Chapter 279

Chapter 284: Managing Affairs (Part 1)

Eleven Miss (Shiyi Niang) saw the situation clearly but remained composed. She seized an opportunity to slip out of the hall.

Fourth Sister-in-law Luo was waiting under the eaves.

The two went to the waterside pavilion.

“What’s the matter?” Eleven Miss asked her gently.

Fourth Sister-in-law Luo smiled. “Last time, I heard you mention that Fifth Miss didn’t manage to go into business with you. I wanted to ask you, Eleven Miss—if there’s another chance in the future, would you still consider partnering with Fifth Miss?”

Eleven Miss wasn’t sure why she was asking this but tactfully reiterated her stance: “Lord Xu is currently unemployed, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to get involved in such business.”

Fourth Sister-in-law Luo chuckled. “I was just asking.” Then she linked arms with Eleven Miss, intending to return to the main house together.

But her smile seemed forced.

Though they hadn’t interacted much, Eleven Miss sensed that Fourth Sister-in-law Luo wasn’t the type to speak without reason. Instead of moving, she took Fourth Sister-in-law Luo’s hand and said candidly, “As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. If Fourth Sister-in-law has something on your mind, why not share it so we can discuss it?”

Fourth Sister-in-law Luo hesitated for a long moment before lowering her voice. “Fifth Miss has invited your fourth brother to go into business with her.”

Eleven Miss, recalling her earlier question, frowned slightly.

“You know your fourth brother—he’s rarely been valued like this. Without consulting me, he insisted I give him fifty taels for travel expenses, saying that after Fifth Miss’s confinement, he’d go to Xuantong with Fifth Miss’s husband. He even promised me a huge profit, claiming he’d bring back five thousand taels.” Fourth Sister-in-law Luo’s expression grew serious. “Something felt off, so I pressed him for details. He said you’d be the one facilitating it, with Fifth Miss’s husband handling the legwork, using General Fan’s connections to trade grain for salt licenses.” Here, she glanced at Eleven Miss. “But I’d heard you say before that you couldn’t get involved in this… I wondered if you’d changed your mind, so I came to ask.”

So they still hadn’t given up!

Eleven Miss thought of the extravagance at Fifth Miss’s baby’s third-day ceremony and suspected that Qian Ming might have already used her name to secure General Fan’s favor.

If that were the case, why hadn’t Lord Xu mentioned it? Was he avoiding bringing it up in front of her? Or was Qian Ming’s business small enough that Lord Xu could overlook it?

Anger flared in her heart.

Even if Fifth Miss didn’t understand the risks, how could Qian Ming not know?

Eleven Miss refrained from criticizing Qian Ming in front of Fourth Sister-in-law Luo and suppressed her displeasure, forcing a smile. “No wonder they hired chefs from Chunxi Restaurant to cater the third-day celebration—they must have made a fortune!”

Fourth Sister-in-law Luo noticed that Eleven Miss neither confirmed nor denied the matter. Recalling her earlier stance, she began to piece things together and flushed with anger. She said bluntly, “You don’t know this. After you left the third-day ceremony, Fifth Miss pulled Eldest Madam aside for a long private talk. Later, Eldest Madam sent Hang Mama to give Fifth Miss two hundred taels in silver banknotes. When I asked Xinglin about it, she said Fifth Miss claimed she’d invested all her money in business and needed a temporary loan, promising to repay it by year’s end. I was puzzled—Fifth Miss’s husband is shrewd. What kind of business would require all their funds? Then Fifth Miss called your fourth brother over, proposing a partnership. I grew suspicious and had someone investigate. Turns out, fifty taels is just enough for two people to travel to and from Xuantong.” At this, she trembled with anger. “Among your sisters, your fourth brother is the least capable, and they share the same mother… I haven’t slept well these past few days, hoping I’m just being paranoid!” Her eyes reddened.

Eleven Miss was stunned.

The dowry from Eldest Madam hadn’t been lavish, but it was far from meager. How had they fallen into such financial straits in just two years? Had she misunderstood? Was Fifth Miss’s money actually spent on daily expenses, prompting Qian Ming to consider the Xuantong venture?

Thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn’t help but ask, “Fourth Sister-in-law, please explain clearly. What exactly is going on?”

Since things had come to this, Fourth Sister-in-law Luo saw no reason to cover for Fifth Miss any longer.

She whispered, “You know Fifth Miss had a premature birth. The truth is, she didn’t just trip—she went into labor early because she was furious after realizing they had no money left. She quarreled with her husband, who called her ‘unreasonable,’ then walked out in a huff and didn’t return for two days. Ashamed and furious, Fifth Miss threatened to throw herself into the river… That’s why the baby came early.” She sighed softly. “Zi Yuan, seeing how bad things were, secretly begged Third Aunt for help. Third Aunt, afraid of becoming a laughingstock, gave me eighty taels from her savings to pass to Fifth Miss… Otherwise, they might’ve had to sell their valuables.”

“How could this happen?” Eleven Miss exclaimed. “Fifth Sister is practical, and she was about to give birth—how could she let her husband act like this?”

“Exactly!” Fourth Sister-in-law Luo said bitterly. “Fifth Miss’s husband has many social commitments. Meals at Chunxi Restaurant were put on credit; purchases from Duobao Antiques were delivered by servants… When the stewards came to collect payment, could Fifth Miss really say they had no money? Or tell them to demand it from her husband? That would’ve ruined his reputation. And then there were his academic networking costs—debts that must be repaid at all costs. One expense after another—no matter how resourceful Fifth Miss was, she couldn’t handle it all.”

Eleven Miss felt a whirlwind of emotions, unsure what to say.

