After seeing off Shen Miaolian, Jintong looked around with a smile on his face and changed the topic: "Maids, please explain the matters at hand to me clearly."
Seeing Jintong send Shen Miaolian to the family temple in just a few words, alarm bells rang in the hearts of the four housekeepers, and they all reported every detail to Jintong in great detail.
Jintong listened for more than half an hour, then he gently put the tea cup in his hand on the table, and asked Aunt Zeng in a low voice and slowly: "In the past two months, there have been weddings and banquets at home. Guests, or my wife is sick, it is normal for the kitchen expenses to be dozens of times more than usual. Can Aunt Zeng explain to my wife, how can there be two people in this house of 266 people, including my wife? Who eats five hundred tons of polished rice in a month? How precious is polished rice, and one stone costs twenty-four taels of silver?"
"Madam, I don't know. Master Qi is used to eating imperial rouge rice, so the house always prepares imperial rouge rice. This year, the harvest in Ning'an is not good, and the price of rice is twice as expensive as usual. Master Qi When we got married, we held a wedding banquet for three days and invited 300 tables, which is why the monthly expenses are so high." Grandma Zeng quibbled with twinkling eyes.
Jintong smiled as if he suddenly understood: "That's it! I have heard that the former Marquis of Xiping was able to carry a cauldron and could eat half a bushel of rice in one meal. Now it seems that everyone in our Marquis's residence and the guests, regardless of gender, old or young, are like this A hero like the Marquis of Xiping can eat half a dou of rice in one meal. Tsk, tsk, tsk, it’s a pity that I couldn’t see it with my own eyes! Aunt Zeng, why don’t you eat half a dou of rice so that I can see it and open my eyes? Okay? I don’t care about the crime of a domestic slave like you, who violated your identity and ate the royal rouge rice without knowing the seriousness of it!"
A bucket of rice weighs about 12 kilograms. Grandma Zeng would have to be reincarnated as a pig in her next life to complete the task, which is impossible in this life!
Besides, in this era of strict hierarchy, the royal offering of rouge rice could only be eaten by officials of second rank or above and concubines of royal rank. If one was not of high official rank and secretly ate it, he would be held accountable if he considered it seriously! What’s more, Grandma Zeng was just a domestic slave. , not even considered a good citizen.
The more Grandma Zeng listened, the less familiar she was. She knew that Jin Tong was not easy to fool, but she and Aunt Shen had controlled the dining room for these years, and the embezzled money had fallen into her pocket and was shared with Aunt Shen.
She was widowed in her early years and had only one son. She relied on the kindness of the old lady to help her son escape from slavery and become a good citizen. The money she embezzled was used to buy property for her son. It was absolutely impossible for her to confess and come up with it, so she had to hang her head. He tried his best to defend himself: "Madam, that's not how we calculate it. Our daily life in the Marquis Mansion..."
Jintong had a pretty face, and threw the teacup in his hand straight at her forehead, interrupting Nanny Zeng's explanation: "Aunt Cai, take the kitchen account book and go with Ningzi to the merchant who supplies the kitchen in our house. Check them one by one! From the Wu Ning family, you and Su Bai go to the kitchen together and count all the items in the kitchen."
Grandma Zeng was holding a dripping tea on her head, and there were still a few tea leaves stuck to her forehead. She didn't dare to wipe it off with her hands. She was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Madam, old slave..."
Jintong said with a smile: "Mother Zeng, stop kowtowing! The truth will be revealed when the accounts come in. Seeing as you also helped my wife buy twelve catties and seven taels of fine blood swallows, If I have wronged you, I will personally serve you tea and apologize!"
Nanny Zeng felt her whole body sore. She didn't buy the blood swallow at all, so she gave Shanhai Qizhenzhai's accountant fifty taels of silver and asked him to help make a fake bill and help resell the ten kilograms of blood swallow she got from the warehouse.
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The other three housekeepers were silent, watching Jintong look at the stack of body deeds intentionally or unintentionally, knowing that Jintong was serious about it!
"My wife heard that Lord Pingning used military law to run the family, and she thought that the Marquis's mansion must be like an iron bucket, watertight. Even if my wife is ill in bed, it will not have any impact. Who knows! Huh!" Jintong said in a pair of black and white eyes.
Xingyan glanced around very sharply: "Fortunately, Jingbei Marquis Mansion is also a military law house, and I am the best at killing and killing!"
Jintong slapped the body contract hard, and his voice suddenly rose: "Fifteen minutes! Everyone, take care of yourself!"
