My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

The second wife couldn't help but ask repeatedly, "But we can't just withdraw all the money from the shop. How will we pay the accountant and the employees? Where will the funds for next month's purchases come from? How will the shop keep its cash flow?"

Meng Ruohua's expression changed swiftly. Her eyebrows curved into a smile, as refreshing as an autumn breeze. She replied with ease and confidence, "Madam, don't worry. I've kept several dozen taels, enough to pay wages. Besides, Manager Li said business has been slow lately, and we just received new stock last month, so we probably won't need to restock next month."

She looked at Granny Li and asked, "There's still ten days left until the end of the month. Does this mean Manager Li isn't doing business?"

Well, she even openly and secretly complained about Manager Li!

Although the second madam knew the true situation of the cloth shop, anyone would get upset upon hearing that business was bad. Sure enough, she immediately glared at Granny Li, as if she too disliked her.

"What do you know?" the second wife said sternly. "Even if business is bad, we still need to stock up. Business will be better by the end of the year. What will we sell if we don't have any stock then?"

"Oh, I see!" Meng Ruohua exclaimed, her face full of curiosity. "Madam, please teach me. Didn't you say that the Song family would be handed over to me sooner or later? If I learn more now, I won't take over without knowing anything. What if I ruin the family business because I don't know how to run it?"

What will be handed over to you sooner or later? What will you take over?

She's not dead yet?

The second wife is not yet forty years old this year, and she is in good health and without any illness or pain. She can manage the household for another twenty years without any problem!

"Meng! I'm saying you can't go to the shop to get the money!"

"Oh~ can't I go?" Meng Ruohua's beautiful face was full of confusion. "Why can't I go? Isn't that our house? Anyway, he has to pay his bills at the beginning of the month!"

Why? Of course, we can't let you take it!

The second madam wore a long face, her eyes darting around uncertainly. Meng Ruohua seemed not to notice, and kindly advised, "Madam, when you have time, you should go and take a look. Our Jinxiu Cloth Shop has a good location and a large store, and it's been in business for many years. Now it only has three hundred taels left in its account. I don't know if that's normal."

The second young mistress implied that Manager Li was not doing a good job in managing the business. When Li Mama heard this, she could no longer hold back. Although she knew about the shady dealings in the shop, she could tell from the mistress's expression that she had doubts about her husband.

She stepped forward to the Second Madam, bowed, and explained, "Madam knows that my husband is honest and conscientious, and he does his job with utmost care. He has managed the shop for many years without any mistakes or losses."

“Honest and law-abiding people are not suited for business,” Meng Ruohua said quietly, taking a sip of tea.

“I know that the second young mistress still holds a grudge about what happened before, but you can’t fabricate and frame people without any reason!”

“My family has served in this household for decades, and we have always followed the rules without making any mistakes. If you are still concerned about what happened before, you don’t need to drag others into it. This old servant will accept any punishment as you see fit.” After saying this, Granny Li bowed to Meng Ruohua, adopting a very humble posture.

“What are you saying, Granny? In what way did I implicate anyone? Besides, what happened earlier?” Meng Ruohua paused, her gaze sweeping across Granny Li’s face. “Was it you who dragged me to the ancestral hall to kneel and recite scriptures and then threw me to the ground?”

Upon hearing this, the people present were immediately filled with astonishment. Granny Li had actually thrown the second young mistress to the ground?!

No wonder he got beaten up; he deserved it!

No matter what, the second young mistress is still a master. If she throws her master to the ground, a couple of slaps would be the least of her worries.

Yu Ye behind Meng Ruohua had eyes that were practically spitting fire. If those eyes could materialize, Li Mama would probably be burned to ashes.

No wonder she was so determined to get rid of her; she wanted to bully her mistress! Yu Ye secretly scrutinized Li Mama's face, thinking regretfully, "I didn't hit her hard enough!"

The second wife was also hearing about it for the first time today, and judging from their expressions, it must be true.

But today is not the time to dwell on that!

Interrupted by Granny Li, she became even more rational. She realized that Madam Meng had set a trap for her yesterday, waiting to deal with her today. No matter what she said, Madam Meng would always have something to say to appease her.

Fortunately, she was unaware of the shop and account books, and since she only took silver, she simply instructed the shop not to withdraw any more money for her in the future.

Considering that she spent so much effort making a scene, only to take three hundred taels, she wasn't exactly shrewd.

Thinking this, the Second Madam's expression softened considerably. She coughed lightly to bring everyone back to their senses. "Meng, no matter what, you didn't handle things properly yesterday, so it's only right that you be punished." She glanced around and said, "You're to be punished by copying the Classic of Filial Piety one hundred times. You're not allowed to leave the house until you've finished copying it."

If something gets in your way, let's see how you manage to cause trouble!

“If Madam wishes to punish me, as a junior, I would not dare to disobey.” Meng Ruohua’s lips curled into a faint smile, like a ripple on the water that quickly disappeared. The Second Madam looked closely and felt that a glimmer of light vanished into the depths of her eyes for a moment. “Then your daughter-in-law wrote a letter to decline the invitation from the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence. She will go to the Marquis’s residence to apologize after she has finished copying it.”

Today is the 17th, and tomorrow is the Chrysanthemum Banquet at the Marquis of Wu'an's residence.

If she refuses, then Song Tian won't be able to go. Thinking of the dress and jewelry her daughter had carefully prepared for the banquet, she knew her daughter would make a scene if she couldn't go.

There will surely be many ladies from noble families attending the banquet at the Marquis of Wu'an's residence. It would be a good opportunity for my daughter to make an appearance and leave a good impression. With her looks and character, she is sure to win the favor of those ladies.

Since the money has already been received and will be used for the household's daily expenses, Meng Shi wouldn't dare to embezzle a single penny. It would be better to postpone the punishment for now and deal with it after tomorrow's events.

Thinking of this, the second wife raised her eyebrows and said disdainfully, "How can you refuse something you've already agreed to? You should go then, and we'll talk about copying the scriptures when you get back!"

She really didn't dare to make any promises casually, for fear that Meng would use her words as leverage to cause trouble again!

Meng Ruohua readily agreed, "Madam is so thoughtful. No wonder everyone praises our Song family for being both generous and sophisticated."

Jixiang and Ruyi joined in with smiles, breaking the tense atmosphere from before.

After a few casual words, the conversation ended, as mutual flattery is tiring.

After everyone had left, Granny Li asked softly, "Does Madam wish to tell the Second Master?"

She finally understood that the Second Madam was no match for the Second Young Madam! The Second Madam had the desire to punish her, but the Second Young Madam always managed to brush her off with a few words.

In the past two weeks, the second young mistress has become increasingly arrogant, yet she has managed to leave no trace, not even a single handle to hold her accountable.

She withdrew the money from the shop yesterday, so she'll dare to go back to pick up the goods tomorrow!

If it were any other shop, it wouldn't be a problem, but it just so happens to be the one she manages. Granny Li had a sinister suspicion: the second young mistress must dislike her and be doing this on purpose!

To be honest, Granny Li was actually quite clever this time!

After listening to Li Mama's suggestion, the second madam pondered for a moment and said, "Can't we tell the second master? Can the accounts of Jinxiu Cloth Shop withstand scrutiny?"

Regardless of the manager's ability, Jinxiu Cloth Shop has been open for twenty or thirty years and has always had a good reputation. How could it not make money?