After Transmigrating Into A Love-Brained Scumbag Villain - Chapter 10

After examining Wang Yaoshuang, the Assistant Court Physician changed her prescription to one with gentler medicinal properties before His Highness dismissed him.

Zhao Shangrong asked, “Is the princess consort still not used to life in the prince’s manor?”

She could not directly ask whether Wang Yaoshuang felt burdened by being an undercover agent, so she could only use this as an entry point to chat with the female lead and see if she could lower the other party’s guard.

Wang Yaoshuang knew that following His Highness’s words would be the easiest way to handle this, but this prince’s manor was a place where she had lived for several years in her previous life. It truly could not be considered unfamiliar. And life in the prince’s manor, aside from needing to be especially cautious, was not very different from life at home. She was still trapped in the inner residence, and the sky she looked up at was still only a small square.

She gently shook her head and said, “I merely miss my family a little.”

These words came from the heart. When she was reborn, it had been on the eve of her marriage into the Prince of Yingchuan’s manor. Her whole mind had still been muddled, and before she could sort out any of her thoughts, she had already left home. So for her, who was living her life over again, the last time she had seen her family felt like a very long time ago.

Zhao Shangrong understood the feelings of a married woman leaving home, and she said rather considerately, “When we return to your maiden home tomorrow, we can stay at the Wang family a little longer. In any case, we don’t live far. In the future, if you miss your family, just go back. No one can stop you.”

Wang Yaoshuang, who had not yet escaped the shadow of her previous life, subconsciously trembled. Her thin body was like the leaves of an elm tree swaying in the chilly autumn wind at the border.

Was His Highness threatening her, saying that if she went back, she should not return?

Chief Clerk Chen shuddered and immediately came back to his senses, hurriedly answering, “Yes!”

His Highness had not yet achieved her goal. She would not be so ruthless toward him! It must be that when he did not know it, the princess consort had whispered pillow talk to His Highness.

Seeing that he had not moved for a long time, Zhao Shangrong’s heroic brows furrowed. “Chief Clerk Chen, did you understand what I said?”

There were already this many records for a single quarter. Who would not need several days to check them all?!

How else could all this be explained?

He regretted it. Why had he not realized yesterday that His Highness’s change in attitude was strange?

Even thinking with his toes, he should have known. Although His Highness had neglected and humiliated the princess consort when marrying her, the princess consort was a first-class beauty. Perhaps after His Highness saw the princess consort in person, she fell in love at first sight and became entranced by her beauty… In order to let the princess consort smoothly take over the prince’s manor’s internal affairs, she had decided to begin with checking the accounts and clearing away obstacles for her!

Yes, that must be it!

Could he be hard of hearing? If so, she would have to consider letting him retire and replacing him with a younger chief clerk.

He was an official of the prince’s manor with an official rank. His Highness would not casually beat, scold, or humiliate him, but his official career was entirely tied to His Highness. Once His Highness became angry, no one would have good days ahead. How could he dare delay? He quickly slipped away.

Not long after he ran out, he ran back. “Your Highness, there are quite a lot of account books. It may take a while.”

But all along, he had been utterly loyal to His Highness. In order to help His Highness reach her fief as soon as possible, command the provincial troops, and obtain the military authority she ought to have, he had exhausted himself, actively drawing in court officials and noble clans.

Zhao Shangrong briefly translated his meaning in her head. In essence, the few books in his arms were all indexes, while the actual accounting materials were inside those three large boxes.

Chief Clerk Chen had not expected His Highness to suddenly ask to inspect the accounts without any warning. His heart thumped, and an ominous feeling rose within him.

But why had His Highness suddenly decided to inspect the accounts? Did she suspect that there were rats in the prince’s manor who had created deficits and embezzled public funds? Or had His Highness become dissatisfied with him and wanted to find an opportunity to replace him?

Wang Yaoshuang, standing at the side, had already recovered. She wanted to ask why His Highness wanted to check the accounts, but she did not dare rashly speak, afraid that His Highness would scold her for refusing to keep to her proper place and meddling in affairs that did not concern her.

Chief Clerk Chen soon returned carrying a pile of account books. Behind him were servants carrying three large boxes.

Zhao Shangrong: “…”

Zhao Shangrong only looked at him coldly.

