On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

"I..." Mimi finally realized how terribly wrong she had been.

It turns out that my supposedly sharp eyesight was nothing but a joke in other people's eyes.

He kept saying he was doing it for the good of the Prince's Mansion, but he ended up doing more harm than good, driving away the mansion's most meritorious official.

How embarrassing! How utterly embarrassing!

She wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"This servant knows her mistake." She lowered her head, her voice barely audible. "This servant was blind and did not recognize your greatness. I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Lin Yi found it amusing to see her looking like she wished she could die on the spot.

This girl, although she can be quite silly at times, is clever and loyal.

With proper training, they can still be useful in the future.

He turned his gaze to Nangong Min, but spoke to both of them.

"However, times have changed. In the past, the Prince's Mansion kept a low profile, so it needed someone like Accountant Chen to deal with those above. But from now on, our Prince's Mansion doesn't need to deal with anyone anymore. So, such an accountant is no longer of much use. Tell Lin An to take some money and go find Accountant Chen. Tell him that if he wants to come back, he can, and if he really doesn't want to come back, the Prince's Mansion will take care of him in his old age. After all, he has served the Prince's Mansion for so many years."

Nangong Min nodded: "Yes, I've got it."

Lin Yi then changed the subject, turning his attention to Mi Mi: "As for fining you half a year's salary, that's a must. This has nothing to do with Accountant Chen's matter; it's purely to pay for your temper! You're too flamboyant and too impatient. If we don't teach you a lesson, you'll cause even bigger trouble sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, Mi Mi immediately looked miserable.

It seems I can't escape this punishment.

Half a year's salary, that's several dozen taels of silver! Enough for her to buy so many beautiful erotic pictures.

Most importantly, the prince said that he was paying the price for his own impulsiveness. This shows that the prince genuinely felt he was wrong, and very wrong at that.

That's it, I've completely fallen out of favor.

The more Mimi thought about it, the sadder she became, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

Just then, Lin Yi suddenly stood up, walked up to Mi Mi, took a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to her.

"Take it."

Mimi looked up blankly at the jade pendant, momentarily unable to react.

It was a jade pendant, made of mutton-fat white jade, with a warm and smooth texture and exquisite carving. It was carved with a blooming peony, its petals layered upon each other, lifelike. It emitted a faint glow in the candlelight.

Nangong Min also looked over and recognized at a glance that the jade pendant was extraordinary, definitely top-grade Hetian jade.

Moreover, judging from the craftsmanship, it should be the work of a master craftsman from the Imperial Workshop.

Let alone a few hundred taels, even a thousand taels would be sought after by outsiders.

That's right, this jade pendant was taken from Guo Ao's secret room. Lin Yi saw it when he passed by the storeroom, thought it was quite unique, and casually hung it on his waist.

But in his mouth, it became...

"This was confiscated from the Guo family. I think it's in mediocre condition, so I'll give it to you," Lin Yi said casually.

Mimi and Nangong Min were both stunned.

Is the quality just average?

Your Highness, do you have some misunderstanding about the word "ordinary"?

Holding the warm, smooth jade pendant, Mi Mi's heart was in turmoil, wondering what Lin Yi really meant.

He just punished himself, and then rewarded himself. Is this the legendary "slap followed by a sweet treat"?

Lin Yi smiled at her dazed look: "Punishment is necessary. Min'er is the mistress of the house and needs to set rules for the servants. As her husband, I must support her. Otherwise, how will we manage this household in the future? No matter how favored you are, you still have to abide by the rules."

Mimi nodded quickly: "This servant understands!"

"I'm giving you these things not as a reward," Lin Yi continued, "but in the hope that you'll learn your lesson and curb your unruly nature. Mimi, you're a smart girl, but sometimes your cleverness backfires. So from now on, listen more, observe more, learn more, speak less, and avoid causing trouble. Cooperate well with Min'er to manage the household affairs. If you do well, you'll naturally be rewarded. But if you continue to pretend to know what you don't and act arrogantly, the punishment won't be light. Understand?"

Mimi held the heavy jade pendant, her mind in turmoil.

She didn't quite understand what Lin Yi was saying, but she grasped the main idea.

That means... Your Highness still has feelings for me!

Hehehehehe~~

"Your Highness, I understand. I will definitely change my ways and listen to Madam properly from now on. I will never cause you or Madam any more trouble!"

Lin Yi thought she really understood, so he patted her head with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Good girl, you're teachable. Go back now."

"Yes." Mimi wiped away her tears, took the jade pendant, and respectfully kowtowed.

Then he got up and left, turning back every few steps.

Only Lin Yi and Nangong Min remained in the room.

Nangong Min looked at Lin Yi, her beautiful phoenix eyes sparkling with admiration and love.

It turns out there's so much to learn about managing people's hearts and minds.

Direct punishment may instill fear, but it can also breed resentment.

Like Lin Yi, he first presented the facts and reasoned with her to convince her; then he used swift and decisive punishment to establish rules; and finally, he used small favors to win her over and make her grateful.

After this series of moves, Mi Mi will only become more loyal to the prince and herself.

High, really high.

"My lord," Nangong Min composed herself and asked cautiously, "What about Mimi's punishment... I also made a mistake today, giving the order without careful questioning. What do you think...?"

"You are the head of the household, so even if you are wrong, you cannot admit it. Mimi's monthly allowance for half a year must be deducted. As for the house arrest, let's shorten it to five days. Tell everyone that Mimi behaved well during the house arrest and that you were being exceptionally lenient."

"Yes, then I'll listen to my husband." Nangong Min thought Lin Yi was thinking of her, and she was very happy.

Little did Lin Yi know, he simply didn't want to keep Mi Mi locked up for too long.

Because that way... the nights are never quite enough.

......

The next day, the Prince's Palace posted a notice offering a high salary to hire an accountant.

As soon as the news spread, all the accountants in the capital, young and old, were mobilized.

Just kidding, that's the Regent's Palace!

Not only is the monthly salary high, but it also brings prestige. More importantly, who doesn't know that the Regent Prince wields immense power, even the Emperor has to give him some leeway? If one could get a job in the Prince's residence, the future would definitely be bright.

Of course, many people also believe that the Prince's Mansion is a traitorous regime that must be eradicated sooner or later. At that time, anyone associated with the Prince's Mansion will be beheaded.

So the area in front of the Prince's Mansion was quite lively today.

One group of people were queuing to register, while another group stood by cursing and trying to persuade them.

"Don't go anymore. The Prince's Mansion will be gone in a few days, and you'll be implicated then."

"Get out of my way! Ten taels of silver a month? I'd give my life for the Prince's mansion!"

"Are you out of your mind? Is money more important than your life?"

"money!"

"Nonsense! Listen to me, taking the imperial examinations is the proper thing to do. The imperial court is offering excellent benefits right now. Even if you work a little too hard, you'll still get three taels of silver a month! Working for the imperial court, how prestigious is that?"

"You're talking nonsense! Three coins? My wife and kids are going to eat dog money? Get lost, don't block my way to getting ashore!"

"Oh dear, you have to understand the imperial court. Our Great Zhou is short of money right now! But in a hundred years or so, things will recover. We won't be giving all our money to those barbarians in neighboring countries just to save face. We'll definitely give some to our people then!"

Lin An stood at the gate of the mansion, holding a calligraphy brush and shouting, "Next!"

"They're here! They're here!" the middle-aged scholar shouted, "Stop trying to fool us! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! All that money from the imperial court has gone to those higher up. If we don't pledge allegiance to the prince, how are we supposed to survive?"

"I'm in! I'll do anything, even just cleaning the latrines or doing accounting!"