Lai Chang was the second-in-command of the manor. He served the general Xue Kuang back then, and was considered one of the senior servants in the manor.

Hearing Lu Jinxi's words, Bailu was taken aback immediately.

She didn't understand why, but as soon as her eyes fell on the small celadon cover clock, she immediately reacted: when she asked someone to sort out the things that were added in the eldest son's room, the list of utensils that should have been passed through her hand. Yes, I still remember it.

This is clearly the next person killed again!

Egret thought to himself that some people might not be able to be kind anymore, so he responded, "I'll go call this servant. Madam, do you want to find the account book too?"

"Look here too, so you don't slap me with sloppy eyes for a while." Lu Jinxi supported a dark sandalwood throw pillow in one hand, raised his eyebrows slightly, and then looked at Xue Tingzhi, "Eldest son came in, your legs are not loose, hurry up and sit down. ."

The egret went out to call for people, but the blue bird still stayed and stood beside her to serve.

After Xue Tingzhi came in, he stood not far or near. He heard the words of the first-born mother just now, and the complicated feeling in his heart came up again——

It's becoming more and more difficult to see.

The more reasonable she is, the farther away she is from the impression inherent in his mind, and the more and more unfamiliar she becomes.

And being unfamiliar means that the calculation fails and it is difficult to control.

"Thank you mother."

Xue Tingzhi complied, but still did not sit opposite Lu Jinxi, but just sat on the chair on her left, the same as last time.

Of course Lu Jinxi saw it, but she didn't care.

In this study, because a lot of things have been added recently, it does not look so empty.

She looked at it carefully, got up and walked around at will.

I swiped over the newly hung embroidery on the wall, and also swept over the brush, ink, paper and inkstone arranged on the table, the sapphire pen mountain carved in the shape of Taihu Lake, the three-legged toad inkstone of shadow celadon...

The ability to do things with peace of mind is not good, but the tricks of shoddy and shoddy are very slippery.

Lu Jinxi took the pen and lifted it up, glanced at Tianguang, and couldn't help laughing: "Is the eldest son still used to using these things?"

"Back to my mother's words, all the decorations used in the utensils are all newly added by your orders, which are better than those in the past." Xue Tingzhi paused for a while before saying, "Mother's heart and compassion are all very good."

"You are very talkative."

Lu Jinxi walked back, took the carved Taihu stone turquoise pen mountain, gently placed it on a few, and lined up with the small cover clock.

"It's a pity that this intention has also been abused by others."

Of course, this is not to scold Xue Tingzhi.

Xue Tingzhi is also very clear.

The things that were sent were of uneven quality, and it was obvious that someone took it from them. But these matters involving the money and money in the house were not something that he, a "junior" and a "son" should intervene in.

So at the moment, he didn't answer.

Lu Jinxi stopped talking.

She opened the "Long and Short Sutra" again and looked.

Xue Tingzhi noticed that the position where she opened it was in the middle of a book, which meant that she had most likely read the previous parts.

This kind of book has a very scheming taste.

As Lu Jinxi said before, this book is not easy to buy outside. Xue Kuang was born in the general's mansion, and he also led troops to fight under the imperial family. It is normal to have this book.

But Lu Jinxi is a daughter's family.

It's not a big deal for Lord Lu to teach her poetry and books. If she were to teach her the "Long and Short Classics", it would be a bit inappropriate. Besides, if she had read this book thoroughly, how could she have been oppressed in the government for so many years?

The misty suspicion in Xue Tingzhi's heart reappeared.

The house was very quiet for a while.

No one spoke, only the voice of Lu Jinxi flipping the pages.

After a while, a maid in a pink suit walked in and served tea: "This servant serves tea to the second grandmother and the eldest son."

Lu Jinxi looked up and saw that it was a maid she had never seen before.

He was born with clear eyebrows, a pair of almond eyes, wet skin, white skin, pink lips, and extremely delicate dress.

She looked at it and asked, "Are you Xiangzhi?"

"If you go back to the second grandmother, the slave will be."

His voice was soft and waxy, his eyelashes trembled slightly, he was timid and a little scared. She looks like a bought candy man.

Lu Jinxi knew that this was a maid purchased from Jiangnan Cai not long ago in the house, and she hurriedly transferred her to Xue Tingzhi before she could teach her for a long time.

Looking at the age, I am afraid that it is only fourteen or five.

She told Egret Qingque at the time that if she wanted a nice-looking maid, that was enough.

Towards, Lu Jinxi nodded, didn't ask any more questions, and drank tea.

