Chapter Three
"Cousin, I know you have feelings for Tang'er in your heart." Zhou Yutang felt smug. As long as Lin Jitong's heart belonged to her, she was the ultimate winner.
Ruan Marquis Residence
"My lord, something terrible has happened!" A servant rushed into the main hall in a panic.
At this moment, there was not a trace of joy in the Ruan Marquis Residence.
It seemed the household believed that Li Zhiwei marrying into their family was an unimaginable stroke of luck for her.
"Making such a fuss—what kind of behavior is this?" Madam Zhou scolded with displeasure.
"Madam, the bridal sedan... the bridal sedan has been stolen!" The servant had been secretly watching the situation outside but dared not open the gates without orders.
Aside from being stunned by the sheer amount of dowry, the servant also felt a hint of disdain toward the incoming bride—after all, she was just a lowly merchant's daughter, unworthy of the young master's affection despite her extravagant dowry.
However, as he watched Xu Qingshi take her away, the servant didn’t immediately realize anything was wrong. It wasn’t until most of the wedding procession had followed that he sensed trouble and hurried to inform his masters.
"What?" The Marquis of Ruan wondered if he had misheard. The bridal sedan had been stolen?
Losing the bride was one thing, but Madam Li’s dowry absolutely could not be taken.
"What about the dowry?" Madam Zhou demanded without hesitation.
"It... it was taken too," the servant stammered in reply.
"What?!" Lin Qihua could no longer remain seated.
Those items were of great importance.
"Father, didn’t we agree that a rooster would stand in for me during the ceremony?" Lin Jitong walked in, his face full of reluctance.
"You fool! How can a rooster replace you when you’re perfectly alive?" Lin Qihua, already seething with anger, directed his frustration at his indifferent son.
"But Father, you approved this earlier!" Lin Jitong was confused by his father’s sudden change of heart.
"Oh, Jitong, your bride has been stolen!" Madam Zhou exclaimed anxiously.
"Stolen? Who in their right mind would steal that lowborn merchant’s daughter? Good riddance—I never wanted to marry her anyway." Lin Jitong actually felt relieved, seeing this as a convenient escape.
"Enough nonsense!" Madam Zhou quickly silenced him, noticing Lin Qihua’s thunderous expression.
"Why are you still standing here? Go after Madam Li at once!" Lin Qihua glared at his son in exasperation.
"Fine." Lin Jitong hurried out but soon returned, hesitantly facing his father.
"Are you mute? Can’t you ask around? With that much dowry, do you think they could’ve slipped away unnoticed?" Lin Qihua felt his breath grow ragged. He shot a reproachful look at Madam Zhou and snapped, "Look at the fine son you’ve raised."
Madam Zhou wanted to retort that a child wasn’t made by her alone, but seeing her husband’s fury, she held her tongue.
Still, she inwardly blamed Madam Li—this troublemaker hadn’t even entered the household yet and was already causing strife. If not for the dowry, she would never have forced her son to marry such an ill-omened woman.
Meanwhile, in the tranquil Cian Hall of the An Prince’s residence, the Old Princess sipped her tea leisurely.
The steward, however, burst in frantically. "Old Princess, the young master... the young master—" Liu Ming struggled to explain how the prince’s son had snatched a bride for his father.
Worse, the courtyard was overflowing with dowry, and the procession outside showed no sign of ending.
Even the seasoned steward was at a loss.
"Liu Ming, what has Qingshi done now?" The Old Princess gave him a disapproving glance, unfazed.
"Is the young master unharmed?" Nanny Luo chimed in worriedly.
"Old Princess, the young master is fine, but... he’s brought back a bridal sedan, claiming—" Liu Ming hesitated, unsure if he should repeat the words.
"Claiming what?" The Old Princess’s expression darkened. Why would her grandson steal a bride?
Thinking of her late daughter-in-law, she sighed. The boy had been motherless since birth, and her stubborn son was always absent. Perhaps it was time someone took charge of the unruly child.
"He said... he brought her back to be the prince’s new consort." Liu Ming finally whispered the explanation.
The Old Princess chuckled. "Ah, so the boy wants a mother." She rose slowly, eager to see which young lady her mischievous grandson had abducted.
Perhaps this was the push her son needed to remarry.
"Old Princess, the dowry... it’s rather excessive," the steward added cautiously.
"Oh? She came with a dowry?" The Old Princess grew even more intrigued.
Where had her grandson found such a bride?
Without another word, she hurried to the front courtyard to investigate.
Li Zhiwei, jostled during the journey, finally stepped out of the sedan in a daze. The unfamiliar surroundings confused her—this hadn’t happened in her past life.
Back then, she had been left waiting outside the Ruan Marquis Residence until dusk before being admitted.
But this was clearly not the marquis’s home.
Xu Qingshi nodded approvingly as she lifted her veil.
"Not bad, pretty lady." He circled her like a little lord, whistling playfully.
"Sir, may I ask... where am I?" Though amused, Li Zhiwei needed answers.
"Listen well—I am your son. I, Xu Qingshi, never hide my name!" He thumped his chest proudly, unaware of the chaos he’d caused.
Li Zhiwei froze. Xu Qingshi—wasn’t that the An Prince’s heir?
How had she become his mother?
"This humble woman greets the young master." She bowed hastily, scanning the area for any adults.
Where were his guardians?
Had Lin Jitong sold her to the An Prince?
But rumors claimed the prince shunned women.
"Who are you looking for?" Xu Qingshi frowned at her unease.
