The power of the steward is a coveted position in other residences, but in Shen Yi’an’s hands, it’s become a hot potato. If he doesn’t hand it over today, tomorrow Liu Yufu might suffer more under the female officials, and he can’t bear that.

This time, Liu Yufu didn’t follow. As soon as Shen Yi’an left, she called her trusted maid, Bi Tao, and anxiously paced around, “What should we do? Boye took the account books to give to the eldest gongzi. Will they find out…?”

Bi Tao, who had served Liu Yufu since their time at Yuxiang Pavilion, was redeemed by Shen Yi’an and brought into the residence to serve her. Bi Tao knew everything about Liu Yufu, including her fears. Seeing Liu Yufu panicked, she quickly comforted her, “They won’t. Boye probably just took the account books to go through the motions, to avoid the female officials from the palace making things difficult for you tomorrow. The eldest gongzi has never managed the household before; what would he know about account books? Even if he starts, it will take him several days! Once these days pass and the palace stops sending people, you can mention it to Boye, and he’ll surely get the account books back. They won’t find out.”

Liu Yufu closed her eyes, still feeling very anxious and scared.

How did it come to this? Why did the palace suddenly want to interfere in their residence’s affairs? She racked her brains, exhausted her mind, and yet, in the face of a casual word from the palace, she was as powerless as an ant trying to stop a chariot.

Bi Tao observed her expression and tentatively suggested, “How about I go back to Yuxiang Pavilion and ask Liu Mama for advice? Maybe she and the sisters can help us come up with a plan?”

Reminded by her, Liu Yufu nodded repeatedly, as if she had suddenly found her backbone, “Go quickly, tell Mama everything that happened today in detail, and ask her how I should respond… I really don’t know what to do…”

Under her urging, Bi Tao hurried off. Liu Yufu lay on the bed and cried for a while, filled with regret.

She didn’t regret plotting against the eldest gongzi, but regretted why she reconciled with the brother and sister-in-law who sold her!

Liu Yufu was originally from the outskirts of the capital and didn’t originally have the surname Liu or this name. When she was six or seven, her parents passed away, and her brother and sister-in-law sold her. Coincidentally, the procuress of Yuxiang Pavilion, Liu Mama, saw her, thought she had a good foundation and a beautiful voice, and bought her to train her, giving her the name Liu Yufu.

However, although Liu Yufu was beautiful and sang southern songs well, she wasn’t particularly clever or quick-witted. Her success was largely due to Liu Mama’s constant planning and guidance.

From how to talk to guests and earn rewards as a courtesan, to how to win Shen Yi’an’s favor, to how to serve him and make him care for her… This is why Liu Yufu still considers Yuxiang Pavilion her maternal home; she can’t do without Liu Mama’s guidance with her intelligence.

In the second year after Liu Yufu gave birth to Shen Song, her brother and sister-in-law, who sold her, came to her, begging for forgiveness and crying about how they had no choice back then. Liu Mama knew and told her to drive them away, but Liu Yufu, for some reason—perhaps their remorse made her feel satisfied; perhaps their groveling for the silver she threw down was amusing—didn’t listen to Liu Mama’s advice and kept her brother and sister-in-law’s family.

And when she got the household management of the boye’s residence, feeling overwhelmed and unlike other mistresses who had a group of trusted servants to command, she increasingly relied on this only blood relative, giving them some of her power.

But this reliance led to a big mess.

Liu Yufu silently cried, filled with regret. If not for this, why would she have taken the risk to harm the eldest gongzi’s life and seize the dowry of the late furen?

… She originally only thought of secretly keeping half of the jewelry and jade when the eldest gongzi got married to add to her son Chun Ge’er’s dowry.

But now, it’s too late to say anything. One wrong move, and her son’s title is at risk. Thinking of the unresolved big mess, Liu Yufu became even more anxious and scared, lying on the bed and crying.

Meanwhile, Shen Yi’an had already arrived at Ganlin Courtyard.

Ganlin Courtyard had just finished lunch. Shen Qian had been busy all morning, so lunch was handled by a few second-class maids and attendants. The late furen had set up a small kitchen in Ganlin Courtyard, and among the maids and attendants were some skilled cooks who, having had no chance to showcase their skills for years, prepared a large table of dishes with great care.

Snow Mist Soup, Lotus Fish Wrap, Ham Stewed Elbow… Li Xun was used to such meals, and no matter how good the maids’ skills were, they couldn’t compare to the imperial chefs, nor were they as fresh and interesting as Shen Qian’s cooking. He only tasted a few bites. But Shen Qian, who had never eaten these dishes that could only be found in ancient books, was too excited to persuade Li Xun to eat more, eagerly picking out a few dishes Li Xun hadn’t touched and taking the leftovers out for the other servants.

The dregs of feudal society, Shen Qian silently lamented. Actually, Li Xun’s situation wasn’t too bad, as Zhan’er used public chopsticks to serve him food—but Shen Qian still felt a bit uncomfortable. The servants were even less particular, passing the food around in rounds. What if one of them had Helicobacter pylori…

Sigh, just for not eating leftovers, he didn’t want to be a servant.

