Mengyun Courtyard.
Old Madame Li and Lady Xie made a special trip to visit Sun Jingyou to show their concern.
"Jingyou, dear, I am currently managing the household affairs here at the General's Manor. If you find yourself lacking anything day-to-day, just send someone over to my courtyard to let me know."
Lady Xie sat beside Sun Jingyou, holding her hand and smiling flatteringly. Then she motioned to a young maid standing nearby.
"This is Cangwu. I find her quite clever. Let her serve by your side from now on."
"Greetings, Mistress."
Cangwu knelt before Sun Jingyou and performed a deep bow. Sun Jingyou glanced at Cangwu and nodded.
"Get up."
She then looked toward Lady Xie and started to rise to return the courtesy.
"Thank you, Mother."
Lady Xie pulled her back down in a hurry.
"You are with child, so you needn't bother with so many formal courtesies."
Old Madame Li chimed in eagerly from the side.
"You are such a sensible child, looking so well-behaved, respectful before your elders, and so proper with your manners. Your grandmother is very fond of you."
With that, Old Madame Li beamed from ear to ear.
"Indeed. Jingyou, my dear, I find you to be so well-behaved, sensible, and capable. Now that you are with child, you mustn't overexert yourself and need to rest properly. Once you give birth to a fine son and your health has recovered, I will hand over the management of the household to you."
Lady Xie spoke with great solemnity, as if entrusting the household management to Sun Jingyou were the ultimate expression of trust and favor. Sun Jingyou played along graciously to give Lady Xie save face.
"Thank you, Mother, for your trust. It's just that I have no experience in managing a household, and I'm afraid I won't handle it well when the time comes."
Lady Xie smiled.
"No matter. When the time comes, I can assist you with running the household on the side until you get the hang of it."
To run the General's Manor, administrative ability was secondary. The main requirement was having enough funds on hand to subsidize the household expenses. Since Sun Jingyou was the daughter of the Grand Princess, when she formally acknowledged her lineage, the Grand Princess would surely bestow upon her a lavish dowry. Therefore, handing over the management rights to Sun Jingyou at that time would be most appropriate.
Thinking thus, Lady Xie smiled even more warmly. If Shen Yiru refused to take charge, having Sun Jingyou to fall back on wasn't a bad outcome after all.
"Thank you, Mother."
Sun Jingyou lowered her head and smiled faintly.
At that moment, Li Wangzhou arrived with a servant. He pushed the door open and instructed the servant:
"Take the things into the inner room."
"Yes, General."
The servant did as he was told. Seeing that both his grandmother and mother were present, Li Wangzhou stepped forward and bowed.
"Greetings, Grandmother, Mother."
"Rise."
Old Madame Li glanced at the chest carried by the servant and the pair of jade *ruyi* he was holding, then raised her hand with a smile.
"You went to have an audience with the Emperor today. You must have received quite a few rewards, didn't you?"
"Ahem..."
Li Wangzhou coughed lightly in some embarrassment.
"A thousand taels of silver and a pair of jade *ruyi*—they are all right here."
Hearing this, Old Madame Li's eyes widened. Her grandson had performed such a monumental feat, yet the Emperor had given him such a meager reward—it was far too stingy. However, she didn't dare voice this thought aloud, so she could only manage an awkward, forced smile.
Lady Xie, on the other hand, couldn't help asking:
"Then why did you have everything brought straight to Mengyun Courtyard?"
Li Wangzhou made no attempt to conceal it.
"I promised that all the rewards given by the Emperor this time would be kept in Jingyou's safekeeping."
Upon hearing this, Lady Xie could barely stay seated.
"Kept entirely in Jingyou's safekeeping? This..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was sharply cut off by Old Madame Li.
"Hold your tongue!"
Hearing this, Lady Xie had no choice but to shut her mouth unwillingly.
