CHAPTER-7

　　"Kneel down." Ruan Zhi's voice came again, full of oppression.

　　Gu Qingci almost knelt down.

　　Some of the servants of the Gu family knelt directly, while some did not, all with surprised faces.

　　"Master, what's going on?" A middle-aged man came to Gu Qingci and asked, his face was still calm. He was the butler of the Gu family, the husband of Mrs. Zhang.

　　"Kneel down when I tell you to. From now on, the lady is the butler. You must listen to the lady. What the lady says is what it is." Gu Qingci said in a cold voice in coordination with Ruan Zhi.

　　The few people who came with Mrs. Qin stood separately, blocking the door and window positions, and their appearance alone was quite intimidating.

　　Seeing this situation, butler Zhang's face changed drastically, sweat broke out on his forehead, and he knelt aside.

　　"Master is a noble and dignified Jian'an Marquis. How can you let a merchant girl be the head of the family? Master, don't let that merchant girl be confused." Mrs. Zhang said anxiously, wasn't it fine just now? Didn't she want to reward them with an extra set of clothes? Why did she suddenly let Ruan Zhi be the head of the family, as if she was going to judge them?

　　Gu Qingci's face got hot. What is the Marquis of Jian'an? It's just a low-ranking title.

　　"You are rude and contradict the master. You will be slapped ten times!" Before Gu Qingci could say anything, Ruan Zhi's voice rang out. The two servants who came with Mrs. Qin immediately stepped forward to hold Mrs. Zhang and slapped her ten times.

　　The servants were very strong. Mrs. Zhang's cheeks were swollen and her nose was bleeding. There was still disbelief in her eyes, and her body was shaking on the ground.

　　Mrs. Zhang's man, Butler Zhang, looked at Mrs. Zhang with an unsightly expression.

　　Gu Qingci suspected that Ruan Zhi was taking revenge on Mrs. Zhang for her gossiping.

　　"I said let the lady be the head of the family. Who else would not accept that?" Gu Qingci turned his face away and looked at everyone.

　　No one dared to say anything.

　　"The master asked me to be the housekeeper, so I naturally have to check the accounts. I'd like to trouble the housekeeper and Aunt Zhang to hand over the keys so that I can get the account books. No one can leave this room before the accounts are checked. If there are any problems, they will be severely punished. Those who have information and report it will be rewarded with one or two taels of silver if it is verified to be true. The rest of the people, if there is no problem, will be given 500 coins for hard work afterwards." Ruan Zhi said behind the screen.

　　The kneeling servants of the Gu family relaxed their expressions after hearing Ruan Zhi's words.

　　"Do you have a guilty conscience and dare not hand over the keys? Is the key yours or mine?" Gu Qingci saw the housekeeper hesitate, stood in front of him and snorted coldly.

　　The housekeeper's hands were shaking a little, but under Gu Qingci's gaze, he finally took out the keys, and Aunt Zhang also trembled and took out the keys of the boxes and warehouses she was in charge of.

　　Gu Qingci didn't know how to read the account books, so before this, the housekeeper and Aunt Zhang were both fearless.

　　Now Gu Qingci has joined forces with Ruan Zhi, which makes the housekeeper a little nervous.

　　Ruan Zhi was born in a merchant family, so she might be able to read the account books. However, she was just a maid. Even if she was born in a merchant family, she would not show her face in public. How much knowledge could she have?

　　The housekeeper lowered his eyes with a flickering look, and knelt for the time being without moving.

　　Gu Qingci gave the key to Mrs. Qin, who took two maids out and left two tall and strong men to guard.

　　Gu Qingci sat outside for a while, and soon Mrs. Qin brought a thick stack of account books to the back of the screen, and took people out again.

　　Mrs. Qin went out again, and Gu Qingci looked at the people below, and also stood up to look behind the screen.

　　Behind the screen, there were tables and chairs, and Ruan Zhi was sitting upright reading the account books.

