To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

Looking at their expressions, Su Mingyue sneered inwardly and said slowly, "Mother, from what you're saying, it's as if your family already owned shops before I married Jingsheng. Did someone just give us those shops for free? The most important thing in doing business is capital. Buying shops costs money, purchasing goods costs money, and both cost money. It cost more than 30,000 taels of silver to set up those shops."

Later, the shop started making money, and my mother took over. The monthly profits are also with my mother. I'd like to ask her how much money she has.

“A shop only makes a few hundred taels of profit a month. Social obligations and other expenses take up a lot of money. Jingsheng’s schooling also costs money. Where is there much money left?” When Madam Qian saw Su Mingyue looking at her, she was so anxious that she almost shook off the powder on her face.

Qian was a peasant woman before, and her life only gradually improved after Su Mingyue married into the family.

Su Mingyue had been generous to the mother and daughter, not only providing them with shops but also giving the Qian family the monthly profits from two of the shops.

How naive she was to do something so foolish.

“Mother, let me remind you. I manage all of Jingsheng’s tuition fees. Apart from occasionally using your money to entertain your friends, you basically don’t manage household expenses. After two years, you must have at least ten thousand taels of silver.”

"Don't just spout nonsense. Don't just say whatever comes to mind. You're asking how much the shops at home make a month, and you're asking for ten thousand taels."

"Jingying just said that business at the shop is booming, and I personally hand over the money to you every month. Now you're saying business is bad and there's not much money. Jingsheng, are you confused by what you're saying? Is the family business good or bad?"

Jing Sheng didn't look at Madam Qian, but instead spoke softly, "Wife, I'm getting old, and my health is declining day by day. It's only right that I keep some money for myself. How much do you have on you right now?"

"I can only come up with a few hundred taels."

Fu Jingying stood up abruptly: "You're talking nonsense. You've spent 100,000 taels of silver and only have a few hundred left. Who are you trying to fool?"

Su Mingyue looked over coldly, her tone sarcastic: "Who said I've spent it all? I put the money in a money exchange in the capital before you did, and took advantage of their generosity to lend money at exorbitant interest rates. I only deposited it less than a month ago, and if I try to withdraw it now, they definitely won't agree."

“You deposited the silver in the capital.” Fu Jingsheng stood up abruptly.

"Yes. I secretly went to see you during the days you were taking the exam. Your mother and Jingying both knew about it, but we didn't want to distract you, so we didn't show up. After you finished the exam, Jingying and I came straight back."

“I’m with you every day, how come I didn’t know when you deposited it?”

"You're the one who enjoys the fruits of my labor, so why would you care about that issue?"

Ms. Qian hadn't expected this outcome: "Give us the receipts for how much you deposited, and we'll go get it directly."

"No, I have to go in person. We made an agreement with the money lender that we can only withdraw the money in six months. If we go now, they will deduct 10,000 taels of our principal."

"Is this robbery?" Qian asked angrily.

"You think it's so easy to make money off other people?"

"How much have you saved?" Fu Jingsheng clenched his fists.

“Exactly 100,000 taels. The shopkeeper told me that I could collect it in six months and get 120,000 taels back. I don’t have to do anything, and I can earn 20,000 taels in six months. This kind of business is like a pie falling from the sky. There’s no reason not to do it.”

"Didn't you ever think that they might be scammers?" Madam Qian felt distressed when she heard that the money had been deposited into the bank and they couldn't withdraw it.

That's 100,000 taels of silver!

"Why would such a large bank cheat me out of 100,000 taels? Jing Sheng has always stayed in the capital, he must have heard about such things."

Fu Jingsheng had certainly heard of it. Most money shops earn their income through these means; otherwise, why would anyone open a money shop and keep your money safe for free?

"Husband. If Mother still has 10,000 taels of silver, plus the money I get from selling the shops later, we should have 10,000 to 20,000 taels. Although it's expensive in the capital, with your rewards and monthly allowance, these tens of thousands of taels will be enough for our family to live on in the capital for half a year. But we can earn 20,000 taels in just half a year. I don't need to tell you which to choose."

Fu Jingsheng took a deep breath: "My wife is indeed a businesswoman, she manages money perfectly. But I must remind you, the court may not investigate the matter of lending money at exorbitant interest rates, but once it is discovered, the matter will be very serious, and in severe cases, it will affect my official position."

"Don't worry about that. The manager of Wantong Money Shop said that all the risks are borne by the money shop. We just need to put the money in."

"That's true, but we still need to be careful. Compared to our future, 20,000 taels of silver is nothing. If all else fails, we can forgo making 20,000 taels and take out the money at a loss of 10,000 taels."

He was told to wait six months, but Su Ziyu was still waiting for him in the capital. How could he possibly wait that long?

Su Mingyue looked puzzled: "Husband, are you in a hurry to get money? It's obviously a matter of earning money, why can't we wait a while?"

“We’re new to the capital, and there are so many things to take care of from top to bottom. Naturally, the little money we have isn’t enough.” Fu Jingsheng frowned, at a loss for what to do.

If it were the old Su Mingyue, seeing him looking so distressed, she would have felt very sorry for him and given him the money without saying a word.

But now.

She didn't even lift her eyelids, pretending not to notice the embarrassment on Fu Jingsheng's face.

"Mingyue," Madam Qian's attitude softened considerably when she realized she couldn't get the silver. "Why don't we do as Jingsheng suggested and not try to earn that silver? Let's just take out the ten thousand taels we've lost. We're new to the capital, and we need money to bribe officials and grease palms. The little silver we have on us isn't enough. Let's take it all out."

“Mother, what are you saying? It’s not that I’m unwilling, it’s that I can’t withdraw the money. You want me to stay at home to manage these shops, but you also want me to go to the capital with you to withdraw the money. Should I stay here or go to the capital with you? Besides, if people in the capital find out that my husband used my dowry, it won’t look good on him.”

"If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, how will anyone know it's your dowry?" Fu Jingying couldn't stand it anymore: "Sister-in-law, you weren't like this before. Before my brother came back, when my mother and I needed money, you were always generous in giving it to us. Now that my brother is back, you're making excuses when he needs money."

Su Mingyue used to be very generous to them, giving them whatever they wanted.

Now that her older brother is back, why has her attitude changed?