Chapter 653

Chapter 661: Loss (Part 2)

The carriage came to a stop, and Lord Xu lifted the curtain, prompting Xu Situn and Jingge'er, seated inside, to look out the window.

In April, the fields were lush and green, with crops growing halfway up. On the embankment to the southeast, a few mounds of earth stood out. The Qingming Festival had just passed, and petals scattered by wind and rain still lay around the graves.

"Father, is this our family's estate?" Jingge'er looked up at his father.

Lord Xu stroked his youngest son's head: "This is your fourth brother's estate!"

Xu Situn stared at Lord Xu in surprise.

He knew that the estate left by his mother was in Daxing, but he had never been there.

Was it because he was about to be married that his father had specially brought him here to see it?

But then he thought it shouldn't be that simple.

Even if he were to take over the estate, his father could have simply sent a steward to show him around; there was no need to wake up early and travel all the way here with his sixth brother and himself.

"Father..." He hesitated to speak.

Lord Xu glanced at Xu Situn with a meaningful look: "Mother Tao is buried here!"

Xu Situn could not hide his shock.

A voice, unfamiliar yet respectful, came from outside: "My Lord, a neighbor has passed by!"

Lord Xu responded with a single "Hmm," and instructed: "Go and ask them in!"

Outside, a voice responded, "Yes."

The people inside the carriage fell silent, the sounds from outside coming in clearly.

"Are you asking about the fields of the Yongping Marquis's heir? This whole area is his," a somewhat aged voice said. "That's where the grave of the mother of the steward Tao is... They came in the morning... I pass by here every day, how could I not know... Besides, it's just after the Qingming Festival, they came to pay respects to Old Lady Tao again... There wasn't even as much paper money burned as during the Qingming Festival..." Lord Xu's face changed slightly.

His eyes involuntarily glanced at Lord Xu.

Lord Xu sat quietly, his expression solemn and dignified. The words on the tip of Lord Xu's tongue were swallowed back down.

The steward thanked him and stepped forward to whisper to Lord Xu, "I've asked around. Steward Tao didn't come to pay respects to Mother Tao today."

Lord Xu hummed in acknowledgment, then sat for a moment longer, estimating that the neighbor had walked far enough away before standing up. "Let's get out and take a look." Lord Xu did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly followed him out of the carriage.

Jingge, who had been sitting in the carriage for most of the day, had long since lost his sense of novelty and felt bored. Now, he could get out and stretch his legs, so he happily jumped off the carriage.

Outside, there was a middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in a blue silk robe, looking very capable. He came forward, bowed, and led them along the field path.

Soon, they saw the grave with the tombstone of Mother Tao.

The grave was clean and tidy, clearly having been recently tended to. In front of the grave, the clay pot used for burning paper money still held some ashes.

Lord Xu stood by the grave with his hands behind his back and asked Lord Xu, "Why did you think of offering one hundred taels of silver to Tao Cheng to come and burn incense at Mother Tao's grave?"

Lord Xu had merely thought that since he was about to get married, it was a joyous occasion, and giving more to Tao Cheng would make him burn more paper money at Mother Tao's grave, allowing the spirits to share in his happiness.

But such words he could not say in front of Lord Xu.

"Do you know how much paper money one hundred taels can buy?" Fortunately, Lord Xu was not expecting an answer and did not mind his silence.

Xu Sizhun was unaware. But he knew that for the weddings or funerals of the maids' families, even top-ranking maids were only rewarded with five taels of silver to take home. A hundred taels was an enormous sum.

"It could fill eight or nine carriages," Lord Xu said indifferently. "Enough to burn for half a day!"

Xu Sizhun let out an 'Ah', staring at his father with his mouth agape, his mind in turmoil.

Lord Xu studied him intently before turning away from Madam Tao's grave. "Let's go back."

The sharp-eyed Jin Geer had already sensed the tension between his father and brother. He stood quietly to the side and obediently followed Lord Xu back into the carriage.

Throughout the journey, Lord Xu kept his eyes closed, resting.

Jin Geer initially sat upright but soon began nodding off, his eyelids growing heavy until he slumped sideways into Lord Xu's arms and fell asleep.

Xu Sizhun, however, was preoccupied with thoughts about the day's events.

What was his father's intention in doing this?

Was it to show him that Tao Cheng was deceitful and unreliable?

But Tao Cheng had been his mother's retainer from her dowry...

The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became.

This Tao Cheng had always been steady in his duties—how could he make such a mistake this time?

Now that Father knew, would he punish Tao Cheng severely?

"Father," Xu Sizhun stammered, "Tao Cheng didn't mean to..." His tone carried a pleading tone.

Lord Xu suddenly opened his eyes. "Do you know why I brought you on this trip?"

Xu Sizhun instinctively shook his head.

