My father-in-law is Kangxi

Chapter 1853: Continue to collect debts (rolling around asking for monthly tickets)

When Cao Shun left the Beile Mansion and returned to the Houpei Courtyard, he was starving.

Because there were so many families to settle their accounts with, I didn’t have time to eat lunch.

Now I am tired and hungry.

Dusk is falling and it is time to light the lamps.

In the north room, both Sun and Hui were there.

In front of Hui'er was a box filled with various children's toys, including porcelain figures, Western enamel animals, and many small objects made of shells.

Here, Sun was looking at the family account book.

There are three masters in the family, but there are more than a dozen servants.

Among them there were two concubines, one was Cao Shun's maid in his early years, and the other was the dowry of Hui Jie'er's biological mother. They were also half masters and could not be treated as ordinary maids.

The salary Cao Shun paid was not enough to support his family, so he had to use up his previous savings.

Sun watched and felt anxious for Cao Shun.

Hui Jie'er has her mother's dowry in her hands, but which family would not prepare a dowry for their daughter when she marries off?
Also, I will have children in the future and will also need money.

Sun understood that Huijie'er's wet nurse was wary of her.

This shows that the second branch of the Cao family has no money and is afraid of being taken advantage of by the rich. They are also afraid that Cao Shun will become their stepfather, so they want to equalize the rich and the poor.

"uncle……"

"Father……"

Seeing Cao Shun come in, Sun and Hui Jie'er both stood up.

When Cao Shun saw the things on the kang, he knew that Hui Jie'er's entry into the Prince's Mansion was probably settled.

These little gadgets are Huijie’s treasures. She loved to play with them in the past, but put them away when she grew up.

Now that it has been dug out, it should have been prepared to be given to the eldest princess.

Cao Shun greeted Sun and asked Hui Jie'er first: "You met the wife and the county lady today. What did the wife say to the county lady?"

Hui Jie'er told the truth: "Fu Jin asked me if I was willing to be a companion to the eldest princess. I said yes. The county lady didn't say anything, but asked the eldest princess to take me out to play..."

There was a hint of joy on her face.

Despite the age difference, the eldest princess is still a child, not an adult.

Since I came to Beijing, although I have a younger uncle in my grandfather's family, we are of different generations and have never gotten along with each other and cannot become close.

As for the eldest princess, Chunxia followed her stepmother to the mansion to pay respects and met the eldest princess several times.

The eldest princess is a lively child and enjoys being close to her.

Hui Jie'er has also become a little more childish and is looking forward to the day of entering the mansion.

Cao Shun heard this and said, "As long as you are happy, Fu Jin is a very tolerant person and will not force anyone."

"Uh-huh……"

Hui Jie nodded and said, "The county lady said that she will invite a master after the New Year. By then, my daughter won't have to move into the mansion, and it will be convenient for her to go home through the back corner door every day..."

At this point, she paused and said, "But the county lady said she would clear out a room for me to take a nap..."

After hearing this, Cao Shun felt more relieved.

Sun also had a smile on her face.

The wife is indeed kind and the county princess is also loving.

In front of Hui Jie'er, Sun was not in a hurry to mention the matter of working in the mansion.

After dinner, Hui Jie'er said goodbye and went back to the backyard.

Sun let out a sigh and slowly talked about her desire to work in the Prince's Mansion.

Although Shushu took the matter over with good intentions, Sun still told the truth.

This was her own plan, and she even asked Mrs. Xing to pass on the message without going through the master. If the master really blamed her, she would just bear the consequences.

"Sister Hui has a wet nurse by her side, and the master is busy all day long. I have nothing to do alone, so when I saw Sister-in-law Xing, I asked a few questions..."

Cao Shun listened carefully and looked at Sun with surprise.

It was really because Sun Wencheng's father-in-law left such a deep impression on him.

He was totally unlike a bannerman, with a rather dogmatic and rigid temperament, and the Sun he raised was also quiet and virtuous.

I forgot that Sun was also the eldest daughter and the eldest sister, and her uncle was the accountant of the Accounting Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It was common for women from the Imperial Household Department to serve in the palace, including many officials' wives.

It's not that Sun is unique in that she wants to work in the palace.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Sun was a little nervous. She held the handkerchief and said, "Fu Jin said that she was short of people around her, and Sister Xing had to take care of the little prince. Before, Sister Xing helped Fu Jin with everything in the inner account office..."

Cao Shun said hurriedly, "Isn't that perfect? ​​You happen to be good at this. There is a vacancy over there. From now on, you will be the accountant for Fu Jin."

Seeing that he had no objection, Sun was relieved, but a little worried: "Will that affect Master? Master is in the front and can see the accounts..."

Although the accounts of the Prince's Mansion and the Concubine's Mansion are two sets, what if the masters feel that they should avoid suspicion?
Cao Shun smiled and said, "I'm the master of ceremonies, not the accountant, so I won't get in the way."

Only then did Sun feel relieved, knowing that the matter should be settled.

"Fu Jin said that in the future, the internal accounting office will be located in front of Ning'an Hall, next to the young master's study..."

Cao Shun immediately understood Shushu's intention. He was worried that it would be inconvenient for the young woman from the Sun family to enter and leave the main courtyard.

When people’s hearts are evil, waves will arise even without wind.

She was placed in the east road, next to the county lord and the eldest princess, so others dared not to slander her.

He said, "That's perfect. The east road of Prince's Mansion is always quiet, and I can take care of Hui Jie'er..."

This way, we can have the best of both worlds...

The next day, the account office of the Ninth Prince's Mansion began to settle accounts with the nobles.

No one thought of making things difficult for the accountant.

Instead, they all feel a little scared.

