Chapter 21: The Dramatic Heiress

Chapter 21: The Dramatic Heiress

At night, out of consideration for the Heir's Consort, the Queen hosted a banquet at the Drunken Wind Pavilion in honor of her maternal family.

However, to her chagrin, Duke Bai had brought along that concubine.

Jian Zuihuan, raised since childhood in a prestigious clan, conducted herself with the grace befitting her lineage.

Everything she had seen and heard dictated that a concubine could not enter the main hall or appear before guests without the mistress's permission.

Yet this concubine accompanied the Duke to the banquet, behaving as if she were the mistress herself.

In the capital, she had witnessed countless instances of favored concubines overshadowing their mistresses, but such flagrant disregard for propriety was unprecedented.

Even Consort Liu, whose family wielded great power, and whose sister was the Emperor's beloved concubine in charge of the Six Palaces, still bowed her head and paid homage to Jian Zuihuan.

She glanced at Ran Shang, with her gentle and delicate features, then at Duke Bai, timid and lacking in decorum, and finally at Jiang, who was rude and spiteful...

How could such a dysfunctional household raise an accomplished lady like the Heir's Consort, who was both beautiful and talented?

She had already repeated this thought in her mind countless times today.

Upon hearing that Bai Yu and his mother had been sent to the old residence, it seemed that the Duchess had poured all her energy into raising her daughter.

She couldn't help but feel admiration for this frail woman, for indeed, to raise such a daughter under those circumstances was a remarkable feat.

After everyone took their seats, the maids served wine, and King Cheng raised a toast to Duke Bai with a smile.

Duke Bai responded with excessive politeness, resembling a rustic villager unused to high society, grinning awkwardly while trying to maintain a smile, unsure where to place his hands and feet, fearful of making a misstep that would embarrass him. His fear of disgrace only highlighted his lack of sophistication.

Halfway through the banquet, Ran Qinggu held Ran Shang's hand, her innocent and gentle demeanor masking a hint of intrigue. "Mother, on my wedding day, Cousin said he would transfer all the Ran family assets to your name. Here is his handwritten letter. Due to the haste of the wedding, I didn't have time to give it to you."

With that, Ran Qinggu pulled out a letter from her sleeve.

It was addressed to Aunt.

Seeing the letter, Duke Bai's expression darkened.

What was this Ran up to?

Putting aside the valuable items that he had already converted into silver,

just the fields and estates alone, which he had taken possession of when Ran was still a child and gravely ill,

he had used some tactics, claiming to manage them on his behalf, and now they were his. Was he coming to settle accounts now?

He had possessed them for five or six years, mixing them with the Bai family's ancestral properties. How could they be separated now?

Ran Qinggu looked at Duke Bai and smiled. "Father, Cousin said that when he was seriously ill, he asked you to manage his fields and estates. Now that he is traveling the world, uncertain when he will return, he wants to transfer the land and houses to my mother's name. I hope you can sign the deeds."

He retrieved the land deeds from his bosom.

Afterward, he rose and bowed to the Prince and Princess, saying, "Your daughter-in-law should not be handling family affairs in front of her in-laws, but with Cousin absent, Yu'er has no choice but to act on his behalf. Before Father, Mother, and Husband, I merely wish for you to bear witness that Yu'er harbors no ulterior motives."

He is now the Heir's Consort.

Acting on another man's behalf would already be crossing a line, yet here he was, openly seeking the Prince, Princess, and Heir's endorsement, ensuring every step was justified.

He owed Liu Concubine a debt of gratitude for her thinly veiled taunts about his past relationship with his "cousin" today.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have found a plausible reason for the Prince, Princess, and Heir to stand by him.

Duke Bai, timid as a mouse, had no choice but to sign the deeds before the Prince and Princess.

Just as he had deceived Ran Tang, the true nephew of Ran Shang, years ago, so too would he return them in kind.

Alas, Ran Tang would never see it.

Within five days of Ran Tang's passing, Ran Qinggu, with severed tendons and grievous wounds, sought out Ran Shang, hoping she could find him a secluded place to recuperate.

Ran Shang, unable to accept her nephew's sudden death, fell into a deep depression and illness.

With her unwell, no funeral arrangements were made, delaying Duke Bai's knowledge of Ran Tang's demise.

When Ran Qinggu arrived, to ensure his safety and recovery, she hastily cremated Ran Tang, scattering his ashes in a stream without a proper funeral or gravestone.

Not even paper offerings were burned during Qingming and Zhongyuan festivals.

From then on, Ran Qinggu assumed Ran Tang's identity.

For this, Ran Shang felt immense guilt toward Ran Tang.

Duke Bai choked on his breath.

Trapped between a rock and a hard place, if he refused to sign, he couldn't justify himself to the so-called "Heir's Consort," nor to the Prince and Princess.

Moreover, in the capital, he held no power or influence, while Ran's boy, through unknown means, had won the Heir's unwavering protection.

