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

Meng Ruohua said, "I am only on good terms with Qiongfang. Minister Wang has never sent me an invitation to his birthday banquet."

If it were a banquet for women, she might receive an invitation, but Minister Wang is an official, how could he possibly send an invitation to a woman from the inner quarters of the house?

In other words, you, Song Chen'an, are not qualified to receive an invitation from the Wang family!

"Will we receive an invitation from the Wang family this year?" Song Chen'an paused for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Perhaps you could ask the young mistress of the Wang family to send you an invitation?"

How many people want to curry favor with the Wang family? Their invitations are not easy to obtain.

Gu Qiongfang married the second son of the Prince's Mansion, who didn't manage household affairs, and she didn't want to put her friend in a difficult position.

Seeing Song Chen'an's expectant gaze, Meng Ruohua smiled faintly, "What is Second Master going to the Wang family for?"

It's all about promotion, of course!

At the end of the year, there will be an assessment by the Ministry of Personnel. He has been a clerk in the Hanlin Academy for two years. Although he has been rated as excellent in every assessment, it is difficult to be promoted because there is no one in the court to help him.

He thought that marrying Meng Ruohua would bring him the Meng family's help, but he never expected that the Meng family, apart from having influence in the army, had not a single close friend in the court, let alone any assistance.

Song Chen'an felt her half-smile as she stared at him, and it seemed as if she could see right through his thoughts.

He turned his head away with a hint of unease. "If you can't do it, then forget it."

Meng Ruohua refused without any politeness, "Second Master, you should find someone else."

You want my help? I'm the one who's thinking about how to block your way!

Song Chen'an turned and left, deeply regretting showing weakness in front of Meng Ruohua, thinking that he would definitely show her his true abilities someday.

The next day, Meng Ruohua finished dealing with her business and it was noon.

Linglong whispered a reminder to her that there were only thirty-odd taels left in the account.

"It's okay, I'll go get the money this afternoon."

After lunch, he sent someone to Rongxi Courtyard to inform them that he was going out.

The second wife leaned against the low couch and asked, "Where are you going again? What kind of wife runs around all day?"

Coral replied shrewdly, "The second young mistress didn't say anything, she only said she would try to raise some money."

Raising money?

The second wife revealed a rather smug smile. She had already instructed the shopkeepers of all the shops not to let Meng Ruohua take a single penny!

Let's see what she's up to this time!

"But what method did you suggest?"

Coral replied, "He didn't say."

Upon seeing the Second Madam wave her hand, Coral respectfully bowed and withdrew.

Back at Qingfeng Courtyard, Meng Ruohua left Linglong behind and went out with Yuye and Shanhu.

The three of them went straight to the Brocade Cloth Shop. As soon as they appeared, Manager Li's heart skipped a beat.

My dear aunt, what brings you here again? Have you run out of 300 taels?

It's only been less than ten days!

Last time, when the second young mistress took the money, he was scolded severely and told that if he didn't do it well again, he wouldn't have to do it anymore.

Manager Li cursed inwardly, "When masters fight, servants suffer!"

He smiled so much that his wrinkles gathered together, and asked solicitously, "What kind of fabric would you like to see, Second Young Madam? The latest batch of Shu brocade is selling very well."

Meng Ruohua walked straight to the private room where guests were being received and calmly stated her purpose: "I've come to collect money."

These words and events caused Manager Li's heart to pound again.

Come again?

So you're only targeting me?

The mansion has seven or eight shops in the capital. Why don't you go and take a look at the others?

Shopkeeper Li wiped the sweat from his brow and pleaded, "Second Young Madam, you saw it last time. The shop really has no money. Business is bad lately, especially since it's not a holiday. We really don't have any extra money to give you, and I'm afraid we won't even have money to give to the manor next month."

"Oh, didn't Manager Li say that Shu brocade sells well?"

Ugh... Why did I have to be so rude? I've been caught red-handed again!

"They sell well, but Shu brocade is expensive, so we don't actually make much money."

Meng Ruohua tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a series of crisp tapping sounds. She asked unhurriedly, "What about the others? How are they selling?"

Manager Li already had a plan, and replied with a wrinkled old face, "Sales aren't very good."

"So that means there's a lot of stock piling up in the warehouse?"

Manager Li's mind immediately went into alert mode, fearing that it was another trap set by the second young mistress.

He pondered for a moment but couldn't figure out what was wrong. The second young mistress and her two maids were staring intently at him, so he could only nod reluctantly, "Yes."

"Alright." Meng Ruohua picked up her teacup. "Manager Li, you can go ahead and get busy."

Having been kicked out in such a daze, Manager Li returned to the counter full of suspicion. He checked the fake ledger again and only felt a little relieved after confirming that there were only a hundred or so taels of silver in the account.

But the fact that the second young mistress gave up so easily made him very uneasy.

A short while later, Coral came out and politely said to Manager Li as she passed by, "I'm going out to buy some snacks for Madam."

Buying snacks is perfectly fine.

Manager Li beckoned to a clever young shop assistant and secretly gave him some instructions.

About fifteen minutes later, Meng Ruohua got up and went to the inner courtyard, asking, "Manager Li, may I take a look at the storeroom?"

What could possibly be wrong with the owner looking into the storeroom? But Manager Li couldn't figure her out, so he didn't dare to answer easily.

"What? As the head of the household, I can't even look into the storeroom?" Meng Ruohua's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Or is there some unspeakable secret hidden in the storeroom?"

"No wonder business is so bad, there's something fishy going on!" She looked Manager Li up and down. "You're the Second Madam's man, so I can't touch you, but you've betrayed her trust. I doubt she'll let you run wild. Even if the Second Madam doesn't care, there's still the Second Master!"

Although the Second Master doesn't concern himself with these mundane affairs, he can still distinguish right from wrong. How could he allow them to falsify accounts and embezzle money?

Manager Li's forehead was damp with sweat again. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the storeroom.

Jinxiu Cloth Shop has been in business for over a decade and has always had a good reputation. Its fabrics and textiles have always kept up with the trends in Beijing.

The warehouse did indeed contain a considerable amount of brocade, with a rich variety and vibrant colors, and its superior quality could be discerned even in the dim light.

Meng Ruohua caught sight of Shanhu returning out of the corner of her eye, and then quietly went inside.

A few sounds of arguing could be faintly heard from the courtyard, followed by calls for Manager Li.

Coral exuded an imposing aura and led her people straight in.

"Second Young Madam, Manager Wang has arrived."

Behind Coral stood a plump, middle-aged man with three large, gleaming gold rings on his hand, who was smiling and bowing respectfully.

Manager Li had just heard the young waiter's report that Coral had forced her way into the courtyard with that man, and they couldn't stop her at all.

Upon seeing that Manager Wang had entered the storeroom, Manager Li didn't bother to ask any more questions and hurried over.

Just as they arrived at the door, they heard the second young mistress ask, "Manager Wang, you've come at just the right time. What do you think of these goods?"