Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"Speaking of money, there's something else I want to discuss with you..."

Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian were sitting facing each other on the kang (a heated brick bed). Suddenly, she turned her head mysteriously and whispered something.

When Jia Lian saw her like this, he knew she was up to no good, so he sneered and said, "Just say what you have to say. There are no outsiders here, why are you being so mysterious?"

Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes, then smiled and said, "For the master's funeral, the old lady gave six thousand taels of silver, the madam gave three thousand, and the government also contributed four thousand, for a total of thirteen thousand taels of silver."

In addition, there were already three thousand seven or eight hundred taels of silver in the treasury in the east courtyard, making a total of more than sixteen thousand taels…”

As Wang Xifeng spoke, she became somewhat smug, "I've already calculated it. In the past month, we've already spent over seven thousand taels of silver, and there are still various outstanding payments, totaling about four thousand taels. If we disregard all of that, there are still about five thousand taels of silver left in the treasury. What do you think we should do with this remaining silver?"

Wang Xifeng naturally had reason to be proud. Even though she expanded the scale of Jia She's funeral completely according to the requirements of Grandmother Jia and others, and did it without anyone saying that she was stingy, she still saved a full third of the budget given by the family!

It is evident that such important events have always been incredibly lucrative, enriching countless individuals.

Her point was that since the money was saved by the couple themselves through their own efforts, it naturally belonged to them. After all, Jia She's funeral was so grand, even if all the money was spent, she figured that Grandmother Jia and the others wouldn't say anything.

After all, if someone else had been in charge of Jia She's funeral, such as the First Madam, they probably would have spent all the money and still not have been able to handle it well.

This money is for proper food.

If she hadn't been so calculating, she probably wouldn't have put in so much effort over the past month; she might even have been thinking of profiting from it herself...

Moreover, if they don't pocket the money, it will likely have to be returned to the government.

After Grandmother Jia and others denied the existence of a family division, the Rongguo Mansion could no longer be divided into the main courtyard and the east wing. Naturally, the "silver treasury" in the east wing had to be abolished, and from then on, everyone would have to share the same resources, namely the Rongguo Mansion's official treasury.

There will never be another funeral like Jia She's. From now on, all major events in the Rongguo Mansion will have to be financed from the official treasury; it will no longer be possible to specify how much money to allocate for a particular matter.

Jia Lian could easily see through Wang Xifeng's little scheme. He laughed and said, "Take out more than a thousand taels of silver and put it into the official coffers. Otherwise, who would believe you that you've just used up all the silver?"

After this incident, there was no longer any distinction between us and the old man and his wife; everything should be discussed and agreed upon.

It's understandable to have personal motives, but it's best to at least save face for everyone.

Several thousand taels remained. It wasn't that Jia She's funeral only cost a little over 11,000 taels in total, but rather that they had already begun preparing for the coffin and other necessities when Jia She was seriously ill. At that time, the two sides' finances were still separate, so the money was drawn from the treasury in the east wing. That expenditure was not included in the later accounts.

Wang Xifeng naturally understood Jia Lian's meaning. She smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with his decision. Her previous worry was that Jia Lian was too straightforward; he would insist on giving away any money he had already received so everyone could spend it!

Satisfied, she added, "There could have been even more left, but it was your indulgence that allowed your subordinates to embezzle a layer of it. Otherwise, there might have been another two thousand taels of silver left!"

In order to get things done well and spend as little money as possible, Wang Xifeng has been keeping a close eye on everything for the past month. Under her keen observation, no one can afford to lie or spend more money than necessary.

However, there are always some greedy people, and Wang Xifeng herself noticed some clues.

If she had been managing the household for Madam Wang before, she certainly wouldn't have held a grudge, because she herself wanted to profit from it, so how could she not give her subordinates some benefits?

But this time, knowing that the rest would all be hers, she was different.