　　After dressing up, Ruan Zhi was like a rich peony flower, extremely delicate and extremely beautiful.

　　It was like a painting.

　　Gu Qingci was stunned for a few seconds, and walked up to see if he needed any help.

　　Ruan Zhi took some jade sticks and arranged them, with a serious expression, and flipped through the account books very quickly.

　　Gu Qingci couldn't help for a while.

　　Look at the small jade stick in Ruan Zhi's hand, arranging it up and down, left and right, it should be counting numbers.

　　Gu Qingci learned it when he was a child, it was abacus, not easy to use.

　　Gu Qingci remembered that didn't people use abacus to calculate accounts in ancient times?

　　Ruan Zhi used such delicate abacus, is it because there is no abacus in this world?

　　Gu Qingci didn't disturb Ruan Zhi.

　　Ruan Zhi calculated for a while, took out a brush and wrote a list.

　　"The account is correct, but..." Ruan Zhi looked up at Gu Qingci after calculating for a while.

　　Ruan Zhi didn't care about the little money of the Gu family. She

　　looked at the account book so carefully just to confirm the crime of Zhang Pozi's family, and hand it over to the government, which can be regarded as settling a grudge.

　　After reading several account books, Ruan Zhi didn't expect Zhang Pozi's family to be more daring than expected.

　　Are Gu Qingci and her mother naive and don't know how to manage the house? They

　　were fooled by the servants.

　　"But what?" Gu Qingci asked hurriedly.

　　"First tie up Zhang Guanjia and the steward in charge of kitchen purchases, and I'll talk about it later." Ruan Zhi said.

　　The two tall and strong men standing outside heard and executed immediately.

　　"Master, help! I am loyal and have never done anything against my will!" Butler Zhang shouted, and was soon pinned down and tied up.

　　"Really? Then listen. Jiangdong rice and Jiangbei rice are only one letter different, and the price difference is fifty coins per stone. The master of the Gu family eats Jiangbei rice every day, and the servants eat brown rice, which is not enough. It is calculated that the monthly account and actual income are as much as one stone. This item alone will have a difference of hundreds of coins every month."

　　"There is a carved ornament on the account. It was bought for ten taels of silver, and only one tael when it was pawned. The difference between the in and out is at least five taels of silver."

　　"The price of the jade Guanyin bought for the old lady, the price of the Hetian white jade and the jasper is different..."

　　Ruan Zhi said in a flat tone.

　　Gu Qingci was very impressed. She couldn't understand the account book at all, but Ruan Zhi could see so many tricks from the text!

　　It is enough to show that Ruan Zhi is sensitive to prices, the prices of various things, and has a super memory!

　　As expected of her, Gu Qingci's "boss".

　　The faces of housekeeper Zhang and Mrs. Zhang became more and more ugly.

　　"I won't tell you the rest. The pawnshops and the shops where we bought things can all be used to collect evidence. Don't worry, I will help you calculate exactly how much you have embezzled to the nearest penny. Housekeeper Zhang, do you want to wait for me to calculate it and then dig deep to find it, or do you want to tell the truth so that your grandson and son will suffer less?" Ruan Zhi said. Housekeeper Zhang

　　was pale.

　　He was reluctant to spit out what he had eaten.

　　However, he has been arrested now and there is no hope of escaping the crime.

　　"Woo..." Mrs. Zhang wanted to say something but her face was swollen and she couldn't get her tongue to turn. She looked at the screen with resentment in her eyes. While the two men were pressing down on her husband and son, she got up and hit the screen.

　　Gu Qingci and Ruan Zhi were behind the screen and felt the screen tilt. They acted before their brains did and blocked it.

　　With a clang, the screen hit Gu Qingci's back.

　　Fortunately, the screen was not heavy, and Gu Qingci only felt a pain in his back.

