The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Tang Youyou's eyes were fixed on the traces of modification on the account book. The originally neat figures had been altered with extremely fine strokes. If she wasn't very attentive, it would be impossible to detect. A chill ran down her spine. Who dared to tamper with the family accounts?

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. The accounts and deeds were the foundation of the family; if anything went wrong, the consequences would be disastrous. She flipped through the account books, carefully examining each page, trying to find any more signs of tampering.

Time passed by minute by minute, and the night deepened outside the window. Tang Youyou rubbed her sore eyes, and finally, in another book that recorded the land contracts, she found several altered place names. These places originally belonged to the fertile fields left by the Tang family's ancestors, but now they have been transformed into remote and barren mountains.

Who was so audacious as to take the Tang family's wealth for himself? Tang Youyou's mind flashed with the greedy face of Master Tang Er. Could it be that he was behind all this?

In order to confirm her guess, Tang Youyou decided to investigate secretly. She calmly ordered Butler Li, "Go and help me find out who the Second Master has been in close contact with recently."

Steward Li had been the Tang family's steward for many years and was loyal to the family. Tang Youyou believed that he would do his best to handle this matter. Sure enough, within a few days, Steward Li told Tang Youyou the results of the investigation.

"Madam, I've been secretly observing for a few days and have discovered that the Second Master has been frequently interacting with the owner of a gambling house outside the city. He has also privately met with several businessmen from other places. His whereabouts are very suspicious."

After listening to Butler Li's report, Tang Youyou became even more certain of her suspicions. Second Master Tang was addicted to gambling. Over the years, he had been selling off his ancestral property to pay off his gambling debts. Now, he had even laid hands on the family accounts and land deeds. It seemed he intended to completely drain the Tang family!

"I see. You did a great job on this matter. Go down, and remember, don't tell anyone a word."

After Butler Li took his orders and left, Tang Youyou sat alone in the study, lost in thought. She knew that she had been involved in a huge conspiracy, and behind it, there seemed to be a deeper secret...

"Knock, knock, knock..." A rapid knock on the door interrupted Tang Youyou's thoughts.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Fourth Aunt Tang walked in anxiously. When she saw Tang Youyou, she immediately cried, "Youyou, you have to make the decision for me..."

"Youyou, you have to make the decision for me..." Aunt Tang cried with tears and snot, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Tang Youyou handed over a handkerchief calmly, saying, "Fourth Aunt, please tell me slowly. What happened?"

"It's all because of you!" Aunt Tang Si took the handkerchief, but did not wipe away her tears. Instead, she looked at Tang Youyou with a resentful look, "Ever since you became the housekeeper, you've been investigating this and that, making everyone panic. Now you even suspect me, wuwuwu..."

Tang Youyou sneered in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She just said lightly: "Fourth Aunt misunderstood, I'm just sorting out the accounts. After all, the family business is huge. I'm new here, so I always need to familiarize myself with it."

"Collecting accounts? Who are you kidding!" Aunt Tang screamed. "I heard you even suspected Second Master and sent people to follow him. What are you trying to do? Are you going to kill all of us relatives?"

Before Tang Youyou could even open her mouth, a majestic voice came from outside the door: "Fourth Wife, what nonsense are you talking about again!"

Uncle Tang San walked in with a gloomy face, followed by Tang Dayuan. Aunt Tang Si cried even harder when she saw Uncle Tang San. She fell to her knees, hugged Uncle Tang San's legs, and sobbed, "Uncle San, you have to help me. Youyou...she suspects we stole something from the Tang family..."

Third Uncle Tang hated this kind of thing the most. He rubbed his brows and looked at Tang Youyou with a somewhat unhappy tone: "Youyou, what does your fourth aunt mean? Are you really investigating everyone?"

Tang Youyou secretly thought that something was wrong. She knew that Fourth Aunt Tang was deliberately acting in front of Third Uncle Tang in order to make her bear the crime of "not trusting relatives".

"Uncle San, I didn't..."

"Youyou, you don't need to explain." Tang Dayuan suddenly spoke, interrupting Tang Youyou, "Third Uncle, I believe Youyou must have her reasons for doing this. We should trust her."

Uncle Tang sighed, waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's stop talking. This matter ends here."

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Tang Youyou and the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Youyou, are you okay?" Tang Dayuan asked worriedly, "Don't take your fourth aunt's words to heart. She just likes to make a fuss."

Tang Youyou shook her head. She knew that Tang Dayuan really cared about her, but she also understood that this matter would not end so easily.

"Uncle Dayuan, thank you, I know what to do." Tang Youyou took a deep breath, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, "They want to use this method to force me to submit, but I won't do what they want. I want to see what tricks they want to play!"

As night fell, the Tang family mansion fell into silence.

"Madam, this is what you wanted." Butler Li appeared silently outside Tang Youyou's door and handed her a bundle.

"Thank you for your hard work." Tang Youyou took the bag and was about to close the door when Butler Li suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Madam, I found..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a burst of hurried footsteps. Steward Li's face changed, and he immediately fell silent, looking warily towards the courtyard gate.

"Madam, something bad has happened!" A servant rushed in, gasping for breath, "Warehouse... Warehouse..."

"What happened in the warehouse? Tell me slowly!" Seeing the servant so panicked, Tang Youyou suddenly felt an ominous premonition in her heart.

"The warehouse... a lot of things are missing from the warehouse!" the servant gasped. "I went to count the goods today and found... a lot of precious medicinal herbs and cloth are gone!"

