A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

The two men came to the main room, and Butler He asked them to sit down, saying that the lady was chanting scriptures and asked them to wait a moment.

Gui'er looked around but didn't see Sha Yanyao. She couldn't help but become alert, worried that he had gone to work, so she asked, "Where's my brother?"

Butler He said, "The eldest young master is in the study checking the accounts."

Sha Yanxiao asked, "Hasn't the accounts been checked?"

Butler He said with a wry smile, "That's true, but from now on, won't the accounts be managed by the eldest wife? So many details need to be checked more carefully."

Sha Yanxiao's face didn't look particularly good when he heard this.

"You're back. How is it? Did his family say anything?" The lady's voice came from behind. She walked down slowly from the second floor with Buddhist beads.

"Mother." Sha Yanxiao and Gui'er quickly stood up and addressed her respectfully.

"Mrs. Zhao and her daughter are certainly very sad to have lost the pillar of the family all of a sudden, but we have given them resettlement allowance, so it shouldn't be a big problem," Sha Yanxiao said calmly.

"Don't they have any doubts or dissatisfaction?"

"What are you talking about, mother? Madam Zhao and her daughter are very grateful for the resettlement allowance given by the Marshal's Mansion. They also say that it was Zhao Yingwu's ignorance that caused the disaster that brought trouble to their father."

"Oh, then they are quite sensible. By the way, your brother is sorting out the accounts. Now that your father is in this state, I will have to take charge of the Marshal's Mansion from now on. I am old, so I will just hand it over to your brother. From now on, you will report all the financial revenue and expenditure of Jiangcheng and the revenue and expenditure of the minerals."

Gui'er and Sha Yanxiao were both stunned. It was obvious that the lady wanted to monopolize the financial power of Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. This was equivalent to strangling Sha Yanxiao's throat. Who could command the army without money?

"Oh, about this, I have never been involved in this. The financial revenue and expenditure of Jiangcheng and Fengcheng were previously managed by my father. When my father fell ill, Manager Zhao took over, and I never said a word. Mother, if you want my eldest brother to do it now, just go and check it directly." Sha Yanxiao said lightly.

The lady was stunned for a moment and said, "I see. Then I'll send someone to check it out."

Sha Yanxiao stood up calmly and said with a smile, "My son has already returned to his mother. I will take my sister back now and not disturb her rest. Gui'er, let's go."

Gui'er vaguely sensed a tense atmosphere between the two of them. After leaving the main courtyard, she hurriedly asked Sha Yanxiao, "Brother, didn't you say before that those two mines belonged to you? Does she mean she wants to take them over, or what?"

Sha Yanxiao said coldly, "It's more than just two mines. She wants her son Fengcheng and Jiangcheng to be the actual controllers. Now she wants to target me financially. If I, as the commander-in-chief, can't mobilize the funds of Jiangcheng and Fengcheng, then what kind of commander-in-chief am I? I will only end up being manipulated by them."

Gui'er said worriedly, "What should we do then?"

"I'm going out for a while. You stay at home by yourself. Also, starting tomorrow, if you go to work at the hospital, Ah Cheng must accompany you the whole time. He must stay by your side from the beginning to the end of the day. I'm afraid they will do something to you."

When Gui Er heard this, she quickly said, "I wouldn't do that. I didn't get any inheritance, and with Brother Cheng by my side, how can I do anything?"

Sha Yanxiao grabbed her shoulders firmly and said sternly, "Gui'er, because they're going to deal with me, you're my only weakness. I can't let anything happen to you. Do you understand?"

Guier had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

When the two returned to the courtyard, Sha Yanxiao immediately called Ah Cheng over and repeated his instructions, saying to him, "Now, young lady, even if she is in the mansion, as long as she leaves our courtyard, no matter where she goes, you must follow her closely. If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible."

Seeing Sha Yanxiao so serious, Acheng quickly agreed. The servants around him also became nervous when they heard it. Then Sha Yanxiao took Dali out.

Gui'er felt uneasy and anxious, not knowing what to do. She thought about going out for a walk, but she glanced at Ah Cheng, thinking he would definitely follow her. That would make it difficult for her to do anything. She returned to her room to think for a while, then called Ding Xiang to ask, "What are the current movements of the concubines in the Marshal's Mansion?"

Ding Xiang thought for a moment and said, "It seems that there is no movement. It's time for the results to come out. After listening, they returned to their respective courtyards. However, they must have their own thoughts in private. Miss, do you want to know their private thoughts? I'll go check for you right away."

Not long after Dingxiang left, a servant came to report that Jinbao was looking for her.

Guier hurried downstairs, and Jinbao came over with her two sons. Guier quickly ordered the kitchen to bring out some snacks that the children liked.

Jin Bao smiled and said, "Aunt really loves you guys. Cheng Gang and Cheng Shi are always asking to come over to see Aunt."

Gui'er knew that this was just a child's excuse. She smiled and patted the two children's heads, then said to the servants, "Bring some snacks and go play with them in the yard. They can swing on the swings, but be careful not to fall."

After the servants and children had left, Jin Bao sighed, "No wonder you don't like staying in Nanjing. Here, you're like a mistress, and no one dares to neglect you. Unlike me? Apart from myself, I can't get anyone to order the maids and servants around me."

Gui Er thought something had happened in the first room again, so she smiled bitterly and said, "Did Miss Tian make you angry again?"

Jin Bao sighed, "I'm used to it. I knew the path I chose wouldn't be easy. But even so, I've never regretted it. Now, we're both living well. It's better to just occasionally check other people's expressions than to go hungry and worry about making a living." Then she changed the subject, "Now that the Marshal is no longer able to take care of things, what do you think?"

It was not until now that Gui'er finally understood her true intentions. She must have been helping Madam and Sha Yanyao to find out what she was thinking.

She smiled bitterly and said, "What else can I think? I'm just an adopted daughter. Now I can still enjoy a little bit of the Marshal's influence in the mansion, but in two years I will probably be independent and will be nothing by then. However, the Marshal's mansion has been kind to me, and I hope everything will be fine here forever."

Jin Bao hesitated for a moment and said, "When Yan Yao, Chief Steward Zhao, and Second Uncle were reconciling the accounts, the concubines from the other rooms suddenly came running over. How did they get wind of this? Did you let someone leak it?"

Gui'er sighed and said, "I even scolded my subordinates about this matter. I was happy to tell them at the time, but I didn't expect them to spread it so freely. I thought it would spread sooner or later, so I didn't try to stop it. What's the matter? Is mother very unhappy?"