Chapter 191 Managing the Palace of a Prince Is Not That Simple

“Master, why did you give the keys and ledgers to her so easily?”

Baishao poured a cup of tea and handed it to Lin Mengya. Considerable doubts could be seen in her beautiful eyes.

Lin Mengya accepted the tea. She took a sip calmly as she spoke.

“Don’t you think that Concubine De is a little different than she was before?”

Lin Mengya was thinking of what had happened today while she was drinking the tea.

Yesterday, Concubine De had dealt her a head-on blow at the gate.

Today, she had ordered that old bat to cause her trouble.

Jiang Ruqin had been brought back. It was apparent that it had not been on the spur of the moment.

“I feel weird, too. That day, Concubine De was indeed irritated. She wouldn’t have forgiven her soon otherwise, would she?”

Baiji was the most scrupulous one. Thus, she was not as indignant as Baishao.

However, the atmosphere in the room became a bit gloomier.

“Little girl, what was that woman doing here?”

When there were no other people around, Qinghu popped up.

He asked about Jiang Ruqin immediately.

That woman was thinking of how to cause trouble with Lin Mengya. Had Lin Mengya not let her go, she would have been a ghost by now.

“I don’t know. In the following days, we’d better not get out.”

As a matter of fact, Lin Mengya was really tired after these past few days.

Why not get some decent rest in the next few days?

“Besides, not everyone can manage such a big family. Baishao, you’ve had a tough day. It’s time to get some rest.”

Speaking of being a master, Baishao felt amused. She couldn’t wait to see the show.

Only the housekeeper knew all about housekeeping. Prince Yu’s Mansion housed a population of at least a hundred.

Besides, the treasures of Prince Yu’s Mansion were all stored in Lin Mengya’s private coffer.

Each master had a private coffer that was not public property. Even a clever housewife could not cook a meal without rice. This was Jiang Ruqin’s chance to manage the Mansion and put on a show.

“You’re right, Master. Let her do it.”

No maid other than Baishao understood what Lin Mengya had said.

Outsiders thought that Liuxin Courtyard had fallen into disfavor a bit.

“Congratulations, My Lady. Congratulations! You’ve finally become the master.”

Inside the room next to the Art Courtyard, Jiang Ruqin was elatedly watching the keys in her hand.

“No matter how angry Aunt is, she and I are family.”

“Lin Mengya is a hoodoo. Cousin will experience more evil days with her beside him. Aunt must have thought it through carefully before she took me back.”

“What’s more, upon my return, she let me take over the Mansion.”

“Lin Mengya must have never imagined that this would happen to her.”

“Bring me the account book. Oh, tomorrow morning, call the steward of each courtyard and tell them to come here.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Only when I control the whole mansion, I will control cousin and that woman. They will never disobey my orders then.”

However, something happened in the Mansion the day after she seized power.

“Miss Jiang, the food ingredients are not enough. Please check on that.”

Before daybreak, the servant in charge of cooking reported this news to Jiang Ruqin.

“You can decide by yourself. Must the Lady make that decision for you?”

Liu’er, who was a new maid, stood by the door and shouted angrily.

The old servant had stayed in Prince Yu’s Mansion for a long time.

Sophisticated as she was, she immediately smiled apologetically.

“Miss, you make me sound wrong. Prince Yu’s Mansion is not like other common mansions. Everything should be prepared carefully and delicately. Baishao often personally checked the food before. Please don’t be hard on me. I can’t afford any mistakes.”

She was right. Fresh food would be carried into the Mansion every three days.

Seafood, such as fish or shrimp, had to be fresh every day.

Baishao might not go check personally every time, but she would make good arrangements.

The old servant went to Liuxin Courtyard but was told that Miss Jiang would be in charge of everything in the future.

God! What a strange thing.

There was no tale about an unmarried cousin managing her cousin’s house.

Ordinary people like them were stunned by what had happened in this powerful family. They could not understand.

“Liu’er, since Aunt Fan has said so, I’ll go with her.”

It was torture to be woken up from a dream. However, in order to take control of Prince Yu’s Mansion, Jiang Ruqin had to try to manage it.

Before she had finished her check on the kitchen, the steward of each courtyard came to report to her.

She had to examine everything about the laundry, from clothing perfumes to soaps.

The trifles of this large mansion needed Jiang Ruqin’s attention.

“I’m so tired. I believe they must be doing this deliberately.”

After being busy the whole morning, Jiang Ruqin finally had time to take a break.

Liu’er massaged her aching legs, but she still felt like she was about to die.

“My Lady, they are not causing you trouble. Maybe it’s because you are the new governor. They don’t know your way of thinking yet, so they have to ask you about everything.”

