Faced with Geng's questioning, the steward took out his account book and pointed it out to Geng one by one. Geng made three sets of clothes this month and added a few more clothes to the young master, all using twenty taels.

I spent 150 taels on this good material. I spent 400 taels on two sets of gold-headed noodles at Jubao Gold Shop in the capital. I bought a jade pendant for the young master for 200 taels.

In addition, the young master came to the accountant several times to pay out silver, each time about forty or fifty taels, which added up to more than 300 taels. In addition, there were some trivial chewing items. I remember each item clearly, totaling more than 700 taels.

Now the kitchen still owes more than 100 taels to the Mipu butcher shop and so on. They have come to remind me several times, and there are also some snacks that are a few taels at a time. Anyway, they are all well-documented, and the total is not this

number.

How much did he use? Geng remembered that he had indeed made clothes and bought jewelry. Zheer also said that he wanted to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones, and drink tea with his classmates. It was true that he had to pay money several times, and the accountant also came to report back. Every time

It was only a few dozen taels, but she didn't take it seriously and just gave it to her. These were irrefutable.

Geng's mind was filled with chaos and she couldn't react. Her wet nurse, Mama Yin, shouted: "Not to mention the large expenses in the front, the expenses in the house on weekdays are only 400 taels, so how come we only spent 700 or 800 taels this month?"

Do you still owe someone money? This is still the case when the master and the wife are not at home. Are you slaves bullying the wife who usually ignores common things and doesn't understand the prices, and deliberately buys expensive things to fool you? I haven't seen anyone in the mansion either.

It’s better to eat and use than what you usually eat.”

The steward respectfully replied: "Madam, how dare you guys? My wife is still here. If I dare to deceive you like this, even if my wife doesn't check for a while, my wife will definitely not spare my life when she comes back. All expenses will be spent."

There are detailed accounts. I remember clearly what vegetables I bought, what meat I bought, how much rice I bought and how much it cost. There was not much more than usual. That is to say, my wife ate more carefully than usual, such as my favorite dish.

The eight-treasure crispy duck is complicated to make and consumes a lot of materials. It costs three taels of silver each, and the bird's nest and ginseng that the young master eats are also extremely expensive."

Mother Yin knew how much the duck cost, and immediately shouted: "Madam has only eaten the duck a few times and the young master's bird's nest and ginseng. Can it be four to five hundred taels more than usual?"

The steward flipped through the accounts and said, "Madam and Young Master have only received seventy or eighty taels more than usual. The other things... are due to the increase in the price of rice and vegetables."

"The more you talk about it, the more outrageous it becomes. When did the price of rice and vegetables in Beijing go up? Are you bullying my wife into not going to the market?" Yin's mother scolded her again, "If you don't explain clearly, your whole family will be sold to fill in this amount."

The steward was frightened, and hurriedly knelt down and said: "Madam, please have mercy. It's really not a small swallow, but a small talk. There are many chewable foods in the house on weekdays, such as grains, fruits, vegetables, and even chickens, ducks, fish, etc.

Zhuangzi sent it to me for free, but now I want to buy another one, which will naturally cost more."

There is another thing that the housekeeper didn't dare to say. The people below bullied Mr. Geng because they were stupid. They bought the most expensive rice and grains. They were cunning and secretly ate wine and food. They stole a little here and moved a little there. Don't underestimate those few pennies.

It's a small amount, but it adds up to a lot.

Geng frowned and shouted: "Since it is delivered on weekdays, why do you need to buy another one now?"

The steward replied: "I went to ask about it. Because the wife went to the nunnery to live permanently, Zhuangtou sent all the food, vegetables and fruits to the nunnery. As for chickens, ducks and fish, I don't know... In addition, I don't know."

, those Zhuangzis are dowry wives."

Mr. Geng said hurriedly: "You have no right to interfere with the things in the village that are given to the wife as a dowry. But as far as I know, there are several properties and two large villages under the name of the Hou Mansion. Those are not the things that are in the dowry of the wife. What about the things there?

?”

The steward shook his head and replied: "I don't know much about this one. I only know that all the chews used in the mansion these years have been sent by Mrs. Zhuangzi."

"You don't know who knows?" Geng shouted sharply with his eyebrows raised.

The steward trembled with fright and said: "Madam, you can send the bosses of those places to ask. The bosses must know where and to whom the things are sent."

"Then go quickly." Mr. Geng was so angry that he threw a tea cup over.

"Yes, ma'am." The steward hurriedly exited, covered in tea.

Geng's chest heaved up and down, and he could hardly breathe.

Mother Yin hurriedly massaged Geng's chest. After a while, Geng felt better, and then she reminded: "Madam, this is not the way to go. There is no money on the books, and the monthly money is okay. If it's a month or two late, those slaves must be

I don’t dare to make a fuss, I just don’t owe the rice shop and the butcher’s shop, otherwise there won’t be any rice to cook in two days, and the whole family will be hungry, and it will be even more embarrassing for those mud-legged people to come to the door to ask for the debt.”

It makes sense when Mrs. Geng thinks about it. She has some private money, but she really doesn't want to use it to fill the public account. It's what she saved so hard, and besides, it's only over a thousand dollars.

Two, it won’t take more than a few months.

Mother Yin came up with another idea: "Why don't you, Madam, invite the Madam back? It's impossible for such a big Marquis Mansion to only have a few thousand taels of silver. Please be patient and wait for the Marquis to come back first."

There is something that Mother Yin dare not say. If Madam hadn't given one thousand five hundred taels to her brothers, the government wouldn't have been unable to pay out the monthly payment and still owe money to the rice shop and butcher shop. If it really caused a mess, we should investigate

Come on, it's Madam's fault. Madam Tai never likes Madam to support her natal family. Madam Tai's natal family, the Zhou family, is also in difficulty, and Madam Tai herself doesn't do much to help.

Geng could only let out a long sigh, but in his heart he hated Mrs. Zhou half to death.

I think it was this dead old woman who must have taken away the money from the Hou Mansion, otherwise the Hou Mansion would not have only more than 4,000 taels of silver left.

However, she has been suppressed by Mrs. Cen for many years, so it would be better to wait for the Marquis to come back and find a way to force the old woman to hand over all the money.

Geng went to the nunnery twice, but did not even see Mrs. Zhou's face. They said that Mrs. Zhou was attentive to the Buddha and could not be disturbed, and Geng could not force her way in.

We could only wait and wait, but Mrs. Zhou did not wait, but instead came the Marquis of Yongxiang, Xu Jiachang, who was also the eldest son of the Xu family.

As soon as Mr. Xu returned home, the manager told him what had happened, and he turned pale with anger. This prodigal woman actually gave her family one thousand five hundred taels of silver, and she and her son only had one thousand taels for food.

More than two hundred taels of silver. You must know that he only spent two hundred taels of silver when he went out.

If he hadn't tempered his temper after being a marquis for so many years, he really wanted to rush over and give the woman a good punch like a man in the country to see if she still dared.
Chapter completed!