Professional Ethics of a Concubine

Hou House.

Zhang Jingyi's usual purchaser was slow and took six days to finally prepare the necessary items.

After Zhang Jingyi looked at the account presented to her, she immediately sneered, "Six thousand taels of silver, it was five thousand taels before, how come it's so much more expensive all of a sudden?"

"Madam, you don't know that five thousand taels was the price last year. Now many things are going up in price. This one has gone up by half a tael of silver per pound, that one has gone up by three qian of silver, and the sum adds up to a lot."

Manager Wu, who came to report, spoke with a bitter look on his face.

Zhang Jingyi watched his performance coldly, and resisted the urge to lose her temper immediately. Instead, she stood up and went to check the condition of the goods.

Manager Wu immediately declined, saying that the place where the goods were stored was too messy and it would be inappropriate for the lady to go there, so he just needed to send a manager to take a look.

Zhang Jingyi kicked him and shouted,

"I want to check the goods, but you keep stopping me. What's your intention? You are obviously guilty! Come with me. I want to check everything carefully!"

Manager Wu was so frightened that he tilted his body and fell to the side. Zhang Jingyi looked at his cowardly appearance and smiled coldly.

"Pull Manager Wu up from the ground and have him watch from the side, otherwise he will cry out for injustice and accuse me of bullying him when he gets to the old lady!"

"Madam, please spare me! This time, I was blinded by lard and made a big mistake! Please give me a chance, I will definitely make up the lost goods!"

Manager Wu admitted it directly. He felt that it would be better to admit his mistake directly. If he let the lady check the goods, he would be dead.

Because he had received instructions from the first wife for this batch of goods, which was to pass off inferior goods as good ones, and there would be a lot of missing items. When the time came to hold a banquet, the first wife would cause trouble and force the wife to hand over the housekeeper's power.

He said that the offer could not be as high as six thousand taels, and five thousand taels would be more appropriate. However, the wife of the first wife insisted that she was short of money recently and asked him to think of a way to give her more.

Now the lady has gotten serious about it, what should I do?

It's over, it's over, he's done.

Zhang Jingyi looked at Manager Wu begging for mercy without a trace of emotion, only deeper regret.

As long as he was tougher on this kind of servant who bullied his master, he would be at a loss immediately. She was really too weak before, which was why she was bullied for so long.

-

After inspection, it was found that all the goods purchased by Manager Wu were defective. If they were really used in the banquet, it would definitely be a laughing stock and make the Marquis' Mansion a laughing stock.

Besides being defective products, half of the goods on the list were missing, especially some in-demand items. If we didn't buy them all now, we might find it hard to buy those items when the time came to hold the banquet.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Zhang Jingyi knew that he would pass off inferior goods as good ones and that he might be shortchanging people in weight, but she never thought that he would have the courage to do this!

In their eyes, is Zhang Jingyi such a stupid woman that they can bully her at will? !

Zhang Jingyi was so angry that she was shaking all over. She stared at Manager Wu with eyes like knives. What she said made Manager Wu's heart tremble and he was scared to death.

"I know that the indentures of your entire family are in the hands of the old lady. Even if I interrogate you, you won't tell the truth. It doesn't matter. I don't have that thing. If I want to, I can still kill you easily!"

Zhang Jingyi's voice was as cold as ice. "I can't touch the old lady and the first lady. It doesn't matter. I can kill a stink bug like you to vent my anger."

"Madam, please spare my life! Yes, it was Madam. This purchase was all Madam's idea! Madam, as long as you are willing to spare my family and save their lives, I am willing to tell you everything!"

Manager Wu kowtowed continuously, begging desperately with tears streaming down his face.

"If you want to save the lives of your wife, children and elders, you have to let me hear something valuable." Zhang Jingyi said coldly.

"Yes, ma'am, I will tell you everything. Everything." Manager Wu cried bitterly.

-

Zhang Jingyi's sudden attack and Manager Wu's betrayal caught the old lady and the first lady off guard.

To be precise, everyone was stunned.

Faced with overwhelming evidence, the old lady and the first lady could do nothing more than push the blame onto the servants around them, scolding them for being so audacious and bullying their masters in an attempt to save face.

Everyone knows what is going on.

When Zhang Jingyi wanted to change a new buyer, they dared not say a word and could not say anything to object.

This time, they suffered a complete defeat!

Zhang Jingyi won a great victory. She straightened her back and left Shou'an Hall refreshed. She felt that she had let go of all the humiliation she had felt over the years.

After she left, the old lady immediately attacked the first lady Wang, angrily scolding her for being short-sighted. If she hadn't come up with this bad idea, if she hadn't wanted to covet so much silver, how could such a thing have happened!

When Wang was scolded by her mother-in-law, she could only cry and endure it. She had to keep admitting her mistakes and apologizing, but she felt extremely aggrieved.

When she first proposed to tamper with the banquet, her mother-in-law agreed very much and even praised her for having a good idea!

Now that something has happened, she is blamed again. She has also suffered great grievances, but who can she tell?

