The head of the Red Mansion

Baochai is very busy in the palace!
She wielded a long abacus with incredible speed, noting that donations and expenses varied across different orphanages.

Simply put, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The Empress's intention is that in the future, the items from different provinces or prefectures can be moved among themselves.

How to move it, and how much to move it, was all within the control of her tiny abacus beads.

Having studied the Great Zhao Code and read the Great Proclamation at Ningguo Prefecture, and frequently read the official gazette, she unexpectedly developed a greater sense of fairness and justice.

She argued with the Empress that the wealthy orphanage should not be made to suffer. They should leave more for the people, since kind people had donated money. If the elderly and children there still only saw meat a few times a month, people would suspect that someone was embezzling.

It also affects other people's willingness to donate next time.

Therefore, the accounts of each orphanage must be kept in order.

If it absolutely has to be moved, it must have the official seals of both the prefectural or county governments.

It would be even better if we could get some respected local elders to sign the papers.

While she was busy with all sorts of accounts, she would also occasionally teach people how to do bookkeeping and how to use an abacus.

Tired...

Let's not even talk about it.

Even Ying'er, who knew just a little bit, was extremely busy.

However, the days of being admired and fawned over are still quite intoxicating.

On one occasion, when the Empress visited them, she heard that they had eaten cold food while they were busy, and personally brought them a cup of hot tea...

Baochai drank that cup of hot tea with great relish.

During this period, whenever Madam Shen or Ke Qing entered the palace, they would bring her news from home.

My cousin's decision to abandon her family and stop contacting them was exactly what I expected.

My mother favors my uncle's family, so let her see the difference between my uncle and my cousin!

Keqing said that from her aunt to her second uncle and eldest cousin, nowadays, as long as it's in her family's shop, they just order people to move it without spending any money.

It might not be noticeable in a short time, but after a year, even someone like the eldest brother who doesn't care about business would be able to see the difference, let alone the mother who is always careful with money.

Since her father passed away, her mother has only known how to be frugal.

They had no idea that a merchant who was too stingy would never succeed in business.

Baochai had given up all hope of her mother.

Now I just hope my brother can stand up soon.

She can't spend her whole life cleaning up their messes.

Having prior experience in organizing caravans, they were much more adept at it this time.

Unlike when she was short-handed, the Empress has as many people as she needs.

Therefore, the caravan was built with twelve teams.

Seven of them went to Russia and Mongolia.

It should be noted that there were more than six tribes that were prominent in Mongolia.

Having had two previous experiences, she knew even better what was missing there.

Since joining the Great Zhao territory, the Mongol tribes, whose strength had been depleted by the Russian Empire, are gradually recovering.

The leaders of each department had plenty of gold, silver, cattle, and horses.

Baochai has great ambitions for that side.

Nowadays, many Shanxi and Anhui merchants are setting their sights on that area, so she needs to seize the market there as soon as possible.

When Shen Ning re-entered the palace, she saw Baochai's suggestion to the Empress to rebuild the caravan.

"How are you feeling, sister?"

Because of Xue Baochai, the Empress wanted to recruit a group of merchant girls to work for her in the palace.

"...Very good!"

After reading it all, Shen Ning couldn't help but laugh, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations on gaining a female god of wealth."

As expected, Baochai's path shouldn't be confined to the inner quarters.

"Hahaha~~~"

The Empress laughed heartily, "I must thank you, sister, for recommending her."

Otherwise, it will be buried in obscurity.

There are far too many women in this world who are buried in the inner quarters of their homes.

Unable to see the outside world, they can only struggle within their houses, large or small, trying to win a man's attention for themselves and their children.

The key point is that many of these men don't even deserve to be called human.

The higher you stand, the farther you can see.

The Empress's vision had long since expanded beyond the inner palace.

Consort Wu and Consort Zhou, who had previously liked to compete with her, were now in charge of orphanages around the capital.

If everyone keeps busy, they won't be idle all day long plotting against the Emperor and trying to frame her.

She was finally able to spend more time with her children.

"If you encounter someone like that again, you'd better keep him around for me."

"I understand," Shen Ning smiled, "I have nowhere else to deliver it except to your place!"

She had no intention of making the Jia family the richest in the world.

Nothing in this world is perfect.

The Jia family is doing quite well now.

Shen Ning is a content person, and she also hopes that Jia Zhen and Rong Ge'er can be content and grateful people.

Returning from the palace, he was unexpectedly blocked by Aunt Xue just three zhang away from his home.

