The First Family of the Red Mansion

Chapter 32 Trivial Matters of Returning Home

Before dawn the next day, Liu Hu was taken out of the palace.

After his encounter with Emperor Anping and his son yesterday, he made up his mind that he would not get too involved with the court until he had developed an indestructible body.

He was inexplicably tricked by the Crown Prince, and if he hadn't reacted quickly, Emperor Anping would have become suspicious of him.

After thinking about it all night, Liu Hu was certain that he had never offended the Crown Prince. He had only met him twice, including yesterday. He really didn't know where the Crown Prince's hostility came from.

"Could it be because I'm too handsome?"

Liu Hu touched his face, which could only be described as decent, and felt extremely frustrated.

"A cat?!"

After leaving the palace, Liu Hu followed a young eunuch and somehow arrived at the front of a mansion.

Before Liu Hu could understand what was going on, a woman rushed out of the house with the main gate wide open.

Upon seeing Liu Hu, the woman rushed over, crying.

"mother?!"

When Liu Hu finally got a good look at the woman dressed in fine silk and satin, he was greatly surprised.

"You heartless bastard, you're finally back."

"Ever since you left, my heart has never had a moment's peace, I'm always afraid that one day I'll receive news that you're gone..."

"It's my fault for being unfilial and causing you worry, Mother." Liu Hu didn't even bother to ask what had happened and hurriedly comforted Liu Shi, who was clinging to him.

In broad daylight, the servants of the nearby residents heard the commotion and all peeked out to see what was going on!

Seeing that it was the same family that had moved in just half a month ago, they immediately guessed that General Liu, who had captured Gushi Khan alive, had returned.

This house is only two streets away from Ningrong Street, and it is the largest house on that street.

After the Liu family moved in half a month ago, everyone wanted to know which family had taken over the biggest house on the street.

After finding out the details, they all suddenly realized that it was General Liu, the Oirat Khan, who cut off the Oirat's supply lines and captured the Oirat Khan alive during his westward expedition!

For the past two weeks, Liu Shi has not left her home, Liu Hu has not returned, and the high-ranking officials and nobles living nearby are not in a position to visit her without permission.

Upon learning that General Liu had returned, the servants who had been watching the spectacle immediately ran back to inform their masters as quickly as possible.

Although their family was considered important officials in the imperial court, they were still somewhat inferior to Liu Hu, who was about to rise to the position of a nobleman.

Otherwise, the biggest house on this street wouldn't have remained empty until now.

Because Liu Hu currently holds no official position or title, there are no ceremonial guards or plaques at the entrance.

These will be provided once Liu Hu's reward is issued.

After comforting Liu, a man in his fifties came out of the door. Upon seeing Liu Hu, he hurriedly came over and bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets the General."

"Madam, you should have been waiting inside the mansion!" After bowing to Liu Hu, the man turned to Liu and said in a somewhat stern tone.

"Who are you?" Liu Hu asked him, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Cat, this is the steward sent by the Emperor to temporarily help me manage the affairs of my household." Madam Liu seemed somewhat afraid of this person, and her eyes darted away as she spoke.

"What about everyone else?"

Liu Hu ignored the steward and gently asked Liu Shi's hand.

"Hmm!" It seemed that her son's return home had given her great courage. She nodded and continued, "A month ago, we suddenly received an imperial edict saying that you had performed a great service, and the Emperor had bestowed a large mansion upon our family in the capital, allowing us to move here."

"My sister and I moved here about two weeks ago after the house was renovated."

"But I am just a woman, how can I manage such a big house? Fortunately, the Emperor is very kind and has rewarded me with some maids and servants in advance, and even sent a steward to help."

After hearing Liu's explanation, Liu Hu roughly understood what was going on. The maids and servants in the house were a gift and would continue to stay in the mansion.

However, this steward was only sent to help temporarily and was not considered a servant of the Liu family.

Since that's the case, Liu Hu looked at the steward and said calmly, "Now that I'm back, you can go back and report!"

"But General Liu..."

Upon hearing Liu Hu's words, the steward immediately became anxious, even though he had been sent by the palace to help temporarily.

However, under normal circumstances, newly wealthy families like the Liu family would keep the stewards who came to help, allowing them to continue serving as stewards in the household.

Under such circumstances, the palace would not be willing to do this favor.

But why was he told to go back and report when he got here?

