Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot-Chapter 27: The Authority of the Principal Wife

All the emotion that had stirred in Lu Lingxiao’s heart shattered completely with her final words.

He looked at her in disbelief, his dry lips trembling several times: "You... you stayed here all this time... just for the silver?"

Meng Qianqian glanced at the bedding on him: "Also to check on my husband’s injuries."

Lu Lingxiao closed his eyes: "At least you still have a shred of conscie—"

Meng Qianqian tilted her head: "Otherwise, if my husband died, who would repay me the silver?"

Lu Lingxiao choked on a breath, his face turning purple, and growled, "Meng shi (the Meng woman)!"

Meng Qianqian remained unfazed. With a single graceful motion, she reached for an abacus and held it to her chest: "Husband, your voice is strong. It seems your recovery is going well. Then, shall we settle the accounts? Or, if Husband doesn’t care for numbers, we could always call over the steward of the household."

"Eldest Young Madam, I can check the accounts for you!"

Shen Yan poked his head in from outside the door.

Lu Lingxiao’s face darkened: "Get out!"

"What’s with the shouting?"

Shen Yan muttered under his breath while retreating from the courtyard.

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly: "No need to call anyone. My accounting is impeccable, clear at a glance. Husband will understand it immediately."

Of course, Lu Lingxiao wouldn’t call anyone. Being pressured to pay a debt by his wife was embarrassing enough; calculating the details would only make him seem stingy. He couldn’t bear to lose face like that!

He turned his face away: "How much do I owe? Just take it from the rewards I received!"

Meng Qianqian appeared doubtful.

"What is it?" Lu Lingxiao glanced at her, then sneered sarcastically, "Forgot you’re from a merchant family? No profits, no early rises; no interest, no loans. Whatever the interest rate is, I’ll pay it!"

Meng Qianqian blinked: "But Husband’s rewards aren’t enough to cover it."

Lu Lingxiao’s body trembled: "Impossible!"

His rewards amounted to an entire ten thousand taels, along with a box of jewelry!

Meng Qianqian pointed at the account ledger on the bed.

Despite the pain from his injuries, Lu Lingxiao grabbed it and flipped to the last page. When he saw the total, he nearly blacked out: "Thirty-six thousand taels? How could it be this much? What interest rate are you calculating?"

"The interest is here."

Meng Qianqian handed him another account book.

Lu Lingxiao gritted his teeth: "Another one?"

Meng Qianqian stood up, her tone light and calm: "The first book outlines the household expenses and subsidies for various shops. The second book details the interest, as well as the hole I had to fill for the Lu Family when I married in."

Lu Lingxiao felt utterly undone.

Meng Qianqian said, "Take your time reviewing, Husband. That ten thousand taels—I’ll go ahead and move it. If you don’t understand something, feel free to hire a few more accountants. And don’t worry if it gets damaged; I have plenty of copies."

Lu Lingxiao’s face burned with fury and shame: "What do you mean by this? Do you think I would default on a debt?"

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly.

Lu Lingxiao almost spat blood.

With an icy expression, he signed the documents. Then Meng Qianqian produced the red ink for him to press his fingerprint seal.

As he watched Meng Qianqian’s retreating figure, he suddenly remembered something and, swallowing his pride, called out to her: "Could you... leave me a thousand taels?"

"No."

Meng Qianqian refused without hesitation.

Lu Lingxiao spoke through gritted teeth: "I promised Wan’er that I’d buy her and the child in her womb some clothes... If you hadn’t taken Wan’er’s fabric last time, it wouldn’t have come to this."

"Me, taking her fabric? Even if I did, so what? She lost mere fabric, but I... I lost the heart of my husband."

Clutching her chest as she spoke, Meng Qianqian’s expression suddenly turned cold. "Ban Xia, fetch the silver. Not a single ingot left behind!"

Ban Xia responded spiritedly: "Yes, Miss!"

Just as she was crossing the threshold, Meng Qianqian stopped and turned back with a bright smile: "Oh, by the way, someone from the Governor Mansion asked me to remind you that you still owe ninety strokes. Once you’re healed, don’t forget to go back and... uh... accept your punishment."

Lu Lingxiao coughed up blood. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

After Ban Xia finished counting the rewards in the study, she said with some confusion: "Miss, several pieces of jewelry are missing! I remember there was a pair of Blood Jade Bracelets, a pair of Mutton Fat Jade earrings, and a Mutton Fat Jade Pearl Flower!"

Meng Qianqian summoned the young servant guarding the study: "Who took them?"

The servant lowered his head: "It was Lu Luo. She said Miss Lin had no jewelry left and picked a few."

"That fox!" Ban Xia put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "The Young Master wasn’t even awake. Did she ask him or my lady first?"

The servant spoke softly: "The Eldest Young Master gave instructions that whatever belongs to him... Lin Miss may take."

Ban Xia: "Miss!"

Meng Qianqian: "Let’s go to Feng Courtyard."

At Feng Courtyard.

Lu Luo was combing Lin Wan’er’s hair, pinning in a White Orchid Pearl Flower: "Only jade of this quality can match you, Miss. What kind of trinkets were we wearing before? Look at yourself, Miss. You’re as beautiful as a celestial maiden in a painting! If the General sees this, imagine how enchanted he’ll be!"

Lin Wan’er looked at her reflection in the copper mirror and seemed satisfied. Soon, her eyes fell on the Blood Jade Bracelets on the table.

The vivid red color—such items were only fit for the legal wife to wear.

Lu Luo’s eyes flashed, and she picked up one of the bracelets: "Miss, allow me to put this on you!"

Lin Wan’er hesitated for a moment before slowly raising her wrist.

Bang!

The slightly ajar door was kicked open by Ban Xia.

Both Lin Wan’er and Lu Luo were startled, turning their gaze to the intruder.

They hadn’t expected it to be Meng Qianqian.

Meng Qianqian was wrapped in a delicate pink fur coat. The soft white fox fur was gently lifted by the cold wind, brushing against her fair face.

Her attire was luxurious, her demeanor noble. The extravagantly dressed Lin Wan’er looked downright shabby in comparison.

Meng Qianqian’s gaze swept over the room before she calmly instructed: "Take them."

Ban Xia and a few coarse servant women from Haitang Courtyard rushed inside.

Lu Luo demanded sharply: "What do you think you’re doing?"

Ban Xia snatched the Blood Jade Bracelet from her hand, along with the one on the table: "A mere fox like you wearing such fine bracelets? Hah, despicable!"

Lu Luo reached out to grab them back: "These were gifts from the General to my Miss!"

One of the servant women stepped in front of her and slapped her hard across the face: "Already pregnant, and still calling her Miss? Shameless!"

Ban Xia sneered: "Exactly!"

The other two servant women held Lin Wan’er in place. Without saying a word, they forced her to kneel on the ground and began removing her earrings and pearl flower.

Lin Wan’er glared icily at Meng Qianqian.

"Still daring to glare at the Eldest Young Madam?"

The servant woman on the left slapped her twice, hard. "Glare again, and I’ll gouge your eyes out! Dealing with filthy trash like you, this old woman has plenty of tricks!"

Lin Wan’er’s head tilted from the blows, her carefully arranged hair coming undone, stray strands sticking to her lips. She looked as pitiful as someone being punished.

She struggled but was firmly held down by the servant women, her knees painfully pressed into the floor.

Meng Qianqian watched her expressionlessly.

Rage roiled in Lin Wan’er’s eyes as she clenched her fists tightly.

Ban Xia came over with the jewelry in her arms: "Miss, it’s all here! Intact!"

Meng Qianqian said indifferently: "Let’s go."