dowry

The emperor narrowed his eyes, sizing up Prime Minister Jiang, who was kneeling on the ground. It had been a long time since anyone had contradicted his opinion, which was quite interesting.

"I wonder, Prime Minister Jiang, who do you think your daughter should be betrothed to?"

His words were calm, but judging from the emperor's expression, one could sense that something was amiss. However, Prime Minister Jiang dared not raise his head to face the emperor. Judging from the emperor's tone, he assumed that the emperor approved of his idea, so he said, "Zhang Xunyan, the eldest son of the Zhang family, is a talented man. I would like to find him a suitable match for my daughter."

"No wonder the Prime Minister and Lord Zhang were exchanging glances here just now; I never imagined it was for this matter!" Before the Emperor could speak, Zeng Chenhua spoke up. After all, he was a man with a limp, so why not let him speak?

Hearing the Second Prince's angry words, Prime Minister Jiang knelt on the ground, trembling slightly.

Zhang Chengfu then knelt down and pleaded that he was innocent.

But Zeng Chenhua seemed unwilling to let it go, and said again, "Could it be that Lord Zhang said my eyes were blurry and I saw it wrong?"

Jiang Chaoyu had never seen Zeng Chenhua act so aggressively before. However, if the marriage didn't go through, it would be fine, so why was Zeng Chenhua so angry?

Jiang Chaoyu looked at Zeng Chenhua with his brows furrowed and his gaze as if he wanted to burn Zhang Chengfu and Prime Minister Jiang to death.

For Jiang Chaoyu, Zeng Chenhua was merely a tool to help her find a way out. If this tool didn't work, she would have to look for something else.

Just as he was thinking this, Zeng Chenhua seemed to have heard Jiang Chaoyu's thoughts and looked directly at her.

His eyes were piercing as he stared intently at Jiang Chaoyu. The moment their eyes met, Jiang Chaoyu was at a loss, and the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth seemed somewhat fake.

Jiang Chaoyu had just forgotten that Zeng Chenhua could read minds, which is why he heard it again. He must have heard about the matter of being used as a tool.

However, Zeng Chenhua's gaze remained fixed on her, which made Jiang Chaoyu feel a little embarrassed. She turned her gaze elsewhere, avoiding Zeng Chenhua's eyes.

"Alright, then so be it. I will bestow the second daughter of the Jiang family upon you as your principal wife." The emperor followed Zeng Chenhua's gaze and found that she was a petite woman, quite unremarkable, and he didn't know what she liked. However, as long as she wasn't as intelligent as the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, it wouldn't be a problem for him to marry as many as he wanted.

Jiang Chaoyu felt that the moment the emperor spoke, it seemed as if the second prince was being aggressive, which made the people in the hall feel rather uncomfortable.

Jiang Chaoyu wondered if the Second Prince was the Emperor's child, which was why he was being tortured in so many ways.

Upon hearing the satisfactory answer, Zeng Chenhua withdrew his gaze. "In that case, Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness."

Kneeling on the ground, Prime Minister Jiang, listening to the imperial edict, was at a loss. Did he dare to defy the will of Heaven? This wasn't just a matter of losing his head; it was a matter of exterminating his entire family.

"As for the Zhang family, since the eldest son is unmarried, how about I bestow a match made in heaven and allow your eldest son to marry the second daughter of the Minister of the Gu family in the south of the city? What do you think?"

It appeared to be a question, but it was actually a death order; how could anyone dare disobey the emperor's command?

However, this order disrupted the Gu family's plan to arrange marriages between their second daughter and other families. The emperor seemed to act casually, but he had shrewdly calculated the thoughts of each family at the banquet, and thus, following Zeng Chenhua's lead, he broke up many of them.

I never expected that this year's spring flower banquet would turn into a flower-picking banquet. How interesting!

Jiang Chaoyu never expected that her first time participating would be so meaningful; she feared that she would never experience anything as interesting as this again.

Each official may have a smile on their face, but they are all filled with hatred in their hearts.

Jiang Chaoyu looked at the seat where Zeng Chenhua was sitting and gave him a friendly smile.

