Xiao Yuanshi looked at the accounts of the manor for the past two months.

Not only were they unable to even make ends meet, they even didn’t have enough to cover the monthly salary of the servants.

Where did the money go?

At this moment, Ge Chunru’s servant girl walked in.

“Madam, Concubine Liu is at the door requesting an audience.”

Ge Chunru had a feeling that Tao Liu must have heard that Xiao Yuanshi was in her courtyard and did not have any good intentions.

Just as she was about to refuse her request, Xiao Yuanshi spoke first, “Let her in.”

The servant girl naturally did not dare to disobey his orders.

Very soon, Tao Liu walked in.

Her face was pale and tired, and she looked like she was sick.

When she saw Xiao Yuanshi, she was surprised.

Her body was weak and she immediately bowed, “Greetings, general and madam.”

Ge Chunru gritted her teeth when she saw how vixen she was. “I still have matters to attend to with the general. If you don’t have anything important to attend to, you can leave first.”

Tao Liu stood up and her eyes were red.

She looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

However, she still nodded. “Yes, then I’ll leave.”

Ever since Xiao Yuanshi allowed her to call herself “I”, she had never changed her words in front of Ge Chunru.

Xiao Yuanshi looked at his beloved concubine and could not help but frown slightly. “Are you sick?”

Tao Liu looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I, I’m fine.

“Since the general and madam have something on, I won’t disturb you.”

She was sensible.

Xiao Yuanshi said, “We’ve finished talking about our matters.”

He asked, “Why are you looking for madam?”

“I…”

Tao Liu revealed a somewhat embarrassed expression. “No, nothing much.”

Ge Chunru thought to herself, she must have done it on purpose.

This pretense was to make Xiao Yuanshi ask.

Sure enough, Xiao Yuanshi asked, “Don’t worry about me. Just tell me directly.”

Tao Liu bit her lip and looked at Ge Chunru.

She asked nervously, “Madam, can I request for advance payment for this month and the next month?”

Ge Chunru said with a cold face, “There’s no precedent for the general’s residence to pay the salary earlier.”

There was no money in the account to begin with, yet she still wanted advanced monthly payment.

What was Tao Liu thinking?

Tao Liu felt wronged. “Then madam, just pretend that I didn’t say anything.

“I’ll take my leave first.” She bent her body, but when she stood up, she looked like she was on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, Xiao Yuanshi hurriedly got up and walked over to support her. “Why aren’t you resting in the courtyard?

“Also, why do you want to receive your monthly payment in advance?”

Tao Liu leaned against his chest as if she had no bones, but she did not answer immediately.

Instead, her gaze kept on Ge Chunru.

Xiao Yuanshi frowned even more when he saw this. “I’m asking you a question.”

Only then did Tao Liu reveal a weak and strong look. “The money I have in my hands has been used up for medical treatment recently. I only took half of my salary last month.

“The doctor said that I still have to take medicine, but I don’t have the money to buy medicine anymore.

“So I wonder if I could request an advance payment for this month and next month’s salary.”

Xiao Yuanshi was stunned.

He had been a little busy these few days, so he did not go to Liu Ru’s courtyard.

That was why he did not know that she was sick.

“Why didn’t you look for the family doctor?”

Tao Liu pursed her lips and said, “The family doctor did not treat me.”

Xiao Yuanshi’s expression was a little ugly. “Why didn’t he treat you?”

Tao Liu Sighed. “My status is low, so how could I have the qualifications to let the family doctor treat me?”

Xiao Yuanshi’s expression turned even darker. “You are part of the general’s residence. Who said that your status is low and that you don’t have the right to let the family doctor treat you?”

Tao Liu Glanced in Ge Chunru’s direction. “Yes, it was madam’s order.”

She hurriedly added, “This has nothing to do with her. Without rules, it would be difficult to uphold any standards. It’s normal for the family doctor not to treat low-status people like us.”

“Please don’t blame madam.

“It’s all my fault. I’ll pawn some of my jewelry when I go back to see the doctor.”

Ge Chunru was speechless. This shameless b * tch was giving in in order to ask for more.

Xiao Yuanshi turned his head and looked at Ge Chunru with a cold face. “Did you order this?”

Ge Chunru had indeed used this to mock Tao Liu, so she was stumped by the question.

Xiao Yuanshi was fuming at this moment. “Ge Chunru, I’ve given you the authority to manage the general’s residence, and this is how you are managing it?

“Not allowing the family doctor to treat those working in the residence.

“The general’s concubine is sick, and she has to go out to pawn her jewelry to treat the illness. If this spreads, how will the outsiders view us?”

Ge Chunru choked. “I…”

Just as she was about to explain, Xiao Yuanshi slammed the account book in his hand on the table. “And what’s with this account book?

“The silver in the residence isn’t even enough to pay the servants monthly salary. You only paid half of it last month.

“Where’s the money?”

Ge Chunru’s eyes flickered. “I… I used it to buy a manor with a hot spring.”

Xiao Yuanshi narrowed his eyes and asked, “Then what about the manor’s land deed?”

Ge Chunru bit her lip. “Here, it’s at the bottom of the pile for Chunying’s dowry.”

She had heard that the other side concubine of the second prince had a very generous dowry and also had a hot spring manor in the suburbs.

Thus, she did not want to make things difficult for her younger sister, so she used the remaining silver in the general’s residence’s storeroom to buy a manor for her dowry.

This time, Xiao Yuanshi was really angry.

He swung the teacup on the table onto the ground with his hand. “Bang!”

Ge Chunru was frightened by his sudden action. “Ah!”

Tao Liu reacted very quickly and went forward to support the angry Xiao Yuanshi.

“General, don’t be angry. It’s not good for your health.”

Then she remembered the sugar-coated phrases that Shi Qingluo had taught her.

Thus, she looked at Ge Chunru with a face full of reproach. “Madam, the general has worked hard enough for this house.

“It was not easy for him to accumulate some wealth because of his military merits. How can you use it all for your sister’s dowry?

“A daughter who is married off will be like water splashed out, she will never return, not to mention she is just your sister.

“The general has worked hard in the imperial court. After returning home, he has worked hard for our food and clothes.

“He is so good. How can you be so angry at him?”

Hearing this, Xiao Yuanshi also felt wronged and disappointed.

Even Liu Ru knew that it was not easy for him to accumulate these assets.

Her heart even ached for him.

And what did Ge Chunru, his wife, do to her husband?

“Do you feel bad that you’re not going to empty this house and give it to your younger brother and sister?

“She is a side concubine, yet you insist on preparing 180 loads of dowry for her.

“Only the crown prince’s wife had so many loads of dowry when she got married, while the second prince’s main concubine only had 160 loads of dowry.

“I said that this was against the rules and told you to reduce the amount of dowry.

“You even became unhappy.

“You think it’s because I can’t bear to part with it.

“Yet, you still used the silver from the general’s residence, the jewelry, porcelain, ancient paintings, the assets, lands and furniture made of high-quality wood to give your sister 120 loads of dowry.

“And 30,000 taels of silver to your brother.

“This has almost emptied the general’s residence.

“I didn’t expect that you would still do this behind my back and use the silver to buy a hot spring manor for your sister.

“Now you can’t even afford to pay the monthly salary of the servants.

“You even saved the expenses for a concubine’s treatment.

“Ge Chunru, why don’t you change the surname of the entire general’s residence to Ge?”

The old lady had often mocked him before.

This general’s residence had to be given the surname Ge.

He didn’t care about it back then, but now he felt that those with gray hairs were wiser.

His mother was very prescient.