Sweet Poisonous Consort

Considering his demeanor, even if he wanted the stars in the sky, the old madam would make sure to pluck them down for him. Account books are nothing compared to that.

She promptly instructed the maid behind her: "Bring the account books that came from the farm yesterday!"

The maid quickly brought the account books. The old madam had the maid cut off the last page then handed it to Su Luo: "This is the account book of this year's rice harvest and transactions from the farm. I will give you two hours. If you can calculate how much this farm made this year, you can manage the paper mill!"

Madam Third let out a cackling laugh: "Do you want someone to read it to you? I'm afraid you can't read!"

Princess Pingning also chided: "Dear daughter-in-law, your grandmother-in-law worries for you. You should be able to calculate the result from such an account book within an hour!"

The relatives eagerly waiting to meet the new bride all murmured in anticipation.

"She's about to show her true colors now!"

"Her bluff is about to be exposed..."

Qing Yi whispered into Su Luo's ear: "Miss, why don't you feign fainting? Let's avoid this predicament for now..."

Su Luo's teeth hurt.

Even this maid thought she was incompetent.

Ignoring the whispers around her, she smiled at Princess Pingning: "I appreciate your concern, mother. But we should have a spare copy of these books at grandmother's. Why don't we calculate this together? If I finish before you, I will manage the paper mill. If I'm slower, I will go back and practice..."

The old Madam's face darkened. She had intended to help Su Luo, but she had not expected Su Luo to be so presumptuous.

Even though Princess Pingning was incompetent, she had been managing the internal affairs of the Duke Residence for many years. Was she unable to outdo this young girl?

Princess Pingning struggled to maintain her pleasant expression. She was infuriated by Su Luo's audacity- this barbarian dared to challenge her!

A chill flashed in her eyes as she demanded, "Bring me my calculating beads!"

The maid immediately brought a set of gold-trimmed calculating beads.

Jiang Shu felt a bit nervous, but he couldn't show his concern. He ordered, "Bring me my calculating beads as well!"

Su Luo glanced at the thickness of the album and shook her head: "No need for calculating beads!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the hall erupted in whispers again.

Without calculating beads, calculating the final result... this barbarian must be mad, right?

A sneer curled up the corners of Princess Pingning's mouth.

It appeared that Su Luo didn't even know how to use calculating beads. Considering her brain, it would probably take a lifetime to learn.

The old Madam's face became even more solemn. She didn't hold much hope anymore and waved her hand: "Begin!"

Princess Pingning began to flick her calculating beads while Su Luo was slowly flipping through the pages, each page only taking a few breaths to read.

The whispers in the hall grew louder.

Such a quick pace was unlikely to distinguish what was written on the page. It seemed that this barbarian really was illiterate. They were looking forward to seeing what kind of result she would calculate.

By the time Princess Pingning was halfway through, Su Luo had already gone through the entire account book. After she'd finished, she turned to Jiang Shu and coquettishly said: "My lord, I'm tired. Can I tell you the numbers and you write them down for me?"

Jiang Shu was slightly dazed, butn then he nodded his agreement.

Su Luo whispered into his ear and softly stated several numbers. Jiang Shu picked up a pen and wrote the numbers on a piece of paper.

His handwriting was vigorous and bold, a stark contrast to his reserved demeanor.

Su Luo smiled and handed the paper to Princess Pingning, "Mother, take your time to calculate. There's no rush!"

Princess Pingning was so flustered that she miscalculated a bead.

However, the others didn't trust Su Luo's lighthearted attitude and doubted that she could calculate the accurate result.

They thought she might have intentionally flustered Princess Pingning into making a mistake, causing neither of them to be able to determine who was superior. It seemed like Princess Pingning had anticipated this and took a deep breath before continuing with her calculations.

Approximately an hour later, she also came up with the final sum.

The maid behind the old lady placed the torn page on the redwood table in the middle of the hall. The sum of the previous year's harvest was written on it: one thousand three hundred and five taels.

The maid placed the sheet of paper with Princess Pingning's calculations on one side. The sum on it was also one thousand three hundred and five taels, not off by a single bit.

Madam Third nodded, "The princess has impeccable calculating skills, I am afraid the accountants in the house cannot compare to you!"

Praises echoed throughout the hall.

The old Madam sighed: "Enough, my precious daughter-in-law can continue her practice."

Jiang Shu disagreed, "Grandmother, we should see Luo Luo's results first!"

Mockery was evident in everyone's eyes. But the old Madam thought: "Well, let's take a look then!"

Jiang Shu brought out the paper he had written on earlier. It read: one thousand two hundred and six taels.

As expected, it was wrong!

She must have written randomly, and laughter echoed throughout the room.

Princess Pingning said, "Dear daughter-in-law, you have lost this round. I will manage the paper mill for you for a few more years, and when you learn how to balance accounts, come to me!"

She slightly lifted her chin, giving off a sense of pride.

Su Luo didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. Instead, she laughed happily, "Grandmother, mother, I didn't calculate wrong. There was a mistake in the data in this ledger. What should have been recorded as an expenditure was written down as income. By offsetting, the calculated sum should be one thousand two hundred and six taels. The incorrect entry is on the fifteenth page. Grandmother and mother can check it right away!"

The old madam and Princess Pingning went through the ledger together.

Soon afterward, the old Madam showed a gratified smile while Princess Pingning wore a constipated expression.

Madam Third and Madam Second couldn't believe it and came to check the ledger, their faces soon becoming equally awkward.