Volume One, Chapter 19: Settle Matters Promptly

Having made up her mind, Shen Yurou no longer wished to delay matters. Settling accounts promptly would be a relief for herself as well.

She glanced around, then pointed to a nearby pavilion and said, “Let’s go there and carefully sort through the accounts once more.”

The pavilion was perfectly situated, with a small lotus pond before it. A gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of lotus leaves, dispersing the early summer heat.

Seated on a stone bench, Shen Yurou toyed with an abacus, finding an unusual pleasure in it. Time passed amid the clicking of the beads.

When she finally put down the abacus, an hour had slipped by. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, stretched her arms and back, then turned to Qiu Yue and the others, saying, “Let’s go get the money.”

Qiu Yue blinked in confusion and uttered a soft “Ah.”

Shen Yurou picked up the account sheet she had just organized, shaking it with satisfaction. “A full six thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight taels. If we get all this money back, we’ll have enough to buy a new home.”

At that moment, the door that had remained silent all this time creaked open. The young maid who had led them inside peeked out.

Seeing Shen Yurou and her companions hiding in the pavilion, the maid’s expression darkened. “Weren’t you told to wait by the door? Why did you run off over there?”

Qiu Yue retorted without restraint, “What difference does it make where we wait? And you’re just a maid—why are you so bossy?”

The maid paled and began to speak seriously. “The master said he has official duties this afternoon and asked you to leave for now. He’ll call you back when he’s free.”

They were really being kept waiting here. Even though they were about to be divorced, they were still showing off and trying to intimidate her.

Shen Yurou smiled faintly, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. “May I ask if the matriarch is home? I’d like to speak with her as well.”

The young maid rolled her eyes. “It’s the matriarch’s midday rest. You’ll have to wait.”

With that, she turned to go back inside.

Shen Yurou quickly called after her.

“Miss, please wait. In that case, please deliver this account sheet for me.” She handed over the document.

The maid couldn’t understand the details listed, but she clearly saw the final number: six thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight taels.

She gasped in surprise. “What kind of bill is this? Why is it so much?”

Shen Yurou smiled warmly. “Oh, this is what the General must repay me before our divorce.” She pointed to the detailed items on the sheet. “Here everything is recorded carefully. Please deliver it to your master soon. Once he confirms it, I’ll file the divorce papers at the bureau.”

Such a bold declaration stunned the maid into silence.

Suddenly, the door swung open from inside. Xie Zhian emerged, hands on hips, radiating fury.

He snatched the sheet from the maid’s hand, glanced at it briefly, then tore it to shreds in a rage.

Then, Bi Huan pulled a stack of papers from her hand and offered one to Shen Yurou.

Shen Yurou smiled broadly. “The General can rip as many as he likes. I’ve made several copies.”

Xie Zhian ground his teeth, poised to tear another. Shen Yurou suddenly exclaimed as if recalling something, warning him:

“I forgot to mention, this paper is made from orange-heart bark and pine soot ink. For the sake of our marriage, tearing one or two I won’t mind—but more than that, I’ll have to charge you.”

Bi Yao promptly handed over the abacus.

Shen Yurou tapped away at the beads, calculating once more.

“How about you tear twenty more sheets? That’ll round it up to seven thousand taels.”

Xie Zhian’s grip on the papers tightened until his hand trembled slightly.

He clenched his teeth, eyes blazing with fury, utterly devoid of any gentlemanly demeanor.

A woman in splendid robes fluttered out like a butterfly from inside, throwing herself into Xie Zhian’s arms.

“Sir, why are you taking so long? You’re keeping your humble servant waiting.”

Her voice was affected and coquettish. Shen Yurou’s stomach churned, but she forced it down.

Though she tried to remain indifferent, her gaze involuntarily flicked toward the butterfly-like woman’s face.

Arched brows, almond-shaped eyes, with a hint of seduction at the corners—not the same dancer she had met before.

The once haughty young maid immediately stepped forward, fanning her and showing a completely different, obedient demeanor.

Xie Zhian was already displeased, and seeing the two behave so, he growled irritably, “Step aside!”

The woman froze at his shout.

Then, with a flick of her sleeve, she slapped the maid’s face.

“What’s going on? You’re fanning me? Don’t you have any sense?”

The maid’s face instantly swelled red. She knelt meekly and pleaded, “Madam, please don’t be angry. I’ll fetch you some iced plums right away.”

The scene left Shen Yurou and her three companions dumbfounded.

Xie Zhian, however, seemed accustomed to it all, remaining unmoved throughout.

Shen Yurou’s disappointment deepened.

She began to doubt her own judgement.

Had she truly been blind these past few years to think Xie Zhian was a refined gentleman?

Or was it all the rank of General that corrupted him?

Mired in the quagmire of power, Xie Zhian was no longer the young man she once knew.

“Why all the noise? Why ruin a perfectly good day? Don’t you want to live well anymore?”

Xie Zhian’s mother, having heard of Shen Yurou’s disturbance at the residence, had been roused from sleep and hurried to the front courtyard.

She glared at Shen Yurou and said to Xie Zhian, “Zhian, what are you hesitating for? Go pay up from the accounts! Give her the money and the divorce papers, and send that jealous woman packing from the Xie household.”

Xie Zhian gently tugged his mother’s sleeve and quietly slid the account sheet into her hand.

Without even looking at the detailed list, she stood stiffly and kept chattering,

“A merchant’s daughter has no standing here—small-minded and petty. Just give her the money and send her away. Many noble ladies are waiting for our Zhian now.”

Though since his promotion, Xie Zhian lived a life of extravagance daily, he still knew exactly how much wealth the Xie family possessed.

He tugged his mother’s sleeve sharply and slapped the account sheet before her eyes.

“Mother, why not read this bill first before speaking?”

Shen Yurou maintained her smile and gestured politely.

His mother was forced to pause her incessant babbling. Irritated, she snatched the paper and muttered,

“Whatever the amount, just give it to her. Treat it like charity for a beggar.”

Xie Zhian’s eyes flickered nervously.

Charity for a beggar—would anyone spend half their fortune on charity?