Marquis Yong'an's Estate, inner residence reception hall.
As the evening lamps lit up, a table of dishes that seemed somewhat out of place amid such opulence sat on the exquisite rosewood round table.
Though they had been prepared to look and smell delicious, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat in abundance, they were clearly lacking the spiritual energy that had once filled the dishes.
Qin Xuehua, Zhang Wanning, and Zhang Qingyue sat around the table, chatting and laughing. Naturally, their conversation revolved around Zhang Heng, the one they doted on most, who now "shouldered a heavy responsibility."
"Heng'er really has been working hard."
Qin Xuehua picked up a dish with her chopsticks, her face filled with both concern and pride.
"To take over the family business, he worked at Dingsheng Workshop until the middle of the night yesterday and didn't come back.
"He went again first thing this morning, saying he had to resolve some formation problem.
"That child is just too strong-willed, too responsible."
Zhang Wanning immediately chimed in, her tone exaggerated.
"Exactly. Xiao Heng is so much better than a certain useless wretch who only knows how to feast on the family and scheme against his own kin.
"He's wholeheartedly devoted to the Marquis Estate, to our family. That's what a true pillar of the Lineage looks like."
Zhang Qingyue didn't join in the praise, but she nodded slightly all the same. It was always good that her younger brother was willing to put his heart into his work.
As the three chatted, they naturally couldn't help bringing up Zhang Yu to compare him unfavorably, as if doing so would better highlight Zhang Heng's "excellence."
When their eyes finally settled on the dishes on the table, their laughter gradually died away.
Zhang Wanning was the first to frown.
"What's going on?"
She set down her chopsticks with a sharp clack, her voice laced with displeasure.
"Steward Wang, who arranged today's meal?
"Weren't we usually served things like Snow Jade Ginseng Stewed Spirit Crane, Steamed Dragon Scale Fish, and Stir-fried Fire Rhinoceros Meat—dishes made with spirit beasts and Spirit Materials brimming with spiritual energy?
"At the very least, there should be some Spirit Fruit and Spirit Rice, right?
"What is all this today?
"Just ordinary meat?
"Do you take us for some impoverished household?"
She was accustomed to eating these expensive Spirit Foods every day, all of which greatly benefited martial artists and cultivators.
Now that they had suddenly been replaced with ordinary dishes, she found them as tasteless as chewing wax—and felt that her status had been diminished.
Zhang Qingyue also frowned slightly.
She wasn't as particular about food as Zhang Wanning, but she had noticed that something was amiss. Her cool voice rang out.
"Also, it seems I haven't been replenished with the Azure Cloud Ink I use for practicing calligraphy for two days now.
"That ink is made by mixing Azure Spirit Stone powder with the juice of several Spirit Grasses. It calms the mind and aids comprehension while writing. It's indispensable.
"How could the servants be so negligent?"
Reminded by her elder sister, Zhang Wanning immediately remembered something else.
"Right, I'm almost out of the Ice Silkworm Spirit Silk and special canvas I use for painting, too.
"It's woven from century-old Ice Silkworm Silk mixed with Snow Spider Silk, and it's best for holding spiritual energy and bringing out the spirit of a Painting Spirit.
"Why hasn't that been delivered in time either?"
The three women all turned their eyes toward Nanny Wang, the head steward of the Marquis Estate's inner residence, who stood at the side with sweat beading on her forehead.
Zhang Yu had, of course, planned this in advance. The estate kept only three days' worth of each of its various extravagant supplies in storage, just as with Jiang Luohan.
Nanny Wang was bitterly vexed, but forced a smile onto her face as she bowed.
"Madam, young ladies, please calm down.
"It's not that this old servant has been negligent. It's just... there's temporarily no spare money in the estate's accounts to purchase these things."
"No spare money?"
Qin Xuehua froze, finding it absurd.
"How could the Marquis Estate have no spare money?
"Didn't we just withdraw silver from the various shops a few days ago?"
Nanny Wang explained with a bitter expression.
"Madam, most of the cash withdrawn a few days ago went toward... toward repaying Wang Family's portion of the debt, as well as covering some previous expenses.
"As for what was left... Fifth Young Master sent someone back yesterday to say that Dingsheng Workshop urgently needed money to repair some important formation. He temporarily transferred this month's earnings from all the shops, along with whatever cash could be spared from the storerooms... all of it.
"So... so purchases of Spirit Food, spirit ink, and art supplies will have to be put off for a while."
"What?"
Zhang Wanning sprang to her feet, her voice shrill.
"Xiao Heng transferred all the money from the shops?
"What are we supposed to live on, then?
"Are we supposed to eat bran and chaff and use that junk, too?"
She couldn't accept it at all.
In her eyes, the Marquis Estate's silver should have gone first toward securing the luxurious, refined life of the three women. Zhang Heng had taken over the business to earn more money to support them, not to take away the money they spent and plug holes in the business.
Zhang Qingyue wasn't greedy for luxuries, but cultivation resources and a few necessary refined pursuits, like Azure Cloud Ink, were part of her daily needs.
Having their supply suddenly cut off would indeed cause considerable inconvenience.
She hadn't expected the problems at Dingsheng Workshop to have become so serious that it needed the working capital from all the shops.
Qin Xuehua's expression also turned rather unpleasant.
Though she worried about her son and supported his work, she still felt thoroughly uncomfortable at the thought of suddenly lowering her standard of living. It would also be a loss of face.
Especially when she considered that the source of all this "financial hardship" seemed to be the huge debt incurred because of Zhang Yu, along with the "problems" that had surfaced after Zhang Heng took over. That made her feel even worse.
"This Heng'er was far too inconsiderate."
Qin Xuehua couldn't help complaining.
"Even if he needed the money, he should have told the family first and set aside what we needed for our expenses."
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