Chapter 381: Lady Zheng Also Wants to Share the Dowry?

Chapter 381: Lady Zheng Also Wants to Share the Dowry?

The Emperor let out a breath and smiled, "Sister Royal Princess is right; I am being too greedy. Living to eighty is already remarkable, how could one live to be a hundred? Alright, let's strive to all live to eighty."

He ordered someone to fetch wine from the Imperial Garden and watched as the Princess Royal chatted merrily.

The wine was brought, and each had a jar.

Strangely, in the past, they would share a jar every ten years.

But this time, they drank from their own jars.

The Princess Royal seemed very happy and did not notice that they were not drinking together.

Perhaps his discomfort was due to his own pettiness, overthinking things.

However, she finished an entire large jar of wine and seemed drunk.

"Little Brother, hehe! I finished mine, burp, what about yours? Why do you still have so much left?"

The Princess Royal nearly stumbled, and the Emperor quickly supported her, "A whole jar is too much for me to finish."

"Burp, you can't finish it? Let me help you?"

"No, save it for another day. Sister Royal Princess has had enough already, she shouldn't drink more."

"This is nothing. Drink, I can still drink." She looked at him with slightly drunken eyes, smiling, and suddenly reached out to touch his face, "Little Brother, Azhi..."

The Emperor's body trembled, "Sister Royal Princess."

The Princess Royal laughed, rubbing her hand against his face, "Azhi, I'm getting married tomorrow."

Tomorrow?

"Sister Royal Princess, you're drunk."

The Emperor glared at Eunuch Li, who promptly dismissed all the servants.

Once everyone had left, he helped the Princess Royal to rest on a couch nearby.

"I'm not drunk, I'm perfectly sober." The Princess Royal lay half-reclined on the couch, looking at him and smiling, "I heard everything you whispered in my ear."

The Emperor's face turned pale, staring at her in disbelief.

"Sister Royal Princess, what... what did you say?"

She tilted sideways, falling asleep, hugging the blanket and closing her eyes.

The Emperor felt his heart pounding like a drum.

How could she know those secrets buried deep within him?

No, it couldn't be. That night, she was drunk; she couldn't have heard anything.

His heart raced uncontrollably, and then he heard her murmur softly.

"I heard it, and I was both happy and sad."

"What?" The Emperor's whole body shook, feeling his heartbeat even faster.

What did Sister Royal Princess mean? She heard what he said that day and was happy?

She was happy?

He ignored the part about being sad.

"Sister Royal Princess, are you sure you're not tricking me?" The Emperor leaned close to the bed and asked softly.

The Princess Royal laughed, turning her back to him.

After a moment, she murmured again, "I will put you on the throne, no matter the cost, and never let anyone... bully you..."

The Emperor clenched his teeth tightly, gripping the bedsheet in regret.

Sister Royal Princess must also have feelings for him, but was bound by the damned moral constraints.

She was willing to put him on the throne at any cost.

But this throne... what was so good about it?

What was so good about it?

"If it weren't for survival, if it weren't for you... I wouldn't..." need it so desperately.

He left the hall and instructed the servants to prepare a hangover soup.

The Princess Royal slowly opened her eyes, her gaze cold and filled with resentment.

...

The dowry of the Zheng family's daughter-in-law was brought back, filling the courtyard.

Originally, today was supposed to welcome two uncles from the Cui family for a meal, but due to the delay in tallying the dowry, the meal had to be postponed.

Now that the sun had set, Lord Zheng had returned home earlier than them.

Seeing the courtyard full of chests, Lord Zheng said to Cui Yongnian, "Yongnian, thank you for your hard work today."

Cui Yongnian smiled, "Uncle, don't mention it. I just kept the accounts, which wasn't hard. It was actually Cousin and the hardworking brothers who did the heavy lifting. The Lu family dragged their feet and tried to give us inferior goods. The maids and servants were also not trustworthy, always trying to steal something. It was all thanks to Cousin's eloquence that we managed to handle them."

Zheng Jinyu: "Is it a matter of pride for a noble lady of a prestigious family to engage in verbal combat with others?"

Master Zheng chuckled heartily, "That's good, that's how one is less likely to be bullied. But Jinyu, you must tailor your approach to the person. We're not afraid of the Lu family, you can do as you please, but at the Princess Mansion, you can't act this way. Even the Emperor respects the Princess Consort, so don't you go arguing with the Princess Consort."

Zheng Jinyu: "The Princess Consort is a senior, naturally I would not quarrel with her."

"Alright, you've all had a long day as well. Let's go, it's time for dinner."

Ever since the couple had fallen out, the family had ceased to dine together, each instead partaking of meals within the confines of their own courtyards.

Naturally, it was impossible to gather everyone today; only the three of them dined together. Aunt He did not take a seat at the table but stood by to serve.

While dining, a servant came to report that the madam had come to make a scene at the door.

Master Zheng's pleasant mood was shattered. He slammed down his wine cup heavily and snorted coldly, "Does she still have the face to come?"

Everyone was too afraid to speak.

"Forget it, let her in. I want to see what else she has in mind."

The servants heaved a sigh of relief and hurried out to announce the news, allowing the lady of the house to enter.

Lady Zheng strode into the dining hall, momentarily taken aback to see Jinyu and Cui Yongnian both present. She quickly shifted her gaze to Master Zheng, pointing at him and commencing her scolding.

"I have never seen such a heartless father as you."

Master Zheng seemed to have been blessed by the Buddha, his tongue became sharp, and he immediately retorted, "I've never seen a mother as heartless as you."

Lady Zheng: "……"

She awkwardly glanced at Zheng Jinyu.

Seeing that Zheng Jinyu was solely focused on her meal and had not paid any attention to them, she deluded herself into thinking that she had not been listening.

Lady Zheng said, "As I have stated, I have prepared the dowry for Jinyu, why must you insist on taking Jinxiu's dowry?"

"Humph, what is this about Jinxiu's dowry? She's just a peasant girl, where would she have a dowry? Those dowries were prepared by the Zheng Family for the Zheng Family's legitimate daughter, and they have nothing to do with her."

"You..." Lady Zheng trembled with anger, and after a moment, she continued, "Never mind, I'm too lazy to argue with you. If you just take back your share, that's fine, but why did you take back what I gave to Jinxiu as well? I said, it's your business if you don't acknowledge her as yours, but I do. The dowry I gave to my daughter, on what grounds do you take it back?"

Master Zheng looked at Lady Zheng in disbelief, staring at her for a long while before saying, "I never knew you could be so muddled. Are you truly willing to oppose the entire family for the sake of an adopted daughter?"

Lady Zheng sneered, "I was about to say the same to you. Are you really determined to go against the family's wishes and act on your own?"

Master Zheng: "……"

"Have you lost your mind?" he cursed out loud, "Everyone says you can't distinguish between close and distant relationships, don't you realize your mistake?"

"What fault do I have? If you do not acknowledge Jinxiu, I will not force you. Please do not force me either. Many of the items in her dowry were part of my own dowry from the past. By what right do you take them all away?"