Among them, Aunt Jiang, who was in charge of the warehouse, was the first to tremble and knelt down: "Madam, you are not feeling well during this period. There are many people coming to visit you at home, and there are also a lot of gifts! I don't know when, there were more than ten people missing from the warehouse.
Various vases, a set of tea sets, and during the three days of the wedding banquet, hundreds of objects were scattered and broken. This number was really much more than usual, so the old slave wanted to hide it first and wait until next time.
Slowly divide it over a few months and clear the accounts. The old slave has not been strict in management and deceived the madam. I hope the madam will do more!" Aunt Jiang knew that she would not be able to get away with a punishment, so she did not dare to ask Jintong for forgiveness.
Wu Qiuyun, a relative of Wu An's family, quietly moved to Wu An's side: "Second sister-in-law, are you serious about this?"
Wu Anjia brushed her hand away calmly and whispered expressionlessly: "What did you do? Tell me frankly."
Wu Qiuyun snorted and moved back. Only a fool would spit out the meat he ate! She didn't believe it anymore. How powerful could Jintong be? As long as she didn't say anything, who could find out what was wrong?
"I'll ask Yanhong Qiaolu to check the warehouse numbers again with you. Do you have any objections?"
"Old slave, go to the warehouse immediately with Miss Yanhong and Miss Qiaolu!" Aunt Jiang and a few stewards hurried back to the warehouse. Wu Qiuyun despised Aunt Jiang for not being intimidated and followed at the end.
Cui Jue had quietly cleaned up the debris on the ground, and brought another cup of tea to Jin Tong. Jin Tong took a sip, and the fresh smell of chrysanthemum could clear away heat and reduce fire. These maids of hers are really treasure girls, smart and intelligent.
She is considerate and considerate. Since she has Jintong's body, she must help them make good plans to ensure that they are safe for the rest of their lives.
Aunt Jiang started, and people kept kneeling down and confessing, confessing all kinds of trivial things, from breaking something and hiding it secretly, to being lazy, drinking and gambling during the night watch.
Most of the slaves who had colluded with Shen Miaolian remained motionless. Jintong only asked Wu An, the housekeeper, to write it down and deal with it together when it was verified. Wu An bowed his head and promised.
She looked at Aunt Chu, who was in charge of the fabrics and needlework in the mansion: "Aunt Chu, since the seventh day of last month, there have been several heavy rains. The windows in the warehouse have been re-pasted with new screens. Why is there no account reported to the middle school? Jewelry
Over there in the room, why are most of the red gold jewelry not sorted one by one, but just put together and weighed? You guys usually do it so perfunctorily?"
Aunt Chu answered without being humble or overbearing: "Back to Madam, the window screens used in all the warehouses in the house are the same, so I buy ten rolls at a time, and then buy new ones when they are used up. Most of the red gold jewelry are the trophies of the Seventh Master before, and the styles are bulky.
There are many damages. Master Qi has ordered us to weigh them all together. When Madam has time, we can see what new jewelry items we want to make and follow Madam's arrangements."
"Well, then just weigh the quantity again and hand it over to Aunt Cai once it's clear."
"Old slave, take your orders!" Aunt Chu led everyone in the sewing room to leave. Her assistant, Ye Qinglan, had something in her heart. She woke up only when Aunt Chu was about to leave the door, and hurriedly saluted Jintong and left.
"Let's go have our own meals first. Butler Wu, please give me orders. Anyone who didn't come to Jiqing Hall today will be given five strokes as a punishment. As for those who are late, I won't care about it for now. The four stewards, I will give you.
Your time, you must verify all the numbers before the tenth day of the lunar month. On the tenth day of the lunar month, all the people in the mansion, except Wu Ping's subordinates, will gather at the Jiqing Hall! Anyone who has the courage to not come or is late will be given ten sticks and sent to the farm!"
Jintong said a few words to Wu An, then led his people and left with a domineering attitude of stepping out of the underworld and killing people.
There was a dead silence in Jiqing Hall, and it was not until Jintong could no longer see his back that Mother Liu dared to approach Wu An and ask for countermeasures.
"According to what Madam said, sort out the numbers. If there is anything that doesn't match up or something secretly done, don't hide it. Tell Madam the truth! Aunt Liu, those restless men under you, don't be merciful!" Wu An gave kind advice.
After a few words, he limped away.
This lunch was the most enjoyable and enjoyable for everyone in Yanbo Haomiaoxuan!
The entire Hou Mansion acted vigorously and resolutely, and every day slaves with bad behavior were found guilty and sent to the execution room for imprisonment. Those who voluntarily confessed on the fifth day of the lunar month were mostly fine.