My Wife Is The Female Lead In A Scum Alpha Novel - Chapter 6

06

Ruan Zhi studied Gu Qingci’s expression carefully, finding not the slightest hint of reluctance.

She had originally thought it would take time and strategy to gain control of the Gu household, never expecting Gu Qingci to willingly hand over the reins of management.

“All servants must be my people. I won’t use any of the original Gu family staff.” Ruan Zhi said, fixing her gaze on Gu Qingci.

“Of course!” Gu Qingci nodded without hesitation.

“Good. There aren’t enough people in my courtyard, so I’ll need to bring in more from the servant market.” Ruan Zhi added.

“I’ve already sent stewardess Zhang to summon a broker. When they arrive, you can select some servants, train them, and—along with your own people—replace stewardess Zhang’s entire family.” Gu Qingci said eagerly, her tone almost fawning.

Originally, Gu Qingci had intended to cultivate her own loyal servants by having stewardess Zhang summon the broker—she found the old woman utterly detestable and wanted her gone. Now that Ruan Zhi mentioned needing more staff and insisted on using only her own people, Gu Qingci was happy to let Ruan Zi handle the “recruitment” while she enjoyed the respite.

Lian Rui had claimed Gu Qingci summoned the broker to buy a maid for young lady huan, yet now Gu Qingci was letting her make the selections instead.

Did she have no intention of installing her own people?!

In other words, Gu Qingci was completely handing the Gu household over to her, retaining no control whatsoever?

Ruan Zhi studied Gu Qingci, utterly baffled by what went on in her mind.

Every time, Gu Qingci managed to catch her off guard.

To grant her such sweeping authority, without the slightest attempt to restrain or manipulate her—was beyond Ruan Zhi’s expectations.

She didn’t believe Gu Qingci harbored any good intentions. Perhaps she was brewing some grand scheme.

Or perhaps the Gu family had a massive financial pit that needed her to fill it.

Ruan Zhi wasn’t afraid. She might as well play along, seize control of the entire Gu household first, and then see.

“Then let’s start with the kitchen, audit the accounts.” Ruan Zhi said, relaxing slightly.

“Madam, I’ve brought the kitchen procurement ledgers for your review.” Gu Qingci said quickly, handing the account books to Ruan Zhi.

Though the Gu family had declined, they had once been a prominent household, and some of the old systems and structures remained.

Every “position” was still staffed.

The procurement ledgers were also neatly maintained, following standard accounting practices.

Gu Qingci couldn’t make heads or tails of the ledgers, but Ruan Zhi skimmed through them swiftly, her gaze sharp and focused.

Gu Qingci watched her with wide, starry eyes.

As expected of the domineering female lead—so impressive.

“This is just one month’s ledger. The calculations are correct, but there are a few entries that might be fabricated transactions disguised as legitimate, or genuine ones falsified. We’ll need to verify them in detail.” Ruan Zhi said, lifting her eyes to meet Gu Qingci’s.

“Madam, you’re amazing! You can do mental arithmetic so quickly!” Gu Qingci gushed, her voice brimming with admiration.

“…” Ruan Zhi stared at her without responding.

Did this woman even realize what she was doing?

As an alpha, using such an unreserved gaze to look at an omega—and even openly praising her, was highly improper.

She didn’t act like an alpha at all, more like a bootlicker.

“So what do we do next? I can’t verify the items in the ledger, I don’t remember any of them.” Gu Qingci asked, a little worried.

“This ledger alone isn’t enough. If they’ve truly embezzled, there must be physical evidence. We need to find that to have irrefutable proof.” Ruan Zhi said.

“What should we do next? Just give the order, Madam, and I’ll carry it out.” Gu Qingci declared.

She was fully supporting Ruan Zhi.

Watching Gu Qingci’s enthusiasm, Ruan Zhi massaged her temples.

“Wait for now. We mustn’t alert them. We can only act once we have more people. For now, give the food box to Lian Rong and have her distribute the meals to the courtyard staff.” Ruan Zhi said slowly.

“Madam, won’t you eat a little? Please have something. Don’t let what happened earlier ruin your appetite. Skipping breakfast is bad for your health.” Gu Qingci said softly, bending slightly, her tone almost coquettish, as if she were acting spoiled.

