Reborn Into The Harem Of A Prince From An Enemy Country - Chapter 6

Ever since that rather pleasant secret rendezvous, Chu Lianmo seemed completely obsessed with spending time with Qi Xiaoyun, even calling him over to grind ink whenever he was reviewing official documents in the study.

Grinding ink did not require constant attention, so during his free time, Qi Xiaoyun would look for miscellaneous books in the study to read, and Chu Lianmo simply let him be.

However, whenever Chu Lianmo attended the early morning court session, Qi Xiaoyun was required to pay his respects to the Principal Consort.

Originally, Qi Xiaoyun detested doing such things. Now that rumors were swirling all over Prince Rui’s estate that he had replaced Yin Mei as the apple of Chu Lianmo’s eye, he was terrified of getting dragged into petty jealousies and infighting among the concubines.

Fortunately, Chu Lianmo’s Principal Consort, Jiang Wan, turned out to be a gentle, virtuous lady from a prestigious family. Whenever she saw Qi Xiaoyun, her attitude was extremely warm, and she would even shower him with solicitous inquiries about his well-being.

During their very first meeting, Jiang Wan had smiled and asked, “A-Yun, you had a high fever for several days earlier, which left me quite worried. Have you fully recovered now?”

“Thank you for your concern, Principal Consort, I have fully recovered.”

“Of course he’s fully recovered,” Yin Mei chimed in from the side with a sarcastic tone. “He was even able to stroll through the streets with His Highness for an entire day yesterday.”

Qi Xiaoyun sneered as he cast a glance at the pale-faced Yin Mei. “It seems Consort Yin’s constitution is as resilient as a cockroach. You managed to crawl back up and move around so soon after taking fifty lashes.”

“You!” Yin Mei choked with rage, turning his petulant gaze toward Jiang Wan. “Sister Jiang, look at him! He’s actually comparing me to a cockroach just because he’s temporarily enjoying His Highness’s favor. Does he really think he’s something special now?”

Jiang Wan’s expression turned stern. “Yin Mei, it was you who repeatedly bullied and abused him, which is why His Highness punished you. Now your wounds haven’t even healed, yet you’ve already forgotten the pain and are trying to stir up discord again?”

“Sister Jiang, I know I was wrong!” Yin Mei immediately caved.

Jiang Wan softened her gaze considerably as she turned back to Qi Xiaoyun. “I had no idea so many things were happening behind the scenes. Come to think of it, failing to notice is a dereliction of duty on my part as the mistress of Prince Rui’s estate. A-Yun, I apologize to you here. If anything like this happens in the future, you must tell me immediately.”

“I understand. Thank you, Principal Consort.”

Although Jiang Wan appeared amiable, and the original owner’s memories contained no record of Jiang Wan ever bullying him, Qi Xiaoyun remained wary that she might be hiding malicious intentions. Besides, he had no desire to form deep bonds with any of Chu Lianmo’s other household companions, so he simply offered a cold, perfunctory response, having no intention of actually running to her with complaints in the future.

Regardless of his suspicions, Qi Xiaoyun still found Jiang Wan far more agreeable to look at than anyone else in the inner courtyard of Prince Rui’s estate. She possessed delicate features, dressed impeccably, and despite her extraordinary family background, she carried no arrogant young-lady temperament whatsoever. Instead, she was well-read, considerate in every way, and seemed to possess every virtue the world had to offer.

It was a pity that no one in this world could truly possess every single advantage.

Over the next few days, Qi Xiaoyun frequently noticed Jiang Wan coughing incessantly, only to realize that her health was actually very poor.

“Cough, cough…” On this particular day, Jiang Wan even coughed up a patch of blood into her handkerchief right in front of everyone. She sighed and looked around at the others. “You can all see the state of my health. Although I wish to do my utmost to share His Highness’s burdens, managing certain affairs around this estate is truly beyond my physical capacity. Is there anyone among you willing to step forward and help me share a portion of these duties?”

A thought instantly stirred within Qi Xiaoyun. He had been idling away his days in Prince Rui’s estate, feeling that it was an utter waste of time. Being able to tackle some meaningful work would be a welcome change.

Before Qi Xiaoyun could speak, Yin Mei eagerly raised his hand. “Sister Wan, I want to give it a try!”

Qi Xiaoyun felt a twinge of annoyance at missing the opportunity, but he spoke up anyway, “Principal Consort, I would also like to try.”

Yin Mei let out a snort of disdain through his nose. “I am a secondary consort while you are merely a concubine. Since when is it your turn to manage the household?”

Jiang Wan frowned slightly. Yin Mei’s words were not entirely unreasonable; his status was indeed superior to Qi Xiaoyun’s.

After a moment of quiet reflection, Jiang Wan said, “Why don’t we leave this decision to His Highness?”

