Chapter 561: The Wicked Slave Offends His Master

said the Third Princess, smoothing her cloak and looking towards the brightly lit splendor of the Rong Hua Palace.The Consort has always been modest and never vied for favor, even after giving birth t..."No, Your Majesty…" The Marquis hurried to object, but was cut off by the Emperor waving his hand. "Cousin need not speak further, my mind is made up."

The Marquis sighed and after a moment said, "If anyone asks, the Emperor will definitely say that I proposed this."

The Emperor smiled, “Brother, you came to the palace today, and I’m about to conscript young men from noble families into the army. I'm afraid that even without saying this, everyone would guess who is responsible.”

The Marquis also smiled, “Yes, I was confused too.”

After some casual chatter, the Marquis said, "Funiu is still at the mansion. I'll head back now."

The emperor recalled the basket of fragrant melons and immediately said, "Yesterday, Suzhou sent a lot of good things. Pick some to take back and make clothes for Fu Niuer."

The Marquis was not at all polite and replied, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Yi Zongguan came in with a discerning eye, smiling as he led the Lord out.

Some eunuchs and palace maids came forward to serve the Emperor with new tea, but they were waved away by the Emperor.

The Emperor paced back and forth in the room, his hands clasped behind his back, calculating the number of offspring each family had, pondering which families he could squeeze more silver from.

Although he was hesitant at first, once he made a decision, he would never go back on it.

Moreover, he was the emperor. He worried every day about the empty national treasury, while those aristocratic families lived in extravagance and pleasure, oblivious to the world.

Since they have enjoyed the blessings that the common people cannot enjoy, they naturally must also endure the same hardships as the common people!

Halfway through his calculations, he suddenly stopped, then smiled and said softly, "Brother, you're still the same old brother!"

The Lord brought back over ten fine horses, got into a carriage, and headed back to the Hou Mansion.

In the eyes of those officials waiting outside the palace gates for an audience, it was beyond envy.

Someone said, "Xin Ting Hou is probably going to be called Xin Ting Gong soon. The emperor trusts him so much, it's truly remarkable."

“Indeed, Marquis Xinting is commanding tens of thousands of troops. He has triumphed again this time, so the Emperor will naturally shower him with even greater favor.” Another official chimed in.

But some sourly said, “I hear that this campaign resulted in a massive loss of soldiers. They claim to have killed 1,000 enemy troops but lost 800 of their own! How can that be considered a victory Such victories built on the lives of soldiers – anyone could achieve them if they were given command!”

The way this is said doesn't sound right, the other two dared not chime in, quickly changing the subject...

Without saying anything about their heated discussions, let's just say that the Hou residence's carriages left in front of the imperial palace gates.

The Lord slowly closed the carriage window as he saw the palace roof disappear from view.

People, only childhood friendship is the purest.

As we grow up, this kind of sentiment will inevitably change.

That six-year-old royal cousin, he would trust wholeheartedly.

But the emperor's cousin, who possessed the Heavenly Martial Arts, would harbor suspicions and guard against him.

So, forget about loyalty and all that.

At any time, it's always about the benefits.

Just like today, the benefits are enough, even the Emperor willingly be used to help him clean up the Wu family…

In the main hall of Hou's mansion, dozens of account books were piled high. The shopkeepers and managers from each store were all waiting outside the door.

In the house, Jiayin brought Shui Ling and Shui Yun, as well as the head steward who had been clicking his abacus incessantly for half an hour.

Finally, five ledgers were chosen.

Jia Yin said, “Butler, these ledgers have problems. The amounts are incorrect. At least one is off by over two hundred taels.”

The steward had just finished calculating a ledger and his face was now very grim.

He often reprimanded those in charge and the storekeepers, fearing they might become greedy. Moreover, the Hou Mansion paid them a high wage, and at the end of the year, there was also a bonus of one percent from the shop's profits.

To their surprise, they still did such a foolish thing!

He walked to the door with a dark face and beckoned all the shopkeepers to enter. Then he called out five shopkeepers whose accounts had problems.

The shopkeepers, with something fishy going on in their minds, naturally wore a look of apprehension. But when they saw that it was a little girl of a few years old seated at the head, they regained their courage.

If they faced the Marquis, they would immediately beg for mercy and atonement.

But a little girl... they still have a chance.

One of the shopkeepers chuckled and was the first to speak, "My Lady, is there something you wish to request from us old servants"

“Yes,” Jiayin responded crisply, grabbing a piece of pastry and munching on it while saying, “Your account is short three hundred and eighty taels. Spit it out willingly. When your foster father returns, I'll plead for you. I won’t have you beaten, and I might even let you go home to retire.”

The shopkeeper turned dark, coldly refuting, “Miss, you jest. This old servant has served the Hou Mansion for thirteen years, and this shopkeeper has done so for thirteen years as well. The account books have never shown any problems. Why are there issues now that you’re checking”

"If the County Master doesn't like this old servant, and wants to change someone to be the manager, just tell me directly. As long as the Marquis agrees, this old servant will immediately give up the position."

"Audacity!" The steward's eyes widened at once, and he rebuked the shopkeeper loudly, "Who gave you the guts to speak to the County Princess like this The Marquis has already given his order, that the entire Hou Mansion is under the control of the County Princess. If the County Princess wants to replace you, there is no need for such an excuse!"

"That's not necessarily true. After all, the county princess doesn't have the surname Ye. She probably wants to replace the old servant and find someone with the surname Li to take over." The shopkeeper was also a stubborn person, perhaps relying on his seniority, he spoke rudely.

Everyone initially thought that the county princess would get angry or burst into tears, after all, she was just a child and couldn't be as calm as an adult.

But they all guessed wrong. The county princess still smiled and ate her snacks, not angry at all.

She raised her hand, pinched the ledger between two fingers, and threw it to the shopkeeper, saying, "On page twenty, the balance was eighteen taels and six cents, but by the end of the book, it became ten taels and six cents. Where did the eight taels go"

The shopkeeper's face changed, he took the account book but didn't open it, replying, "Perhaps this old slave was momentarily blinded and saw wrongly."

“Once wrong, twice wrong, could it be that you got it wrong ten times” Jia Yin patted the crumbs on her hands and looked at him seriously, saying, “Alright, even if you made a mistake, it’s possible. But you are in charge of the restaurant, during the summer, eggs were three copper coins for two, how come your purchase invoice shows five copper coins each It’s impossible to buy more, but the price is higher instead Not only are the eggs, pork, mutton, fresh fish and all kinds of greens priced much higher, how do you explain this”

Finally, the shopkeeper began to feel afraid. Faking purchase records and skimming profits had been his routine for years.

He never expected to be outsmarted by a child of just a few years old.

"This, this..." He couldn't find an excuse for a moment, but Jia Yin was too impatient to waste any more time talking to him.

If you're going to be shameless, then don't have any face.

"Butler, give this man twenty lashes and tie him up until my foster father returns to deal with him."

"Yes, my lady," the steward was also angry. These people doing such a foolish thing, it was slapping him in the face again.

As he was speaking, a guard was summoned and, grabbing the shopkeeper by the arm, dragged him out.

The other shopkeepers were terrified, their faces pale.

Just at this moment, the Marquis returned from the palace.

The shopkeeper, as if he had seen a savior, rushed over. "My lord, save the old slave! The county lady is going to kill the old slave!"

Here are three chapters.sand troops marched north, with thirty thousand carrying supplies ahead of them. Ten thousand logistical personnel also set off, leaving only sixty thousand elite iron cavalry behind. Each soldier was...