The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Xie Liu was stunned on the spot.

The wife, Wang, didn't notice and continued doing the accounting, saying, "A few days ago, I went on a trip with a group of my sisters and saw a tailor whose skills were truly amazing."

"The sisters all ordered clothes there, so I also ordered a whole set, including clothes for spring, summer, autumn and winter, for only twenty-five taels of silver, which was really cheap."

Xie Liu: "..."

"What are you spacing out for?" Wang grumbled, annoyed that Xie Liu didn't speak. "It's your turn to report the expenses. Aren't we calculating where the money went?"

Xie Liu then spoke: "A few days ago, I was checking on the sweet potatoes in the field. The sun was too strong and intense, and I couldn't stand it anymore, so I spent a penny to buy a bowl of coarse tea..."

"What?" Wang almost jumped up. "No, why did you go out to buy tea? Is there no water at home?"

"Couldn't you bring some water with you when you go out?"

Why are you drinking that?

"What a waste of money."

"Wouldn't it be great if you saved this money and bought me clothes and jewelry?"

Wang became increasingly angry as she spoke, her face growing even more menacing: "I think it's because I've been too lenient with you that you've become so unruly."

"Our family's monthly income is only twenty taels of silver. With your extravagant spending, how can we possibly save any money?"

"Don't talk about what we'll do when we get old; there's nothing we can do now."

"It seems..."

Wang quickly made up her mind and said, "I need to adjust the allowance I give you every month."

The words "pocket money" struck a nerve with Xie Liu, nearly making him jump up. He stammered, "Adjust it?"

"We must make adjustments!" Wang said firmly. "If we don't make adjustments, you won't know how hard it is to earn money, and you'll dare to spend it recklessly."

"So, your monthly allowance used to be five coins, but now it's adjusted to three coins per month."

Xie Liu quickly stopped him: "No, no, that's too little, too little! What can three coins do? It's not even enough for me to buy a pancake outside sometimes."

Hearing Xie Liu's words, Wang Shi became even angrier: "If you don't have enough, bring some from home. It's not like you don't know how to cook."

"I knew it! The root of your increasingly unrestrained spending is right here. You've got a little money in your hands, and you've become so wasteful that you've forgotten who you are, daring to spend it recklessly."

"My allowance must be reduced."

"Three coins, that's all."

"Starting next month, your monthly allowance must be limited to three coins."

"Only then will you realize how hard it is to earn money."

Xie Liu looked utterly dejected.

Like a criminal sentenced to death, or a fish stranded on the shore, with no chance to even jump.

"Alright, alright..." Seeing Xie Liu's grief-stricken appearance, Madam Wang comforted him, "I've given you plenty of pocket money. As long as you don't spend it, it'll be more than enough."

Xie Liu's mind was buzzing.

The words that enter one's ears have lost their capacity for critical thinking.

All that's left is instinctive judgment.

But I just felt something was off.

What do you mean by "not spending any money is enough"?

No need to spend money, of course it's enough.

Not only is it enough, but you can even save some!

"Alright, eat first. After you finish eating, hurry up and get to work. Didn't you say the military officers from Pukou City are here? Take advantage of this opportunity to do more work and let the officers see your diligence. Maybe they can even give you a promotion or something."

"If you earn more, our household expenses will be easier to manage in the future."

After saying this, Wang turned and went back to her room. Xie Liu watched her back as it grew increasingly blurry, and the confusion surging in his mind gradually turned into pain.

A throbbing pain.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir..."

Xie Liu didn't notice a subordinate appear beside him until the subordinate called out several times, at which point he was startled to realize it.

"What's wrong?"

"But there's been a problem with the sweet potato shipment?"

Xie Liu immediately looked tense.

If even the slightest problem were to cause a deduction from his monthly salary, even just a few coins, it would be a devastating blow to him.

"No, no..." the subordinate quickly replied, "It's all good. There were no problems with the transport of the sweet potatoes. On the contrary, the military officers in Pukou City are quite satisfied."

call!

Xie Liu let out a long sigh.

Then he asked, "What is it?"

"Why are you looking for me at this time?"

The subordinate said mysteriously, "Lord Xie, may I speak to you in private?"

The two walked out of the courtyard and out of the Xie residence, one after the other, and arrived at a secluded place. There was no one around, and the place was empty and quiet, with a somewhat eerie feeling.

Xie Liu's heart was pounding.

Would they really be after money and murder through the secret passage?

However, he quickly became indifferent.

Even if you're after money, you have to have money first.

He'll be penniless sooner or later, so what's the point of getting anything from him?

"Lord Xie, there is a letter for you."

The subordinate then explained his purpose, and took out a letter from his pocket, saying, "This is meant for you, Lord Xie. I was worried about it being exposed, so I hid it for you."

After a pause, the subordinate said, "It's a letter that General Zhang Shi wrote to you personally."

Xie Liu looked bewildered: "General Zhang Shi?"

"Who is it?"

"One of General Zhou Xiong's men?"

The subordinate said somewhat helplessly, "General Zhang Shi is a man of the imperial court, a general under the command of Duke Ren Tianye. He is currently near our Pukou City."

"oh!"

Xie Liu nodded, his face expressionless.

The main problem is that he's just a low-level worker who can't even keep his salary. He's always calculating whether he can save a penny more, so he has no time to care about the world's affairs.

If the world collapses, so be it.

Even if things really fall apart, this is the worst that can happen to him.

If we get a bit of luck, things might get better.

However, he was still a little puzzled by the letter General Zhang Shi had given him, so he opened the envelope in front of his subordinates.

After taking it out, I read it word by word.

An expression of disbelief gradually appeared on his face.

After a long while, he closed the envelope.

The subordinate, clearly unaware of the letter's contents, eagerly inquired, "Sir, what did General Zhang Shi say in the letter?"

"Has anyone heard that the Duke is coming?"

"Does this place, Luofeng Slope, now fall under the jurisdiction of the Duke?"

Xie Liu nodded subconsciously, then shook his head and said, "General Zhang Shi said he wants to invite me to join them..."

"My lord!!!" The subordinate's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, his face bursting with intense joy like fireworks in the dark night: "Great news! Incredibly great news!"

"General Zhang Shi requests that you join them."

"From now on, your happy days will begin."

"Happy days?" These four words clearly moved Xie Liu, who couldn't wait to ask, "Are there really happy days?"

"Of course," the subordinate replied emphatically. "Lord Xie, haven't you heard? Serving under the Duke is truly a privilege."

"They crack down on those obsessed with romance, and maintain order among the people and the army."

"Everyone says that with the arrival of the Duke, justice will prevail."

"How could it not be good?"

No sooner had his subordinate finished speaking than Xie Liu impatiently asked, "I'm not concerned with those things, I just want to ask..."

"If I join General Zhang Shi's ranks, will all the money I earn go directly to me, and not to others?"

"I'll surrender immediately if I can."

"Without hesitation."

Xie Liu practically gritted his teeth when he said the last sentence.

The subordinate was completely bewildered.

He had never heard of such a policy from the Duke's side, but he reacted quickly and knew how to draw inferences from one instance to another, immediately saying, "The Duke's definition of love is that it must be equal."

"Lord Xie, this is far too unfair."

"So, I bet you'll feel like you've entered a completely different world when you get to the Duke's place."

Xie Liu immediately became very enthusiastic.

Equality!

Once you get to the Duke, everyone's equal!

Then what are you hesitating for?

……