Binding Spring Love

"The monthly allowance for these servants alone is more than seven hundred taels, and when you add the monthly allowance for the masters, the expenditure exceeds one thousand taels."

"This doesn't even include the bonuses given to the servants."

Lin Jiayue flipped through the accounts in her hand. The monthly rewards for the servants were more than ten pages long. She roughly estimated that this item alone would add more than two hundred taels of silver.

"And then there's the house repairs, the supply of cloth, paper, ink, and other materials for the warehouses, the procurement of food..."

The accounts were dizzying and terrifying to look at.

"Although the Marquis's mansion still has a few profitable businesses and equally promising estates, those all depend on the weather and yield annual income. The income from my ice shop and rouge shop is now the main source of income for the Marquis's mansion."

Lin Jiayue pursed her lips, feeling increasingly unwilling.

The entire Marquis's mansion was almost entirely supported by her, yet she still had to be mindful of others' feelings at every turn.

With a bang, Lin Jiayue slammed the account book down, raising an eyebrow and sneering, "No wonder when we were playing cards, Madam kept praising me for being able to make money. I thought she was just saying that I could help her win at cards."

"Looking back now, she was actually talking about my two shops."

"No wonder she would always bring it up, intentionally or unintentionally, asking me to set up one or two more businesses. She was waiting for me to do this."

Lin Jiayue gritted her teeth, furious.

She thought she had managed to take over the household affairs because of her cleverness and wit, which made Jiang's mother so happy every day that she didn't even care about the old lady's life or death. Little did she know that the other party had planned ahead and was going to hand this hot potato to her.

After all, given this mess, if she really had any money-making projects, wouldn't she bring them out?

Lin Jiayue's face turned pale as she clenched her fists.

Jiang's mother was right; even if she didn't have any money-making businesses, she would create a few.

When she first entered the Marquis's mansion, the old lady and Jiang's mother treated her as if she didn't exist. No one even acknowledged her when she spoke; it was as if she didn't exist. But after she earned money from the ice shop and the rouge shop, how did Jiang's mother treat her? How did the servants treat her?

In the inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, she had no name, status, or background. If she wanted to surpass Song Wan, she had to prove that she was capable and held power in the mansion!

Lin Jiayue understands that one must prove their worth before they deserve to be looked up to, but...

She was simply unwilling to accept it.

Song Wan only has a better background than her, yet she can stand on the clouds without lifting a finger, while she has to support this group of vampires while trying her best to please them!

"Asabi..."

"I'm here."

Lin Jiayue lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she hesitated before speaking, "Now that I've become a concubine in the Marquis's mansion, what way can I leave if I want to?"

Qianbi was so frightened that she cried out and quickly stepped forward to cover her mouth.

"Auntie, please don't talk nonsense."

Qianbi wrapped her arms around Lin Jiayue and whispered in her ear, "Although I am illiterate, I understand human nature and reason. Aunt is different from ordinary women. You are a heroine, more capable than many men."

"In Xiuyan Pavilion, the aunt never treated us like servants. She ate and sat with us every day without ever showing any disdain."

"No matter how capable the concubine is, she can't get out of this inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion."

"Please don't think I'm being harsh, but I am of lowly status, no different from a servant. If I want to leave the master's household, I only have three options."

"They would either be sold off by their master for making a mistake, or be sent away by their master, or be given as a reward to other servants or guests of the manor."

"Servants who are sold off usually don't have a good ending; even if they don't die, they'll be severely injured. But the Marquis's mansion is benevolent and has never had a precedent of sending concubines to entertain guests."

Lin Jiayue murmured, "What about the third one?"

"Fleeing the residence without permission."

Qianbi said, "I have heard that some concubines have had affairs with servants and want to elope. But in a place like the Marquis's mansion, there is absolutely no way a concubine could escape."

"There are people everywhere in the mansion. Even if you get up at night and want to go for a walk in the courtyard, an old woman will come and ask you. Not to mention that there are side gates in each courtyard. Not only are there old women on watch at the side gates, but there are also patrolling people. Even if you are lucky enough to get out of Lan Courtyard, there is absolutely no way that you can leave the inner courtyard."

