Having said her piece, Meng Zhilu turned to address her maid, who stood attentively behind her.
“Pi Qiao, fetch me a box of contract books from the study. And also bring the box containing the repair invoices. I’ve covered the maintenance costs for seven houses, each at five hundred thousand taels, totaling two million one hundred thousand taels. Additionally, I paid five hundred thousand taels each for the residences of the Elder Tai Tai and Elder Huyin, amounting to one million.” She concluded with a faint smile directed at the butler, her lips curving pleasantly but her eyes remaining cold.
Two years prior, Shen Zhongting had yet to attain his Jin Zhi degree and thus held no position in the imperial court. Moreover, the Shen family, scholars for generations, had no experience in trade and derived their income solely from their 5,000 hectares of rice paddies. While the surplus rice was sold, the annual earnings amounted to less than 1,000,000 taels, a meager sum considering the family’s size and lavish spending habits. The ancestral antiques had dwindled to a mere 30 pieces of furniture.
She knew Shen Zhongting had personal funds. But the selfish man never contributed a single tael to the central account, leaving her to shoulder the massive debt incurred by the Shen clan’s failed business ventures. This deeply angered Meng Zhiru.
Even more agonizing were the haunting echoes of Li Lianshuang’s cruel mockery from her previous life, uttered as she lay on the floor with her last breath.
‘From now on, I'll take everything—your assets, your money, your houses, even your man. You fool! Meng Zhilu.’
Meng Zhiru’s lips curled into a bitter smile as she finally voiced her long-held resentment. “So, the money used to settle the 1,300,000-tael debt came entirely from my dowry. Your Master hasn’t contributed a single copper.” She turned to the butler. “A million taels is no small sum to settle such a debt requires a payment record and a signed agreement. No one, not even spouses, would recklessly give away that kind of money without documentation.”
The Butler, pale and sweating, listened as Meng Zhilu continued, her voice unwavering. “As for the income you mentioned from two years ago, even after deducting expenses, less than 50,000 taels remained. Yet, daily expenditures continue unabated, ranging from hundreds to thousands of taels. Just ten days ago, Elder Huyin commissioned new clothes, including two sets for the Master’s mistress, and I settled the 500-tael bill. Food costs, tea, jewelry, and other miscellaneous expenses are all covered by my funds. I have all the invoices and receipts. When your master left for the border town two years ago, he didn’t provide me with a single copper. All I had was the key to an empty treasury and the account books. Everyone in this household, from the highest to the lowest, consumes my resources and spends my money without contributing a penny. In the past, I never demanded repayment from the Shen clan, assuming your master would eventually reimburse me”
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“Secondly, your Master desires to arrange this tea ceremony to honor Ms. Li. All the guests who got invited were his idea, not mine. Therefore, the expenses for the banquet must be covered by him, as I previously explained”
“Thirdly, bringing Ms. Li into the Shen family is his desire, not mine. Thus, he must provide the dowry from his funds, not the central account I manage. Lastly, I have yet to replenish the central account from my private management, so he has no taels to withdraw. Even if there were, he would no longer be entitled to use them freely”
“Earlier this month, when Elder Huyin sought to acquire her eleventh and twelfth mistresses here, she attempted to withdraw funds from the central account for their dowries, 2,000 taels. I refused, citing the same principle: I did not bring those women to be the Master’s mistress by my duty.” Meng Zhiru elaborated, referencing Elder Huyin's actions a few weeks ago.
At that time, Shen Zhongting's manipulative mother enlisted a matchmaker to procure two sisters as mistresses for her son. Elder Huyin then demanded that I provide the dowries. Mengh Zhilu refused, citing the same principle. Ultimately, the old woman resorted to taking the funds from her purse, fuming with anger.
In her previous life, blinded by her position as the main wife of Shen’s clan and her inherent honesty, she had sacrificed her many funds to preserve her dignity.
But having suffered an unjust death, she refused to be exploited in this life.
This marriage to his beloved mistress was Shen Zhongting's idea. The lavish tea ceremony with numerous guests was also his and his mother’s doing. Why should she provide another exorbitant dowry for Li Lianshuang? She was no longer the same foolish woman; she would not sacrifice her wealth to finance her husband's new wife. Let Shen Zhongting and his greedy mother bear the cost of their desires.
The marriage of the beloved mistress at this time was Shen Zhongting's and his mother’s idea. So, how would she spend so much money, dowry, on Li Lianshuang? She is not the stupid woman in the past anymore, why would she pay for her husband’s new wife? Let Shen Zhongting take all his wishes from his greedy mother. That is…
Finally, when Meng Zhilu said this. So, the butler had to retreat empty-handed.
“If Huyin says that, I will go to inform the Master.” He concluded by ending the tense conversation.
Meng Zhiru nodded and said in a smooth voice, “Good, tell your master all my words. As for the golden hairpin that your master ordered for Ms. Li, you can go and collect the money from your master. I just remembered that I had already given her a jade pomegranate fruit as a welcome gift, so I changed my mind. So, I didn’t approve the cost of the Dongliu store. You can go back.”
Meng Zhilu’s words meant that she would not pay a single more copper. a few weeks ago, Li Lianshuang had just received a gift from her, and that was enough.
In this life, her grudge turned her into a demon. Malice made her a strong person; she is not a ripe persimmon who would be crushed by wicked couples anymore. (idiom: Does not weak for anyone to advantage)