The merchant's rebirth led to the complete downfall of the Marquis's mansion.

Wu Family

After being punished by Princess Jingyin, Wu Shiqi lived a quiet life for a while, since the punishment was real.

Her injury is real; she's lying in bed all day and can't cause any trouble.

Madam Wu was punished by copying Buddhist scriptures. On the first day, she spent the whole day copying but still hadn't finished a single page. The old lady had never suffered like this in her life.

Crying to my son won't help; it will only make him more attentive, leaving him no time to worry about things at home.

Lord Wu Chang was even more so, because of what happened that day, his colleagues dared not get too close to him.

This frustrated him greatly.

As a result, the Wu family's backyard became peaceful.

But the peace lasted only a few days before chaos erupted in the Wu family.

At first, it was just that I needed to order something but it took a long time to arrive, so I had to urge them to send it.

Later on, the food that was delivered became inedible.

The first to complain was Wu Shiqi. Her injury hadn't healed yet, and she needed to eat nourishing foods every day, but the kitchen staff were becoming increasingly perfunctory.

At first, there were all sorts of delicious soups, but then only bones were left, and today there aren't even any bones left.

Her maid caused a scene in the kitchen, and the kitchen staff couldn't do anything about it, only saying that the procurement couldn't keep up.

The purchasing side is even more wronged; they haven't received any money, so how could they afford to make purchases?

After searching around, we found the accountant.

Wu Shiqi complained to the old lady, just as the old lady's bird's nest and ginseng business had also stopped. The nanny and Wu Shiqi's maid went to the accounting office together.

Just then, they ran into Lord Wu, who had come to collect his silver.

"Master..." The nanny recounted the events concerning the old lady and Wu Shiqi.

They were acting like bullies, completely disregarding the accountant, and even trying to sow discord between him and others right in front of him.

"How could the accountant not know?" he immediately began to refute.

"Master! You must investigate this thoroughly! Even if I had the greatest audacity, I would never dare to embezzle any of the manor's money!"

When the old woman saw him crying out for justice, she pointed it out directly.

"You didn't have any? If you didn't have any, why does everyone in the manor say they haven't seen any silver? Their food, clothing, and daily necessities have all been reduced to a lower level. How could this be a lie?"

"This..." The accountant hesitated for a moment, unable to speak.

Lord Wu, however, had lost his patience.

"Mr. Liu, just say what's on your mind!"

He originally came to withdraw his money, but he had spent a lot of it entertaining friends these past few days, and the money he had booked was due soon.

Before he could even speak, another person came demanding money. Wu was annoyed and just wanted to get rid of the problem and leave as soon as possible.

"Well... sir, to be honest, the household has run out of money!" Mr. Liu said with a troubled expression.

Does he not want to do this job anymore? How dare he skimp on the employer's food?!

"What do you mean there's no money left? How could there be no money left?" Lord Wu clearly didn't believe it.

Even Madam Wu's nanny and Wu Shiqi's maid didn't believe it.

How could the Wu family be poor?

Are the shops in that manor just for show?

The amount of cash alone is countless!

“Master, once the rent from the estate is collected, the money won’t be bad, but…” Mr. Liu glanced at Wu Shiqi’s maid.

"The Second Miss didn't just break two hairpins, but... the cost of remaking them was sent to Diancui Pavilion a few days ago, a full ten thousand taels!"

Mr. Liu held up one finger, and the expression on his face was quite a sight.

What a spendthrift child!

"The old lady consumes bird's nest and ginseng every day, and the second young lady also needs to nourish her body daily. The cash reserves in this mansion are already insufficient!"

This is also what Mr. Liu wanted to say to Lord Wu.

Lord Wu needed to spend money on social engagements, but he was truly like a skilled cook without rice to cook!

After listening to all that he said, Lord Wu summed it up in just two words: "No money!" He immediately became furious.

"How were things handled before? Is this all the Wu family has to offer?"

Does that family go bankrupt just because they put down some money? Do they think everyone is like that impoverished Marquis's mansion?

"In the past...in the past..." Seeing that Lord Wu was about to get angry, Mr. Liu dared not hide anything anymore.

"It was all covered by the lady's own dowry!"

Lord Wu was speechless. He was a big spender and had never thought about where the money came from.

After becoming an official, he acquired some properties, and he handed over all the profits to Madam Wu. He didn't care about the income or anything else; he would just come and withdraw money when he ran out.

Anyway, he has enough money at home, so he doesn't need to worry about those things.

But now the accountant suddenly tells him that his salary and shop revenue are simply not enough!

In the past, the wives always used their own dowry to make up for the shortfall.

How could Lord Wu, as the head of the family, accept this?

Just because Lord Wu couldn't speak doesn't mean that others couldn't speak either.

Especially the old lady's nanny.

"Just do things the same way they did before, right? Would Madam really skimp on the old lady's food?"

With just a few words, he turned his wife's good intentions into disrespect for her parents.

Mr. Liu felt very uncomfortable after hearing this, and he also felt indignant on behalf of his wife. He was someone his wife had brought to him, so naturally his heart was with her.

But on the surface, he remained calm and composed.

“Nothing was wrong originally, but the steward’s nameplate isn’t with Madam. Unless the Old Madam gives the order, Madam is not allowed to interfere in household affairs…”

Who doesn't know about this?

"Not having a token just means you can't touch things in the manor, it's not like..." The old woman quickly stopped talking and didn't finish her sentence.

Although everyone openly asked the wife for subsidies, it was still embarrassing to say it so bluntly.

Mr. Liu understood immediately, but still looked puzzled:

"Master, Madam certainly wouldn't ignore the affairs of the household. Even without the authority to manage the household, she's still putting in the effort, isn't she? The main problem is that Madam is ill; she hasn't been lucid more than a few times these past few days... so there's nothing we can do..."

He couldn't possibly steal the key to the lady's private vault to retrieve something, could he?

"Is Madam ill?" Lord Wu finally remembered his wife.

It seems that he hasn't been to his wife's room since the last birthday banquet.

Madam Wu punished her by confining her to her room to reflect on her mistakes, and she was not allowed to come out. Naturally, Lord Wu, in accordance with his mother's wishes, did not go to see her again.

"Since the last time the princess... Madam was worried about the master, so she fell ill. I've been to her several times, but she hasn't woken up yet, so I have no choice but to tighten my belt and cut back on food..."

Mr. Liu's words made Lord Wu feel guilty; his wife had devoted herself to him, yet he...

Ah! Lord Wu recalled the sweet times the two of them had shared and decided to go check on her first.

The old lady's maidservant became anxious when she saw that the master no longer mentioned the money; she had come specifically to ask for the money.

"Master, if this old servant may speak frankly, the lady's health is of utmost importance. If we are to invite a doctor, we should listen to what the doctor has to say."

This is a reminder to Lord Wu that perhaps his wife is faking illness, and that he should call a doctor.

The nanny continued applying eye drops.

"And another thing! Even though the lady is ill, the head maidservant by her side can still manage affairs!"

Which mistress of the house doesn't have a maidservant by her side?

Does the mistress of the house have to leave all the household affairs to wait just because she has a headache or fever?

The lady's treasury must also have the key!

Lord Wu paused in his steps, then thought it made sense and told his servant to fetch the physician from the manor.

Mr. Liu kept shaking his head from behind, feeling sorry for his wife; this whole family was incredibly foolish!

If you want to take advantage of others, you have to put yourself on a pedestal.

This time, we must teach them a lesson they won't forget!

……