　　Ruan Zhi only felt a warmth on her body, and a sweet and sour fruity fragrance hit her face. She looked up and saw Gu Qingci's wrinkled face.

　　Outside, the rough maids brought by Qin Pozi and the servants who wanted to make a contribution helped to hold down Zhang Pozi and hold up the screen.

　　Gu Qingci felt his body lighten and exhaled.

　　"Fortunately, it didn't hit you." Gu Qingci left Ruan Zhi, stretched out his hand to push the screen, and put the screen back in place with the people who were holding the screen outside.

　　Ruan Zhi looked up and saw that Gu Qingci's back moved slightly uncomfortably when he left. The corners of Ruan Zhi's curved lips trembled slightly, and she regained her cold self-control.

　　"It was Madam Zhang who pushed the screen and wanted to murder the master." Someone stood up to testify.

　　Seeing that Zhang Pozi's family was in trouble, these people were no longer afraid.

　　"Tie them up!" Ruan Zhi said coldly.

　　Immediately, someone took out a hemp rope to tie up Zhang Pozi.

　　"It seems that you are determined to fight to the end. Good! Then I will fulfill your wish! Tie up the rest of the housekeeper Zhang!" Ruan Zhi continued.

　　There was only a daughter-in-law and a grandson left in Mrs. Zhang's family, and they were all tied up.

　　Crying voices were heard, calling for father and grandfather. Mrs. Zhang sobbed towards Butler Zhang, but Butler Zhang lowered his eyes and gritted his teeth as if he didn't hear or see anything.

　　"Don't the others have anything to say? Then send them all to the authorities. We will slowly investigate whether they are innocent!" Ruan Zhi snorted coldly.

　　The person was still behind the screen, but the momentum spread with the voice.

　　Even if you are innocent, you will still have to peel off your skin when you see the officials.

　　As soon as Ruan Zhi said this, the surrounding voices became louder.

　　"Madam, I have something to say. Mrs. Zhang has a pair of gold bracelets. I saw her wearing them. The gold bracelets belonged to the old lady and must have been stolen."

　　"Madam, Steward Wang, who is in charge of the outer courtyard, had a drink with Butler Zhang. The two had conspired long ago!"

　　Intermittent voices rang out, and several more people were caught.

　　Whether it is true or not, it still needs to be investigated.

　　Mrs. Qin took two servants to search the rooms of the servants of the Gu family. They found some gold and silver jewelry and silver bills. Together with the gains from the body search, the total value was more than one hundred taels.

　　Gu Qingci didn't expect that he would make a fortune by handing over the housekeeping power to Ruan Zhi!

　　More than one hundred thousand for one hundred thousand.

　　"I have listed their crimes, as well as the problems with the account books. Please copy them down and send someone to report to the county government." Ruan Zhi wrote the charges and said to Gu Qingci. Gu Qingci

　　took Ruan Zhi's writing and looked at it. The handwriting was like her personality. The elegant small regular script was pleasing to the eye. It felt delicate and comfortable to read.

　　It was a pity that many traditional Chinese characters were not recognized.

　　"This... I can't write very well. What you wrote is pretty good." Gu Qingci was a little embarrassed.

　　"..." Ruan Zhi looked at Gu Qingci. She was a student who studied in an academy.

　　If it was before, she would think that Gu Qingci did it on purpose, and even didn't want to report to the government, thinking it would be embarrassing to let the family's dirty laundry be exposed.

　　"Well, put your fingerprint on it. Go to the government office and ask them to send someone to arrest the person. The account books only cover the past three years, and there is more than 100 taels. The remaining 80% has been spent by them. Let the officials help investigate. The silver can be donated to the county government office to save trouble in the future." Ruan Zhi said.

　　Gu Qingci breathed a sigh of relief.

　　She learned a little calligraphy in elementary school, but it was all simplified characters. She had never written traditional characters. If she wrote without practice, it would be a mess.

