The position of Yuanwailang had been taken away, the Crown Prince was furious.
Investigate! Find out what happened!
They had gone to great lengths to remove Chen Qikang, and it wasn’t for someone else to reap the benefits.
Who was this Duan Yu?
The investigation revealed he was the shizi to the Dingyuan Marquis household.
While the Marquis himself was known to be inept, the old Marquis was no ordinary figure. However, his recent reclusive lifestyle had led people to underestimate him.
Many assumed this was the old Marquis’ doing. Within the household, Madam Jiang chose not to discuss it further, while Duan Huirou fumed at the thought of Mingxi receiving more recognition.
When approached for details, Madam Jiang and Huirou both credited the old Marquis, downplaying Mingxi’s involvement.
The old Marquis, however, smiled and brushed off inquiries from acquaintances, neither confirming nor denying his role.
Meanwhile, Yang Yiniang was deeply unsettled. The yuanwailang appointment was bad news for her.
Not only had Mingxi arranged for Duan Yu’s new role, but she had also facilitated her son’s entry into Songshan Academy under the tutelage of Master Chen.
Yang Yiniang couldn’t shake the suspicion that Mingxi was balancing the scales, preventing her son from growing too dominant and uncontrollable.
Whatever the case, Yang Yiniang decided to tread carefully. The next day, she secretly sent a letter to Songshan Academy.
She also made a point of personally sewing a garment for Mingxi, determined to mend their relationship. She couldn’t afford to alienate Mingxi, let alone let her be drawn closer to Duan Yu and his wife.
If only Madam Jiang understood what a capable daughter she had, Yang Yiniang thought with disdain.
But Madam Jiang?
Oblivious to her good fortune, remained complacent.
***
Over the next few days, Mingxi reviewed the operations of the shops and farms under the estate’s name and couldn’t help but frown.
Take one of the silk shops, for instance. The shop Mingxi owned in Jiangcheng, gifted to her, generated an annual revenue of five to six thousand taels of silver. After deducting regular operating costs, the net profit exceeded four thousand taels.
However, the Marquis estate’s silk shop, despite being in a better location and having a larger storefront, only made half of that.
Upon closely examining the account books, Mingxi discovered the issues: high procurement costs, excessive wastage, and vague operational expenses. It was clear that the shopkeeper was being dishonest and had manipulated the accounts.
Similar problems plagued the other shops as well. This indicated that the shopkeepers were likely colluding in secret.
Mingxi reported these findings to the Grandfather, who simply told her to handle the matter as she saw fit. He assured her that he wouldn’t interfere.
Duan Mingxi realized that her position in the Grandfather’s eyes had shifted due to her handling of Duan Yu’s appointment. He was now willing to give her full authority to manage these affairs, testing her capabilities.
She immediately instructed Li Quan to bring the accountant from her shop, armed with the estate’s official seal, and visit each shop unannounced. The surprise inspections caught the shopkeepers off guard.
The account books for the current year’s first half weren’t due for submission until after June. With some time remaining until the deadline, the shop accountants had yet to balance their records.
Several shopkeepers, sensing trouble, banded together to complain to Madam Jiang.
Madam Jiang, already displeased with Mingxi, saw this as an opportunity to assert her authority as a mother figure and teach Mingxi a lesson.
But before she could act, Mingxi sent over a stack of account books along with a senior accountant, who pointed out the shopkeepers’ fraudulent practices one by one.
Madam Jiang was stunned and infuriated. She realized that these shopkeepers had been stealing from the estate despite being treated well. The amount they had embezzled over the years, combined with external expenses, was staggering.
Madam Jiang, who had been struggling financially, nearly fainted on the spot upon discovering this betrayal.
Mingxi had once considered Madam Jiang a shrewd woman, but now saw her as nothing more than a superficial pretender.
Since Grandfather had granted her full authority, Mingxi acted decisively. She presented the evidence to the shopkeepers and gave them two choices:
- Return everything they had taken and resign immediately. She would not tolerate dishonest individuals.
- Face legal action, where the evidence would be handed over to the authorities. They could expect severe consequences.
Faced with no other options, the shopkeepers, who had underestimated Mingxi, begrudgingly accepted the first option.
Since neither the shopkeepers nor the accountants could remain in their positions, Mingxi began recruiting replacements, posting notices outside the shops.
Her offer of high monthly wages attracted a wave of applicants.
This time, she also instituted a new policy: the accountants for each shop would rotate every six months. This would prevent collusion between shopkeepers and accountants in the future.
The recovered embezzled funds amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver. Instead of entering these into the estate’s accounts, Mingxi used the money to send the shopkeepers south to procure goods themselves.
She announced that whoever could negotiate the lowest procurement costs would be promoted to the position of chief steward.
The competition for the coveted title of chief steward spurred the shopkeepers to action.
In the meantime, Duan Mingxi visited her family’s Jiangcheng estate twice. When her father, Duan Pingchang, learned of her actions, he praised her abilities and even offered to introduce a few reliable accountants to her.
However, Duan Mingxi politely declined. She didn’t want the new hires to raise suspicions among the estate’s people, preferring to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
Understanding her concerns, Duan Pingchang changed the subject. “You mentioned wanting to venture into the sea goods trade earlier. Have you considered the risks? It’s a high-stakes business.”
Duan Mingxi smiled. “Aren’t you planning to do the same?”
“Our family has deep reserves. Even if we suffer a loss, we can weather the storm,” he replied, implying that the estate might not have the same resilience.
Duan Mingxi glanced at her father and asked casually, “Was the sea goods trade your idea, or were you invited by someone else?”
Caught off guard, Duan Pingchang hesitated before replying, “Of course, it was my idea.”
“Father.” Mingxi’s voice softened as she looked at him, her gaze steady and probing.
Her father’s expression shifted. “Have you heard something?”
“So it’s true.”
“…!”
You tricked me
“Tell me the details,” she pressed.
Left with no choice, Duan Pingchang admitted, “I met the head of a private group in the capital. They claimed to have connections to the palace and invited me to join this sea goods venture.”
The mention of the palace made Duan Mingxi’s heart skip a beat. She couldn’t help but recall how her father’s downfall and tragic death in her previous life were tied to this.
Feigning calm, she asked, “Who exactly is this person? Let me look into it and see if it’s worth pursuing.”
Duan Pingchang laughed, “It’s connected to the Twenty-Four Bureaus in the palace—completely legitimate.”
Twenty-Four Bureaus….
This made Mingxi’s mind blast apart.
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