How come you forgot to settle this family’s bill?
When I got to a family that was familiar with the Prince's Mansion, I thought a lot more.

For example, in Fushan's family, when Fushan was on duty in the palace, the housekeeper would report to the county lord.

Since this matter concerns the Beile Mansion, we have to be cautious.

The county lady frowned when she heard this and said, "It's almost New Year's Day, why haven't you settled the accounts yet?"

The housekeeper said, "When we were settling the accounts before, the Prince's Mansion didn't send anyone. The eldest lady said that there were only more than fifty taels of silver in total. It didn't seem like it was worth it to send it over voluntarily, so we put it aside..."

County Lord: “…”

There is no way to say whether this is right or wrong.

But that was the prince's shop, not an ordinary family's.

As subjects, shouldn't they take the initiative to settle the accounts?!

Is this acceptable?
The county lady felt upset and told the housekeeper, "Forget it this time. From now on, if it involves the Second Master and the Prince's Mansion, you don't have to report it to the Grand Madam. Report it directly to me, or report it to the Duke..."

The housekeeper took note, went to the front to settle the account with the accounting office, and also gave a tea envelope worth five taels of silver and delivered it personally.

"It's all because of my old age that I forgot about this account. I won't bother you next year..."

The accountant received the order from the Ninth Prince and said politely, "It was because our master thought that the epidemic had not subsided at the beginning of the month and it was not convenient to send people to the house, so it was late to settle the accounts this year..."

As for next year, they won't need to settle the accounts.

When we got to Ma Qi, he was at home.

When he heard that someone had come to settle the accounts, and that he was from the Ninth Prince's Mansion, he also brought some new things and asked someone to take them directly to the study.

After checking the account book and seeing the total amount of sixteen taels, six qian and five fen, Ma Qi made a decision.

This Ninth Prince really took us by surprise.

This is fine, be open and honest.

Ma Qi asked someone to prepare money for the account office and asked, "How many households have been cleared in total? How many households have not been cleared yet?"

The accountant also knew that this prime minister was not someone else, but his master's teacher and Lord Fuqing's father, so he answered honestly: "Lord Cao came out yesterday to settle the accounts of 18 clan members, and today I will continue to settle the accounts. Lord, this is the third family among the nobles, and there are still 25 families..."

Ma Qi nodded and said, "You've worked hard, don't delay any longer, get busy!"

"I'll take my leave..."

The accountant agreed and was taken away.

"The clan members and the nobles... settle the accounts..."

Ma Qi muttered to himself, with a hint of smile in his eyes.

A wise man will lose one thing after a thousand worries, and a fool will gain one thing after a thousand worries.

Ever since the Ninth Prince left the Upper Study, he seems to have had good luck...

*
The Ma Qi family is the third family, the Fushan family is the second family, and the first family is the Tong family.

The Tong family did not report to Orondei, but reported to Buxi instead.

Not to mention that his master is the emperor's uncle and one of the uncles of all the princes, just the fact that the Ninth Lady and the Fifth Princess are very close, so asking for the debt seems a bit abrupt.

Could it be that the people below were blind and offended the Ninth Prince?
Bu Xi had dealt with the Ninth Prince before and knew that uncle was a straightforward person and not the type to play tricks.

Besides, there are differences in status, and the Ninth Prince doesn’t need to play tricks on them.

Clear the accounts, that is clear the accounts.

He asked, "How much money do you owe? Why didn't you pay it off before?"

He was a little worried about the income of the mansion, afraid that there would not be enough money, but he didn't think it was necessary.

The accountant said, "According to the rules of the mansion, all accounts are settled annually. There is an account of 146 taels, 8 qian and 4 fen..."

Bu Xi felt something was wrong and asked, "What kind of shop is this? You've been paying off the bill for a year, and you only have this little money?"

The housekeeper said, "It's a vegetable shop. The mansion orders fruits and vegetables from there in the summer, vegetables from the cave in the winter, and some pickled vegetables that are not available outside in the spring and autumn."

Bu Xi thought about it carefully, looked at the housekeeper and said, "Remember this. Starting next year, don't wait for the Prince's Mansion to settle the accounts. Ask the accountant to go over and settle the accounts before Laba."

The housekeeper was a little hesitant after hearing this, and said, "Madam said that we are not allowed to buy vegetables from Master Jiu's shop next year, and we are asked to change to another one."

Bu Xi was so angry that his face turned red. He said, "Change to another family just to settle the debt with the Prince's Mansion? Are you planning to default on the debt? The Prince's Mansion doesn't even have money to buy vegetables now?"

I really can't imagine that I would have such an idea.

This guy is so bold that he wants to take advantage of the Ninth Prince.

The housekeeper said hurriedly, "Madam didn't intend to default on the debt, but she was not happy about it and was angry that the Ninth Prince's Mansion had to pay the debt at this time."

Boo Hee was speechless.

He is the prince, not a relative or friend. If he feels ashamed, it is his own fault...

The accountants of the Ninth Prince's Mansion were running around the capital, and the debt collection matter spread from the Zhenglan Banner to the entire Eight Banners.

The Zhenglan Banner clan members who had been cleared of their accounts before felt a little complicated.

The Ninth Prince still has a sense of hierarchy.

The chief master of ceremonies came over to take care of the clan relatives' accounts and also brought the ninth prince's own invitation.

If it was the accounts of a noble family, it would just be the accountant who would come to their door.

The key point is that he really doesn't recognize any relatives.

Not only did he not acknowledge them, he also ignored all his in-laws.

The Orondei family, the Fushan family, the Maqi family...

The royal family, the emperor's confidants, and the cabinet elders, without exception, were all "cleared"...