Chapter 607: Too Hot to Handle
Rong Ruiyuan watched the two side consorts flee as if escaping. Seeing the account books and identity tallies left isolated on the table, his eyes turned bloodshot. He stood up and swept everything off the table in a fit of rage.
The two side consorts, having just reached the door, simultaneously quickened their pace. They had finally managed to toss out this hot potato; there was no way they would ever take it back.
“Sister Zuo, why don’t you come sit in my courtyard for a while?” Consort An invited once they had run a little further away.
“I haven’t visited your courtyard yet. Since I’m free today anyway, I’ll take you up on that.” Consort Zuo stopped in her tracks. Ever since entering the Prince Mansion, the two had fought incessantly and found each other an eyesore. Now, trying a different way of getting along seemed acceptable.
The two returned to Consort An’s courtyard. Once the maids brought in the tea, they dismissed their personal maids to wait outside.
They sat in silence for a moment before simultaneously bursting into laughter.
“We sisters really are of one mind today.” Going to the study to resign from their duties was truly not something they had planned together.
“Yes, it was just a coincidence. Tell me, what were we even fighting for in the past?”
“Thinking of the one in the east courtyard, we are actually quite lucky.” Consort Zuo sighed. In the past, she had wished that woman dead, but now, only endless sorrow and sympathy remained.
“No one knew he could be so cold-hearted. The person is dead, yet he showed no affection at all. I heard that her face was completely ruined at the time. He didn’t even bother to find a decent coffin. Instead, he had her rolled up in a broken straw mat and thrown directly into the mass grave, tossed together with those two old maids.”
No matter how secretly Rong Ruiyuan handled these matters, it was impossible to hide them from everyone’s eyes.
“Indeed. The past few nights, I’ve sometimes woken up from my dreams and couldn’t fall back asleep for a long time.” Though Consort Zuo was still wary of the woman beside her and hadn’t touched a single drop of her tea, it didn’t stop her from complaining along.
The atmosphere in the back courtyard of the Prince Mansion was simply too oppressive; everyone lived in constant fear every day.
Gu Antong had been with Rong Ruiyuan, after all. Even knowing she was afflicted with such a poison and that the royal family wouldn’t let her live for long, he should have at least given her a dignified end.
When Gu Antong entered the Prince Mansion, those chests of dowry were carried directly into his storehouse. For that contribution alone, she should have been treated kindly. Who could have expected such a miserable end?
Everyone knew exactly where they stood. If it had been them, how would Rong Ruiyuan have treated them?
They couldn’t afford to think about it; once they started, they simply couldn’t stop the spiral.
The two sighed for a while, feeling pity for Gu Antong, and began to consider their own ways out.
Consort An looked at Consort Zuo. “Sister Zuo, I won’t speak empty words with you. My maternal family sent me a letter. From now on, I will just close my doors and live my own life. I won’t dare to force anything anymore.”
Consort Zuo’s eyes shifted, finally understanding why Consort An had invited her over today. It seemed she wanted to make her stance clear. “What a coincidence. I’m also preparing to stay peacefully in my own courtyard. I won’t interfere with the affairs of this mansion anymore.”
The two exchanged a smile, establishing a mutual understanding.
At the very least, they now had one less person to guard against.
“It’s just that by pushing the duties away today, I’m afraid that petty man will hold a grudge against us,” Consort An didn’t forget to remind her. The two were now indirectly standing on the same front.
Consort Zuo said without a care, “Let him hold a grudge. As long as our maternal families haven’t fallen, I bet he wouldn’t dare do anything to us. It will be nothing more than a few more reprimands or being harsh on our allowances.
“But do we sisters really lack those few loose coins?”
Consort An covered her mouth and laughed. “Sister Zuo is right. We certainly don’t lack those few loose coins, but he shouldn’t even think about coveting ours, either.
“Right now, I just want to clutch my purse tight and properly enjoy the rest of my life.”
Rather than filling that bottomless pit, it was better to keep their money for themselves. Anyway, their dowries were substantial. Closing their doors to live comfortable little lives was quite wonderful.
Having reached this tacit agreement, Consort Zuo didn’t linger much longer and stood up to take her leave.
Consort An walked her to the door. “Who do you think will be the next sucker to take the fall?”
Consort Zuo replied, “Since it’s neither you, me, nor the Princess Consort, I’m afraid he won’t ask for a snub again. He’ll probably have the steward manage it.”
Consort An felt a little regretful. Why hadn’t she seen through it back then? She had even chipped in some of her own money. Fortunately, they had cut their losses in time. “Speaking of which, we still lack the foresight of the Princess Consort. She has already closed her doors to visitors, and we don’t even have to pay morning and evening respects anymore. We should learn from Her Highness.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. We sisters can still visit each other, otherwise life would be too boring.” Consort Zuo preferred a lively atmosphere, though she wasn’t sure how long she could endure staying cooped up.
“I think it’s best we behave ourselves during this period,” Consort An reminded her. “If we really get bored, we can copy scriptures and pray for our families.”
Consort Zuo nodded. “That’s a good idea. Well, I won’t intrude any longer. Your courtyard is quite nice; you must come see mine when you have the chance.
“My maternal family sent in some chrysanthemums a few days ago. They should bloom soon. I’ll have someone invite you over to admire them when they do.”
Consort An naturally agreed. The two had forged a solid understanding.
Rong Ruiyuan knew nothing of this. After venting his anger, he looked at the mess on the floor and ordered the servants to come in and clean it up.
At the same time, he wondered: who should he hand the affairs of the back courtyard over to?
Thinking of the back courtyard, the top three women had all gone on strike. He could only look further down the hierarchy. There were still two concubines, but their family backgrounds were unremarkable, and their dowries were paltry at best. They probably wouldn’t be able to prop up the Prince Mansion.
He sighed and called the steward in.
Looking at the neatly rearranged account books, the steward’s heart pounded wildly. He wondered if this disastrous mess was going to be dumped on him.
As the steward, he was naturally perfectly clear about the affairs of the Prince Mansion’s back courtyard. He had originally assumed the Prince would hand the responsibilities over to the other masters of the back courtyard. What did it mean to call him over now? He desperately hoped it wasn’t what he suspected.
Rong Ruiyuan tapped the account books on the table. “Right now, the Princess Consort and the two side consorts have washed their hands of the matters. You should take charge of all affairs in the mansion.
“The account books and identity tallies are all here. Handle the arrangements as you see fit.”
The steward immediately dropped to his knees. “Reporting to the Prince, this old servant is ashamed of your trust. The accounts are completely empty. Even the cleverest cook cannot make a meal without rice.”
Rong Ruiyuan pulled his last two thousand taels of silver from his robes. “Take this to use for now. I will figure out a way later.”
He naturally knew the steward’s status. Even if the man had a little bit of savings, it couldn’t sustain such massive expenses for the Prince Mansion.
Now he could only wait for good news from Lingnan. He felt a bit of regret; why had he let He Guangtian take so much silver with him? He urgently needed it here now.
Right now, he had to get through this immediate crisis. It seemed he would have to make a trip to the palace later.