Chapter 34: The Awkwardness of Having No One to Rely On

Night had fallen. Lin Wanqing returned to her courtyard with Banxia and Zisu. Banxia hurriedly instructed the young maids, "Go and prepare hot water; the mistress needs to bathe."

Afterward, she helped Lin Wanqing onto a daybed and began to massage her shoulders with effort. Lin Wanqing smiled and took her hand, "That’s enough. You have both been running around with me all day and must be exhausted. Sit down and rest." She then called for three young maids to come in and massage the shoulders and legs of the three of them.

Banxia sighed with comfort. "Today was truly exhausting, but the results were good. I never expected that everyone in the General’s Mansion, down to the gatekeeper, was corrupt." Banxia couldn't help but click her tongue as she thought of what the servants had confessed.

Zisu added, "Indeed. While it is said that water that is too clear has no fish, and every large household inevitably has some unsavory matters, a situation like the one in the General’s Mansion is truly unheard of."

Lin Wanqing sighed, "While these servants are greedy, the root of the problem lies with the masters of the Lu family. Lu Jinrong managed to squander most of the family fortune; I am truly curious how she pulled that off."

That was a hundred thousand taels of silver, not to mention the valuable treasures! To call Lu Jinrong a "super spendthrift" would be an understatement.

Banxia’s eyes sparkled. "Actually, I am more curious about how you knew about Steward Lu’s secret mistress." Zisu looked equally curious.

Lin Wanqing smiled enigmatically, "That is a heavenly secret, not to be told."

Banxia immediately protested, "Mistress, you can’t do that! Leaving us with such a cliffhanger is just cruel."

Lin Wanqing gave a mischievous smile, "I did it on purpose just to tease you." Banxia’s mock wailing echoed throughout the courtyard.

Over the next few days, Lin Wanqing was far from idle. It took several days just for Zisu to lead a team to audit the properties of Steward Lu and the other major stewards. This investigation recovered over ten thousand taels of silver, several shops, and many valuable treasures for the General’s Mansion. The estate’s treasury finally looked a bit less pathetic. Once the funds were recovered, Lin Wanqing began dealing with the servants.

The offenses committed by these servants varied, though most were not too severe. Lin Wanqing had Banxia group them by the amount involved. Those who had stolen under five taels only needed to reimburse the amount from their monthly wages without further punishment. For those who had taken between five and ten taels, they were required to pay back the money and forfeit six months of wages. For those between ten and twenty taels, an additional six months of wages were docked. Those who had taken over twenty taels were given a caning and lost two years of wages. Those who had taken over fifty taels were caned, had all their assets confiscated, and were sold off.

Fortunately, these were mostly small fry with no access to significant power, with the largest amounts hovering around ten taels. Only a few young male servants who had worked closely under the stewards reached the threshold for being sold. Consequently, the overall internal turnover of the General’s Mansion was minimal.

However, all the steward positions were now vacant, especially the role of the head butler, which Lin Wanqing needed to fill. Selecting someone from among those who had just been caught committing offenses was clearly out of the question. Buying new people from outside was even less reliable; one never knew if their backgrounds were truly clean. Furthermore, a steward needed genuine ability, not just anyone would do. Lin Wanqing did not have many people of her own, and apart from Banxia and Zisu, the others were quite ordinary—capable of running errands, but far from fit to manage the estate.

After much thought, Lin Wanqing settled on her cousin, Jiang Zhiyuan. Jiang Zhiyuan was the eldest son of her uncle, Jiang Huaiqian. He was sharp, capable, and possessed business acumen that rivaled his father’s. While having him serve as the head butler of the General’s Mansion was perhaps a bit of an overkill, she lacked suitable candidates and had no choice but to trouble her own kin for the time being. Since she needed to see her uncle anyway, she sent Zisu to deliver a message.

No sooner had Zisu left than a maid came to report, "Mistress, you should go to the ancestral hall. The Old Madam has gone there to kneel."

Lin Wanqing frowned. What was the old lady up to now? Did she think that kneeling in the ancestral hall would simply erase the mess the General’s Mansion had been in? If that were the case, Lu Jinrong should be the one kneeling. If her frail, elderly bones were to fall ill from this, she, the daughter-in-law, would be the one stuck with the burden. Lin Wanqing hurried to the ancestral hall.

"Mother, please get up. The matter has been resolved. If you kneel like this and harm your health, what shall we do?"

To her surprise, the usually soft-hearted Madam Lu was determined. "Wanqing, you don't need to persuade me. These past few nights, I have dreamt of your father-in-law. He... he is blaming me. He blames me for not protecting the General’s Mansion well. I don't know what to do to appease him, so after much thought, I could only come to the ancestral hall to kneel."

She had been dreaming of her late husband every night. In her dreams, the old General pointed at her nose and cursed her for ruining the mansion and the future of their children, waking her up in tears multiple times. She had lived a timid life; what could she do to change the status quo? Kneeling in the ancestral hall was the only form of atonement she could imagine.

Unable to persuade her, Lin Wanqing had no choice but to kneel with her for a while.

Madam Lu urged her to leave, "You have done nothing wrong; why are you kneeling here? Go and attend to your duties. By the way, don't forget about the etiquette tutor. That girl, Jinrong, really needs to learn her manners."

At this, Lin Wanqing’s interest was piqued. That’s right, an etiquette tutor! She had been so busy with the accounts that she had forgotten all about it. To prevent Lu Jinrong from causing more trouble, she had to arrange for a tutor immediately.

However, before the tutor could arrive, Lu Jinrong resurfaced. The following day, just as Lin Wanqing had finished breakfast, a maid from Madam Lu’s quarters entered. "This servant greets the Mistress. The Old Madam asks me to invite you over."

Lin Wanqing asked gently, "Is there something Mother needs me for?"

Ever since the purge of the General’s Mansion, the servants had been exceptionally cautious and respectful toward the people in Lin Wanqing’s courtyard, let alone Lin Wanqing herself—they trembled just seeing her from a distance.

The maid replied respectfully, "The eldest young lady is there."

That was all she could say. Lin Wanqing wanted to roll her eyes. This Lu Jinrong truly never learned her lesson! "I understand. I will change and be there shortly."

When Lin Wanqing arrived at Madam Lu’s courtyard, Lu Jinrong was fawning over her mother. Seeing Lin Wanqing arrive, she immediately gave Madam Lu a meaningful look.