By means of an award, the authority of the steward was handed over to the two of them, but in reality, it was to make her clean up the mess.
It could be said that killing two birds with one stone, Feng Jin could not help but admire Elder Master Ling's shrewdness. He had calculated everyone, yet he remained untouched.
"The debt to the rice shop alone is five hundred taels, and to the cloth shop is a thousand taels..."
Feng Jin had only mentioned some of the overt accounts, which already amounted to five thousand taels. The hidden accounts had not yet been calculated.
"There is only one thousand taels left in the accounts. Your household has hundreds of people, all enjoying delicacies. Just eating costs a hundred taels."
Having many people was truly not a good thing.
One by one, they were bored and had so many children. Having many children meant they couldn't afford to raise them.
Feng Jin looked at Ling Mohan with contempt.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ling Mohan felt uneasy under her gaze, and his heart couldn't help but feel a pang of fear.
"I'm just wondering if people in your Ling family are so bored that they just keep having children all day. With so many people, hundreds of them, they can't even afford to eat."
Feng Jin looked disgusted. How could she get rid of this hot potato?
The shops and estates under the Ling family were all running at a loss, with hardly any profit.
Ling Mohan's face turned ashen. This girl's mouth was never guarded. He took a deep breath and said, "Since Grandpa handed over the stewardship to you, it means he trusts you. Just go ahead and do what you need to do."
"What you're saying is useless. We don't even have money. A whole family is waiting to eat, and without money, where can I buy food?"
Ling Mohan was speechless. After a pause, he said, "I still have some properties under my name. I'll hand them over to you to manage as well."
"You're truly selfless. Your meager fortune is more than enough to cover the deficit, but you think you can eat and drink for free? It's not that simple."
Feng Jin said coldly, already having a plan in mind.
Elder Master Ling had four sons and one daughter. The daughter had already married, and the fourth son traveled far and wide and did not live in the mansion.
In the early years, Elder Master Ling had presided over a division of the family. The Ling Mansion and its properties all belonged to the eldest son's main branch. The second and third branches had all moved out, but they stubbornly refused to leave. Over time, it was left as is.
Now that she was in charge, they shouldn't expect to eat and drink for free.
"Since you are managing the household, you can handle everything as you see fit," Ling Mohan said after a pause. "Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. As usual, the palace is holding a banquet tonight. You will accompany me to the palace tonight."
"Young General, I'm just a village girl, and I don't know the palace rules. If I embarrass the Ling Mansion, I'd rather not go."
"The Empress Dowager specifically requested your presence at the palace."
Feng Jin almost spat out the food she was eating. The Empress Dowager had personally requested her presence.
She had no memory of the Empress Dowager at all.
"Do you not know that your maternal grandmother, the current Empress Dowager, and the old madam of Marquis Pingyang are sworn sisters?"
Feng Jin tried hard to recall any memories of the Empress Dowager, but they were completely blank. "My mother never told me these things, so how would I know?"
In any case, the original owner's mother had died young, so no one would suspect anything.
"You truly don't know?" Ling Mohan asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Of course, I don't know. My mother died when I was young, and my heartless father sent me to the countryside. No one would tell me these things."
Ling Mohan's suspicion gradually disappeared. "Your maternal grandfather is the Grand Tutor He Wen of the current dynasty, and your maternal grandmother is the sole daughter of the Duke of Ningguo. You also have an uncle, He Hong, who is currently the prefect of Jizhou. I received news that your uncle will be coming to the capital to report his duties in the near future."
Feng Jin formed a general outline in her mind. It turned out her mother's identity was so formidable, yet she still suffered betrayal from her husband and died of grief.
It could truly be said that a good hand was played poorly. With such powerful backing, she still had to rely on a man.
"Why do you have such a look of regret?"
Ling Mohan had been paying attention to Feng Jin's expression from the beginning. After he finished speaking, she sighed repeatedly, her face full of regret.
"I just feel that my mother was too foolish. With her status, she could have been an empress, but she insisted on falling in love with Feng Yuanping, who had just achieved the highest score in the imperial examination, and ended up ruining herself."
Feng Yuanping's meeting with He Miaoqing was a scheme. He only used her as a stepping stone to his rapid rise.
After Grand Tutor He died and the He family lost power, He Hong was sent to an outer post. Feng Yuanping impatiently brought Madam Sun and his illegitimate daughter into the household, making them legitimized.
Madam Sun had a childhood friendship and affection with Feng Yuanping. As soon as she entered the house, she was favored exclusively.
He Miaoqing was cast aside by him. He Miaoqing had lived under the protection of her parents since childhood, and she was no match for Madam Sun.
After several schemes by Madam Sun, Feng Yuanping completely became disgusted with He Miaoqing, took away her authority in managing the household, and confined her to her room.
After suffering the great changes of her parents' deaths and her husband's betrayal, He Miaoqing became resentful and self-pitying all day long. She couldn't even keep the child in her womb. During childbirth, both mother and child died, leaving only Feng Jin, a young orphan.
Six months after He Miaoqing's death, Feng Yuanping elevated Madam Sun to the position of principal wife.
Everything in the Feng family fell into Madam Sun's hands.
The young Feng Jin was sent to the countryside by Madam Sun under the pretense that she was a jinx, destined to bring misfortune to her mother and father.
In the countryside, she suffered constant bullying and beatings, often going hungry.
Feng Jin's mind replayed this memory, and bitter tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
Feng Jin's heart was filled with bitterness at this moment, which were the emotions belonging to the original owner.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just remembered past events and felt a little sad."
Feng Jin shook her head. Sharing the same body, Feng Jin could clearly feel the original owner's emotions.
'Don't worry, I will avenge you.' Feng Jin silently vowed in her heart.
'Thank you. Please avenge me and vindicate my mother. She harmed my mother. I am leaving now.'
A voice suddenly echoed in Feng Jin's mind, disappearing in an instant.
It had been more than half a year since she transmigrated into this body, and this was the first time the original owner's consciousness had appeared.
When she said she was leaving just now, did it mean she was completely gone?
Feng Jin placed her hand on her chest and silently vowed, 'Don't worry, I will avenge you.'
In the evening, Ling Mohan and Feng Jin went to the palace.
Inside the carriage, Feng Jin kept massaging her neck. The crown Cai Qing had brought her that night weighed several pounds. Her neck was about to break. The thought of wearing it for the entire evening gave her a headache.
Normally, she found wearing a hairpin troublesome, but now she was in agony.
And the skirt, with three layers inside and three layers outside, made it difficult to walk.
As Feng Jin reached out to remove another hairpin and rub her scalp, which was almost poked through, Cai Qing snatched it away.