Chapter 4
"Your Highness, is this the residence of Prince An? Might I inquire if the lord of the household is present?" Li Zhiwei had too many questions and desperately needed someone to answer them.
"If you have matters to discuss, you may speak with me. In this household, is there anything I cannot decide?" Xu Qingshi, however, felt that Li Zhiwei was looking down on him, which irked him.
"You can make decisions?" Li Zhiwei thought to herself—how could she possibly ask a child why she had ended up in Prince An's residence?
"Of course I can." Xu Qingshi declared proudly.
"Your Highness, why am I here?" Li Zhiwei sighed. The most pressing matter was figuring out how she had ended up in Prince An's residence.
Or rather, she needed to confirm whether this was indeed Prince An's residence or somewhere else entirely.
"Naturally, because I brought you here." Xu Qingshi raised his eyebrows smugly.
"Ah..." Even after considering many possibilities, Li Zhiwei had never imagined this one.
"You don’t believe me?" Seeing her expression, Xu Qingshi felt slighted, and his irritation grew.
"This humble woman wouldn’t dare." Though her words were deferential, her demeanor made it clear she didn’t trust him, which only fueled Xu Qingshi’s frustration.
"Your Highness, we’ve run out of space outside—where should we put the rest?" A servant hurried in, looking flustered.
"What do you mean, ‘run out of space’?" Xu Qingshi asked, confused.
"Well... it’s this young lady’s dowry. There’s simply too much of it, and the residence can’t hold it all." The servant scratched his head, equally baffled. What exactly had his young master brought this woman back for?
Surely he didn’t intend to marry her himself? She looked far older than him.
"What’s a dowry?" Xu Qingshi, still a child, didn’t understand why such a thing was necessary.
Li Zhiwei stood nearby, torn between amusement and exasperation.
This little rascal had kidnapped her without even knowing what a dowry was. What surprised her even more was that her own wedding procession had followed and delivered her dowry as well.
Rumors said that after the previous Princess Consort of Prince An died in childbirth, the prince had never remarried. If she could stay in this household, it might not be a bad outcome—at the very least, it might spare her parents from meeting a tragic end.
Even if she didn’t stay, perhaps she could use her vast dowry to secure a path to survival for herself and her parents.
With these thoughts in mind, Li Zhiwei made a bold decision.
After all, wealth was merely an external possession.
"Your Highness, when a woman marries, she brings a dowry. This Lady Li’s dowry is... rather substantial." Xie Yanzhi tugged at Xu Qingshi’s sleeve and whispered.
"How much could there possibly be? Enough to fill the entire Prince An residence?" Xu Qingshi scoffed, unimpressed.
"Your Highness, you should see for yourself. The front courtyard is already packed, and this is only a fraction of it." The servant hesitated, unsure of what to do.
As a mere servant, he couldn’t decide to move the dowry into the master’s quarters. Since the young master had brought her here, he figured he should seek his instructions first.
The Old Princess stared at the sea of red silk filling the courtyard, her heart pounding.
"What in heaven’s name has Qingshi brought back?" The more she looked, the more alarmed she became. Even with her vast experience, she had never seen a dowry this extravagant.
How had her grandson managed to abduct a woman with such wealth?
Wouldn’t this make the Emperor suspicious of their household?
At this thought, the old woman’s heart leapt into her throat. "Where is Qingshi? Where is he?"
What she really wanted to ask was—where was the girl, and whose daughter was she?
Such extravagance was rare, and she feared they might have offended someone beyond their station.
"Your Grace, His Highness is in the inner hall." Before the servant could finish speaking, Xu Qingshi and Xie Yanzhi strode out, followed by a young woman dressed in bright red wedding robes.
The Old Princess staggered, thinking bitterly—her son refused to remarry when he should, and now her grandson was kidnapping beautiful women when he shouldn’t. What wretched luck!
Xu Qingshi, too, was momentarily blinded by the overwhelming display of red silk.
He surveyed the countless bundles and boxes, utterly baffled.
"Did you empty your entire family’s coffers for this wedding?" Xu Qingshi thought to himself—thank goodness he was a man, or else the Prince An household might soon be reduced to poverty.
Li Zhiwei froze, then lowered her head in shame. Her marriage had indeed drained her family’s wealth.
And yet, in her past life, her parents had still met a tragic end.
"My parents feared I would suffer in my husband’s household, so they prepared a generous dowry for me." Her voice carried a hint of sorrow.
"Why did you bring a black box to your wedding?" Xu Qingshi pointed at the coffin in the distance, eyeing it suspiciously. What treasure could possibly be inside?
"Qingshi, mind your manners!" The Old Princess had just approached when she heard her grandson’s rude question.
"Grandmother, what brings you here?" Xu Qingshi greeted her casually.
No matter what he did, his grandmother always supported him.
"If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known you’d done something so outrageous! Ah, young lady, please forgive this old woman for failing to teach my grandson properly." The Old Princess scolded Xu Qingshi before turning to Li Zhiwei with an apologetic bow.
"This humble woman, Li Zhiwei, greets the Old Princess. In truth, I must thank His Highness. Were it not for him, I would still be standing outside the Ruan Marquis Residence, turned away." Li Zhiwei curtsied, her tone self-deprecating.
"Oh? Is that so? Which son of the Ruan Marquis were you to marry?" The Old Princess had heard of the Ruan Marquis Residence, but rumors were unreliable. She preferred to hear the truth from the person involved.
Fortunately, she had already sent for her "unfortunate" son to return.
If this girl was indeed the Ruan Marquis’ bride, the marquis’ household would likely come demanding her soon.
But as she took in the extravagant dowry, the Old Princess couldn’t recall any Li family in the capital capable of such extravagance. Then again, given the Ruan Marquis Residence’s financial troubles, she realized this girl might have been walking into a den of wolves.
Her gaze softened with pity.
"My maiden name is Li. Three months ago, the Ruan Marquis Residence sought my father’s permission for me to marry their heir. My father was reluctant to let me marry so far away, but he was moved by their sincerity. He prepared this dowry—one thousand three hundred and sixty trunks—so I could establish myself in my husband’s household. Yet, after traveling all the way to the capital, I couldn’t even set foot inside the Ruan Marquis Residence." Li Zhiwei recounted the truth without hesitation.
"Grandmother, I only brought her back because she seemed so lonely and pitiful at the Ruan Marquis Residence. Besides, doesn’t Father still need a princess consort? I think this sister would be perfect for the role," Xu Qingshi quickly explained.
