18 How could the General's Mansion become so poor

"Bah!" Baozhu expressed disdain. "A dowry of ten thousand taels, do they really think the General's Mansion is that wealthy? When you married, the Madam only accepted a little over a thousand taels. Truly a loss."

Song Xixi looked pitiful. "Yes, I sold myself cheap."

Baozhu also laughed along, but as she laughed, tears fell. How aggrieved the young lady was when she married. The Madam had high hopes for General Zhan Beiwang's promises, claiming he would never take a concubine in his lifetime, but that was just a lie, ruining the young lady's life.

Wiping her tears, she went down to bring some lotus seed porridge and bird's nest soup, and called the other maids over to eat. The Emperor's decree of divorce was still a secret, but the people brought over from her natal family were reliable and loyal; it didn't matter if they knew, since preparations had to be made early.

Her only concern now was if the Emperor didn't grant permission for the divorce. Being dismissed and being granted a divorce were vastly different. A woman dismissed could not reclaim her dowry.

It should be a simple matter of an imperial decree, so why was it taking so long? Was the Emperor planning to wait until they married before issuing the divorce decree? That would be truly torturous; she didn't want to stay here a moment longer.

Later, she called her sister-in-law, Min Shi, over for the account handover. It should have been done earlier, but the recent events had been overwhelming, causing delays. Min Shi was really reluctant to take on this mess.

She actually felt quite sympathetic toward Song Xixi, but her husband had said that Yi Fang marrying into the General's Mansion would be greatly beneficial to the family, as Yi Fang was the main contributor to the surrender of the Western Capital.

The Ministry of War had not forgotten this. Their contributions were used to request a marriage, so the Emperor didn't make other arrangements. Now, the Emperor wanted to groom young generals, and with Yi Fang, the Zhan family would be seen as having three outstanding members. The Emperor would certainly favor them, especially considering Song Xixi, a legitimate daughter of a Marquis's family, whose family had rendered significant service to the court. Unless the Northern King recaptured the Southern Region, their military achievements were unparalleled.

"Big Sister-in-law!" Song Xixi handed her the account book. "This is the current silver in the General's Mansion accounts. As for the annual land rents, there are detailed records. All of this year's income has been spent. The nine hundred taels in the account are what I lent to the public fund, and I'm reclaiming it now. Do you have any objections?"

"Reclaim? Then there won't be a penny left in the account?" Min Shi exclaimed in shock.

Song Xixi said, "Each family can contribute a bit, and we can get through this difficult time. Besides, Father-in-law, Big Brother, and Zhan Beiwang's salaries are paid monthly. If we save, we can manage."

"How could such a large General's Mansion become so poor?" Min Shi couldn't understand, though she wasn't doubting Song Xixi. Before Song Xixi married in, the General's Mansion was already struggling, having reduced many servants. Song Xixi brought many servants and guards, covering their expenses herself, and also paid for her mother-in-law's medicine, maintaining the household.

"I don't know." Song Xixi said.

She certainly knew. One reason was the old lady's chronic illness, requiring constant medical attention and expensive medicines. Secondly, poor business management led to selling some properties, and the money was quickly squandered. The remaining income came from two shops' rents, some land rents, and the salaries of Father-in-law, Second Uncle, Big Brother, and Zhan Beiwang.

If not for the mansion granted by the late Emperor, they probably wouldn't even have a house. Many officials in the capital couldn't afford houses; even the Minister of Personnel only bought a house last year, reportedly borrowing money to buy a modest three-entry house.

"Xixi, I really can't manage these accounts. You should continue to handle them." Min Shi had a headache thinking about asking families to contribute money to the public fund.

Song Xixi smiled, "No worries, Big Sister-in-law. You manage for a while. When General Yi Fang moves in, you can hand over the household duties to her, citing health reasons."

Min Shi thought that was the only solution. Song Xixi, once easy-going, now left no room for negotiation in her seemingly gentle words.