The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 66: I've calculated your plan clearly

In Wutong Courtyard, Manager Liu was the first to be dragged in.

Xu Chaoqian kicked him in the face: "Old bastard! What's going on?"

The two account books hit Manager Liu on the head.

He picked it up and took a look. What was there to not understand?

But this was something that would land him in jail, so he certainly wouldn't admit it even if he died: "Master, this...this old servant doesn't know either."

Xu Chaoqian's hands were shaking with anger. "Tell me! Where did you go with all that money?"

"Master, you can't say that! I've been with you for decades, how could I do such a thing?"

After saying this, he looked around the room, pointed at Butler Xu and cursed, "It's you! You must have framed me! You bastard, you came here to gossip about the master and the eldest lady, aren't you afraid of losing your descendants?"

Butler Xu was not good at quarreling with others, and his cheeks were flushed red from holding it in.

Xu Rongrong spoke up to help him out, "Oh? So Steward Liu values ​​offspring so much. No wonder I often hear Madam Ping say that your son Liu Shangen has been taking concubines one after another. Is this his fourth now? No wonder the palace has made so many more purchases in the name of furniture in the past two years."

"Four concubines?!" Xu Chaoqian frowned. He, the head of the family, only had one maid, but the son of the steward had four concubines!

"My dear Miss, please understand! I have been using my own monthly salary to support my family, and have not embezzled anything from the mansion."

Xu Rongrong raised her eyebrows: "Father is a sixth-rank official, and our family is still small. Can Manager Liu support his son with a monthly stipend of two taels of silver? I heard from Nanny Ping that one of them is a skinny girl from Yangzhou?" Xu Chaoqian's eyes widened when he heard this.

"Miss, don't listen to Madam Ping's nonsense. I am innocent! She framed me. In fact, all the money in the account was secretly siphoned out by her using empty accounts to lend out at high interest rates!" Manager Liu shouted that he was innocent.

Nanny Ping had just been dragged to the door. She was used to being domineering in the mansion, and when she heard what Steward Liu said, she was about to start cursing.

But the next moment, his mouth was blocked and his hands were tied behind his back, making him unable to move at all.

She could only watch and listen as Manager Liu in the room told her everything about how he raised money and how he lent money, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

Only after Manager Liu finished speaking did the person who was restraining her let go.

Matron Ping rushed into the room and knelt down with a plop: "I am innocent!"

Xu Rongrong looked at her and said with a smile, "Everyone who comes in here is crying out for injustice. Manager Liu has the best relationship with you. Is he also framing you?" Nanny Ping looked up at Xu Chaoqian's expression, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

"Madame Ping is an elder in the mansion and is the most sensible. Now that father is in charge of all the affairs of the mansion, there is such a huge deficit in the account. If we don't explain the reason now, it may be difficult to resolve." Xu Rongrong's eyes were bright as she spoke.

But it made Nanny Ping feel hopeless.

She knew that the eldest lady was reminding her that the lady was no longer the head of the household.

He was also warning her: the truth of this matter would be revealed, and by then, the lady would never be able to regain the power of housekeeper.

She will lose her support forever.

Then, Madam Ping knelt at Xu Rongrong's feet and said, "Master, please understand, Miss, please understand, I am just a servant in the mansion. I lent money at high interest... on Madam's orders."

Xu Chaoqian was as hopeless as a dead man. Was Xu Liushi trying to get him dismissed from office? Within a quarter of an hour, Xu Liushi was taken to Wutong Courtyard.

In the past, when she came here, she either showed off her power or gave alms.

Today, I was brought here like a prisoner for the first time.

Because she was still the mistress of a mansion, Xu Chaoqian dismissed everyone in order to save her face.

Two account books were spread out in front of her. Nanny Ping and Butler Liu were kneeling outside the door, looking panicked.

Xu Liu's heart was as clear as a mirror, but she was not afraid at all.

"Did you really take out the money and lend it out at high interest?" Xu Chaoqian asked.

"Yes." Xu Liu answered straightforwardly.

