On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

The backyard of the Prince's Mansion has been a bit chaotic lately.

Ever since the Guo family's valuables were brought back cart after cart, the warehouse is almost overflowing.

Gold, silver, and copper coins are easy enough; just weigh them, lock them in a box, and you're done. But antiques, paintings, calligraphy, silks, satins, and valuable furniture—every single item needs to be carefully counted, registered, and stored.

This is no small project.

Just at this critical juncture, the only accountant in the manor, the old man with a goatee and a brisk walk, suddenly quit.

The cause of this matter is neither a big deal nor a small one.

It's still because of Yang Mi.

Ever since this girl gained the prince's favor and was authorized to learn accounting from Old Man Chen, she's been getting very cocky.

Mr. Chen, the accountant, has worked in the Prince's mansion for over thirty years, since the time of the old Prince. He considers himself a veteran of the mansion, and everyone who sees him usually addresses him respectfully as "Mr. Chen."

That girl Mimi, relying on being the prince's concubine, bosses Chen around like a servant. Today she complains that he's too slow at using the abacus, tomorrow she says his handwriting is ugly. Chen, at his age, can't stand this kind of treatment. Several times he wanted to talk to the steward Lin An about it.

But Mi Mi is a rising star in the prince's harem, spending eight out of ten days a year serving him in bed. This unique favor makes it difficult for Lin An to interfere too much.

Finally, when they were counting a brocade box that had been confiscated from the Guo family, the two of them had a complete falling out.

The brocade box was made of the finest huanghuali wood, with exquisite carvings, and lined with soft gold silk satin inside.

Mimi was in charge of registering the items when Accountant Chen came over with his hands behind his back and asked her, "How much is this box worth?"

Without even looking up, Mimi said, "Ten taels."

Accountant Chen was displeased.

"Nonsense! If you write it like that, there's bound to be trouble later! Write five hundred taels!"

Yang Mi became an instant sensation.

She asked several people about the box, and they all said it was worth about ten taels, but this accountant Chen quoted five hundred taels.

What else could this be but embezzling the prince's money?

So, relying on her quick wit, Mimi slammed down the account book and berated Chen, the accountant, accusing him of being disrespectful to his elders, embezzling public funds, disgracing the family, being heartless and insane, and always taking the opportunity to peek at her breasts, among other things.

In terms of seniority, Accountant Chen was a veteran; in terms of age, he could be Yang Mi's grandfather. How could he tolerate such slander? He immediately said, "I quit! Let whoever wants to manage these accounts take over!"

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Alright, this has stirred up a hornet's nest.

The mountain of valuables went uncounted, and the accounts were a complete mess.

In less than half a day, Lin An was so anxious that he developed several large blisters on his lips.

Finally, having no other choice, he had to bite the bullet and go to find Lin Yi and his newlywed wife, Nangong Min.

The next day, in the backyard, at the octagonal pavilion.

Lin An bowed deeply, his face full of worry: "Your Highness, Madam, that Accountant Chen is stubborn. This old servant has tried to persuade him several times, but he refuses to see us. What should we do?"

Lin Yi was sitting in a chair, holding a military book in his hands. Hearing this, he looked at Lin An and laughed, "Hey, Lao An, you're not young anymore. What's the big deal that's making you so worried?"

Lin An pouted, "Oh, Your Highness, please don't tease this old servant. So much treasure is just sitting there in the sun. If it rains again, the loss will be huge!"

Lin Yi didn't care about these things.

If the people in the manor can't even understand this simple matter, then his manor should really be disbanded.

"Don't worry, let's find a doctor to prescribe some medicine to reduce internal heat first. Even if the sky falls, there's always a high ground to hold it up." Lin Yi crossed his legs.

Lin An was in no mood to take his medicine; he focused his attention on Nangong Min.

After listening to Lin An's explanation, the latter put down her teacup, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

She had just set rules for the servants in the mansion the day before yesterday, and now such a big incident has occurred. Isn't this a blatant slap in the face?

