"Twelve thousand taels?!"
Chunqin stared wide-eyed at Zhao Cheng, a hint of anger flashing across her face. She snapped, "Master, you spent tens of thousands of taels of silver renovating this shabby garden? Were you ripped off?!"
"Hey! Who dares to scam me? No, who could possibly scam me?"
Zhao Cheng said solemnly, "Chunqin, let's keep things separate. You can complain about my spending, but you can't insult my intelligence!"
"You spent over ten thousand taels decorating this shabby garden, and you still think you're so smart?" Chunqin retorted sharply, "Have that renovation foreman come find me!"
"That's not good... Aren't you just blatantly telling everyone that I, a dignified young prime minister, have to ask the maid in my household for permission to spend money? That's too embarrassing!"
"Do you want money or face?"
"I want money!!"
"Then stop talking nonsense with me!"
Chunqin put her hands on her hips in front of Zhao Cheng and said, "It was you who begged me to take charge of the accounts. You even said that if it weren't for me, you would have ruined the Right Prime Minister's Mansion long ago. You told me that no matter what, no matter how sweet your words or how you coerce or entice me, I must uphold the dignity and bottom line of the housekeeper!"
"This servant will never forget the trust and teachings of her master!"
"I can save face for my master by keeping that renovation foreman out. But I absolutely will not give him those twelve thousand taels of silver!"
"If you want to take it, then kick me out of the Prime Minister's residence and let Donghua be your head maid!"
"Pfft!" Zhao Wu couldn't help but laugh out loud. When he saw Zhao Cheng and Chunqin looking over, he quickly covered his mouth and stepped back.
He thoroughly enjoyed watching it and exclaimed how great it was.
In the entire Right Prime Minister's residence, only two people dared to speak to Zhao Cheng like that, and Zhao Cheng didn't dare to show any anger.
Both of them are women.
One was Zhao Cheng's mother, and the other was the eldest maid, Chunqin.
Because of Chunqin,
He controls Zhao Cheng's money!
Ultimately, this was a consequence of Zhao Cheng's own actions.
When Zhao Cheng first moved his family to Yanchuan City, he quickly became rich thanks to his knowledge of time travel. This sudden wealth and his status as a young prime minister made him incredibly arrogant, turning him into a spoiled and extravagant young master of the capital.
Even though business was profitable, it couldn't offset Zhao Cheng's high spending. In less than half a year, Zhao Cheng was heavily in debt. Just then, his father, who had just been reappointed, was demoted again. Feeling deeply threatened, he finally turned over a new leaf and started a new life.
Chunqin was the oldest and most composed of the four maids, so Zhao Cheng came up with an idea to appoint her as the head maid and made a three-point agreement with her to manage his treasury.
Unexpectedly, Chunqin quickly got into character, and the effect was surprisingly good.
Seeing how capable Chunqin was, Zhao Cheng's mother entrusted her with managing the accounts in the backyard, which caused Chunqin's status in the Prime Minister's mansion to rise sharply. Even the old steward would affectionately add the word "Miss" after Chunqin's name when he saw her. As a result, Chunqin, who was not afraid of Zhao Cheng to begin with, became even more confident, which made Zhao Cheng more and more afraid of her.
"Miser!"
"tigress!"
"You little nose picker!"
"..."
Whenever he couldn't get the money, Zhao Cheng would unleash his astonishing vocabulary.
Zhao Cheng, rarely engaging in idle chatter with Chunqin, asked, "So how much can you give?"
Chunqin thought for a moment and said, "Since they've already come to us, I won't make things difficult for you. We can't just accept whatever amount they ask for. I'll round it down and give you ten thousand taels!"
"call……"
Zhao Cheng let out a soft exhale that was barely noticeable to outsiders, and a weight was lifted from his heart.
Before coming, he had a estimate of how much money he could get. Ten thousand taels was slightly beyond his expectations, so it seemed that his deliberate anger earlier had worked.
The renovation cost has been agreed upon at eight thousand taels, Chunqin will give ten thousand taels, and I'll still have two thousand taels left for myself, hehe...
After all, she's the eldest daughter we promoted, so she'll still be somewhat on our side, won't she?
"Give me the money!" Zhao Cheng nodded to Zhao Wu, who immediately scurried over to Chunqin with a fawning smile.
"Miss Chunqin has gotten plumper again. Looks like she's been eating and sleeping well lately!"
Chunqin was stunned for a moment, then her face turned ugly as she glanced at Zhao Wu sideways.
Zhao Cheng wished he could dig a hole and bury him on the spot!
Brother, if you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all!
You can't even flatter a person, you idiot!
Chunqin went into the room and came out a moment later with a stack of silver notes. She said, "Originally, I was going to give you ten thousand taels, but after deducting three thousand taels for your debt from last month, I'll give you seven thousand taels."
"What the hell??" Zhao Cheng was completely dumbfounded.
"The debt is owed! We agreed that any debts incurred this month would be settled the following month! That's the rule!"
Seven thousand taels... Doesn't that mean I'll have to pay an extra thousand myself?
Zhao Cheng shook his head vigorously, saying hurriedly, "It's not the end of the month yet, I'll make up the three thousand taels at the end of the month!"
“Master!” Chunqin said seriously, “You have so many businesses outside. Although Donghua, Zheng Hongxiu and I handle the accounts directly, with your character, it’s impossible that you haven’t made a profit from them.”
"Why would I skim profits from my own business?"
"Look at you, you don't even have the confidence to say that! That's just the kind of person you are!" Chunqin sneered and said, "Anyway, if you don't have enough money, you can find another way. I don't believe you're short of three thousand taels of silver in your little treasury! Master, don't blame me. The Prime Minister has been away for so long, and I reckon he'll be back soon. When he comes back with two hundred soldiers, their food and drink expenses will all cost money. How can I not be frugal?"
"And last month, out of Donghua's eagerness to save her sister, I risked being punished by the madam to give you the land deed and gold and silver, which shows that I am not an inflexible person."
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