Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 26 Audit
Xie Yuyan finished speaking, but no one dared to respond.

They had all come to congratulate Yang Mingjing, but they never expected to face such a scene.

The third wife suddenly stepped forward to take charge of the household affairs, and it was none other than the sixth son's wife whom he had never met.

Such a thing was unheard of, let alone something they had encountered before. Yet, they dared not stand up and refute it, and were even momentarily stunned.

Xie Yuyan looked at the stewardess beside her.

A calm gaze fell upon them, seemingly ordinary, yet it made the steward's legs go weak and cold sweat break out on her forehead. Without hesitation, she asked, "Did you hear what the Sixth... Madam said?"

As she spoke, she placed the box she was holding on the table.

The key in the box made a crisp clinking sound, as if conveying some kind of code. This key was the head of the family's treasure and would never be taken out lightly. Whether the box was opened or the key was taken out or put back was entirely up to the head of the family.

"heard it."

Some of the women responded, but their voices were scattered, clearly indicating that some were only trying to get away with it.

Xie Yuyan glanced at the roster beside him, picked it up and said indifferently, "If anyone is unwilling, I will not force them. Cross their names off the roster and put down what you are doing. If you are not satisfied, you can go to your second aunt to plead for her when she recovers and takes over the household again, and see if you can get your jobs back."

"My rule is that I only use people once. Those who are crossed off the list today, when it's my turn to manage the household affairs, none of you need to come again."

The people here have all worked with the clan and know what it means to be pragmatic. Otherwise, when the third branch fell and the second branch rose, they wouldn't have so easily sided with them.

As soon as Xie Yuyan finished speaking, someone immediately said, "Madam, we understand."

"I understand, I understand."

The sound grew louder.

The women of the clan, who had just lost some of their momentum, now looked somewhat subservient.

The sixth brother's daughter-in-law made it very clear that when she was in charge of the household affairs, everyone had to follow her rules. However, no one knew how long she would be in charge of the household affairs.

If it's only for a few days, a little resistance is harmless, but what if it lasts longer? If the job is lost, can it really be regained? Nobody dares to take that gamble.

Moreover, the head housekeeper standing next to her is a confidante of the second wife, which shows that the second wife knew about and approved of letting the sixth son's wife temporarily manage the household. Offending the sixth son's wife is equivalent to offending the second wife.

They still didn't understand what was going on and why things had to turn out this way. When the second daughter was sick, she had asked the fourth daughter to help manage the household affairs, but it wasn't like this today, with such a huge commotion.

Xie Yuyan continued, "Today is just a meeting with everyone, it won't take up too much of your time."

The women breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they could get through the immediate situation, they could get together privately and come up with a solution later.

Seeing that everyone's expressions had eased considerably, Xie Yuyan instructed the stewardess, "Distribute the bamboo strips I asked you to prepare to everyone."

The stewardess responded. Actually, she didn't know what Xie Yuyan wanted to do with the bamboo strips, but they weren't hard to find, so she really couldn't refuse.

Each of the women held a bamboo strip in her hand, their faces filled with blank expressions.

Xie Yuyan said, "When a new steward is appointed in the household, the first thing to do is to check the accounts, but today we are in a bit too much of a rush."

“What you say is true, madam.”

"I didn't bring the account books with me either. If we all go back to get them, it will probably be dark by then."

“Therefore,” Xie Yuyan said, “we will only investigate one person.”

Everyone immediately shut up. Investigate one person? Who?
Xie Yuyan said, "I am new here and do not know many things. I can only trouble you all to make a decision for me. I will have someone compile all the tasks you have done into a list, and each of you can select the account book you want to check today using the bamboo strips in your hands."

“The bamboo strips thrown out were not recorded by name, and after the votes were counted, they were thrown into a charcoal brazier and burned.”

After Xie Yuyan finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Complete what I have instructed within a quarter of an hour. Those who did not throw bamboo strips should return the account books and keys in their hands to the clan before leaving."

The women in the clan looked at each other. None of them wanted to be the first to have their accounts checked, especially in the current situation. If they didn't vote for someone else, they would be punished first.

At this point, everyone understands the importance of seeking advantage and avoiding harm. Besides, many of the people around you have long-standing conflicts with you. Even if you don't side with others, they will side with you.

