Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Only Two Hundred Taels Left

Something brushed against Sheng Zhi Wan’s feet.

Sheng Zhi Wan lowered her head and saw a small, fluffy ball chasing after her skirt.

“Lai Fu was being naughty again!” Ting Lan said as Ting Lan walked back and saw the scene.

Lai Fu was the name Sheng Zhi Wan gave the little yellow dog.

It was as if Lai Fu could tell Sheng Zhi Wan was the biggest Master in the courtyard. Ting Lan brought Lai Fu back, and Ting Lan fed Lai Fu the most, but Lai Fu still loved to cling to Sheng Zhi Wan.

Sheng Zhi Wan crouched and stroked Lai Fu a few times.

Lai Fu immediately rolled over on the ground and exposed its little belly.

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at Lai Fu’s shiny, black, bean-like eyes and could not help laughing. “It really changed day by day.”

When they first brought Lai Fu back, its eyes could not even open. Now Lai Fu could eat and run, and Lai Fu even knew how to please its Master.

“Exactly,” An Zhi and Ting Lan agreed.

When they saw Sheng Zhi Wan laugh, both of them finally relaxed.

It looked like the Princess truly did not care about the Heir Apparent anymore. Tonight, they had to give Lai Fu an extra chicken leg.

*

Everything went exactly as Qi Shu Xian expected.

The news that Qi Shu Xian spent the night at Wei Yang Courtyard spread quickly. By now, it had surely reached Sheng Zhi Wan’s ears.

But Qi Shu Xian still did not plan to see Sheng Zhi Wan.

Mother had been right. A husband’s authority could not be weak. If Qi Shu Xian wanted Sheng Zhi Wan to learn a lesson through this, then Qi Shu Xian could not give in too easily.

At the very least, Qi Shu Xian needed to ignore Sheng Zhi Wan for a few days. Only when Sheng Zhi Wan truly panicked and felt fear would Sheng Zhi Wan learn not to repeat the mistake next time.

With that thought, Qi Shu Xian immediately got up and went to the Accountant to withdraw silver.

After the battle at Cang Nan, Qi Shu Xian’s name became famous. Even after Qi Shu Xian returned, many subordinate soldiers still admired Qi Shu Xian deeply.

Today, those men heard Qi Shu Xian received rewards, so they picked a few people to invite Qi Shu Xian out for food and wine.

They were all from ordinary families, so Qi Shu Xian would not let them pay. Qi Shu Xian would treat them, and Qi Shu Xian would even buy extra wine for them to bring back and share with the brothers who could not come.

After two years in the army, Qi Shu Xian understood too well how important it was to win people’s hearts.

Five hundred taels worth of wine should be enough.

And since this was a meal, even if everyone coming was only a junior officer below a Centurion, it could not be too cheap. Otherwise, it would embarrass the Duke Residence.

There was also Meng Yang.

Yesterday, Meng Yang gave her clothes to a little Maid and wore only an inner layer herself. Meng Yang likely did not have many outfits.

In the end, Qi Shu Xian decided to withdraw one thousand taels in cash.

But when Qi Shu Xian named the amount, the old Steward looked troubled.

“What was it?” Qi Shu Xian frowned.

The old Steward hesitated. “Heir Apparent, our residence only had two hundred taels in cash left…”

“How much?” Qi Shu Xian could not believe it. “Two hundred taels?”

“Yes,” the old Steward said, looking miserable.

Even if the Heir Apparent had not come today, the old Steward would still have needed to seek out Madam or the Heir Apparent’s wife.

That silver had been left from two years ago. Back then, when the Heir Apparent’s wife took over the household accounts, there had only been one thousand taels on the books.

For the past two years, the household spending had always been covered through the Heir Apparent’s wife’s accounts, with the Heir Apparent’s wife filling the gaps. The old Steward had grown used to it.

Who would have thought that a few days ago, the Heir Apparent’s wife suddenly handed the Steward’s authority back? Madam also never told the old Steward who he should ask for money.

With no other choice, the old Steward took out that one thousand taels again and started using it.

After the Heir Apparent returned, spending shot up.

Madam needed medicine. The most important herbs were already in the residence, but some supporting herbs had to be replenished often.

Eldest Miss returned these past few days as well, and Eldest Miss was especially picky about food and daily living.

So in just a few days, eight hundred taels were gone from the one thousand. Now only two hundred taels remained.

Now the Heir Apparent wanted one thousand taels, and the old Steward also wanted to know where this month’s wages for all the Servant would come from.

Qi Shu Xian was a man and never cared about household matters. Still, Qi Shu Xian knew something about Duke Qi Residence’s properties.

The old Steward’s words shocked Qi Shu Xian. “How could the residence be this poor? What about the farmland and the shops? Even at the worst, there should have been income.”

“The shops…” The old Steward sighed. “Did the Heir Apparent forget? For a time, the Young Master was obsessed with riding and gambled on horse races. The Young Master lost most of the residence’s shops.”

“The farmland had a bad harvest the year before last. The Duke heard that wealthy households were buying land, so the Duke sold it off at a high price…”

“Then what about the remaining shops, and the silver from selling the land?” Qi Shu Xian demanded.

“That…” the old Steward said helplessly. “The shopkeepers reported their accounts directly to Madam. This one didn’t know.”

“So these two hundred taels were for the entire residence’s food and spending?” Qi Shu Xian asked.

Qi Shu Xian never imagined the Duke Residence was this poor, but the truth sat in front of him.

“Heir Apparent,” the old Steward said quickly, “the monthly wages were due to be handed out tomorrow. Heir Apparent, what should we do…”

Qi Shu Xian choked on his words.

Qi Shu Xian did have rewards coming, but those rewards had not been delivered yet. Qi Shu Xian’s monthly salary also went into the common funds, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to the spending of the entire Duke Residence.

Qi Shu Xian asked, “Did you go to Zhi Wan?”

“This one went to ask for an audience yesterday,” the old Steward replied. “The Heir Apparent’s wife said the household accounts were already handed back to Madam, so…”

“Then go to Mother,” Qi Shu Xian said.

“This one already went,” the old Steward said bitterly. “But Madam’s health was poor, and Eldest Miss told this one not to bother Madam with these things. Eldest Miss told this one to go back and ask the Heir Apparent’s wife for silver.”