My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

Chapter 291: What’s Wrong With This Account

Nanny Zhao pleaded with a troubled expression, "My dear mistress, please do not concern yourself so heavily. Even if she causes a significant rift in the estate, it is not your problem."

Sixth Lady Gu looked ashamed and said, "I was merely speaking casually."

Nanny Zhao replied, "Even speaking casually is not suitable. Didn’t you pledge that you wouldn’t get involved anymore?"

Sixth Lady Gu thus said, "I certainly won’t get involved anymore."

Outside, a young maid came to ask Nanny Zhao to step out for a word, saying, "The housekeepers have come to see you."

"Didn’t I mention I am attending to the lady? What is it that cannot wait?"

Nanny Zhao was quite displeased.

The young maid seemed anxious, constrained by the presence of Sixth Lady Gu, she could only make expressive gestures.

Nanny Zhao noticed there was something amiss and impatiently waved her away, "Alright, I understand, I’ll come out shortly. If it’s not important, I’ll sure have a word with you."

Sixth Lady Gu said, "Go on, perhaps it really is something important, don’t delay."

Nanny Zhao replied, "You shouldn’t worry, it’s already midday, both young masters have gone with Sixth Master to entertain guests, why don’t you rest a while?"

After chatting briefly with children she hadn’t seen in a long time, experiencing both joy and surprise, Sixth Lady Gu grew weary and obediently closed her eyes to rest.

Only then did Nanny Zhao head out.

From afar, she saw several housekeepers gesturing for her to come over.

"What is the matter?"

The housekeepers no longer treated her with the usual respect, saying, "What else could it be? Nanny Zhao, have you forgotten how you urged us all to invest in pepper before?"

Nanny Zhao asked, "What’s happened with the pepper?"

"What happened?"

Fire flashed in the eyes of the housekeepers as they angrily said, "Did you only urge us to buy, and not buy any yourself? Do you have any idea how much the price of pepper has fallen outside? The Lady said it might fall even more."

"How could it fall?" Nanny Zhao sneered, "Wasn’t the price continuously rising before? The Lady couldn’t even find a place to buy it, and you listened to her."

"The price has already fallen to just above forty taels, any more and it might be halved; I invested over a hundred taels."

Nanny Zhao was shocked, "That’s impossible, I bought several hundred taels myself."

Sixth Lady Gu invested a substantial amount of silver as well.

If it’s truly the case...

Nanny Zhao felt weak in the limbs and hurried to find someone for information, but they blocked her, insisting on an explanation and questioning what to do under the circumstances.

"How should I know what to do? Would you have asked me what to do if you made a profit?"

Nanny Zhao was extremely upset.

In such a state, it’s unlikely that Sixth Lady Gu can manage the household anymore, nor does Nanny Zhao feel the need to maintain false friendships with these profit-driven people.

"I’ll talk to my mistress about this matter first, but if you cause trouble in the presence of Sixth Madam and shock her, no one will plead for you, and the Marquis Mansion might not tolerate you either."

The housekeepers were speechless, left with nothing but an impotent glare.

Everyone understands that business doesn’t always yield profits, and with Sixth Madam seriously ill, they dare not approach her directly. Yet watching their money evaporate was something they couldn’t stand, hence they pressured Nanny Zhao.

"The price of pepper changes daily, when might we expect some news from you?"

Nanny Zhao gave a bitter smile, "With Sixth Madam ill, even the Director of the Imperial Hospital has prescribed rest. No matter how much pressure you apply, I cannot manage this."

"We can’t wait much longer, the price is dropping daily, you must give us a definite answer soon."

...

Qin Yuan heard of the disturbance but it was already somewhat late.

It was Hong Ye who came with the news, "There’s a commotion outside the mansion, they want to see the Marquis, accusing him of abusing power and harassing court officials to death."

Cui Ming was shocked, "Such nonsense, how dare they slander the Marquis Mansion like that."

Qin Yuan frowned and asked, "Could it be the Liu Family?"

Hong Ye quickly nodded, "Exactly."

Cui Ming said, "They dare to cause trouble!"

Qin Yuan put down the Hu Bi in his hand, gently massaging his temples and said, "Housekeeper Han can handle this matter."

Hong Ye said, "Indeed, Housekeeper Han dismissed them with a few words, but a crowd gathered outside saying the Marquis Mansion acts improperly and without principles."

"Why?" Cui Ming was puzzled.

Hong Ye explained, "The Liu family was crying outside, saying Doctor Liu risked his life entering the mansion, no one from the Marquis Mansion died, but Doctor Liu lost his life, leaving only a jar of ashes, demanding an explanation from the mansion."

Cui Ming asked, "How did Housekeeper Han handle it?"

"Housekeeper Han said the Marquis Mansion respected Doctor Liu’s last wishes by cremating him to ashes, the Marquis has sent a memorial to the Emperor detailing Doctor Liu’s actions, the Director of the Imperial Hospital also intends to report Doctor Liu’s matter to the court, presumably, the court will have a decision on Doctor Liu. Housekeeper Han then questioned, does the court currently have any stance on Doctor Liu? The Liu family left feeling embarrassed. However, the idle men outside were speaking chaotically until Gu Shiba brought people to watch over them, then they quieted down."

After hearing this, Qin Yuan said, "Those idle men are certainly people of the Yelv Family, they only dare to instigate from the crowd and do not dare to confront directly, but indeed, this adversely affects the Marquis’s reputation."

Hong Ye was startled and asked, "People of the Yelv Family?"

Qin Yuan said, "Yes, the Dingbei Marquis Mansion guards the Northern Border for the court, their adversary being the Yelv Family. This time when the Marquis returned triumphantly, he brought back Yelv Guza, the eldest son of the Yelv Family leader, as a hostage. The Yelv Family has bribed court officials and arranged people to secretly oppose the Marquis. These idle men must be secretly gathering intel on the Marquis Mansion for them."

Hong Ye seriously said, "If that’s the case, then I must warn them to be more cautious."

Cui Ming asked in surprise, "Who are you warning to be cautious? What method will you use? Be careful not to cause trouble."

Qin Yuan raised his eyebrows, waiting for Hong Ye’s continuation.

Hong Ye said, "Didn’t you appoint me to oversee the tea room? All the nannies and young servants outside are familiar with me, I’ll warn them to be cautious of the Yelv spies; isn’t that right?"

She could speak to the nanny boiling water, the young servant sweeping, and the gatekeeper—all would listen to her.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment, then smiled, "I hadn’t expected you to have such utility, perhaps you’ll be my ace in the future."

Hong Ye patted her chest, full of pride.

"Indeed, with these matters, you can count on me."

Qin Yuan said, "Have the gatekeepers pay more attention to the appearance and behavior of outsiders, and the mansion nannies should also be vigilant, whether anyone is trying to gather information about the mansion through conversation, or if there’s anything unusual, and if useful, there will be a generous reward."

The incident with Fake Yang must not happen a second time.

Hong Ye nodded, "Understood."

Hong Ye added, "There is still another matter, those housekeepers have all gone to Nanny Zhao over the pepper issue."

Qin Yuan said, "This... sigh... no one can easily intervene either."

Hong Ye laughed, "Those housekeepers, seeing that Sixth Madam has lost authority, pressured Nanny Zhao, who also invested several hundred taels of silver. Her retirement fund might have substantially diminished. What became of this account is still unknown, after all, it’s not Sixth Madam who bought the pepper, but her family."