The old madam’s personal maid was still waiting for Li Yue to reply, but ended up seeing Li Yue throw the account books to the side and lie down entirely—she, for a moment, couldn’t even imagine why the young madam was doing this.
The maid didn’t understand. Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t the young madam immediately go to Luoyu Hall to admit her fault upon hearing the old madam’s words, then take care of the matter properly? Any proper household matron, upon hearing that the household management rights in her hands were going to be divided, would never be able to sit still, okay?
Oh, the young madam indeed didn’t sit still—she just lay down.
She lay down!
The maid felt confused and conflicted inside. After hesitating for a long time, she opened her mouth and carefully asked, “Young madam, the old madam is waiting for your reply.”
Li Yue gave an “ah” sound, lifted her eyelids to glance at the maid, and said to her: “Then just tell the old madam, whatever she likes. I really haven’t been feeling well these past two days. Since she thinks Concubine Sun can manage, then let Concubine Sun go ahead and manage.”
The maid was a bit dumbfounded upon hearing this from Li Yue. Although the old madam had indeed sent her to Jixue Courtyard to say those words to the young madam just now, she absolutely didn’t really intend for Concubine Sun to take charge of the marquis manor. While the old madam did have some dissatisfaction toward the young madam, she looked down even more on Concubine Sun. She probably didn’t expect the young madam to really go along with her words and just push this matter away.
The maid instantly felt that the old madam would find herself riding a tiger with no easy way down, and feared that when she went back, the old madam would take out her anger on her. She even tried to persuade again: “Young madam—”
Li Yue lifted her head, gave her a cold glance, and asked: “What? You didn’t understand what I said?”
The maid’s scalp tingled from the look. How could she dare to continue persuading? She could only say: “This servant understands.”
She left Jixue Courtyard in a daze, not daring to imagine what kind of expression the old madam in Luoyu Hall would show upon hearing her reply. Should she go ahead and prepare some fire-lowering tea in advance for the old madam?
After the maid left, Li Yue no longer cared about the remaining pile of account books. She lifted her sword and walked out. Qingping came over with clothes in her arms, helping her put them on as she said, “Madam, how could you agree to let Concubine Sun help manage the household?”
Li Yue lowered her head to tie the collar strap and casually replied to Qingping: “Why not? What’s so great about this thing?”
Qingping blinked. Was Madam seriously asking her this? A question this self-evident needed her to answer?
Li Yue really didn’t intend to hear Qingping’s answer. She didn’t have a trace of regret about her decision. What’s there to fight for in a household management authority in a marquis manor like this? And even such little power had to be under someone else’s control.
That old madam not releasing power thoroughly was basically equivalent to not releasing it at all. These people really didn’t follow proper rules. There was no need to play the game with them.
Still, this matter would have to be informed to that lady in the imperial palace tonight. If…
Li Yue furrowed his brows and, carrying his sword, paced irritably around the stone table in the courtyard. If Meng Fu didn’t want to give up this job of reviewing the accounts, then he’d still have to stir things up a bit for her.
The little maid had long since returned to Luoyu Hall and had softened Li Yue’s words a bit before reporting them to the old madam. Even so, the old madam still couldn’t believe these words could come out of Meng Fu’s mouth. Her brows furrowed tightly as she asked the little maid, “Say it again. What exactly did the young madam say?”
“Young madam said,” under the old madam’s oppressive gaze, the maid’s voice grew smaller and smaller, “she said, whatever you like.”
The old madam suddenly sat upright. Her eyes widened as she asked, “She really said that?”
The maid nodded: “Yes.”
Wu San and the others sighed silently in their hearts. That day at Jixue Courtyard, the young madam had scolded the marquis into looking like a pitiful bear cub; clearly not someone who would easily bow down. And sure enough, today proved it. The old madam miscalculated this time. But if someone else were to manage the household as the old madam suggested, maybe their own matters would succeed.
The old madam didn’t expect Meng Fu to be this bold. She clearly wasn’t this kind of person, but just listen to what she said—“whatever you like”?
These past few days, she had originally been thinking of pacifying Meng Fu a little, but in the blink of an eye, Meng Fu pulled a move like this on her. Did Meng Fu really think she didn’t dare let Sun Yulian manage the household? Indeed, letting others know that it’s a concubine managing the Marquis Manor wouldn’t sound very good, but if she herself were managing the household, and Sun Yulian was just helping out, then others wouldn’t have much to say.
The old madam slapped the table and said: “Then have her send over the account books from the past few months, and while you’re at it, go call Sun Yulian here for me.”
Looks like after suppressing Xie Wenzhao, Meng Fu has grown arrogant. She needed to make her come to her senses—this Marquis Manor isn’t entirely under her say.
When Xie Wenzhao heard of this matter, a strange delight rose in his heart. The makeup of this delight was a bit complicated—on one hand because Meng Fu was stripped of her household authority, on the other hand because of Meng Fu’s “whatever” remark. His mother should now be able to somewhat understand what he felt when facing Meng Fu, right?