“The Principal Consort is right,” Qi Xiaoyun agreed. “A matter of this magnitude should indeed be brought before His Highness for his judgment.”

That very evening, Jiang Wan brought both Yin Mei and Qi Xiaoyun to the study to see Chu Lianmo.

After listening to the reason for their visit, Chu Lianmo stated without a moment’s hesitation, “A-Yun, stay. The rest of you, leave.”

“Your Highness!” A look of aggrieved distress instantly appeared on Yin Mei’s face as tears flowed uncontrollably like unvalued water. “Are you still angry with concubine? This concubine truly knows his error and has deeply reflected upon himself over the past few days!”

Chu Lianmo cast a cold glance at him and uttered a single icy word: “Scram.”

“This concubine will never dare do it again, please forgive this concubine just this once, Your Highness!”

“Are you not going to scram?” Chu Lianmo’s face turned even frostier. “Your wounds are healed, and you wish to take another beating?”

“This concubine is scrambling right now!” Terrified, Yin Mei scrambled to turn around and hurried out the door. His wounds were far from healed; he was merely putting up a brave front because of his pride. In reality, every single step sent waves of agonizing pain through his entire body, and whenever others weren’t looking, he spent all his time lying face down on his bed.

Chu Lianmo instantly softened his expression as he turned his gaze toward Qi Xiaoyun. “Sit down, and tell me in detail what you can do.”

At that moment, Qi Xiaoyun actually felt a brief surge of sympathy for Yin Mei.

Chu Lianmo had once showered Yin Mei with supreme favor, yet that affection had faded with astonishing speed. Fickle and romantic men were likely all the same; he was currently infatuated with him, but in a few days, he would probably be off sharing tender moments with someone else.

Be that as it may, figuring out how to answer Chu Lianmo’s question took priority right now.

Strictly speaking, Qi Xiaoyun was not particularly experienced in inner-household management. When he was an imperial prince, his estate had been entirely run by the steward, and his own primary focus had always been state affairs. However, his imperial father had once strongly advocated for frugality among the Qi imperial family and courtiers, which meant he had spent some time dealing with budget and expense matters back then.

After a brief moment of thought, Qi Xiaoyun replied, “I have some understanding of accounting and financial management, and I might be able to help the estate reduce some unnecessary expenses.”

“Oh?” Chu Lianmo’s gaze suddenly sharpened with suspicion. “When have you ever done such a thing?”

This question genuinely caught Qi Xiaoyun off guard. When the original owner was still at his family estate, he had been nothing more than an overlooked concubine-born son with zero authority. How could he possibly have had the opportunity to handle accounting work?

Qi Xiaoyun could only bite the bullet and fabricate an excuse: “I haven’t actually managed accounts before, I simply read a few books on the subject.”

A trace of doubt still lingered in Chu Lianmo’s eyes, but he chose not to press further, simply saying, “Then you may try your hand at it for a few days.”

The very next morning, Qi Xiaoyun began attempting to manage the accounts of Prince Rui’s estate.

Early that morning, he first reviewed and organized all the ledger records, leading him to discover a glaring issue:

Because Prince Rui’s estate housed a large number of wives and concubines whose lifestyles were excessively lavish, the monthly expenditures nearly matched the incoming revenue, sometimes even slightly exceeding it. Although Chu Lianmo had accumulated substantial savings over the past few years to keep things afloat for now, continuing this way would prove detrimental in the long run. The estate urgently needed to build up a financial reserve for unexpected contingencies.

Naturally, Qi Xiaoyun could not propose reducing the number of wives and concubines, so he instead compiled a list outlining areas where expenditures could be trimmed and presented it to Jiang Wan for review.

Jiang Wan was startled by the contents of his proposal.

It wasn’t that the suggestions were unreasonable, but rather that they were far too bold. Implementing these changes would directly touch upon the interests of everyone in the estate. While the maidservants and footmen had no say in the matter, these cuts directly concerned the interests of all the principal consorts, secondary consorts, elite guards, and veteran stewards and nannies. She never expected a mere concubine to dare think so expansively.

Yet, doing this would genuinely and effectively curb extravagance and waste. Thus, Jiang Wan ultimately agreed to give it a try.

Chu Lianmo also specifically ordered someone to bring over the ledger and proposals compiled by Qi Xiaoyun for his own inspection.

The document was detailed, precise, and meticulous down to the smallest entry. The expenses trimmed were indeed overly extravagant and non-essential expenditures that would not severely impact the quality of life for anyone in Prince Rui’s estate.

While marveling at Qi Xiaoyun’s talent, Chu Lianmo felt his suspicions growing even deeper.

When on earth had Zhou Yun acquired such capability?

Plagued by mounting doubts, Chu Lianmo summoned Ah-Wang, Qi Xiaoyun’s personal servant, to question him: “Has your young master shown any behavior recently that differs from his past self?”