Deng Qiao leaned against Lu Mingqian, her voice full of grievance.
"I came here because of you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place!"
I heard that woman adopted all three children. You need to talk to your mother about it; you absolutely can't let anyone else benefit from this."
"Don't worry, the one who inherits the Duke's mansion will definitely be of the Duke's bloodline."
"Once Ah Zhao inherits the Lu family business, we'll continue traveling and enjoying life, living a simple life without becoming rich or powerful."
On the other side, Jin Shu looked at the account book in her hand. The old lady had come to sit there early in the morning and had no intention of leaving yet.
“Mingqian is back. It’s not good for a man to have nothing to do all day. Why don’t you let him manage the restaurant on West Street? That would help you share some of the burden.”
"Aren't you afraid that he'll be recognized if he's always showing his face in public at the restaurant?"
Although many years have passed, I'm afraid some people still have good memories, and if this gets back to His Majesty's ears..."
Upon hearing this, the old lady waved her hands repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, okay, forget it then. Now that there's another person in the family, let's set an expense limit for him each month."
Give him fifty taels directly; after all, a man can't be without money.
Jin Shu didn't even look up.
"Let's follow the manor's standard: seven taels a month, that's enough for a grown man like him."
"Seven taels? What can seven taels buy? Mingqian has suffered so much outside, don't you, as his wife, feel any pity for him?"
Jin Shu looked up and glanced at the old lady.
“Mother, seven taels of silver is enough for him to buy three sets of clothes and drink five catties of good wine. He doesn’t spend money on food and drink, so why isn’t it enough?”
Is there anything else?
"You, you're so heartless! Mingqian is the head of the Lu family!"
"The head of the Lu family died on the battlefield. He is now just a collateral relative. The young masters and ladies in the family don't remember him anymore. They just treat him as an ordinary relative. You give him so much money every month, are you afraid that people won't suspect his identity?"
Mother, you must believe the saying, "Concern can cloud judgment."
The old lady was speechless after being rebuked.
After all, Jin Shu's words made some sense, and upon careful consideration, he could even convince himself.
When the first month's pay came in, Lu Mingqian could hardly believe his eyes.
Weighing the few taels of silver in his hand, he asked the accountant several times.
"Only this much? Seven ounces?"
The accountant had been replaced; it wasn't the one he used to know.
The person in front of me is very methodical and handles everything strictly according to the rules, no matter who is in front of him.
"The account book says seven taels. If you have any questions, please ask the madam. I only recognize the account book."
"You... fine, I'll go ask when the Duke's mansion fell into such a state! Only seven taels of silver a month!"
When Lu Mingqian stormed over to find Jin Shu, she was lying on a chaise lounge, sunbathing.
The early spring sun was warm and comfortable on the skin. Jin Shu wasn't afraid of getting a tan anyway, so she simply faced the sun with her fair face without fear.
Lu Mingqian immediately launched into a barrage of questions upon his arrival.
"You set the price of seven taels of silver for me?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"Where are the account books? Has our Duke's mansion fallen into such poverty? Only seven taels a month?!"
Jin Shu didn't even open her eyes, and said lazily.
"What else did you think? Seven taels is already a lot for you; the others only get five taels."
"Where's the money? Where did all the money for so many shops go?!"
Jin Shu squinted at him, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Ask your mother where the money went. When the Duke's mansion was at its lowest point, the old lady was the richest."
Oh, by the way, there are still tens of thousands of taels of silver in the accounts from the past ten years that haven't been settled. I was just about to ask the old lady for an explanation.
"You're back now, come with me to find out where those tens of thousands of taels went. Otherwise, with that much money, your monthly salary should be more than seven taels."
Just as Lu Mingqian was about to lose his temper, he suddenly remembered something, and his arrogance dissipated considerably.
Jin Shu sat up and looked at him with a half-smile.
"Then let's not delay anything, let's go directly and ask the old lady where all this money went."
"Jin Shu! My mother has devoted so many years to the Lu family, and you're going to interrogate her for this little bit of money? How have you become so heartless?"
mean?
Could Lu Mingqian have been working as a tailor for the past ten years? Otherwise, how could he be so good at labeling people?
"So instead of asking the old lady for an explanation, I can only try to find other ways to make up for the money."
Do you have any more questions? Is seven ounces enough?
Lu Mingqian couldn't hold back for a long time and blurted out something. He came in with great momentum, but left dejectedly.
Watching his retreating figure, Jin Shu couldn't help but sneer repeatedly.
That old bastard didn't have a hard life for the past ten years. Although he lived in seclusion in the mountains, he lived a life more luxurious and comfortable than the local tyrants in the mountains.
The money the old lady embezzled didn't all end up in Lu Mingqian's pocket.
The Duke's mansion was keeping this huge parasite, and the original owner of the body was like an old ox, carrying this heavy burden and struggling forward step by step.
He raised a bunch of parasites and that ingrate Lu Gu, and on his last day, he didn't even get a good day; he was so angry that he died.
Jin Shu felt a pang of heartache at the thought.
Seeing this, Ayu quickly went over and gently patted her.
"Miss, that person just now... was that Master?"
There aren't many people in the manor who still remember Lu Mingqian, and Ayu is one of them.
She was stunned for a long time before she could react when she saw Lu Mingqian.
Jin Shu nodded.
Ayu hesitated for a while with a sullen face, and finally whispered.
"The maid in the outer courtyard told me that a woman was living in the old lady's villa, and that she was said to be a distant relative of the old lady."
However, this morning I saw the master come out of that woman's yard.
Miss... she wouldn't be...
If a man stays away for ten years and then comes back with another woman, even a fool could guess the relationship between them.
Jin Shu, however, remained calm.
"Yes, you noticed it too. It seems that the mother and son really did think I was a fool."
"Miss, they've gone too far! How could they treat you like this!"
"It's alright, they're still at the Duke's mansion, so it's easy to deal with them since they've come to us."
Ayu was indignant.
"Miss, please don't forgive them!"
Jin Shu smiled nonchalantly, closed her eyes, lay down, and continued sunbathing.
"I don't need to lift a finger; they'll make a scene on their own."
Just then, a crisp slapping sound came from inside the old lady's Buddhist hall.
"A full thirty thousand taels of silver, and you didn't save a single penny?!"
Lu Mingqian covered his face. This was the first time in his life he'd been hit by his mother; he was completely stunned and speechless for a long time. (End of Chapter)
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