At the third quarter of the hour of the rabbit, the delicate fragrance of brewing tea drifted through the main hall of the front courtyard. Jiang Wan stood by a pillar, clutching a plain handkerchief and keeping her eyes lowered, listening as the accountant stammered his grievances while shaking the ledger.
"Marquis! The purchasing accounts for this month do not balance!" Accountant Wang wiped the sweat from his brow, jabbing his finger at a page in the ledger. "The silk shop delivered fifteen bolts of Shu brocade, but only twelve were recorded in the warehouse logs. Three bolts have simply vanished! And the spice shop..."
The Marquis of Dingbei, Jiang Zhenshan, set down his teacup, his brow furrowing into a knot. He had spent the previous night bleary-eyed over the affairs of the West City Farmstead, and now the veins in his temples were throbbing. "Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly! If anyone has dared to line their own pockets, I will break their legs!"
Madame Li sat to the side, peeling a lychee with deliberate, unhurried movements, not even lifting her eyelids. "Master, please calm yourself. Perhaps the accountant is getting old and simply made a calculation error." Her words carried a hidden meaning, yet the corner of her eye flickered toward Jiang Wan standing by the pillar.
Jiang Wan sneered inwardly. Madame Li was trying to muddy the waters, framing the purchasing deficit as a mere clerical error. The vermin in the Marquis's Mansion lining their pockets with ill-gotten gains were, nine times out of ten, Madame Li’s own confidants.
"Father," Jiang Wan stepped forward, her voice soft yet clear. "I am willing to share your burden and audit the purchasing accounts."
The hall fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Accountant Wang’s eyes widened, Madame Li’s hand froze in mid-air holding the lychee, and even Jiang Zhenshan lifted his gaze to scrutinize her.
"You?" Jiang Zhenshan’s tone was filled with disbelief. "You can’t even calculate your own monthly allowance, and you want to audit purchasing?"
The Jiang Wan of her past life had indeed been like that. In order to scrape together money for rare trinkets for the Crown Prince, she often miscalculated her allowance, leading to many embarrassing scenes. Jiang Wan lowered her gaze to hide the bitterness in her eyes. "I was foolish in the past. But I have been learning the basics from the accountant these past few days and would like to test my skills. If I cannot produce results, I am willing to accept punishment."
Madame Li finally spoke, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Wan'er is truly filial. However, purchasing accounts involve a wide range of affairs. If a mistake is made and the mansion's supplies are disrupted, what then?"
"If there is any error, I shall take full responsibility." Jiang Wan looked directly at Madame Li, her expression calm. "Besides, Father, you need only give me three days. If I cannot find a lead by then, I will willingly confine myself to my quarters."
Jiang Zhenshan stared at her for a long moment, suddenly recalling that yesterday Steward Liu had reported that the rent for the West City Farmstead had been collected in large part, and that the tenants were praising the Eldest Miss for her kindness. Could this girl truly have changed her nature?
"Very well!" Jiang Zhenshan slammed his hand on the desk. "I give you three days! If you cannot find the source, you shall go to the family shrine and transcribe scriptures for a year!"
Madame Li’s expression shifted, though she dared not say more. Jiang Wan’s younger sister, Jiang Wan, hid behind Madame Li, twisting her handkerchief in secret resentment—that bitch Jiang Wan was trying to show off in front of their father again!
***
At the start of the hour of the dragon, Jiang Wan entered the accounting room with Lü'e. Accountant Wang, looking miserable, brought over stacks of ledgers, the damp ink still smelling of moisture.
"Eldest Miss, these are the purchasing accounts from the last three months, along with the warehouse entry forms." Accountant Wang rubbed his hands together. "Please take your time looking through them; I shall go prepare some tea for you."
"No need." Jiang Wan opened the first ledger, her fingertips tracing the elegant script. "Accountant Wang, stay. I have questions for you."
In her past life, she had spent a few days learning how to manage the household from her mother. Though not an expert, she remembered her mother’s words: "Auditing accounts is like peeling a cocoon; you must start from the thread." She pulled out the page for the Shu brocade and compared it with the warehouse entry form. "Fifteen bolts of Shu brocade—was it the assistant from the silk shop, Zhang, who delivered them?"
"Yes, yes." Accountant Wang nodded like a pounding mortar.
"On the day of delivery, who verified the shipment?"
"It was... it was Steward Liu from the warehouse." Accountant Wang’s eyes darted nervously.
Jiang Wan noted the name of Steward Liu and flipped to the spice shop’s accounts. "Two jin of Suhe incense were purchased, yet the entry log only recorded one and a half. Was it Manager Li from the spice shop who delivered them?"
"Yes..."
"And who verified the shipment then?"
"It was also Steward Liu..." Accountant Wang’s voice grew faint.
Lü'e, standing to the side, grew anxious. "Miss, this Steward Liu is the problem!"
Jiang Wan said nothing and continued searching. She discovered that for every purchasing deficit, the person verifying the goods was Steward Liu, yet the suppliers came from different shops. This was no coincidence.
"Accountant Wang," Jiang Wan closed the ledger, her gaze sharp. "When did Steward Liu enter the Marquis's Mansion?"
Accountant Wang broke into a cold sweat. "Answering the Eldest Miss, Steward Liu was... was recommended by the Second Mistress the year before last."