Xiangzhi turned around again and offered Xue Tingzhi another cup of tea in the lacquer plate, bowed his head and lowered his eyebrows, his ears were slightly red.

Xue Tingzhi looked at it coldly, took the tea, but didn't say a word.

Xiangzhi was full of anxiety, and her originally rosy complexion turned pale.

After all, her time in the residence was too short, and she didn't know much, so she didn't dare to say more this time, with tears in her eyes, she silently retreated to Xue Tingzhi's side and stood.

A girl like a dodder.

Lu Jinxi took this scene in front of his eyes, and saw Xue Tingzhi's indifferent expression, he guessed that he should not like this new group of maids very much.

But this is normal.

In which department she was going to work, and the blood on her hands was suddenly replaced by her boss.

Therefore, Lu Jinxi pretended that he didn't see anything, put down the tea cup happily, and continued to read.

After a while, footsteps were heard outside.

Egret lifted the door curtain and walked in with the account book in hand: "Madam, steward Lai has been called and is outside the door."

"Call in to answer."

Lu Jinxi looked at the book without raising her head, her voice was calm, without the slightest hesitation.

Lai Chang, who was outside, was very calm all the way, and when he heard the sound, he was inexplicably playing a drum.

He hurriedly bent his body, entered the door, and quickly glanced at the situation in the house.

Seeing Xue Tingzhi sitting peacefully next to Lu Jinxi, his eyelids jumped for some reason; when he saw the celadon tea cup and the sapphire pen mountain on the front table, there was a bit of cold sweat on his forehead.

At the moment, I didn't dare to look any more, I bowed and saluted: "Little Lai Chang, I have seen the second grandmother, please give my condolences to the second grandmother."

The voice was reluctantly calm, but the tail sound was a little trembling, not very stable.

Lu Jinxi finally raised her head halfway, and gave him a sideways glance.

She was dressed decently in a dark blue brocade round-neck robe. Because of his age, his body is a little fatter.

White and fat, like a fat mouse.

Egret handed over the account book.

Lu Jinxi stretched out his hand to take it, pressed it on the table, and put it by his hand, but he didn't turn it over, didn't look at it, just smiled: "Lai steward doesn't need to be too polite. It's longer than the time I've been in the palace."

"Second grandmother is shattered."

When Lai Chang heard this sentence, he felt that although the words were kind, the meaning behind them was thorny. How could he dare to accept them?

"The little one has a humble identity, and is just a servant who waits, expecting to do his best for the house, and dare not be compared with grandma."

"Oh……"

Lu Jinxi showed a stunned expression, but in the next moment, there was a bit of sternness in her laughter.

"It turns out that Steward Lai still knows that he is just a servant? It just so happened that I was confused a few days ago, and I thought you were the master of the house!"

The turning point in the words came unexpectedly!

Lai Chang was almost scared to death!

How dare he stand?

Immediately, he knelt down with a sturdy "pop": "Second grandma, you are wronged! The little one has been serving in the mansion for many years, and he has never dared to overstep!"

"Don't you dare?"

Lu Jinxi heard a sneer, and smashed the account book at his hand to him!

"I think you have eaten bear heart and leopard gall, so dare!"

"Whoa!"

Pages fly!

An account book just happened to fall on Lai Chang's head and face!

Xiangzhi, who was standing behind Xue Tingzhi, had never seen her face change so quickly?

At that moment, I almost screamed in horror!

Even Xue Tingzhi didn't expect it.

He knew that she was not simple, but he didn't expect her to be so moody in front of him.

Kill the chicken to warn the monkey...

The chicken is there, who is this "monkey"?

Lai Chang's chubby face had been smashed with a red mark by the hard spine of the account book, and the tied bun had been beaten a little crookedly. The cold sweat on his head densely seeped out, and he looked panicked and embarrassed.

The ledger fell right in front of him.

His hands and feet were weak, and he dared not move.

Lu Jinxi looked down at him, there was no warmth in his pupils, and said manly, "I heard that Steward Lai is in the house, and he is a good hand at checking accounts. This account book was handed over a few days ago, but I don't understand it very well. It’s indispensable, I want to ask you for advice today. Please count the first three pages for me.”

"Yes……"

Lai Chang's voice trembled, his eyelids jumped, and he knew in his heart that he was afraid of being planted.

This just happened to hit the tip of the second grandma's knife!

Over the years, people in the house have long been accustomed to exploiting things from the eldest son's courtyard. Every month that is divided according to the regulations in the warehouse, they will scrape a layer of oil and water, and then send it to the eldest son.

This is the least risky thing to do in the house.

After all, everyone knew that the second grandmother didn't want to see this son-in-law.

