Minglan is reborn, this time with no regrets!

The lady flipped through the account book and spat at the tonics scattered on the floor, "You dare to quibble even though you were caught red-handed! The things we searched from your room match the accounts perfectly. I was wondering how you could be so generous as to spend a hundred taels to buy a fan. Lin Qinshuang, you have such a cruel heart! You are extravagant and wasteful yourself, but you even took the things that Wei Shi used to nourish her pregnancy. Are you trying to force the Sheng family kid in her belly to death?"

Lin Qinshuang had already figured out what was going on and cried out, "Honglang, Honglang, there must be a conspiracy here! Why would a young lady's things end up on the streets? Why would they be bought back by my purchasing servant? All of this, all of this..."

Before she finished speaking, Madam Wang stepped forward and slapped her in the face: "You are a vicious dog with a heart of a vicious person. Not only did you embezzle the money from the Mo family, but now you are trying to insult my Hua'er! I will beat you to death!" As she spoke, she looked around for a stick.

Sheng Hong yelled, "Enough, enough!"

At this time, the housekeeper in the old lady's room came to report: "Master, the old lady heard that there was a ghost in the family and fainted. She just woke up. Please go and take a look!"

When Sheng Hong heard this, he didn't care about his wives and concubines who were screaming and crying, and ran out of the door.

Hualan also followed closely with Wang Ruofu, leaving Liu Mama and a few sturdy old women to guard Lin Qinshuang and the witnesses and evidence.

Several people entered the old lady's room and apologized repeatedly. The old lady drank two sips of medicine, waved her hand, and said, "I am old, and I can't take care of so many things in your family. I just want a peaceful life. Let me live two more years."

Hearing her say this, the eldest lady burst into tears: "Who said it wasn't true! Mother! That slut stole my Hua'er's dowry and falsified the accounts. She is going to swallow up the entire Sheng family!"

Hua Lan was sweating profusely, thinking that if her mother continued to make such a fuss, she might be found out, and she began to roll her eyes.

The old lady noticed Hua Lan's appearance and sighed, saying, "Now Yuan Dalang and his wife and Gu Hou's legitimate son are all living in our house. If this matter gets out, the joke will probably spread all over Tokyo before we even return to the capital. Madam, are you planning to go back to the capital and continue to be a laughing stock?"

The lady was crying hard, but when she heard these words, she suddenly got stuck. The sob in her throat turned into a loud burp.

Hualan hurried forward to calm her mother down.

Sheng Hong turned his face away in disgust.

The old lady looked at Hua Lan and asked, "Hua'er, do you want to get to the bottom of this dowry issue?"

Hualan knelt down, lowered her head, and said, "Grandma, I am so ashamed that I have come to this point because of my matter. But the things have been found and nothing is missing. I think this matter can be left here. Let's forgive them while we can."

The old lady nodded appreciatively, and Sheng Hong also breathed a sigh of relief.

The eldest lady was so upset that she cried, "My Hua'er is kind and would rather suffer the loss herself. But even if the dowry issue is not investigated, there is still the issue of the Yin-Yang account book! She, Lin Qinshuang, embezzled all the expenses of the Wei family for herself. As the mistress of the family, can't I investigate? My master and I were so kind to her, but she repaid kindness with ingratitude, embezzled public funds, and falsified accounts in an attempt to cover up the truth. Such a big thing can be reported to the authorities, why can't we investigate!"

Sheng Hong's forehead was bulging with veins, and he shouted angrily: "Report to the authorities? Report to the authorities! I am the official!"

The old lady said: "Madam, you are right. Even if we report this to the authorities, there will be no problem. However, the whole family will become a laughing stock. Everyone in Yangzhou will know that Madam not only has lost her power as the housekeeper, but also has a concubine who steals all the family's expenses into her own pocket. In the future, the opera troupe will be able to produce a new song."

The old lady took another sip of the medicine and continued, "Not reporting to the authorities does not mean not pursuing the matter. If we do not pursue the matter, some people will have evil thoughts and think that the Sheng family is an unruly family. I am afraid that there will be constant internal traitors and chaos in the future. If there is any more trouble, it is inevitable that people will laugh at you, Lord Sheng, for not being able to manage your own family. How did you get promoted? If the censor reports you for this matter in the future, he may not be able to do anything to you, but I just want to ask you, do you feel disgusted?"

Madam Wang and Hua Lan stopped crying and looked at Sheng Hong together with the old lady.

Sheng Hong was touched by the old lady's words. He bowed and said, "Mother is right! Although this matter cannot be spread, it must be severely punished. In my humble opinion, it is better to return the housekeeping power to the eldest lady. Qinshuang is still young after all, and her face is tender and thin, and it is easy for the subordinates to manipulate her. As for these servants who do evil and bully their masters, just give them a good beating and then sell them off."

The old lady waved her hands and said, "If we beat them all and sold them now, it will definitely attract attention. We should catch the most important one and punish him severely, to make an example of him."

Sheng Hong: "Mother reminded me. The most important person at the moment is the servant who was in charge of purchasing. He should be beaten to death for the crime of passing inferior goods as good ones and deceiving his superiors and subordinates. Lin was not strict with her subordinates and was deceived by the villain. She should be confined to the courtyard. The rest of them should be demoted to menial servants first, and their fate will be dealt with one by one after we return to the capital."

Madam Wang asked angrily, "The real and fake account books were all found in Lin's cabinet. Isn't she the most important person?"

Sheng Hong gritted his teeth and said, "You didn't pack all the things in your closet. It's possible that she was deceived by someone!"

Madam Wang started to cry again: "Sheng Hong! Are you really going to be a blind man with open eyes for her? Are you really going to confuse right and wrong in front of the whole family?"

Hualan cried and begged, "Mother! For the sake of our family's reputation, please don't pursue this any further!"

Mrs. Wang burst into tears.

The old lady's ears hurt when she heard this, and she just said to Sheng Hong calmly: "It's your own wife and concubine, how you treat them is your business, but Lin and her adopted daughter Molan are incompetent and greedy for money. They dare to take good things when they see them, without checking their origins. Don't let such people come to me again and make me worry."

Sheng Hong said repeatedly: "I am ashamed for not managing the household properly and causing my mother to be frightened. I am really ashamed!"

The old lady said, "How about this, I'll ask you for Minglan. Wei is weak, she doesn't even dare to complain about the tight budget for the house, and she made Minglan skinny, which makes me sad. They are all your children, it doesn't make sense that the others are plump and white, but Minglan is skinny like a chicken. I'm raising Minglan for you, and I'm also sharing the burden for Wei, so that she can focus on giving birth to the baby in her belly. She won't blame me for this, right?"

The old lady had already blocked Sheng Hong's way to Molan. Now Minglan was the only choice left. Sheng Hong could only agree: "What are you talking about, mother? You have raised Hualan so well. If Wei knew that you wanted to raise Minglan, she would only thank you profusely and appreciate your kindness. How could she blame you?"

The old lady nodded and waved her hand, saying, "Alright, that's enough. For Hua'er's reputation, none of you are allowed to mention it again. If there is nothing else, go back."