Shen Minghui glared at Shen Lixue: "You're young and healthy, so it doesn't matter whether you eat cabbage or something else. But your Aunt Jin is pregnant and needs to nourish her body. How can she eat cabbage every day!"
Shen Lixue smiled sweetly, like a spring flower in bloom, captivating all who beheld her: "Father misunderstood me. What I meant was that the Prime Minister's residence is a noble family, and everything inside and out needs to be managed. There can be no negligence whatsoever. Since Madam is in confinement and unable to handle matters within the residence, it would be better to temporarily entrust these matters to others..."
Shen Minghui's gaze sharpened. This daughter is very clever!
"Who will do it, you?" Lei sneered disdainfully. Taking advantage of her confinement to seize power, Shen Lixue's wishful thinking was truly brilliant.
Shen Lixue smiled politely: "I am not knowledgeable enough to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. The concubines have been in the Prime Minister's residence for quite some time and have a certain understanding of it. Why don't we temporarily hand over the matter to them..." The affairs of the Prime Minister's residence are complicated, and Shen Lixue has no mood to get too involved. She has no interest in presiding over the power of the inner courtyard if she is given the power.
Aunt Zhao, Aunt Li, and Aunt Jin were all shocked. The eldest young lady said she would hand over the power of the Prime Minister's mansion to them. They hadn't misheard, had they? The matter came too suddenly, and the three of them found it hard to accept. They pinched their arms through their clothes, and it hurt a lot. They weren't dreaming.
"The Prime Minister's mansion, letting a concubine hold power, as if the principal wife doesn't exist? If word gets out, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?" Lei sneered, looking coldly at Shen Lixue. Trying to seize her power? Dream on.
Shen Lixue smiled gently: "I'm just thinking of Father and Madam. Father is the Prime Minister of Qingyan, and he must keep his word. Once he gives an order, he can't easily change it. Madam is in confinement, praying devoutly, and has no mind to care about things in the manor. Our Prime Minister's manor is also a high-ranking noble family. What would it look like if we ate cabbage every day? Besides, Father is busy with things, and Concubine Jin is pregnant and needs to eat some tonics to nourish her body..."
Lei's gaze shifted between light and shadow, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She spoke slowly and deliberately, "Li Xue is polite. It was my oversight. I will emerge from seclusion today and restore the Prime Minister's residence to normal!" Power cannot fall into other hands. She was willing to compromise and leave seclusion, but the plans she had made for several days had been ruined by her. What a wretch!
“Madam is in confinement. If she were to go out and preside over important matters in the manor, then Father, the Prime Minister of Qingyan, would be breaking his promise and being untrustworthy…” Shen Lixue smiled brightly. These were Lei Shi’s own words, not something she wanted to use as an excuse.
Shen Lixue! Lei Shi stared at Shen Lixue, his gaze as cold as a thousand-year-old ice. She was indeed sharp-tongued and annoying.
“The concubines have never been involved in the affairs of the mansion, how could they handle it? The Prime Minister’s mansion is a noble family, and we cannot allow any problems to arise that would make us a laughing stock. Yingxue has been by my side for many years, and she has learned enough about the affairs of the inner courtyard. Let’s hand over the power of the Prime Minister’s mansion to her!” Yingxue is Lei’s daughter, so handing over the power of managing the household to her is not a loss to her. The power of managing the Prime Minister’s mansion is still in the hands of the mother and daughter.
"Sister Yingxue is seriously injured and needs to rest properly. She cannot be overworked. Although the concubines do not understand the affairs of the inner courtyard, with the assistance of the nannies, I believe nothing serious will happen. I wonder what Father thinks about entrusting the management of the Prime Minister's residence to them?"
The power within the inner court symbolizes a person's status and position, and the Lei family would not easily relinquish it. Therefore, Shen Lixue brought in Shen Minghui, the head of the family, to suppress the Lei family.
“Li Xue’s words are polite. Let’s do as Li Xue says and let Auntie temporarily manage the inner courtyard…” Shen Minghui nodded in agreement with Shen Li Xue’s suggestion.
He had long harbored this thought, but since the concubines in the mansion were not as capable as Lady Lei, he had never brought it up. But today, Lady Lei, relying on her power, arrogantly defied him and acted lawlessly. He took away her power so that she could see clearly that he was the true master of the Prime Minister's mansion.
They're going to take power, they're really going to take power!
Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li were overjoyed and forcibly suppressed their excitement. If there hadn't been so many people around, they would have jumped up and shouted in a fit of rage.
Aunt Jin's face beamed with joy, her heart pounding with excitement. It was wonderful! She was finally going to take power! The power she had always dreamed of was finally in her hands, even if it was only a small part—it was still power, a symbol of her status and position…
"Since Concubine Jin is pregnant, she should not participate in the affairs of the household. Concubine Zhao should take charge, and Concubine Li should assist her. What does Father think?" Concubine Jin is narrow-minded and greedy for petty gains. If power is handed over to her, she will definitely embezzle and skim profits in secret. Shen Lixue dislikes such a petty person.
Aunt Li was originally Lei's person and was very afraid of Lei. She followed Lei's lead in everything. Giving power to her was no different from giving it to Lei. On the other hand, Aunt Zhao was the only one who dared to challenge Lei. She hated Lei. Once the power was in her hands, it would be difficult for Lei to take it back.
"Okay, we'll do as you say!" Shen Minghui agreed with a smile. Shen Lixue's arrangement was reasonable, and he had no objections.
