Quick Wear: I am a good female supporting role

Chapter 335 The Legal Wife in the Concubine's Story 16

These days, as the old lady's birthday banquet is approaching, everyone in the mansion is very busy. The servants are all following the instructions of the second house and preparing a series of matters needed for the birthday banquet.

But Zhai Lingruo could see that many servants did not take it seriously. She wondered if it was because Jiang Huaiqing beat the children of all the servants. Although he was the master, almost all the children of the servants were beaten with ten sticks. Even adults could not bear it, let alone little kids of five, six or seven years old.

There were some servants in the Marquis' Mansion whose contracts were not life contracts but living contracts, and they could leave the Mansion at the end of their term. In addition, the housekeeper of the second house was not strict, and the servants had less sense of awe, so they would embezzle as much as they could on the purchases and food of the Mansion.

Almost all servants did these things, and those who didn't were considered outcasts and were excluded.

The capable and honest servants in the Marquis's mansion were excluded and could only do small chores such as cleaning the courtyard, while the kitchen's external purchases were replaced by more thoughtful servants.

On ordinary days, there were accounts of two or three eggs for one or two taels of silver. The servants who went shopping would sometimes pass off inferior goods as good ones. For example, the blood swallows that the old lady had once a week would cost a large sum of money each time. The servants looked at the money and became greedy. They took the cheap imitation blood swallows bought from Jiang Food Pavilion to fool the old lady.

At first they were afraid that their crime would be exposed, but perhaps because the old lady was too old to tell the difference between the two, she was fooled. As a result, they became more and more daring, and they even embezzled more than half of the money for purchasing food for the Marquis' Mansion.

Of course, this does not include Qingyouyuan where Zhai Lingruo lives. The expenses of her courtyard are separate, and the servants are all her confidants. Those who are not honest have been driven out long ago.

Zhai Lingruo naturally saw clearly the little actions of the servants in the Marquis' Mansion, but she didn't want to clean out these parasites for the Marquis' Mansion. She just watched that group of people become more and more daring.

But she had not expected that this group of people would dare to lay their hands on the old lady's birthday banquet. The second housekeeper of the Marquis's Mansion had already forcibly taken out a large sum of money from the treasury to organize the birthday banquet.

This money could be used to host a banquet that would be considered impeccable by the nobles in the capital, but after the servants embezzled the money for the precious ingredients, the remaining money was used to buy some shoddy things.

People who were on good terms with the Marquis' Mansion arrived early on this day to entertain the guests, all carrying birthday gifts in their hands. After meeting the old lady, they took their seats one by one.

Zhai Lingruo took a piece of Pearl Jade Chicken with chopsticks and almost couldn't help laughing out loud. This "chicken" was not a chicken that only eats pearl rice, but an ordinary chicken. Naturally, the taste was not as good as that of the pearl chicken.

Seeing the slightly embarrassed expressions of the dignitaries at the banquet, could it be that this mansion has fallen into decline? Even the dishes at the banquet were so shabby.

Jiang Huaiqing's face turned pale. He looked at the dishes on the table. They were delicious and beautiful, which was naturally excellent. However, the ingredients were obviously ordinary ones. The nobles in the capital who were used to eating delicacies from land and sea would not be fooled so easily.

The banquet was not even halfway through when a guest of average relationship stood up to say goodbye and left. "Prince, I will visit you another day."

Most of the people at the banquet had already left. The old lady was puzzled. These people were too disrespectful to the Marquis' Mansion. At this time, Lady Chen Guogong asked, "Is the Marquis' Mansion's dishes always like this? Is this how you entertain your distinguished guests?"

The old lady frowned slightly: "Is the Duke's wife dissatisfied with the Marquis' Mansion?"

"No, it's just that this Tianying peach doesn't seem to be a Tianying peach. It's sweet but with a hint of bitterness. The real Tianying peach is sweet. And this Yancang Qingshun doesn't seem to be the same as the one described."

She almost said directly what she meant, that the Marquis' Mansion was short of money and was using these things to fool the guests.

The old lady gasped and looked at the dishes on the table. No wonder she also felt something was wrong. The guests saw that something was not right and shook their heads and said goodbye.

This marquis's mansion really doesn't take them seriously.

For a while, only a few friendly families and the wife of Duke Chen were left.

"Lingruo!" the old lady shouted hurriedly.

"Grandma." Zhai Lingruo walked forward and pretended to calm her down.

"Look at what you have done! How did you prepare this banquet? You actually put these things on the table."

I don't know if the old lady was out of her mind and actually said these words. What she was talking about were those ingredients that were not what was advertised, but to the ears of everyone present, it was like she was blaming someone else, saying that they didn't know what was good for them. It was good enough that they were treated like this, what else did they want?

The faces of the rest of the people turned very ugly, and they began to consider whether they should continue to be on good terms with the Marquis' Mansion.

"Grandma, have you forgotten?" Zhai Lingruo burst into tears. "The banquet was organized by Second Aunt. I don't have the power to manage the house. I am powerless."

The second wife quickly jumped out and said, "Lingruo, I saw the servants around you go to the kitchen several times. Didn't they find any clues?"

"Purchasing is not the responsibility of the servants in our courtyard. They are just ordinary managers. How would they know these things?" Zhai Lingruo sighed.

"Tsk." The Duke's wife sneered, "Poor thing, Miss Zhai married into your mansion, but she doesn't even have the power to manage the affairs of the mansion. Now that something has happened, you want her to come out and take over, right?"

The wife of Duke Chen is the only daughter of the former Grand Tutor. She is spoiled and has not suffered much after marrying Duke Chen. The Duke's Mansion is powerful and she is highly regarded by the Emperor, so she has developed a straightforward personality.

Her words were so harsh that the old lady felt a sweetness in her throat and a mouthful of blood stuck in it, but she swallowed it hard.

"I handed over the housekeeper position to Lingruo on the first day she entered the mansion. She didn't want it." The old lady said calmly.

"Is it really so?" Lady Chen Guogong looked at Lingruo.

"Yes..." Zhai Lingruo nodded, "I don't want it myself."

She was telling the truth, but with her expression and the old lady's aggressive attitude, no one believed she was sincere. They just thought that Zhai Lingruo was being filial and taking the blame for the old lady.

"Did you hear that? It has nothing to do with me..." the old lady explained hurriedly.

Lady Chen Guogong stepped forward and held Zhai Lingruo's cold hand. "My dear, you have suffered so much. Come to my house more often. Fu'er misses you too."

The banquet was a mess. After everyone left, the old lady spat out a mouthful of blood from her throat and fainted.

"Oh, go and call the palace doctor quickly, the old lady has fainted." After a moment of chaos, the birthday banquet ended in this absurd way.

Rumors spread in the capital that the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion was in decline and the food used at the banquet was all deceptive stuff. The old lady even wanted to let her granddaughter-in-law take the blame, but she had been in the mansion for so long and had never had any power as a housekeeper.

The commotion made the Marquis's mansion a laughing stock. The old lady was bedridden and when she heard the rumors, she became furious and sent people to explain that Lingruo didn't want the child anymore. However, few people believed her.

After all, she would refuse the housekeeper position that was offered to her. Which lady would not want to be in charge of the household affairs and run the huge mansion in her own hands?

Instead, it confirmed the old lady's reputation of being harsh on Lingruo.

Zhai Lingruo also tried to explain, but her gossip was so lame that it would have been worse if she hadn't explained.