Chapter 12: The Roster

"You’re going to Yangzhou?"

Wang Xifeng was shocked. "Then what about me?"

How long had they even been married?

"Aunt said I should go take a look first. If it works out, you can go too."

Jia Lian smiled cheekily. "It’s Jiangnan, isn't it? Don't you want to see Jiangnan?"

Wang Xifeng: "..."

She was a little tempted.

But she didn't know what the future held, and now, she and her husband were about to be separated by a great distance.

"I don't want you to leave."

As she leaned into Jia Lian, her voice took on a nasal tone; it was clear she was on the verge of tears.

Jia Lian hurriedly hugged her tight. "I don't want to leave you either. How about we go find the Old Matriarch and tell her you’re coming with me, and we can pay a visit to Aunt while we're at it?"

The Old Matriarch doted on Aunt, and since he wasn't going just to play around, maybe she would agree?

"...But what about the household?"

Wang Xifeng hesitated.

If her husband wasn't home, the power to manage the household would fall into her hands!

"Is the household... more important than me?"

Jia Lian looked at his wife with a pitiful expression.

"Of course it's not more important than you."

Wang Xifeng knew how to coax him. "But if we both leave, will there be any place for our First Branch in this Rongguo Mansion?"

The reason she had been able to get her hands on the management power so quickly, besides her aunt being the mistress of the Second Branch, was primarily because she was the daughter-in-law of the First Branch.

If she and Jia Lian both left home, then Sister-in-law Zhu, Li Wan, would certainly be brought up by the Old Matriarch and Aunt to manage the household.

By then, would there be any place for them in this Rongguo Mansion?

"..."

Jia Lian didn't speak; he slowly tightened his embrace around his wife.

"Forget it. You go to Yangzhou first and buy the sacrificial fields for the school's future offerings!"

Wang Xifeng sighed. "We'll deal with the future when it comes."

"Mm!"

Jia Lian’s voice was muffled.

"Besides the matter of the sacrificial fields, what else did Aunt say?"

Wang Xifeng changed the subject. "How is her health now?"

"Aunt's health seems fine."

Thinking of how Zhen-dage’s request for an audience had been rejected, Jia Lian added quickly, "While I'm away, you should visit Aunt often. If there’s anything you don't understand, or anything difficult to handle, you can ask her."

"...Alright!"

Wang Xifeng certainly wouldn't go asking.

Managing a household was just a matter of following the rules.

Given her status, the servants wouldn't dare to fool her.

"By the way, Aunt and Zhen-dage were both so furious today. Did they cause a scene when they got home?"

"They probably did."

Jia Lian felt a bit of schadenfreude. "Zhen-dage asked to see Aunt, but she wouldn't even let him into the courtyard."

Wang Xifeng: "..."

She couldn't help but blink.

"I originally wanted to plead for him, but then I thought, he didn't say a single word for me in front of Father today, so I didn't say anything."

Jia Lian’s mood improved slightly. "Hmph, no matter how imposing he was to others today, he’ll be dealt with just as miserably once Jing-dabo returns."

"...Will Jing-dabo really use the rod?"

"Nine times out of ten," Jia Lian said. "Unless he manages to coax Aunt before Jing-dabo finds out."

Wang Xifeng: "..."

Why did she feel a bit envious?

"Tomorrow, he’ll probably have to carry a bundle of thorns to Aunt’s courtyard to beg for forgiveness."

Jia Lian prepared to watch the show. "Hmph, I bet Aunt won't even let him into the courtyard until he’s begged three times." The Aunt of today was not the Aunt of before. "The Old Matriarch and the mistresses of the mansion might not want to interfere with the East Mansion for the time being because of Baoyu’s schooling and the donations."

He would be leaving in two days at the latest.

Jia Lian was worried about the house. "Aunt has always liked you. You should run over to the East Mansion more often. When Zhen-dage goes to beg for forgiveness for the second time, help persuade her a little."

It hurts the mother when the child is struck.

He knew how much Aunt had doted on Zhen-dage in the past.

"Give Aunt a way to step down, and she might be a little less angry."

"Got it."

A glimmer of amusement flashed in Wang Xifeng’s eyes. "Zhen-dage is a bit slow!"

Not as smart as her husband.

"Haha, you must never say that out loud."

Jia Lian was in high spirits. "Just say it to me."

"I'm not stupid!"

Wang Xifeng hugged him tighter. "Er-ye, let's stop talking about others." There had been no movement from the East Mansion yet; perhaps it was Aunt’s test for Zhen-dage and You-sao. If that was the case, she had ways to help them. "You're about to leave, and we... mm~"

Before she could finish her sentence, her lips were sealed by Jia Lian.

We shall leave the spring scenery here for now. Outside his mother’s courtyard, Jia Zhen, who had stood there longingly for half a day without receiving any pity, had no choice but to return to his quarters.

This time, he didn't go to the outer courtyard; he truly returned to his own.

"Daye!"

Lady You, who usually greeted him the moment she heard he was back, had already heard the reports from the maids, yet this time she was still holding a ledger, recording something. "Wait a moment, I'll be done in a second."

Jia Zhen: "..."

He kicked a stool over and sat down opposite her, wanting to shout, "Do you think I’ve given you too much face?"

But thinking of his mother, Jia Zhen swallowed the words deep down.

His mother was already angry with him; if she heard him arguing with Lady You, she would likely be even angrier.

Manager Chen had said that his mother must not get angry anymore and needed to be coaxed.

"What are you doing?"

"Daye, look."

Lady You finished writing the last name and pushed the ledger toward Jia Zhen. "These are the gossiping nannies, maids, and their families in the mansion."

What?

Jia Zhen’s face darkened.

He certainly knew that the rumors, which were almost like curses, hadn't spread from the school.

He had heard them too, which was why he felt no anticipation for the little one in his mother’s womb.

"Whatever needed to be handled in the clan has mostly been handled, but we must give Mother an explanation within the household."

Lady You said, "I’ve been investigating the people on this list since I got back." She said sincerely, "Daye, handle them tomorrow, then report it to Mother. I’m sure Mother will still love you."

That’s it!

Why hadn't he thought of that?

Jia Zhen flipped through the pages of names, looking at their duties in the mansion, but his brows slowly furrowed. "This Lai family..."

The Lai Sheng family, whom he trusted most, were actually all on this list.

And the people here, from the outer courtyard to the inner, involved every aspect. If he really handled them all, the mansion would immediately lose half its people.

"Daye!"

This was why Lady You hadn't handled it until now.

The Lai family was deeply rooted in the Jia family.

Not only was the steward of their East Mansion a member of the Lai family, but the steward of the West Mansion was also a member of the Lai family.

The two ancestors who became Dukes were brothers, and the ancestors of the Lai family were the same.

Generation after generation, the children of the Lai family grew up alongside the masters of the Jia family, becoming the most trusted people by their sides, and then, naturally, becoming their right-hand men.

"Lai Sheng and his wife—one is the steward of the outer courtyard, the other of the inner. Besides not saying it to our faces, who among them didn't know about the rumors in the mansion?"

She couldn't control Lai Sheng’s wife.

Whatever needed to be done in the mansion had to be discussed with them.

Lady You had long wanted to suppress the Lai family. "And the rumors spread so widely... the people who spread them... I checked today, and it all started from a few complaints by Lai Sheng’s wife."