Aunt Jin's fervent joy instantly plummeted to freezing point, her radiant smile vanished, and she glared fiercely at Chen Lixue. "You bitch, how dare you steal the housekeeping power I've always dreamed of! I've finally made it this far, I won't give up so easily."
"Master, she's only a little over a month old, the baby is still small, she can help her sister share the burden of the Prime Minister's mansion!" Aunt Jin shook Shen Minghui's arm unwillingly and said coquettishly, "Besides, pregnant women are picky eaters, if I have this little bit of power, I can order people to bring food whenever I want, and take good care of our child!"
Fearing that Shen Minghui would not agree, Aunt Jin brought up the fetus in his womb that he valued most.
“You’re more than a month pregnant, so your health is the most important thing. You must not overexert yourself. If you want to eat, drink, or play anything, just tell Aunt Zhao, and she will arrange it for you…” Shen Minghui gently patted Aunt Jin’s back, smiling as he softly comforted her.
Aunt Jin's smiling face fell again, her teeth clenched in hatred. How could something arranged by someone else have the same symbolic meaning as something she ordered herself...?
"Thank you, sir, and for your trust, young lady. I will do my best to manage the household well!" Aunt Zhao recovered from her shock, curtsied to Shen Minghui and Shen Lixue, her eyes brimming with confidence and joy.
"This concubine also thanks the master and the young lady for their trust!" Aunt Li followed closely behind, curtsied in gratitude, and the moment she looked up, she met Lei's cold gaze. She shuddered and quickly retreated behind Aunt Zhao, lowering her head and remaining silent.
"Ya Rong, hand over all the affairs of the manor to Concubine Zhao. I don't want to see any more cabbage feasts!" Shen Minghui emphasized the last sentence, causing Concubine Zhao to tremble. "Don't worry, Your Excellency, I will arrange a sumptuous lunch!"
Shen Minghui gave a curt reply, walked out of the elegant garden, and strode towards the study. Aunt Jin bit her lip, glared fiercely at Shen Lixue, and quickly chased after him, determined to persuade the master to give her power: "Master, wait for me..."
Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li took the keys and tokens and couldn't wait to exercise their rights.
Shen Lixue walked up to Lei Shi and teased her with a smile: "The matter within the manor has been resolved. Madam can now pray with peace of mind and write the Peace Sutra. Writing the Peace Sutra a thousand times is not easy. Madam has gone through a lot of trouble!"
Lei set up the scheme to negotiate favorable terms and teach her enemies a lesson. However, in the end, she not only failed to reach an agreement on favorable terms but also lost power within the household. It was truly a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead, losing both her wife and her army.
Lei looked at Shen Lixue with eyes as cold as a thousand-year-old ice, and the faint smile on his lips was also chilling: "Don't be so smug. It's not over yet. Who will win is still unknown!"
"Madam, you should finish writing the Peace Sutra a thousand times first, and then stay cooped up in the room for thirty days before we discuss who will emerge victorious!" Shen Lixue smiled lightly, and strode out of the Elegant Garden without looking back. Her clear and cold eyes flashed with a cold light. She had already handed over the power, yet the Lei family still wanted to take it back. What a fool's dream.
"You bitch, you bitch, you bitch!" After everyone left, Lei was furious and smashed everything in the room to pieces. Her beautiful eyes were so angry that they seemed to be spitting fire. "Shen Lixue, you wait, I will never let you get away with this!"
"Granny Mi, quietly give the order: no one is to obey Aunt Zhao or Aunt Li's commands. Let's see how those two manage to seize power!" After venting her anger, Madam Lei's rage subsided considerably, her mind cleared, and she came up with a brilliant plan:
When Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li have turned the inner courtyard into chaos and a complete mess, they will surely obediently return their power. At that time, she will have enough power to negotiate terms and see how she deals with them!
In the backyard, Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li gathered all the maids, nannies, and servants of the mansion together. Aunt Zhao, lightly supporting a maid's hand, strutted back and forth in front of the servants with an arrogant air, and said haughtily:
"As you all probably already know, I will be in charge of the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence for the next month. I won't say anything more; you will all continue with your duties. Continue doing what you were doing before. It's almost lunchtime; collect your money to buy groceries and prepare lunch. Remember, the meals for the Prime Minister, the Eldest Miss, and Concubine Jin must be plentiful and well-prepared. Do not neglect them..."
"Yes!" the servants replied absentmindedly, their voices weak and listless, clearly not taking Aunt Zhao's words to heart.
A steward brought some silver and account books to the table. The maids stepped forward one by one to collect the silver. Suddenly, one of the maids shrieked, "Aunt Zhao, this five taels of silver is not enough to pay for all the fish in the mansion..."
Aunt Zhao frowned and looked coldly at the old woman: "You've always used this amount of silver to buy fish, why was it enough before, but not enough now?"
“Auntie, you don’t know this, but the prices of vegetables and meat are skyrocketing. Each fish is selling for nearly a hundred copper coins. Five taels of silver really isn’t enough!” The old woman sighed softly, looking at Auntie Zhao with a mournful gaze.
Aunt Zhao's face immediately darkened. She knew that prices fluctuated, but she had never managed a household and didn't know how to deal with this kind of thing: "How many copper coins would it take for the masters of the house to have a fish meal?"
"Reporting to Aunt, ten taels of silver will suffice!" The old woman chuckled, a hint of something eerie in the depths of her eyes.
"Aunt Zhao, we don't even have enough money for the groceries..."
"Aunt Zhao, we don't have enough money to buy it..."
Seeing that the old woman's complaints had worked, the old women in charge of buying things all shouted with silver in hand, and the whole inner courtyard was in chaos.