She was afraid Ruan Zhi was still angry and skipping meals, which would only make her angrier.

That wouldn’t be conducive to a productive “work environment.”

Ruan Zhi looked up at Gu Qingci. This woman seemed genuinely concerned about her eating breakfast.

“No need. I’ve sent Nanny Qin out to buy food. The guards wouldn’t let anyone from Xiuyi Garden leave unless they paid silver. If you wanted silver, you could have just asked me directly—no need to go through such convolutions.” Ruan Zhi said coolly, her gaze steady on Gu Qingci.

Cold sweat broke out on Gu Qingci’s back as she listened.

Well, another pit left by the original host.

In the plot, the original host had sealed Ruan Zhi inside the Gu residence, cutting her off from the outside world, all thanks to a few burly guards.

The current Ruan Zhi wouldn’t sit idly by—she was already spending silver to send Nanny Qin out.

“Madam, I didn’t order them to do that. I won’t let them block Xiuyi Garden’s people anymore. From now on, all guards will be people you choose. I’ll dismiss those guards.” Gu Qingci said quickly, trying to fill this pit.

“Those guards aren’t so easily dismissed. Besides, they were hired by the Gu family steward. If you fire them first, the steward might catch wind and hide the embezzled silver. Then we’ll never find the evidence.” Ruan Zhi said, glancing at the obedient Gu Qingci.

“…I’ll listen to you, Madam!” Gu Qingci immediately agreed.

The Gu family steward was none other than Stewardess Zhang’s husband.

After speaking, Ruan Zhi waved her hand, and Gu Qingci hurriedly carried the food box out.

Outside, Lian Rong was waiting, starving and restless, unsure what Gu Qingci was doing inside. She wanted to enter but didn’t dare defy Ruan Zhi’s authority.

When she saw Gu Qingci emerge, she perked up.

“Who’s Lian Rong?” Gu Qingci asked, looking at the maids outside. How was she supposed to know who was who?

Lian Rong, who had been about to complain to Gu Qingci: “…”

“My lord, she is Lian Rong.” a maid reminded Gu Qingci.

“Oh, so you’re Miss Lian Rong. Please distribute the food in this box to everyone.” Gu Qingci said, placing the food box on the table in front of Lian Rong.

Before Lian Rong could respond, Gu Qingci turned and went back into Ruan Zhi’s room.

“Why is my wife in such a hurry? Aren’t you going to the academy today? Didn’t you say the Preliminary Exams were approaching?” Ruan Zhi asked, surprised that Gu Qingci had come back to consult her again—she seemed even more anxious than Ruan Zhi herself.

“Academy?” Gu Qingci blinked, then remembered—the original host was still a student!

Specifically, an aspiring scholar preparing for the Xiucai exams.

As an alpha, not only could she marry, but she could also take imperial exams and become an official.

The thought of going to school and studying made Gu Qingci’s head spin.

In this era, there were no divisions between liberal arts and sciences—the Xiucai exams were entirely literature-based. Classical Chinese, traditional characters, essay writing, poetry—just thinking about any of these made her brain cramp.

“I’ll postpone the academy for now. It’s better to stabilize the household affairs first so I can focus on studying later.” Gu Qingci said, scratching her head.

Seeing that Gu Qingci wasn’t rushing off to the academy, Ruan Zhi didn’t press further.

Instead, she asked about the Gu family’s situation.

“How many servants are in the Gu household right now? Where are their deeds of sale? How many are bound for life, and how many are on term contracts?”

“How many people are in stewardess Zhang’s family? How many are in the Gu residence, and how many are working in the shops or fields outside?”

“Make sure no one can escape. We’ll also need guards at the gates. Does the Gu residence have a back door? How many people are needed to guard it?”

After Ruan Zhi fired off these questions, Gu Qingci was dumbfounded—she had no idea!

Her knowledge of the Gu family was limited to a few lines of plot summary.

These detailed matters were completely beyond her.

Who knew that just investigating the Gu household required so much information?

“You don’t need to worry about Xiuyi Garden. Go check the Gu residence and report back.” Ruan Zhi said, watching Gu Qingci’s blank, clueless expression with silent exasperation.

