My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: No Way Out

Seeing that her mind was elsewhere, Hong Ye didn’t say much more. She found a moment and whispered to Cui Ming, ”Could it be that Miss is missing the Marquis?”

Cui Ming was also very busy today, troubled by the issues in the sewing room. She replied, ”You know everything, don’t you? Hurry and help Miss manage the accounts.”

”Indeed...” Hong Ye couldn’t help but frown, her voice growing a bit louder, ”These shopkeepers are truly slick. They got caught red-handed by Miss last time. We thought they had become honest, but it turns out they’re still up to their tricks. It fits the saying, ’a fool does not rest until the Yellow River is in his sight.’ It’ll be too late for regrets once they’re replaced.”

Qin Yuan, hearing her words, snapped back to reality and said, ”I’ve seen it too. There are honest ones, but a few still harbor some wishful thinking.”

”Exactly, just like Mrs. Lu,” Cui Ming said disdainfully. ”Though she was scared yesterday, she clutched me and said her family’s situation was special, hoping Miss was merely trying to scare her and that there could be a turnaround for the family’s dignity. Today, hearing that Miss is looking for someone to replace her, she again showed that reckless attitude. Fortunately, I repeated Miss’s warnings, and she’s temporarily behaving, working with me without further tricks. It’s both pitiable and aggravating. Truly, if she knew what she faced now, why act so previously.”

Qin Yuan smiled and said, ”You did really well today. These days, you just take her with the new nanny to work together. The discord between the two will benefit you in sorting through the sewing room’s accounts. Remember, resolving one issue leads to understanding others; it will give you a foundation for managing other affairs.”

Cui Ming nodded and took note.

Hong Ye, feeling eager, asked, ”When will the tea house be dealt with?”

Qin Yuan laughed and said, ”Let’s wait a few days. I’m busy now, and if pushed too hard, even a rabbit will bite.”

The Marquis Mansion has endured for many years; can it not wait a few more days? Organizing dowries and stocking up on pepper should take precedence. If Mrs. Lu hadn’t jumped out herself, she wouldn’t have acted.

As long as it suppresses those housekeepers, it’s enough.

Sixth Lady Gu was shocked to learn that Cui Ming had already subdued Mrs. Lu and chose a new nanny as her assistant, both managing the sewing room. Her jaw nearly dropped in surprise, and she asked Nanny Zhao, ”Why is she so compliant?”

Wouldn’t Mrs. Lu typically cause a commotion?

If Mrs. Lu weren’t so troublesome and attention-seeking, she wouldn’t have spent years finally managing the sewing room.

Nanny Zhao was also puzzled, saying, ”By her nature, she’d likely make a big fuss. Maybe she’s waiting to see?”

Sixth Lady Gu’s expression turned strange, ”When I followed the Old Madam in managing affairs, it took me a year to dare handle these housekeepers. The new sister-in-law made such a big move right away.”

You could hardly tell she was the concubine’s daughter from a minor official’s family.

Could it be because the Old Madam was supporting her behind the scenes?

Sixth Lady Gu, always prone to overthinking, inevitably pondered further.

Nanny Zhao, smiling, reassured her, ”Madam, did you forget she has the Marquis backing her? It’s only natural she can’t stand injustice. Mrs. Lu, who can’t handle matters well and insists on saving face, won’t hold out for long before causing trouble. If she’s eager to make a good impression and ends up offending the other housekeepers, what do you have to worry about?”

Sixth Lady Gu nodded, then shook her head, saying, ”How can I not worry? She wants to buy pepper, and the market price has risen. The shopkeepers haven’t found suitable supplies yet. I’m really worried if she doesn’t buy, and worried if she does.”

What if this auspicious dream of hers turns out to be true?

Sixth Lady Gu felt uncertain.

No matter how she tried to provoke this young sister-in-law, it was ineffective.

Moreover, as of now, Qin Yuan had never suffered a loss.

She herself got assigned matters by the Marquis.

Gu Baoshu’s temperament was wild, and it required considerable effort just to coax her into threading a needle.

After all that effort, what she finally embroidered turned out to be a mess!

Even worse than the work of her youngest daughter, who had just started learning to embroider.

Sixth Lady Gu had to manage the household, deal with her children, attend to Sixth Master Gu, and still appease Gu Baoshu. She was so exhausted that she didn’t want to speak.

Why is each day so distressing?

She didn’t dare cause more trouble. If the Marquis had just said it out of anger, that would be fine. But what if he actually took action against Sixth Master Gu, and then Gu would cause trouble for her again, costing her more money?

Sixth Lady Gu hadn’t expected that, while she was refraining from antagonizing Qin Yuan, Qin Yuan would come seeking her.

Early the next morning, Qin Yuan met her in the main room and immediately asked, ”Sixth sister-in-law, did you manage to inquire about the pepper, as you said you would help me with last time?”

Sixth Lady Gu forced a laugh, ”I did inquire, but...”

”But what?” Old Madam Gu appeared suddenly, supported by Qiujie, and immediately interjected.

”Mother is here.”

Sixth Lady Gu promptly got up to pay her respects.

Qin Yuan also paid her respects and went forward to support her, smiling as she said, ”Mother, I was asking Sixth sister-in-law about the pepper. Didn’t she also contribute and say she’d help inquire? The shopkeepers of my dowry shop haven’t done much large business. They heard that inquiries about pepper have increased recently, and raised the price by five taels of silver per pound. This item was seldom used, and we don’t know who has been buying it, causing the price to rise. So, I thought to ask Sixth sister-in-law if she could find out anything.”

Old Madam Gu raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked Qin Yuan, ”Is your dream this accurate?”

Nanny Rong, accompanied by Xiao Hong and two children, entered and said, ”Madam’s dream seems very accurate. It must be an auspicious dream, and Madam is indeed blessed.”

Standing nearby, Sixth Lady Gu’s face went pale. This was precisely what she feared.

If Qin Yuan’s auspicious dream came true, wouldn’t she gain even more favor from the Old Madam and the Marquis, making it unlikely she could keep control of the household management at the Marquis Mansion?

What was she to do?

Even Sixth Lady Gu, known for her intelligence and quick wits, found herself at a loss.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, ”Whether or not the dream is accurate is still uncertain. However, now that the price of pepper has risen, if I buy more, won’t it be even higher? If, as Manager Leng said, those wealthy merchants really did find pepper overseas and brought it back, the loss would be significant.”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu nodded immediately, ”You are absolutely right. When doing things, you can’t only see the good and ignore the bad. Consider everything carefully to avoid pitfalls.”

Such steadiness at a young age.

Old Madam Gu was becoming fonder of this daughter-in-law.

Sixth Lady Gu then said, ”Just as Third sister said, the shopkeepers on my side have quoted the same price and are unsure why inquiries about pepper have increased recently. I am thinking of finding good supplies at a low price for Third sister, but...”

Qin Yuan sighed and said, ”Should we wait and see? If the price rises further, those housekeeper mothers might not be willing to buy. I can’t make decisions on my own since we initially set an approximate price of fifty taels of silver per pound when collecting contributions.”

Sixth Lady Gu felt her heart stir.

She didn’t even know what she was thinking when she said, ”If we must wait, let’s wait. I’ll send someone to inquire around, and if there’s any news, I’ll inform Third sister immediately. I wonder how Gu the Seventeenth’s inquiries are going.”