ted Gu Jingxi to speak like that. With a single, light remark, she had pushed her into an awkward position. Thinking perhaps it was this ominous star who had added fuel to the fire in front of Gu Jing...Meng Dongyuan loved Dong Shi's beauty, and the mature charm of a woman also attracted him. Moreover, Dong Shi had read many books. Although she couldn't be called a talented woman, she was able to converse with Meng Dongyuan, discussing poetry, songs, and賦.

In this way, Dong got Meng Dongyuan's heart even more. This was a kind of happiness that Sun couldn't give him. After all, Sun wasn't a woman with literary talent. The original wife, Zhou, did have some talent, but she only urged him to study diligently and was a stiff and boring lady of the family. She didn't understand romance, so how could she have this kind of elegant pleasure of discussing tea and poetry with him

Since Dong entered the house, Meng Dongyuan's concubines collectively fell out of favor. He no longer sets foot in their rooms.

And when Dong just married into the Meng family, she took over the household finances. Looking at the ledger, a sense of powerlessness arose in her; it was a mess!

Rumors had it that though the Meng family was in decline, they were still quite wealthy. The Dong family truly didn't expect that those rumors were true; the real Meng family was nothing but an empty shell, left with only a title and meager assets.

Even so, the Meng family is still trying to put on a brave face, all for the sake of maintaining their former image and avoiding being looked down upon by others. They completely ignore the fact that their income and expenses are out of balance. If this continues, the Meng family will drain their entire fortune.

But since she was already married, Dong could only accept her fate. At least she had the title of Lady Yongchang to comfort her, which was better than being with her previous husband's family. Her previous husband's family wasn't as prestigious, even though his father held a position, he didn't hold a high one. Her previous husband was quite learned but unfortunately died young and never passed the civil service exams to become an official.

Luckily, Mrs. Dong was also a sensible woman who knew how to manage a household. After learning about the family's problems, she felt downcast but quickly pulled herself together. She discussed with her husband the need to increase income and reduce expenses, practicing frugality and thrift in all aspects of life - clothing, food, and shelter. They agreed to adjust their spending standards downwards and scale back on everything based on their current circumstances. The portions allocated to the household members were halved.

Meng Dongyuan and Dong shi were newly married in the winter, full of freshness and passion. He doted on her very much, often feeling that she was his soulmate. With this pillow talk, the couple had another exhilarating "fairy fight" together. Half-heartedly, he agreed to Dong shi's decision.

Mrs. Meng Lao felt that such a frugal and stingy way of living would tarnish the reputation of the Meng family, a hundred-year-old prestigious clan. She immediately objected. However, Meng Dongyuan's current beloved is the Dong family. He stood on the side of the Dong family, after all, their family was truly not as prosperous as before. Being frugal at home and generous when going out could restore the family’s reputation, right Being frugal at home could be attributed to the wife's wishes; she advocated for frugality and thrift.

"To this, Old Madam Meng was furious and directly said to Meng Dongyuan: 'You're really something! You have a wife and you forget your mother! I didn't expect that as I grew old, not only would I not enjoy peace and tranquility, but I would also be mistreated by my son and daughter-in-law! Cutting the allowance in half, what kind of hardship is this I lived most of my life and never suffered like this!' "

Meng Dongyuan said, "Mother, the empresses in the palace are all advocating frugality. We should not be too extravagant, so as not to be criticized by officials and follow the lead of the empress. It's always right."each other, never having a disagreement. But today, they disregarded each other's face and quarreled directly.They glared at each other, and ultimately it was Gu Xiuming, who knew he was in the wrong...