Before he came to the Liu residence, the palace had already tacitly approved that he had become the steward of the Liu residence, and had already arranged his position at the imperial estate to be given to someone else.

If he goes back now, is he going to go back to the imperial estate to farm?

"No buts. Since you came here to help, now that you're done, you can go back and report."

Although Liu Hu was unaware of the shady dealings involved, he felt an extreme aversion to the manager.

Taking advantage of their sudden rise to power and lack of manpower, do they want to act arrogantly in the mansion and continue to keep him around to make meat sauce?

Even if he were just a temporary helper sent by the palace, or even if the emperor himself had sent him to be the steward of the Liu family, Liu Hu would not be able to keep him.

Good heavens, in just half a month, he has made his mother, Liu, so afraid. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the master of the house.

The steward felt extremely wronged. He knew that the Liu family came from a humble background, and in order to prevent them from losing face, he devoted himself to teaching Liu Shi the rules and etiquette of being the mistress of the household after he came to the Liu family.

He genuinely considered himself the steward of the Liu family, but who could have imagined that the first thing the head of the family would do upon returning was to kick him out?

"General Liu, why is this?"

Even if I die, I want to die knowing why.

"Those creatures that don't distinguish between high and low, shouldn't we deal with them as soon as possible? Are we going to keep them around to devour their master later?"

"Isn't General Liu afraid of offending the palace?"

The manager clearly didn't want to go back just like that, and actually started threatening Liu Hu.

"Either get out, or stay here forever!"

Liu Hu shook off Liu Shi's hand and looked at the steward with murderous intent in his eyes.

Even Liu Hu himself doesn't know how many people he killed during this western expedition; the smell of blood on his body hasn't completely dissipated yet.

How could a mere steward of a royal estate withstand such overwhelming murderous intent? He was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his pants soaked with sweat.

"Coward, get lost!" Liu Hu withdrew the murderous intent in his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

"I will personally explain to the Grand Chancellor afterward that if your indenture hadn't been out of the Liu residence, I certainly wouldn't have been able to keep you here today."

"Cat, isn't this a bad thing?" Liu asked cautiously, watching the steward run off into the distance.

"It's nothing, just a clueless idiot!"

Liu Hu said nonchalantly, then asked with concern, "Are you afraid of him?"

"I'm not really scared, but every time he tells me what I can't do or what I can't do, and says I've done this wrong or that wrong, I feel uncomfortable all over. It's not as comfortable as staying in the village."

Imagine you've lived in the countryside for decades; you want to confine her in a mansion and expect her to behave properly. No wonder she'd be miserable.

"It's okay. From now on, you can do whatever you want at home, however you want. Nobody can stop you."

Liu is already so old, and she's not some aristocratic young lady who has been raised and nurtured by her family since childhood. Asking her to follow those rules and regulations is just making things difficult for her.

He didn't care what others thought, as long as Liu could live a more comfortable life.

"Are you telling the truth?" After hearing her son's words, Liu looked at Liu Hu with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, you are the matriarch of the household, you are the most important person in the household." Liu Hu smiled and nodded, helping her walk back.

"Then I'd like to discuss something with you. There's a three-acre back garden in this mansion, and I'd like to uproot it and plant some grains and vegetables to supplement our household income."

"As long as you don't mind the effort, it's up to you!"

After hearing Liu's request, Liu Hu smiled and nodded.

"Hey, what's so tiring about this? I brought the cows from home with me when I came here, and they're kept in the stable."

"When I first arrived, I thought it was a waste to plant such a large area of ​​land with flowers that we can't eat or drink. I planned to pull up the flowers and plant some grains and vegetables in the spring."

"Unfortunately, the manager said that doing so would make us a laughing stock, so it was delayed like this."

At this moment, the servants and maids who had been bestowed upon the Liu family all bowed and greeted Liu Hu and Liu Shi respectfully.

These maids and servants were either daughters of disgraced officials from the brothel or poor people who had sold themselves into slavery.

The previous steward, relying on his status as a member of the imperial estate, would frequently beat and scold them under the guise of punishment. Even the madam would occasionally be verbally abused by him. Their fear of that steward had almost seeped into their bones.

But this was someone who was already a very important figure in their eyes, yet their master, who had just returned home, easily drove him away.

At this moment, they were filled with awe for their new master, who was not yet twenty.

Even the woman, who came from the countryside and had an unattractive appearance, was met with a slight sense of disdain.

It's no wonder they have such a view, because Liu Shi is exactly the same as Granny Liu in the 87 version of Dream of the Red Chamber.

