Qiao Jianghong didn't find the silver. When he was depressed, Shen Shuli told him that An Qien had brought all the silver to Mrs. Qiao of Anhetang.
Qiao Jianghong also knew that Mipu had lost a lot of money.
He went to Anhe Hall without saying a word, and Shen Shuli followed Qiao Jianghong as a maid.
Upon arriving at Anhe Hall, Qiao Jianghong bowed to the sad-looking Mrs. Qiao, and Mrs. Liu saluted.
On Mrs. Qiao's table and on the couch next to her were all the money in the Hou Mansion, as well as three account books.
The waiter outside was still waiting, Qiao Jianghong said bravely: "Qi'en, take fifty taels of silver and ask Qingbi to give it to the waiter at the teahouse at the door."
Before An Qien could speak, Ms. Liu exclaimed and asked, "Jiang Hong, what kind of tea costs fifty taels?"
After finishing her words, Mrs. Liu saw the slight bruise on the corner of Qiao Jianghong's mouth with her sharp eyes. Mrs. Liu got up distressed and walked over, reaching out to touch her son's wound.
"Jiang Hong, what's wrong with the corner of your mouth?"
Qiao Jianghong turned his face in embarrassment, not wanting to be discovered by more people, he said perfunctorily: "Maybe I'm a little angry, mother, it's okay, don't worry."
Ms. Liu was still worried and stared at the bruises at the corner of her mouth.
Mrs. Qiao also looked over worriedly: "What's going on with Jiang Hong?"
"Returning to grandma, it was indeed caused by a fire. It's not a problem."
He was too shameless to tell the real reason why he was beaten.
Fortunately, there was only a slight bruise on the corner of his mouth, and you couldn't see the real injury unless you looked closely.
An Qien knew the bruise was caused by a fist when she saw it for the first time. She sat quietly and said nothing.
Mrs. Qiao glanced at An Qien and said, "Qien, you are skilled in medicine. You have taken care of Jiang Hong's body. He is angry now. You worry about taking care of your husband."
"Yes, grandma." An Qi'en responded without emotion.
Seeing that Mrs. Qiao had no intention of giving any money, Qiao Jianghong said again: "Grandma, the waiter in the teahouse is still waiting."
Mrs. Qiao glanced at Qiao Jianghong meaningfully, counted fifty taels of silver and handed it to the maid.
The maid took the money and went out.
She saved face for Qiao Jianghong and didn't delve into why the tea was so expensive.
An Qien continued the topic just now: "Grandma, mother-in-law, the rice shop has lost two hundred and sixty-eight taels. The rice with worms is still in the warehouse. All the money in the house is here."
"To make up for the shortfall in the rice shop, we will buy new rice, and the grocery store will also need to buy goods. The monthly salary expenditure for the whole family is estimated to be four hundred taels."
Mrs. Qiao picked up the tea, opened the tea leaves with the tea lid and took a sip of tea. Although she had a sad look on her face, she was very calm.
Mrs. Liu couldn't sit still. The money in the Hou Mansion was getting less and less, the population was getting more and more, and she still had an unmarried sister.
How will we live in the future? She looked at An Qien in panic and asked, "Qien, what should we do?"
An Qien looked calm: "Mother-in-law, the Hou Mansion only has so much money, so just live frugally, there is no other way."
Shrinking and dieting?
The Hou Mansion is accustomed to living a wealthy life. It is easy to go from simplicity to luxury, but from luxury to simplicity, it will cost people's lives.
Ms. Liu panicked when something big happened, and looked at Mrs. Qiao again uneasily.
Mrs. Qiao put down her tea cup and said calmly: "Qi'en, you are the mistress of the house. Your mother-in-law and I can trust you to handle these matters, so you don't need to report to us."
The meaning of Mrs. Qiao's words is very obvious. You own the house. If you don't have enough expenses, they will use your dowry to make up for it. They won't care.
