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

Fu Jingsheng hadn't expected that just a small estate could have such high monthly expenses.

Two thousand taels of silver could buy a small house. Here, it's just the maintenance cost of this estate.

He frowned: "The biggest expenses are this garden and the hot spring pool. We should uproot this garden and plant fruits and vegetables instead. Also, we rarely come here and hardly use the hot spring pool, so we can shut it down and stop maintaining it. And these maids and servants, aren't we too many? We don't usually stay here, isn't it a waste to keep so many maids and servants here?"

Fu Jingsheng pointed here and there at the bill. The main point was simple: anything that required money could be avoided and deducted.

The steward looked troubled: "Sir, many of the flowers and plants in the garden are precious. If they are not properly cared for, they will wither quickly. And the hot spring pool, if it is not maintained, may become unusable in the future. If these things are not well maintained, it will be difficult for you to resell them for a high price."

The steward was trying to remind Fu Jingsheng that there were only so many valuable things on the estate, and that it was being neglected. If you weren't thinking about selling it, it wouldn't matter if you lived there yourself. But if you wanted to sell, without anything of value to back it up, who would be willing to pay a high price to buy it?

Rich people are smarter and not stupid.

Fu Jingsheng was caught in a dilemma after hearing what the steward said.

If he continued to manage it, the monthly expenses of nearly two thousand taels of silver would be beyond his means.

If it is not allowed to be maintained, this courtyard, which looks impressive now, will soon fall into disrepair and look no different from any other manor.

Most importantly, he never intended to stay long-term, but rather to find a suitable opportunity to sell it off.

The Fu family is currently short of money. The reason they had Su Mingyue buy this estate was simply to find a reason to get her to hand over the money before the divorce.

They have now divorced, and Zhuangzi has the final say on how to handle the situation.

"Madam, what do you think of this? Two thousand taels of silver a month is too much of an expense. Why don't we cut some unnecessary expenses first?" Fu Jingsheng asked Su Ziyu for her opinion.

"Don't tell me you can afford to buy it for 100,000 taels of silver but can't afford the monthly maintenance costs. If you can't afford those costs, why did you even bother buying it in the first place? The other person's house was perfectly fine before, so grand and impressive, but once it came into our hands, it became just an ordinary manor. What will outsiders think of us?"

The yard should be maintained as it should be. Not a single expense can be reduced. However, from now on, all the fruits and vegetables from the estate will be under my name. If I don't keep an eye on things, who knows where the money will end up.”

Two large carts were sent to the Fu residence every day. The Fu residence, including the maids and servants, had only about twenty people. How much could they eat in a day?

She'll definitely find out where the leftover food went.

“If we don’t reduce it, it will cost nearly two thousand taels of silver a month. Who will pay for that? It’s a considerable expense, and now that you’re pregnant, there will be even more expenses at home.”

"I don't care about any of that. I married into your family to enjoy life, not to be a sucker for you. You'll have to figure out how to pay the manager this money yourself. Starting next month, we'll cover it. But let me make it clear, while I'm paying, I get to decide everything here, from where the fruits and vegetables are sent."

Seeing that Su Ziyu agreed to start giving it to him next month, Fu Jingsheng's expression softened a little: "You are now the mistress of the house, so of course you have the final say. Before you entered the family, Mother was in charge."

Su Ziyu snorted coldly: "Didn't your mother run a business in the countryside before? She could do business in a small place. The capital is so big, with such a large population. If she wants to, she can pick up the business again anytime."

"My dear husband, as you just said, I'm newly pregnant, and we'll definitely have many expenses in the future. I brought a considerable dowry with me, but even a large dowry will eventually run out, don't you think? We need to have a means of livelihood to ensure the basic expenses of the household, don't you agree?"

“Mother has mentioned this to me as well. But the capital is not like a small county town, and I’m worried about her going out. Let’s not talk about it again for now; I’ll figure something out.”

Fu Jingsheng originally thought he could stay at the manor in peace for a couple of days, but he didn't expect to encounter a problem as soon as he arrived.

Since Su Ziyu was unwilling to pay the two thousand taels of silver, he had to find a way himself.

"I'll go back and think of a solution, and ask Mother how much money she made selling vegetables recently. This afternoon, you can go for a walk around, and I'll come over to have dinner with you."

"Okay, then go ahead." Su Ziyu smiled gently: "The environment here is nice, I like it here, it won't be boring."

"That's good."

Fu Jingsheng boarded the carriage to return to the city. As soon as he arrived home, the steward gave him an invitation, saying that the War King was hosting a banquet at his home the next day and invited him and his family to attend.

Fu Jingsheng took the invitation and glanced at it: "Do you know what it's about?"

"It seems to be saying that his fiancée is new to the capital and is not familiar with the city, so he is letting her get acquainted with everyone."

Fu Jingsheng sneered upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "Su Mingyue, you're being childish by trying to provoke me like this."

The thought that her current fiancé was the War King dimmed her eyes.

I've heard that the War King is a cold and unapproachable man, and even more so, he's indifferent to women.

Su Mingyue was able to get close to him and become his fiancée, so they must have reached some kind of agreement.

But is there anything about her that would warrant the War King's attention?

If it's about female beauty, there are women a hundred times prettier than her.

Besides, she's a divorced woman; it's no wonder the War King wouldn't even look at her.

"Okay, I understand. Are the old lady and young lady at home?"

"The old lady is at home; Miss and her friend have gone out."

Fu Jingsheng went directly to the Qian family.

Madam Qian was scolding a maid in the courtyard. The maid accidentally broke a water cup, which provoked Madam Qian to curse her, saying that she was wasteful and demanding that the maid pay two taels of silver in compensation.

The maid had only been in the household for less than a month, and before she even received her monthly salary, they said they would cut it off. She cried so hard.

Not only her, but several maids in the mansion, due to various mistakes, not only haven't started receiving their monthly allowances, but also owe the Fu family money.

The maids were very resentful about this.

Fu Jingsheng frowned as he looked at his mother's behavior.

"My son is back." When Madam Qian saw Fu Jingsheng come in, her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Didn't you go to the estate with your daughter-in-law? Why are you back?"

Fu Jingsheng glanced at the maid kneeling on the ground: "Let's let today's matter go, just be more careful next time."

The maid thanked him gratefully, fearing that Fu Jingsheng might change his mind.