After they left, the steward of the mansion, Li Fu, approached with the completed ledger, awaiting the Princess's inspection.
"The workshop sent in ten million taels in profit. Allocate two million taels to Wang Lifeng, the workshop manager; that's his twenty percent bonus. Another one million taels will be given to the craftsmen from the capital; that's their due share."
Li Fu listened silently, astonished. Those working outside earned more than those within the mansion, and the Princess was generous.
Though he thought this, he swiftly recorded it in his mind.
"The shops brought in five and a half million taels in profit. Allocate fifty-five thousand taels to Bailu; that's her ten percent bonus!"
Bailu, a mere servant, earning so much money made him envious.
"Yes, this old servant has noted it all. I will attend to it immediately!" Li Fu said respectfully, preparing to leave.
Even after distributing these bonuses, she still earned a considerable amount, and was not stingy with the manor's silently contributing attendants and maids.
"Today, this Princess is in a good mood. I shall reward the head steward with two hundred taels, the imperial physician and the accountant with one hundred taels each. Everyone else will receive ten taels. There will be further rewards for good work at the New Year. However, any violation of the manor's rules will be absolutely unforgiving."
She had always been like this, distinguishing clearly between rewards and punishments!
Li Fu relayed the Princess's words, verbatim, to Steward Wang, handing him the reward money as well.
As for how Steward Wang would discipline the servants, that was not his concern. He was already contemplating taking the reward notes home that evening and how delighted his mother and wife would be to see them!
In early October, Zhou Baihe arrived, a faint bluish mark still visible on her lips, which even a thick layer of powder couldn't completely conceal.
"Your Highness, greetings. This commoner is here to deliver a letter to the Princess!" Zhou Baihe spoke formally, her usual cheerful demeanor gone.
Zhao Jiaqi took the letter. The seal on the envelope had been broken, clearly indicating that the letter from the Prime Minister's wife had been read. There was no one else this could have been but Li Ben.
Zhou Baihe looked at her apologetically, "I am sorry, Your Highness. This commoner failed to protect your letter, and Li Ben opened and read it!"
Zhao Jiaqi simply nodded. She quickly looked at the letter's contents, which were quite mundane and did not involve the Bai family, putting her slightly at ease.
"Princess, the person who delivered this letter is someone close to my elder sister. They are waiting outside the mansion for your summons. This letter you hold is merely my sister's way of indirectly informing Li Ben of the relationship between you and her, to make Li Ben wary and prevent him from harming me and my son!"
Upon hearing Zhou Baihe's words, Qiufen, without waiting for her mistress's command, went to find the person.
Inside the room, the two women were left to catch up.
She pointed to the corner of Zhou Baihe's mouth, "He hit you quite hard. If you continue like this, your life is in danger."
Let alone protecting her son, her own life was at risk!
Zhou Baihe recalled her tragic life and lowered her head, tears streaming down her face. "There are no miracle cures for regret. If I had known it would come to this, I would never have married him in the first place!"
Alas, in her youth, her eyes had been blinded by him. This outcome was her own doing, and she had no one to blame.
Zhao Jiaqi handed her a silk handkerchief. After a long silence, seeing that her weeping had subsided, she slowly said, "Women are naturally weak, but a mother's love makes them strong. You know this principle, and if you do not resist, you will only be oppressed."
Zhou Baihe clutched the handkerchief tightly. How could she not know this principle? The question was, what could she do?
Qiufen saw Madam Li, Zhou Baihe, out and then led in the person from the Prime Minister's wife's retinue. Zhao Jiaqi took a closer look and realized it was Gu Shuang, the head嬷嬷 from Zhou Qiangwei's courtyard.
As soon as she entered the room, Gu Shuang saw the Princess, her eyes filled with smiles. She stepped forward and curtsied, "This old servant pays respects to the Princess. May the Princess be blessed!"
Zhao Jiaqi was happy to see an old acquaintance and helped her up, "Get up quickly. My place is not as bound by rules as the capital; there's no need for such formality!"
This old嬷嬷 had taken good care of her in the capital. She hadn't expected the Prime Minister's wife to send her.
Although the Princess said so, Gu Shuang was an old hand in the Prime Minister's mansion, and the rules were ingrained in her bones. She dared not be remiss.
Zhao Jiaqi sat down, and only then did Gu Shuang dare to sit. As soon as her buttocks touched the chair, she heard the Princess inquire about her mistress.
"Is Madam well? And the Prime Minister? I have been away for over a year, and I wonder how they are doing!"
Seeing that the Princess was still concerned about her mistress, Gu Shuang felt gratified and her smile widened. She quickly replied, "Madam is very well. Not long after the Princess left, the Prime Minister was reinstated to his official post."
As she spoke, she sighed and shared a piece of news: "When the Prime Minister returned home, Madam learned that he had been working with the Emperor, exposing a group of ill-intentioned individuals. These people were all loyal to Prince Xian, engaging in clandestine activities. Unexpectedly, a simple stratagem by the Emperor revealed them all!"
Zhao Jiaqi raised an eyebrow. This sounded like...
"The Emperor has already appointed a Crown Prince as the heir apparent. Prince Xian is not satisfied?"
Gu Shuang harbored a strong dislike for Prince Xian. He was always trying to curry favor with the Prime Minister, yet he also had designs on the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter. At the same time, he was eyeing the second daughter of the Minister of Revenue. Anyone with eyes and a clear mind knew his intentions!
"Who is willing to be a subject, especially a prince with a powerful and wealthy maternal family!"
Gu Shuang's words were exceptionally astute.
At this moment, a fleeting thought, like a spark, flashed through Zhao Jiaqi's mind. But as soon as she tried to recall it, her mind went blank, leaving nothing behind.
"Your Highness, this old servant has come to speak to you in person about the Bai family's affairs. It is inconvenient to discuss this in a letter!"
Since it was inconvenient to write about, this matter must not be simple, or perhaps, the Bai family had committed some heinous crime.
"There are no outsiders here.嬷嬷, please speak freely!"
With no further worries, Gu Shuang slowly recounted what had happened at the Bai mansion.
"The Bai family's patriarch, Bai Kun, was originally the Minister of Revenue. Due to the sudden outbreak of war in Zong Sheng Kingdom, the border suffered heavy losses, with many casualties. At this time, Prince Xiaoyao returned from his travels and presented broken weapons and some correspondence to the Emperor!"
As Gu Shuang spoke, Zhao Jiaqi could imagine what kind of evidence these weapons and letters were. She hadn't expected Prince Xiaoyao, Huangfu Xu, to be the one to bring evidence to the Emperor.
Wasn't he known for traveling extensively and disliking court affairs?
Why would he suddenly return to the capital, bringing broken weapons and letters?
Gu Shuang took a sip of tea and continued, "After the Emperor read them, he was furious. The reason was that the Minister of Revenue had colluded with the Minister of Works, embezzling the materials for forging weapons, which led to the soldiers using substandard weapons and suffering a defeat."
"Both ministers protested their innocence. After an investigation by the three judicial departments, the Minister of Works suddenly confessed, resulting in his execution. However, his family was sent back to their native place."
"Bai Kun refused to plead guilty and did not sign his name on the confession. He maintained his innocence throughout. The Emperor, remembering that Bai Kun's father had once helped him, sentenced the men of the Bai family to exile and the women to be sold into lifelong servitude."
Zhao Jiaqi raised an eyebrow subtly. "Since Bai Kun refused to plead guilty, didn't the Emperor thoroughly investigate?"