An Qien lowered her head slightly and smiled lightly. She raised her head and said to the old lady: "My granddaughter-in-law understands that since my grandmother and mother-in-law can trust me to handle it, I will spend four hundred taels. The prince just took fifty taels, a total of It’s four hundred and fifty taels.”
"This money will be spent from the Marquis's account room. The remaining money will be counted and recorded in the book. I will record the amount of each payment in the book."
Mrs. Qiao raised her eyelids and glanced at An Qien, obviously dissatisfied with her handling of the matter.
There are unmarried brothers and unmarried sisters in the Hou family. These are not small expenses.
It is impossible to survive on a salary, and Qiao Jianghong does not have an official position yet.
Mrs. Qiao was heartbroken to spend such a large sum of money from the Hou Mansion's accounting office.
She looked solemn and said slowly: "When a woman leaves the palace, she becomes one with her husband's family, regardless of each other. Qi'en, grandma believes that you will handle this matter well."
"Thank you, grandma for your trust."
After saying this, An Qien told the maid beside him: "Bai Lu, let someone tell Uncle Fu to come to the house to get the money."
If you want to use her dowry to make up for it, no way! Don't even think about asking for her dowry in the future.
Mrs. Qiao's face darkened for a moment. She put away her emotions, looked at Shen Shuli and asked deliberately: "Shu Li, if this happened to you, how would you solve Jiang Hong's problems."
Shen Shuli glanced at An Qi'en, and she knew that Mrs. Qiao was deliberately using her as a stepping stone to point An Qi'en down.
She replied respectfully: "Back to the old lady, if you are a servant, you can give your life to the prince. The moment you marry the prince, the person, the dowry, and everything you have belongs to the prince."
Qiao Jianghong felt warm in his heart. Sure enough, it was his beloved who loved him the most.
An Qien's expression was indifferent, and it was useless to click on her.
"Shu Li is really sincere to the Crown Prince. In that case, why not take her as my concubine?"
Shen Shuli was startled, and the joy in her eyes overflowed, but at the same time, she was also confused about why An Qien did this suddenly?
Qiao Jianghong also had a look of joy on his face. He suddenly thought of the fist that An Shian punched him. If he accepts Shen Shuli at this time, I'm afraid An Shian will cause trouble for him.
When he was thinking about whether to take a concubine, he heard Mrs. Liu say: "Shu Li is a person who knows how to serve others. Just choose a day to take her in."
Mrs. Qiao doesn't have any objection, it seems that this matter is about to happen.
Shen Shuli was complacent.
An Qi'en took a sip of tea and added what he said next: "Now a concubine is available in the market for around fifty taels to one hundred taels. She has a pear blossom face and a willow waist. She is not an ordinary beautiful woman. She can be sold for one hundred and twenty taels." About two to one hundred and fifty taels, with this amount of money, it can be regarded as solving the urgent need of the Hou Mansion."
"You don't have to sacrifice your life, and you have expressed your sincerity to the prince. Do you think this arrangement is good for Shuli?"
Shen Shuli's face changed drastically and turned pale, and she said with a trembling voice in panic: "Madam, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't talk too much. I sincerely serve the prince and have no other ideas."
Mrs. Qiao and Mrs. Liu were both surprised. No one expected this reversal.
Qiao Jianghong felt a cold sweat in his heart and said calmly: "Now is not the time to take a concubine. Let's talk about this later."
He was really afraid that An Qi'en would cooperate with her mother's family to pressure the Hou Mansion to sell Shen Shuli.
Mrs. Qiao glanced at An Qi'en with unclear meaning: "Qi'en, Shuli is just a maid, and the Hou family has not yet reached the point of selling people to make a living."
"What grandma said is that our Hou Mansion is a wealthy family and is well-known in Beijing. We will never use dowry to make up for the shortfall like Shuli said. If word spreads, the Hou Mansion may not be able to hold its head high."