However, Zeng Chenhua seemed not to notice Jiang Chaoyu's smile at all.

Jiang Chaoyu pouted and looked away, noticing that her older sister had clenched her handkerchief so tightly that the flesh around her fingers had turned white from being squeezed.

However, she showed no displeasure whatsoever.

"Sister?" Jiang Chaoyu called out tentatively, but Jiang Yuyao looked at her coldly.

He said coldly, "Can you guarantee that you won't be bullied after marrying into the Second Prince's household?"

Jiang Chaoyu didn't know why Jiang Yuyao asked such a question, but she nodded according to her own heart: "Yes, the Second Prince promised me."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuyao became even more curious, "What did he promise you?"

“We made a deal, but I can’t tell my sister about it.”

Hearing about the deal, Jiang Yuyao became even more displeased. "What deal?"

"Sister, don't worry, this matter will only benefit me, it will never be a bad thing."

Jiang Chaoyu couldn't tell Jiang Yuyao what had happened with Zeng Chenhua, and could only try to reassure her. But after saying this, Jiang Yuyao was even more worried.

"How can you expect me to rest easy? I am your elder sister, why can't you tell me about this!"

It seemed like Jiang Yuyao rarely said these words before, but now that she said them so naturally, it made Jiang Chaoyu feel a little awkward.

Seeing Jiang Yuyao's concerned expression, he was touched, and his eyes seemed to moisten a little.

She choked up slightly as she spoke: "Sister, I rarely hear you say this. Do you really consider me your sister this time?"

Jiang Chaoyu knew she wasn't from this world, and she knew she shouldn't crave too much of what belonged to the original owner, but kinship was still something she longed for, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"You shouldn't, what right do you have..." Seeing Jiang Chaoyu looking at her with teary eyes, Jiang Yuyao's harsh words stopped on the tip of her tongue, and she looked away from the gaze that reminded her of her deceased lover.

He sighed and said, "Never mind, just take care of yourself. I can't take care of you."

Jiang Chaoyu thought to herself that Jiang Yuyao must be worried about her marriage, so she quickly said, "Don't worry, sister, I will definitely not let you worry."

Jiang Yuyao looked away, no longer responding to what Jiang Chaoyu was saying, simply staring elsewhere, just staring...

After the banquet ended, Prime Minister Jiang went to greet Zeng Chenhua.

"I am very grateful to the Second Prince for taking in my unworthy daughter."

Hearing even his own father belittle him, Zeng Chenhua couldn't help but look at Jiang Chaoyu, who was far behind him, wondering what kind of life Jiang Chaoyu had lived in the mansion before.

"This time, I am going to great lengths to marry the Second Miss. How can you say that I am taking her in? When we find an auspicious day, I will definitely come to discuss the matter of marrying the Second Miss with Prime Minister Jiang. If the Second Miss is short of dowry, I have a mansion that I can provide for her."

These words seemed to be a reminder to Prime Minister Jiang that he might not be able to afford the dowry later, making him a laughing stock.

"Thank you, Second Prince. Everything is ready in the manor. I will make sure you don't see this as a joke."

That's good.

The sound of a fan opening and closing rang in his ears. Zeng Chenhua fanned himself slightly and walked out of the hall. Prime Minister Jiang bowed and saw the Second Prince off.

After they had disappeared from sight, he left with the two Jiang sisters.

Upon returning to the manor, Prime Minister Jiang rushed to the old lady of the Jiang family. No one knew why, but it was easy to guess that it was related to the second young lady's marriage.

"Mother, where did you put the dowry left by Madam He?"

At this moment, the old woman was striking a wooden fish, her eyes closed, kneeling devoutly before the Buddha.

Hearing Prime Minister Jiang's panting voice, he stopped what he was doing and slowly opened his eyes.

"Could it be that we're about to tell the Second Miss what's going to happen?"

"Exactly."

Madam He was Jiang Chaoyu's original mother. She married into the Jiang family as a second wife with a rich dowry, but she didn't live long and died not long after.

Where is this family from?