He could be eliminated at any time.

Lady Jiang's expression darkened, unable to hold back her words, "The Duke and Duchess are husband and wife, their assets shared. Why must there be a transfer of ownership?"

The Princess dismissed Duke Bai with a glance, "Is there no Duchess in the Duke's household? A mere concubine dares to speak out of turn? Such family discipline..."

Her words hung in the air, leaving Duke Bai ashen-faced.

Despite his fallen status, he was still a duke, a noble of Da Su.

In wealthy households, who did not place great importance on family discipline and etiquette?

This was the stark difference between those nouveau riche and the established nobility.

He glared coldly at Lady Jiang and scolded, "Shut up, when is it your turn to speak?"

Lady Jiang, feeling embarrassed by his glare, fell silent but fiercely tugged at the Duke's robe under the table.

Nanny Su stepped forward with a smile. "This concubine of His Grace is truly remarkable. In the households of the nobles and generals in the capital, the concubines serve the main lady during meals. They only eat after the main lady has finished. If the main lady doesn't need to be served, the concubine should attend her side."

Lady Jiang shot Nanny Su an unhappy glance but dared not retaliate.

This nanny could speak in front of the Prince and Princess and make decisions before the Princess. Everyone in and outside the mansion treated her with respect. Even "Heiress Ran Qinggu" would respectfully call her 'nanny' upon seeing her, indicating her status.

Duke Bai, having been mocked by the Princess for his family discipline and now ridiculed by a servant, on top of Ran Qinggu's relentless pressure... he was already overwhelmed. He hadn't expected Lady Jiang to cause trouble for him as well.

Frustrated, he looked at Lady Jiang. "What are you doing sitting here? Why aren't you serving the main lady during her meal?"

Lady Jiang, infuriated, could only endure it, her face flushed as she prepared to walk towards Ran Shang.

Ran Qinggu said, "Auntie, my mother doesn't need you to serve her."

Lady Jiang had no choice but to stand beside a maid, who along with the other maids, instinctively distanced themselves from her.

Infuriated, Lady Jiang thought, What's so great about this? Once we return to North City, it will still be my world. I must find a way to settle this score with Ran Shang.

Ran Qinggu embarrassed her, so she would teach Ran Shang a lesson.

Duke Bai gritted his teeth and hastily signed over the property deeds. After signing, he awkwardly handed them to the Prince and Princess, saying, "These houses and lands, I've managed them for so long. Finally, they're off my hands."

In the capital, he couldn't shake off Ran Qinggu, but once back in North City, wouldn't it still be his world?

So what if he transferred the properties to Ran Shang? Ran Shang was his wife, and what was hers was his.

He could take these things once, and he could take them again.

Ran Qinggu handed the land and field deeds to Ran Shang. "Mother, the Heir said that when he gave me the betrothal gifts, there was a beautiful emerald night pearl. Your daughter is ungrateful; on the day of the wedding, Mother didn't prepare any dowry for your daughter. Therefore, I'd like to ask Mother for it now."

Ran Shang was puzzled. "Betrothal gifts? I didn't see any betrothal gifts on that day."

Ran Qinggu looked at Shang Rongyu with confusion. "..."

Shang Rongyu was speechless.

What was with that look? Their royal mansion was filled with gold and jade; would they lack such betrothal gifts?

Was he the type of person who couldn't afford betrothal gifts and just took his wife back to the mansion?

This drama queen wanted to deal with her maternal family but dragged him into it.

Unable to do anything else, he could only play along.

Amidst Ran Qinggu’s eyes brimming with suspicion, Shang Rongyu smiled as he spoke, "It was my elder brother who brought the betrothal gifts to your esteemed household, which included an emerald night pearl. Yu'er mentioned she had never seen it and wished to take a look. Currently, the Wang Manor cannot locate such a night pearl, so to fulfill Yu'er’s wish, this unworthy son-in-law is willing to offer a thousand gold in exchange."

Ran Shang shook her head, "Heir, this commoner has indeed not seen it."

Ran Qinggu looked at Duke Bai, her eyes filled with resentment and grievance, "Father, when your daughter married, you did not provide a single coin as dowry, but instead, you appropriated all of her betrothal gifts?"

At present, not only were the prince and princess's countenances growing increasingly somber with the passage of time, but even the maids and attendants started to murmur and gesture towards Duke Bai.

When the Heir's Consort came to the Wang府, she brought only two outfits, so destitute that even a servant's daughter's dowry upon marriage far exceeded hers, by several times over.

Many servants in the Wang estate gossiped about her secretly behind her back, and even some young ladies from official families humiliated her openly.

Indeed, it was pitiful to have such a father.

Duke Bai trembled with anger.

Tomorrow, his story of being a stingy old rooster would become the laughing stock of the capital's wine tables and teahouses.

Before long, it would likely spread throughout Da Su.

What was even more infuriating was that he held onto his daughter's betrothal gifts; why should he provide a dowry for this Ran family boy?