Chapter 7 — The Queen Reorganized the Marquis Palace

I replied: "Because I can't hide my debt anymore." The look of resentment on her face froze. I flipped open the debt book.

“Tho Yen owes one hundred and eighty-six taels.

The treasury room is missing thirty-seven pieces of silver. Kitchen shopping reported false. The coal factory's old debt has not been paid. The sewing room owes money in advance. Hay in the carriage room. Item by item, a line pointing straight to the set of keys in my hand.” The old man clutched the tip of his staff tightly, his face growing darker every moment.

“Nhu Nhi, how dare you hide the story of Ngan Hanh opening the door from me?”

So Nhu knelt and crawled forward.

“Grandmother, I'm afraid you'll be angry.

I really just want to let Chu take care of meeting my family. I didn't expect them to use that as an excuse to do something wrong." I looked at Ngan Hanh.

“You say it.”

Ngan Hanh looked up at So Nhu. So Nhu gently shook her head. I pushed the debit book over.

“Ngan Hanh, if you take the blame for her, today's debts will add another crime tomorrow.

The crime of bringing the perpetrator to the palace, slandering and bringing disaster to the master. You are the maid's family, your parents and younger brother are still at the estate." Ngan Hanh knelt down in fear.

“Miss, spare your life.”

So Nhu shouted solemnly: "Ngan Hanh!" This was the first time she used such a tone in front of outsiders. Mrs. Tham put the tea cup down hard, the porcelain lid made a crisp "click" sound. Ngan Hanh sobbed: "It was the Second Miss who sent her servant to open the door. Sister-in-law Zhou came the day before, saying that if Manager Zhou released the books, the meat stall and coal factory would also be dragged along. Second Miss said, as long as Manager Zhou kept his mouth shut, the matter wouldn't be torn apart." So Nhu rushed forward to cover her mouth.

“You lie.”

Ngan Hanh managed to escape.

“This slave does not lie.

The second lady also said that if Manager Zhou was injured and Sister-in-law Zhou made a fuss, Eldest Miss even if she grew a hundred mouths, she would have no way to deny it. The entire hospital was so quiet that only the sound of charcoal crackling in the pot could be heard. So Nghien's face turned pale. He looked at So Nhu and thought he recognized her for the first time.

“Nhu Nhi, everything he said was all fake, right?”

So Nhu cried and clung to his sleeve.

“Brother, I was forced.

My sister always oppresses me, she wants everyone to laugh at me. I'm just too scared.” So Nghien's lips moved, but unlike before, he immediately jumped out to protect her. This is the first crack. Bui Hanh stood up.

“The words of a maid cannot condemn Nhu Nhi.”

I nodded.

“Okay, then let's hear what sister-in-law Chu has to say.”

When Chu's sister-in-law was brought up, her hair was limp, and there were still tears on her face. As soon as she entered the yard, she was about to howl and cry. I spoke coldly: "Cry one more time and immediately report to the officials." Her cry was choked in her throat. I repeat exactly what Ngan Hanh just said.

“Do you admit guilt, or do you want to send someone to your butcher shop to interrogate you?”

Chu's sister-in-law fainted and fell to the ground.

“I plead guilty!

I plead guilty! It was Second Miss Ngan Hanh's close friend who told her that if she just bites Eldest Miss tightly, Second Miss will give us twenty taels of silver and even let my man out." So Nhu took a step back.

“You all banded together to harm me.”

I said: "You also have the right to report to the official." She is silent suddenly. The old man slammed the tip of his staff onto the tile floor.

“Draw this maid Ngan Hanh down.

Your sister-in-law handed it over to the government officials. So Nhu is under detention, without my orders, you are not allowed to step even half a step out of the courtyard door!” So Nhu raised her head suddenly.

“Grandmother!”

The Old Lady's eyes looking at her no longer had any trace of pity like before.

“You have made me lose all face in this banquet.”