"Did you know that officials in Beijing are not allowed to lend money to the public? If they are found out, they will be dismissed."

Xu Liu sneered, "Master, how can you support such a large family with your salary? If I hadn't lived frugally and found some ways to make money, would we be able to live so well in the mansion?" Xu Chaoqian's face turned red at her ridicule.

"Besides, there are so many officials in the capital whose wives are lending money at high interest rates. If they were to be dismissed, I'm afraid there would be no one left in the court!"

Xu Chaoqian sighed and said, "I won't argue with you about this! Let's not talk about the past for now. I'm in urgent need of money right now and I'm still short of six hundred taels. Go and get the money back quickly to make up for the shortfall in my account and relieve my urgent need!"

Xu Liu smiled and said, "Why didn't you tell me you were short of money earlier? The loan shark said the principal can be withdrawn at any time. I'll ask Madam Ping to go there."

After saying that, she raised her hand and shouted towards the yard.

Nanny Ping hurried out of the house.

Xu Liu smiled and picked up the gradually cooling tea bowl. She looked at Xu Rongrong with disdain, "What's the matter? Rong'er has only been the housekeeper for a short time, and you're already struggling? You can't even come up with six hundred taels of silver?"

Xu Rongrong smiled shyly. "Of course, I'm not as skilled as Madam. I've only been in charge of the household affairs for a short time, and I only have a limited understanding of the account books. I can only investigate Madam's fraudulent accounting, but I can't do anything else."

Xu Liu's face tightened after hearing what she said and she said no more.

More than half an hour later, Madam Ping rushed into Wutong Courtyard with a panicked look on her face:

"Something terrible is happening, ma'am!"

Xu Liu's heart trembled, and she stood up and asked, "What's wrong? You're so flustered!"

Nanny Ping wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face pale. "The man who lent us the money has run away! When I arrived, the house was in a mess. The neighbors said he disappeared that afternoon! When I went over, I saw several servants who were familiar with the mansion, also looking for him! They said...that he ran away with the money."

Xu Liu sat down dejectedly.

Xu Rongrong narrowed her eyes and smiled.

She knew that many of the wives of officials in Beijing lent money at high interest rates. Now that they were suddenly going to follow the example of the imperial concubines and donate their belongings, the first thing they would have to do was probably to take back the money they had lent out.

There are already many usury scams, and now there is a concentrated bank run.

Wouldn't that person have stayed and waited to be hacked to death instead of running away?

She didn't know whether this happened in her previous life.

After all, Xu Liu was the head of the family at that time, and she had plenty of ways to fill the accounts.

But this time, it's different.

She looked at Xu Liu's pale face and asked timidly:

"Madam, what should we do now?"

Xu Liu was panicked and grabbed Xu Chaoqian's sleeve when she heard this: "Master! I'm doing this for our family too!"

"Pa!" Xu Chaoqian slapped Xu Liu's face, knocking it sideways. "Bitch!" he shouted, "Use your dowry to pay for it!"

Nanny Ping cried beside her, "Madam... Madam's dowry has also been given away..."

Xu Chaoqian was stunned!

How dare she?!

He was a sixth-rank official in the capital, the father-in-law of Marquis Weiyuan, but he couldn't even come up with six hundred taels of silver?

he……

I can’t afford to lose this person!

Xu Rongrong seemed to be at a loss as well. She said timidly, "The only thing we have to do now is to protect my father's official reputation. I'll see if there's anything valuable in the house and sell it first to prepare for the emergency."

Xu Chaoqian covered his face and sat down dejectedly: "There is only one day left. How much do I need to sell to get six hundred taels?"

Xu Rongrong said nothing and gently fiddled with the cup in her hand.

The sound of porcelain clashing was particularly clear in the room. Xu Chaoqian's eyes lit up, and he called his attendant Xu Dong over:

"Tomorrow, go to the porcelain shop and ask if anyone wants to buy a porcelain shop! I still have two, and I'll sell them to anyone who offers more than six hundred taels!"

Xu Rongrong raised her hand to hide the uncontrollable smile on her lips.