Moreover, Lin Yi remained silent, neither interfering nor asking questions, clearly testing her to see if she, as the matriarch, was capable of managing the household.

"Your Highness," Nangong Min said softly, "The manor cannot be without an accountant. Since Mr. Chen is unwilling to continue, in my opinion, it would be better to recruit a few capable accountants from outside to deal with the current chaos first."

Lin Yi then put down his book and looked up at her: "The method is good. However, hiring a few accountants is easy, but what about dealing with those who drive them away?"

Nangong Min knew he was passing the buck. After a moment's thought, she said calmly, "I understand Your Highness's meaning. Although Mimi is favored by Your Highness, she was wrong first. She became arrogant because of your favor and talked back to the elders in the manor, which caused this trouble. If she is not punished, I'm afraid she will have difficulty winning people's hearts in the future, and I will be unable to manage my household."

Lin Yi remained noncommittal: "You are the matriarch of the household, you have the final say in matters of the inner quarters."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Min immediately felt reassured.

"Someone come here," Nangong Min called to Liying.

"lady."

"Go and call Mimi here."

"Yes." Liying accepted the order and left.

Lin An stood aside, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, but inwardly he secretly admired the new princess's methods.

As expected of a princess from the palace, she is young but calm and experienced in handling matters. She is reasonable and well-founded, pointing out the key to the problem and knowing to consult the prince first, leaving no room for error.

It seems the good days for those unruly little hooves in the backyard are numbered.

Mimi received the news and arrived very quickly.

Upon entering the courtyard, one could see Lin Yi and Nangong Min sitting side by side, with the steward Lin An standing respectfully to the side. There were other maids and servants around, all with indifferent expressions, not daring to look around.

What's going on? A joint trial by three judges?

cut!

Yang Mi wasn't flustered at all.

She was the prince's woman, the most favored person in the manor besides the masters. What was that accountant Chen? Just a lowly bookkeeper. Let him go. The prince's manor was so large and powerful, how could they be afraid of not finding someone to do the accounting?

Besides, everything I did was for the prince's good.

That old man was clearly embezzling public funds. By driving him away, I was also eliminating a parasite for the Prince's Mansion.

Thinking of this, Mimi felt even more smug. She walked up to Nangong Min, lazily curtsied, and didn't even bother to address her as "Madam." Instead, she spoke with a hint of coquettishness and grievance: "Your Highness, you must do me justice! That Accountant Chen, he..."

"presumptuous!"

Before Mimi could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Nangong Min's angry rebuke.

She paused for a moment, then turned her head and saw that Nangong Min's expression was very unpleasant.

Her eyes, cold and aloof, were narrowed as she stared at him. She said in a deep voice, "Who gave you permission to speak? Don't you even know the proper etiquette before your master?"

Mimi felt a chill run down her spine under her gaze and instinctively looked towards Lin Yi, seeking protection.

But Lin Yi acted as if he hadn't seen it, remaining silent and still looking down at the military book in his hand.

It’s over.

The situation has changed.

Mimi immediately dared not be presumptuous any longer, knelt down, and obediently kowtowed: "This servant knows her mistake. This servant greets Your Highness and Madam."

Nangong Min didn't let her get up, but simply picked up her teacup and gently skimmed off the foam with the lid: "I'm asking you, why did Accountant Chen storm out of the mansion?"

Mimi knew in her heart that something was wrong.

This new queen is up to no good; she came right off the bat and started questioning me about this matter.

Her eyes darted around, and she immediately put on a tearful expression, sobbing as she cried out:

"Replying to Madam, it's not that I want to drive him away, it's just that that old bastard has gone too far! He embezzled the Prince's property, and when I found out, I kindly advised him against it, but not only did he not listen, he became desperate and turned around, blaming me instead, and quitting his job! Madam, you must investigate this thoroughly!"