Zhao Zhi had barely turned two or three pages of the book in her hand when waves of drowsiness began to wash over her.

She felt as if her eyelids weighed a ton; she opened them, and they closed again.

She opened it again, and it closed it again.

However, she stubbornly refused to go back to sleep on the couch.

Asagao stood to one side, her eyelids lowered, yawning repeatedly.

She complained inwardly, "My dear son-in-law, how did you offend my young lady? Staying up all night like a night owl!"

She stole a glance at Zhao Zhi. At the desk, she rested her chin on one hand, her head bobbing up and down, clearly unable to keep her eyes open, yet still forcing herself to read.

Zhao Zhi was in a daze when she suddenly realized that her body had been lifted into the air, which startled her so much that she almost screamed. "You're so sleepy that you're like a chick pecking at millet, why aren't you going to sleep? You're making everyone else stay up all night because of you." Shen Hanshan's voice rang in her ears.

Asagao covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.

Zhao Zhi asked awkwardly, "Weren't you asleep?"

"With my beloved wife not by my side, I can't sleep a wink!" Shen Hanshan replied jokingly, carrying her heavy body as he walked steadily into the inner room.

A smile touched the eyebrows of the woman outside, and she blew out the candle with light steps.

In the next room, Zhao Shouzhen gently nudged Zhang Wan, "Wan'er, why is there suddenly a voice coming from Zhizhi's room?"

Zhang Wan, still half asleep, turned over and said, "Isn't it normal to have voices coming from so many people in the room?"

"Could it be that she's already given birth?" Zhao Shouzhen asked worriedly.

"Master!" Zhang Wan sat up with a yawn. "Master, Zhizhi's due date is after the New Year, which is still almost a month away! Please don't wake me up every time you hear any noise from her room in the middle of the night, okay?"

"Good, good, good!" Zhao Shouzhen pulled her into his arms, gazing in the direction of Da Xuan, and suddenly sighed, "The letter sent by Young Master Cui says that our Yun'er is three months pregnant. We don't know if we'll be able to get back in time for her delivery..."

“Master, I think you’re just used to worrying. These women’s affairs are best left to us women to plan ahead. If you’re so bored, why don’t you spend your days playing chess with your son-in-law?” Zhang Wan leaned her head against Zhao Shouzhen’s chest and muttered discontentedly.

She discovered that since Zhao Shouzhen resigned from his post, he had been as noisy in front of her as a parrot.

"Alright, alright! I won't worry about it anymore! Go to sleep, go to sleep!" Zhao Shouzhen said, gently patting Zhang Wan's shoulder.

Daxuan, the Duke's Mansion.

Ever since Li Huai'an stumbled upon his father's outrageous behavior at the Cangchun Pavilion, he has frequently mentioned it to his mother, urging her to be more careful about his father's spending.

A wise child is better than his mother.

Bai Wei keenly sensed that Li Huai'an must have discovered that Li Zan had done something wrong, but it was inconvenient for him to tell her, his mother, directly, so he was subtly reminding her.

She asked Bai Lian to bring the household's account books, and what she found shocked her when she checked them.

Unbeknownst to many, from the beginning of this year until now, Li Zan has withdrawn nearly 20,000 taels of silver from the mansion's accounts.

But every transaction matched the accounting entries.

Her nails, painted with cinnamon, lightly traced the ledger as she softly read, "On February 6th, Li Zan withdrew five thousand taels of silver under the pretext of repairing the back garden. On March 10th, he withdrew another three thousand taels under the pretext of purchasing new horses. On April 15th, he claimed he needed to purchase new tea sets and calligraphy and paintings to decorate his study, and spent another two thousand taels..."

Bai Wei's voice grew lower and lower, and her brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"Was all that money really used for those things, as he said?" Bai Wei murmured to herself, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

To avoid affecting their relationship, Bai Wei never asked Li Zan where the money he withdrew from the account was spent.

Li Zan also had his cleverness; he would always tell Bai Wei in advance and ask for her opinion before withdrawing any money.

But both of them knew perfectly well that Bai Wei wouldn't object to Li Zan withdrawing the money. He did this to make her feel that he, as her husband, respected her as the mistress of the house.

He, of course, must also respect it.

The Duke's mansion's enormous expenses were basically supported by several shops in prime locations that Bai Wei's family had gifted her when she married into the family.

The revenue generated by these shops played a vital role in the daily operations of the Duke's Mansion.

Bai Wei tossed and turned in bed, then got up and went to the window. Looking at the sparse stars outside, her mind was in turmoil.

This sum of money was not actually a large amount for her, the wife of a duke.

However, if Li Zan used this money to support his mistress, the situation would be completely different.

She recalled that Li Zan's attitude towards her had changed significantly over the past year.

Previously, the two had been married for over twenty years, and Li Zan's attitude towards her had always been respectful yet distant.

But since the beginning of this year, his sweet words have flowed like a river, and he has also become more witty in matters of the heart.

Li Zan's change, coupled with his son Li Huai'an's repeated subtle probing, made Bai Wei feel deeply uneasy.

Something unusual must be going on.