Xu Yunci is not someone who cannot accept setbacks, but he becomes even more energetic after being sad, and when he goes out in the morning, people feel that they dare not approach him.

Watching him leave, Li Shiyue couldn't help but yawn because of sleepiness. She couldn't fall asleep even after lying back down, so she simply got up to wash and get ready.

Xu Lingqing's wedding was approaching, as was Xu Yunyao's happy occasion. Although the fourth branch of the family no longer lived in the Duke's mansion, the two families were close, and the backyard was opened as well. Although they had separated, it was not considered that they had moved out.

"According to the rules of the household, the betrothal of the young master and the marriage of the young lady should be based on these amounts, which is the standard for the legitimate child. This is the amount of money that should be paid by the kitchen staff. Madam, please take a look. If it is acceptable, then we can approve it."

Today, it was Granny Pang who came to deliver the account books. The young master is getting engaged and the young lady is getting married. Although Xu Yunyao and Xu Lingqing are not now fully known by the name of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, it does not mean that the Rongguo Duke will not treat these nephews and nieces well.

The bride's family also needed a lot of things, which naturally required money to spend.

As Li Shiyue looked at one of the lines, her index finger naturally fell on it, where the black characters clearly read "Five Hundred Taels".

"Whose rice and flour shop can use five hundred taels of rice and flour for a celebration that only lasts for two days? Does Granny Pang think I'm too young to understand these accounts or these numbers?"

Li Shiyue spread out the account book, and Luo Mama, who was beside her, stepped forward to take a look. She was shocked. This old woman Pang really dared to write such things.

She looked at the kneeling old woman with sympathy, but there was a hint of mockery in her eyes. Everyone in the manor knew that before the young master and the young master were married, the young master's wife had always been with the duchess, overseeing the accounts.

Granny Pang really had the guts to think of embezzling and cheating; her methods were far too clumsy.

Madam Luo thought this to herself, but remained silent. She was also curious about how the seemingly weak Lady of the Heir Apparent would deal with Granny Pang.

If such a case is handled too leniently, the person will find it difficult to maintain their authority in the household. However, if it is handled too harshly, the person will inevitably gain a reputation for being harsh and will be feared by servants, making it even more difficult to manage the household affairs.

Li Shiyue ignored the scrutiny in Luo Mama's eyes and focused her gaze on the kneeling Granny Pang: "Granny Sun, according to the regulations of this household, how should this be dealt with?"

Granny Sun remained calm: "The Duchess hates servants who are dishonest, and Granny Pang has deceived her mistress. According to the rules of the manor, she should be expelled."

Seeing the terror on Granny Pang's face, Li Shiyue smiled slightly and shook her head: "Granny Pang is too old to survive on her own."

"Let's send her to the estate. I remember that the estate we recently acquired is short-handed. The old woman is clear-headed and doesn't seem to be old. She should be able to do more. There's no time like the present, let's go today."

After she finished speaking, Granny Pang's face went blank, like a cloud of dust. She was dragged away a long way before she recovered and began to plead for mercy.

When Madam Luo looked up, she thought that the young master's wife would take pity on Granny Pang and use methods such as fining her monthly allowance, but she did not expect that it would be even worse than being expelled from the manor as Granny Sun had said.

Even the kitchen maids enjoyed a life that ordinary families couldn't have in the Duke's mansion. Having grown accustomed to such a comfortable life, Granny Pang would probably be filled with regret if she went to the countryside and could only make a living by constantly doing chores.

Li Shiyue hadn't expected the news of dealing with Granny Pang to spread so quickly; even Old Madam Xu knew about it before lunchtime.

"An old geezer like that deserves to have his legs broken."

Although Madam Xu didn't remember who Granny Pang was, anyone who had managed a household knew that a servant like Granny Pang, who used her petty tricks to skim off opportunities and treated her master like a fool, was the most undesirable.

As for skimming profits, who would work properly if they weren't given benefits? Just two days' worth of rice and flour cost five hundred taels of silver. Grain prices in the capital shouldn't be that high, right? They're clearly treating people like fools.

“I was worried that you and Mother would think I was cruel and send people to the manor to do hard labor.”

Li Shiyue smiled and looked up at Yang Shi beside her.

Since handing over the management of the household to Li Shiyue, Yang Shi's days have become more and more leisurely. She simply spends her time playing cards with Old Madam Xu, and even her complexion is different from before, looking younger.

"What's so cruel about it? At her age, there aren't many people who would want her even if she were sold off. Sending her to the estate means she's lost all the self-respect she's had for all these years in the Duke's mansion. That's a punishment for her."

Yang picked up the leaf card without looking up.

Li Shiyue looked at the leaf cards in front of her. She used to know nothing about them, but now she felt much more comfortable touching them.

“Yan Yan is still too inexperienced. Her elder sister-in-law has been managing the household for many years and has seen plenty of disobedient servants, and countless others who are cunning and shrewd. If she is not ruthless, how can she maintain her authority? If you ask me, everyone in the household should see how that old woman was dealt with.”

“Now anyone who dares to deceive their master will have to think twice.” Zhou Shi sat opposite Old Madam Xu, her position just between Li Shiyue and Yang Shi.

“I saw the booklet that Yan Yan sent, and it’s all arranged in a very orderly manner.”

She not only looked at it, but she also carefully calculated that the contents of the booklet that Li Shiyue sent were more than most families in the capital had prepared, enough to make a grand impression and not be a laughing stock.

Li Shiyue smiled but did not immediately agree: "I did a little worse. My mother made many corrections for me, otherwise I was afraid people would laugh at me."

“My mother was worried that I would be flustered, so I asked Granny Sun and Granny Luo about things I didn’t understand. Otherwise, I was afraid that my aunt would come looking for me and say something bad about me.”

Madam Yang smiled and said, "You're quite the modest child. You're also very clever. I didn't say anything."

Madam Zhou raised her eyes, a smile in them: "My elder sister-in-law and Yan Yan are passing the buck, and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is harmonious. Erlang can rest assured while he's away. Oh, why haven't I seen Erlang today?"

Li Shiyue's expression remained unchanged, and she smiled gently: "He's busy with the affairs of the Jingzhao Prefecture. The Jingzhao Prefecture is related to the safety of the capital, so how could he dare to slack off?"

Looking up, he met Yang's gaze. He hadn't told the family about what was happening outside. Xu Yunci had been so busy these past two days, working to bring this epidemic under control.

“I’ve asked someone to choose an auspicious date, and I’ll send it over later. Aunt, please take a look first. If it’s alright, we should set a good date to invite the Zhang family over as guests, and we should also finalize the marriage between our two families so you won’t have to worry.”

"The young master cares deeply for his younger brothers and sisters. He feels that since Aqing's marriage to the Yang family has already been arranged, it would be inappropriate for the fourth cousin, as the eldest brother, to be later than his younger sister."

"We were afraid the Zhang family would feel rushed, so we decided to choose a date a little earlier than the one Ah Qing had chosen. The main thing was to let the Zhang family know that our family wasn't reckless and that they could feel at ease letting our daughter marry into our family."

The main reason was that the epidemic was spreading outside, and people were not allowed to leave the mansion.