So Nhu felt as if his bones and tendons had been drained, collapsing into the cold snow. So Nghien tried to step forward to help, but then stopped. We all take in our sights. He is not sorry for me. He just suddenly realized that the person he worked so hard to protect for so long only saw him as a sharp knife to take advantage of. Bui Hanh scolded in a low voice: "Leng Nghi, today is so chaotic, are you satisfied?" I turned to look at him.

“So will you pay the debt?”

He stiffened. Mrs. Tham laughed out loud.

"When Tu Tu Bui insisted on defending the Second Miss like that, I thought the Bui family paid for this money."

Bui Hanh was so choked that he was speechless. I told Thanh Hoa to bring the list and give it to the Old Lady.

“Money owed to the servants, paid off today.

There is a shortage of items in the warehouse, it will be clear within three days. As for the chancellor card, I temporarily revoke it, but I only care about paying off debts, and don't care about covering up any stains for anyone." The old man looked at me thoughtfully for a long time.

“As you wish.”

I picked up the cards. The eyes of the servants in the yard looking at me suddenly changed. It's not love. It's fear. That's enough. For a Marquis that is about to rot to the core, fear is more useful than gratitude. On the third day So Nhu was detained, the palace was so quiet that it didn't look like the Marquis Palace at all. The subordinates had already received enough money, and there was absolutely no one in the front yard praising the good-natured Second Miss anymore. Thanh Hoa walked in carrying a bowl of hot porridge, smiling happily.

“Miss, the rice brought by the kitchen today, I can't find a grain of rice.

When Manager Chu's nephew was escorted away by the government officials, he was still crying and screaming, demanding to see Second Miss." Let's look at the new books.

"Have you seen So Nhu?"

“The old lady forbade me to meet her.

The Little Marquis stood at the door of the courtyard the whole time, but in the end he didn't even go in. The tip of my pen stopped.

“What about Bui Hanh?”

“Bui The Prince sent someone to send a letter, saying he wanted to meet you.”

“Burn it.”

Thanh Hoa clapped his hands and spanked him.

“We have to burn it early.

A few days ago, he was still trying to mislead people, but now he knows that the Second Miss is not pure, and he still intends to show his face to make people understand reason. Outside the door, the sound of ghosts was heard.

“Eldest lady, I would like to invite you to the accounting room.”

The book room is filled with old and damaged books. The old man was sitting in the upper chair, his face haggard. So Nghien was also present, her eyes were dark, her hand was crumpling a piece of paper. When I walked in the door, he didn't scold me loudly. The old man pointed to the notebook on the table.

“Look at it.

The amount of rice submitted by the estate this year is three million less than every year. The bookkeeper said it was due to a snowstorm, but the loss report on the first page of the estate showed up and didn't look like the real thing." I turned two or three pages.

“Who received this report?”

Books Mr. hastily said: "Previously, it was all under your First Lady's care. Later, Second Miss took over and reported the loss directly to her hospital." So Nghien lowered her voice: "Nhu Nhi told the poor tenants, reducing the land rent is also the right thing to do." I glanced at him.

“Has she ever been to the estate?”

“Not yet.”

“Ever seen the front page?”

“Let's meet once.”

“Have you ever been to the warehouse to do an inventory?”

He remained silent. I threw the report straight onto the table.

“The estate has had no natural disasters.

The handwriting is so clean, the paper quality is so new, the fingerprint edges are not covered with any dirt. A man wearing a snow-covered head, wading through the forest and wading through streams to the capital, his hands cannot be so white." Mr. Mister hurriedly picked up the book and looked carefully. The old man asked tentatively: "You mean someone faked the loss report?"

“It's not one person, but a whole chain of people.”

So Nghien frowned tightly.

“A string?”

I explained: "On the first page, there is a shortage of rice, the bookkeeping department takes notes, the treasury department receives the quantity, and So Nhu approves the rent reduction. The four gates nod together, then the rice is lost." Mr. Bookkeeper knelt down in fear.

“Eldest lady, I absolutely do not dare.