Chapter 20 – Angering the Step-Grandmother The Evil Prince and his Precious Wife The Sly Lady (1/2)

“How are you managers?”

The cold reproachful voice went straight into their ears and hit their hearts. The managers shuddered and their faces showed fluster, “Young Mistress, is it that the accounts are not right?”

The Marquis’ Dowager Lady will check the accounts every month. If there is something wrong, she will scold them or if the situation is worse, she might even report them to the magistrate. As such, they have never dared to do anything funny with regards to the accounts after so many years.

“The accounts have nothing wrong with them. It’s the receivables that are too much and too long!” Murong Xue’s delicate hand waved and the account book accurately fell into the manager’s lap.

“When you open for business, you might let customers put it on the tab. But there must be a limit to how much. It’s ok if it’s 3 or 5 months; 1 to 2 years might be straining it but see the accounts in your hands. From 10 years ago owing till now, for rogue customers who do not pay a cent, you still dare to let them take things from the store? Do you want to close the store down?”

Are there much rogue customers? How is it they don’t remember?

The managers looked down bewildered to flip through the book. Looking at the debtors’ name, they all turned bitter, “Young Mistress, it’s not us that make the decision to allow them to owe, but those that come to take things from the store are all from the Wu’an Marquis’ household…”

“So what if it’s the Wu’an Marquis’ household? Even if it’s the lady herself, Murong Rou personally, she’s also a customer, and you only need to carefully serve her. Who let them take things and only need to owe and not pay?” Murong Xue sharply interrupted them, her gaze cold as ice.

The managers looked at each other and lowered their heads, their voice soft as a mosquito, “It’s… It’s the old Lady that allowed…”

Murong Xue’s mouth curved into a sneer, she knew it would be like that.

Ten years of accounts piled together made it quite tall. She didn’t flip through all of them but picked a few from ten years ago, five years ago and then saw the last two months. She found that from 10 years ago, Wu’an Marquis’ household would come to the clothing store and order large batches of new clothes. Ten to twenty rolls of high, medium and low quality types of cloths wouls be used – from Wu’an Marquis Household’s Dowager Lady, to the lowest of maids and servants would all be tailored from there!

Just like that for 10 years – they had only recorded the debt but had never paid a single cent.

Also, there was the jewelry store, that they would also often visit. Every season, they would take away quite a number of sets for old, ladies and young mistresses.

Every 2 to 3 months, Wu’an Marquis’ household’s people would also go to the antique shop to take one or two antiques, paintings and never pay a single cent…

No wonder Du righteously said that she didn’t steal the earnings from her mother’s dowry stores. It was because the money earned had all gone to fill the debt left by Wu’an Household, and thus had hardly any money left. Even if she wanted to steal, there was nothing left.

“This is the way step-grandmother helps my mother take care of her stores?” Murong Xue flipped open the curtain before walking into the inner room, sneering at Du.

Du glanced at her and answered without care, “Your aunt makes their clothes and jewelry there to help the store’s business…”

“Taking things and paying up is called helping the business. Taking things and not paying, and taking for ten years with ease is called being thick-skinned!” Murong Xue unceremoniously interrupted what Du was saying, word-by-word, “The noble Wu’an Marquis’ Household is not beggars on the street, actually doing such a shameless act like street thugs. Even if they don’t feel ashamed, I feel ashamed for them.”

“Rou’er is your dear aunt. How can you say such a thing about her?” Du snapped, her eyes flashed with cold sharpness.

As the mistress of the Wu’an Marquis’ household, Murong Rou held the reins to the household’s internal matters. Tailoring new clothes and making jewelry etc. fell under her purview. If Murong Xue ridiculed Wu’an household’s people for being shameless, it would mean ridiculing her.