Her watery eyes seemed to be intently focused on the ledger in her hands, but she couldn't understand a single word.
"If you feel wronged or sad, you can take it out on me."
Yun Lie paused, then continued, "You can do whatever you want in front of me."
"Oh," Luo Cuiwei felt her ears burning and her heart sweeten. She turned to argue with him, "Then can I say that when you come back, I'll throw gold from the treasury in your face?"
Yun Lie's expression changed drastically.
"Uh, I was just kidding, I won't really hit you." Luo Cuiwei didn't know why he suddenly looked so incredulous and terrified, so she quickly stopped teasing him.
"No, wait a minute." Yun Lie suddenly stood up, one hand on his hip and the other on his forehead, pacing back and forth a couple of times.
After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly turned around, nearly making himself dizzy—
"How could there be gold in the treasury?!"
For Prince Zhao, who had been poor for nearly ten years, the shock of "being hit in the face with gold by his wife" was far less than the shock of "his own treasury actually contained gold".
Luo Cuiwei threw the ledger in her hand onto the table next to her and burst into laughter.
Just as she finished laughing and was about to explain, Steward Chen had already ordered the waiter to bring in Yun Lie's afternoon tea.
There wasn't much food, just a cup of nourishing herbal tea and a bowl of soup, both prepared by the kitchen after Luo Cuiwei woke up from her afternoon nap, and they were still piping hot.
Luo Cuiwei casually said, "Eat it while it's hot, and we can talk after we finish eating."
The waiter placed the items on the table in front of Yun Lie, then lifted the lids of the teacups and saucers one by one. Yun Lie felt even more dizzy—
Angelica and Astragalus Tea. Chicken Stew with Donkey-hide Gelatin and Jujubes.
At this moment, without anyone explaining, he could easily guess with his toes how much good food those brats in the manor had eaten thanks to Luo Cuiwei during the three months he was away!
His Highness Prince Zhao, consumed by jealousy, was so engrossed in his twisted thoughts that he completely forgot to inquire about the origin of the gold in the treasury.
As Luo Cuiwei watched him silently eating with his head down, she wondered what he would be like if he knew that the Prince Zhao's mansion not only had money and grain in its treasury, but also owned land and property.
She was genuinely curious.
46. Chapter Forty-Six
The gold in the treasury was not much; it only filled a small nanmu box about two feet high. But for the Prince Zhao's mansion, which had no savings for many years, it was no small amount.
When Yun Lie heard that the box of gold had been specially left in the treasury for him to see for himself upon his return, and that it was not all of the Zhao Prince's property, he was speechless.
Emerging from the treasury, Luo Cuiwei strolled leisurely along the corridor with her hands behind her back, like a mountain king inspecting the territory she had just conquered.
Yun Lie walked alongside her, exhaling deeply, feeling a great deal of guilt.
In just over three months, relying on the monthly allowance from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and 40% of the spring rations and pay for the Linchuan army from the Ministry of War, he managed to achieve great success with limited resources, not only pulling the Prince Zhao's mansion out of financial straits but also accumulating a large amount of surplus money in the treasury...
Although he didn't understand business, he could imagine how much effort Luo Cuiwei had put in during this period.
“I don’t have many hobbies. Besides reading storybooks in my spare time, I love making money. I’m happy when I see the profits rolling in the account,” Luo Cuiwei said, turning her head to look at him as if she sensed his guilt. Her smile was as bright as a spring flower in bloom. “All of that money was made by turning your money around. I didn’t take any from the Luo family.”
Her subtle thoughtfulness made Yun Lie's heart burn fiercely. It took him a long time to calm down before he frowned and corrected her, "That's not 'my' money."
Luo Cuiwei paused for a moment, then smiled and changed her words: "Our family's money."
Her clever, watery eyes smiled, turning into crescent moons, her gentle sweetness so captivating it could make one swoon.
Yun Lie's throat bobbed several times. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, then leaned in unexpectedly and gave her a light kiss on the lips.
The act of leaning over tore at his wound, but the pain was gently enveloped by the sweetness and warmth in his heart.
"From now on, I'll rely entirely on Madam's generosity." His deep voice was slightly hoarse and trembled slightly.
Luo Cuiwei looked around nervously like a thief, and seeing that no one was watching, she blushed and glared at him, saying, "Let's make a rule."
After the pain and slight dizziness subsided, Yun Lie stood still with a smile, pretending to listen attentively.
"From now on, you are not allowed to touch me outside the bedchamber," Luo Cuiwei said, knowing from his expression that he had something up his sleeve. She immediately added, "You can't even use your mouth! And you can't do that if there are other people in the bedchamber."
Yun Lie raised an eyebrow noncommittally, chuckled mischievously, and said softly, "What will be the punishment if I break this rule without thinking?"
His wife is easily embarrassed in certain matters, and in order to correct his affectionate behavior that is inappropriate in any situation, she has resorted to "bribery"...
He could understand her shy little quirks and was happy to indulge her and go along with her unique "marital fun".
"The Linchuan Army still owes our prefecture a debt!" Luo Cui smiled and snorted, her red face fierce. "I only kept 40% of the money and grain that the Ministry of War replenished in the spring to settle the debt."
Yun Lie has been emptying her own treasury to subsidize the Linchuan Army for six or seven years, and nine times out of ten she has not remembered to get the money back afterward. This time she only deducted 40% from one season's rations to cover a debt, and the Linchuan Army is still heavily indebted to the Zhaowang Mansion.
“If you ‘can’t help yourself’ this time, I’ll deduct five more cartloads of grain from your pay next time,” Luo Cuiwei glanced at him. “Deal?”
Yun Lie nodded very slowly, then began to negotiate seriously, "Well, if you insist on 'touching me inappropriately' or 'doing this or that,' then you'll have to pay back the cost of five cartloads of grain. Is that a deal?"
"I would never lay a hand on you," Luo Cuiwei said with a blushing smile, stubbornly snorting, "If I break this rule, I will make you pay with ten cartloads of grain for each time I break it."
"Deal," Yun Lie said with a faint smile. "Anyway, I haven't fully recovered yet, so I can't do anything 'big'. I don't think I'm at too much of a loss."
Luo Cuiwei scoffed and muttered with amusement, "You're the real shrewd businessman, aren't you?"
****
That night, the two began their first "battle" over whether they should sleep in the same bed before their wedding.