　　"Okay, thank you for your hard work, madam. I'll go now!" Gu Qingci put his fingerprint on it and took the "petition" written by Ruan Zhi.

　　There are six people with solid evidence, and the number is a bit too many. If they run away on the way, it will be bad. It's better to let someone come to catch them.

　　One of the three men who entered the Gu family was assigned by Ruan Zhi to accompany Gu Qingci to the government office.

　　It was the first time for Gu Qingci to leave the Gu family, and it was a bit novel.

　　The place where they lived was a small county town, not big. The Gu family was located in a remote area, and it was even a bit depressed in the afternoon.

　　It didn't take long to walk to the county government office.

　　Gu Qingci was one of the few people with a title in the county, and the people in the county government were somewhat polite to him. The county lieutenant came out to greet him in person.

　　Gu Qingci explained the reason and gave the "petition" to the county lieutenant, who immediately sent a dozen constables to follow them to Gu's house.

　　On the way, Gu Qingci felt someone was looking at him. He turned around and saw a tall man with his arms folded, looking at her gloomily.

　　Gu Qingci, who would tremble at Ruan Zhi's eyes, was not afraid when she met the man's eyes, but just a little strange.

　　She didn't want any secret enemies, and if they stabbed her in the back, she would be hard to guard against.

　　Now that there were officials following her, Gu Qingci didn't ask much, but quickly took the officials to Gu's house and arrested those termites.

　　It was getting dark, and Ruan Zhi returned to her room.

　　After reading too many account books, her head felt a little swollen and painful, and there were bursts of pain in the gland where Gu Qingci bit yesterday.

　　"Azhi, the master really brought the officials here, and they took everyone away. The house is much quieter now." Mrs. Qin came to Ruan Zhi and said.

　　"Did the officials give you small change?" Ruan Zhi asked Mrs. Qin in a low voice, supporting her forehead without opening her eyes.

　　"Yes, one or two taels of hard work fee for each person. It will definitely not be easy for Mrs. Zhang's family to go in, and we can also know if there is any news. The master has really changed, thank God." Mrs. Qin said.

　　"Save dinner for the master." Ruan Zhi whispered.

　　"Okay, okay!" Mrs. Qin smiled.

　　In the past, they were timid, afraid of this and that, and had no good life.

　　Now they are let go, which is good.

　　As long as Gu Qingci is a good person and she is in charge, Mrs. Qin feels that there is hope for life.

　　On the other hand, the officials and a few parasites in the Gu family were finally sent away, and Gu Qingci breathed a sigh of relief.

　　It feels that the air in the Gu family is a little fresher.

　　There will be no more people like Mrs. Zhang gossiping and listening to unpleasant words.

　　It's just that I feel a little sorry for the silver.

　　Mother Qin actually gave each official a "tip" of one or two taels of silver.

　　It's really willful to have money.

　　"Master, Madam invites you to Xiuyi Garden for dinner." Dongxue's small voice came. She was also kneeling there in the afternoon, and she was scared.

　　She had just arrived not long ago. Gu Qingci saw that she was okay, so he let her out and continued to follow her.

　　"Okay, I'll go now." Hearing that they were going to have dinner, or go to Ruan Zhi's place for dinner, Gu Qingci became excited. He

　　stretched his body and strode to Xiuyi Garden.

　　Gu Qingci went to Xiuyi Garden to report to Ruan Zhi first.

　　"Madam, you are really amazing today! Madam is the best math and the best brain I have ever seen!" Gu Qingci flattered Ruan Zhi first when he saw her.

　　Ruan Zhi saw the undisguised admiration and worship in Gu Qingci's eyes, and mixed emotions rose in her heart.

　　She didn't use soft means, nor did she torture them slowly. She invited an old master who knew kung fu to come and cut the Gordian knot, also to intimidate Gu Qingci.

　　Who would have thought that after all the operations, Gu Qingci was not shocked, but even looked admiring.

