My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Upon hearing this, Granny Qi and Si Qing were shocked, while Magpie was secretly delighted.

The Fang couple focused all their attention on one thing—the false accounts they had made last year were simply wiped clean.

Overjoyed, they exchanged glances and knelt down before Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan without prior arrangement.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Highness and Princess!"

What they did was neither a big deal nor a small one.

If we really want to take this seriously, handing them all over to the authorities would be too lenient; they would probably be sentenced to have their homes confiscated and be exiled.

Such a crime was thus overlooked because of Wen Shuyao's casual remark.

They were filled with gratitude, and all the anxiety they had felt over the past year completely vanished.

A dinner party easily solved the biggest problem that had been troubling the Fang family.

Since Wen Shuyao said she wouldn't hold it against her, she naturally wouldn't pursue the matter any further.

In front of the couple, she personally burned all the account books.

“It’s not just Quanshui Manor,” Wen Shuyao said slowly. “The same applies to other manors; their previous account books are no longer valid.”

She could overlook the past, regardless of the state of these estates or how much silver the estate managers had embezzled.

but……

She glanced at Fang Zhuangtou, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "But from the day I take charge of the household, the account books will be sent to the Prince's Mansion every six months, and I will review them personally."

“You have worked diligently for the Prince’s Mansion, so I will naturally not treat you unfairly,” Wen Shuyao reminded her. “But if you are not greedy enough… then don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Among the estates under the Jing Prince's Mansion, there are good estate managers like Fang Zhuangtou who are wholeheartedly for the tenants, and naturally there are also estate managers who oppress the tenants.

She could ignore their previous behavior as long as it wasn't a matter of life and death, but from now on, these estates would have to operate under her command.

Quanshui Manor is the largest manor under the Prince's name. The fact that Fang Zhuangtou was able to firmly control Quanshui Manor is not only due to his care for the tenants, but also inseparable from his methods.

He must have been exchanging goods and services with the other village heads.

In that case, my words today will surely reach the ears of the other village heads through Village Head Fang.

With Fang Zhuangtou safe and sound, any smart person would no longer oppose her.

As for those who aren't smart...

Xie Jinghan, who had accompanied her on her inspection of the estate, came in handy.

After Wen Shuyao said those words, Xie Jinghan immediately understood her intention.

While the Fang family was still expressing their gratitude with trepidation, Xie Jinghan said indifferently, "Anyone who disobeys... will be escorted to the government office."

None of these village heads had clean hands. He hadn't previously devoted much energy to these mundane affairs, but today he chose to accompany Wen Shuyao out to support her.

Wen Shuyao's suggestion was the best way to solve these long-standing problems of Zhuangzi, so he naturally had to express his opinion.

Fang Zhuangtou could hardly hide his surprise, but he was a smart man and immediately understood. He hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "No matter what others do, we of Quanshui Manor will obey the Princess's every word. If the Princess tells us to go east, we would never dare to go west!"

He and Madam Fang were still kneeling on the ground when Wen Shuyao gave a wink to Granny Qi, who immediately helped them up, saying, "The Princess is kind-hearted, you two must not let her down."

"This news should also be shared with the other village heads."

Upon hearing Granny Qi's words, Head Chef Fang immediately replied, "I will send someone to inform the others right away."

Before the Prince's Mansion had a mistress, Granny Qi was in charge of the estate.

Seeing how respectful she was to Wen Shuyao, Fang Zhuangtou gained a deeper understanding of Wen Shuyao's status in the Prince's mansion.

With this matter settled, Wen Shuyao felt as if most of her burdens had been lifted.

"Aren't we just going to let the previous losses go?" Magpie said indignantly. "I just took a few more glances at the account books, and there are several thousand taels of deficit. If Quanshui Manor is in such a state, the situation in other manors will only be more serious."

The magpie followed behind Wen Shuyao, chattering away.

"Alright," Wen Shuyao reminded helplessly, "Which estate manager doesn't line their own pockets? What's the point of dwelling on the past? This has been going on for years. If we really wanted to clean things up, we wouldn't be able to keep a single one of these estate managers."

“It would be better to turn a blind eye.” Having experienced the trials of her past life, Wen Shuyao already knew the essence of the matter. “Instead of fussing over these unrecoverable losses, it would be better to take this opportunity to re-establish the rules.”

She established a rule to review the accounts every six months.

"I think it's too lenient on them," Magpie muttered softly. "So much silver!"

Wen Shuyao pretended not to hear what she was muttering.

"Your Highness! Wait a moment!"

Granny Qi followed behind the two of them, walking very quickly.

Although she was over forty years old, she walked very fast because of her martial arts training, and soon caught up with the two of them.

Wen Shuyao was somewhat surprised when she saw her.

"His Highness said that the back mountain of Quanshui Manor is a good place for horse racing," said Granny Qi with a smile. "If Your Highness wishes to go for a stroll, he can accompany you."

These words were naturally not spoken by Xie Jinghan.

Even the suggestion to go horse racing came from Granny Qi.

However, since Xie Jinghan had agreed, Granny Qi put in a good word for him with Wen Shuyao.

Otherwise, given Xie Jinghan's taciturn nature, when would she ever be able to hold the young prince in her arms?

Granny Qi spoke eloquently, but Wen Shuyao was not stupid. She knew immediately that this was not Xie Jinghan's idea.

However, she naturally wouldn't refuse Granny Qi's kind offer.

“The autumn air is crisp and clear, it’s the perfect time for horse racing.” Wen Shuyao’s eyes were full of smiles. “I would love to.”

Granny Qi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "This old servant will make the arrangements right away. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

As she spoke, she introduced the best spots in the back mountain.

“If you’re tired, you can go to the valley behind the mountain,” Granny Qi said in a low voice. “That’s also part of Quanshui Manor’s territory. However, the prince is kind-hearted and hasn’t fenced off the back mountain. The villagers nearby can also go up the mountain to gather firewood and hunt.”

"In previous years, Fangzhuangtou planted a lot of fruit trees in the valley, and now it is the harvest season."

“This is a rare treat to experience in the wild,” Wen Shuyao nodded in agreement. “I’ll definitely go check it out tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Qi smiled so much that her eyes narrowed into slits.

Having such a princess is truly a blessing for the Prince Jing's mansion.

If it were someone who couldn't tell right from wrong, they probably would have sent people to take the Fang family head and their spouse to the authorities at tonight's banquet.

After all, it was an estate she had once managed. After a moment's thought, Granny Qi explained a few words to Wen Shuyao.

"Your Highness is wise. She did not make a big fuss today. She must have thought of the same thing as this old servant."

She spoke with a hint of guilt.