At present, she was the one managing the General's Manor. With nearly five hundred people in the manor and hundreds of mouths to feed, the daily expenses for food and clothing were no small sum. Then there were the monthly wages for the servants, which alone came close to five hundred taels a month. Add to that the expenses of each main courtyard, and the manor had to spend at least nearly a thousand taels of silver every single month. Relying solely on the businesses belonging to the General's Manor brought in only about five hundred taels a month—how could that ever be enough?
Managing the household meant she had to use her own dowry to subsidize the manor's expenses, and the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She had originally been counting on the rewards from the Emperor to her son being added to the common funds so that her own pressure would be lessened. But now that her son had received his reward, he had handed the whole lot directly to Sun Jingyou. What kind of nonsense was this?
While Lady Xie was nursing her grievances, Old Madame Li began to console Sun Jingyou.
"Good child, whatever Wangzhou gives you, just keep it safe and sound. Only when you have money in your hands can you feel secure. Your mother-in-law is narrow-minded and speaks without thinking, so don't take it to heart. You just focus on nurturing your pregnancy; giving our General's Manor a bouncing baby boy is what matters most."
Rebuked by Old Madame Li, Lady Xie could only stand there in silence, not daring to utter a single word.
Sun Jingyou glanced at Li Wangzhou and saw him nod in her direction. Therefore, she didn't decline further.
"Thank you, Grandmother. I will take good care of my pregnancy."
Old Madame Li nodded with a smile.
"Good child, you are always so obedient."
After saying a few more words of concern, Old Madame Li took Lady Xie and left.
Once Li Wangzhou had seen his grandmother and mother off, he closed the door, turned around, and pulled Sun Jingyou into his arms.
"Jingyou, I only received this modest reward this time, but you take it and keep it safe for now. In the future, your husband will surely work harder to achieve greater merits, and when I receive more rewards, I will give them all to you as well."
Nestled in Li Wangzhou's arms, Sun Jingyou lowered her gaze as her eyes darkened.
"Husband, the merit you achieved this time is already considerable. Not only did you drive back the Nanman, but you also beheaded their commanding general. Reasonably speaking, His Majesty should have richly rewarded you."
As she said this, Sun Jingyou involuntarily clenched her fists, a flash of towering hatred crossing her eyes. However, she concealed her expression the very next instant.
Li Wangzhou sighed, not daring to mention that the Emperor was furious because he had brought a concubine into his residence. Instead, he lied:
"Perhaps His Majesty has other arrangements and rewards in store."
"Mm!"
Sun Jingyou nodded in response and pressed no further.
Such an obedient and understanding Sun Jingyou brought great comfort to Li Wangzhou. It seemed Jingyou was the best after all. Shen Yiru possessed a pretty face to no purpose, yet had no idea how to please her husband. She deserved to be denied his affection.
Old Madame Li took Lady Xie back to Shouqing Courtyard.
"You, how am I supposed to talk to you? We went to Mengyun Courtyard to see Jingyou precisely to win her favor. And look at you—mere thousand taels of silver, and you, a mother-in-law, had to go and squabble over it with your daughter-in-law?"
Lady Xie looked deeply aggrieved.
"Mother-in-law, it's not that I am narrow-minded. It's just that Yiru has thrown the household management right back into my hands now. As you know, with the meager income of our General's Manor, how can it possibly cover the expenses of the entire household? My dowry amounts to only so much, and even if I took it all out to subsidize them, it wouldn't last long."
Lady Xie looked pitiful, but Old Madame Li was not lightly angered upon hearing this.
"You still say you aren't narrow-minded? Even if you were to subsidize the General's Manor, how much could you possibly cover? Before long, once Wangzhou marries Jingyou as his wife, and Jingyou formally acknowledges her lineage with the Grand Princess, won't we have everything we need?"
Emboldened by this, Lady Xie ventured:
"Mother-in-law, you must still have some silver on hand. Before Jingyou acknowledges her lineage, could you perhaps take out some money..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Old Madame Li was so infuriated that she clutched her chest and broke into a fit of violent coughing.
"Cough, cough, cough... You... You truly rebellious wretch... Cough, cough, cough... You even dare to set your sights on my coffin money—you are trying to take my life!"