Li Xun hadn’t noticed the last time he was given bird’s nest, but this time he seemed to sense something, squinting at Shen Qian eating.

Ancient people didn’t use as many seasonings as modern people, and many modern seasonings were introduced to China much later. So they focused more on the freshness of the ingredients themselves and the combination of ingredients. Shen Qian found it quite interesting after tasting a few dishes, feeling somewhat similar to Li Xun eating his cooking.

Just as they finished eating and tidied up the dishes, Shen Yi’an arrived—he entered the room, still smelling the lingering aroma of food in the air, suddenly remembering he hadn’t had lunch after being scolded by the middle official for so long. Fortunately, he and Liu Yufu had breakfast outside before returning, so he wasn’t hungry yet. Then he recalled the kitchen staff complaining that the servants from Ganlin Courtyard had taken all the newly delivered ingredients.

Shen Yi’an’s anger rose again. With such a fierce temperament, if he were to manage the household, who knows how his beloved would be mistreated. But before he could act, he heard his eldest son’s sarcastic voice: “Boye has come to my place more times today than in the entire past year, hasn’t he? Why so free today?”

Li Xun was still lounging on the bed, not getting up, glancing at the account book in his hand, and said coolly, “If it’s about the household management, there’s no need to speak. My health is poor, I can’t overwork myself, unless you want to deliberately exhaust me to death and covet the furen’s dowry.”

Shen Yi’an was so stung by his words that he felt a breath stuck in his chest—how could everything circle back to coveting the dowry!

But given the current situation, Shen Yi’an took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and said, “You don’t need to worry. I can arrange for a few capable accountants and stewardesses to assist. But the household management of this residence, now, besides you, there’s no one else to take it…”

“No one else to take it? Then what kind of filth was managing it for the past five years?” Li Xun sneered, “I suppose boye was quite satisfied with the past few years, wasn’t he? Why, after a visit from the middle official, do you want to dump this mess on me? I suppose boye doesn’t really want me to take it, right? Still arranging for a few capable accountants and stewardesses, who are you fooling?”

Li Xun thought for a moment and knew why, probably Hua Xiangming being clever, privately instructing the middle official who came to reprimand, causing this trouble for himself. But Shen Yi’an was reluctant to truly relinquish power, wanting him to manage the household.

Shen Yi’an was fuming inside. Nowadays, it’s all about the father-son hierarchy, and the eldest son repeatedly defying him today, with not a hint of respect in his tone, was already testing his patience. He coldly said, “As your father, I’m here to inform you that today, you will take over the household management whether you want to or not! Your courtyard’s people took the kitchen’s supplies, and I haven’t even held you accountable—”

He was getting tough, but Li Xun was even tougher. He slapped the bed and sat up straight: “Fine, then tomorrow when the palace sends people, I’ll personally go to the front and resign from the household management! Whoever wants to be a puppet can do it, I won’t bear this empty title!” He glared at Shen Yi’an with a cold smile, “After all, I haven’t had a good life these years, let’s all go down together!”

“…” Shen Yi’an almost blacked out. He could already imagine that if Li Xun really did this, the Duke Fuchang’s Residence wouldn’t wait for a successor; His Majesty would act now, and that would truly be the end for everyone. If it were before, he might have been able to confine his eldest son, but now… not to mention he didn’t dare, the servants in Ganlin Courtyard weren’t easy to deal with either. Wasn’t it their commotion that led to the censors’ impeachment?

He wanted to deal with everyone in this courtyard, but he knew that at this time, who knows how many eyes from the Censorate were watching his boye’s residence!

The more he tried to cover it up, the more it couldn’t be covered.

Under the eaves, for the sake of his beloved, Shen Yi’an had to bow his head. After much hesitation, he softened his tone and changed his face to Li Xun, “Father knows you’ve been… somewhat wronged these years. If you have any requests, just ask. But tomorrow, the palace will still send people, and if the household management isn’t handled properly, I’m afraid our entire Duke Fuchang’s Residence will lose the emperor’s favor—what good would that do you?”

Li Xun counted on his fingers, he didn’t want to take the household management, but it wasn’t impossible. It just depended on what benefits and conveniences he could get from it. The first thing was to use the steward’s title to go out and about. Now in the boye’s residence, he couldn’t get any information. He hadn’t paid much attention when he was a man, but now that he was a ge’er, he realized that women and ge’ers couldn’t easily leave the second gate.

But he really needed to go out. Trapped in this residence, he knew nothing about the outside world. He still had no clue why he suddenly fainted and ended up in a different body. How was the court, how was the palace, was his father still well… He had been the eldest gongzi of Duke Fuchang’s Residence for four days now.

At this moment, Li Xun’s thoughts aligned with Shen Qian’s: according to common sense, his soul was in the body of the eldest gongzi of Duke Fuchang’s Residence, so at this time, wouldn’t the cowardly ge’er be in his body?

Then his lifetime of reputation would be ruined!

He had to find a way to switch back, even if he couldn’t switch back immediately, he couldn’t just sit and wait in this boye’s residence—

But this body was so weak it couldn’t even climb over a wall, he couldn’t possibly, as the crown prince, crawl through a dog hole!

