Being a second wife is difficult: I'm busy raising children in the Earl's mansion.

She wore a royal blue dress with lotus vines, her posture was upright and graceful, her eyes were calm and serene, without a trace of fierceness or hostility, yet she exuded an aura of authority.

Jiang Wan slowly stepped into the main hall, her gaze sweeping over the group of servants outside who were whispering and looking flustered.

The noisy crowd fell silent the moment her gaze fell upon them.

No one dared to speak casually anymore; they all stood with their heads bowed, secretly feeling uneasy.

Jiang Wanli stood in the main seat, her voice clear and steady, neither too loud nor too soft, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Last night, Wang Fu's embezzlement case came to light, and he was transferred to the government for conviction. You all already know about this."

"His ravings and baseless accusations in prison are nothing but the delusions of a criminal in his death throes, and neither the authorities nor the government will believe them."

The opening sentence serves to quell the deepest fears in everyone's hearts.

The servants all looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes, their tense minds relaxing slightly.

Jiang Wan changed the subject, her tone suddenly becoming more solemn, her words clear and forceful: "But I also know that in recent years, the outer courtyard's procurement and warehouse work have been trivial and complicated, and many people have taken the opportunity to embezzle small amounts of money, falsely report material losses, and take advantage of the mansion."

"The accounts were unclear and the regulations were lax in the past, and the household did not investigate them carefully, but that does not mean that your little tricks went unnoticed. They are just minor mistakes and not worth making a big fuss about or punishing the servants."

She didn't shy away from the mistakes of others, frankly exposing all the shady dealings, which made everyone present feel a chill and dare not harbor any illusions.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Wan publicly established new rules, which were well-organized and clearly defined in terms of rewards and punishments: "From today onwards, the manor will establish rules to give everyone a chance to repent and reform."

"Anyone who has previously embezzled small sums of money, misappropriated public property, or falsified accounts may voluntarily report the facts to Anhe Hall and hand over the ill-gotten gains before sunset today."

"Anyone who voluntarily surrenders will have all past mistakes wiped clean, and will only have their monthly allowance deducted as punishment. They will not be held accountable, will not be sent to the authorities, and will not be expelled from the government."

"However, if anyone harbors any侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, a belief that they can get away with something), deliberately conceals the truth, and refuses to confess, then if the accounts are audited and past misconduct is investigated, and even the slightest error is discovered, they will be treated as abusing their power for personal gain and corruption, and severely punished. The crime of covering up and concealing the wrongdoing will also be dealt with together, without any leniency!"

The rules are clear, and there are clear guidelines for advancement and retreat.

On one side is the path of leniency and pardon, and the path of reform; on the other is the path of severe punishment and no way out. The choice is entirely in the hands of the people.

After he finished speaking, the outer courtyard fell silent as everyone silently weighed the pros and cons.

Many low-level laborers and odd jobs were experiencing intense emotional turmoil, their minds racing.

They had followed Wang Fu for many years and had indeed benefited from many small favors. On ordinary days, they would buy writing materials, grains, oils, and firewood, and occasionally deduct a few or dozens of coins. Over time, they had managed to save up some money.

In the past, I felt at ease knowing that no one was watching.

But now that Wang Fu has fallen from power, old grievances could be brought up at any time, and he is already filled with fear and unease.

He originally thought he would be held accountable, at best losing his job and at worst going to jail, but he never expected that his mistress would give him such a lenient chance to make amends.

If he confesses, he can get rid of all his mistakes by deducting one month's allowance and stay in the Earl's mansion to work peacefully.

The Earl's mansion offers generous monthly stipends and stable benefits, making it a highly desirable place for others, far better than the hardships and struggles of life away from home.

If one insists on concealing it, once discovered, it will completely ruin one's livelihood and may even lead to legal trouble.

After weighing the pros and cons, most people have already made up their minds.

Human nature is to seek advantage and avoid harm. Faced with a clear path to life and a path to death, no one would insist on choosing the dead end.

Jiang Wan stood quietly in place, unhurried and calm, giving everyone enough time to think.

She understood people's hearts well. Compared to the coercion of harsh laws and punishments, this kind of regulation that gives people a way out and combines kindness and severity is the most effective way to completely dismantle chaos and win people's hearts.

Before long, the first servant stepped out from the crowd, bowed his head, and said sincerely, "This servant knows his mistake and is willing to confess his past wrongdoings and hand over the embezzled money. I beg the First Madam for forgiveness."

Once you have the first one, you'll have a steady stream of followers.

A group of low-level purchasing workers and warehouse clerks stepped forward to confess, reporting their past minor mistakes and voluntarily handing over the money they had secretly withheld.

Some people only occasionally overstated firewood consumption, some regularly deducted small amounts from grain and oil purchases, and some secretly took small items from the warehouse. Their mistakes varied in size, but they all confessed frankly.

Within an hour, the servants who voluntarily surrendered made up the majority of the lower-level staff in the outer courtyard.

Those servants who had originally packed their bags and planned to flee overnight all abandoned their plans and obediently lined up to turn themselves in and admit their mistakes.

The morale of the students in the Foreign Languages ​​Department, which was on the verge of collapse, was instantly stabilized.

No one panicked or secretly fled anymore, and order in the mansion was quickly restored.

The old stewards standing to one side witnessed the whole thing and couldn't help but admire it from the bottom of their hearts.