Meng Fu now really dares to speak! And she’s really good at making people angry!
Li Yue, after practicing swordsmanship, heard the old madam wanted the account books, and with a grand wave of her hand, very straightforwardly ordered all the account books to be sent over.
Let them slowly look through it, then!
He returned to his room and wrote a letter—not long, only a few short lines—briefly mentioning today’s matter, and had the dark guards deliver it to the palace.
In the imperial palace, Meng Fu had just returned from the Empress Dowager’s place. She had been trying to see whether she could guide the young prince to speak.
Unfolding the letter delivered by the dark guard, she finished reading it quickly. Meng Fu already knew the idle money in the Marquis Manor’s accounts wasn’t much—turning things over was quite troublesome. If His Majesty didn’t want to care, then don’t. It wasn’t a big deal. It’s just that seeing the Marquis Manor about to be in the red, she wondered whether His Majesty might feel wronged.
Meng Fu thought for a moment—she still had to prepare some silver for His Majesty.
The dark guards who could stay at their side now must certainly have His Majesty’s great trust, and their character must surely be reliable. Meng Fu gave them a glance, then asked: “Among you, who knows how to pick locks?”
The leading dark guard stepped forward and replied: “Replying to His Majesty, we all do.”
Meng Fu: “……”
Very good. Their character was indeed trustworthy.
She told the dark guards the location of the small private treasury behind the Marquis Manor, and told them to take some banknotes from the trunks inside to give to Li Yue when the time came.
The few trunks she mentioned were all filled with her own dowry. When she married, the Meng family had not yet fallen. Her father, Meng Yanxing, had the former emperor’s favor. Although her mother had left most of the Meng family’s treasures to Meng Yu, what was prepared for her as a dowry was still considered generous.
In the few years since Meng Fu married into the Marquis Manor, there had occasionally been times when the household was short of money, but she had never touched her dowry.
And in the future, she most likely would not have children with Xie Wenzhao—so when the time came, there was really no need to be stingy with this dowry.
The dark guards, hearing Meng Fu’s instructions, didn’t know where to begin—wasn’t His Majesty being a bit too stingy? Who even does things like this!
They had a belly full of things they wanted to say, but didn’t dare say them out loud. Just because His Majesty hadn’t lost his temper these few days, didn’t mean he had no temper at all. This kind of thing was like a spring—the harder you press it, the more silent it seems, and the more astonishing it is when it finally bursts.
The dark guards accepted the task from Meng Fu and immediately returned to the Xuanping Marquis Manor. It was their first time doing something so lacking in conscience—digging out a stack of banknotes from the dowry of the Xuanping Marchioness, and delivering it into the hands of the Xuanping Marchioness.
What’s the point of going in such a circle!
Li Yue looked at the letter and silver notes sent by the dark guards, reached out and took the letter, and asked: “Where did these silver notes come from?”
The dark guards were not very willing to answer Li Yue’s question. In their hearts they were muttering: If we told this Madam that all of it came from her own dowry, would this Madam slap us on the spot?
No wonder His Majesty is still single—what normal man under the heavens could do something like this?
Fortunately, His Majesty didn’t need them to answer. A dark guard said: “His Majesty mentioned this matter in the letter.”
Li Yue unfolded the letter. In it, Meng Fu didn’t say that the banknotes were taken from her own dowry, only said they were casually saved up over this period. She said Li Yue’s situation in the marquis manor wasn’t easy—this money was for him to use, and if it wasn’t enough, he could let her know, and she would give him more. As for the matter of managing the household, he could act as he pleased.
Li Yue had already looked through the Xuanping Marquis Manor’s account books—it would be good enough if they didn’t require him to pay out of pocket. How could a marquis’s wife possibly save up any money?
Li Yue put the letter away, his face cold as he asked the dark guards before him, “Where exactly were these silver notes taken from?”
The dark guards pressed their lips together and didn’t speak—this wasn’t something they were allowed to say.
“Speak!” Li Yue said coldly.
A chill ran down the dark guards’ backs. This madam’s expression when angry really was exactly like His Majesty’s. But even if it was alike, there were still things they absolutely could not say lightly.
Before, Li Yue had been very satisfied with how tight-lipped the dark guards were. Now that he had something he needed to ask, he realized just how damn tight their mouths were.
Though they didn’t say it, Li Yue looked at the serial number on the banknotes and roughly guessed where the money came from. If Meng Fu hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have realized that he truly didn’t have much money on hand right now—but that didn’t mean he needed to spend hers.
He instructed the dark guards to fetch some from his own private treasury.
The dark guards first showed expressions of shock, and then their faces turned troubled—wasn’t this madam a bit too bold? Asking them to take money from His Majesty’s private treasury… Wasn’t that overestimating them? They only had one life!
Li Yue said, “It’s fine. If he asks about it, just say I ordered it.”
But even if Li Yue broke the sky with his words right now, they still didn’t dare touch His Majesty’s belongings without permission.