Chapter 19
"Eunuch Liu, later, have the officials from the Ministry of Revenue go directly to the Ruan Marquis Residence and Prince An's mansion to move those items straight to the national treasury." Zhu Jingchen seemed to have already anticipated Lin Qihua's intentions.
He gave the order directly to Eunuch Liu to prevent Lin Qihua from later making excuses to withhold the dowry. If Prince An or Li Zhiwei were sent to demand the dowry, the Ruan Marquis Residence would surely create difficulties.
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Xu Heming's lips curled slightly.
In his heart, he silently praised: "How wise of His Majesty!"
With the Ministry of Revenue handling the matter, Lin Qihua wouldn’t dare refuse, even if he wanted to.
Xu Heming gently tugged at Li Zhiwei’s sleeve and whispered, "Quickly, thank His Majesty!"
"Thank you for Your Majesty's boundless grace!" Though Li Zhiwei didn’t fully understand why the prince had her express gratitude, she obeyed without question.
"Miss Li, is there truly nothing else you wish to ask of me?" Zhu Jingchen looked at Li Zhiwei and Xu Heming with an amused expression.
Xu Heming caught the playful glint in the emperor’s eyes and realized that the matter of his marriage to Li Zhiwei could no longer be kept private.
Though this was his second marriage, he had no intention of treating Li Zhiwei poorly.
Moreover, since Li Zhiwei had donated her entire dowry, granting her a secure future was the least he could do—and the emperor would certainly benefit as well.
Asking for an imperial decree to legitimize their union was hardly excessive.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject has a request I hope you will grant." Xu Heming knelt with Li Zhiwei, his expression solemn.
"Oh? What matter do you and Miss Li wish to present?" Zhu Jingchen found Xu Heming’s actions highly satisfying—truly, he was a trusted minister who understood his sovereign’s unspoken intentions.
"This subject admires Miss Li deeply and humbly requests Your Majesty’s blessing for our marriage!" Xu Heming declared earnestly.
Lin Qihua seethed inwardly. Li Zhiwei was, after all, the only daughter of Li Tianyou. Even if she had donated her dowry, a starved camel was still larger than a horse.
As long as Li Tianyou lived, a steady stream of wealth would flow into Prince An’s mansion.
The thought made Lin Qihua clench his fists, barely restraining his fury.
Beside him, Consort Lin glared daggers at Li Zhiwei. How dare this lowly merchant’s daughter reject her brother?
Meanwhile, in Li'an County, at the Li residence—
"I wonder if Wei'er has settled everything smoothly in the capital." Li Tianyou paced anxiously in his room.
"Master, the young mistress is marrying into the Ruan Marquis Residence as the future marchioness—she’ll be living in comfort," reassured Uncle Zhou, the family steward.
"But my heart keeps pounding, as if something major is about to happen." Li Tianyou couldn’t shake the unease of sending his beloved daughter so far away.
Uncle Zhou remained silent.
After all, the master had only one child. Now that she was gone, it was natural for him to feel hollow.
"Sigh… How is Madam today?" Li Tianyou thought of his wife, who had fallen ill from grief over their daughter’s departure, and his heart ached anew.
Perhaps he should never have agreed to let her marry so far away.
"Madam remains the same." Uncle Zhou sighed at the mention of Lady Yao’s frail health.
The master and his wife had shared a deep bond, never taking concubines despite societal expectations.
Li Tianyou said nothing, merely gazing toward the capital as if hoping to see his daughter returning home.
But before his melancholy could deepen, a carriage bearing the imperial guard’s insignia halted abruptly at the Li family gates.
"Is this the residence of Li Tianyou, the great philanthropist?" Wu San of the Imperial Guard knocked on the door.
"Esteemed… sir? Whom do you seek?" The gatekeeper hesitated, noting the unfamiliar official attire—different from the local magistrates.
He wondered what urgent matter had brought this man to their doorstep.
"May I confirm—is this the home of Li Tianyou, the renowned benefactor?" Wu San repeated.
"Yes, but may I ask whom you wish to see?" The gatekeeper grew more apprehensive. Had the master somehow offended the authorities?
"I am Wu San of the Imperial Guard, bearing His Majesty’s decree to summon Li Tianyou to the palace. This letter from your young mistress is for him." Wu San handed over Li Zhiwei’s handwritten note.
Recognizing the capital’s seal, the gatekeeper hastily escorted Wu San to the main hall before rushing the letter to Li Tianyou.
At that moment, Li Tianyou was in the courtyard with Lady Yao.
"Husband, I wonder if Wei'er has reached the capital safely." Lady Yao’s eyes brimmed with longing for her only child.
"She must have arrived by now. Once you recover, we’ll move to the capital ourselves—then you can visit her whenever you wish." Li Tianyou forced a smile.
"Master, an honored guest requests an audience." Uncle Zhou arrived with the letter, his expression grave.
The handwriting was unmistakably the young mistress’s.
Uncle Zhou feared the worst—had something happened to her?
Yet the messenger had mentioned an imperial summons. The situation was perplexing.
"Go attend to your duties, husband." Lady Yao, accustomed to her husband’s busy schedule, urged him gently. Her illness had been brought on by their daughter’s departure.
"I’ll return shortly." Li Tianyou recognized the urgency in Uncle Zhou’s demeanor.
Once outside, Uncle Zhou handed him the letter. "Master, an envoy from the capital awaits in the main hall, claiming to have an imperial decree summoning you to the palace. This appears to be the young mistress’s writing."
Li Tianyou frowned. Had his daughter encountered trouble?
Upon reading the letter, his initial joy at seeing her script quickly turned to rage. His hands trembled violently.
Li Zhiwei detailed how the Ruan Marquis Residence had deliberately left her stranded outside on her wedding day, leading to her accidental rescue by Prince An’s son.
She exposed the marquis’s schemes, confessed to donating her dowry to the state, and revealed her pledge of 500,000 taels of silver and 300,000 bushels of grain for southern flood relief—all arranged with the emperor’s approval.
She also explained her relationship with Prince An.
Li Tianyou finished the letter and began pacing the courtyard, consumed by agitation.