The First Madam's move, seemingly tolerant and gentle, was in fact extremely skillful.

Without resorting to criminal penalties or holding anyone accountable, a single new regulation completely dismantled the long-standing chain of corruption within the court, silently extinguishing a potential crisis of morale and social unrest.

This not only demonstrated the mistress's benevolence and magnanimity but also upheld the rules and dignity of the household, achieving two goals at once.

With the situation in the outer courtyard completely stabilized, Jiang Wan did not linger. She instructed the steward to conduct subsequent registration, verification, and accounting, and then turned back to Anhe Hall.

After dealing with the internal turmoil, she did not relax and had already planned out the follow-up matters.

As time goes by, we will soon be entering the Laba Festival.

Every year on the Laba Festival, prominent families in Huzhou City would perform acts of charity, distributing porridge and helping the poor. This was not only an opportunity to accumulate merit and do good deeds, but also an opportunity for these families to make friends and expand their networks.

Jiang Wan sat by the window, gazing at the desolate winter scene in the courtyard, and softly instructed Qinghe beside her: "Go and take stock of the storeroom immediately, and compile a list of the rice, flour, coarse grains, winter medicines, and cotton clothing materials currently in the manor, and register them by category."

"In the coming days, I will set up soup kitchens outside the city to provide relief to the poor, displaced people and beggars in the city. All necessary materials must be prepared in advance and there must be no shortage."

Qinghe quickly responded and said, "This servant has noted it down and will go to carefully count and organize it now."

A hint of contemplation flickered in Jiang Wan's eyes.

She had only recently taken charge of the household affairs of the Earl's mansion. Although she had stabilized the inner quarters and eliminated long-standing abuses, her network of connections within the prominent families of Huzhou remained shallow and weak.

The Mrs. Xu or Mrs. Shen whom I met at Ganen Temple before were core figures in the elite circles of Huzhou.

She was charitable and generous, and led charitable activities in the city for many years, earning her a high reputation among the noblewomen.

This Laba Festival porridge distribution is the perfect opportunity.

This would not only build up the Marquis's reputation among the people and clear up the minor controversies brought about by the recent corruption case, but also allow him to get to know and get closer to Madam Xu through this good deed, gradually establish himself in the upper circle of Huzhou, and solidify his position in the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion.

Everyday acts of kindness lay the foundation for future networking and the establishment of a prominent family.

After dealing with all the internal and external matters, the sun was already setting.

The candles inside were lit again, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Jiang Wan sat down at her desk, spread out plain paper, ground ink, and picked up her brush.

After this upheaval, most of the old staff members in the outer courtyard have become corrupted by bad habits and their foundations are not pure. Although things seem stable in the short term, in the long run, there are still hidden dangers.

To thoroughly reorganize the procurement system of external institutions and prevent the recurrence of corruption, it is necessary to have a trusted confidant in charge to take full control of the regulations.

One person immediately came to mind—Uncle Xu.

Uncle Xu was a long-time steward of the Jiang family. He was loyal, steady, and reliable. He had devoted his life to business accounting, was meticulous and rigorous, and was most skilled at managing procurement and accounting.

This person was not a servant of the Earl's mansion, but a former member of her maternal family, and even more so, a trusted confidant who accompanied her as part of her dowry.

In his early years, Xu Bo retired from his position as the steward of the Jiang family's inner quarters, seemingly living a life of leisure and retirement. In reality, he continued to help her manage the restaurant in Jinling, which was left by her mother and included in her dowry.

That restaurant was a business her mother had carefully built up years ago. It had a rich history, stable revenue, and was one of her most valuable private assets.

Uncle Xu has been in charge of the restaurant for many years, managing it meticulously without ever making a mistake. His ability and loyalty have been tested over the years.

With the position of purchasing agent in the outer courtyard of the Earl's mansion now vacant, and the old staff members restless and unable to change their bad habits, it is a critical moment when a reliable confidant is needed to take charge.

Since Uncle Xu is a family member, he is absolutely trustworthy and is also proficient in purchasing accounts and management, making him far more reliable than the old servants of the Earl's Mansion.

If we could invite Uncle Xu to the manor to temporarily manage the procurement and reorganize the regulations of the outer courtyard, we would surely be able to completely eliminate the remaining problems and build a brand new, orderly, and clean outer courtyard system.

With her mind made up, Jiang Wan wrote with flowing strokes, each character steady and deliberate.

In the letter, she detailed the current chaos in the outer courtyard of the Earl's Mansion, the deep-rooted problems of the old guard that were difficult to eradicate, and the unrest among the people, urgently requiring a capable person to reorganize the system.

He then recounted Xu Bo's many years of capable and reliable skills, earnestly requesting him to temporarily set aside the trivial matters of the restaurant and come to the Bo's residence to help out for a period of time, taking full charge of all the purchasing matters in the outer courtyard.

By the time a letter was written and sealed, the night had already deepened.

Jiang Wan handed the letter to her personal servant, ordering him to immediately send it by fast horse to the Jiang family in Jinling, and then to Uncle Xu.

After doing all this, she looked up at the deep night outside the window, her eyes filled with a firm expectation.

While the Wang Fu case may seem to have come to an end, the deep-seated problems and hidden dangers within the courts have not been completely eradicated.

Only with Xu Bo taking charge and completely overhauling the outer courtyard's regulations can true long-term stability be achieved.