In other words, Liu Hu had seen a lot in later generations, and besides, Liu's character was good, so he didn't care about this.

Most people would feel some dislike when they first met Liu.

In the original story, when Granny Liu went to the Jia family mansion, her maid Yuanyang arranged for her to be the "bamboo-strip entertainer" at the banquet, which meant that she would make everyone laugh during the meal; to put it bluntly, she was treated like a clown.

It's hard to inspire awe in someone like her.

But as soon as Liu Hu returned, he swiftly drove away the steward who was previously the most unapproachable person in the mansion. Only then did they realize that although Liu Shi looked ridiculous, she was, after all, the matriarch of the mansion.

Moreover, she has a son who exudes a fierce aura and is about to be ennobled. How could they, as servants, possibly neglect him?

Liu Hu also noticed the servants' attitude and nodded in satisfaction.

Having read the original work, he knew all too well what kind of scene would unfold if the hierarchy in a household were blurred and the servants lost their reverence for their masters.

Therefore, he intends to eliminate these hidden dangers from the very beginning.

"After you left, thanks to the care of Madam Rongguo, my daughter and I have had plenty to eat and haven't been cold in the winter."

"After we're settled at home tomorrow, we'll visit them at their house so they don't think we've become rich and forget their kindness."

Liu looked at her son and said to him solemnly.

"Understood. When I returned from there, the Duke of Rong asked me to deliver a letter home. We will deliver it in person tomorrow so that the Lady of Rong will not worry."

Liu Hu smiled and nodded. No matter the time or circumstance, the Liu family always knew how to repay kindness, which reassured Liu Hu even more.

"Oh, right, the palace sent some rewards earlier, and I had them locked in the storeroom in the manor. I'll give you the key later."

"Of those rewards, some money was used up, and a portion of it was given to the village head so that he could distribute it to the widows and orphans in the village."

"The rest was used for household expenses."

"Who is in charge of these things?" Upon hearing this, Liu Hu immediately became alert.

"He's the same manager from before," Liu said matter-of-factly.

"Have these expenses been recorded?"

"Of course it's in. The account book is in my room, but I can't read, so the manager writes the accounts himself."

After having breakfast with Liu Shi and playing with the girl for a while, Liu Hu took the account book that Liu Shi had given him and started flipping through it.

Although I've forgotten most of my knowledge from my past life, I can still keep track of the accounts.

In just half a month, the household expenses had already filled a whole notebook. Obviously, the steward did this on purpose so that it would not be easy for people to see the trickery inside.

However, these were just a bit of a hassle for Liu Hu. After sorting out the accounts, the next step was to take stock of the treasury.

"Mother, give me the key to the treasury first, and I'll return it to you after I've finished taking inventory."

"No need, you can keep it yourself. I don't know anything and I'm afraid I'll mess things up."

"If you ask me, it's time for you to settle down and start a family. This mansion is so big, it can't function without someone to manage it."

Well, it seems that no matter the era, you can't escape being pressured to get married by your parents when you grow up.

However, Liu Hu did not object to the marriage. Wasn't the foundation he had built meant to be passed down to his descendants?

"Mother, you'd better keep your eyes open. Our family will have a title in the future, so don't marry a troublemaker."

"Don't worry, Mom will definitely keep her eyes open and find you a beautiful and virtuous one."

Seeing that her son did not object to the marriage, Liu was immediately relieved, and her eyes narrowed with joy.

After Liu Hu finished taking inventory of the warehouse, he compared it with the ledger and immediately discovered the discrepancy.

Even without considering the inflated prices, more than three hundred taels of silver were missing from the accounts.

"In just half a month, the reward for being the first to scale the walls has disappeared."

Fortunately, the steward hadn't yet grown bold enough to touch the imperial gifts, otherwise Liu Hu would have wanted to chase after him and kill him.

"Oh my god, it's all my money! In just half a month, the people you sent have embezzled more than three hundred taels of silver."

"Eunuch Ding, although this amount of silver isn't much, I can't just ignore it and pretend nothing happened, can I?"

"When we attacked Wushaoguan, the reward for being the first to scale the walls wasn't even this much. How could a mere steward of the imperial estate have embezzled so much of his money?"

Before Liu Hu could even ask the steward for his embezzled silver back, a eunuch from the Imperial Horse Stables, who was in charge of managing the imperial estate, came knocking on his door.