She was furious and wanted to make an example of two people to deter others, but Jia Lian stopped her, letting those servants profit at her hands for nothing. They might even be smugly thinking she hadn't discovered anything, which annoyed her.

Hearing Wang Xifeng say this, a hint of coldness appeared on Jia Lian's face. Then he said, "Don't worry, they won't take this money so easily. As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Just you wait and see."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng knew that Jia Lian was indeed plotting something, and quickly said, "I'll listen to you. I've already written down all those dishonest people, and Ping'er has kept a record of all the withdrawals and withdrawals. As long as we investigate, I guarantee that no one will be missed."

The couple looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter. At that moment, they finally felt that they were kindred spirits...

"Second Master, the Master has sent someone to summon you to the inner study."

Upon hearing the maid's announcement outside, Wang Xifeng immediately said, "The meal will be served soon. Eat something before you go."

Jia Lian shook his head, stood up, and instructed, "Tell Madam about the remaining thousand taels of silver as soon as possible, and then have someone send it to the government office for registration."

Just then, I thought that everyone in the household had worked hard for the master's funeral. Now that it's late, we should reward the whole family.

Now that you've returned the remaining silver, I can bring up this matter with them. Although we could pay for it ourselves, it would seem like we were deliberately trying to win people over. Therefore, using government funds to reward everyone is the only legitimate way, and the master and mistress have no reason to refuse.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng couldn't stop smiling.

That heartless bastard is so shrewd! In this way, he can get the money back as soon as it's been sent back, and he can regain his reputation without spending any extra money himself.

Therefore, he looked at Jia Lian with a smile in his eyes, thinking, "He's heartless; he must have learned it from me!"

……

As expected, the Rongguo Mansion was filled with joy that evening.

In the courtyard in front of the steward's office, Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian had ten baskets of money carried out to reward the servants of the Rongguo Mansion.

Everyone in the Rongguo Mansion who is on duty, whether a maid, servant, or old woman, will be given two months' wages.

In addition, those who contributed to the funeral will be rewarded according to their performance in the previous month.

The generous reward caused a stir among the hundreds of people in the Rongguo Mansion. Those who hadn't received their rewards rushed towards the steward's office, afraid that if they were a step too late, they would miss out.

Those who had already received it naturally sang praises and spread the news, generating much discussion.

"Master Lian and his wife are so kind and benevolent. Not only did they give everyone extra monthly pay, but many of those who helped with the funeral arrangements also received double rewards!"

"Double is nothing, some people even receive triple! I heard that Caixia's mother in Madam's room accidentally cut her finger while rushing to cut mourning scarves on the seventh day after her death, and Second Madam even gave her an extra three strings of cash..."

"What's that? The eldest son of the Zhang family almost broke his leg when a pine tree felled while he was building the tomb for the master. The second master not only gave him money to see a doctor, but also just gave him eight strings of cash as a separate reward."

"And there's more..."

"What do you know? Actually, the reason why Second Master and Second Mistress were so generous today wasn't just because of Master's matter, but also because Second Master successfully inherited his title... I heard that Second Mistress will also soon be granted an imperial title, so Second Master and Second Mistress are happy, and that's why we servants can also share in their good fortune!"

"So that's how it is. I knew it... It's a pity that Second Master and Second Mistress are both in mourning, otherwise we should really have a proper celebration..."

One tael of silver is worth more than one string of cash, and one string of cash is worth one thousand coins.

According to the Jia family's monthly wage system, a servant's monthly wage was usually five hundred, while a long-serving attendant and household guards would receive around eight hundred.

In other words, those who received a few or even a dozen strings of cash were essentially receiving more than half a year's worth of monthly salary. How could they not be overjoyed?

As a result, those who received the generous reward were naturally grateful to Jia Lian and his companion, and would speak highly of them to everyone they met.

Those who didn't receive a big reward felt regretful, deeply regretting that they hadn't tried harder to impress the Second Master and Second Madam, otherwise they might have received a share of the reward.

Next time something happens, I must be at the forefront!