"I won't let her off?" Mu Qing scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "A mere maid, does she even deserve my attention?"
Qu Yue was infuriated by his callous attitude towards human life. Her beautiful eyes blazed with anger as she retorted, "Although she has a lowly status, she's still a living person!"
Naturally, Mu Qing disagreed with this. He couldn't help but sneer inwardly. This daughter - in - law of his was truly pitifully stupid. A servant was a servant. It was only natural for the master to beat or kill them if they wanted to.
However, Mu Qing didn't intend to argue with Qu Yue about this matter any further. He had his own plan. First, he softened his expression, then pretended to be convinced. His voice also became gentle as he said, "Fine, it was my mistake in this matter. I, as your father - in - law, apologize to you."
Qu Yue frowned slightly. His attitude seemed so fake to her. She didn't think he was sincerely admitting his mistake. Even if she was a bit slow - witted, she could sense that this cunning man must have some ulterior motive behind his false show of remorse.
Sure enough, the next second, Mu Qing's voice continued, "I didn't mean to make things difficult for you on purpose." He took a deep breath and looked troubled. "It's just that the expenses in the mansion are far beyond our income. Since Yuan'er passed away, there's no one to share my burdens. And Wang'er is so carefree and irresponsible. I was just desperate..."
As he said this, Mu Qing's usually cold and fierce eyes showed just the right amount of old - man's tears. "I believe you can understand, my child," he sighed deeply. "If you could take out a part of your reward to help the Marquis Mansion tide over this emergency, it would be the best."
Was Mu Qing playing the emotional card with her? Qu Yue's long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gently bit her red lips, looking a bit moved. But inside, she let out a cold snort. Did he really think she was still the gullible Qu Yue from before? Since Mu Qing could act, why couldn't she?
Qu Yue opened her lips and asked curiously in a low voice, "Why is there not enough money in the Marquis Mansion? Logically speaking, the emperor allocates a batch of silver as a reward to the Marquis Mansion every year. Does the mansion have some other huge expenses?"
Hearing this, Mu Qing glanced at her sideways, his eyes as cold and venomous as a snake. She was becoming more and more eloquent, but in the end, she was just a useless person who couldn't achieve anything.
Mu Qing sighed again. "You don't know. Back then when Yuan'er joined the army, I invested a great deal of effort in him. To ensure he had no worries in the army, I spent a lot of silver to smooth things over for him. In the past few years, we've just been using the current rewards to fill the holes left from before."
Did Mu Yuan really need so much silver when he joined the army? Qu Yue rarely knew about the outside world, but she also knew that there was a shortage of troops back then. It was unlikely that so much effort was needed for his cultivation.
Qu Yue still didn't quite believe it in her heart, but what if it was true... If it was true, as Mu Yuan's wife, if she didn't take out the reward, Mu Qing might just go crazy and spread this matter everywhere. It would be her reputation that would be ruined.
She hesitated for a while, still half - believing and half - doubting. Finally, she simply turned around and was about to leave. Well, she'd just deal with the problems as they came.
But the next second, Mu Qing called her back. "If you really don't believe me, I can make an exception and show you the account books so you can see for yourself."
Qu Yue stopped in her tracks. Account books? He seemed so confident. It didn't seem like a lie.
Qu Yue pursed her lips for a moment, then looked directly into Mu Qing's eyes. "Then please, Marquis Zhaoping, take me to see the account books."
Mu Qing felt a bit dissatisfied in his heart. This young girl was really being so pushy. He was the elder, and yet she had the nerve to accept like this.
But on the surface, Mu Qing maintained a gentle facade. As he walked towards the study, he turned his head and probed, "By the way, what did the emperor say to you that day?"
Qu Yue lifted her eyelids slightly, her face calm. She replied indifferently, "The emperor didn't say much to me."
Mu Qing took a deep breath. Obviously, he didn't believe her. He frowned and was about to say something.
Qu Yue then added flatly, "He just said a few words of praise for my husband."
There was a cold glint in Mu Qing's eyes. "The emperor thought so highly of Yuan'er." So highly that he even talked to his wife alone to praise him.
Qu Yue blinked her beautiful eyes and understood the meaning behind his words. She stopped in her tracks, gave a gentle smile, and said, "The emperor probably wanted me to handle my husband's funeral properly."
"You did a good job," Mu Qing quickened his pace towards the accounting room. The smile on his face became even more sinister.
"..." Qu Yue was silent. She thought her sarcasm just now would have shut Mu Qing up, but she never expected him to be so brazen! Her steps on the ground became heavier, releasing the anger in her heart.
The accounting room was located in the inner courtyard, a place Qu Yue had never been to before. The scenery in front of her changed constantly, and finally they stopped in front of a house with a blue - brick floor. The accountant on duty was fiddling with the abacus. The dull sound of the beads colliding echoed throughout the room.
Mu Qing stopped there. Qu Yue also obediently stopped. Mu Qing pointed and said, "Go in."
Qu Yue simply replied with an okay and quickly followed. She saw Mu Qing whispering a few words to the accountant, and then the accountant took out a large stack of account books from behind.
Mu Qing leaned against the big desk. "Come and take a look."
Qu Yue's delicate eyes trembled slightly as she reached out and took the account books. The dense records rushed towards her, and Mu Qing's reminder followed closely. "Flip through to the earlier pages."
The elegant small - regular - script characters listed every expense of the Marquis Mansion in detail, with every item recorded. Qu Yue quietly looked up and happened to meet Mu Qing's eager look. A sense of uneasiness welled up in her heart. Holding back the chill in her fingertips, she flipped through the account books.
"Expenses for Mu Yuan's schooling, expenses for Mu Yuan's horse - ranch, expenses for Mu Yuan's martial - arts training..." Each item was a huge amount of money.
It was actually true... Qu Yue frowned slightly. Standing in front of the accounting room, she felt a chill all over her body.
"Do you believe me now?" Mu Qing showed a helpless look on his old face. "I don't want to snatch this reward from you on purpose. I really have no other choice. The Marquis Mansion has paid so much to cultivate Yuan'er and has even accumulated a lot of debts. I just want to get back some of the cost... Otherwise, this huge Marquis Mansion might really not be able to hold on."
He sighed mournfully and looked out of the door, looking dejected.
Qu Yue didn't dare to look anymore. Every number on the account books seemed to dance in front of her eyes, disrupting her breathing. If, as Mu Wang said, had she been completely wrong? She had been so eager to protect Mu Yuan's things, but it turned out that Mu Qing and the others just wanted to get back the investment they had made in their child...
Qu Yue's face gradually turned pale. "I... I'll go back and think about it." She stumbled out of the room, her mind filled with a jumble of thoughts.
Mu Wang... Right! She had to find Mu Wang to confirm! Had Mu Qing really spent a great deal of effort and money to cultivate Mu Yuan in those years?
With a clear goal in mind, Qu Yue rushed towards her destination. But her overly confused mind made her unconsciously ignore everything around her. She just kept her head down, only focused on the road.
Bang! Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her forehead. A slightly dissatisfied teasing voice came from above.
"Who are you in such a hurry to see?"