Although Lu Jinxi has been vigorous and resolute in the past few days, many people who do things have restrained a bit.

But Lai Chang found out that she didn't seem to notice some of the little tricks she handed over to the account, let alone pursue it, and she became more courageous.

In addition, it happened to be an errand to buy things for the eldest son. He pondered that the second grandmother's methods would change again, and the disgust for this son would never change.

It is expected that even if he overdoes it and deducts more, the second grandmother should keep her eyes closed as before.

But who would have thought,

I was called over today, took the account book and shouted!

Lai Chang's hands were also shaking.

He swallowed, trying to force himself to calm down: after all, he served the general, even if he made a mistake, the second grandmother had a deep love for the general, and in the past, she should not kill them all...

But the more I think about it, the more panic I don't know why.

The five short fingers stretched out and turned over three times before opening the account book——

Black and white, stroke by stroke.

Where does Lai Chang still not recognize him?

This is the account book he handed in a few days ago. The first three pages are all the expenses for purchasing the eldest son in this courtyard.

The throat was a little itchy, and the voice was a little hoarse.

Lai Chang reluctantly recited: "On the seventeenth of the first lunar month, 16 taels of silver will be paid from the accountant, and a total of 34 items will be purchased for the eldest son. Among them, there are two sets of white porcelain tea sets from Xing kiln, 22 taels of silver..."

Speaking of which, it was as if something was stuck in his throat, and his voice became hoarse.

Lu Jinxi laughed, raised her slender fingers, and pointed to the table: "I'm really clumsy, looking at the eldest son here, I have added so many things in the past ten days. Please look at the steward Lai for help, you say Xing kiln white porcelain, is it this thing on the table?"

On the table is a cover bowl and a small cover clock.

Both are blue.

His face was even greener than Lai Chang's.

When he came in just now, he had already glanced at it. Now that he looked at it again, he felt that he could hardly breathe: "Second grandmother back, this is ordinary celadon and celadon..."

"Celadine?"

Lu Jinxi took the little Gaizhong in his hand, and his voice was soft and soft, and it didn't sound like a bit of coercion.

"It doesn't look like I'm clumsy, but Steward Lai made a mistake. But it doesn't matter, just ask Steward Lai to recalculate the price of the celadon you bought. Be careful, don't make a mistake again. "

When she said the last sentence, the expression on her face had become half-smiling.

Lai Chang's face suddenly turned ashen.

If he changed his routine, he would have to find someone to help him take the blame. After all, the second grandmother is kind-hearted, and she will not be too bad at that time, and she can perfunctory after a scene.

But now...

He suspects that even if he finds a hundred scapegoats, it will not help!

No matter what, it's all set!

Extending the head is a knife, and shrinking the head is also a knife. .

It's better to explain it happily, look back and ask for mercy, maybe you can get a good deal...

"Second grandmother is very discerning, this matter is just a small difference, and greed..."

At this critical moment, Lai Chang gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowed, he leaned over and gave Lu Jinxi a kowtow, admitting his mistake and starting to regret it.

Unexpectedly, Lu Jinxi was not at all impatient to listen to this.

She was unmoved, and even interrupted him directly: "I asked you to recalculate this account, don't you understand?"

"..."

Lai Chang was dumbfounded.

Xue Tingzhi didn't expect it either.

He glanced at Lu Jinxi secretly, not knowing what she wanted to do: he had already admitted his mistake, and it stands to reason that Lu Jinxi's goal has been achieved. Why do you still ask Lai Chang to settle accounts?

Lu Jinxi didn't seem to see their doubts.

Turning the tea cup in her hand and playing casually, she calmed down her voice: "Mr. Lai, this time you have to think about it clearly. Don't make a mistake again."

There is a warning hidden in this.

When Lai Chang heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt a little weird, but after thinking hard, he couldn't figure out what the problem was.

At that moment, he timidly said, "Ordinary medium-sized celadon, the price of 30 to 60 yuan per kiln on the market. The small lard is blinded and shoddy. There are two sets of tea sets and two pots. Two seas, sixteen and four small covered bells, only worth nine silver coins..."

This was when he sent people to buy it, so he figured it out.

Just these two sets of tea sets can grab a couple of coins!

Because Lu Jinxi had said something first, Lai Changyuan wanted to lie and raise a price, but he didn't dare to say it. He thought it should be the right time this time, but he didn't expect...

Lu Jinxi stared at him with no expression on his face, and his voice was light: "You made a mistake."

"impossible--"

Lai Chang stayed still, his eyes widened, and he wanted to refute.

"Snapped!"

