Chapter 20: Swift and Decisive

Chapter 20: Swift and Decisive

In the small reception hall, many people were waiting.

Several senior housekeepers had come as usual to report household affairs to Lu Lingyun, while Aunt Qiu sat beside her, sobbing.

Lingyun listened to the crying while calculating accounts on an abacus.

Her fingers paused, stopping at one account book.

"One hundred taels for repairing a wall?"

"Yes, Young Lady. It's based on the previous repair cost for this wall."

Lingyun became even more alert. She hurriedly waved at Aunt Qiu beside her, asking her to stop crying, "This wall was repaired before?"

Today, she received a report from the housekeeper that a wall on the west side of the estate had collapsed.

The housekeeper came to report about the wall repairs.

Originally, such matters were reported to Lady Qin, but now that Lady Qin was resting, all matters except the most significant were handled by Lingyun.

She immediately sensed something fishy about the wall repair.

"Three months ago, during heavy rain, it was damaged and repaired once, costing one hundred taels," the housekeeper replied.

Lingyun heard this and said, "Bring me the person responsible for the previous repair along with the original account book!"

"Yes!"

The senior housekeeper left, and Lingyun instructed Shuang Hong, "Go to the west side and take a look at the broken wall, then bring back a few pieces of broken bricks."

"Yes!"

Soon, the senior housekeeper brought the housekeeper in charge of the previous repair and the account book.

The housekeeper's surname was Cui, and he was a born servant of the estate. His parents used to serve the old Lord Marquis but now lived in retirement on the estate’s farm. He was responsible for purchasing within the estate, and everyone called him Cui Da.

Cui Da walked over with a smile, greeting Lingyun, "Good fortune to you, Young Lady. May you live long and prosper."

"Don't flatter me, Cui Da. Let me ask you, did you handle the repair of the wall on the west side three months ago?" Lingyun asked gently.

Lingyun's voice was very gentle, making her seem easy to talk to.

Moreover, she had been in the estate for almost a month and always maintained a good temper. Even when the dancer from the Prince's quarters came to her, she never punished her, which made Cui Da lower his guard. "Yes, Young Lady. Rest assured, I will ensure the wall is repaired well this time, to your satisfaction."

Lingyun continued in a soft tone, "Show me the account book from the previous repair."

Unaware of any issue, Cui Da handed over the account book.

Lingyun flipped through the messy handwriting and read aloud, "Five cash per piece of blue-and-white brick, you bought ten thousand pieces?"

"Yes, Young Lady, these blue-and-white bricks are the best quality, sturdy and durable."

"Ten workers hired for a month, thirty taels in wages?"

"Yes, that wall is several dozen feet long. It takes time to do a good job."

"Twenty taels spent on mixing mortar and other miscellaneous expenses?"

"Yes, these materials are quite expensive."

Cui Da looked sincere, smiling with a glint of cunning in his eyes, lying without any hesitation.

Even someone experienced like Lady Qin would not have noticed the discrepancies. How could Lingyun, a young lady raised in seclusion, know the prices of bricks and walls?

For those handling purchases, special funds were the easiest to embezzle. As long as there were legitimate entries, they could be approved.

He tried to deflect with his smile, but the next moment, the account book was slapped in his face.

"You really have some nerve!"

Lingyun suddenly stood up, her usually gentle demeanor changing instantly. She stared sharply at the kneeling Cui Da below her, "I'll give you one chance. How much did you embezzle last time you repaired the wall?"

Seeing this, Cui Da immediately felt guilty, but he still couldn't gauge how much Lingyun knew. "Young Lady, I didn't... I didn't embezzle anything..."

With a loud clatter, a few broken bricks were thrown at him.

Lingyun looked down at him from above, "Tell me, are these the best blue-and-white bricks? They look like ordinary clay bricks to me."

"Young Lady..." Cui Da's face turned pale.

Lingyun continued, "On the market, these ordinary clay bricks cost half a cash each. Even blue-and-white bricks only cost three cash each. With bulk purchases, there should be discounts. How much did you embezzle on the bricks?"

"And the labor costs, thirty taels for ten workers for a month? That's enough to build an entire courtyard, yet you only repaired a short wall!"

"You even dared to exaggerate the cost of mixing mortar. If you paid thirty taels for labor, no foreman would ask for extra money for mixing mortar!"

"One hundred taels for such a shoddy wall repair, Cui Da, you really have some nerve! You must have embezzled at least eighty taels!"

He had no idea that Lingyun not only knew the basic prices but also had extensive life experience.

In her past life, she worked with Li Er to govern the region, rising through the ranks. She had personally handled everything related to the people's livelihoods, knowing not just brick prices and labor costs but also the prices of various crops and the processes of different industries.

Trying to deceive her with such trivial matters was laughable.

Hearing Lingyun pinpoint every discrepancy in the wall repair and accurately calculate how much he had embezzled, Cui Da broke out in cold sweat. "Young Lady, this servant, this servant really didn't..."

"Didn't?" Lingyun sneered. "Are you trying to tell me you didn't embezzle or were deceived?"

"I've been deceived! They tricked me! Our family has served the estate for generations; how could I dare to deceive the masters? They must have profited from it themselves!" Cui Da sobbed uncontrollably, his emotions genuine.

How could Lu Lingyun be so easily fooled? She looked at Cui Da and said, "Fine, go and bring every shopkeeper who sold bricks for the wall repairs and every worker who did the job here! I'll give you a chance to confront them face-to-face. If there's even the slightest discrepancy, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

If he is to die, let him die with a clear conscience!

Hearing this, Cui Da could no longer pretend. He knelt down and confessed, "Young Lady, Cui Da was wrong, and I won't dare do it again! Please consider our family's dedicated service to the marquisate and forgive me this time! I will repay the money!"

Lu Lingyun looked coldly at Cui Da, "Repay the money? That’s not all! Guards, drag Cui Da out and give him twenty strokes of the cane. Remove him from all duties, and within three days, return every penny of the embezzled funds. If you’re short by even a single coin, you’ll regret it!"

As she spoke, Cui Da wailed pitifully, and the servants in the courtyard immediately dragged him away.

Lu Lingyun's swift and decisive handling of Cui Da intimidated everyone else in the courtyard.

She had always been gentle and unassuming, but after this, everyone knew that their new mistress was far from a sheltered young lady. Trying to deceive her would get them nowhere!

The others immediately became more respectful toward Lu Lingyun.