NFBE Chapter 45 Subsidizing the Maiden's Family
Chapter 45 Subsidizing the Maiden's Family
Qiao Qingshu sneered twice.
"They really dote on those widows and orphans, giving them the revenue from two shops directly. No wonder Xu Biyun and Liu Wan'er live such a comfortable life in my Qiao family."
Lai Da felt completely refreshed after listening to Qiao Qingshu's explanation. Qiao Qingshu had pointed out almost every dirty trick in Old Lady Qiao's account book without missing a single detail.
Lai Da looked at Qiao Qingshu with a hint of admiration.
He thought to himself, "Why does it have to be a girl? If a man had such knowledge and skills, would the Marquis's mansion have no future?"
Qiao Qingshu stood up, her back teeth grinding together.
The old woman kept complaining that the Marquis's mansion had been in debt for many years. She really thought the Marquis's mansion was poorly managed. It turns out that this old woman had been subsidizing her own family!
They started subsidizing the Qiao family after the old master passed away, and it has been almost twenty years now. These parasites are gnawing away at the Qiao family's wealth, and no matter how much wealth they have, it will eventually be squandered!
Thinking of how the Miao family's uncles and aunts would come to their door in groups during festivals to freeload, Qiao Qingshu felt a nameless anger rising in her heart.
Old Mrs. Qiao caused discord among the three sons of the Qiao family. The eldest son, Qiao Jishen, became a monk, and the third son, Qiao Jiye, who was born out of wedlock, was ostracized and forced to go far away from the capital to do business. The three brothers were deeply estranged and had not seen each other for many years.
The fourth aunt, who was born out of wedlock, was also arranged by Old Lady Qiao to be married off to Huizhou. However, Old Lady Qiao's own fifth aunt was arranged by her to be married off to the prominent He family.
The Qiao family's patriarch's generation, including uncles, aunts, and great-aunts—the legitimate relatives of the Qiao family—have become increasingly distant and neglected since Old Lady Qiao took over the family. The Qiao family line has become strained due to Old Lady Qiao's machinations, and there is much less interaction between them now.
However, the Qiao family's maternal relatives started to visit the Qiao family more and more frequently. Whenever they held a banquet, the Qiao family's proper relatives could only come for two tables, while the Miao family's poor relatives could manage to put together seven or eight tables!
It is said that one should marry a virtuous wife, for marrying an unvirtuous wife will bring disaster upon three generations!
Fushou Hall
While serving Old Madam Qiao her medicine, Granny Zou carefully inquired,
"Grandma, this household is for Sister Shu to manage. What if Sister Shu finds out..."
Old Madam Qiao was taking her medicine when she heard this, and a contemptuous smile appeared on her lips.
"She's just a little girl, she probably can't even read an account book. She's only seventeen, what kind of trouble can she cause?"
Madam Qiao had some concerns at first, and she specifically asked the people who used to serve in Bai's house. They all said that Bai had never taught Qiao Qingshu how to read accounts and manage the household. Only then did Madam Qiao feel at ease handing over the account books to Qiao Qingshu.
Although Qiao Qingshu is efficient and capable in handling matters, how could she possibly manage such a large household well without three to five years of experience in managing the household affairs?
When Old Mrs. Qiao first took over the reins of the family, even with the assistance of Old Master Qiao and the help of her mother-in-law, it still took her three years to fully manage the household affairs.
Even a woman from a prominent family like the Bai family was taught how to manage a household before marriage, and it took her almost two years to sort out all the relationships and accounts after taking over the Marquis's mansion.
Qiao Qingshu, a mere unmarried girl, ha!
Madam Qiao couldn't help but reveal a look of disdain.
Even if you tell Qiao Qingshu that there's a problem with the accounts, she probably won't be able to find the problem.
Madam Qiao drank the medicine in a good mood and then went back to sleep for a while.
Completely unaware that in Zhuqingxuan, Qiao Qingshu had already lifted up Old Madam Qiao's underwear and seen it all.
