Shipin Dalizheng

Not long after, Grand Tutor Xie sent for Xie Ying to come to the Second House. In front of the Second House couple, he said expressionlessly, "You must be able to handle the aftermath of what you did. The Xie family cannot afford to offend the Sima family, the Jian'an Earl's Mansion, and Master Zheng all at the same time because of your petty thoughts."

Xie Ying was shocked and knelt down to admit her mistake. "My niece has behaved inappropriately. Please punish me, uncle."

"There's no need to punish you. Come with me to the Ministry of Revenue. If we can get Miss Tang out, that would be great. Otherwise, you can stay there with her."

Xie Ying was shocked and turned to look at the second wife. However, Second Master Xie had no official position and was originally a vassal of the Taifu Mansion. She still depended on her eldest brother for her livelihood. How could she have the courage to oppose what her eldest brother said?

Besides, she is not my biological daughter.

Xie Ying knew that her adoptive parents were unreliable and her identity as a young lady of the Xie family was a joke. If she could bring any benefits to the Xie family, she would be the second young lady. If she could not bring any benefits or brought trouble, the Xie family would dump her at any time.

He bowed his head and explained, "It was Miss Tang who said she wanted to help her fiancé, so I gave her the recommendation quota in the mansion..."

Taifu Xie waved his hand and didn't listen to her explanation at all. No one was stupid. Letting a girl enter the Ministry of Revenue alone and mix with a group of men, no one would believe that she didn't consider the bad influence.

"Since you think she can go, then you can go too. Don't say anything more. Just pack up and modify it. I will personally take you there."

Xie Ying felt as if she were sinking into an icy cellar. But she was a resolute person, and remained calm in the face of difficulties. She quickly recovered and stood up to prepare her luggage.

Second Madam Xie then inquired about what had happened. Upon learning the whole story, she sighed, "Why couldn't she have kept her little ulterior motive hidden for a while longer? The Sima family is currently favored by His Majesty, and the entire Ministry of Works is counting on Tang Fuyun to rise to prominence. How could they let Tang Tiantian's misfortune go unanswered? It was all caused by their math competition. This child is too eager for quick success and instant gratification, desperate to prove her usefulness to the Xie family."

As Taifu Xie drank his tea, he said, "If she had cried and refused to go, I wouldn't have forced her to go, but I would have sent her back to the countryside immediately. But seeing that she was calm and faced the situation calmly, she is a shrewd person and may have great potential."

Madam Xie said worriedly, "But if word gets out about her trip, her reputation will be ruined!"

Taifu Xie scoffed, "Reputation is nothing. It's not as important as actual benefits. Besides, if this matter is handled well, it may not be a bad thing."

In the evening, Taifu Xie went to the palace to ask for an imperial decree and personally sent two girls to the Ministry of Revenue to check the accounts. The other one was Miss Cui Si, the daughter of Cui Jijiu.

At Sima's house, Mrs. Tang, who hadn't seen her daughter for most of the day, asked Mother Shen to call Tang Tiantian out. Rui'er repeatedly stopped her. Just when she was about to lose her temper, someone from the Xie family delivered a letter.

It was stated that because Miss Tang was unparalleled in calculations, she had been recommended by the Xie family to the Ministry of Revenue to audit the accounts. She was also accompanied by Xie Ying and Miss Cui Si. Her reputation was safe and there was no need to worry.

Mrs. Tang almost fainted. She ordered her men to catch Rui'er and slap her ten times on the hand until Rui'er was crying and her nose was running.

The Sima family looked at each other, but things had already happened. Compared with Tang Tiantian, Miss Xie and Miss Cui had more noble status. Since they had already gone, it didn't seem so embarrassing for her to go too. So they could only accept their fate and pray that nothing would happen.

Xie Ying and Miss Cui Si entered the Ministry of Households as women. Although they wore men's clothes, they could not live in the same room with men. Therefore, they were arranged to live next to Rong Tang, and an old woman was responsible for their meals.