Besides, since the bamboo strips were burned after use, no one would know who threw them at whom.

When the first person walked behind the screen, the room suddenly became silent.

……

"How could you be so foolish as to hand over the power of housekeeping to the Xie family?"

Upon hearing the news, Yang Mingjing rushed back to the main house, only to find Madam He looking haggard, leaning against a pillow, her eyes unfocused, lost in thought. Normally, Yang Mingjing would have shown concern, but now he couldn't care less; he immediately asked what was wrong, eager to quickly salvage the situation.

He didn't speak, but her gaze gradually cleared.

Yang Mingjing lost his patience and said directly, "Tell the steward to go to the flower hall and call Xie over. Tell the women in the clan that everything Xie says is null and void."

He remained unmoved.

Yang Mingjing gritted his teeth: "Go now!"

Madam He kept her eyes fixed on Yang Mingjing: "Does Master intend for me to continue to endure this? No matter how Mother torments me, does Master not care?"

“You…” Yang Mingjing said, “We can slowly come up with a solution.”

Madam He's face showed a mocking expression: "The master said the same thing a year ago, but in the end, it was my fourth sister-in-law who interfered in the family affairs."

Yang Mingjing involuntarily shut his mouth.

Madam He continued, "Yang Ji is back. Did he come to pay his respects to you, his second uncle? Even when Fang Fangzheng came to our house, he didn't show up but hid in Mother's room."

"Now he's gone to the Lu family to fetch my father. What will happen when my father comes back? Will I get another injury on my face, or... should I have a doctor examine my illness, and after a few doses of medicine, I'll naturally hand over the reins of the household."

"Back then, weren't the third branch of the old master and the old lady..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Yang Mingjing interrupted before He Shi could finish speaking, his face flushed. "My parents would never do such a thing. After all, I am the eldest son in the family."

Madam He chuckled, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten."

Yang Mingjing felt that Madam He had gone somewhat mad, and was about to turn around and go find the steward himself when he heard Madam He say something else.

“My lord, I am not crazy,” Madam He said. “I just feel that Madam Xie said something very true.”

"Mr. Xie said that one should strive to be a useful person."

"The Xie family stirred up trouble in the house, so my father and mother would remember me and ask me to continue to stabilize the situation at home."

As Madam He spoke, her eyes revealed a hint of pleading: "My lord, I did not intend to harm this family. I only wanted to protect myself and did not want to live like this anymore."

"Sir, please don't stop us out of consideration for our marriage."

Yang Mingjing took a deep breath, his anxiety subsiding somewhat: "The Xie family is not someone who can be easily manipulated."

Madam He nodded: "I understand. It is precisely because Madam Xie is extraordinary that I dare to do this, because Madam Xie cannot stay in the Yang family forever. Once she leaves, everything will return to normal."

"Besides, the situation is under my control. I gave the Xie family the power, and I will take everything back as soon as I notice anything amiss."

“Only three days,” Yang Mingjing pondered for a moment. “By then, your parents will realize that the clan cannot do without your leadership, and they will certainly not wrong you anymore.”

Yang Mingjing felt that no matter how powerful the Xie family was, they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble within three days.

……

At this moment, everyone in the flower hall was staring at the bamboo strips in Xie Yuyan's hand.

Xie Yuyan dismissed everyone around her, leaving her alone to examine the marks on the bamboo strips.

"three."

Xie Yuyan called out.

Some people's expressions changed slightly, some people's eyes flashed with joy, some people looked around blankly, and some people frowned and stared at the next bamboo strip that Xie Yuyan picked up.

The bamboo strips fell into the charcoal brazier, making a crisp sound before being engulfed by the fire, as if struggling and howling.

The woman in charge of miscellaneous tasks in the clan looked increasingly grim. She had the most responsibilities recorded, and everyone had clearly agreed to throw the bamboo strips they were holding to Xu, who was in charge of feeding the livestock.

They're all heartless bastards who want to get rid of Fourth Mistress while she's away, using Third Mistress's hand. Second Mistress is really good at scheming.

Thinking of this, the man stepped forward and said, "Madam, I have something to say."

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(End of this chapter)