No matter how strongly she wanted to deny it,

Jiang Ruqin had to admit that Liu’er’s explanation was true.

However, she would burn herself out if she went on like this.

“Fine. Things will be better when I get used to this. Oh, I’ll get some rest now. In the afternoon, I will greet Aunt.”

She kneaded her waist, feeling almost overwhelmed.

However, a knock on the door was heard from outside as she was about to go to bed.

Liu’er went outside and had a look. Resigned, she returned and spoke.

“My Lady, the stewards from each courtyard are outside. They said that today is pay day. They are waiting for you to bring their salary.”

“Salary?”

When Jiang Ruqin moved her eyes, a wisp of a smile emerged on her face.

She had already heard that money was stored in every corner of the treasury of Prince Yu’s Mansion.

Upon thinking of the money that would be under her control, Jiang Ruqin was fully resurrected.

“Let’s go to the treasury and have a look.”

Upon arriving at the treasury, Jiang Ruqin was stunned.

Nothing was on the shelves. It was totally empty.

“Where is the money? Where?”

Jiang Ruqin yelled. The servant in charge of the treasury immediately answered.

“My Lady, Princess Yu has ordered to move everything into her private coffer.”

Jiang Ruqin checked the keys again and again, but she still found no key to Lin Mengya’s private coffer.

Jiang Ruqin was boiling with anger. “Lin Mengya played me!”

“Guys, come with me to Liuxin Courtyard to get the money back!”

Lin Mengya had already foreseen what was happening to Jiang Ruqin.

Thus, she told her maids to close the door before Jiang Ruqin arrived with those servants.

“Lin Mengya, open the door!”

Jiang Ruqin was so irritated that she shouted directly at Lin Mengya to get out.

She hit Liuxin Courtyard’s door heavily. Suddenly, the door was opened.

Jiang Ruqin almost fell down on the yard.

“Miss Jiang, behave yourself. You may be managing the household, but Master is still the Princess. If you keep speaking so rudely, don’t blame the Princess for punishing you for disrespecting the noble clan.”

Baisu acted indifferently, disarming Jiang Ruqin’s rude attitude.

Concubine De might be backing her up, but Lin Mengya was still the real Princess.

Her father had abandoned her because of what had happened.

She could never get herself into trouble over something unimportant.

“I… I am in a hurry. The Princess won’t be so mean, will she?”

Jiang Ruqin had been ready to stir up trouble with Lin Mengya. However, now, she had been given a sharp warning by Baisu.

Jiang Ruqin, who was silent, felt a little uncomfortable.

“I am just a maid. I have no right to make that decision. The Princess is in the room. You can ask her by yourself.”

Then, Baisu turned back toward the yard.

Jiang Ruqin was a little angry. Now, even a maid could treat her any way that she pleased.

“They are really Lin Mengya’s maids!”

“My Lady, no need to get angry with a maid. We came here for something else.”

Liu’er pulled at her sleeves and spoke in a low voice.

“Right, I came here to get the money back.”

A wisp of a cold smile formed at the corner of her mouth. Jiang Ruqin entered Liuxin Courtyard.

However, the doors of the main room and the wing rooms were all closed.

There were no people in the yard. No maids or other female servants greeted them.

Therefore, she had to approach the door of the main room with a group of servants.

“Knock on the door.”

Jiang Ruqin winked at Liu’er. It would be a letdown to knock on the door by herself.

Liu’er knocked on the door, but no answer came from inside.

“Your Highness, My Lady wants to ask something. Please open the door.”

She was just a maid. Thus, she dared not call her by her name.

However, no matter how many times Liu’er called, there was still no answer.

“Go on. I believe she will hear us.”

Liu’er had to keep knocking. However, a long time later, the door was still closed.

Jiang Ruqin was so irritated that she wanted to smash the door. However, after thinking about it, she realized that Lin Mengya wouldn’t spare her if she really did so.

Even the Royal household would find her behavior unreasonable and rude.

Becoming a member of the royal family would then be difficult for her.

“Cousin-in-law, please open the door. I have something to discuss with you.”

Jiang Ruqin could do nothing but ask gently.

After a while, a cozy answer was heard from inside.

“I am resting. If you want something, it can wait until the afternoon.”

Jiang Ruqin was so angry that her face was distorted. “This woman is so bad. How dare she do this to me!”

“Cousin-in-law, you forgot to give me another key, didn’t you?”

The purpose of her visit was to get the key back. It was okay not to open the door.

She would not suffer by seeing Lin Mengya’s face.

“You mean the key to my door? Go ask the housekeeper. The key of every courtyard door is always kept by the housekeeper. If you want it, you have to lock the door for me every night.”

Instantly, Lin Mengya’s words made the servants behind Jiang Ruqin burst into light laughter.