Qianbi squatted down and lowered her voice further: "Even if they really escape, they will definitely be caught and brought back within three days."

"Neither soldiers nor civilians, without a travel permit, can travel more than a hundred miles."

"My aunt has neither a household registration certificate nor a fish-scale charm; where can she obtain a travel permit?"

As she spoke, Qianbi burst into tears: "Auntie, please don't think such things. There is no better place in this world than the Marquis's mansion."

If Lin Jiayue escapes, she will be the first to die! No matter what, Qianbi must dissuade her from this idea.

"Now that you, my aunt, are deeply favored by the Marquis and have just taken over the management of the household, once you give birth to the Marquis's eldest son, the entire mansion will be under your control. At that time, what won't you, my aunt, have?"

"Madam, listen to my advice, and don't go astray."

Lin Jiayue raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her pale face and nodded to indicate that she understood.

Composing herself, she took out a charcoal pencil and paper and drifted off into thought.

One wrong step leads to another. Having unknowingly followed Jiang Xingjian into the Marquis's mansion, it will be difficult for her to leave now. Moreover, she truly has feelings for Jiang Xingjian and is unwilling to leave like this.

Suppressing her resentment, Lin Jiayue began to paint and draw.

The next morning, she took a stack of drawing paper to Jiangxiang Courtyard.

"How are you feeling today, Madam? Are you still feeling tired?"

Jiang's mother smiled and said, "It's much better."

Lin Jiayue smiled and said cheerfully, "Yue'er thought about it all night yesterday and came up with another shop that can make money."

"Oh?" Jiang's mother's eyes brightened, and her smile became much more sincere. "What kind of business is it?"

"Yue'er wants to open a shop selling general merchandise."

"groceries……"

Seeing that the smile on Jiang's mother's face had faded by seven or eight tenths, Lin Jiayue lowered her eyes to hide the coldness in them: "Yue'er's general store is different from ordinary people's. Everything sold in my store is unique in the entire capital... even in the whole world."

"Yue'er is just feeling uneasy and wants to ask Madam for a definite answer."

Upon hearing that it was the only one of its kind in the world, Jiang's mother knew that this business couldn't be too bad. She looked Lin Jiayue up and down, and after a moment said, "Tell me what you want."

"Jia Yue comes from a humble background and has no one to rely on. Although the lady and the marquis have treated me well, Yue'er is always fearful and uneasy."

"Although I am now in charge of the household affairs, I am still not able to hold the reins firmly."

Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother frowned slightly and pondered for a long time before having Yuanyang bring her a ivory tablet.

"This is my token. You may take it. From now on, you will be in charge of the household. However, you must be careful in your actions. If you are unsure about anything, you may ask me or the matrons in the household."

Lin Jiayue accepted it with a slight smile, then turned and left.

Seeing this, Jiang's mother's maidservant said worriedly, "What is Madam doing? Giving that little prostitute such great power? In the future, when the eldest mistress sees the ivory plaque that symbolizes your status, she will have to give way to her. In that case, you and the eldest mistress will be completely estranged."

"What difference does it make whether we're detached from the world or not?"

Jiang's mother sighed, "For a family like ours, there are only two purposes in marrying a wife. First, to establish a good marriage alliance, which can help Yi'er in his official career. Second, to ensure the continuation of the family line and the birth of someone to inherit the family business."

"Now that Song Wan can't do any of these things, what use is she to me? Besides..."

Gently pressing her temples, Jiang's mother's face was quite stiff: "What month is it now? Mid-Autumn Festival is still the time to present gifts to the empresses in the palace, and the Grand Master of Ceremonies has always had a frighteningly large appetite."

"In previous years, when Yi'er did not return, our Marquis's Mansion would grit our teeth and tighten our belts to send her off for the sake of the Empress. Last year, we even gave up our most promising estate. I was thinking that this year we would have to sell the tenant farmers' land, but who would have thought that a little slut would pop up and save me from my urgent problem."

Lying on the couch, rubbing her forehead, Jiang's mother said softly, "If it weren't for this little bit of money, I would have kicked her out of the manor on the spot during the grand banquet. Would I have allowed a lowly person like her to negotiate with me?"