Although the four wives all donated their own money, the concubines in each room did not take any action. They did not have the confidence of the other wives. Money was what they needed to make a living in the future, so they did not dare to be generous. It was better for those who had children, but if they did not have children and did not have some money in their hands, they would feel panic just thinking about it.
Hua Zhi wanted to talk about her marriage, but when she saw her grandmother looked tired, she stopped talking and said, "Let's stop here. Everyone should just relax for the next few days and don't think too much."
Everyone took their leave and left, with Hua Zhi walking last. "Grandma, you should have a good rest. Your health is the most important thing."
The old lady looked at her granddaughter, whom she had never looked at with any special regard, and now liked her even more. She patted the edge of the bed and motioned her to sit down. She took out an account book and a few keys from under the pillow, touched them gently, and said with emotion: "A pile of account books, a large box of storehouse keys, and in the end, only these few are useful."
Putting the two things in Hua Zhi's hands, the old lady sighed, "I didn't take the little success of the farm seriously before, and I didn't expect that now we can only rely on that little success. These keys are to the warehouse over here. Although the things inside are gone, the place is spacious, so it can still be used to store some things."
Hua Zhi was a little surprised. She thought all the family property had been confiscated...
Seeing what she was thinking, the old lady chuckled and said, "There are still two farms in the family that have not been sealed."
"How could it be? Did the Emperor show some leniency?"
"It's all because of the Queen Mother."
If something hadn't happened at home, Hua Zhi wouldn't have known that the Hua family had any past with the Queen Mother, but until now she still didn't know who the past was with.
Fortunately, the old lady did not intend to hide it from her. "The Queen Mother is a few years older than me, and she is somewhat of a relative of my mother's family. At that time, her family had an accident, and my mother took pity on her as a girl and brought her back. We got along well and slept in the same bed for nearly two years. Later, when she got engaged, my mother secretly gave her a box, and she also gave me a valuable gift when I got married."
Thinking of the scenes from her youth, the old lady looked down at her hands which were no longer delicate. So many years had passed in the blink of an eye, but those vivid memories had not faded with time. In fact, she had thought of them more often in the past two years.
"It's just that the situation in the palace is complicated, and the Hua family has had people holding important positions for generations. In order to avoid suspicion, we have to reduce our contact. But the affection is still there. This time, thanks to her, otherwise our Hua family might be..."
Just thinking about the consequences, the old lady was extremely grateful.
Hua Zhi frowned slightly, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. The Queen Mother's actions are equivalent to going against the Emperor's will. Will this cause dissatisfaction among the Emperor?"
"I'm surprised you could think of that." The old lady smiled. "Don't worry, those two manors were gifts from the Queen Mother when I got married. They are the manor we live in now and the one outside the city. The officials in charge of confiscation must have reported all of this long ago. It's all clear, and no one will use this as an excuse."
So that's why. No wonder these two houses were not sealed. After knowing the inside story, Hua Zhi felt relieved. With these two houses, her pressure would be much less. At least she wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.
"Grandma, which two Zhuangzi are they?"
"One is twenty miles south of the city, and the other is closer, ten miles east of the city."
It's these two places! Hua Zhi was delighted. If she remembered correctly, one of the manors was connected to a forest with many fruit trees. She seemed to know where to start!
"Grandma, I'm thinking of going..."
The old lady shook her hand to interrupt her, "Since I have handed it over to you to take charge, there is no need to ask me for instructions on everything. You can't get anything done if you are tied up. Grandmother, as long as you know that everything you do is for the good of the Hua family, that's enough."
Such trust came too suddenly. Hua Zhi was stunned for a moment before she smiled. "I promised my grandfather that I would not let him down. Grandma, I also promised you that I would never let you down."
"Grandma believes in you."
"Then I will roll up my sleeves and do the work. Grandmother, please give me the indentures of all the servants in the house."
The old lady could guess her plan, so she didn't stop her. She motioned to Madam Su to open the box and take out the box containing the indenture and gave it to her directly. "It's all here."
Hua Zhi took it with both hands, then bowed and said, "Granddaughter, I'll take my leave."
Watching her leave, Nanny Su was worried, "Madam, is it possible that the young lady wants to..."
"We should do this. It would be strange if she didn't think of this." The old lady took a sip of tea. "Given the current situation of the Hua family, there is no need for so many people to serve. It's time to go."
"Yes, the older girl can do it."
Since he dares to take the lead in this family, how could he not have such little ability? The fear is that he is too young to bear the pressure.
After leaving the yard, Hua Zhi ordered, "Send someone to tell Butler Xu to gather all the servants in the house in the front yard. Those who are far away will not be included. I will be there in a quarter of an hour."
"yes."
Baochun waved Liu Chun over, whispered a few words and Liu Chun left quickly.
Hua Zhi did not go back to the house either. She sat in a windy pavilion, opened the box and looked at the thick pile of indentures.
According to the rules of the Hua family, the indentures of servants brought by the ladies of each room must be handed over to the old lady and managed by the Hua family, and the monthly wages are also paid by the public.
"Come and count them, and tell me the number."
"Yes." Yingchun and Baoxia poured out all the indentures for easy counting. When they saw their own copies, they couldn't help but take a closer look. However, they didn't feel excited at all. To them, they would only cry if the young lady really gave them the indentures.
"Miss, there are 173 males, 151 female servants, 119 living bonds, and 205 dead bonds."
The so-called horde of servants was just like this. Hua Zhi, who enjoyed the life of having servants around, sighed a little and asked, "Do you know how many people followed to the north?"
Bao Xia responded, "I asked Butler Xu and found out that fifteen of them went. They are all people that you need to be around."
There were 15 servants following the 10 masters, which at least showed that the Hua family was popular. Hua Zhi picked up a contract and said, "If someone is kind to me, I will repay them with kindness. If anyone wants to leave, I won't make it difficult for them."
The two maids looked at each other, and Yingchun asked hesitantly, "Young lady, do you mean to release those who have been in death contracts as well?"
"Let him go. Keeping someone who has an affair with someone else is not good for the stability of the family." Being free may sound attractive, but they are not ordinary people with fields and land. Compared with an unknown future, it is better for them to stay in the Hua family and enjoy the shade under the big tree. Although this big tree has fallen, it is far from being comparable to that of ordinary families. Compared with filling their stomachs, being free is not that important.
After living a stable life for too long, not everyone has the courage to venture out, not to mention that the Hua family has not yet reached the point of desperation.
Yingchun and others have an almost blind trust in their young lady. They believe that if the young lady lets him go, there must be a reason for it, and they just need to do their job well.