r. But who could blame her After all, Gu Jingxi was a terrible parent! If he didn't want to marry her, he should have broken the engagement earlier instead of making her the laughingstock on their wed...Meng Jinyao heard that his tone was off, a little confused.

When she looked into his eyes, her mind jolted and Meng Jinyao belatedly realized what nonsense she had just uttered.

She's guilty, she shouldn't have spoken up.

What was just said might be praise for ordinary people, but to Gu Jingxi, it felt like an insult. His ex-fiancée broke off the engagement because he had a hidden illness and didn't want to marry him and spend her life as a widow.

She forced a smile, stammering: "Yes, yes."

Gu Jingxi asked again, "What do you think, Madam, is it fortunate or unfortunate for you to marry me"

Meng Jin Yao had recovered, once again raising a flawless smile: "To be able to marry her husband is naturally fortunate."

He has a hidden ailment and won't take concubines, so he doesn't create a bunch of illegitimate children. He also gives her money to spend, and when she gets into trouble, he helps her out. She's pretty good that way. The only downside is that he spoils the big one and the little one is a rebellious child.

"Gu Jingxi chuckled softly, "Little girl, you don't even bother to make up a good lie. What good fortune would there be in marrying me and keeping me company as a widow"

Meng Jinyu countered, "Between husband and wife, it's not just about that, right What do you think, husband"

Gu Jingxi was taken aback, then immediately said: "But madam can marry someone who is physically normal."

Meng Jin yao glanced at him, unusually candid: "If there were no such things, I wouldn't have the status and position I do now. I would still be a helpless little one who could be bullied. But marrying my husband is different. My husband can protect me. I am a daughter of a down-and-out family, and my husband has a hidden illness. None of us should despise the other."

Gu Jingxi was taken aback. Looking at her nonchalant appearance, he chuckled softly: "Madam is truly a remarkable person, knowing exactly what she wants."

Meng Jin Yao blinked, without replying, as if she had acquiesced. She looked at his status, valued his ability to protect her, from the very beginning.

After a moment of silence, Gu Jingxi suddenly asked, “Since Madam has evidence, why didn’t she claim back the dowry left by her mother-in-law before”

Meng Jiny Yao shook her head slightly: "Without backing, even if you get it back, you can't protect it. Let the Sun family hold it, and losses are inevitable. But she is greedy, the bad thing is that her reputation will be ruined."

Gu Jingxi understood. Although the Yongchang Bo Mansion had fallen from grace, just by looking at how the family members dressed, it was clear they were only barely maintaining the appearance of a noble family. When a family is poor, they crave wealth. If she tried to retrieve her dowry now, it would definitely be schemed away. It would be better to get it back when she got married. With her husband's family as her backing, the Yongchang Bo Mansion wouldn't dare to embezzle her dowry.

Meng Jiny Yao said again, "Today's events, many thanks to my husband. If it weren't for my husband, I would have had to endure two slaps before I could leave."

Gu Jingxi said, “My wife, you don’t have to be polite.”

Two days later.

The servants of Marquis Changxing's mansion were dumbfounded when the staff from Lord Yongchang’s household carried Zhou shi's dowry into their home. They couldn't understand why they were receiving a second dowry, as Zhou shi had already brought her belongings with her when she married just a few days ago.

Meng Jin Yao went to the front hall, and saw only the steward. She wasn't surprised; her father and stepmother wouldn't dare to show their faces in public. They could only send a steward with servants to deliver the things.

The steward, upon seeing her, cautiously said, “Miss, the dowry of the former mistress is all here. Please have a look”

Meng Jin Yao sat on the main seat and ordered, “Open all the boxes.”

The steward was stunned and hesitated, asking, "Miss, you want to open all of them"

"So, you're not brave enough to open it and let me inspect it right here"

Meng Jinyao furrowed her brows, a wry smile playing on her lips as she asked, "Could it be that the contents inside are shoddy, an attempt to deceive me Or perhaps you've secretly stashed away something good, afraid for me to inspect Besides, if I haven't checked and accepted them, what happens if I find something amiss later I'll have to swallow this injustice, wouldn't I After all, the items have passed through my hands.

Upon hearing this, the steward, despite not having secretly hidden anything, felt flustered. With the mentality of "comrades don't die, poor Taoists don't die," he double-checked with the servants carrying the boxes: “Open all the boxes and let the young lady inspect them thoroughly.”

If Master and Madam had hidden something from the eldest daughter, it couldn't be blamed on them. After all, it was the eldest daughter who insisted on an immediate inspection. If they had refused, then it would certainly suggest something was amiss.

When all the boxes were open, Meng Jin Yao handed the dowry list to Qing Qiu and Ning Dong, one original and one copy. She asked them to check if everything was complete. If anything was missing, they should have Chun Liu record it.

The steward watched them counting, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe it away. He truly hadn't expected the items to be so incomplete, with missing objects popping up from time to time. He thought to himself that Master and Madam were truly fearless in losing face; even at this moment, they still wanted to deduct a portion of the things left by the eldest daughter's mother.

And Meng Jinyao wasn't idle either, she was reviewing the accounts of her mother's dowry estate and shops, looking at the revenue listed on them.

In just two days, Sun had not even had time to forge the accounts. Therefore, these were all genuine ledgers, recording every transaction truthfully. It seemed that Sun had never intended to return these items and had therefore made no preparations beforehand, nor kept duplicate records.

Over the years, she hadn't been able to keep track of her earnings. She couldn't figure out how much profit she had made. So, she only counted the silver ingots that Sun Shi had sent her. To prevent Sun Shi from saying she was accusing her wrongly, she specially counted them in the presence of the steward and wrote down the total amount with the steward as a witness, signing and stamping it.

The butler was already drenched in cold sweat, but he could only grit his teeth and sign the documents. When he returned to Yongchang Marquis's Mansion, the marquis and his wife would surely vent their anger upon him.

After a long time, Ning Dong and Qing Qiu had finished counting.

Chunliu recorded everything that was missing and handed it to Meng Jiny Yao: "Madam, your servant has memorized everything. The top lists all the missing items."

Meng Jinyao took the order and glanced at it, finding that some things were missing. It was impossible for the Sun family to deliberately hide these things, so they must have disappeared. Either they had been given away as gifts or pawned for money.

She had Chunliu copy one, then called the steward over and said, "Sign and seal these two documents."

The steward replied and, gritting his teeth, signed his name again and pressed his handprint on top. He truly admired her carefulness. Master and Madam likely hadn't expected the eldest daughter to count the assets on the spot.

Meng Jinyao nodded in satisfaction and handed a document to the steward, saying softly, "You go back and tell Madam Sun, for the things missing from above, either return them or pay me in silver."

She said, tapping the ledger beside her, "As for whether Zhuangzi and Puzi's profits match the silver I've received now, that requires me to carefully review the ledgers and tally them. If there are discrepancies, I will have someone inform Mrs. Sun to return the missing amount."

The steward, hearing this, broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly raised his sleeve to wipe his brow and replied, "Yes, young mistress."

Meng Jin Yao thought for a moment and added, "Also tell him, if he doesn't return it, we'll see each other in court."

She finished speaking, a knowing smile playing on her lips. They had been profiting from her mother's dowry for so many years, so she would let Meng Dongyuan and Mrs. Sun taste the bitter disappointment of drawing water with a bamboo basket—not a single copper coin would they get to keep.idle at home anyway. It's good to play with girls my age."Meng Jinyao smiled: "Then I'll give her a reply tomorrow, and leave the day after tomorrow morning."Gu Jingxi asked, "Does Madam like soaking...