The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 193

Mrs. Xu's recent schedule has finally come a little closer to what Daqin people think of as normal.She also got up at Chen Shi every day, and when the juniors came out of Leshan Juli, she just got up and had breakfast.

It's just that the old man is really free and easy. When he talks about delegating power, he really doesn't care about the big and small things in the mansion. When he greets him every day, he just teases the three grandchildren brought out by the young lady to greet him, and talks a few words with Hexian. Let's take care of a few unmarried sons and daughters, so that the scene will not be too deserted, and it will just break up like this.Even the Fifth Young Madam took the initiative to tell her that the master key had been handed over to Qin Niangzi this morning, so Madam Xu just waved her hand and said indifferently, "Just remember to tell your father." No more words.

Now that she has said so, Madam Wu Shao will naturally not procrastinate needlessly, so she graciously called Xiao Fuchun over in front of Mrs. Xu, and told her, "Go out to the outer courtyard and send a message to Wang Yide's family. ..."

Not long after, Xiao Fuchun returned with a message from Ping Guogong. "The Grand Duke and the Shizi were talking in the small study of Menghuaxuan, and when they heard our return, they only said, 'Since it's time, let's do this', and didn't ask anything else."

In front of Xu Fengjia, what more can Ping Guogong say?Fifth Young Master and Fifth Young Madam couldn't help but looked at each other, with a little embarrassment on their faces, and asked Seventh Lady with a smile, "Sixth Brother and Sister, why did Sixth Brother go to Menghuaxuan to talk to Dad early in the morning?"

Qin Niangzi shook her head and said with a smile, "I don't know much about the men's affairs. Brother Wu will ask Sheng Luan himself later."

The young master was indifferent, and muttered to the young lady a few times, and then the two stood up and said goodbye, "The autumn harvest is coming soon, and the villages in the suburbs of Beijing will send people to beat and warn, so my son will leave first. "

Although the female family members are in charge of the Xu family's internal accounts, the young master is taking care of the business and land outside. Mrs. Xu nodded hurriedly and smiled, "Okay, thanks for your hard work, young master."

The young master picked up the beating of the heads of the farm at this time, and his intention is self-evident. It is to pave the way for Liufang to take over the housework: after the autumn harvest every year, the farm shop and the owner’s house settle accounts, and this is how the annual income comes from. , the income will be reduced, let alone her own face, the family will naturally be embarrassed.

Everyone can figure out the meaning of this, and for a while some people who understand look at Mrs. Fifth Young Master, but Fifth Young Master's face is still a little ignorant, as if he doesn't understand the grievances underneath.

Fifth Young Madam's face was also very calm, showing no displeasure at all, she looked at Seventh Lady inquiringly.

Seventh Lady also got up to say goodbye to Mrs. Xu, "Since I have to accept the bill, there are still many things to discuss with Fifth Sister..."

Everyone left the house in twos and threes, Fifth Young Madam gave some instructions to Fifth Young Master in a low voice, then walked a few steps quickly, and affectionately took Seventh Lady's arm.

"The accounts in my family are quite muddled in my hands. I might as well take this opportunity to go through them carefully. If there are any mistakes and omissions, they should be made up and cleared up." The fifth young lady looked Actually quite happy. "It's really great that the sixth sibling can take over the account book. From then on, I can enjoy the same happiness as the fourth sister-in-law!"

As she walked, she introduced the personnel arrangement in Pingguo Duke's mansion to Qiniangzi in detail.

"Counting from the old lady in the family down to a few grandchildren, we don't care about the male family members who are married, and the young masters who are not married are always surrounded by four big maids, four foster mothers, and eight little maids. Two miscellaneous envoys will serve you." Fifth Young Madam said, while pointing her finger to Seventh Lady. "Let's not talk about the little servants outside, and the grandchildren who live with their parents in the inner courtyard are not counted. The seventh brother, the eighth brother, the second sister, the third sister, and the fifth sister, these five people are surrounded by twenty big girls. Huan, there are sixteen foster mothers, forty maidservants and ten miscellaneous maids, all of whom have a fixed number, usually if there is no major event, they will not be seconded out, and they will only serve in the yard."

Everything in Daqin is valuable, but labor is worthless. In a big family like the Yang family and the Xu family, the servants in the family don’t know how many people there are. Seventh Lady has long been used to this kind of battle. The astonishing number of hundreds of people was frightening.

The fifth young lady glanced at her, then said with a smile. "As for our four courtyards of Zhishantang, Shendutang, Shensitang, and Mingdetang, the six younger brothers and sisters know it well. Each courtyard has its own small kitchen. This is for the money and monthly money in the dowry to buy vegetables. , has nothing to do with officials. In addition, the four big maids, eight mothers in charge, eight young maids and four miscellaneous maids, the children stayed with their parents until they were five years old, except for the wet nurse. Sending people to take care of them, there are still so many people after the age of five. The number of people in the grandmother's and mother's yards has to be doubled... It's also a rule, that is, sometimes the staff in each courtyard is not full, and it is still the same when the accounts are closed every month. It doesn't matter who has more money and who has less monthly money."