"Sister-in-law~"

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "You've been so busy every time I've come over. I heard that Her Majesty the Empress summoned you to the palace again. I wonder if you've seen my Baochai?"

As she spoke, her voice began to tremble.

He looked like he was about to shatter.

"I heard she's by the Empress's side, you..."

"Didn't you send her to the palace?"

Shen Ning's voice was indifferent, and she did not lift the carriage curtain, "Now that things have come to this, why are you pretending to be a loving mother? Madam Xue, you can't have it all."

Before she could finish speaking, the gatekeeper who had been watching the Xue family's carriage rushed out with several servants.

"Madam~"

They completely ignored Aunt Xue, grabbed her horse, whipped it sharply, and shoved the carriage aside. "Madam, we can go now."

The carriage wheels sped past.

Aunt Xue was shocked.

We're all relatives, how can you do this?
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law~"

"Mrs. Xue, please have some decency for Mr. Xue and Miss Xue!"

As Xiaodong uttered those words crisply, Wen Peilan's whip 'whooshed' out from the gap in the carriage curtain, almost striking Aunt Xue's hand as she tried to stop the carriage.

Shen Ning pretended not to see it, and the carriage drove straight past and into the second gate.

That day, Aunt Xue didn't know how she got back home.

When Xue Pan returned home from school, he heard from the servants that his mother had been lying down since returning from Ningrong Street.

Madam Shen was unwilling to speak to his mother.

Was the other person wrong?
They did nothing wrong.

My uncle and mother's plan was as obvious as Sima Zhao's (a famous Chinese writer) intentions; everyone knew it.

My younger sister didn't want to go to the palace, she never wanted to, but my mother forced her with tears every day, and would cry about our father who had died long ago.

Now my younger sister has gone to serve the Empress...

Xue Pan was not without worry.

He tried hard to make friends with everyone at school and made several requests to Baoyu and Min Jianbai.

He asked them to help him sound out Rong-ge'er.

He asked for nothing more than for his sister to be safe and sound. Rong-ge told him that his sister was safe and sound.

The Empress is not the kind of person who would treat human life so lightly.

He believed it.

He had been reading the imperial gazettes; the Empress was a kind and compassionate person.

He also came back and told his mother to stop wandering around and that his sister was safe.

but……

Xue Pan sighed, pushed open his mother's bedroom door, and went to see her. His aunt had already silently cried until her pillow was soaked.

She married poorly and was looked down upon by everyone.

Is it wrong for her to want her children to be successful?
They're all relatives, it's clearly a win-win situation, it's just a matter of lending a hand, why won't they give each other even a little chance?

"Pan'er, you must live up to my expectations!"

When Aunt Xue saw her son, tears streamed down her face before she could even speak. "Do you see? Ever since we left that mansion, we haven't even been able to go back in."

"Mother, your son has always been able to get in."

Xue Pan lowered his head and retorted to his mother, "You and my uncle insisted on sending my sister to the palace. Now that she's in, don't think about anything else."

My sister said before she left that from now on, she should be considered as if I were dead.

His father was gone, and he only had this one younger sister, but he couldn't fight against the powerful. "Before you decided to send your sister to the palace, you should have thought about the Jia family's attitude."

Who are you trying to impress with this act now?

Does she want people to think that the Jia family is bullying her?

is that useful?
Who would watch this?
His mother went there again and again, even though it was a difficult task.

My cousin Zhu hasn't been going home since he was trying to avoid his mother.

Xue Pan looked at his mother, who had suddenly forgotten to cry, and said, "Please stop making a scene. If you keep doing this, I'll drop out of school, go to Jiangnan, and never come back."

"Pan'er~~~~"

Aunt Xue could hardly believe her son could say such a thing. "You wretched child, who am I doing this for?" she said, while hitting her son hard a few times.

"Don't say it's for me."

Xue Pan raised his voice, "I only have one younger sister, Baochai. I cherish her too much to send her to the palace."

He looked at his mother, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed.

"Mother, you don't know yet!"

Xue Pan said angrily, "Manager Hengshudian came to the school to see me today. My second uncle and cousin went to Hengshudian's warehouse and took away two cartloads of things. They didn't take them home, but took them to other pawnshops to pawn them."

Not only Hengshudian, but also the silk shops on Gulou East Street had many items taken away by them.

What uncle?
What cousin?
Shit.

"What are my sister and me to you? Are we just there to do odd jobs for the Wang family?"