"Second Prince."

The old lady continued knocking, but stopped when she heard it was the Second Prince.

Turning around to look at Prime Minister Jiang, I saw that he hadn't changed his clothes for the banquet, so it seemed that this whole thing was exactly what he expected.

Why him?

Prime Minister Jiang knelt down directly in front of the old lady and said urgently, "Mother, as you know, we originally intended to marry our two daughters into the He family. But who would have thought that the second prince would try to steal the bride and ask for her hand in marriage before the Emperor first? How can I possibly ask him to do that now?"

"Even if you speak up, His Majesty's authority will directly deter your son. Who would dare to defy His Majesty's decree at the risk of having their entire family executed?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady slapped Prime Minister Jiang across the face.

"When did you ever mention to me that you wanted to marry your second daughter into the He family? That He family has a ruthless woman who would eat people without blinking an eye. Are you going to let your own daughter jump into a fire pit?! Don't forget, you harmed your eldest daughter back then, and now that your career is going so smoothly, what do you want from your second daughter?"

This remark left Prime Minister Jiang speechless.

I only learned about the woman from the He family from my mother; however, apart from the women in their circle, very few people knew about this.

"But isn't this compensation for Yuyao?"

These words made the old lady laugh in anger, "So your compensation is to make sure that the eldest daughter can't get married even now, is that it?"

Jiang Cheng countered, "This is Yu Yao's choice."

"Pah! Let your eldest son, Jiang Yunxin, who's been hiding outside and never coming home, tell me face to face whether this is your eldest daughter's choice!"

Although the old lady had spat on Prime Minister Jiang's face, he didn't dare wipe it away because his mother was so angry, and could only silently endure it.

As for the matter concerning the eldest son, it was something we had no choice but to do back then.

"Although the Second Prince has broken his leg, he seems to be of good character and will certainly not let Second Girl suffer. As for He's dowry, I'm keeping it for you, and you should also contribute as your share as your father."

"yes."

Prime Minister Jiang had intended to seek a solution from the old lady's room, but instead he was scolded and had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

Sitting in her room, Jiang Chaoyu never imagined that one day she would be getting married. In real life, she was still a female college student, but in this virtual world, she was actually walking down the aisle with a man she barely knew. It was truly a dream.

But what will happen next? We can only wait and see.

"I wonder what the Second Miss is thinking right now. She didn't even notice me when I entered her room."

The words startled Jiang Chaoyu, who trembled and looked toward the source of the voice. "What brings the Second Prince to a woman's boudoir during the day?"

It was so easy to sneak into this room without anyone noticing. I guess I'll have to install some security measures in the future.

"Naturally, I'm here to tell the Second Miss..."

Zeng Chenhua approached Jiang Chaoyu step by step, and Jiang Chaoyu retreated immediately upon seeing this, saying, "You can say whatever you want, but don't come any closer."

Jiang Chaoyu gestured for Zeng Chenhua to stay away, and Zeng Chenhua stopped in his tracks.

He was talking while holding his fancy fan.

"I would like to see the Second Miss."

Seeing that Zeng Chenhua wasn't carrying his jade staff, Jiang Chaoyu figured he had given up on pretending in front of her.

"I never knew that my appearance could be so attractive to the Second Prince."

Including this time, Zeng Chenhua has come to my room four times.

Is this room really that nice? If you like coming here so much, why don't you just give it up?

"Second Miss is too kind. I just wanted to sit for a while." Zeng Chenhua had changed from referring to herself as "this Empress" to "I" without realizing it.

Jiang Chaoyu gestured to the layout of the room and said, "This is a humble abode, I'm afraid..."

This room really has nothing, but there's a stool for Zeng Chenhua to sit on.

"Some time ago, Miss Jiang seemed to have misunderstood something. Today, I would like to take Miss Jiang to see the truth of the matter."

The truth? Could it be about Zhao Dongjia's previous sale of opioids? But wasn't that Zeng Chenhua's order? Could it be that he wants to explain the real purpose behind this?

Since he said so, she decided to go and see!

"good!"