Reborn as a concubine's sister, the eldest lady went crazy

After giving all these instructions, Xu Yixing already had a rough plan in mind. It would be faster to ask Dad himself than to ask anyone else, but he had to be extremely careful when using drugs on Dad.

After all, he was a veteran who had retired from the battlefield. If he didn't do it well, he would be exposed, which would be in line with what Si Wen said about hurting the relationship between father and daughter.

After settling all matters at home, Xu Yixing rushed to the Bai family almost non-stop. Just as he expected, his father asked Xu Qian to escort him to the Bai Mansion personally.

My uncle did not attend the moon-viewing banquet. Guarding the palace is a heavy task, so even if the emperor is away from the palace, he cannot slack off in the slightest.

So Bai Fu spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at home alone. After a night of fun, today was also quiet and tiring.

When Xu Yi walked in, he happened to see his aunt and several younger brothers and sisters practicing calligraphy on the stone table in the garden. They were lying together affectionately, which was very warm to watch.

"Yan'er is here!" Yan was very happy to see Xu Yixing. She asked someone to serve tea and snacks, and pulled her to sit at the table.

"My younger brother and sister are so diligent. They should not have to go to Prince Cheng's mansion to attend classes today. I didn't expect that they didn't forget their studies at home!" Xu Yixing looked at the words on the stone table, some immature and some mature, and praised them sincerely.

"No, the Prince Cheng's Mansion has been on holiday since the fourteenth day. We let them play around for two days and only made up for their lessons today!" Yan asked her children to say hello to Xu Yixing one by one and then let them go back to their own courtyards.

"Isn't your uncle home either?"

"Oh! Don't you know your uncle well? Even on his days off, he is always thinking about the palace. Today, the emperor is back, and he went on an inspection tour again. But he should be back soon."

"Uncle, thank you for your hard work. I specially brought some pens, ink, paper and inkstones that the Queen and the ladies of the palace gave to you yesterday. I thought that you brothers and sisters-in-law might be able to use them." With a wave of her hand, Siqin presented a large box.

When Yan saw this, she smiled and said, "You are such a sincere child! How can you give them the things the Queen gave you? You should keep them for yourself!"

"I really can't use so much by myself, so please don't be polite to me, aunt."

"Okay, okay, I'll accept it. They will be so happy!"

Yan accepted the gift, and it could be seen that she had something else to say: "Yan'er, you just returned to Beijing today, and you rushed here so quickly. You must have something to say, right?" She winked at the maid beside her, and everyone left the yard, without staying behind.

"Does my aunt know about my situation?"

"I don't know the details, but your father rushed back before the moon-viewing party, so I knew something must have happened."

"Indeed. I can't tell you the details of this matter, but everything is fine now."

Yan didn't ask any more questions. She knew her limits very well: "So why are you here today?"

"Aunt, to be honest, I want to know what were the biggest expenses when my grandfather was still alive. If it's inconvenient for you, I don't mind telling you."

Xu Yixing also knew that it was not a good idea to ask about other people's accounts directly, but there was no other way. When he was alive, he never paid much attention to the affairs of the Bai Mansion. Now it would be extremely difficult to check again.

Yan thought for a while and said, "There's nothing I can't tell you. These are all old stories. But they happened before we moved in. Maybe I didn't tell you everything."

"It's okay, it's okay. Aunt, please say whatever you want and I will listen to whatever you want."

"Well..." Yan pinched her fingers and said carefully: "As far as I know, except for the generous dowry your mother brought when she got married, the daily expenses of the Bai Mansion are actually not big, they are all fixed categories.

The more common ones include the annual payment for asking a merchant to look after the shop, the annual offerings to the ancestral tombs and property, and the money, silk and food that your grandfather would give to his former comrades-in-arms every year. However, the amount was not fixed and there was always a difference from year to year.

Other expenses, such as paying tribute to the royal family, are also high, but this is not included. That’s all.”

Xu Yixing heard that these projects were indeed the ones with the largest annual expenditures. However, this did not sound like a list that could be used to pay the monthly salaries to the shadow guards. After all, these were open accounts, and every single payment was recorded.

"So what are the projects that have been used since my grandfather passed away?"

Yan smiled slightly, not minding Xu Yixing's inquiry into the current situation in the mansion:

“The ancestral worship has not changed. There were old comrades in the early years, but most of them have passed away in recent years. Your uncle has not maintained it much, but the money asked from Mr. Shang has decreased instead of increased.

Yan'er, you know, your uncle and I didn't really care about those shops. We lost a lot of money in the early years, so we sold some of them later, so there's not much left now."

Xu Yixing nodded. Nanny Bai had told him about this matter. At that time, his uncle wanted to ask Nanny Bai to help look after him. However, Xu Yixing was taking medicine during those years and had little memory every day. Of course, she was unwilling to leave him alone to take care of it.

"So it seems that only the expenses for ancestor worship have not changed..." Xu Yixing muttered to himself. Yan Shi didn't hear clearly, but she was still very curious.

"Yan'er, why are you asking these questions today?"

"Ah! To be honest, aunt, I checked the dowry that my sister lost in the Sun Mansion today, and I did find something wrong, so I thought of coming here to ask."

"So that's how it is," Yan accepted this explanation. Even she didn't know how much dowry Miss Bai took away at that time, but she thought the amount must not be small.

"But didn't the Sun family copy them all? Why haven't they found those things yet?"

"The Sun family said they spent a lot of money. My father and I have only taken back the shops and farms. I'm afraid it will be hard to find the gold and silver."

"Damn the Sun family! I don't know what sin our line has committed to deserve such a fate! The emperor is fair. When autumn is over, we will finally get our revenge!"

Yan rarely spoke so harshly, and Xu Yixing couldn't really tell whether she was really speaking up for him or just pretending. But even if she was just pretending, she was genuinely concerned, and there was no reason for her not to appreciate it.

"Aunt, thank you for answering my questions today. I'm leaving now. There are still many things waiting to be dealt with at home."

"Yan'er!" Yan held Xu Yixing's sleeve and said formally, "I think you can ask your uncle the question you just asked after he comes back. After all, I have only been married to the Bai family for a short time, and maybe your grandfather will give him some instructions."