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

For the sake of this matter, he had no choice but to take over the household management first.

Li Xun frowned, as if reluctantly persuaded, “It’s not impossible, but I have conditions.”

Seeing him finally relent, Shen Yi’an breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he knew the conditions might not be easy, he had to say, “Go ahead.”

Li Xun pulled out the account book from his hand, casually flipped through it, and tossed it back, “First, boye should find two accountants—not the ones originally in the residence, hire two from outside, I’ll also find two accountants, and ask Duke Shen’s Residence to send two accountants to help. Find an empty courtyard, let these people from three sides reconcile the accounts, and clear the account books from the past five years, no one is allowed to enter or leave freely until it’s done.”

“Second, boye should give me one or two thousand taels of silver now, as the expenses for the entire residence until the accounts are cleared. I’ll start a new account book to record the expenses during these days.”

“Third, since the household management is handed to me, I need to go out to inspect the estates and shops. Of course, before the accounts of the past five years are cleared, I won’t touch the money and grain from the estates and shops. My maids and attendants need to have waist tags to leave the residence, and there’s no need for boye to arrange accountants and stewardesses, I’ll find the capable people who served the late furen myself.”

“Fourth, that maid with the red mole on her chin, whether you believe she pushed me into the water or not, bring her out for me to deal with.”

“Since the power of the steward is given to me, all personnel matters in the residence are under my control, no one else can interfere. It’s impossible for me to be a puppet, boye better not think of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge after this crisis is over. Since you said no one else can take the household management but me, if you cry and make a fuss in a few days wanting it back, I’ll turn against you.”

Shen Yi’an, having his intentions exposed, felt a bit embarrassed. But then he saw Li Xun pause and suddenly smile, “Or if boye marries a new furen someday, I’d be more than willing to hand over the household management.”

Shen Yi’an: “…”

“That’s it for now. If boye agrees to all these, I can take over the household management.”

These conditions made Shen Yi’an very uncomfortable, but they weren’t impossible to agree to. However, the first condition made Shen Yi’an’s face look even worse, “What do you mean by this?”

Li Xun looked at Shen Yi’an, wondering if this Duke Fuchang was truly clueless or just pretending. Did he really need to spell it out?

Fine, since you want it spelled out, I’ll spell it out for you: “I suspect your beloved has caused a significant deficit in the household management over the past few years. To prevent any mishaps, I won’t touch it until it’s cleared, to avoid your beloved pinning the mess on me, understand?”

Shen Yi’an’s face turned purple with anger, “What if there’s nothing wrong?!”

Li Xun rolled his eyes, “Isn’t it supposed to be nothing? If there’s nothing, then it’s just a proper handover. Is hiring a few accountants to check the accounts such a big expense?”

Shen Yi’an, with a gloomy face, eventually agreed. That afternoon, Shen Yi’an called in two accountants from the shops outside and sent a letter to Duke Shen’s Residence in the name of his eldest son. By evening, Duke Shen’s Residence had sent two accountants to Duke Fuchang’s Residence.

Shen Yi’an, annoyed by Li Xun’s constant talk of coveting the dowry, to show he wasn’t short of money, directly sent three thousand taels of silver to Ganlin Courtyard—six capable accountants working together, a month should be enough, and could the residence spend three thousand taels in a month?

Yang Mei from Shen Song’s courtyard was also sent over. She was panicked, struggling desperately, begging to see Liu Yufu, but Shen Yi’an stopped her, not letting Liu Yufu know about it. Seeing that it was indeed the maid who pushed him, Li Xun had Yang Mei tied up and thrown into the lake for a cup of tea’s time.

This incident caused panic, and Liu Yufu lost the trust of the servants. Everyone knew that even a trusted person like Liu Yiniang could be abandoned, and she wouldn’t come to protect them.

Meanwhile, Shen Qian, with a freshly minted waist tag for leaving the residence, made another trip to Hua Residence.

This time, going to Hua Residence felt more familiar, and the steward, Hua Quan, seeing Shen Qian from afar, greeted him with a smile and welcomed him into the residence.

“Is everything settled? If it’s not enough, just let me know.”

Shen Qian now understood that it was probably Hua Tongling, under Ye Gui’s instructions, who had someone impeach Duke Fuchang in the morning court, leading to the current upheaval in Duke Fuchang’s Residence. He thanked him with a smile and took out a letter from his pocket, “I’m not quite sure, please have the steward deliver this letter to Tongling, our gongzi has written everything in it.”

This time, the letter didn’t have the little wave wax seal, but the steward didn’t dare delay and immediately led him to see Hua Xiangming. After reading the letter, Hua Xiangming immediately called for two capable accountants from the residence and wrote a reply for Shen Qian to take back.

Hua Xiangming was tall and handsome, a dashing young general. Shen Qian glanced at him a couple of times, feeling very uneasy with the reply in his pocket: Ye Gui often mentioned marriage, and Hua Tongling listened to him so much, could it be that the two were lovers, wanting to use his body to rekindle their old romance…?