Corrupt official in the Red Chamber

Chapter 634 Living beyond one’s means
After Jia She looked at Lai Da while half drunk, he said in a muffled voice:
"Isn't this family managed by Jia Lian? Go find him!"

Lai Da felt uncomfortable when he saw that Jia She didn't care at all, but he still stepped out and went to the main courtyard of Rong Xi Tang to find Jia Lian.

Jia Lian was better than Jia She. Although he was talking to Qionghua at that time, at least he was not drunk.

"Second Master, the money in the mansion has run out, and the income from the farms and shops is still not coming in. What do you think we should do?"

Jia Lian was still somewhat capable after all. After hearing what Lai Da said, he was startled, stood up, took the account book from Lai Da's hand, and flipped through it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became, and in the end he was so scared that his face turned pale.

He never expected that in three months, his family had spent nearly five thousand taels of silver.

Jia Lian wanted to turn against Lai Da on the spot. He thought that Lai Da got the lion's share of the profits, so wasn't this just fleecing him?
However, Jia Lian suppressed his anger and looked through the items one by one. Finally, he had to admit that although there were some discrepancies in the account, the majority of it was correct.

In the past three months, he and his father had been so happy that they didn't want to leave. Especially since his father had spent money to buy two concubines, they had delicacies from land and sea for meals every day. It was almost the same here. Although he didn't buy concubines, it was common for him to have meals and meet friends.

By this calculation, spending five thousand taels of silver in three months was already considered a small amount. In fact, this was only possible because Lai Xiao carefully cut down on other expenses in the mansion.

Jia Lian sat there holding the account book without saying a word. After a while, he sighed and asked, "What about the farms and shops in our mansion? Have they not sent any money in the past few months?"

"Second Master, now is a time of scarcity. How can the farms in the countryside send us money? As for the shop, although there is some income, it is still not enough to cover the expenses."

"How can this be?"

"Second Master, you forgot that most of our shops have been given to the Second House. We only kept a small part, but it is really not enough to maintain such a large business as Rongguo Mansion."

Jia Lian then remembered that when the family property was divided, no one had any objection and it was completed quickly, but the second branch of the family quietly took away most of the farms and shops.

At that time, he and his father did not care much about it in order to take over the Rongguo Mansion as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, a few months later, they found out how shrewd the second branch of the family was.

"Don't we have any other income in our government? Won't those officials from other provinces send us ice and carbon as tributes?"

"Second Master, don't you think about it? The title of Duke Rong in our mansion belongs to our young master. If our young master wants to do something, it will take ten years. Now no one can have a say in the court. Those officials from other provinces will naturally not waste their money."

Jia Lian sat there in a daze, and finally let out a long sigh.

He thought he was in control of the entire Rongguo Mansion, but in the end he found out that the entire Rongguo Mansion still belonged to Wang Xifeng and her son Jia Ping.

"Okay, don't worry, I'll go to Second Grandma now."

After hearing this, Lai Da's face was full of smiles.

Others may not know Wang Xifeng, but he knows her very well. His family also made a lot of money by following Wang Xifeng.

If the Rongguo Mansion has the Second Wife to take action, what is there to worry about?
Jia Lian, holding the account book, walked depressedly to the small courtyard behind Rong Xi Hall.

He hasn't set foot in this yard for several months.

It’s not that Jia Lian was tired of Wang Xifeng, but that Wang Xifeng simply refused to see him. Every time he tried to force his way in, he would be stopped by one or two strong old maids.

Once, Jia Lian was so angry that he wanted to use family rules, but the servant he brought with him was chased away by the maids and servants as soon as he arrived.

I don’t know why these people are so powerful?

At this point, he understood Wang Xifeng's intentions, so he stopped forcing her. (He thought Wang Xifeng was angry with him because she didn't get the power of housekeeper.)

After all, he had many women, so there was no need to waste time on Wang Xifeng. But he didn't expect that in the end he would have to beg Wang Xifeng, which made him feel that his dignity as a man was insulted.

However, Jia Lian had served as an official outside for some years, so his IQ was still online. Therefore, he did not appear angry and even had a smile on his face.

When the gatekeeper saw Jia Lian coming, she smiled and reported to the inside. Soon an old maid came out and personally invited Jia Lian in.

After Jia Lian came in, he took a quick look and found that this place was the same as it was a few years ago, but Jia Lian felt very unfamiliar, as if it was not his home.

Jia Lian suppressed his discomfort and sat on the bed, saying to Wang Xifeng who was lying there, "Second Madam, it's already this late, why are you still lying here?"

Wang Xifeng glanced at Jia Lian and felt a little nostalgic. After all, they had been husband and wife for many years. It would be a lie to say that she had no feelings for him.

But she knew her current status, so she suppressed her feelings and said with a smile: "I have nothing to do now, what else can I do if I don't lie down every day?"

"That's because you, Second Madam, are capable. Unlike me, I am busy and exhausted over a trivial matter." As he said this, Jia Lian pushed the account book in his hand to Wang Xifeng.

With the help of Ping'er, Wang Xifeng sat up straight, took the account book, looked at it, and finally threw it on the table.

"It's really strange. The dignified Rongguo Mansion is actually out of money. Who would believe this if I told anyone?"

You should know that Rongguo Mansion is the most glorious royal family besides Jia Rui’s sons.

But such a family is so poor that they can barely afford to eat. If you tell others about it, it would make people laugh out loud.

"Aren't you the ones who receive Ping'er's salary? How come this money is not enough for you to spend?"

As the Duke of Rong, Jia Ping received an annual salary of eight thousand taels of silver, in addition to food, which was not a small sum in total.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "We have so many people here, this little money is not enough, and we also need money to welcome and see off guests."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Jia Lian leaned forward and said with a smile: "Second Madam, you can help the family with some of the money. I will return it to you when the family is well-off."

Wang Xifeng chuckled, "I don't have any money."

"How can it be impossible? Your business is so big, everyone in the capital knows about it. Even if you let some of it slip through, it will be enough to feed our family."

Wang Xifeng glanced at Jia Lian and finally said, "This money of mine is not earned by me alone. There are so many people from all walks of life who need to be bribed. There is not much left in my hands, so don't think of taking advantage of me."

Jia Lian looked at Wang Xifeng and saw that although she had a smile on her face, her eyes were cold.

Jia Lian already understood what Wang Xifeng meant. She wanted the power to manage the household!

Jia Lian was unwilling to hand over all the housekeepers of the Rongguo Mansion, because he could still make some small benefits from the current housekeeper power. If he handed them over, he would have to report to Wang Xifeng even if he used only one or two taels of silver.

Such a life was too depressing, and he didn't want to go back to living under the shadow of Wang Xifeng again.

"Since you have no money, let's do this. I'll go find a solution somewhere else." Jia Lian walked away with a gloomy face.

(End of this chapter)