"These are all appointed people in the courtyards. Besides, there are also some mothers who are in charge, and the six younger siblings have also met. Lin Shan's family..."

After entering the Leshan residence, the two sat down separately. The fifth young lady kept talking, and continued to introduce the time for a stick of incense, before she spread the personnel structure of the entire Pingguo mansion to Seventh Lady.

Maybe it's because the Pingguo government has a large population, complicated relationships, and the composition of personnel is much more complicated than what Qinianzi thought.In the past, in Baifangyuan, the servants in each courtyard would buckle up. For the empty houses in Baifangyuan, a pavilion and a woman would be in charge of sweeping and sweeping. In addition, the gatekeepers and the warehouse managers have one post for each person, and each has his own position. This is not the case in the Pingguo Mansion. Often one person holds several positions, and there are many people who have no errands and just hang out. When the family needs it, they will be transferred. Listen to the pass.

Seventh Lady was taking notes in her heart while listening, and when Fifth Young Madam finished speaking, Xiao Fuchun and Xiao Luowen brought up two thick rolls of rosters and put them in front of Seventh Lady. Fifth Young Madam smiled and said, "Here It’s a book for everyone in the family, and if there are errands or not, they are all registered in it. The six siblings go back and read slowly, if there is anything you don’t understand, feel free to send someone to ask me.”

While talking, many mothers in charge came into the small flower hall, and Mrs. Wu called two middle-aged mothers over and introduced them to Mrs. Seven, "This is from Cai Le's family and Wu Xun's family. One is in charge of money income and the other is in charge of expenditure. , the six younger siblings must have used it when they were housekeepers in April? In our small account room, these two mothers are in charge of the keys, and there are a few other mothers who are in charge of keeping accounts and not moving money..."

She stood up, smiled and patted the non-existent dust on her skirt, and motioned to Xiao Fuchun and Xiao Luowen, "You stay here and listen to Mrs. Shizi's order to reconcile accounts." Then she bid farewell to Seventh Lady. "There are still some trivial matters at home outside. Sixth brother and sister, you are busy. I will come in to visit you when I feel lost."

So he took a group of mothers in charge and left the small flower hall in a mighty way, but he didn't know where they went.

The fifth young lady's explanation can be said to be a small and detailed relic, and it gave Seventh Lady a superficial understanding of the personnel structure of the Pingguo government, but she avoided the important and ignored the details, and did not mention the accounts of the Pingguo government. How is it written.Seventh Lady couldn't figure it out for a moment, whether it was because she respected her identity, she didn't usually ask about the account book, or she was avoiding it on purpose.

She frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then raised her eyes, and smiled politely at the two mothers in charge.

These two mothers are not young anymore. People in their 50s look shrewd.His attitude towards Qin Niangzi has always been lukewarm. Although he has been to Mingde Hall a few times, he is more likely to follow the crowd, and seems not in a hurry to please Qin Niangzi.Although standing in front of Seventh Lady with her head bowed and her hands tied at this moment, she made a gesture of obedience, but her attitude was still neither humble nor overbearing.

That's right, Cai Le's own mother was the dowry of Mrs. Tai's side, the big housekeeper back then, her mother-in-law was the adoptive mother of Ping Guogong, and the daughter-in-law of Ping Guogong's milk brother - if Cai Le hadn't died early, I'm afraid she is now the big housekeeper of the mansion .Although Wu Xun's family has no nepotism, it is well-known in the mansion for its fairness and rigor. Even in the hands of Mrs. Xu, these two people are firmly seated in the counting house. You can suppress them, but you may not be able to get rid of them. It is also the proper meaning of the question to show some points to the little master.

"Two mothers sit down first." Lady Seven waved her hand first, and then asked with a smile, "Speaking of which, sister-in-law Five has been in charge of the house for ten years, right?"

The two mothers couldn't help but looked at each other, and they both paused, before Cai Le's family laughed, "It hasn't been ten years since the Fifth Young Madam entered the house! But speaking of it, it has been five or six years since the Fifth Young Madam took over the housework."

When Mrs. Xu went to the south of the Yangtze River, she was not seriously ill. That is to say, at the end of Zhaoming's life, she couldn't support her bones, so Mrs. Wu Shao was allowed to take over the housework. Such a timeline is also very reasonable.Seventh Lady nodded thoughtfully, and then asked with a smile, "If you change the head of the house, the method of keeping accounts has not changed, right?"

Cai Lejia's brows suddenly widened, and she rushed ahead of Wu Xun's family and said, "This has not changed. Ever since I took over the account book, I have used the same method for more than 20 years."

Seventh Lady first asked Mrs. Fifth how long she had been in charge of the family. It seemed to people that she wanted to make a fuss about the account books of Mrs. Fifth who had been in charge of the family for several years: the people above are unlucky, and the people below are no longer immune to the disaster.It is reasonable for the two mothers in charge to be worried.She added another sentence, clarified that she just wanted to know about the changes in the accounting method, and Cai Le's family was obviously relieved.It seems that this old mother doesn't have much resistance to her being in charge...

