Chapter 63: Lending Money Privately

Chapter 63: Lending Money Privately

"Who are they?" Cheng Yunshuo looked at the two new faces in Lu Lingyun's room.

"They are my cousins from my maternal side, here to keep me company for a few days."

After the earlier embarrassment, Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang had both become more reserved, emulating Lu Lingyun's dignified demeanor, not daring to speak rashly.

Cheng Yunshuo glanced at them and merely nodded. "Let's eat then."

"Alright."

During the meal, Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang competed in their decorum. Coming from humble backgrounds, they were unfamiliar with proper etiquette. The abundance of delicacies on the table made them feel even more constrained, fearing ridicule from Cheng Yunshuo, they ate quietly like quails.

Once he left, Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang visibly relaxed.

After the meal, Lu Lingyun smiled at them. "What's wrong with you two? Feeling uncomfortable?"

Liu Qingping's eyes darted around. "A little."

Liu Qingshuang added, "The rules in this household are really strict."

Lu Lingyun chuckled. After all, they were just young girls who hadn't experienced much; such a small scene had already made them nervous.

If they were to visit an even grander household or even the presence of the emperor, they would likely be too frightened to lift their heads.

Lu Lingyun spent two days with them, showing them around the Marquisate. They saw the courtyard with its own large garden, the numerous servants outnumbering the masters, and a plethora of rare items, broadening their horizons significantly.

They only saw Cheng Yunshuo on the first night; he didn't come over the second night knowing there were female guests. This made them feel even more at ease.

They ate more heartily as well.

After a couple of days, Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang were sent back, along with many gifts from Lu Lingyun.

Upon their return, their aunt immediately asked how they fared.

"How was your stay at the Marquisate?"

"Aunt, it was wonderful!"

"Lingyun sister gave us so many gifts!"

Excitedly, Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang recounted their experiences at the Marquisate and the gifts Lu Lingyun had given them.

"Look, this jade hairpin on my head is made of real jade!"

"Aunt, Lingyun sister gave me a gold bracelet, bigger than my mother's!"

Their aunt looked at them, focusing on the useless items they were showing off. "Did you see the Prince?"

"Yes, we did."

Liu Qingping and Liu Qingshuang nodded vigorously.

"Then what happened with the Prince?" Their aunt's eyes sparkled.

"Our brother-in-law is quite nice. When we left, Lingyun sister gave us red envelopes, saying they were from our brother-in-law."

Their aunt looked at the red envelopes they produced. "Why do you want red envelopes? I asked if the Prince took notice of you two!"

Hearing this, the enthusiasm on the faces of the Liu sisters faded. "Aunt, what are you talking about?"

"We didn't even talk to our brother-in-law. Why would he take notice of us?"

"That's right. We were just guests. Why would we do something like that?"

Their aunt was speechless.

Hearing that neither of them had spoken a single word to Cheng Yunshuo and kept referring to themselves as guests, their aunt felt her heart ache with frustration.

How could she have chosen these two simpletons!

They seemed clever enough at home, always competing for favor, but once outside, they were utterly useless!

Absolutely hopeless!

Fuming with anger, their aunt berated them for being stupid and ordered them to return to their shabby home immediately.

Useless things!

After sending them away, Lu Lingyun didn't get any rest. She had accumulated accounts to review over the past two days.

With the year-end approaching and Lady Qin returning to the household, she needed to clear up the accounts and report to Lady Qin.

As she reviewed one account book, using the Arabic numerals she learned from Xing Dairong, she quickly noticed something.

"Why are the transactions in this account so frequent?"

Lu Lingyun frowned at the ledger with no clear entries, only records of debits and credits. "Who brought this account book?"

"Madam, it was delivered by Chief Steward Qian," Nurse An replied.

Currently, the Marquisate had four chief stewards:

Nurse Wen, Nurse Li, Chief Steward Qian, and Nurse An.

Nanny Wen and Nanny Li are both people of the Qin family, while Nanny An is Lu Lingyun's person, and Steward Qian is a household slave of the Hou Mansion.

Nanny Wen and Nanny An manage the inner quarters, while Nanny Li oversees some of the Qin family’s private assets and part of the Hou Mansion’s private assets. As for Steward Qian, he specifically manages the Hou Mansion's properties.

"Call Steward Qian here."

"Yes."

In a short while, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties walked in.

"Madam, you called for me," Steward Qian said with a smile, looking at Lu Lingyun.

"Steward Qian, where is this ledger from?" Lu Lingyun asked politely.

Facing the four major stewards of the household, Lu Lingyun was always very courteous.

The head stewards, minor stewards, and those lowest-ranking servants were different; they were the pillars of the Hou Mansion and confidants of the masters.

None of them could be easily moved.

For Lu Lingyun to truly take control of the household, she needed to gradually reclaim power from these major stewards.

Steward Qian glanced at the ledger. "Madam, this is the Hou Mansion's gray market assets."

"Gray market assets?"

Lu Lingyun frowned as she looked at the numbers on the ledger, tentatively asking, "Usury?"

Steward Qian's eyes immediately lit up, looking at Lu Lingyun with approval. "Yes."

Their young madam even knew about usury; it was no wonder she managed the household so well.

Lu Lingyun, of course, knew about usury.

Usury referred to lending money at high interest rates.

Many wealthy households secretly engaged in usury to earn extra income. The interest rates were high, with nine out of ten loans being profitable, and the returns were quick with minimal risk.

One reason was the collateral, and the other was that no one dared to default on debts owed to large households.

Therefore, usury, as a gray market asset, was highly favored by some wealthy families.

However, Lu Lingyun shook her head.

"We cannot continue with usury."

Engaging in usury was against moral principles and involved despicable deeds. Those who borrowed the money were often gamblers, desperate individuals who would sell their children, wives, and even themselves when driven to extremes, leading to frequent lawsuits.

Once there were lawsuits, they involved human lives.

In her previous life, Lu Lingyun had accompanied Li Wenxun in Jiangnan during his official duties and despised those who engaged in usury; few were clean.

She never expected that the Hou Mansion also engaged in usury privately.

"Madam, but..."

"I will speak with Father and Mother. From today onwards, we will not engage in usury anymore."

Lu Lingyun closed the ledger firmly.

Seeing Lu Lingyun's attitude, Steward Qian did not say anything more and took the ledger on usury. "Alright, Madam. I will settle the remaining accounts."

"Go ahead."