Chapter 4 — The day they married into the National Palace, I personally tore apart their dignity

“She is trying to tell me that my things are in her hands.”

“So you still want to go?”

“Of course I have to go.”

"She wanted to say something, I just had a few words to say to her."

The Buddha hall is located in the deepest monastery in the palace. In front of the gate, two pine trees are planted. Sweeping cleanly, not even a single fallen leaf was left on the ground. When I entered, my grandmother was kneeling on a cushion, her eyes half-closed, her hands slowly holding each rosary. Right in the middle of the front altar is a statue of Quan Am. On both sides of the Guan Yin statue, one side places an incense burner, the other side places a pair of my wish-fulfilling white jades. I stood at the door, looking at that pair of wishes.

"Already here? Sit down."

She opened her eyes and pointed to the chair next to her. His tone was extremely gentle, with a smile on his face. Completely different from the appearance that day when he forced me to accept his concubine right in the middle of the main hall, as if two completely different people. We sit down. She also got up from the cushion and sat down opposite me. The maid offered tea, and the lady waved her hand to let everyone go. In the Buddha hall, there are only two of us left.

“These past few days, I have been suffering from frustration.”

She was the first to speak, her voice still carrying the gentleness of an elder.

"The first day you entered the door, something like this happened. I didn't think carefully."

"I'm really too impatient about Van Nuong's matter."

I didn't answer, just picked up the teacup and quietly waited for her to continue.

"You are the daughter of the General's palace, with a strong personality, I understand that."

“But Nghien Chi has not been a person with political opinions since childhood.”

“While his father was still alive, he was still better, there was still someone to support him.”

“After his father passed away, everything fell on his shoulders and he couldn't bear it.”

“I am a mother, I will help as much as I can.”

"Van Nuong is because I watched her grow up from a young age, knowing her roots and having her by Nghien Chi's side, I feel secure."

Speaking of this, she sighed softly.

"Don't think I'm biased. I do everything just for this house."

Because of this house. I quietly turned that sentence over in my heart. What a great sentence 'for this house'.

“Mother is right.”

I put down the tea cup, a smile on my face.

"Mother has been managing this mansion alone for so many years. It's not easy. As a daughter-in-law, I see it all."

The smile on her face deepened, perhaps she thought I had given in.

"So, my daughter-in-law also wants to share the burden with her mother."

The smile on her face stopped for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

"These past few days, my daughter-in-law has been looking through the government's books."

Her hand that was holding the rosary suddenly stopped.

"The government's deficit in the last three years has reached nearly eight thousand taels. Nguyet Ngan is already two months in debt, and the servants in the government all complain a lot."

"All these things fall on the mother's shoulders alone, it's really too hard."

The smile on her face disappeared little by little.

“Who showed me the books?”

“Manager Chu gave it to you.”

“I didn't tell him to give it to you.”

"The daughter-in-law said she wanted to compensate everyone in the palace for two months of silver moon, so he immediately gave it to her."

Her face completely darkened. The Buddha hall was silent for several breaths. She smiled again, But this smile was different from before.

“You really acted quickly.”

"It's not that the daughter-in-law acted quickly, but the hole in this mansion is so big that even if you want to cover it, you can't cover it."

I took out a piece of paper from my sleeve, opened it, and placed it in front of her.

“Here are three accounts that I have compared myself.”

“The amount of money for the renovation of the Winter Academy was recorded on the books as three hundred taels, but the actual cost was less than one hundred taels.”

"Four-season clothing and jewelry, five hundred taels, of which three hundred taels were spent on Van Nuong, the whereabouts of the remaining two hundred taels are unknown."

"The foreign hospital entertainment, eight hundred taels, it is completely impossible to investigate whether there really was a banquet or gifts exchanged or not."

“These three amounts add up to one thousand six hundred taels.”

“Mother, where did that money go?”

She stared at the paper in front of her, her facial muscles gradually tensing. The rosary in her hand was clenched so tightly that it made a squeaking sound.

“Are you investigating my books?”

“I'm investigating the books of this house.”

“I have been in charge of this house for twenty years.”

"In that case, shouldn't the books of those twenty years be brought out for a closer look?"