Truly, aside from her face, she was utterly useless.

Ruan Zhi already had a rough idea of these details, she had only asked to test Gu Qingci.

“I’ll go investigate right away.” Gu Qingci said, feeling awkward under Ruan Zhi’s gaze.

As Gu Qingci was about to leave, Nanny Qin returned with a food box.

Nanny Qin bowed to Gu Qingci, then entered the room, slightly out of breath.

“Nanny, you didn’t have to rush. Sit and rest first.” Ruan Zhi said when she saw Nanny Qin.

“I was afraid Madam would be hungry. The food is still hot—please eat while it’s warm.” Nanny Qin said, placing the food box on the table beside Ruan Zhi.

“Ah Zhi, Zhenhu has been staying at a shop not far from the Gu residence these past few days. This old servant found him as soon as I stepped out. I’ve already relayed your instructions, and he’s gone to handle it. He said finding that particular person might take some time, but skilled martial artists are easier to come by. The shop has three former escorts and two sturdy maids—all ready to go. It’s up to you how to use them.” Nanny Qin whispered to Ruan Zhi after Gu Qingci left.

Hearing that Nanny Qin had successfully found people, Ruan Zhi relaxed slightly.

Having trusted people by her side gave her more confidence.

After exchanging a few more words with Nanny Qin, Ruan Zhi sent her out again.

Outside, Gu Qingci ran into Dongxue, who had come looking for her—Stewardess Zhang had returned.

Gu Qingci decided to meet with Stewardess Zhang first, asking Dongxue about the Gu household along the way.

Soon, she found stewardess Zhang.

“My lord, I ran into young lady huan. She asked me to give you this, she embroidered it herself. She’s missed you terribly these past few days.” Stewardess Zhang said with a beaming smile, pressing a small pouch into Gu Qingci’s hands before lowering her voice.

“…Thank you, stewardess Zhang.” Gu Qingci said. She didn’t want it, but remembering Ruan Zhi’s warning not to alert the enemy, she accepted it and tucked it into her sleeve.

“Stewardess Zhang, weren’t you supposed to bring the servant broker? Where are they?” Gu Qingci glanced around.

“No need to trouble yourself, my lord. Young lady huan has already picked out a maid and taken her back. The broker said it’ll cost five taels of silver and will come to collect tomorrow.” Stewardess Zhang said, her face creased with smiles.

Gu Qingci’s temple twitched.

Well, well.

What a bold servant, taking such liberties!

Just because she hadn’t objected yesterday, stewardess Zhang had taken it as approval!

Expecting her to pay the silver? Not a chance.

She wasn’t about to be swindled.

“Stewardess Zhang, summer is approaching. I’d like to have summer clothes made for all the servants. Your family has worked hard—each of you will get two sets. Could you tally how many people there are and roughly how much silver we’ll need? I’ll ask Madam for the funds and have the tailor come.” Gu Qingci said, recalling Ruan Zhi’s instructions. It was hard to maintain her acting under stewardess Zhang’s smarmy gaze.

“Excluding Xiuyi Garden, there are twelve servants. In this old servant’s family, aside from my husband, there’s also my son, daughter-in-law, grandson…” Stewardess Zhang immediately began listing them off, her wrinkles multiplying with her grin.

As stewardess Zhang spoke, Gu Qingci silently memorized the details.

After extracting some information about the Gu household’s population from stewardess Zhang, Gu Qingci took a stroll around the residence to familiarize herself with the layout.

Xue Sanniang, frightened by Gu Qingci’s “dream” had burned paper offerings and was now copying Buddhist scriptures in her room—she wouldn’t be causing trouble for the time being.

After her tour, Gu Qingci was about to report back to Ruan Zhi when Dongxue called her for lunch.

“Has Madam’s meal been delivered?” Gu Qingci asked.

“Yes.” Dong Xue replied.

Hungry, Gu Qingci went to eat first.

She had already given instructions—surely the food wouldn’t be as bad as before.

But until those people were dismissed, she’d have to endure one more meal.

Even with her expectations lowered, the food was still unpalatable.

