"Jin Shu, if you think it's okay, then give me the palm print."

Jin Shu slowly took a sip of tea.

Then he sighed.

"Mother, I've been in charge of the household for almost ten years, and hearing you say these words makes me very gratified."

You haven't dealt with these things for ten years. Even if you were given all the power directly, you wouldn't be able to handle it.

"How about this, you take it one step at a time. I'll put you in charge of the household affairs first, and once you've taken care of those things at home, I'll gradually hand over the outside responsibilities to you as well."

The old lady's relaxed expression and smile vanished instantly.

What good are these household chores? There are so many trivial matters, and you don't even get any benefits from them.

What she wants is control of those thirteen shops! Once she has control, getting back the money she had to pay back will be a piece of cake.

Jin Shu saw right through her thoughts.

If this old man were any smart and capable, the Duke's mansion wouldn't have been trampled underfoot and ravaged for so many years.

So now, in Jin Shu's eyes, she's jumping up and down in a panic, just like a monkey.

"You child, haven't you had enough after all these years? If Mingqian were here, would you still be so disobedient to your elders!"

They brought up Lu Mingqian again.

This tactic always worked for her; she had a firm grasp on the original owner's filial and devoted nature.

It's fine if you don't mention him, but as soon as you do, Jin Shu will start blaming her son and the mother for everything.

“Mother, the world is not like it used to be. Every year His Majesty would bestow gold and silver treasures as rewards.”

Now, everything we eat and drink in the Duke's mansion is earned by me. You want to take back the power now? Fine, then prove your abilities to everyone first.

There's a lot to do at the end of the year, so I'll leave the ancestral worship to you this year. If you can manage the household well, I, as your daughter-in-law, will definitely hand over the reins of those shops to you as well.”

Seeing Jin Shu's firm attitude, the old lady had no other choice.

On second thought, it might be good to take over the seal of the head of internal affairs first. With such high expenses during the New Year, it wouldn't be a problem to deduct a little more from my own expenses.

Jin Shu readily produced the seal of the head of the internal affairs department.

"Mother, this is the household account book. Take a good look at it. The household expenses are high at the end of the year. All the sons and daughters in each branch of the family need to spend money. However, the amount of New Year's expenses is fixed every year. You still need to calculate this carefully."

"I know, I know. Back when I was in charge of the family, you weren't married to Mingqian yet."

When the old lady mentioned the name "Mingqian," a slight smile appeared on her face.

In fact, if the original owner had even the slightest suspicion about the mother and son in this family, with the original owner's intelligence, it would have been easy to discover the clues from the old lady's expression.

That is, the old lady who loved her son dearly was only depressed and negative for the first year. After that, she suddenly seemed to have figured it out and let go. Her face was covered with a smile again. Even when she occasionally mentioned Lu Mingqian, there was no sadness in her eyes, but rather a faint nostalgia.

All of this is actually telling the original owner the truth.

It's a pity that a shrewd and perceptive woman like this is truly devoted to her husband's family.

Old man.

Jin Shu smiled, looking at the smiling old lady, her eyes full of anticipation for a good show.

As the year-end bells rang, the vast mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and preparations for the New Year began.

As a family with a history spanning over a century, the entire household would travel to a temple every year after the 30th of the month to pray for their ancestors. During this period, all members of the household, whether direct descendants, collateral descendants, or cousins, would set off to offer incense at a Buddhist temple in the capital.

The trip involved nearly a hundred people and lasted three days and three nights, during which all food, drink and supplies needed to be carefully prepared.

The old lady was too busy with these matters to care about anything else. Jin Shu didn't need to eat with her these past few days, so she only had to take the three children to practice boxing and take them out shopping.

"After a person has eaten and drunk their fill, the next thing to do is to maintain dignity. Dignity is not vanity, but rather a constant self-discipline and motivation."

When you wear fine clothes and have attendants following you, you will directly feel the rewards that come with hard work.

You are scions of a noble family, and you must uphold the honor of your family. Your every word and action represents the face of the Duke's Mansion. Therefore, whether you are inside the mansion or outside, you must always pay attention to your words and actions.

Got it?

The three children nodded repeatedly.

This was the first time Jin Shu had said these words to them.

Lu Gu was conflicted, unsure of who was right.

His mother told him that the most important thing in life is to be happy; happiness is the most important thing, and everything else is secondary.

He used to think this statement made a lot of sense, but now that he was in the Duke's mansion and looking at the woman in charge of the mansion, something was about to break out in his heart.

Jin Shu suddenly looked at him, her tone softening but every word piercing his ears.

Why should we restrain ourselves and not indulge in freedom?

Because you are the future heirs of the Duke's Mansion, if you were to leave behind the glory of the Duke's Mansion and all the status it has brought you, you would be free and unrestrained.

But if you are in it and unwilling to extricate yourself, unable to be independent, then never speak of the word 'freedom' in front of me, understand?

With a simple glance, Lu Gu suddenly felt his cheeks burn bright red, as if the darkness hidden in his heart had been suddenly exposed to the sun, and he became restrained and nervous.

He didn't dare to meet Jin Shu's gaze and could only nod silently.

Lu Xu, standing to the side, said solemnly.

"I understand what Mother means. We rely on the Duke's mansion for food and shelter now, so we must also strive to become stronger so that we can help Mother protect the Duke's mansion in the future!"

Jin Shu rubbed his head and said with a smile.

"Yes, Ah Xu is the smartest. If someone enjoys the delicious food at the Duke's mansion without thinking of giving back, then that kind of person is truly heartless and worse than a pig or a dog."

In the future, if you see people like this, don't give them a friendly look. They are like parasites clinging to the Duke's mansion; just crush them underfoot.

"Yes! Stomp them to death!"

Lu Xu stomped down hard, the force almost shattering the blue bricks beneath his feet.

Lu Gu's heart nearly skipped a beat, and he was somewhat absent-minded during the rest of the shopping trip.

A strange sense of unease and struggle made it impossible for him to feel at ease.

Jin Shu is right. That's exactly how it should be. Isn't that the most basic principle of being a person?

Why did his parents teach him before they came that he didn't need to think about anything or do anything, because the Duke's mansion would belong to him no matter what, and he only needed to inherit it as the eldest grandson?

He used to take it for granted that this was how it should be, since he was entitled to enjoy it all.