues." She rose slowly, the hem of her skirt brushing against Xie Wanqing, leaving the latter in a state of agitation. "Why not check whether the remaining silver listed in these books is actually still in the coffers?"