True to her word, ever since Ye Qingcheng enacted the decree for economical living, the princely manor saw a drastic reduction in its food expenses.
The extent of this reduction was so significant that even Xiao Wangye noticed it. He looked at the four dishes and one soup before him, a stark contrast to the previous eight dishes and four soups.
He asked Lin Xiao, "Is the princely manor going bankrupt?"
Lin Xiao shook his head.
Jing Xiu, standing nearby, clarified, "This is the Princess Consort's doing. She feels the manor's expenses are too high. The entire manor has over a hundred people, yet only the two of us masters are being supported. The Princess Consort says we cannot continue to consume resources without replenishing them, so she has begun cutting expenses and dismissing unnecessary servants."
Xiao Wangye tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Where is Ye Qingcheng?"
"The Princess Consort is currently drafting the list of servants to be dismissed. She said after lunch, she would give you the list for your review, and you could add any necessary amendments."
Xiao Wangye nodded and began to eat.
A while later, Ye Qingcheng arrived fashionably late. She placed the list directly on the table for Xiao Wangye's perusal.
Xiao Wangye picked up the list and scanned the names. He noticed Wang Ming's name.
"Why do you want to dismiss Wang Ming?"
Ye Qingcheng was eating, her cheeks full of rice, making her speech slightly unclear. However, Xiao Wangye understood her perfectly. "This person, hmph! I don't even want to talk about him."
Ye Qingcheng swallowed the rice in her mouth but choked. She drank a few sips of water before recovering. "I reviewed the account books from the past few months. When he first started managing the servants, he was very slick, and the amount of silver he extorted can only be imagined. I don't know why Yu Jian assigned him to procurement, perhaps they discovered the silver he was skimming. But from the moment he started procurement, he directly inflated prices and extorted money. I felt this inflation was not solely his doing, so I decided to let it slide. However, he became increasingly outrageous, often reporting prices double that of the market. I originally thought he would compensate for his mistakes with diligent work, but he's always been lazy in his duties. It's utterly unreasonable."
Xiao Wangye chuckled softly. "How did you know he was lazy in his duties?"
Ye Qingcheng pointed at Jing Xiu beside her with her chopsticks. "I asked Jing Xiu. To know and utilize someone's talents effectively, one must understand their character! Don't worry, I'm not showing favoritism to anyone. I've asked those who needed to be asked."
Being singled out by the Princess Consort, Jing Xiu instinctively straightened his back, afraid of disgracing her.
Seeing the Prince's gaze shift towards him, Jing Xiu, worried the Prince might doubt the veracity of his words, immediately nodded. "It's true. This person is generally very lazy. Things that should be done by him, he relies on his seniority and acts presumptuously, making newcomers do them. Isn't this bullying the new staff?"
Ye Qingcheng nodded indignantly. Her expression conveyed a silent plea, "Did I not speak the truth!"
Xiao Wangye chuckled softly, and Lin Xiao explained the man's background.
"He was brought in by the Old Prince."
The Old Prince?
Could the person Lin Xiao referred to as the Old Prince be… Xiao Wangye's father?
Ye Qingcheng suddenly felt the food in her mouth lose its flavor. "Then this person, he…"
"Dispose of him!" Xiao Wangye interrupted, finishing her sentence.
"Ah?"
At this, Ye Qingcheng's mind went completely blank. Dismissing someone sent by her father-in-law? What kind of move was this?
Lin Xiao explained, "Princess Consort, you are unaware, but that person was sent by the Old Prince to monitor the Prince."
Ye Qingcheng was stunned.
A father sending someone to monitor his own son? What was the logic behind this?
Lin Xiao smiled. "At that time, Yu Jian knew this, which is why it was difficult to dismiss him. After all, he was sent by an elder, making him difficult to deal with, which is why he was kept around. We were just wondering how to send him back, and you, Princess Consort, have helped the Prince immensely."
Ye Qingcheng gave a wry smile. "Heh, you're welcome, you're welcome."
So, for what reason did the Old Prince send someone to monitor his own son?
It seemed Xiao Wangye was an only child, which made Ye Qingcheng even more perplexed.
If Xiao Wangye had siblings, it would be easier to understand, perhaps for the sake of another child. But… he only had Xiao Wangye as his son, which made it hard to fathom.
As Ye Qingcheng pondered, a pair of chopsticks suddenly tapped her forehead. Xiao Wangye's voice echoed from above, "Eat properly, don't think about these unnecessary things."
Lin Xiao and Jing Xiu exchanged glances and smiled at each other. As expected, the Prince and Princess Consort were very affectionate.
Ye Qingcheng rubbed the spot where she was hit, her lips pouting, clearly displeased. However, she obediently continued to eat.
Xiao Wangye continued to review the list. After a while, he placed it on the table. "Proceed with dismissing everyone according to the list you've provided."
Ye Qingcheng, with her mouth full of rice, curled her lips into a smile. "Alright then, go and deal with them."
"No!" Xiao Wangye shook his head. "You do it."
"Ah?"
Ye Qingcheng stared at Xiao Wangye, her expression comically bewildered.
Xiao Wangye wiped his hands. "You are the Princess Consort, and you have the authority to dismiss them. There is no room for discussion on this matter."
Ye Qingcheng was taken aback. Was Xiao Wangye granting her authority?
She didn't know his intentions, but her heart felt immensely pleased.
In the afternoon, Ye Qingcheng's significant reshuffling of staff gave everyone in the princely manor a new understanding of their Princess Consort.
From then on, no one dared to gossip about the Princess Consort behind her back. Everyone understood that the Prince's indifference to such a major undertaking by the Princess Consort, allowing her to manage things as she pleased, was essentially telling everyone that Ye Qingcheng was the legitimate Princess Consort of the manor, the matriarch of the household besides the Prince himself.
Bixi had been confined to her room for half a month, resting for the same duration. Her wounds had scabbed over, though they itched intermittently.
Ye Qingcheng, after finishing her work, came to check on Bixi. Bixi's wounds had scabbed over and showed signs of healing.
"It looks like you're almost recovered."
Bixi's eyes lit up with joy. "Really? That's wonderful! I can finally serve the Princess Consort."
Ye Qingcheng smiled and flicked her nose. "You're thinking too much. The wounds have scabbed over, but if you go out to work at this stage, won't the scabs fall off?"
Bixi was confused. "Isn't it good if they fall off? Then I'll be completely healed."
Ye Qingcheng shook her head. "Silly girl, you don't know that wounds heal when the scabs fall off naturally. If external force causes the scabs to fall off, it will revert to the previous state of bleeding."
Bixi lowered her head in disappointment.
She was a servant, and she only knew her duties. In the past, when she got injured, she still had to go out and work. The wounds didn't need special treatment; they would heal on their own. She never imagined being confined to a room for over twenty days before being able to get out of bed.
Now that her wounds had scabbed over, she still couldn't work.
She didn't know what else she was supposed to do.
Ye Qingcheng gently stroked her head. "Don't worry, I will ensure your scars leave no trace. I'll have someone bring you some ointment later, prepared from herbal medicine to fade scars. Use it with confidence."
Bixi nodded. "Mhm!"