First, yesterday, His Highness had said she wanted to hand all the internal and external affairs of the prince’s manor over to the princess consort. Although she later changed her mind, this matter must surely be connected to today’s account inspection.

Zhao Shangrong thought the books in Chief Clerk Chen’s arms were the account books of the Prince of Yingchuan’s manor, but unexpectedly, he said, “Your Highness, these are all the ‘general registers’ for this spring. They record the names and numbers of the various account books and registers for Your Highness’s convenience. The ones from previous years will be delivered later.”

She finally understood why, in TV dramas, even though the shopkeeper seemed to flip back and forth through only one account book, the owner still had to inspect the accounts every month, sometimes taking several days at a time.

Zhao Shangrong did not realize that because of the influence of the Prince of Yingchuan’s past image, her kindness had been distorted. She suddenly remembered the issue of how much money it cost to support so many people in the prince’s manor. Since the Chief Clerk was also present, she said, “Chief Clerk Chen, bring me the income and expenditure account books from previous years.”

She said expressionlessly, “Tell me how much the prince’s manor earns in a year and how much it spends.”

She decided to give up struggling and directly ask for the final result.

Chief Clerk Chen glimpsed her gloomy expression and grew even more uneasy. Subconsciously, he wanted to seek help from a third party.

However, the only person present who could speak before His Highness was the silent princess consort. He was not familiar with the princess consort. He was even worried that she would become an existence used by the emperor to restrain His Highness, so his attitude toward her these past few days had been very complicated.

He could not count on the princess consort, whose position was either friend or foe. Trembling, he began, “In the three spring months of this year, Yingchuan Commandery supplied five hundred thousand coins, including land tax, wine-starter tax, commercial tax, miscellaneous payments… The grain expenditure from farmland was two hundred and eighty shi…”

Zhao Shangrong grew sleepy as she listened.

Her gaze inadvertently swept across Wang Yaoshuang’s face and discovered that Wang Yaoshuang was listening very seriously.

When Chief Clerk Chen finished reading, he waited obediently for Zhao Shangrong to issue instructions. But Zhao Shangrong quietly yawned, then asked even more obediently and innocently than him, “That’s all?”

Chief Clerk Chen said, “The ones from previous years still need some time…”

So Zhao Shangrong asked Wang Yaoshuang, “What does the princess consort think of the prince’s manor’s income and expenses?”

As long as the princess consort felt the income and expenses were normal, then Zhao Shangrong would not need to lay anyone off.

If the princess consort felt that expenses exceeded income, then Zhao Shangrong would painfully lay off some maidservants… Or perhaps lay off the private retainers instead. Hmm, but the private retainers still had to do farm work. Should she lay off half from each side?

Wang Yaoshuang had not expected His Highness to call on her to answer in such a setting. She could not understand His Highness’s intention, so after considering for a moment, she said, “This concubine feels… the accounts are somewhat disorderly.”

Zhao Shangrong: “???”

Wasn’t she asking about income and expenses? How had the topic turned to the accounts themselves?

Chief Clerk Chen said anxiously, “The princess consort has only just entered the prince’s manor and may not understand. These accounts have been calculated clearly, without the slightest falsification!”

Wang Yaoshuang looked at Zhao Shangrong. Seeing that she did not interrupt, she then pointed out why she felt the prince’s manor’s accounts were disorderly.

“This concubine has not yet looked through all the registers, so I do not dare speak rashly. But there is one point—the court has regulations regarding the categories involved in account books. Grain should be counted in shi, money should be counted in strings… In the account books Chief Clerk Chen read just now, there were situations where hu and shi were used interchangeably, and there was also confusion in the units for money and silk. Different methods of measurement can easily create different price discrepancies.”

Chief Clerk Chen’s throat felt as if a stone had been lodged in it, neither going up nor down, leaving him unable to speak.

Wang Yaoshuang slowly explained the parts she found unreasonable. Listening to her, Zhao Shangrong felt as though an art student had accidentally wandered into the accounting department of a school of economics and management to audit a professional class. It sounded very impressive, but she did not understand it.

Speaking of which, why was it that in most web novels, a female lead whose identity was that of an inner-household wife would definitely know how to manage accounts?

