Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

The eldest prince shook his head, a faint smile on his face.

"It's alright, this is my job. Take a good look at the ledgers to avoid any mistakes."

Qin Ping'an took the ledger, didn't even look at it, and handed it directly to Wei Qingrou: "You didn't need to look at the ledger you made, you didn't need to look at it."

The eldest prince, however, was very serious and said, "It would be better to take a look."

Wei Qingrou readily agreed and opened the ledger, only to find a note written in fresh ink on the last page.

It turned out that the eldest prince had deducted his own monthly allowance, with a note stating that it was to offset a debt.

The eldest prince actually wants to use his monthly allowance to help Wei Lanxin pay off the messy bill of extra meals?

Wei Qingrou felt a chill run down her spine, but she also felt admiration for his gentlemanly conduct. She quickly said, "Cousin, there's no need for you to be so polite."

The eldest prince firmly stated, "It is only right; we agreed to settle the debt."

A hint of shame crossed his face: "I should have used the reward money to offset the debt, but I wanted to keep some money for the New Year..."

Qin Ping'an opened his mouth, wanting to offer him more reward money, but then he thought that everyone received the same amount, and if he were given it to him alone, the Crown Prince might feel resentful. So he quickly said, "It's only right. Is there anything else you need, cousin? Please speak frankly." The Crown Prince shook his head: "No, I don't need anything." Then he left. Qin Ping'an remained where he was, sighing leisurely: "Alas, why did it have to come to this?" Wei Qingrou also sighed helplessly: "Yes, why did it have to come to this, to live like this."

After a while, Xia Xi came to report: "That man sold Jerry to his colleague and raised some money."

Qin Pingan and Wei Qingrou's expressions became even more serious, and they quickly ordered, "Send someone to follow them, and report back immediately if anything happens."

"Yes."

The eldest prince received the New Year's gifts and rewards, and was in a very good mood.

However, this amount of silver was still a bit short of the gold-threaded brocade dress that Wei Lanxin wanted, but he already had a plan.

The workers in the construction workshop, unaware of the eldest prince's identity, nudged him on the shoulder and asked, "How are your New Year's gifts coming along? With what the employer has given us, we've saved quite a bit of money."

The eldest prince did not mind his rude behavior.

He used to study at the Imperial Academy, where everyone respected and feared him, and distanced themselves from him. He was not as close to his colleagues in the Construction Department as he is now.

The eldest prince readily agreed, saying, "Yes, we've met a good host. My family will prepare some groceries, and we'll be all settled."

Since everyone had received a reward today, some colleagues suggested that after work they go to a brothel to drink and have fun, and many people agreed.

A colleague named Liu Fan looked distressed and said, "I'm afraid it's not going to work out. My wife has been eyeing my meager monthly allowance for a long time, saying she wants to make her a silver hairpin."

Other colleagues were quite disappointed, complaining, "We've worked hard all year, and all the money we earned went to them. What do we need for hairpins and cosmetics? Women are such a hassle."

Liu Fan shook his head and said, "My wife takes care of the household chores, serves our parents, and raises our children. It's not easy for her. I need to make a silver hairpin for her, so I won't go drinking with you all. Let's get together another day."

Someone complained, "You're such a spoilsport."

The man then turned to the eldest prince: "And what about you, Chief Accountant? Would you like to come along?"

The eldest prince shook his head: "I'm not going either."

The man joked, "Well, our accountant is quite the romantic, he might need some hairpins and jewelry too."

The eldest prince blushed with embarrassment but did not refute, instead stammering in agreement.

He was not good with words and did not like to argue with people. His inherent upbringing and dignity made him taciturn and separate him from ordinary people.

One of the accountants noticed his predicament and came to his rescue, saying, "Stop arguing. The head accountant didn't take his monthly allowance and returned it."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the accountants all turned strange.

They knew all about Qianyulou's accounts, and naturally they also knew that the young lady from the First Prince's family came to Qianyulou every day to eat and drink for free.

However, the employer had already given instructions not to interfere in the matter, so even if they had grievances in their hearts, they would not voice them.

Upon hearing that the eldest prince had actually used his monthly allowance to pay the debt, they were both surprised and felt that the eldest prince was too honest.

However, since the eldest prince was in charge, no one would directly criticize him.

Instead, some people flattered them, saying, "Our accountant is indeed of high moral character and does not show any favoritism."

Others chimed in, "A gentleman of high moral character would not do evil even if it were insignificant. The Chief Accountant is truly a role model for us all."

But some people were straightforward, saying with a sigh, "Sir, why go to such lengths? The employer has already said they won't pursue the matter."

The eldest prince smiled and said, "My master is kind; how could I possibly take advantage of him?"

With just one sentence, he shut the man up.

Seeing that there was nothing else to do, the eldest prince got up and left.

However, the accountants behind him were still sighing with regret.

Someone whispered, "The accountant is obviously related to the owner, otherwise why would he be parachuted into the position of manager? He appears virtuous and noble on the surface, but in reality, he certainly won't take a penny less."

"Yes, yes, it's all just an act for poor people like us."

"His wife, how could an ordinary person afford to support her? She eats and drinks the finest food every day, she's not the type to live a practical life."

"What young lady? Didn't you see she's still wearing her hair in a girl's bun? She's still an unmarried young lady."

"Haha, she's a girl? I'm still a virgin, so I'm afraid we had an affair without a matchmaker."

A burst of laughter erupted, each word filled with ambiguous sarcasm and malicious slurs.

The eldest prince, who was standing outside the door, stopped in his tracks, and his hand, which had been resting on the door, slowly fell to his sides.

He returned to retrieve the ledger he had left behind, never expecting that his colleagues would discuss him and Wei Lanxin in such a way.

The eldest prince felt angry, but even more so, he felt ashamed.

Wei Lanxin made him lose face.

When Wei Lanxin arrived at Qianyu Tower today, she felt that the atmosphere was strange.

The servants in the building, in particular, looked at her with very strange eyes.

In fact, the accountant's joke has reached the ears of many people and has become a source of amusement.

Wei Lanxin snorted coldly, not taking the servants' actions to heart at all, and called the cook for her meal.

The cook asked, "What would you like to eat today, madam?"

Wei Lanxin had already decided, "I want to eat braised lion's head meatballs, steamed mandarin fish, honey-glazed char siu, braised pork with tea tree mushrooms, and four-happiness meatballs..."

However, she quickly frowned in distress, her clear eyes filled with hesitation.

She remembered her agreement with the Crown Prince last night that she could only order one dish from now on.

After thinking for a while, Wei Lan sighed and held up a slender, white finger: "I'll just eat one braised lion's head."