MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 70

Glossary

·Qin Yuan (秦鸢): The female protagonist, Marquise of the Dingbei Marquis Household.

·Gu Jinghui (顾靖晖): The male protagonist, the Marquis.

·Hongye (红叶): Qin Yuan's personal maidservant.

·Cuiming (翠茗): Qin Yuan's personal maidservant.

·Lu Mama (卢妈妈): The stewardess in charge of the needlework room.

·Rong Mama (容嬷嬷): Old Madame Gu's trusted attendant.

·Xiao Hong (小红): A young maid from the main house.

·Manager Leng (冷掌柜): Manager of the Gu family's spice shop, Ranxiang Ju.

·Cai Mama (蔡妈妈): A stewardess in charge of repairs.

·Gu Shiliu (顾十六): Gu Jinghui's personal attendant.

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Chapter 70: Truly Formidable

At this point, Lu Mama could no longer afford to worry about saving face.

Nothing was more important than keeping her position.

If she lost her post, her family would resent her to death.

Each position was filled; securing a post in the estate wasn't easy. If she lost her stewardess status today, tomorrow she could only be the one ordered around. Her children and grandchildren would also lose their advantages, and opportunities would pass to others.

Having thrown her weight around for so many years, Lu Mama didn't even dare imagine that taste.

Lu Mama turned and looked pleadingly at the other stewardesses beside her.

The stewardesses all avoided her gaze, not daring to speak up and plead for her.

The Marquise's move was truly formidable.

Who could have imagined that the Marquise, who seemed as tender and delicate as a flower, could be so shrewd and experienced, acting as swiftly as thunder?

Even Sixth Madame Gu, with her years of household management experience, couldn't achieve this.

They had no particular rapport with Qin Yuan and were intimidated by this display. They didn't dare speak up and risk misfortune, afraid they might be next.

None of their own records were entirely clean.

If investigations started...

Qin Yuan said, "What is this? Cuiming, quickly help Lu Mama up and let her rest to the side."

Cuiming hurried forward to help Lu Mama up and support her to the side, saying softly, "The Madame only asked you to sort out the accounts. Whenever you have them sorted out, you can come find the Madame."

Lu Mama's lips trembled as she whispered hoarsely, "But this old slave's position..."

Cuiming said helplessly, "The work cannot wait. Is the account reconciliation very difficult for you, Lu Mama?"

Lu Mama was struck dumb.

She couldn't say she couldn't sort it out.

If she said she couldn't, and they started digging into those old accounts again, given the Marquise's meticulousness, where would her way out be?

Her entire family might even be implicated and sent to the estate farms.

Clenching her teeth, trembling, Lu Mama grabbed Cuiming's hand and whispered pleadingly, "Good girl, I know you are the most respected person before the Madame. I beg you to think of a way. I cannot lose this position. My family situation is different from others; you'll know if you inquire a little."

Cuiming couldn't pull her hand free and had to say helplessly, "The Madame has other instructions. Come find me later."

Lu Mama glanced gratefully at Cuiming, feeling slightly more settled. She stood to the side with her hands at her sides, waiting for Qin Yuan to finish the morning meeting.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

But Qin Yuan, after handling all the other stewardesses' business, still had more to say.

"Today, people charged into Wutong Yuan one after another. Have you forgotten the rules I established?"

Qin Yuan had the matrons guarding the gate brought before her. She only asked this one question, didn't listen to their excuses, and said, "You made a mistake, so you must be punished. Considering it's your first offense, the punishment will be lighter. If there is a next time, you will not be lenient."

The matrons pleaded for mercy repeatedly, but it was useless. They were uniformly pressed onto benches, and Hongye supervised the execution of the punishment. Each received twenty strikes with the disciplinary cane, not daring to cry out.

Hongye reprimanded them from the side, "The Madame is the master. The rules she sets, you must obey. If today you make a mistake and come begging for mercy, tomorrow he makes a mistake and also comes begging, and the Madame forgives them all, wouldn't this courtyard fall into chaos?"

Qin Yuan sat to the side with a cold face, not making a sound.

