"Yes, he went. But Ling Xiao told me that the Young Master instructed him this morning to stay home with you, Madam, this afternoon. So Ling Xiao had to go watch things alone. I suspect it’s because of what happened at noon that the Young Master went out again this afternoon," Ziyu said.

Lin He knew the girl was trying to put in a good word for that scoundrel again, but Lin He wasn't annoyed and didn't take the bait, merely stating, "Since he isn't here, didn't you just say you were going to call the Young Master back?"

"If Madam wishes, I can run to the shop right now and fetch the Young Master back. I imagine he would be quite pleased," Ziyu replied with a smile.

Lin He looked at Ziyu’s sly grin, realizing the maid was plotting something, and quickly interjected, "Don't! Who wants to discuss anything with him? I said we’d talk in a couple of days, aren't you impatient?"

Seeing Lin He was in a better mood, Ziyu dropped her formality. As she served Lin He food, she persuaded her, "Madam, I really think you should reconcile with the Young Master quickly. You know, I heard the other maids say the Young Master has been suffering these past two days. He slept poorly last night, and this afternoon, he was so angry he skipped lunch. If you keep this up, Madam, you’ll be the one feeling sorry for him in the end."

"Who said he didn't eat lunch? When we returned, didn't we see him eating? His treatment was far better—surrounded by two others, unlike me here with only a little maid like you to serve me," Lin He scoffed dismissively.

Ziyu rolled her eyes. "Oh, Madam, that’s going too far. How is that being surrounded? They were merely waiting on him while he ate. Besides, we weren't here today, so the situation was different from usual. I heard the Young Master didn't eat either; after we left, he sent those maids away and returned to his chambers. Madam, please don't dwell on it. Think more about how well the Young Master usually treats you."

"Furthermore, Madam, don't blame me for not warning you. If the Young Master hasn't been eating properly these few days, and his stomach acts up later, all the careful conditioning you've been doing for him will be for naught."

Lin He knew Ziyu was exaggerating slightly, but she was indeed a little worried. That fool was truly dense; it was just a quarrel between a couple, did he really need to stay up all night and starve himself? Did he not care about his own body?

Seeing Lin He waver, Ziyu pressed on. "Madam, actually, you were also somewhat at fault when this whole thing started. It wouldn’t hurt for you to humble yourself first. Besides, it’s not really about humbling yourself; the Young Master is so concerned about you that he won't even need you to apologize. Just a look or a word from you, and the Young Master will immediately come running."

Lin He shot Ziyu a sidelong glance but privately thought the maid spoke the truth. It was indeed her fault first this time. It wouldn’t be a big deal to yield first, after all, they were a couple, and their life together was long. Sometimes, one had to coax the other, and the other had to yield a bit for life to have flavor. Sigh, fine. Because the girl had delivered such a lengthy speech, she decided she would cook dinner herself tonight and wait for the fastidious Young Master to return for the meal.

With that thought, Lin He nodded lightly to Ziyu and said, "Then I will go down to prepare dinner tonight. You all should prepare the ingredients as you usually do, and I will cook. We will eat together tonight when the Young Master returns."

Ziyu was delighted to hear this. "Madam, does this mean you are no longer angry with the Young Master? I’m sure he will be overjoyed when he finds out. You eat slowly here; I’ll go inform Sister and the kitchen." Saying this, Ziyu hurried downstairs.

Lin He watched Ziyu's hurried departure, shook her head with a faint smile, and continued eating. A while after finishing her meal, Ziyu and Ziqing came upstairs to report that the evening’s food was ready, waiting only for Lin He to cook before eating. Lin He nodded. Seeing that the sky was still light and there was a long time until evening, out of boredom, Lin He remembered the account books she had taken from Madam Wen that morning and thought she might look through them to pass the time.

With that idea, she called Ziyu and the other maid to bring the account books over. Besides, having so many ledgers piled up in the main residence wasn't practical. Moving them to the side building meant she could review them occasionally when bored, and it would also give her something to show if Concubine Luo asked about them.

For the rest of the afternoon, Lin He merely flipped through a few account books casually. In truth, Lin He hadn't intended to examine them closely. Frankly, Lin He suspected that if one were to truly scrutinize these ledgers, there would be countless unsavory affairs hidden within. Just looking at Madam Wen’s hesitant resistance when Concubine Luo demanded the books this morning was enough evidence that something was amiss. If there were nothing untoward, Madam Wen wouldn't have been so tense.

Yet, even through this casual perusal, Lin He discovered discrepancies. Ignoring older records, she focused on the accounts for the most recent month since her marriage. These detailed all expenditures for every courtyard in the Wen Estate. While Lin He knew nothing about the other courtyards, the records for her own residence showed a clear and substantial imbalance.

The ledger listed everything delivered that month—bolts of cloth, jewelry, daily provisions, and even expensive medicinal herbs. If Lin He hadn't seen this account book, she wouldn't have known the Wen family maintained such detailed provisions for every small courtyard.

Lin He had been there for nearly two months. Besides receiving the twenty taels of monthly allowance, a few bolts of rather mediocre cloth, and the simple daily ingredients, she had never seen any of the other items mentioned. Clearly, the accounts were being fabricated.

If the ledger were accurate, the entire Wen family's monthly expenses should have totaled several thousand taels. But how much had Madam Wen actually provided? Likely less than a tenth of that amount. Moreover, the accounts had obviously been tampered with; if Lin He hadn't heard Wen Ningxuan mention a few tricks of bookkeeping, she wouldn't have noticed it by just a simple glance.

No wonder Madam Wen had reacted the way she did when Concubine Luo tried to get the ledgers. If these accounts were made public, Madam Wen likely wouldn't enjoy peaceful days either.

However, on another note, Lin He was somewhat surprised. Hadn't she heard that Madam Wen's maternal family was quite well-off? And as the mistress of the Wen household, she certainly shouldn't lack funds. So why would Madam Wen resort to this?

If she were skimming this much, Madam Wen might be embezzling at least ten thousand, or even tens of thousands, of taels annually. If Master Wen ever discovered this, Madam Wen would surely be punished. If Madam Wen didn't need the money, why would she risk such a significant danger?

But since Madam Wen chose to act this way, she must have her reasons. To be honest, if Concubine Luo hadn't mentioned the account books this time, Lin He wouldn't have intended to say anything. She wasn't planning to meddle in this affair yet, and if she exposed it herself, she certainly wouldn't escape the task of helping manage the household affairs.

Still, this wasn't entirely bad. If Madam Wen were to provoke her and her husband again one day, Lin He couldn't guarantee that these account books wouldn't see the light of day.