With red eyes, he questioned his mother, "I've already sorted out the accounts. I'm going to find my eldest uncle and ask him if he's short of money. If he is, just say so, and I'll give him all the shops and houses in the capital so he can let me go home."

Aunt Xue: "..."

Her heart couldn't help but race.

Aunt Xue frantically grabbed her son, who was standing up to leave, crying, "Pan'er, Pan'er, you can't!"

If they really make a scene in front of their eldest brother, their family will completely offend their second brother and nephew.

Although the title of Duke of Anguo is not hereditary, the nephew is the only descendant of the Wang family.

My older brother is in a lot of pain too!
He injured his body and could no longer have children, but he always treated his nephew like his own son.

"Even now, you still want others to bully me and my sister?"

Xue Pan's hands were trembling. "Mom, does it mean that if I die, you have to give all of the Xue family's wealth to the Wang family?"

Aunt Xue: "..."

Her tears fell in large drops.

Her two children were the apple of her eye, how could she...

"No, no, Pan'er, you're hurting your mother's feelings!"

Aunt Xue cried uncontrollably, “I went to see Madam Shen because I wanted to beg her to say a few good words for your sister in front of the Empress. One word from her could save your sister’s life!”

"Isn't your uncle very capable?"

Xue Pan trembled with anger. "What was he doing at this time? We advised you and begged you before, telling you that if life in the palace was not easy, he would shrink back... And now, he really has shrunk back."

Are you satisfied?

Why should Mrs. Shen help you if you go to her?
What benefit do you bring to them?
They let your son and daughter study, and thankfully they made a mistake?
They've made it so obvious they don't want your sister to go to the palace, and you're pretending not to know? Now you're begging them? Nobody's going to listen to you.

The ruthless ones might even kick someone while they're down.

"Mom~~"

He called her by the name he used in Jinling, "Son, please, stop making a fuss, okay? I absolutely have to find my uncle. If you don't let me, I'll leave the capital tomorrow and never see you again."

"Waaaaah~, Master~~~"

Aunt Xue saw determination in her son's eyes and dared not stop him any longer. Clutching her clothes to her chest, she cried out, "What sins have I committed? Why didn't you take me with you!"

But no matter how much she cried, she couldn't stop Xue Pan from going.

If he could, he wouldn't want to fall out with them.

However, just as Min Jianbai said, if we endure this any longer, from now on, the family fortune built by our ancestors will all belong to the Wang family.

He has to come back.

If he wants to come back, Min Jianbai and some of his classmates will help him.

Xue Pan, his face grim, ignored his mother's wailing, mounted his horse, and, accompanied by several shopkeepers, headed straight for the Wang family.

It was still daylight, and there were many pedestrians on the street.

"Grandpa, look! Isn't that the delegation sent to the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

In the distance, a group of people, weary from their journey, headed straight for the inner city.

Xue Pan saw Jia She, and he stopped his horse, only continuing on his way after they had gone far away.

At this time, news of Jia She and others returning to the capital also reached the Jia family.

Grandmother Jia seemed to have countless questions for the servant who had returned with the news.

She only has this one son.

It would be a lie to say I don't worry or miss them after being apart for two years.

"Don't worry, Grandma."

The servant beamed, "Our master is doing very well. Even Lord Liu praised him. If there's anything in Russia that can't be resolved, our master steps in. When we went to Europe, the Duke of Russia even personally escorted us there."

Before long, envoys from England, France, and the Portuguese in Europe will come to our Great Zhao.

Their Great Zhao Dynasty also wants to be like the previous dynasty, with all nations coming to pay tribute.

"The master also bought a lot of things from them, some of which are inconvenient to carry. He will help them bring them when they come to Dazhao."

"Okay, okay~"

Grandmother Jia was overjoyed.

"How is my father's health? Has he fallen ill along the way?"

This is what Yingchun cares about most.

"Yes, yes, how is the master's health? Has the food and drink along the way been satisfactory?"

Xing also quickly followed up with a question.

"Okay, everything is fine."

The servant said, "The food over there is not good. We have been cooking for ourselves all the way. Now even the youngest of us can cook very good oil tea noodles."

He really disliked the food there.

"The master fell slightly ill twice, but with the imperial physician there, it was just a matter of a few acupuncture needles and some medicine."

Humans eat grains and other foods, and it's inevitable that some people will get sick.

"When the master returns, you will know, old lady and madam, that the master's health is even better than when we left."

Horse riding and archery, now you can do everything.

"The master often told those sickly adults that he was born to be a military general, but he was afraid of hardship as a child and didn't go." (End of Chapter)