A small celadon covered clock smashed to the ground in front of him, and in the blink of an eye it shattered into pieces!

This movement is much bigger than the previous fall of the ledger.

Lai Chang was almost scared out of his soul, and Xiangzhi let out a low scream and backed up a few steps.

Only Xue Tingzhi, his body tense, was still sitting on the chair, looking up at Lu Jinxi.

However, Lu Jinxi still looked nonchalant, as if it wasn't her who fell the little cover just now: "I said you made a mistake, you just made a mistake..."

As if nothing had happened, she took the carved Taihu stone sapphire pen mountain that had been placed on the table earlier, and played with it in her hand.

Lai Chang looked at it, and his heart suddenly "squeaked".

Lu Jinxi looked at him with eyes like autumn water, and there was a bit of playfulness in his eyes, as if he was expecting something.

Qingyu Bishan, hooked by her fingers, turned around.

There was an unreal smile in her voice, as unpredictable as the clouds in the sky.

"Miss Lai, you can do the math."

"Don't worry."

"This time you are going to be wrong again. I don't know where this thing is greeting."

Lai Chang heard this, and when he looked at the mountain in her hand, his scalp exploded with fright!

This posture...

If he dares to make a mistake again, he will definitely greet him on the forehead!

But the problem is, he has no idea where he got it wrong!

Can't he also count what he didn't deduct?

Lai Chang's hands trembled, he pulled his sleeves and wiped the cold sweat from his face, searched his bowels and scraped his stomach, racking his brains, thinking, and without paying attention, his eyes fell...

Shards of celadon all over the floor.

After it was broken, the section of the turbid white porcelain tire was exposed, and the dark blue enamel was occasionally covered with a few small black spots.

This……

This shard!

His eyeballs were about to stick.

Thirty-wen porcelain is not so bad!

It was truly a flash of lightning!

Lai Chang's mind immediately exploded, and he couldn't hold back and scolded: "His grandmother was raised by a turtle grandson! The little **** dare to stretch out their hands! It's just a trick to me!"

He is indeed in charge of purchasing, and he is indeed shoddy, but he does not dare to buy a penny of things into a few pennies to fool people!

When things are bought back, he is watching.

But those who go to deliver things are all those little servants!

At first, Lai Chang was far away, and he didn't see the celadon tea cup in Lu Jinxi's hand at all. Now that it was broken in front of him, he saw it clearly.

This is an object worth ten cents!

No wonder the second grandmother said that he "calculated the wrong account".

This **** is still a little short of the money he swallowed!

It was clear that the **** who gave things, even the "defective" that had been recharged were smoothed out and replaced with "newer" ones!

It is not uncommon for things like this to be peeled off layer by layer.

Lai Chang is not a fool, he has seen a lot.

He didn't expect to go to this floor just now, and now he sees this "time" outrageous thing, what else doesn't he understand?

Lai Chang was full of anger, raised his head, and wanted to have a relationship with Lu Jinxi, but when he met Lu Jinxi's scrutinizing eyes, he immediately shuddered!

broken……

He was speechless just now!

As if someone had poured a pot of cold water, Lai Chang put out the fire, his shoulders and neck shrank, and his voice became quieter: "Second grandma forgive me, small, small just now..."

Lu Jinxi raised her eyebrows and said coldly, "Do you know where the calculation went wrong?"

"I know, I know."

Lai Chang's mouth was bitter. At first, he wanted to fool Lu Jinxi, and he had long since thrown it into Java.

"This small celadon cover clock is at most ten cents apiece. They are all confused about small things..."

Humph.

Not too much trash.

Lu Jinxi threw the pen mountain back a few times, and said with a "bang", "I should throw the scraps of scrap here on your head, and then you will understand."

Really want to throw him on the head!

Lai Chang was so frightened that he didn't dare to speak.

Lu Jinxi only sneered: "I really can't see what you have done in your daily life? It's just that you have reserved a lot of money and you are not prepared enough. As long as you can buy it, let you eat it. After eating the remaining bite of meat, I just pretended I didn't see it."

A cold air rushed up directly.

Lai Chang was already stupid.

Xue Tingzhi at the bottom left was even more surprised.

He thought...

She should be the one who doesn't rub the sand under her eyes.

But what Xue Kuang had taught him in those days faintly coincided with what Xue Kuang taught him!

He restrained his gaze restrained.

But Lu Jinxi still found out.

She glanced at him sideways, and there was a strange divine light in her eyes. She didn't shy away, as if she was looking at him, but she quickly took it back.

When the water is clear, there are no fish.

The whole world is like this.

