The number one rebel of the Great Wu

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

Now, a hint of panic finally appeared on Steward Lin's face.

"Little Duo is talking nonsense!"

"Him, him, him!"

"Shut up!"

Shen Qingci's face turned ashen.

"From this moment forward, you are no longer the chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence."

"Pack your things and leave the Crown Prince's residence before sunset."

"In these extraordinary times, our Crown Prince's residence has no need for someone like you."

After speaking, Shen Qingci paused slightly.

"But considering that you have stayed in the Crown Prince's residence for so many years, since we are going to send you away, we cannot let outsiders say that we have mistreated you."

"Before you leave, go to the government office and withdraw five hundred taels of silver."

Steward Lin froze on the spot, and his face quickly darkened.

"Thank you... Your Highness."

Shen Qingci turned her head and looked at Chen Changgeng.

"As for the head steward of the new Crown Prince's residence, I'll leave that to you."

Chen Changgeng's lips twitched.

These are turbulent times, and Shen Qingci handing over the position of chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence to me will indeed be beneficial for me to control the overall situation next year.

But after that, you'll have to deal with all sorts of people.

My reputation is about to get out of control.

This is a difficult situation to escape from...

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Chen Changgeng was naturally somewhat reluctant.

"What, you're still not willing?"

Shen Qingci raised an eyebrow.

Chen Changgeng chuckled awkwardly, then turned to look at Steward Lin's retreating figure, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

His steps were not heavy at all, but rather very light.

If I were truly disappointed, I wouldn't act like this.

This is something that most people can't fake.

"Little Gengzi?"

Seeing Chen Changgeng deep in thought, Shen Qingci beckoned.

Seeing that he had walked away, she asked him softly again.

"What, you think there's a problem?"

Chen Changgeng nodded with slight hesitation.

"Leaving the Crown Prince's residence at this moment might not be a bad thing for him, but rather a good thing."

Shen Qingci paused for a moment, then quickly understood.

"However, I always felt that something was wrong with this, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."

"What else could be going on?"

Shen Qingci frowned.

"After all, he has been the chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence for so many years, he knows quite a lot."

"He was extremely familiar with the structure and personnel arrangements within the Crown Prince's residence."

"What if this falls into the hands of someone with malicious intent..."

Shen Qingci's expression changed instantly.

"Ruyi, send someone to keep an eye on him. If there are any problems, report back immediately."

Ruyi nodded and immediately withdrew.

……

Soon, the news that Chen Changgeng had become the new chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence spread far and wide.

Everywhere was filled with a joyful atmosphere, and everyone who met Chen Changgeng greeted him happily.

Xiao Xizi and Xiao Fuzi, in particular, were full of energy and felt that the future manager of the miscellaneous affairs room would definitely be chosen from among the two of them.

Little did they know that Chen Changgeng would actually appoint the two of them to lead the team together, without distinguishing between primary and secondary leaders.

The two often had to run errands for Chen Changgeng, and one of them always had to stay behind to manage the overall situation.

And so, Chen Changgeng stayed with Steward Lin for most of the day.

The handover of government affairs was not completed until it was getting late.

After watching him leave, a gaunt middle-aged man with a goatee ran up behind him, his face full of obsequiousness.

"Steward Chen, take a look. This is the current account of the Crown Prince's residence."

This man was Ma San, the accountant of the Crown Prince's residence.

Mr. Ma has been in the Crown Prince's residence for quite some time, but he had been suppressed by Steward Lin, so Chen Changgeng had hardly ever heard of him.

"A deficit of forty-three thousand five hundred taels?"

Chen Changgeng glanced at the accounts and was immediately taken aback.

How could the Crown Prince's accounts still be in deficit?

They've created such a huge mess for themselves right from the start!

"Manager Chen, you may not know this, but these accounts are kept separate."

"The Crown Princess belongs to the Crown Princess, and the Crown Prince belongs to the Crown Prince; each person is responsible for their own affairs."

"The accounts in this mansion are all for the expenses of us servants, the household expenses, and decorations for festivals, etc."

"Our household's income is only five thousand taels of silver allocated by the imperial court each year, which is certainly not enough."

Mr. Ma explained with a wry smile.

"So where did this money come from?"

"They were all borrowed from major banks in the capital."

"The Crown Prince and Crown Princess are unaware of this?"

Mr. Ma gave another helpless, bitter smile.

"How could we dare disturb the Crown Prince and Crown Princess over such a trivial matter!"

"These silver coins were obtained by Steward Lin from various money shops under the guise of the Crown Prince's residence."

"Now there are only two or three hundred taels of silver left in the account."

"In another month or two, I'm afraid we won't even be able to pay the servants!"

"Is it that serious?"

Chen Changgeng felt something was very wrong, but then he thought about it again.

"No, logically speaking, the Crown Prince should own some estates and properties."

"Even if these things are managed by someone else, shouldn't there still be some income?"

"this……"

Mr. Ma's face immediately showed a hint of unease.

"Although our Crown Prince is the Crown Prince, he does not have his own fiefdom and has not been granted any land."

"There were indeed some when we were fighting abroad, but in recent years, in order to maintain the expenses of the Crown Prince's residence, they were all sold off by Steward Lin long ago."

"And...the selling price was relatively low."

Chen Changgeng immediately understood when he saw Mr. Ma's evasive eyes.

Manager Lin probably made a lot of money from this before.

"Okay, I understand."

"Do you know who those items were sold to? Compile a list for me."

"Leave the ledger here, you can go back to your work."

Ma San nodded with a sigh of relief and ran out with a grateful look on his face.

What he fears most is that the newcomers will make a big splash and then burn him instead.

The fawning attitude just now was naturally an attempt to please Chen Changgeng.

Seeing that Chen Changgeng was not going to make things difficult for him, he naturally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Such a big hole will probably be difficult to fill in a short time."

"The Crown Prince and Shen Qingci each have their own private accounts, but unless absolutely necessary, we certainly cannot ask them to settle these accounts."

If we really let them pay, wouldn't that make me look incompetent, unable to handle such a small matter?

What should we do then?

Now that the crown prince has been deposed, it's impossible for him to amass wealth from outside sources anymore.

Just as Chen Changgeng hesitated, the little eunuch guarding the gate ran over in a panic.

"Something terrible has happened, Master Steward!"

"The owners of several major money lending companies have arrived!"

"We're blocking the doorway, demanding to see you!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Changgeng's heart skipped a beat.

The previous head steward of the Crown Prince's residence had just left when they rushed to collect the debt.

This was clearly pre-arranged!

Well, Lin Dequan, you're really despicable!

While I was at the Crown Prince's residence, it was difficult for him to make a move against me. But as soon as I left the Crown Prince's residence, he started to make trouble for me!

Chen Changgeng's face darkened.

"Understood, please come to the side hall."

After saying that, Chen Changgeng turned his head and walked towards the side hall.