Zhao Shangrong had once thought that web novel authors were being lazy and directly copying other people’s settings. However, from the Prince of Yingchuan’s memories, some small details about the education women received in this era showed that the role society assigned to women forced them to learn this skill, because they had to assist their husbands, educate children, and manage households.

At the same time, those elders who used their experience to warn them about so-called life lessons would tell them that only by seizing control of the household finances could they protect a family and their own interests.

Thus, from childhood until marriage, throughout those ten-plus years, aside from embroidery and learning how to please men, what women learned was how to manage the inner residence and accounts.

Zhao Shangrong had just sighed inwardly when she heard Wang Yaoshuang call her. “…Your Highness?”

Zhao Shangrong looked at her with a profound expression. “What the princess consort said makes sense!”

Wang Yaoshuang: “…”

Did you actually hear anything I said?

Zhao Shangrong said, “Hand it all to the princess consort to handle.”

She had handed the entire prince’s manor over to the female lead to manage, and the accounts would be clear at a glance. This was basically equivalent to baring herself completely before the emperor. Surely the emperor would not suspect her of betraying the country or planning rebellion now, right?

She paused, then added, “However, the princess consort must also look after your health. Do not overwork yourself. You are the princess consort; there is no need to personally handle every matter. Let capable people under you do the work. You only need to keep an eye on things.”

Chief Clerk Chen: “…”

As expected, His Highness’s heart had been hooked away by the princess consort!

Wang Yaoshuang was stunned. Had she said anything? How had His Highness suddenly handed the account management to her?

His Highness seemed a little… absurd.

However, the matter was not over yet. His Highness threw out another heavy piece of news. “The prince’s manor does not keep idle people. After the princess consort calculates the income and expenses clearly, those who should stay may stay. Those who should not stay… there is no need to keep supporting them.”

Both Wang Yaoshuang and Chief Clerk Chen’s hearts shook.

What did His Highness mean by this? Did she feel that someone in the prince’s manor had grown disloyal, so she wanted to drag those people out and eliminate them as a warning to others?!

Chief Clerk Chen spoke. “Your Highness, please think twice!”

Zhao Shangrong glanced sideways at him. “Do you have some brilliant suggestion?”

Chief Clerk Chen wanted to speak but stopped himself.

Zhao Shangrong suddenly understood his concerns. He was worried that the princess consort, a newcomer who had just entered the prince’s manor, did not understand the manor’s situation and would rashly clean out their trusted people. Or perhaps he was worried that his authority would be divided.

After all, he was a loyal official who had served the Prince of Yingchuan for many years… If she remembered correctly, in the original novel, Chief Clerk Chen had not had a low sense of presence either, because he was a son of the Yingchuan Chen clan, one of the noble clans—the same Yingchuan Commandery where the Prince of Yingchuan’s fief was located.

It could be said that he was the link sent by the Chen noble clan for political interests, meant to draw in and assist the Prince of Yingchuan and maintain the relationship between the two sides. After all, the Prince of Yingchuan’s fief was in Yingchuan. If they could obtain the Prince of Yingchuan’s support, their position in Yingchuan Commandery would become even more stable.

After the Prince of Yingchuan’s death, Chief Clerk Chen, as her trusted confidant, naturally did not meet a good end. Even the Chen clan suffered a major blow under the emperor’s purge and was severely weakened.

Zhao Shangrong was not the Prince of Yingchuan, but she also did not want to hurt an old official’s feelings over such a small matter. As long as he understood that she had no intention of going to her fief and commanding troops, sooner or later he would settle down.

Thus, His Highness instructed, “Since Chief Clerk Chen says the princess consort is not yet familiar with the prince’s manor’s affairs, then I will trouble Chief Clerk Chen to explain things to her and assist her from the side in handling these matters.”

Chief Clerk Chen: “…”

The bitterness of lifting a stone only to smash his own foot spread through his heart.

Originally, his immediate superior had only been His Highness. Now, there was an additional princess consort!

He was dissatisfied that the princess consort had taken away his authority, but unfortunately, he was very clear that as long as he dared express dissatisfaction to His Highness, His Highness would definitely give him an opportunity to pack up his things and get lost.

For the sake of the Yingchuan Chen clan, he gritted his teeth and endured it!

Author’s Note:

Princess Consort: ? Hello, did no one ask whether I’m willing?

His Highness: Then are you willing?

Princess Consort: …I am.