Seeing this, the stewardesses felt even more fearful.

Lu Mama watched, her whole body trembling. Despite the hot weather, cold sweat actually soaked through her back.

Finally, after Qin Yuan finished dealing with Wutong Yuan's affairs and the matrons were taken away, the stewardesses gathered around Qin Yuan with ingratiating smiles. "Madame, we know you are involved in the pepper trade and would also like to invest shares. We beg you to let us profit alongside you."

Qin Yuan smiled lightly.

This smile was like the spring breeze blowing,causing peonies to bloom.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

They felt a mix of affection, respect, and fear toward this Madame.

They all cursed their own foolishness inwardly.

Even if such a beauty were a simpleton, she wasn't someone they could afford to slight.

The Marquis wasn't blind. How could they have thought the Madame couldn't compete with that Zhao woman?

They truly had lard clouding their hearts.

They heard Qin Yuan say softly, "Those of you willing to invest shares, go find Hongye. This pepper business is just an idea I had; I don't even know where the pepper is yet, and you all want to buy shares. You must understand, in business, there are no guaranteed profits without losses. If you lose your capital, don't come crying."

"How could that happen?" the others fawned. "Madame, rest assured, we are not children who have never experienced things. We understand all this."

Qin Yuan nodded slightly. "That's good. Do you have any other matters? If not, I will return to rest. The sun is growing stronger, and it's giving me a headache."

Hearing this, everyone felt that her icy, snowy skin, sitting in the courtyard, would indeed be a pity if tanned.

"Please return, Madame. Having Hongye explain to us is sufficient."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Only then did Qin Yuan, delicate as willow tendrils swaying in the wind, return to the main chamber.

Hongye remained in the courtyard, busy writing receipts for the stewardesses and clarifying the terms.

As if by prior agreement, each person invested fifty taels of silver.

Just as she finished here, several other stewardesses arrived, also seeking to buy shares.

They happened to meet together.

Hongye was busy for another half-hour before finally sorting out the accounts. Counting them, she discovered that every stewardess in the estate had invested fifty taels.

"These people acted as if they had discussed it," Hongye brought the account book for Qin Yuan to see.

Qin Yuan glanced at it and said, "Nothing strange about that."

Hongye said, "Will the Young Lady say again that you anticipated it long ago?"

In the past, the Young Lady was also very intelligent, but not like now, where she could foresee everything.

Could getting engaged and marrying someone change a person so much?

But the Second Young Lady still had the same brain ailment as before.

Gu Jinghui, not far away holding a book scroll, coughed lightly but meaningfully, the threat heavy in the sound.

Hongye immediately changed her words, "Did the Madame already guess this would happen?"

Qin Yuan said, "Does this even require guessing? They all want to show me goodwill. I already told them even Manager Leng isn't optimistic about the pepper business, so naturally, they can only contribute a small amount."

"Then why fifty taels specifically?"

"You asked Gu Shiliu for fifty taels to invest, and Cai Mama saw it and also contributed fifty. They naturally followed the example."

Hongye laughed. "So Gu Shiliu and I are involved in this too."

Cuiming, having calmed and sent off Lu Mama, returned and said, "The Madame frightened Lu Mama terribly. I saw her legs were weak when she left."

Qin Yuan said, "Later, please invite Rong Mama to come sit with us. Say the Marquis has matters to consult her about. I still don't clearly understand the backgrounds of everyone in this estate. I can only ask Rong Mama to find out."

After a pause, she added, "Also summon Xiao Hong."

Hongye asked, "Are we going to use that child now?"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Qin Yuan nodded. "I noticed she coaxed them away with just a few words. Perhaps the small age gap helps; children communicate better with children. It might be good to let her spend more time with those two children, to save the Marquis from worrying."

Gu Jinghui put down the book whose page he hadn't turned for half the day and said, "I wasn't worried."

(End of Chapter)

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Translator's Note: check out my other work— The Marquis’s Beloved is a Black-Hearted Lotus and Rebirth as the Matriarch of a Noble Family (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

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