"What?!" Tang Youyou's face darkened, and he suddenly turned to look at Butler Li, "Old Li, go check immediately to see when and who did this!"

"Yes!" Butler Li also knew the seriousness of the matter and did not dare to delay. He turned around and disappeared into the night.

Tang Youyou forced herself to calm down, thinking rapidly in her mind. The warehouse was one of the most important industries of the Tang family, storing a large amount of valuable goods. If it was really stolen, the loss would be immeasurable.

"Madam, could it be..." The servant hesitated to speak, with a hint of fear on his face.

"Did you think of something?" Tang Youyou keenly caught the change in the servant's expression.

"I... I heard that the second master went to the warehouse a few days ago and sent away all the guards..." The servant's voice became lower and lower, as if he was afraid of being heard by someone.

Tang Youyou's heart sank. Master Tang Er was a notorious money-grubber in the Tang family. He had been planning to take possession of the Tang family's property over the years. If he really did it, then there would be trouble.

"I understand. You go down first." Tang Youyou sent the servant away, turned and walked into the room, took out a black cloak and put it on, then walked quickly towards Mr. Tang's yard.

It was late at night and quiet, but the lights in Mr. Tang's yard were still bright. Tang Youyou walked straight to the door and knocked hard.

"Who is it? It's the middle of the night, and you still want people to sleep?!" An impatient voice came from inside.

"Second Uncle, it's me, Youyou." Tang Youyou said coldly.

"Youyou? What are you doing here so late?" Mr. Tang opened the door and saw Tang Youyou dressed in black. A trace of panic flashed across his face.

"Uncle, I have something to ask you." Tang Youyou ignored his surprise and walked directly into the yard, staring at him sharply, "I want to ask you, have you touched anything in the warehouse?"

"You...what nonsense are you talking about?!" Mr. Tang's face changed drastically, his eyes flickering. "Why would I touch anything in the warehouse? Stop slandering me!"

"Second Uncle, you'd better tell the truth!" Tang Youyou pressed on, "If I find out it was you who did it, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"You... you dare to threaten me?!" Master Tang Er was furious and pointed at Tang Youyou's nose and cursed, "You little yellow-haired girl, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you became the head of the family! I'm telling you, I'm your elder, you..."

"Enough!" Tang Youyou flicked her sleeves and interrupted him, "I respect you as an elder, but don't go too far! I will get to the bottom of today's matter!"

After saying that, Tang Youyou turned and left without the slightest hesitation. The night wind blew, bringing a hint of coolness, and also blew away the last bit of warmth in Tang Youyou's heart. She knew that Mr. Tang was just a pawn in this conspiracy, and the real mastermind behind the scenes was still hiding in the dark, eyeing the Tang family with greedy eyes.

Tang Youyou tightened her cloak, her eyes firm and cold. Although she didn't have complete evidence, she was sure there was a big conspiracy behind it. She knew she had to act faster, otherwise the family would fall into a greater crisis.

As the night deepened, the Tang family mansion was shrouded in an eerie silence. A greater storm was quietly brewing... Tang Youyou returned to her courtyard, but she felt no sign of sleep. She sat by the window, using the dim candlelight to carefully reflect on recent events. There was no doubt that Mr. Tang was greedy and had always coveted the Tang family's wealth. But he could never have emptied the warehouse so cleanly and efficiently on his own. Someone must have been secretly helping him.

"Madam, aren't you going to rest yet?" Butler Li walked in with a cup of hot tea, his face full of worry.

"Old Li, I'm fine." Tang Youyou took the teacup and took a sip. "How's your investigation going at the warehouse?"

"Madam, the warehouse guards were all sent from the old mansion. I've questioned them one by one, but they all said they saw nothing and heard nothing that night," Butler Li said in a heavy voice. "Also, I checked the entry and exit records and found nothing unusual."

"The absence of any abnormality is the biggest abnormality." Tang Youyou put down the teacup, a gleam in his eyes, "If my guess is correct, this matter is very likely related to the old house."

Several of Tang Youyou's uncles and aunts live in the Tang family's old house. They have always been dissatisfied with Tang Youyou's management of the family business, and the open and secret struggles have never stopped over the years.

"Madam, you mean..." Butler Li's face changed, as if he had thought of something.

"We can't be sure yet. We need more evidence." Tang Youyou stood up, walked to the desk, and took out a thick account book from the drawer. "Old Li, can you help me check if there have been any unusual financial transactions between the old house and my second uncle in the past few months?"

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Butler Li took the account book, turned around and left the room.

Tang Youyou stood alone in the room, feeling increasingly uneasy. She had a feeling that this conspiracy was far more complicated and dangerous than she had imagined. She had to find out the truth as soon as possible to protect her family and property.

The next morning, Butler Li hurried over, a serious expression on his face. "Madam, you're right. I've discovered..." He paused, lowering his voice, "The Second Master has close financial dealings with a mysterious individual, and the amount involved is substantial."

Tang Youyou's heart tightened, and she pressed on, "Who is that mysterious man? Have you found out his identity?" Steward Li shook his head, a look of embarrassment on his face, "That man is very cautious. Every time he trades with the Second Master, he wears a bamboo hat and chooses secluded places. I haven't found out his identity yet." Tang Youyou took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her mind raced, "It seems this is the key..." She picked up the brush on the table, her eyes falling on a detail in the account book. It was...