Chapter 85- Steward Wen – Transcendental Translations

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Chapter 85

“I’ll go right away.” Huachan nodded but added, “What about Second Miss?”

“Send someone from the estate to look for her, casually. No need to be too concerned,” Jiang Ruohua said indifferently. “There’s no one else here on the estate; she won’t come to harm.”

If Jiang Ruoting wanted to do as she pleased, Jiang Ruohua wasn’t about to stop her. For every venture, there were risks and rewards. If Jiang Ruoting sought the rewards, Jiang Ruohua had her eyes on the risks.

Feigning ignorance and appearing accommodating was simply her way of letting Jiang Ruoting carry out her schemes.

The steward arrived quickly. After Princess Shangyang and her group had gone to the horse paddock, Jiang Ruohua sat calmly in a room, sipping tea as she waited.

“Greetings to the eldest miss.”

The steward, surnamed Wen, had served her mother. Bearing the surname granted by the main family, Steward Wen treated Jiang Ruohua with respect, though much of it stemmed from his admiration for her mother.

“Rise.” Jiang Ruohua smiled gently. “Take a seat.”

“Thank you, eldest miss.”

Steward Wen sat down, though curiosity flickered in his eyes. Before he could speak, Jiang Ruohua set down her tea and said, “Steward Wen, please bring me the other account books for review.”

He was startled and instinctively hesitated, but before he could feign ignorance, Jiang Ruohua continued, “I’ve looked through the ledgers you’ve been sending to the Guogong Estate. Year after year, the numbers remain too consistent. Such steadiness is hard to believe. It suggests that more than loyalty is at play here.

“For instance, the figures show that life on the estate is tight. But from what I’ve observed, the reality is different.

“Take the sale of horses, for example. Your reaction to the transaction was telling. Without surplus funds, even though I am the daughter of your master, I doubt your respect for me would have been as deferential.”

Steward Wen didn’t speak, but his silence seemed to confirm her observations. He looked at Jiang Ruohua, surprised at how calm and composed she was. She continued before he could respond, “That said, it doesn’t matter. Profits held by outsiders are less reliable than resources controlled internally. Do you have any plans for the estate’s future?”

“This estate is under my care now. It should thrive. Selling horses is an option, but such a large estate near the capital shouldn’t be limited to that. I’d like to make some changes.

“You were my mother’s trusted aide and haven’t bowed to the Third Madam. That makes you someone I can trust.”

Steward Wen hesitated, his lips twitching as if unsure how to proceed. Seeing Jiang Ruohua’s confidence and clear thinking, he felt that the years he had spent guarding the estate had not been in vain.

“There is indeed a private ledger,” he admitted. “Before her passing, the master specifically instructed us to hand over all the estates and businesses intact to the eldest miss when the time came.”

Jiang Ruohua’s mother had been raised in the Wen family, known for their business acumen. Her management skills rivaled those of anyone in the capital. Steward Wen’s voice softened with nostalgia as he continued, “The General was often away at war. Before her passing, the master feared the estates under the eldest miss’s name might draw unwanted attention. She ordered us to create false accounts, adhering to the most basic standards.”

“You’ve had a hard time all these years,” Jiang Ruohua said, her tone tinged with complex emotions. She had suspected her mother’s involvement but hadn’t known this was part of her mother’s final plans.

Her memories of her mother were faint, blurred with time. Moments like this only deepened her appreciation for her mother’s foresight and her subsequent wariness of the Third Madam.

“For the master and the eldest miss, it’s no hardship,” Steward Wen said sincerely, pulling something from his robes. “When we learned that the horse estate was transferred to the eldest miss, the entire estate felt both joy and concern.

“The master’s kindness to us weighs heavily. We were prepared to endure a few rounds of chaos if the eldest miss wished to experiment. But when the racecourse was built, I understood the miss’s intentions.”

Though they had never met, Steward Wen felt he and Jiang Ruohua had been working toward the same goal all along.

Jiang Ruohua’s intelligence and foresight impressed Steward Wen. Selling horses had always been moderately profitable, but the proximity to the capital limited large-scale sales. Most buyers were passing merchants or wealthy young men seeking a good horse.

Jiang Ruohua’s decisions seemed reckless—selling off most of the horses and building a racecourse—but they revealed her long-term vision. It wasn’t just about entertaining Princess Shangyang; it was about setting up the estate for sustained prosperity while avoiding undue scrutiny.

“Your plan is clear, and I see no flaws in it,” Steward Wen acknowledged. “But as for betting and racing, I lack experience in these areas. I hope the eldest miss can provide some guidance.”

Compared to selling horses, the estate’s proximity to the capital presented a unique opportunity. While wealthy families didn’t need many horses, they would pay handsomely for a bit of entertainment.

“I’ve already identified someone capable of managing this operation.” Jiang Ruohua spoke calmly, having decided to recruit someone currently working for Prince Yan. “However, I can’t go in person. Steward Wen, I’ll need you to handle this.”

“Whatever the eldest miss instructs.”

“In the outskirts of the capital, in an area with no oversight, there is a man named Gan Yunsheng. He has a crippled leg, a blind eye, and a partially disabled right hand. His younger sister was sold into Piaoxiang Tower. Take money, rescue his sister, and bring the siblings here. Once everything is settled, I’ll speak to him myself.”

Steward Wen nodded, committing her instructions to memory. Then he presented the item he had taken out earlier. “The real ledger is still on the estate. If the eldest miss wishes to see it, I can take you there now.”

Jiang Ruohua picked up the paper he handed her. On it were a few names, simply written.

“These are individuals who’ve been ungrateful and overstepped their bounds. How to handle them is up to the eldest miss.”

Her mother had always treated the estate’s staff well. Unlike other estates where workers lived in cramped, decrepit homes with little comfort, her mother had ensured the estate’s housing was sturdy and provided proper bedding. It was a place where people could live with dignity.

To betray such kindness was nothing short of ingratitude.