In all dynasties, there is no absolute "clean government". So Lu Jinxi has his own way of doing things and his own rules——

"One sentence."

"If I acquiesce, you can be greedy;"

"I don't allow it, even if you eat a copper plate, you have to spit it out for me as it is!"

In his tone, there was already a bit of serenity.

Lu Jinxi looked at Lai Chang again: "It's your lard that is shoddy, but you are blinded by the lard; but I asked the people below to play another trick of stealing the beam and changing the column, and they didn't respond for a long time. You are blind!"

Lai Chang didn't even dare to put a fart at this moment.

I had already made up my mind: even if I was scolded for blood and scolded my ancestors for eighteen generations, I would never retaliate!

With his trembling appearance, Lu Jinxi has seen too much in his last life, and he can even write down the process of every change...

After all, too much has been dealt with.

Even some visual fatigue.

At this moment, Lu Jinxi was actually a little more impatient than he expected.

tedious.

tired.

Some people like the same thing, some people like the freshness.

Unfortunately for Lu Jinxi, it was the latter.

In her previous life, she had a career to support her, so she could endure the impatience and perfectly repeat this process hundreds of times, but now...

She just wanted to say to Lai Chang: You can greedy as much as you like.

It felt so sudden and wonderful.

Lu Jinxi looked at Lai Chang and felt strangely that he was pleasing to the eye.

Of course, she wouldn't speak her mind.

When he just opened his mouth, he had a warm smile like a spring breeze, like a ten-mile sunny sky: "Lai Guanshi has served the generals in the end, and there is no credit or hard work. So I exempt you from the punishment, and you should deal with the others. If the night is not ready, then I have to ask you to roll up the bed and get out as soon as possible."

...

At this moment, Lai Chang's mind was in a trance.

He didn't even remember how he quit, or what he said, let alone how he got out.

All he knew was that when he stopped and regained consciousness, he was standing outside the gate of the eldest son's courtyard with his left hand and left foot in front and his right and right foot behind.

Looking back, two young servants at the door were looking at him with weird and worried eyes.

From the room in the courtyard, there was faint laughter.

It was Lu Jinxi.

She was still sitting on the edge of the kang in front of the window, leaning on the dark sandalwood throw pillow, but she couldn't hold back her laughter: "I just watched it, was it scary?"

Lai Chang was incoherent just now and walked out with hands and feet, making her feel happy for a long time just thinking about it!

Xue Tingzhi was at the bottom left of her, sitting upright.

Hearing Lu Jinxi's words, he knew it was asking him.

But……

scary?

His eyes passed over her crescent-like eyebrows and the corners of her smiling lips, and the conclusion he came to was completely opposite to "scaring".

At this moment, her appearance was comparable to that of his mother.

even……

Even the mind is not bad.

It seems that he is very lucky to be deducted and greedy. Lai Chang is not punished, and he can punish the servants who make mistakes; but in fact...

Both the punished and the other servants who were not punished would be dissatisfied with Lai Chang.

Different punishments for the same crime are the most likely to cause injustice.

Those who are punished may think that they are being scapegoated by those who are not punished, or they may think that the higher-ranking people are biased. Their resentment will not fall on those in high positions, but only on those who are close to them and who should also be punished.

Xue Tingzhi's memory is actually not bad.

He still vaguely remembered that in the summer of that year, his mother also gently spared the newly named Wei Zhaoyi, her cousin.

At that time, Wei Zhaoyi was grateful to Dade. She may think that the queen's cousin treats her family well, so she forgives her.

But only a month later, she entered the cold palace.

It was the palace servant beside her who exposed her to practice witchcraft, intending to curse the imperial concubine of Germany.

Xue Tingzhi didn't know if this former favorite concubine in the cold palace could figure out whose hands he was planted in...

However, maybe if you don't understand, you will be happier.

The fingers on his knees moved slightly, then stopped.

Xue Tingzhi's eyes were very restrained, carefully and cautiously, hiding the sharpness in his eyes and concealing the sharp blade in his heart——

Because he suddenly discovered that the first mother in front of him could be a queen.

On scheming...

Not at all inferior to his mother Wei's mother.

If it was his "monkey" who killed the chicken, he thought, her goal had been achieved.

control...

Maybe he has to change his mind.

Slowly lowering his eyes, Xue Tingzhi did not look at Lu Jinxi.

He considered for a moment, and what he said was completely different from what he thought, only the respect in the words remained unchanged:

"You have always been kind, and you didn't pursue these trivial matters. Today's sudden attack, and Mr. Lai was frightened by you, it's not a big deal. He must be worried about his future, so he's at a loss and in a trance, right?"