allonlinenovel Chapter 216 Layoffs
Chapter 216 Layoffs
In the second half of the night, Lu Lingxi slept soundly in Nan Wangyu's arms. Nan Wangyu couldn't sleep, partly because he had slept for a long time before, and partly because he was excited that Lingxi finally liked him.
So much so that when he went to court the next day, he had dark circles under his eyes and felt a little dizzy. But fortunately, there was nothing particularly important for him to deal with today.
After returning from court, he would ask Lingxi to accompany him to catch up on his sleep, and the two would spend time together whenever they had free time. This made the other concubines in the Crown Prince's Mansion envious and jealous, and they wrote letters back to their parents' homes to complain, which further confirmed Lu Lingxi's reputation as a jealous person. Someone submitted a memorial to accuse Lu Lingxi, and the Southern Expedition Emperor suppressed it.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was August. The originally calm situation was broken by a sudden piece of news. An urgent report came from the distant front, saying that the army was short of food and grass, and the situation was urgent. It was hoped that the capital could arrange for the transportation of food and grass as soon as possible to solve the urgent problem.
Since the beginning of the year, more than half a year has passed. The Southern Expedition Kingdom has sent troops to fight on both the northern and western fronts at the same time, and the military consumption is extremely huge. The long war not only exhausted the soldiers, but also made the treasury increasingly empty, and the financial situation became increasingly difficult. Faced with such a severe situation, the palace took the lead in taking action, taking the lead in cutting various expenses, and reducing the number of palace personnel to save funds to support the front-line war.
The actions of the Southern Emperor set an example for the officials in the court to follow suit and actively cut their own expenses. At the same time, they also mobilized merchants in the city to donate generously and contribute to enriching the treasury so as to better prepare military supplies.
In this context, even Lu Lingxi, who had never been involved in the internal affairs of the Prince's Mansion, could not sit still. Although she usually did not ask much about the affairs of the mansion, the shortage of food and grass on the front line was of great importance. After all, her beloved father and brother were among the soldiers fighting on the battlefield. Lu Lingxi was extremely anxious when she thought that their life and safety might be affected. So, she sold her dowry without hesitation and donated it all to buy military rations. Then, she took the initiative to help Concubine Shang to discuss the relevant matters of reducing the servants in the mansion, in order to further save expenses and provide more assistance to the front line.
When discussing the layoffs, Lu Lingxi and Concubine Shang sighed, "All the concubines in our mansion need at least one first-class maid, two second-class maids, four third-class maids, and a number of maids to clean the house. There are more servants for those with higher positions. On average, each person gets two taels of silver. There are more than 40 concubines. The monthly salary for this item alone is nearly one thousand taels. There are also the monthly salaries for servants, grooms, and guards. The monthly expenses for food, clothing, and other expenses for so many people are really not small. In fact, laying off one or two maids will not reduce the cost by a few taels of silver. If the prince's mansion has so many concubines, how much money can be saved."
At least she casually sighed while looking at the account book, and Concubine Shang listened to it, seemed to be thinking about something, and then immediately reported Lu Lingxi's idea to Nan Wangyu.
Within just a few days, Nan Wangyu personally drew up a list of layoffs in the Prince's Mansion. Unexpectedly, he directly laid off all the concubines and servants. Some concubines had been in the mansion for many years without having any children, and some concubines were punished after being discovered for minor mistakes.
The ones who were dismissed this time were mostly low-ranking concubines, including two Chenghui, five Zhaoyi, and seven Fengyi, a total of 14 concubines. When they were dismissed, the reasons for their dismissal were not announced, nor were their names. They were also specifically announced to the world that these people were free to marry in the future, and they should not be treated with contempt and neglect because they were concubines of the prince's mansion.
When Lu Lingxi heard the news, the concubines had already been sent back to their parents' homes. There was an uproar in the capital. People had always seen layoffs of servants, but never of concubines and aunts. Everyone was talking about it.
Some people think that this is the trick of the Crown Princess. Perhaps the people who were laid off were people who were somewhat favored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and she couldn't stand seeing such people hanging around in front of her.
Some people think that Lu Lingxi is not really vicious. She can't stand people competing for her favor. She didn't murder them, but just drove them out of the house and allowed them to marry freely. Look at the Qi Wang Mansion next door. No one walks out upright after entering the door.
When Lu Lingxi learned that the Prince's Mansion had laid off only the concubines, those people had already returned to their parents' homes. And the outside world rumored that it was her idea to lay off people. She was really wronged. She was not qualified and just said it casually. How did it end up like this?
Lu Lingxi found Nan Wangyu and asked directly: "What's going on with the layoffs? Did you ask them to lay off those concubines?"
Nan Wangyu was calculating the accounts of donations from all parties. Hearing this, he put down his pen and called Lu Lingxi over. He pulled her into his arms at any time and sat her on his lap. While playing with Lu Lingxi's hair, he said, "Yes, I asked Concubine Shang to do it. She said that it was you who came up with this idea."
Lu Lingxi said hurriedly: "It wasn't my idea. I just said it casually at the time. Why did Sister Shang tell you immediately?"
Nan Wangyu: "Because she is mine."
Lu Lingxi pulled back her hair, narrowed her eyes dangerously, and asked, "Your people? What do you mean?"
Nan Wangyu knew she had misunderstood when she saw the expression of the person in her arms, and quickly explained: "She made a deal with me from the beginning. She was willing to work for me, not talk about love, just help me manage the affairs of the harem, and report any disturbance to me. She is equivalent to my subordinate. That's why I entrusted her with important tasks."
Lu Lingxi pouted and said angrily, "Don't you know everything I said to Sister Shang? Why didn't you mention it to me before?"
Nan Wangyu thought for a moment and said, "I remember I told you that you can trust her."
Lu Lingxi crossed his arms and said dissatisfiedly: "She reports everything to you. I can't trust her now. Humph!"
Nan Wangyu hugged Lu Lingxi with both hands, rubbed his chin against her head, and said with a smile: "What bad things do you want to do? Are you afraid that she will report to me? Tell me and I will help you with some advice."
Lu Lingxi hugged Nan Wangyu's waist and buried her head in his arms. Her voice was a little muffled when she spoke: "I didn't mean to do anything bad. I just wanted to complain about you behind your back. Every time you do something like this, those people outside think it was me. I'm not happy that I took the blame for you. Besides, I don't think they have done anything wrong. If we drive them out of the Prince's Mansion, how will they live the rest of their lives? Can they really get married again? Isn't this a bit too cruel?"