The most dissolute couple in the capital

In the study, Li Chengjing squatted on the floor, looking at the broken porcelain shards scattered all over the floor with a heartbroken expression.

"My bottle...this was a gift from my imperial brother..." He picked up a shard, examining it from left to right, trying to piece it back together. "How beautiful the curve is, how lustrous the glaze is! It's from the imperial kilns of the previous dynasty; you can't buy it now even if you have money..."

Steward Sun stood to the side, his eyes slightly red, looking heartbroken: "Your Highness, this old servant has failed in his duty to discipline her and has not kept a close watch on the study. But this girl is new to the main courtyard, and this old servant simply cannot control her..."

He sighed, his hesitant demeanor perfectly timed: "This old servant is not speaking ill of the Princess, it's just... the people from the Princess's courtyard were rather clumsy when they came to the study to do things, and there are so many valuable items in the study..."

Holding the shards, Li Chengjing was still grieving the loss of the bottle when he looked up at Butler Sun and asked, "What did you say?"

"What this old servant means is that this girl is under the Princess's jurisdiction, and it is really inappropriate for this old servant to overstep his bounds and discipline her..."

"Overstepping your bounds?" Li Chengjing interrupted him, frowning. "What a joke! The entire palace is managed by the Princess Consort. How can you be overstepping your bounds?"

Steward Sun paused, then quickly waved his hand, "Your Highness misunderstands! This old servant absolutely did not mean anything by the Princess Consort! This old servant was just feeling sorry for Your Highness, this pretty face..."

"Wait." Li Chengjing threw the shard in his hand onto the ground with a crisp "clink." He stood up and clapped his hands.

"I have a few questions for you."

"Please speak, Your Highness."

Li Chengjing stared at him, his expression inscrutable: "Is this girl one of the Princess's people?"

Steward Sun was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Yes."

"Alright." Li Chengjing then asked, "Did I summon her to the study, or did the Princess Consort summon her?"

Steward Sun hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to say, "Yes...it was because this old servant saw that the main courtyard was short-handed, so I thought I'd let her come and help out for half a day."

"Oh." Lee Seung-kyung nodded, then shrugged, looking completely innocent. "Then that settles it?"

Steward Sun was stunned: "Your Highness... what do you mean by that?"

"What you mean is," Li Chengjing said matter-of-factly, "that you summoned the Princess's people, they entered my room, broke my bottle, and then you came to me saying that you can't handle this matter and that the Princess has to?"

His expression turned serious: "Steward Sun, don't try to fool me with these convoluted schemes. What does this matter have to do with the Princess from beginning to end?"

Butler Sun opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

He wanted to follow the rules, but this guy didn't follow them at all.

"Your Highness...you're right. This old servant was confused." Steward Sun chuckled dryly, quickly changing tactics. "Then what should we do with this girl?"

Li Chengjing thought for a moment: "She broke something, so let's fine her three months' salary."

"Your Highness, this belongs to the previous dynasty—"

"Six months' fine, is that enough?" Li Chengjing waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, alright, get ready. By the way, call Liu Lu here. Where is he?"

Steward Sun was speechless with frustration and could only bow and retreat.

-

Back in his room, Steward Sun summoned his trusted confidants: Granny Zhou from the kitchen, Steward Zhao from the purchasing department, and Steward Wu from the garden who managed the gardeners.

The four people closed the door, and Butler Sun got straight to the point.

"The people around the princess have been investigating everywhere these past few days, including the kitchen, the laundry room, and the charcoal room." He glanced at everyone present. "You all know in your hearts how much of our accounting over the years cannot withstand close scrutiny."

Granny Zhou was the first to get anxious: "Grandpa Sun, you approved my kitchen accounts back then. The extra money reported each month was distributed to the servants in a very specific way—"

"Shut up," Butler Sun hissed, "Keep these words to yourself. If anyone utters another word of them, I'll be the first to deal with them."

Granny Zhou shut her mouth in embarrassment.

Manager Zhao coughed and asked, "So... what does Grandpa Sun mean?"

Steward Sun pondered for a moment before speaking, "The Princess Consort is new here and her position is unstable. She can only count the number of people she can rely on on one hand. If she wants to audit the accounts, she'll need people to run errands. As long as she has no one she can rely on, it won't be of any use no matter how much she audits."

He looked at the group and said, "From today onwards, ignore anyone in the manor who is new, unfamiliar, or not one of our own. If anyone comes to ask you anything, just say you don't know."

Manager Zhao nodded.

Butler Sun added, "Also, the people below are a bit unsettled lately. Some gossips are spreading rumors like 'The new princess is going to lay off people' or 'The new princess is going to cut their monthly pay'—"

Manager Wu chimed in, "Wasn't this...something you ordered to be spread?"

Butler Sun glared at him: "When did I authorize this? This is just something our subordinates spread on their own." He emphasized, "It's just that there are too many people talking, and we really can't control it."

The group exchanged glances, all understanding each other perfectly.

"Alright, everyone go about your business." Butler Sun picked up his teacup. "Nothing can be turned upside down in this manor."