May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

Chunhua scratched her head.

Someone like the old lady would always be thinking about money even if she wasn't given any. If money were actually offered to her, she probably wouldn't even leave a crumb. How could she possibly refuse it?

Chunhua was filled with questions, but before she could speak, Wen Yuanshu had already gotten up and walked out, so Chunhua had no choice but to follow.

The main courtyard is a two-section courtyard with two wings. The back courtyard is very spacious, with stones and water features, lush vegetation, and winding paths, creating a tranquil atmosphere when walking through it.

Walking along the smooth blue brick path, you'll see several figures standing in the courtyard, heads bowed and hands clasped, seemingly obedient.

Wen Yuanshu stood under the corridor, her cold gaze sweeping over them one by one.

These were all the old lady's confidants; in their past lives, who knows how much silver they had embezzled from her.

Wen Yuanshu's tone was slightly cold: "Thank you all for making this trip. However, I have only just received this account book and there are still many things I don't understand. I need to go and consult my mother-in-law to ask her carefully."

"Madam, please don't joke. You come from the General of the Cavalry's mansion, how could you not even understand an account book?" The head steward, Liu, said with a smile. "Besides, we are all stewards, and we know the accounts under our jurisdiction! Madam, just give me one hundred taels of silver, trust me, I really didn't take a single tael more, and I even lost quite a bit of money in the process!"

Manager Liu's expression was earnest, and he didn't seem to be lying.

Chunhua's eyes widened.

So, just this Manager Liu alone costs fifty taels a month?!

Grab money!

But Manager Liu looked completely unperturbed, clearly not thinking he was asking for an exorbitant amount.

Wen Yuanshu glanced at him and said with a smile, "It seems that Steward Liu is quite wealthy, with a full hundred taels of silver to cover the cost. I heard that Steward Liu came from a farming family and later entered the Marquis's mansion. I wonder where Steward Liu got such a large fortune? Does he have some income from businesses that the Marquis's mansion is unaware of, or did he take the silver from the Marquis's mansion?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Manager Liu's expression changed instantly.

Wen Yuanshu then looked at the others: "Come on, all of you, tell me how much you each contributed to the Marquis's mansion?"

Her voice, when it reached the ears of the group of supervisors, sent a chill down their spines.

If the higher-ups can't distribute the monthly allowance, they should use their words or their actions. Who would be foolish enough to pay out of their own pocket to help the Marquis's mansion?

They only came after the old lady gave the order to give the new housekeeper a hard time.

Unexpectedly, Wen Yuanshu was so difficult to deal with, and she silenced the leader, Manager Liu, with just a few words.

Wen Yuanshu glanced around, and seeing that no one spoke, she turned and walked away.

The managers looked at each other for a moment, and then dispersed.

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Chunhua couldn't help but exclaim, "These managers are truly lawless! They dare to ask for a hundred taels of silver without even asking! How dare they!"

"Madam, these people are easy to deal with, but what about these account books? Do we really have to fill them out?"

While it's immoral to use a daughter-in-law's dowry to cover up the family's financial losses, it's not entirely unheard of in the capital.

Chunhua had always despised this kind of thing, and now that it had happened to her, she felt even more disgusted.

Wen Yuanshu glanced at her, seemingly with a hidden meaning: "As long as my mother-in-law agrees to my conditions, this hole can be filled."

Upon hearing this, Chunhua blinked.

condition?

-

In no time, the master and servant arrived at Songju-in Temple again.

The old lady was sunbathing in the courtyard when she heard that Wen Yuanshu was coming, and she put on her dignified air of an elder again.

After Wen Yuanshu performed the usual greetings and inquiries, she got straight to the point: "Mother-in-law, I just went back and checked the accounts, and there isn't much money left. What should we do?"

She looked troubled, as if she had encountered a huge problem.

The old lady took a leisurely sip of tea, smacked her lips twice, and then said slowly, "The account book has already been given to you. How you handle it is naturally up to you."

Wen Yuanshu paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does Mother-in-law mean that her daughter-in-law should decide to sell some properties to settle the accounts?"

"Nonsense!" The old lady glared at her. "You've only just taken over the Marquis's mansion, how can you be in charge of the shops outside?!"

She actually set her sights on the Marquis's estate; Wen Yuanshu certainly has a big ambition!

Does she really think that just because she's taken over the accounts, she's in charge of the household?!

Wen Yuanshu frowned and thought for a long time before finally sighing and saying, "It seems that we can only use our daughter-in-law's dowry to make up for it."

The old lady's expression softened a little: "Well, it's kind of you to have this idea, so let's do it this way."

Wen Yuanshu nodded, but then changed the subject, saying, "But since it's the Marquis's account, could we write an IOU for my daughter-in-law in the name of the Marquis's family? That way we can clarify things."

The old lady flew into a rage upon hearing this, slamming her hand on the table: "You've already married into our Marquis's mansion, so your dowry should naturally be handled by our mansion! This is only natural! Why bother with an IOU?!"

Seeing that the old lady was angry, Wen Yuanshu quickly said, "Mother-in-law, please don't be angry. I don't need the IOU."

The old lady glared at her, but her anger subsided somewhat because of her timely apology.

Wen Yuanshu continued, "Thanks to Mother-in-law's kindness, now that the account book is in my hands, it is indeed only right that I use my own money to make up for the previous deficit. However, since we haven't paid our monthly wages for two months, the staff will inevitably have some complaints. I'm planning to use more money to appease them... I wonder if this is the right thing to do?"

The old lady hummed in agreement: "Not bad."

Wen Yuanshu breathed a sigh of relief and turned to say, "Chunhua, go over there in a bit and tell them that I've just taken charge of the household and that I'll give them some extra money. If I ever make a mistake in the future, I'll ask them to pay close attention and handle things properly."

Chunhua responded.

The old lady next to her took a couple more sips of tea, then suddenly felt something was wrong.

Wen Yuanshu's actions are clearly an attempt to win people's hearts!

If money is given out, some people will inevitably remember her kindness and speak up for her. If they go out and spread rumors that the Marquis's mansion owed two months' wages and that Wen Yuanshu took over the accounts before paying them, then outsiders will surely know that the Marquis's mansion used Wen Yuanshu's money to pay off its debts.

By then, the Marquis's reputation...

Having figured this out, the old lady was suddenly startled: "Do you intend to destroy the Marquis's mansion?!"

“Mother-in-law, you’ve misunderstood. I had no such intention. I just took over the household management and only wanted to tell the people below not to cause trouble,” Wen Yuanshu said. “As for what people think or say, that’s not something I can control…”

"My daughter-in-law does her job honestly and doesn't dare to think about anything else."

Wen Yuanshu lowered her head obediently, truly embodying the image of a pure and innocent girl.

The old lady looked at her, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.

What a fine example of being honest and conscientious.

She really underestimated Wen Yuanshu.

I used to think of Wen Yuanshu as an obedient dog, but now I realize that she is clearly a wolf that eats flesh and drinks blood!

The old lady slammed the teacup down and lost all interest in drinking tea.