She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi returned to Lanxue Garden together. After walking a short distance, they heard Zhao Yi coughing intermittently several times.

She stopped and looked up to see his pale lips. She asked with concern, "Second Master, should we call a doctor to take his pulse?"

"It's nothing, I cough a few times every day." Zhao Yi smiled faintly: "Take some medicine and you'll feel better."

Shen Qingtan frowned as she recalled his serious illness six months later.

At this moment, a servant hurried over and greeted, "Second Master, Second Madam." Then, he said to Zhao Yi, "Second Master, the Duke has returned and requests your presence in the study in the front courtyard."

"I'll be there shortly." Zhao Yi dismissed the servants and instructed Shen Qingtan on some matters: "Mother Liu is in charge of the affairs in the courtyard. She will call over the servants in the courtyard later. Get to know them. If you need them in the future, feel free to call them over."

Shen Qingtan felt a warmth in her heart at receiving respect from Zhao Yi: "Second Master, I've remembered. Please go ahead with your work and don't keep Grandfather waiting."

Zhao Yi nodded slightly and left with his servant.

Shen Qingtan returned to the house and sat in a hexagonal armchair made of huanghuali wood. She had just rested for a short while when she saw a woman with a thick waist and broad shoulders enter.

The woman had a round face and a smiling face, looking extremely kind, but her slender eyes revealed a shrewdness.

"Second Madam, this old servant was originally the Second Master's wet nurse. He valued me highly and I managed all the affairs of Lanxue Garden for him. Now that you, my master, have entered the household, all the affairs of this courtyard are entrusted to you." Liu Mama presented a wooden box to Shen Qingtan with both hands and said respectfully, "Inside are the indentures of the servants in the courtyard. They are all waiting outside."

Shen Qingtan was genuinely surprised; she hadn't expected Zhao Yi to delegate authority to her. By holding the duty contracts in the courtyard, Zhao Yi essentially held their lives in her hands, making them completely obedient to her commands.

“Mama Liu, you are an old servant of the Second Master. He entrusted the courtyard to you, which shows that you are the person he trusts the most. Although I have now married into the family, I am not very familiar with the affairs of the mansion. I will have to trouble you, Mama Liu, to help me manage the affairs of the courtyard and share some of the burden.”

Shen Qingtan had no one she could rely on. Apart from Liuyue and Tingxue, she didn't trust any of the people brought from the Marquis's mansion. They were not as comfortable as Liu Mama, who served Zhao Yi.

Since that's the case, we might as well win people's hearts.

Shen Qingtan took out a key from her sleeve and handed it to Liu Mama: "Keep the key and lock the indenture in the black lacquered box with gold and silver inlays by the window."

When Liu Mama saw that Shen Qingtan had not taken away her management authority, but instead entrusted her with her personal belongings for safekeeping, it was clear that she was preparing to give her an important position.

Before coming to see Shen Qingtan, she had already learned about the second branch of the family. Shen Mingzhu had taken away Qian Mama's management power and handed it over to the dowry maid she brought with her to manage the courtyard.

In comparison, Liu Mama felt grateful for the mistress's trust: "Second Madam, before I came, the Second Master instructed me to do my best to serve you."

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "I trust you to handle things."

Overjoyed by the praise, Liu Mama immediately locked the box inside and invited Shen Qingtan to the courtyard. She then had each of the servants on duty announce their names and duties.

Each time someone came up and announced their name, Liu's mother would tell Shen Qingtan the details of their family background.

Shen Qingtan silently noted that there were no servants born into the household in Lanxue Garden. Servants had complicated relationships and were prone to developing disloyalty, making them vulnerable to manipulation by those with ulterior motives.

Each servant was purchased from outside, and their relationships with other people in the household were relatively simple.

She was lost in thought when she realized that Zhao Yi was someone who disliked trouble.

Madam Liu asked, "Second Madam, is there anything else you need? If there are no more tasks for them, this old servant will dismiss them all."

“There is something I need to do right now.” Shen Qingtan took out the dowry list and handed it to Liu Mama: “Have a few strong and capable servants take them to the second house to carry my dowry back.”

-

Second room, Mingde Hall.

Zhao Jue and the second master entered the study.

“Father, as soon as Grandfather returned to the manor, he summoned my second brother and me to his study.” Zhao Jue slowly began, “The Emperor urgently summoned Grandfather to the palace because of the shortage of military rations at the front. As the Minister of Revenue, this important responsibility fell on his shoulders.”

A glint of shrewdness flashed in the second master's eyes. Wasn't this the chance to redeem himself?

"His Majesty has allocated 50,000 taels of silver, which is needed to prepare 100,000 shi of military rations to be transported to the front lines. The situation is urgent, and the rations must be delivered to the front lines within a month at the latest, so as not to delay the war." Zhao Jue said solemnly, "I volunteered to take on this task and made a pledge to my grandfather to prepare 100,000 shi of rations within ten days."

"Are you crazy?" the second master said urgently. "Let alone getting 100,000 shi of grain from any grain merchant, just considering that grain is now eight qian per shi, 100,000 shi would cost 80,000 taels. Where are you going to fill the remaining 30,000 taels shortfall?"

“I know a merchant from Huizhou. He’s a grain merchant and has more than 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain in his possession.” Zhao Jue knew this merchant from Huizhou through Shen Qingtan.

When Shen Qingtan returned to the capital from the summer retreat at the manor, she unintentionally saved the youngest daughter of this grain merchant, and thus they became acquainted.

As for silver...

Zhao Jue then set her sights on the dowry: "I heard from Mingzhu that the Shen family gave Shen Qingtan 20,000 taels of silver notes as a dowry. The other fertile fields and shops in the dowry, as well as other gold and silver jewelry, are also worth 20,000 taels, enough to fill the gap in buying military rations."

"This dowry was originally intended for Shen Mingzhu, but it was just being given under Shen Qingtan's name. Now that it's part of our second branch of the family, there's no reason for it to be given away again." The second master placed high hopes on Zhao Jue: "Son, if you handle this matter well, you will surely earn your grandfather's appreciation."

He had one legitimate son and one legitimate daughter, and three illegitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter. Now, only the eldest illegitimate son is alive; the other two have died young.

The eldest son, born out of wedlock, was mediocre in his studies and showed no outstanding talent; only the legitimate son was promising.

Zhao Jue never intended to give her dowry to Shen Qingtan. She was not a daughter of the Shen family, so what right did she have to ask for a dowry?

The Shen family raised her, which was more than enough. Anyone with a conscience should be grateful to the Shen family.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard a commotion outside: "Second Madam, this old servant has been ordered by Second Mistress to come and retrieve her dowry."