It was indeed Madame Li’s person! Jiang Wan sneered internally, yet kept her expression calm. "Go bring Steward Liu here; say I have questions for him."
Accountant Wang left, shuffling his feet. Lü'e leaned in and whispered, "Miss, this Steward Liu is the Second Mistress's personal servant; I fear he will not tell the truth."
"If he doesn't speak, I have my ways of making him," Jiang Wan said. She picked up a vermilion brush and wrote down several names—all the suppliers involved in the deficits.
***
At the end of the hour of the snake, Steward Liu arrived. He was pot-bellied and dressed in a decent blue cloth robe. Upon seeing Jiang Wan, he merely bowed his hands and did not kneel. "What does the Eldest Miss need with me?"
"Auditing the accounts." Jiang Wan pushed over the ledger page for the Shu brocade. "Fifteen bolts of Shu brocade—why were only twelve entered into the warehouse?"
Steward Liu squinted. "Perhaps they were lost in the jostling along the way. Why must the Eldest Miss be so pedantic about such small matters?"
"A small matter?" Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow. "Three bolts of Shu brocade are worth a hundred taels, enough for a common family to live on for a year. Steward Liu puts it very lightly."
Steward Liu’s expression darkened. "Is the Eldest Miss suspecting that I embezzled them? Hmph, I have served in the Marquis's Mansion for many years and have never made a mistake!"
"Oh?" Jiang Wan brought out the list of suppliers. "The assistants from these shops all say they handed the goods directly to Steward Liu. What, are they all lying?"
Steward Liu’s eyes darted in panic, but he forced a show of calm. "They naturally handed them to me, but if the goods were missing when entering the warehouse, I have no idea why!"
"Is that so?" Jiang Wan suddenly raised her voice. "Lü'e, go bring the assistant Zhang and Manager Li here! I want to ask them if anyone else was present when they delivered the goods!"
Steward Liu turned deathly pale. If others were present during the delivery, his embezzlement would surely be exposed. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "Eldest Miss, spare me! I... I was confused for a moment!"
It turned out that Steward Liu, relying on his status as Madame Li’s personal servant, had colluded with the shop assistants. Each time a shipment was made, he would hide a portion of the goods and then manipulate the entry logs. He sold the embezzled goods in secret, splitting the silver with Madame Li’s personal nursemaid.
Jiang Wan looked at him coldly. "Where are the goods?"
"In... in the cellar of my backyard!"
***
At the start of the hour of the sheep, Jiang Wan brought Steward Liu and a group of servants to his backyard. Prying open the cellar door, sure enough, it was stacked with fabrics and spices—the very items that had been missing.
Accountant Wang was stunned, bowing repeatedly. "Eldest Miss is truly miraculous! I searched for three days with no leads, and you solved it in half a morning!"
Jiang Wan ignored his flattery and ordered the stolen goods moved back to the warehouse, then had Steward Liu tied up and sent to the front courtyard to await judgment.
In the front courtyard, Jiang Zhenshan was talking with Madame Li. Seeing Jiang Wan return with a group of people and Steward Liu in tow, he was taken aback.
"Father," Jiang Wan curtsied. "The matter of the purchasing deficits has been cleared up. Steward Liu colluded with outside shops to embezzle goods; the stolen items are here."
Madame Li’s face turned ghastly white, yet she tried to defend herself. "Master, this must be a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding?" Jiang Wan produced Steward Liu’s confession. "Steward Liu has already confessed that the silver obtained was split with your personal nursemaid. If Father does not believe me, you can summon her for a confrontation."
Jiang Zhenshan’s face turned livid. He glared fiercely at Madame Li before turning to look at Jiang Wan with a complex expression. He had never imagined that the daughter he had always looked down upon would possess such capabilities.
"Good! Good!" Jiang Zhenshan said the word twice. "Wan'er, you have done well! Men, drag Steward Liu away, give him forty strokes, and banish him from the Marquis's Mansion! Then go fetch that nursemaid!"
Madame Li slumped into her chair, her face ash-gray. Jiang Wan’s sister, Jiang Wan, hid behind her, too terrified to speak.
Jiang Wan stood to the side, her eyes lowered, though she felt no great joy. This was merely a warm-up; the real battle was yet to come.
"Wan'er," Jiang Zhenshan suddenly spoke, his tone softening. "This time it is thanks to you. What reward do you want?"
Jiang Wan looked up, meeting her father’s gaze. "Daughter does not want a reward; I only hope Father will give me more opportunities to manage affairs in the future so that I may share your burdens."
Looking into her clear, determined eyes, Jiang Zhenshan felt for the first time that this daughter might truly be different. He pondered for a moment and nodded. "Very well. You may begin learning to manage the household finances from now on."
Madame Li suddenly looked up, her eyes full of shock and reluctance. Jiang Wan, however, smiled slightly and curtsied. "Thank you, Father."
The sunlight shone through the window lattice onto Jiang Wan, casting a golden halo around her. Lü'e, standing to the side, felt her eyes grow hot—her Miss had finally stood tall!
Jiang Wan knew this was only the beginning. Madame Li and her daughter would never let it go, and the Crown Prince was an even greater hidden danger. But she was not afraid. She had the memories of her past life and the wisdom of this one; she would reclaim everything that belonged to her, step by step.
The sky over the Marquis's Mansion was about to change. And she was the one who would stir the winds and clouds.