“Haha, General, is there something wrong with your head? If you’re sick, you should get it treated—delaying won’t do any good. If she hadn’t come looking for me, why would I have hit her? She has no one to blame but herself for acting as someone else’s lackey. Calm down, your temper is so fierce you’ll make yourself sick sooner or later. I have things to do, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Chunhong, let’s go.”
With that, Wanqing looked at him as if she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world, not even glancing at Mu Zhenfeng’s livid, purplish face as she spoke indifferently and left with Chunhong.
“You—you unfilial daughter, you…”
As Wanqing walked away, Mu Zhenfeng’s furious, panting roars could still be heard from behind. But his threats and scolding meant nothing to her.
“Miss, you scared me to death just now! Thankfully, nothing happened. But I’m afraid Madam and Concubine Xu might…”
Chunhong followed Wanqing, recalling the confrontation in the hall with Mu Zhenfeng, and only now let out a long sigh of relief. Thinking of the furious, venomous glares Madam Liu and Concubine Xu had given them as they left, she couldn’t help but warn her.
“One puts on a frail act in front of men, using tears to win their pity; the other is a viper in disguise, pretending to be a pure white lotus. Do you really think I’m afraid of them? I only worry they won’t dare… Enough, let’s just go out. Why overthink it? By the way, did you bring money?”
Chunhong’s warning made Wanqing think of the two women’s reactions earlier. Madam Liu, as the head wife, had dared say nothing more after her warning, while Concubine Xu, whose daughter she had beaten, had only wept silently without uttering a word.
Such people truly weren’t worth her concern. With a faint smile, she looked at Chunhong, who frowned in worry at her words. Cutting off her unease, Wanqing strode out while asking, “Speaking of money, Miss, I only brought a few copper coins—these are from selling the extra vegetables we grew that we didn’t eat. Miss… weren’t we going out? Why are we turning back now?”
At Wanqing’s question, Chunhong stopped in her tracks. Glancing at the bustling street, she wiped her brow and looked at her in confusion as Wanqing turned back toward the general’s mansion they had just left.
“To get money from the accounts office. Since I’m a daughter of this household, if others can take money, why can’t I? Let’s go—we’ll take the same amount Concubine Xu and her daughter do. How can we go shopping without money? A few copper coins won’t buy anything.”
Wanqing spoke casually, beckoning Chunhong to follow her inside.
At the accounts office, Steward Liu saw Wanqing and Chunhong approaching. Though he maintained a surface-level respect, his tone at the doorway betrayed no deference. “Second Miss, what brings you here today?”
“Steward Liu, I’d like to ask—how much monthly allowance does Concubine Xu and Fourth Sister receive from the household?”
Wanqing didn’t beat around the bush. She walked straight to the counter and asked directly.
“Second Miss, you…” Steward Liu, a relative of Madam Liu, was momentarily taken aback by her question.
“Afraid to say? Fine, I’ll look myself. Move aside.”
Ignoring the disdain and wariness in his eyes, Wanqing pushed him aside by his collar and strode toward the counter.
“Second Miss, please don’t make things difficult for me. The household accounts are managed by Madam. You really shouldn’t…”
Steward Liu sighed and signaled to a servant behind him. But before the servant could step forward, Wanqing grabbed a vase from the counter and hurled it at him.
The servant collapsed, blood streaming from his head, dazed and unable to react. Steward Liu, seeing this, quickly adopted a placating tone. “Second Miss, if you’d just—”
“Account books are nothing to hide. Anyone can look. You’d better get someone to take that servant to a doctor before he bleeds out. Not bad—Concubine Xu and her daughter get five taels a month. A year? By that count, the household owes me quite a bit…”
Wanqing spoke coolly, shoving Steward Liu aside and snatching the ledger from his hands. As she flipped through the entries for Concubine Xu and her daughter, she reminded the flustered steward to fetch help.
She quickly found the relevant records and began calculating aloud.
“Steward Liu, it’s time to settle the household’s debt to me. A rough estimate shows that since I was old enough to remember, I’ve hardly received any allowance. Let’s call it 700 taels. Give me 500 now, and I’ll leave the remaining 200 here for later. Hurry up.”
When Steward Liu returned, Wanqing closed the ledger and looked at him calmly, tapping the counter as she demanded the money.
“Second Miss, you’re putting me in an impossible position. The accounts are under Madam’s authority—I’m just a steward. Even if I had the money, I’d need her approval, otherwise—”
Before he could finish, Wanqing punched him in the shoulder.
Steward Liu staggered, then froze as his entire body locked up. Panicked, he stared at her, not daring to speak further.
“I can wait for Madam to settle this slowly. But while I can wait, your body might not. If I don’t undo the acupoint pressure in time, you might end up half-paralyzed. Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Chunhong, let’s have some tea while we wait.”
Wanqing smirked, unruffled, as she poured herself a cup of tea from the pot on the counter and sipped elegantly.
“You—I—I’ll go speak to Madam right now! Just release me first…”
Steward Liu, terrified after hearing how she’d swollen Fourth Sister’s face like a pig’s head earlier, begged frantically. He was just a hired hand—no need to risk his life for his employer’s money.
“Steward Liu, you’re being unreasonable. I prefer straightforwardness. Had you cooperated earlier, none of this would’ve happened. Fine, go ask Madam. If she refuses, tell her to come see me herself. I’ll wait here.”
With a faint smile, Wanqing tapped his shoulder again, releasing the pressure point. She watched as Steward Liu, resigned, nodded and turned to leave.
Then, remembering something else, she called out, “Wait—one more thing. Ask her about my dowry. I’m fifteen now, and the marriage to the Sun family is approaching. When the Suns come to fetch me, I can’t have nothing to show. As the head wife, she should handle this properly. The Suns are imperial relatives—any shabbiness would embarrass the general’s household.”
She expected a long wait, perhaps even a refusal. But Steward Liu returned swiftly, handing over 500 taels in banknotes and another 200 in silver ingots.
“Excellent. Madam is indeed trustworthy. Steward Liu, I’ll take this now. Chunhong, let’s go shopping. Oh, did you mention the dowry to Madam?”
Wanqing tucked the banknotes into her sleeve and handed the smaller silver pieces to Chunhong, who stared at them in disbelief and delight.
“I did. Madam said she’ll prepare it. Second Miss, take care.” Steward Liu watched as Wanqing packed the remaining silver into a pouch, his tone ingratiating. “This Second Miss… she’s not simple at all. Changed completely in less than a day.”
With a thoughtful glance at her retreating figure, he returned to his work.
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