　　"Madam, the people have been arrested, and the account books have been taken away. If you need anyone, we can go to the pawnshop tomorrow, and you can pick any one you want." Gu Qingci continued to speak in a flattering manner.

　　When Gu Qingci came closer, Ruan Zhi felt that her swollen and painful head was relieved a little.

　　"Well. You can take the silver and jewelry that were searched." Ruan Zhi said.

　　"No, Madam, keep it and use it to expand the store, or buy some more land, and do business in the storefront." Gu Qingci waved his hand and said.

　　"Don't you hate doing business?" Ruan Zhi raised her eyes.

　　"Madam, I like doing business, the more money the better. Madam, let me reiterate that I am not that scumbag. I am me, a completely new person. You must not treat us as one person." Gu Qingci said quickly.

　　Ruan Zhi snorted lightly, not knowing whether she believed it or not.

　　Gu Qingci felt that this matter could not be said with words, so he did not emphasize it.

　　"Madam, you will be the housekeeper from now on. You will be in charge of the family's money. All the servants, shops, and fields will be in charge of you! Just pay me a monthly salary. How much do you think my monthly salary is?" Gu Qingci said, asking sincerely and discussing seriously.

　　Ruan Zhi looked up at Gu Qingci, and met Gu Qingci's clear and innocent eyes. She felt that Gu Qingci might be stupid.

　　This person's words are always unexpected.

　　No matter whose family it is, even if Chang'e is in charge of the household, the highest authority is on the side of the master.

　　The master can take back the housekeeping power with a word.

　　The legal wife can only receive the monthly salary distributed by the master.

　　How can the master beg the legal wife to give him a share of the monthly salary?

　　"Madam, my monthly salary, you don't want to give it, do you?" Gu Qingci looked at Ruan Zhi in a daze and said with a pout.

　　She hasn't entered the boss's heart yet. The boss still doubts her and is very skeptical about her ability and performance.

　　"Of course I have to give the monthly salary. How about two taels of silver?" Ruan Zhi came back to her senses and said.

　　"Two taels of silver?" Gu Qingci was stunned. Is it only two thousand yuan in salary? This is the basic salary.

　　"Too little?" Ruan Zhi asked.

　　"Two taels of silver is actually enough with food and accommodation. But, can I increase the monthly salary when I perform well in the future? Can the store give dividends? I don't want your store, I mean the Gu family store, the store I invested in." Gu Qingci thought for a while and said.

　　"..." Ruan Zhi was speechless, as if she was stupid, and agreed to two taels of silver.

　　The big maid next to Ruan Zhi was paid two taels of silver per month.

　　"Okay, I'll increase your monthly salary if you perform well." Ruan Zhi said.

　　Gu Qingci's eyebrows immediately curved.

　　"You've worked hard all day, my lord, go eat." Ruan Zhi couldn't bear to watch, and urged Gu Qingci to eat.

　　"Thank you, madam." Gu Qingci said with a smile, and went out with a high ponytail.

　　Ruan Zhi pressed her temples.

　　The meals in Xiuyi Garden are made by Ruan Zhi's people, and the chefs are at the level of opening a store.

　　Dinner was prepared in a hurry and was not very sumptuous, but after eating a few difficult meals, Gu Qingci drooled at the food on the table.

　　"Master, the staple food is three-fresh soup cake. This dish is called Angel Fish, which is stewed with crucian carp and native chicken. The meat and soup are very delicious. This one..."

　　A voice was chattering in Gu Qingci's ear.

　　Gu Qingci was no longer paying attention, and his attention was on the food.

　　It was so fresh and fragrant that his tongue was almost bitten off.

　　Gu Qingci was so satisfied with this meal that he wanted to run to Ruan Zhi's room and shout "Long live the boss."

　　It's a blessing to follow the right boss.

　　Seeing Lian Rong frowning while introducing the dishes to Gu Qingci, Mrs. Qin pushed him aside.

