The dining area in the Marquis’ residence was in the flower hall.

A large redwood carved table, depicting eight immortals and a variety of birds, was filled with delicious dishes, all of which Li Zhiyue had never tasted before: mouth-watering chicken, smoked pork belly, braised duck with sea cucumber, yellow-braised lamb, and cherry-flavored carp…

Slurp!

Li Zhiyue’s mouth nearly watered.

At that moment, a young servant entered and said, “Young Master has been invited to a poetry gathering and will not be returning for dinner.”

Upon hearing this, the old Marquis stroked his beard and laughed heartily, “Being able to attend a poetry gathering means that the Li family has finally produced a scholar. The Marquis’ house has hope now. In the future, we can rely on Yun Ge’er to uphold our family name and ensure that the Marquis’ house continues for generations!”

Li Suifeng was also pleased. “Indeed, like father, like son!”

Li Zhiyue: “…”

The book mentioned that Li Muyu, the young master of the Xiangyang Marquis’ residence, loved attending poetry gatherings.

He often gathered a group of second-generation heirs at brothels and pleasure houses, writing poems and essays on the theme of beautiful women.

They were all vulgar, inconsequential poems.

Of course, even being able to write such trivial poetry was an achievement.

After all, Li Zhiyue, having spent years studying, could not do that.

Finally, they started eating, and Li Zhiyue buried herself in her food.

In her entire life, she had never tasted such delicious food. She almost wished she could swallow her own tongue.

After the meal, her stomach was so full it felt like it was going to burst.

The dishes were cleared away, and the maidservants brought tea, followed by several plates of various snacks.

Li Zhiyue wished she had a bigger stomach.

She took a sip of tea and slowly said, “Grandfather, Father, Mother, I spent the whole afternoon reviewing the accounts. I calculated that the Marquis’ household’s average monthly expenditure is at least three to four thousand taels of silver, but there is less than four thousand taels left in the account.”

Li Suifeng was unconcerned. “The imperial salary will be issued soon, and the revenue from the estates and shops should arrive in a few days. Don’t worry, there will be money.”

Li Zhiyue smiled slightly. “Father’s salary is three hundred shi of grain per season, which is less than a hundred taels of silver. As for the Marquis’ shops, most of them are running at a loss. If we’re not putting more money into them, there is basically no income.

The estates outside the city are also in poor shape. Over a thousand acres only brought in eighteen hundred taels of income. After all calculations, our monthly income is only a little over three hundred taels of silver.”

Three hundred taels was close to twenty thousand yuan.

In this era, three hundred taels of silver would last an ordinary person a lifetime.

But for the Marquis’ residence, it was different.

A hundred-year-old aristocratic family needed silver to support its status.

The most important thing was that the family members were all prodigious spenders.

“Yue Niang, don’t worry.” The old Marquis waved his hand. “I’m not dead yet. I’ll go to the palace sometime soon, pay my respects to the Emperor, say a few nice words, and the palace rewards will come pouring in. We’ll have no trouble with money!”

Li Zhiyue rubbed her temples.

Relying on rewards from the palace to survive—could that really last long?

If flattery falls on deaf ears, and the emperor gets angry, the Xiangyang Marquis’ residence will be doomed.

Ah, this was really giving her a headache.

“Starting tomorrow, I will officially take over managing the Marquis’ household.” She forced a smile. “I am young, so if I do anything wrong, grandfather, father, mother, please be tolerant.”

Bai Ruzhu was deeply gratified. “Yue Niang is going to manage the household. The Marquis’ eldest daughter is skilled in managing, and once that reputation spreads, there will be no end to the suitors.”

Li Zhiyue: “…”

She was only fifteen years old.

Wasn’t talking about marriage a bit too early?!

After the family conversation, nightfall came, and the last bit of twilight slowly sank in the western sky. Lanterns lit up all around the Marquis’ residence.

Even the uninhabited courtyards had several lanterns, lighting the place like daylight.

Served by the maidservants, she took a comfortable hot bath. Expecting to have trouble sleeping, she was surprised to fall asleep immediately.

She didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

Habitually reaching for her phone, she found nothing and opened her eyes to see an intricately carved bed.

With a wry smile, she sat up.

“Miss is awake.”

Four maidservants entered and helped Li Zhiyue with dressing and washing.

There was no old madam in the Marquis’ residence, and Bai Ruzhu had not established any rules.

Therefore, early in the morning, there was no need to go to pay respects.

Instead, breakfast was laid out in her own courtyard, and she enjoyed twelve different kinds of snacks alone.

After finishing breakfast, it was already the morning.

Li Zhiyue leisurely spoke, “Call for the stewards to come over.”

The lead maidservant, Mo Yu, quickly passed on the message.

About a quarter of an hour later, over ten stewards arrived.

“It’s hot outside, come in.” Li Zhiyue sat in the main seat and smiled. “I’m sure you all know that from today on, I’ll be in charge of managing the Marquis’ residence. Please introduce yourselves—tell me your names and what duties you are responsible for, so I’ll have an idea.”

She maintained a smiling expression, and the others, feeling less restrained, introduced themselves.

The stewards were all children of loyal servants who had worked for the Marquis’ family for years.

Their parents were trusted elders of the Marquis’ house, and their children worked as maids, servants, or handled business matters.

For example, Mo Yu, Li Zhiyue’s most trusted maidservant, was the daughter of the head of the kitchen.

“You’ve worked hard for the Marquis’ household these years,” Li Zhiyue looked up, her smile fading, and her voice grew cold. “But some of you, relying on your parents’ service to the old Marquis and old madam, have started harboring improper thoughts.”

The room fell silent.

No one expected the young miss to suddenly change her expression.

“It’s normal for people to seek a bit of benefit for themselves while doing their jobs,” Li Zhiyue glanced around the room. “But taking too much advantage is treating the Marquis’ residence as a fool!”

She slammed her cup down onto the table with a loud thud.

She had noticed discrepancies while reviewing the accounts, but the Marquis’ residence had been around for centuries.

If she started from scratch, it would take her months to sort everything out.

By the time the accounts were clear, the Marquis’ residence might have been exiled. For now, she had to intimidate them.

With a cold smile, she continued, “Today, if you voluntarily hand over what you shouldn’t have taken, I’ll pretend nothing happened. After today, if we have to go to the authorities, there will be no turning back.”

A threat.

This was a blatant threat.

A bold woman bent forward and stepped up. “Did someone speak ill of us in the miss’ ear? We are all children of the Marquis’ household, and we want nothing but the best for it. How could we fatten our own pockets? Miss, we are all innocent!”

This woman’s husband was Zhao Wei, and she was in charge of managing the flowers and trees in the residence.

Li Zhiyue took a book from the account ledger and flipped through it quickly before smiling.

Zhao Wei’s wife shivered for no apparent reason.