When the old woman led them into the house, she suddenly noticed a girl with curly hair behind them. She was surprised and asked, "Who are you?"

Tang Tiantian said, "I was also recommended by Master Xie to come check the accounts, right?"

Xie Ying explained for her, "Miss Tang just entered the purification room. Mom, you didn't notice that the imperial edict says there are three people. If you don't believe me, you can go and take a look."

The old woman didn't care how many people there were. Since they all knew each other, she assumed they were together.

"You are girls, so you must behave yourselves. I and another lady, Zhou, will take turns looking after you on a daily basis. This door must be locked at all times. To go to the purification room, two people must go together. Remember this clearly?"

The three of them agreed together. It was already late and they could no longer do anything. They spread out their mats and lay down with their own thoughts.

Xie Ying turned over several times and felt that she needed to say something to ease the atmosphere.

"Miss Tang, are you asleep?"

Tang Tiantian nodded to indicate no.

Xie Ying said, "I wasn't thoughtful enough before. I didn't think you would end up in such a bad situation. But I admit I had selfish motives."

Tang Tiantian didn't respond. Xie Yingwu said, "I was born in the countryside, in a harsh environment. If I wanted to live a good life, I had to work harder than others. Later, when I had the opportunity to study, I studied hard, hoping to change my fate. The teachers taught me music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs, but I found that I was only interested in mathematics. But everyone said that mathematics was a minor skill, and that as long as a woman learned a few skills to please her husband, she would have a worry-free life."

After a sigh, she continued, "We had a competition yesterday, and I was thinking, if we were all men, and had learned mathematics to this point, we would definitely be able to find a job and settle down. But why are we women? I heard that His Majesty was recruiting talents, and I, for some unknown reason, sent you in. The real reason was to test the waters and see if we girls could earn some money on our own. In fact, I've already made up my mind. As soon as you come in, I'll ask my uncle to send me in too. We can work together to achieve something and show the men that women are no less capable than men."

After Xie Ying's speech, she almost believed it herself in the end, and felt that Tang Tiantian must have also resolved her worries.

Who knew that I didn't hear any response for a long time. When I listened carefully, I heard Tang Tiantian's shallow breathing next to me. She actually fell asleep.

On the other hand, Miss Cui Si believed it because what Xie Ying said was exactly what she thought in her heart.

Later that afternoon, Zheng's cousin came to see her and said, "Fourth cousin, you've always been dissatisfied with your daughter's inability to enter the officialdom and achieve something. Now you have an opportunity. If you participate in the court audit and find results, I will ask my father, Prime Minister Wang, and Grand Tutor Xie to jointly recommend you, giving you the opportunity to show your ambition."

Cui Siji was so moved that she pestered Cui Jijiu for an hour or so, and finally persuaded her father to agree to her request, but it was also her only chance.

"I have to prove myself."

With this belief, she also fell asleep.

On the other side of the wall, Rong Tang turned his ear away from the wall. Among the three girls in the opposite room, Tang Tiantian had the highest IQ, but Xie Ying was undoubtedly the best at deceiving people. Even with Tang Tiantian's simple nature, she could be fooled by her in minutes.

He had never met the other Miss Cui Si, so he couldn't tell whether she was good or bad. He had no prejudice against anyone, and before he had any real evidence, he would always regard the other person as a good woman.

Rong An beside him whispered, "Prince Tang, go to sleep. If you don't rest, you won't have the energy tomorrow. There are only girls over there. It's okay."

Rong Tang slowly closed his eyes.

This night was really unbearable. It was hot and stuffy, with stale air in the air, the sound of mice in the corners, and all kinds of insects crawling into clothes from time to time, all of which made people feel unbearably restless.

After finally making it to the dawn, Rong Tang jumped up and knocked on the door. After a long while, a shout came, "What are you doing?"

Rong Tang said, "Sir, there are too many insects and rats in the house. It's okay if they bite us, but it would be bad if they damage the account books. We wouldn't be able to explain to His Majesty, would we?"