"When I sent you to learn estate management, it wasn't just about bookkeeping. I wanted you to learn how to judge and employ people wisely," Lord Xu said, fixing him with his gaze. "But look at you... You're about to get married, and wanting to burn more spirit money for Madam Tao isn't unreasonable. Yet you gave Tao Cheng a hundred taels in one go. If you had rewarded him a hundred taels out of gratitude for Madam Tao's care for your mother, that would be different. But you specifically told him to buy a hundred taels' worth of spirit money for Madam Tao. People have their own interests—if Tao Cheng had spent ninety taels and pocketed ten, that would still be understandable. But judging by what we found, he likely didn't even spend ten taels, keeping the rest for himself. If you overlook this once or twice, over time, Tao Cheng will grow accustomed to it. When you eventually entrust him with something important, he'll only see you as easy to deceive. How could he possibly serve you diligently then? Zhun'er..."

Lord Xu said with feeling, "In the future, you'll be responsible for everything inside and outside the Xu household. You must keep your eyes wide open. Just because he was your mother's retainer doesn't mean you can act recklessly. Remember, the people serving under you won't just be your mother's—they'll also include those I leave to you and those from elder madam. If you can't treat them fairly, how will you command their respect?"

Xu Sizhun felt conflicted.

How could he have known Tao Cheng would act this way? And he couldn't possibly investigate every matter like this either!

Naturally, Xu Sizhun wouldn't dare argue with his father. He could only lower his head and mumble a subdued "Yes."

Seeing that his son had no questions, Lord Xu shook his head in disappointment.

After a long silence, he asked softly, "What do you plan to do about Tao Cheng?"

Xu Sizhun looked up, his eyes round with shock. "I... I'll talk to him..."

"And say what?" Lord Xu pressed. "That you came to Madam Tao's grave and found he didn't follow your orders to burn the spirit money?"

"No, no," he protested. That definitely wouldn't do. What kind of nobleman sneakily investigates tasks he's delegated? But if not this way, then how? Hesitantly, he stammered, "I... I..." Lord Xu had no intention of trapping his son.

"Do you know why I investigated Tao Cheng?" he said in a lowered voice. "Because he's the steward you trust the most! To trust someone, you must first understand them. Yet you know nothing about Tao Cheng—you blindly trust him just because he was your mother's retainer. Not only did you entrust him with the estate, but you also gave him special privileges over other stewards, all while remaining ignorant of his actions. That's dangerous. In the future, you'll have many people working under you. Before employing anyone, you must understand them. And to understand someone, observe the small things. Take this incident—Tao Cheng acted immediately on your orders, showing he respects you. But he only spent a tenth of the silver you gave him on spirit money, revealing his greed. A capable yet greedy person must never be entrusted with large sums of money..."

Xu Sizhun's mind reeled as he tried desperately to memorize his father's words.

Meanwhile, Jin Geer, who had been sound asleep, had woken without anyone noticing.

He stared intently at his father, a thoughtful expression on his face.

**********

They entered the city along with the water caravan bound for Yuquan Mountain.

Inside the carriage, Xu Sizhun and Jin Geer leaned against Lord Xu's shoulders, one on each side, already fast asleep. Yet Lord Xu's eyes were wide open, gleaming brightly in the darkness.

The steward presented Lord Xu's calling card, and the city guards not only refrained from inspecting them but immediately cleared the way by moving several carts ahead to the side.

By the time they returned to Hehua Lane, it was already just before dawn.

Eleven Miss, who had been anxiously awake all night, came out in her dressing gown.

"Everything's fine!" Lord Xu, looking refreshed, carried the fast asleep Jin Geer with ease, his movements light and brisk, showing no signs of having traveled by carriage for a full day and night. "We just went for a walk!"

Perhaps sensing his mother's presence, Jin Geer rubbed his sleepy eyes and caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Mother!" He wriggled toward Eleven Miss, clinging tightly to her neck. "We visited fourth brother's estate..."

"Jin Geer!" Lord Xu quickly interjected, "Your mother can't carry you. Let Daddy hold you!"

Still half-asleep, Jin Geer murmured sleepily.

Eleven Miss had no choice but to let Lord Xu continue holding him while she awkwardly supported her son's embrace around her neck, managing to bring him back to the bedchamber.

Xu Sizhun, meanwhile, was fully awake.

He hurried, looking serious, into Danbozhai but soon turned and left again.

"Has the fifth young master woken up?" he asked as he headed toward Xu Sijie's quarters.

**********

"Should we go ask Mother?" Xu Sijie, awakened by Xu Sizhun, yawned after he couldn't quite understand what his brother was trying to say. "Mother handles the household management. If there's something you don't understand, you could ask her!"

How could he bother Mother with such a matter involving her own servant?

"Forget it," Xu Sizhun said dejectedly. "Let's not trouble Mother with this. Go back to sleep. I'll head back now!" Embarrassed at being no help, Xu Sijie hesitated.

After a moment, he suggested, "Do you still have to go to your lessons this morning? Maybe we can discuss this in more detail tonight?"

"That works," Xu Sizhun agreed after some thought. "I wouldn’t want to interfere with your studies."

Xu Sijie called a maid to bring water to wash up. "If it were Mr. Zhao, I could get permission to miss class. But Mr. Chang absolutely detests students missing class..."