The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Upon hearing this, Zhou's eyes widened as she looked at Gu Huaizhou and Xue Qingwan.

The two looked like a perfect match, and she grew happier the more she looked at them.

"What is it? Speak." Zhou guessed what it was about, and a look of joy appeared on her face.

Song Wenjun then placed the account book in front of her and said, "The Marquis opened a shop a few days ago. This is the account book. Mother, please take a look at it first."

Zhou smiled and waved her hand: "We're all family, no need to be so formal. I won't mind whatever Huaizhou gives me."

She smiled and looked at Gu Huaizhou, praising, "My son is really capable; he has earned a lot of money in just a few days."

Then, she looked at Gu Huaizhou expectantly, waiting for him to bring the money.

Gu Huaizhou's face turned as if scalded by boiling water. He turned his head away in embarrassment and said, "Mother, we didn't make any money. We lost money."

"Oh, you lost money?" Zhou was taken aback, but then she thought about how much she could lose and asked, "How much did you lose?"

Gu Huaizhou's head was practically buried in the ground; he remained silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Zhou was anxious and asked very quickly, "How much is it? Tell me!"

Seeing that Madam Zhou was pressing her for answers, Xue Qingwan answered for Gu Huaizhou, "Aunt, don't worry, it's not much..."

Just as Zhou was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Xue Qingwan utter the second half of her sentence: "It's only one thousand taels of silver."

"What?!" The usually calm Zhou stood up abruptly, her eyes wide as saucers, and repeated excitedly, "One thousand taels, one thousand taels of silver, and you call that not much?"

Xue Qingwan did not invest any money, and she didn't care how much she lost.

Anyway, it's not her money.

Besides, the Marquis's family is so wealthy and powerful, can't he even come up with a mere thousand taels of silver?

She believed that Zhou was feigning poverty.

Gu Huaizhou looked dejected and nodded: "It's all my fault that my son doesn't understand business."

He came up with the idea, and he was the one who wanted to open the shop.

Although Xue Qingwan's suggestions had some flaws, the final decision rested with her.

He has no one to blame but himself.

Zhou pounded her chest and wailed, "My money, my money! It's all gone down the drain..."

"Mother, it's all my fault." Gu Huaizhou was also filled with self-reproach.

The two of them, one crying and the other apologizing, were more entertaining than a theatrical performance.

Song Wenjun glanced at Xue Qingwan and saw that she was calm and composed, without a trace of guilt.

good very good.

Let's keep it this way.

The Marquis's mansion needs such a spendthrift son.

After Zhou had finished crying, Song Wenjun spoke up: "The matter of money is not difficult to handle. If we reduce the various expenses in the manor, we can still raise the money. It's just that the rumors and gossip outside are the most difficult thing to deal with right now."

When Zhou heard that there was a solution, she stopped crying.

Sniffing, he asked, "What rumors?"

“Mother, it’s about my cousin and the Marquis…” Song Wenjun stopped abruptly.

Zhou immediately understood; it turned out that rumors about the two of them had been circulating.

Before she could speak, Xue Qingwan exploded: "My relationship with my cousin is completely innocent. Those rumors are all false. If I'm innocent, I have nothing to fear. Am I supposed to become my cousin's concubine because of these rumors?"

She was extremely agitated, and her fair face turned a deep purplish-red with anger.

Still not satisfied, she muttered under her breath, "Those old, stubborn, gossipy women, they're just bored and have nothing better to do."

Zhou glared at her angrily: "A woman's reputation is the most important thing. Now that rumors are spreading, you only have two paths to take."

"What road?" Xue Qingwan asked.

"Either become my son's concubine, or you go back to your hometown. The choice is yours."

Xue Qingwan laughed angrily: "What kind of logic is this? Just because of some rumors, I have to become a concubine? If the rumors are even harsher, am I supposed to kill myself to save my reputation?"

Her ideas were indeed extraordinary; she not only didn't care about her reputation, but also championed equality, freedom, and love, wanting to break free from her shackles.

Song Wenjun was also somewhat shocked; this cousin of hers was truly a ruthless person.

Madam Zhou was also angry. She pointed at her nose and scolded, "You're just a concubine's daughter. Do you think you can enter the palace and become a concubine? Is being a concubine a disservice to you? If you don't want to, go back to your hometown now. There's no place for you in the capital."

Xue Qingwan's eyes reddened, and she looked at Zhou Shi with dissatisfaction: "Aunt, why are you forcing me too?"

She could never go back to her hometown; if she did, she would have no chance of survival.

She has no one to care for her or love her; they might even marry her off to a butcher.

At this moment, Gu Huaizhou was in the most awkward position.

Despite being a marquis with an official position, Xue Qingwan still looked down on him.

Out of male pride, he quickly interrupted everyone, saying, "If my cousin is unwilling, I will not force her."

Since she doesn't care about her reputation anyway, why should he go out of his way to consider her feelings?

He just had to fight for his pride.

She's being raised in the household without any official status; let's see how she survives in the future.

Zhou remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Song Wenjun chuckled inwardly; this young lady's attitude was so assertive that she was actually quite looking forward to seeing what would happen next.

She knew Gu Huaizhou too well; what he couldn't have was always the best.

He says he won't force it now, but in reality, he's already harboring a desire to conquer.

After several discussions, Song Wenjun finalized the plan: "The lost money will be paid out from the accounting office first. When the court's year-end rewards come in, we will make up for it. It's just that these days will be a bit tough. Everyone will tighten their belts, but we can still get by."

Zhou had no objections, as long as she wasn't allowed to take the money, she was fine with anything.

Gu Huaizhou also breathed a sigh of relief: "The imperial court gives each prefecture a lot of rewards every year, and I believe this year will be no less. As soon as the rewards are distributed, I will immediately send people to put them into the public treasury."

Song Wenjun nodded: "Then let's do it that way."

After speaking, she paused for a moment, then asked, "It's almost the end of the year. When will Father-in-law return home? Is there any news?"

Mentioning the old Marquis, Madam Zhou's face darkened: "Not yet, let's talk about it later."

The old Marquis abandoned all his family affairs and went to the mountain villa with his concubine to recuperate.

They come back once a year to put on a joyous family show.

When spring came, he left again with his concubine.

Zhou didn't even want to see him, and she was far from having a pleasant expression.

Gu Huaizhou replied, "I'll write a letter to ask, and I'll inform you if Father returns."

"It's best to ask in advance. The weather is exceptionally cold this year, and the household is cutting back on spending. Every tael of silver must be spent wisely, otherwise we may not make it to the end of the year."

A faint smile played on Song Wenjun's lips, but upon closer inspection, her eyes were filled with a chilling coldness.

In his previous life, the old Marquis not only returned to his mansion ahead of schedule, but also brought back two concubines, one of whom was pregnant.

It almost made Zhou Shi die of anger.

The old Marquis was still vigorous despite his advanced age, and his concubines were also quite capable.

The illegitimate child was also very well raised. If it weren't for Song Wenjun paving the way for Gu Huaizhou with money in the previous life, his title would almost have been taken away.

Beset by internal and external troubles, let's see how he turns misfortune into good fortune this time.

But that's a story for another time. Song Wenjun calculated that it would be about half a year after the old Marquis returned to the mansion.