“Fortunately, Fifth Miss’s hardship is temporary—her husband is, after all, an imperial examination candidate. Once he passes the exams and gets an official post, their situation will stabilize.” Fourth Sister-in-law Luo, seeing Eleven Miss’s distress, tried to comfort her. “As for the business matter, don’t worry about it. Now that I know your stance, I’ll make sure your fourth brother gives up the idea. And I’ll try to talk Fifth Miss out of it too.”

But if she was even exploiting her own brother, talking sense into her might be hopeless.

Lady Eleven sighed inwardly, worried that Fourth Sister-in-law and Luo Zhensheng might argue over this matter. She said, "Regarding Fourth Brother, perhaps it's best if you don’t say anything, Fourth Sister-in-law. Let me speak to Eldest Brother instead and have him persuade Fourth Brother. That way, you won’t be placed in an awkward spot."

Fourth Madam Luo was quite surprised by this.

Lady Eleven avoided suggesting Elder Madam Luo intervene with Luo Zhenxing but instead decided to approach him herself, clearly intending to save Fourth Madam face. Upon further reflection, since Luo Zhenxing and Luo Zhensheng were brothers, his intervention would indeed have more sway than hers. She couldn’t help but show gratitude: "Then I’ll leave it to you, Lady Eleven."

"There’s no need for such formality between sisters-in-law."

The two returned to the main hall, subdued.

Early the next morning, after seeing Zhenjie off, Lady Eleven sent for Luo Zhenxing.

As before, Luo Zhenxing came during his midday break.

Lady Eleven had four dishes and soup served for him and explained her purpose for calling him over: "...After much thought, only you can resolve this."

Luo Zhenxing frowned deeply. "Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Zi Chun," he said, not mentioning Luo Zhensheng.

Still, with Qian Ming dealt with, given Luo Zhensheng’s timid ways, even if he had the desire, he wouldn’t dare proceed with such a venture.

Lady Eleven sighed in relief and personally refilled Luo Zhenxing’s tea.

Luo Zhenxing then brought up Eldest Miss’s estate: "Even if you hadn’t sought me out, I was planning to speak with you. Lu Yonggui recently told me that the court is about to lift the maritime ban. Many major merchants have already expanded south, opening branches in Quanzhou and Guangzhou. He wanted to ask your opinion—should we also expand south?"

Lady Eleven was taken aback. Just a few days ago, she had only heard about Wang Jiubao submitting a lengthy petition. How had merchants already begun moving south?

"This is beyond my expertise," she said carefully. "Should I ask Lord Xu for his thoughts?"

Luo Zhenxing pondered this. "Since you haven’t heard any rumors, perhaps it’s best if I consult Lord Xu directly."

Lady Eleven agreed and called for Amber. "Tell him the elder uncle has arrived and ask him to come home."

Amber acknowledged and left.

Lady Eleven then inquired about hiring a tutor: "...Any news?"

Luo Zhenxing replied, "I feared I might not be persuasive enough, so I specifically sent Hang Mama’s son to visit Elder Liu and had him write a letter to Tutor Zhao’s uncle." He then asked about Chun Ge. "How is he now?"

"Before, he would happily go to school after breakfast every morning. Now, he lingers in bed and procrastinates over meals," Lady Eleven said helplessly. "Clearly, he doesn’t want to go."

Luo Zhenxing grew anxious and began recounting his own childhood experiences with studying.

As the time for the afternoon session approached, Amber was nowhere in sight. Lady Eleven found it odd. "Even if she went to West Street, she should be back by now!"

Just as she was about to send Song Mama to look for her, Amber returned. "My lady, Elder Uncle, Lord Xu is at Shaohua Court in talks with Second Madam. He asked the elder uncle to wait."

Lady Eleven was startled.

Why had Lord Xu suddenly gone to Shaohua Court?

Luo Zhenxing, however, couldn’t wait any longer and stood up. "I’ll return another time."

Suppressing her confusion, Lady Eleven saw her brother off. Turning back, she asked Amber, "Is the Elder Madam also at Shaohua Court?"

"The Elder Madam isn’t there," Amber replied. "I heard from Lin Bo that around noon, Manager Zhao from the business office came to report to Lord Xu. After hearing him out, Lord Xu went straight to Shaohua Court."

Was the Xiang family in trouble?

As she pondered this, she saw Lord Xu rushing over.

"Where is Zhenxing?" he asked. "Has he left already?" Then he complained, "Why didn't you ask him to wait for me a while?"

"Big Brother had to get back to the academy," Eleven Miss replied with a smile. "He said he would come another day!"

Lord Xu nodded and went into the inner chamber with Eleven Miss.

"What did Zhenxing want to see me about?"

Eleven Miss relayed Lu Changgui's proposal.

Lord Xu thought for a moment before saying, "We should wait and see."

Eleven Miss then inquired about his visit to Second Madam: "...Is there something concerning the Xiang family?"

"After you mentioned it the other day, I sent someone to investigate," Lord Xu said, seating himself on the large kang by the window. "The Xiang family not only has no financial difficulties but has been doing better year after year. However, when Lord Xiang was alive, he paid little attention to such mundane matters. The old houses had been neglected, and by the time they came into Lord Xiang's hands, they were in a state of disrepair. Repairing them would cost nearly as much as building new ones. Lady Xiang suggested selling some and keeping others, using the proceeds to renovate the remaining properties. This way, they wouldn’t need to spend a large sum upfront and could also reduce the manpower needed to maintain the houses. Since these are ancestral homes, Lord Xiang asked Lady Xiang to consult Second Sister-in-law to see if any held particular significance that warranted preservation."

"What did Second Sister-in-law say?" Eleven Miss was surprised - the situation was completely different from what she'd expected.