Seventh Lady took another look at Wu Xun's house, staring at her and asked, "Of course these books are still there right now?"

Wu Xun's family glanced at Qin Niangzi, then turned away, and replied in a low voice, "Yes, young lady, do you want to have a look?"

The thoughts in a person's heart will of course be leaked to the external expression. People with deep thoughts like Seventh Lady and Fifth Young Madam will inevitably show their likes and dislikes.Otherwise, why don't Yu Qiao and Yu Ping like to get close to Qin Niangzi?No matter how scheming Wu Xun's family was, they finally showed their attitude under Qin Niangzi's gaze.

A truly obedient subordinate like Lin Shan's family would never dare to make eye contact with Seventh Lady from the very beginning.A low-ranking person like Cai Lejia who doesn't care about the replacement of the superior and only thinks about his own status will brighten up after confirming that his status will not be easily threatened.

Only those who are dissatisfied and resistant to Qiniangzi will test her first, and after feeling her aura, turn their eyes away and refuse to look at her for too long.

Just such a glance, it has already shown that Wu Xun's family's heart is by no means as calm as it appears.

But she and Mrs. Wu are not very close, and there is not much quarrel with Mrs. Xu. Xu Fengjia is away all year round, and it is even more impossible to have any conflicts with her. Why are Wu Xun's family so disgusted with him?
Qin Niangzi made a note in her heart, and then smiled, "Of course I have to take a look, and I will work hard for the two mothers to pass the word on. It is just a few days to check the accounts. Everyone must Get ready, lest you get flustered, that would be bad."

Counting the accounts is really a big action. The gold and silver utensils and porcelain bonsai in each house have been rewarded or lost over the years. Although they are registered at any time, there will definitely be gaps. When they take over, they must be counted.There are also servants in each house, those who have been expelled, promoted, rewarded, released, and no ones over the years. The roster may not be complete—this is also the practice when newcomers take over. Saying hello is to give favors to the mothers in charge: If there is a deficit in the usual time, hurry up to make up for it, so as not to lose face and make everyone look bad.

Cai Le's family immediately laughed, "Young Madam is so kind—the servants will go back and pass on the message!"

Her attitude towards Seventh Lady is already much more cordial, and even Wu Xun's family echoed and praised Seventh Lady, "Young Madam knows how to sympathize with the difficulties of our servants."

Seventh Lady propped her face and smiled slightly.When this group of housekeepers and mothers are not busy, they are full of private pockets and greedy for the public to make up for their own. What they are most afraid of is the word of paying off... I am willing to relax on this matter, and they are naturally grateful to Dade.

Knowing how to be grateful is good, and if you know how to be grateful, you won't be against yourself in everything - if you expect a capable person or a capable management team to change the management status of the Pingguo Palace in an instant, it is tantamount to a dream, like For such a big family, they say things steadily and take over the housework, which doesn't mean that she will be able to secure this position immediately.

She ordered Cai Le's family casually. "Go back later, you should send the account to Mingde Hall first... I will take a look at it here, and wait for three or four days before reconciling the account."

Cai Lejia smiled knowingly, and she respectfully agreed.

Qiniangzi wandered around, and inadvertently, her eyes met Xiao Fuchun and Xiao Luowen in the corner of the room. These two little maids were also looking at her: their expressions were somewhat strange.

Even Mrs. Fifth Young Master, I'm afraid she didn't expect that Seventh Lady's first step would be so steady.She was the one who proposed to reconcile the accounts, and she let the mothers in charge take a step, and it was Qin Niangzi herself who didn't want to scare the chickens and make an example. There are many twists and turns, she is clear, but she has a kind temper and doesn't care about everyone. If there are any privacy grievances, don't go too far.

Just this step is enough for Mrs. Fifth to ponder.

Seventh Lady smiled contemptuously in her heart.

When it comes to workplace scheming, she is really not afraid of anyone.

She stood up, smiled and waved to Xiao Luo Wen, this bright and beautiful little maid hurriedly rushed to Qin Niangzi, her usual boldness of talking and laughing seemed to have turned into shyness, and she just looked at Qin Niangzi timidly After one glance, he lowered his head again, his voice like a gnat. "What is your order, Mrs. Shizi?"

"I haven't seen you for a long time. Let me see, the little girl is a little more beautiful. It's strange that the fifth sister-in-law refuses to let you out to see me, because she is afraid that I will eat you up?" Seventh Lady teased Xiao Luowen a few words, Seeing a trace of unnaturalness passing across Xiao Luowen's face, his heart moved even more, and he said, "Tell your young lady, I will go back here to look at the accounts first, and I won't bother her in front. You also go back to her side Help me, if there is anything you don't understand, I will call you naturally."

Xiao Luowen and Xiao Fuchun looked at each other, and said in unison, "As Madam Shi Zi ordered."

Seventh Lady gave them another thoughtful look, repeated the names of Wu Xun's family, Xiao Luowen's and Zhang Accountant's family repeatedly in her heart, turned around and led her team out of Xiaohua Hall.

(End of this chapter)