In her previous life, Qiao Qingshu not only managed the household affairs of the Xiao family, the Duke's mansion, for decades, but also later became empress, managing the inner palace for many years and assisting the court in its affairs.
In the small Qiao family mansion, Qiao Qingshu saw through all the intricacies and tricks in the account books in less than half an hour.
Qiao Qingshu had seen through all these petty tricks in the inner quarters of the household in her previous life; they posed no challenge whatsoever.
Qiao Qingshu rubbed her temples, a helpless smirk washing over her.
She had thought her grandmother was some formidable opponent with some superb skills, but it turned out she used only despicable and clumsy methods.
Qiao Qingshu didn't even bother to glance at the flawed ledger.
He waved to Lai Da, his attitude softening slightly.
"Butler Lai, stand up and speak."
Lai Da stood up and looked at Qiao Qingshu with eager eyes.
This was the first time he had ever looked forward to his master speaking.
Qiao Qingshu said slowly,
"It's time to settle these messy accounts. First, take the income from Xu Biyun's two shops and put it into the Zhonggong account. Find a cheaper job to repair the courtyard, and don't disturb the other three estates yet; I have my own plans."
Lai Da twisted his hands and frowned,
"It's already the end of the month for settlements. If we cut off Aunt Xu's income, she'll definitely find out within three days. Also, if we change the job of repairing the other courtyard, I'm afraid it will affect the Old Madam..."
Qiao Qingshu gave Lai Da a bright smile and looked at him confidently.
"Butler Lai, you just need to do it. If those shameless people pester you, just give them my name and let them come to me. I'll take care of them one by one."
Lai Da then seemed to have found his backbone and nodded.
I couldn't help but think to myself, "This should have been done a long time ago!"
If the eldest daughter can really change the bad habits of the Qiao family this time, there might still be hope for the Qiao family!
Qiao Qingshu lowered her eyes, pondered for a moment, then looked up and gave the order.
"The monthly allowances for the young masters and ladies and the old lady will remain unchanged, but the allowances for the other concubines will be adjusted from three taels to two taels of silver. This will begin next month."
Lai Da couldn't help but look up at Qiao Qingshu. Among the concubines in the Qiao family, Concubine He was a kind person, but Concubine Chen was someone who would get angry at the slightest provocation. Now that there was Xu Biyun as well, how could these two not cause trouble for Qiao Qingshu?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but worry about Qiao Qingshu. With so many things piling up, could this young lady handle it all?
Lai Da couldn't help but chime in with a reminder.
"Young lady, Aunt Chen is known for her tantrums and throwing tantrums, and Aunt Xu is pregnant..."
Qiao Qingshu simply smiled faintly at Lai Da and said slowly in a deep voice,
"If the person in charge is afraid of trouble, how can they manage the household? I'm afraid they won't come and cause trouble!"
With a confident and dignified air, he exuded the aura of a master, making Lai Da hold his breath and show respect.
After a moment, Qiao Qingshu seemed to remember something and asked again,
"Does my father know about my grandmother's financial support for her maternal family?"
At this point, Lai Da was completely in awe of Qiao Qingshu and had no guard up at all, answering her questions truthfully.
"Second Master was unaware of the old lady's financial support for her family, but he was informed about the shop given to Aunt Xu."
Qiao Qingshu considered it for a moment, then nodded and told Lai Da to go and get things done quickly.
Qiao Qingshu sat at her desk, silently calculating.
The Bai family brought a dowry of 300,000 taels, of which 200,000 taels have already been returned to the Bai family.
He also tricked the Qiao family into performing a religious ceremony for another 45,000 taels of silver. Now the Qiao family still owes his mother 55,000 taels of silver as dowry.
Qiao Qingshu didn't mention it to Old Lady Qiao, but she didn't intend to let the Qiao family off the hook.
The Qiao family will definitely return every single penny of her mother Bai's dowry!
After reviewing the Qiao family's accounts today, Qiao Qingshu has gained a preliminary understanding of the Qiao family's financial situation.