Tianliangyuan

Chapter 452 Why see him!

Xu Zhaozhao nodded: "Alright. This matter isn't something to rush. You can think about it slowly when you get back, and give me a definite answer in three days."

"Yes, county lord."

Li Shun's visit this time has made him realize the situation.

In the entire Duke Huguo Mansion, the one with the most say is not the Duke Huguo, nor the heir, but Princess Anle!

Watching the young master carefully peel fruit for the princess, occasionally wiping her mouth and offering her tea, he was acting exactly like a servant.

Li Shun lowered his head, and suddenly his fear of this young master lessened.

Of course, his respect for Xu Zhaozhao also increased.

After Li Shun returned home, he told Xie Juan about it.

In any case, since we're relying on the influence of the wife's family, we still need to discuss it with my wife and listen to her opinion to avoid trouble at home.

Xie Juan naturally didn't understand any of this, but she was happy!

She thought her husband would stay in that position for at least another three to five years, but unexpectedly, her sister-in-law arranged it for him.

Zheng Tuo also returned to the capital this time, and it is said that he made great contributions. Therefore, Xie Juan felt that her husband was obviously inferior to Xie Chan in terms of official position and power.

She initially felt somewhat aggrieved. She and Xie Chan had a good relationship since childhood, but as sisters, she naturally felt a sense of loss if their husbands were too different.

"My lord, everything should be based on your aspirations. You may do whatever you wish, but if you are to leave the capital and travel far away, I fear I will find it difficult to accompany and serve you now."

"It's alright. I've already mentioned it to the princess. We can have the guards from the Duke of Huguo's mansion escort you to my post after you give birth. The princess has agreed."

Xie Juan smiled slightly, her face full of sweetness and happiness.

"I am so comforted that my husband still thinks of me."

Li Shun was also very happy. His wife was virtuous and well-mannered, which made him feel much more at ease.

To be honest, ever since I married Xie Juan, she has been in charge of most of the household chores, and she does it all very well. The quality of our meals has also improved significantly since the marriage, especially my younger brother, who has grown taller.

Actually, Li Shun didn't quite understand either, so he took this opportunity to ask him properly.

“My lady, although my family is not of high social standing, we are still well-off. I know that your dowry is generous, but it is all part of your dowry. I am a man and have official duties to perform, so I cannot let you use your dowry to make up for it.”

Why do you ask that, my husband?

Li Shun voiced his doubts, only to be met with a smile from his wife.

“My husband thinks too highly of me. My dowry has not been touched. Except for a little bit used when visiting my parents’ home during festivals, nothing else has been touched. As for our household’s food, clothing, housing and transportation, they are all paid for with money from our family’s public funds.”

"you sure?"

“Of course, I would never dare to deceive my husband.”

"But my mother used to manage these things, and she always said that money was scarce. What do you think?"

"The previous two shops, one was a cloth business and the other was a study. After I took over, I made contact with my sister-in-law. After that, 70% of the cloth I bought came from my sister-in-law's weaving workshop. The purchase price was cheap, mainly because my sister-in-law used the same looms as the Ministry of Works' weaving workshop."

As for the study, after discussing it with my sister-in-law, I borrowed a printing press from her. The paper was also sourced from several new paper mills recommended by Steward Xu. The paper mill we used to supply us charged too high a price; it wasn't suitable.”

"That's all?"

“Our family also owns more than two hundred acres of land in the distance. I noticed that the harvest there was not right, so I sent someone to investigate. In the end, it was found that the head of the estate there had embezzled a total of two thousand strings of cash from our family! Two thousand strings of cash! I mentioned it to you before, do you remember?”

This seems to have happened before the Lunar New Year.

After thinking about it carefully, Li Shun nodded: "It seems that there is such a thing. But I didn't hear the whole thing at the time, I only said that it was up to you to decide."

"Yes, so later I ordered someone to send those disrespectful servants directly to the authorities. The two thousand strings of cash were also recovered. In addition, the manager of the cloth shop confessed after the accounts were audited that he had received some benefits and embezzled some money in private. However, since the amount was not large, I did not send him to the authorities. I just dismissed him from his post and replaced him with a servant from our Li family."

Li Shun was stunned for a moment, then blinked. So, the reason why the family is doing well now is entirely because his mother was deceived when she was in charge of the household.

Moreover, getting the two thousand strings of cash back would be enough for their whole family to upgrade their living standards!

Li Shun exhaled and said, "Fortunately, I married a virtuous wife like you. Otherwise, I would not have known that I was raising a treacherous servant right under my nose!"

"My husband is too kind. You manage the household affairs, and my mother-in-law has entrusted all of this to me. This shows that she trusts me, and it is my duty to do so."

Li Shun smiled and kissed her on the cheek, "With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for!"

Xie Juan pursed her lips shyly and gave him a light punch.

At this moment, Xie Juan was extremely grateful to her sister-in-law. If it weren't for her sister-in-law's special arrangement to teach them how to manage the household, especially how to read the account books, how to check the accounts, and how to intimidate the servants, etc.

After getting married, she realized that, indeed, the difference between a legal wife and a concubine was like heaven and earth.

Even if a concubine is favored, she is still just a concubine. She has no right to interfere in the family's property or household affairs. When she grows old and loses her beauty, she will have nothing left.

Xie Juan thought of her aunt, and then of Xie Qiao, and she naturally understood the difference.

Xu Zhaozhao's arrangements for Li Shun were not in a hurry. In order to avoid being noticed, she had to plan slowly and push Li Shun up at the most appropriate time so that it would not seem so deliberate.

Of course, we still need to take into account the interests of all parties involved.

Xu Zhaozhao's due date was approaching, so Xie Zheng didn't want her to worry anymore, and he also didn't want her to see any more people from outside.

"Your Highness, the Magistrate of Chang'an, Lord Liu, is requesting an audience."

Xie Zheng frowned slightly: "Have you come to see me or the young mistress?"

The servant bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, they must have come to see the young mistress. I noticed they were holding a scroll, but I don't know what it is."

"Hmm, did he say it was something important?"

The servant became even more nervous, his palms starting to sweat: "He said it was something important."

"Alright, why make things difficult for him! Go and invite Lord Liu in to speak."

"Yes, young lady."

The servant immediately felt a sense of relief and quickly left.

Xu Zhaozhao, supported by Shaoyao and Zisu, had already arrived at the pavilion. Xie Zheng sheathed his sword and tossed it aside, where it was caught by Jian Qi, who then stepped back to the side.

"Why see him? Isn't he a relative of the Duke of Su?"