Wang was scolded by the old lady. When Master Xie Lin came home from the yamen in the evening and learned about this, he also started to scold Wang crazily.

She had to swallow her anger in front of her mother-in-law. Although Wang didn't dare to hit her husband hard, she could still argue with him on equal terms and also have a crazy output!

"I am doing this so that our son can inherit the title and take the title of Marquis back from Xie Jin!"

"After the autumn examination, my son will definitely pass the imperial examination, and our family's influence in the mansion will also increase. If Zhang Jingyi's banquet goes wrong, my mother-in-law and I can join forces to seize her housekeeper power.

When I take charge of the household affairs of the mansion, I will find a good marriage for my son. With a good in-law family, my son will pass the imperial examination and become an official in the imperial court next year, and he will rise to a high position in the government.

In a few years, the title of Marquis will definitely return to his son.

But now, I had just taken the first step and was discovered by that woman Zhang Jingyi!

I don’t know what’s going on. She has been so soft for so many years, but she has suddenly become so tough recently. This time, she actually made preparations long ago and caught Manager Wu red-handed! How hateful!”

After listening to her rambling for a long time, Xie Lin gradually calmed down.

"Don't worry about the power of the family now. Have you arranged the matters of Mingqing Qiuwei?"

"Not yet! I heard that for ten thousand taels of silver, you can arrange a better examination room for the examinee, and have someone to heat up the food and empty the toilet for you, and take special care of you.

With a good room, I won't have to suffer so much during the exam, and I'm sure I can perform better. But I'm short of money, and I haven't even gathered up 10,000 taels of silver yet!"

Wang said angrily.

There are three provincial examinations in total, and each examination lasts for three consecutive days. Eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping all need to be done in a small cubicle. After taking three examinations, the candidates will really be exhausted. It is not surprising that the weak ones will die in there.

If money can arrange for a cell with special care, those who have the money will definitely be willing to pay.

"That concubine Yao's father is the Minister of Rites, in charge of the imperial examinations. It would only take a few words to get a good name. Why spend an extra ten thousand taels of silver?"

Xie Lin said coldly,

"Call that concubine Yao over here and tell her that you will help her get rid of the Marquis' wife and help her take the position of the Lady. She will definitely listen to you and do her best to help you get the exam room."

"Yes! How could I have forgotten about Aunt Yao? Master, you are smart and you know how to control people!"

Wang's anger had mostly subsided, and she began to concentrate on thinking about how to handle this matter.

Aunt Yao has been very domineering since she entered the mansion. I heard that she has calmed down recently because a new concubine suffered a setback.

I guess she must be very unwilling.

Now I should try to flatter her and get her to go and make trouble with Zhang Jingyi and that favored concubine Ye, so as to cause chaos in Xie Jin's backyard!

-

Two days later, Xie Jin returned exhausted.

As usual, he went to Guixinyuan first.

When Zhang Jingyi saw him, she immediately apologized to him and even knelt on the ground and said respectfully,

"My Lord, I have been managing the household affairs of the mansion for many years. Due to my lack of ability, I have been deceived by villains, which has led to at least tens of thousands of taels of silver being embezzled by the old lady and the first wife through purchases every year!

I have done a really bad thing and failed the Marquis' trust in me. Please punish me, Marquis!"

"Stand up and talk. You are my wife, not my subordinate."

Xie Jin said to Zhang Jingyi in a calm voice.

"Thank you, Grandpa." Zhang Jingyi stood up with red eyes, moved.

"You have been managing the rear house for these years with all your heart and soul. You have a good understanding of the general situation and the limits. You don't have to worry about the small amount of money."

Xie Jin valued Zhang Jingyi's obedience and compliance more. As for how to manage the property and household expenses of the Marquis' Mansion, it was just a trivial matter.

If it is well taken care of, it will be the icing on the cake; if it is just averagely taken care of, it will not affect the overall situation.

With him keeping an eye on the big picture, things won't be that bad.

In fact, he himself had no shortage of money to spend, and he didn't care about the thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver in the mansion.

He doesn't care, but Zhang Jingyi does!

What Xie Jin was looking at was the vast world outside the marquis's mansion, the court, and the official career.

But for Zhang Jingyi, her workplace is the backyard of the marquis's mansion.

Her biggest failure was not being able to manage household chores well.

Zhang Jingyi still respectfully explained how she changed the purchasing department, and at the end she couldn't help but praise Ye Qingzhi.

"My Lord, Madam Ye is really smart. I feel that if I let her take care of the general affairs and household affairs of the Marquis' Mansion, she will definitely do a better job than me.

I originally wanted her to help manage the account books in the mansion, but she refused to do it, saying it was against the rules and that she had to concentrate on serving the master. I am not used to her being so obedient. "

"She's not following the rules, she's just lazy!" Xie Jin said incisively.

His chest was still filled with the obscene words she had the secret guard send to him.

Anyone who follows the rules will not be like her, with a head full of dirty trash and a special way of manipulating people.

When Xie Jin thought of Ye Qingzhi, he became restless.

Look at the sky, it’s still noon…it’ll be too long to wait until the evening.

You can go take a nap with her.