　　"Master, are you going to stay overnight today? The hot water is ready, and you can go wash up." Seeing that Gu Qingci had finished eating, Mrs. Qin came to Gu Qingci and said.

　　Gu Qingci was getting better, and Mrs. Qin hoped that the two of them would be fine.

　　"Yes. Madam, do you want me to stay?" Gu Qingci nodded hurriedly, but he was not sure what Ruan Zhi meant.

　　"Madam, you nodded." Mrs. Qin smiled.

　　Gu Qingci also smiled, that's great!

　　The bed over at Mo Jinxuan was too snug.

　　"Then I'll go back and get some clothes to change into," said Gu Qingci.

　　"No, they're all here, and they're all prepared for the master," said Mrs. Qin.

　　Gu Qingci didn't expect such a good thing to happen.

　　She was glad to have less trouble.

　　Mrs. Qin gave the prepared clothes to Gu Qingci, and sent a little maid to help Gu Qingci take a bath.

　　Gu Qingci quickly refused, she still liked to take a bath by herself.

　　Ruan Zhi's bathroom was larger than Gu Qingci's original bedroom, with two large bathtubs and a drainage system, which was quite considerate.

　　It was comparable to the treatment of a five-star hotel.

　　Gu Qingci took a beautiful bath, and returned to Ruan Zhi's bed in a new silky and smooth nightgown.

　　"You sleep on that small couch." Ruan Zhi hadn't fallen asleep yet, and she said when she heard the noise.

　　"Okay. Madam, you are so nice to me. I like all the clothes very much. They are so comfortable to wear." Gu Qingci sighed.

　　She didn't want to share a bed with Ruan Zhi. There were two sleeping places, one large and one small. Gu Qingci took the initiative to put herself on the small couch.

　　"Madam, is your knee better? Have you applied the medicine?" Gu Qingci asked Ruan Zhi.

　　"Yes." Ruan Zhi looked up at Gu Qingci again.

　　"Okay, then I'll go to sleep after I finish wiping my hair." Gu Qingci was wiping his hair. When he saw Ruan Zhi saw it, he gave Ruan Zhi a big smile.

　　"..." Ruan Zhi closed her eyes silently.

　　This man must be stupid.

　　He took the maid's monthly salary and slept on the maid's small couch for night watch, and he was so happy.

　　Gu Qingci was wiping her hair and felt a little sleepy. In addition, her back was still a little painful, so she lay on the small couch and fell asleep with even breathing after a while.

　　Ruan Zhi turned over and found that there was no sound around. She opened her eyes and saw a beautiful profile face facing her, sleeping soundly with eyes closed.

　　Ruan Zhi frowned. Why did this person fall asleep so quickly?

　　So many things happened today, and she could actually sleep!

　　Ruan Zhi pinched her brows.

　　The faint sweet scent of Gu Qingci drifted over, which eased her headache a little, and she inexplicably wanted to get closer and smell it.

　　Ruan Zhi tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep. She got up and walked two steps towards Gu Qingci, then stepped back.

　　Ruan Zhi turned and went out.

　　"Nurse, do you have any medicine for the bruises?" Ruan Zhi got out of the bed and saw Granny Qin.

　　"Yes. I'll get it right away." Granny Qin said, and turned to get the medicine.

　　"Azhi, are you injured?" Granny Qin asked worriedly after handing a small porcelain bottle to Ruan Zhi.

　　"No. It's the master who is injured." Ruan Zhi said.

　　"..." Granny Qin hesitated.

　　"Nurse, is there anything you can't tell me?" Ruan Zhi asked after seeing Granny Qin's expression.

　　"Hey, I found this when I was collecting the master's dirty clothes just now." Granny Qin handed Ruan Zhi a purse with exquisite embroidery.

　　Ruan Zhi saw a picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water embroidered on it, and a very small word next to it - ring.