From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

On the eleventh day of the first lunar month, the selection of the chief steward of the Marquis of Jing'an's residence will take place!

Just as Xiao Fengxiao said, there are a total of six people to be selected, including Chen Shi.

In the side hall, Gu Tingliang sat at the head of the table.

The selection of the head steward is of great importance and must be personally overseen by the master. Since Gu Tingshu is usually busy with other matters, Gu Tingliang will take the lead.

In addition, there was a woman who looked to be in her thirties, with a beautiful and dignified appearance, but dressed a little old-fashioned, sitting to the side. She was none other than Hua Jieyu, who was known as the "Grand Steward".

Although Hua Jieyu is not very old, she has served the old lady since she was a child, and even now, the old lady cannot live without her for a single day.

To show his respect for the old lady, the Marquis specially promoted her to the position of steward.

Although he doesn't usually manage those miscellaneous affairs, as the old lady's confidant, his status is subtly higher than that of Kim Byung-in and the others, so he is called the "Grand Steward".

For this selection of the chief steward, Gu Tingliang specially borrowed someone from the old lady's side temporarily to serve as an assistant.

"Retainers, retainers, military officers, clan members..."

Standing below, Chen Shi couldn't help but look at the other five people beside him.

The two men, dressed in the same blue robes as him and looking to be in their fifties, were probably his two senior retainers.

The other three looked relatively young, but were probably in their thirties. The one with the dart pouch at his waist was likely a retainer, the one with the missing arm was probably a military officer, and the last one, with his nostrils pointing upwards, must be the scion of the Gu family.

Chen Shi had already learned some information about these five people from Xiao Fengxiao.

But not many.

Especially in martial arts.

After all, for a martial artist, the martial arts they practice are a highly secretive matter. If the enemy finds out and targets them, it could even be a matter of life and death.

Xiao Fengxiao also went to the library to inquire, and found that not only were the retainers and military officers who were not from the Marquis's family hidden, but even the records of the two retainers and the Gu family's son who applied for martial arts training were also hidden.

Fortunately, Chen Shi's application records were also sealed, thus preventing the other party from viewing and knowing them.

Xiao Fengxiao could only try to find out as much information about these five people as possible from other sources and inform Chen Shi.

"Everyone's here."

While recalling his opponent's situation, Gu Tingliang spoke a sentence and then gestured to Hua Jieyu.

Hua Jieyu nodded and stood up.

Looking at Chen Shi and the others, he didn't waste any words and spoke directly.

"The selection of the chief manager will be divided into three rounds. If you fail in any round, you will be eliminated."

"Is it that strict?"

No one else spoke, except for that retainer, who smiled and said to Gu Tingliang.

"Third Master, what if none of us can pass all three rounds?"

"If there isn't a single one, then it means none of you are qualified. The Jing'an Marquis's Mansion would rather have none than have the wrong one."

Gu Tingliang smiled and gave a soft hum.

Right.

The retainer nodded, then asked with a grin.

"If several people pass all three rounds of testing, who should be chosen?"

"Old Jia? Why do you always have so many questions?"

Gu Tingliang rolled his eyes and said confidently.

"Don't worry, only one person can pass through all three rounds."

"Only one person? I understand."

Jia Xingzhou muttered something to himself, then nodded with a smile.

Just one person...

Chen Shi frowned slightly; he understood as well.

How can we ensure that only one person wins? It's actually quite simple. Just have one round of testing where all six of them compete against each other, and then choose one person to win.

Facing these people head-on is precisely what gives Chen Shi the biggest headache.

"Does anyone else have any questions?"

Hua Jieyu looked at the six people and asked a question.

No one spoke.

"Alright, since everything's fine, let's get started."

Hua Jieyu nodded and waved.

Immediately afterwards, six maids entered.

These six maids all come from the old lady's courtyard. It is precisely because they come from the old lady's courtyard that others cannot interfere, and thus they are the most impartial!

After all, the steward oversees all affairs of the household, and many masters want to put their own people in this position.

"please."

A young maid in green walked up to Chen Shi and respectfully gestured for him to enter.

"Thank you for your trouble, sister."

Chen Shi cupped his hands in a gesture of humility.

The maid smiled and led Chen Shi out of the side hall.

The other five were in the same situation, but after leaving the side hall, they were each taken to different places.

Is the content of this first round of assessment different?

Shouldn't.

Perhaps there are only differences in the details, but in the end, it should be a kind of test.

That's the only fair way.

It wasn't far. While I was pondering, I was led by a maid to a room that resembled a study.

"Manager Hua said that she would like Steward Chen to help arrange the purchases for the Old Madam's small kitchen this month."

On the table were some accounts, receipts, and a box containing silver notes and loose silver. The maid stood aside and continued speaking.

"Once you've finished, just give me the corresponding list and the money."

Arrange procurement?

The Marquis's household has a large population, and all aspects of their lives, including food, clothing, and daily necessities, require procurement. This is one of the basic skills required of a steward.

However, using this as part of the assessment at this time is rather inappropriate.

Just like the assessment of a seventh-rank martial artist, there couldn't possibly be something as childish as lifting a stone weight.

Besides, it's just purchasing; which one can be eliminated?

There must be more to it than meets the eye.

But it's hard to say exactly what the trick is; let's wait and see.

As the person in charge of purchasing medicinal herbs, this was Chen Shi's "profession". He could simply replace ginseng and lingzhi with radishes and cabbage.

There was no time limit mentioned, so Chen Shi wasn't in a hurry. He sat down and picked up the account books to look them up.

This is the purchasing record from last month, with the corresponding invoices next to it.

"Huh?"

With just a quick glance, Chen Shi discovered the problem.

The accounts and receipts don't match!

The amount recorded in the accounts was about 30% higher than the actual amount on the receipts.

rebate?

Everyone knows that purchasing is a lucrative job, and the real money comes from the buying and selling.

Collect more money and spend less, then create a false account, and the remaining money will naturally end up in your own pocket.

Chen Shi did the same thing for the past year while he was in charge of purchasing medicinal herbs, and he made several thousand taels of silver.

Presumably, the other purchasing managers were in the same boat.

But the question is, with these accounts and receipts laid out in front of him, what is the purpose of his assessment as the manager?

Let him handle the manager of this flower account.

It shouldn't be. After all, since these accounts and receipts are here, it means the government already knows about them, so why would he need to issue orders and punish them?

If it's not about handling affairs, then what is it about?

Chen Shi looked at the green-clad maid beside him. The maid smiled at him but didn't say anything.

Yes, the maid made it very clear before that she asked him to arrange the shopping for this month.

This is the test; he doesn't need to overthink anything else.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Shi counted the money in the box.

"really."

The amount of money was exactly right, but it was the same as the amount of money falsely reported in the accounts.

Chen Shi smiled; he understood.

Then he picked up a pen and listed the purchase items for the month, as well as the amount of money required.