Xia Tian left Liu's yard and went straight back to Jinglan Garden humming a song.
She didn't let Ningxiang and the others come with her today. Liu wouldn't let them in anyway, so they would just stand outside in the cold.
When she reached the door, before she even entered, Ningxiang and Ningxue came out to greet her, "Madam, you're back? Are you starving? The food is ready."
"Yeah, it's okay." Xia Tian agreed and walked into the house.
Cuiyun was holding a basin of water and Cuiling was holding a towel, already waiting.
Ningxue took off her cloak, washed her hands, wiped her face, and then sat down on the kang in the warm room.
"I've eaten, have you eaten yet?"
"Have you eaten? Where?" Ningxue asked.
"We ate at Huaruitang."
Ningxiang and Ningxue looked solemn. Would Liu be so kind as to invite their wives to dinner? Was she poisoning them?
The two of them looked at each other with surprisingly consistent thoughts, then each took Xia Tian's arm and asked her nervously, "Madam, are you feeling unwell?"
Xia Tian was confused. They just had a meal. Why did these two girls react so strongly?
"It's okay, I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere."
"No, I think it's better to ask the court doctor to come and take your pulse." Ningxiang said as she was about to go out to find the court doctor.
"Hey, it's okay, it's really okay, just listen to me first." Xia Tian finally understood what they meant and pulled them back, "I'm fine."
Then she recounted the story of why she had dinner at Liu's house.
Everyone was stunned when they heard it. They didn't expect there was such a thing.
I would never believe that someone would be so bold as to eat from Liu's bowl without her consent.
Their ladies are so brave!
Xia Tian didn't think she was brave. Since Liu wanted to make trouble for her, she couldn't just sit there and wait to be bullied.
But it is not possible to directly break up with Liu. After all, she is the mistress of the Wu'an Marquis's Mansion and the nominal mother-in-law. Any arrangement with her is reasonable.
What's more, Liu was claiming to teach her how to manage the household. In the eyes of outsiders, she was the best mother-in-law. If she dared to go against her, she would be drowned in spit.
If she was labeled as ungrateful and unfilial, she would be in big trouble.
At this time, it all comes down to who has the thickest skin.
On the third day, Xia Tian ate something in the morning before going to pay his respects.
After paying his respects, he followed Liu to the conference room. As usual, he first listened to the work reports from the women in charge of each place.
At first, she could still resist the urge to roll her eyes, but until yesterday when the old woman who managed the garden reported on her work, she really couldn't stand it anymore.
"Mrs. Li, the maintenance fee you mentioned was paid yesterday. Why are you withdrawing it today?" Xia Tian interrupted Mrs. Li who was submitting the bill and asking for money to repair the garden.
"No, this is my first time to withdraw money. You can't wrongly accuse me." Mrs. Li retorted unconvinced.
Seeing that Liu Shi didn't stop her, Li Pozi became even more confident, "Madam, you come from a farming family, so you don't understand the expenses of our mansion. A garden as large as this one needs money to maintain it."
"Really? I come from a farming family and don't understand the ins and outs of your business. But no matter how big your mansion is or how much it needs maintenance, you don't have to spend money on maintenance on the same place for three consecutive days, right? How come maintenance can only last for one day?" Xia Tian hit back rudely.
"When did I withdraw money for three consecutive days? Madam, you can't frame me with empty words." Mrs. Li argued with her neck stiff.
"Madam must have kept records. You'll know whether she is framing you or not by checking the accounts." Xia Tian snorted coldly. She had seen with her own eyes that Liu had people record every time a sum of money was spent.
Mrs. Li probably didn't expect the Crown Prince's wife to have such a good memory, but now she was in a difficult situation and could only continue to argue, "I did withdraw money for maintenance these past two days, but it wasn't the same place I was maintaining. The place I was maintaining was different every day, so of course I had to withdraw money."
"Oh? Really? If you say so, then I don't think you are qualified for this position. Let's change someone."
The reasons this old lady Li has been finding for maintenance these past three days are clearly the same, and she even dares to say that she is maintaining different areas.
The key point is that she doesn't believe that Liu, the mistress who has been the housekeeper for many years, can't hear such an obvious loophole, unless they are in the same group.
Xia Tian didn't want to argue with her, so after speaking to Li Pozi, he turned directly to Liu and said, "Mother, I feel that Li Pozi is not at all serious about her work. There are obviously many areas to maintain, but she only reports on one area at a time. Not only does she waste your time, but I also think she may have gained some benefits from this."
"You're talking nonsense. I've been working in this position for more than ten years. How could I not be dedicated?" Mrs. Li immediately retorted with a red face.
"So, is this how you report your work to your wife every day? One o'clock today, one o'clock tomorrow."
"Yes, I report like this every day, and my wife never said that I was not doing my best."
"It's because my wife is kind that she didn't expose you. Let me ask you, is it cheaper to buy a lot of maintenance materials at once, or to buy a little at a time?"
"Of course it's cheaper if you buy more."
"Since you know this, why don't you report the problems centrally and make centralized purchases? Did you gain any benefit from it?" Xia Tian asked sternly.
Mrs. Li was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt down in front of Mrs. Liu. "Madam, I am innocent. I really didn't take any advantage."
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