Lunch was slightly more elaborate than breakfast, but the dishes were bland as if boiled in water, the meat wasn’t deodorized, oversalted, and the noodles tasted like they’d been cooked in dishwater.

“Dongxue, is the food always this bland? Is today’s meal considered good or bad?” Gu Qingci asked, glancing at Dongxue.

“The lord prefers light flavors, it’s always been like this. Today’s meal has three meat dishes, so it’s quite lavish.” Dong Xue said, swallowing saliva in confusion.

Gu Qingci didn’t ask further, suspecting the original host had no sense of taste.

After forcing down the meal, she hurried to Ruan Zhi’s quarters.

Ruan Zhi was having lunch, and before Gu Qingci even entered the room, the aroma of food wafted out.

Inside, the sight of the dishes on Ruan Zhi’s table made her mouth water uncontrollably.

Several plates of exquisitely shaped pastries in vibrant colors, three small pieces per plate.

A steaming bowl of wontons floating with tiny shrimp, seaweed, and droplets of oil.

A plate of thinly sliced beef with a dipping sauce.

Translucent dumplings stuffed with shrimp filling.

White almond curd sprinkled with osmanthus flowers…

The portions were small, but each dish was refined.

And there were main courses, side dishes, and desserts, everything was there.

So this world did have good food—wahhh!

Having just endured a terrible meal, Gu Qingci wasn’t actually hungry—just envious.

“Lian Rui, I’m full. Distribute the rest among yourselves.” Ruan Zhi said after a few bites, setting down her chopsticks.

Gu Qingci watched as Lian Rui carried away the remaining food, her heart bleeding.

Her life wasn’t even as good as a maid’s in Ruan Zhi’s courtyard!

“Did my wife come for something? Have you finished investigating?” Ruan Zhi asked, turning to Gu Qingci.

Gu Qingci collected herself and reported her findings.

“Stewardess Zhang didn’t bring the servant broker. Should we go to the market this afternoon?” she asked after finishing.

“No need for now. I’ve found people. Since my wife mentioned the summer clothes, please have someone inform the tailor to come for measurements. Gather all the servants in the Listening Bamboo Hall. My people should have arrived by now—please go to the front courtyard to receive them and bring them inside. I’ve already instructed Nanny Qin. Just escort them to the Listening Bamboo Hall.” Ruan Zhi said, her gaze flickering with a hint of surprise as she studied Gu Qingci.

Gu Qingci’s report matched what she already knew—she had actually investigated and even used the clothing pretext to count heads.

From Ruan Zhi’s calm eyes, Gu Qingci sensed a glint of icy sharpness and shivered involuntarily.

As it turned out, the survival instincts Gu Qingci had honed in the apocalypse weren’t entirely useless.

Gu Qingci went out and instructed Dongxue to summon people.

She then headed to the front courtyard to receive the newcomers.

Six people arrived, including Nanny Qin.

Among them, three were clearly martial artists, burly men each restraining a bound and gagged prisoner.

“My lord, these guards dared to deceive their lord and bully Madam. When this old servant went out earlier, they extorted five taels of silver from me, no different from bandits. We must report them to the authorities for punishment.” Nanny Qin said, stepping forward.

“Good. We’ll report them later. Madam is waiting in the Listening Bamboo Hall. Leave one person here to guard them.” Gu Qingci said, clearing her throat.

So ruthless.

If she hadn’t acted quickly and “surrendered” early, she might have been the one tied up right now.

The prisoners, who had initially seen Gu Qingci as their savior, widened their eyes in despair.

Being convicted of banditry meant imprisonment and facial branding.

The original “Gu Qingci” had ordered them to guard the gates and prevent Xiuyi Garden’s people from leaving freely, but she hadn’t told them to extort silver.

If Gu Qingci, as the head of the household, testified on Xiuyi Garden’s behalf, they were doomed.

The prisoners whimpered and pleaded, but Gu Qingci ignored them and led the other five to the Listening Bamboo Hall.

A crowd had already gathered there for measurements.

Gu Qingci counted silently, everyone was present.

“Close the doors.” a cool voice ordered from behind the screen—Ruan Zhi.

The two men beside Nanny Qin immediately shut the doors of the Listening Bamboo Hall.