Hua Qian burst out with a "burp" and almost fainted again.

Before Huaqian could faint again, Hua Liuer reached out and pinched Huaqian's philtrum.

When he let go, the area below Huaqian's nose was already covered in blood.

You can tell how nervous this kid must have been to use such force.

For the first time ever, Huaqian took leave to go home.

As soon as he entered the house, his wife invited him over.

"Master, Rong'er has disappeared! What should we do?"

Madam Hua barely slept all night, and after crying, her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

At first glance, it's quite scary.

Huaqian unconsciously stepped back before catching his wife who was lunging at him.

"Madam, please tell me when Rong'er disappeared, who she saw before she left, and whether anything in her room has been touched?"

After her husband's reminder, Madam Hua seemed to clear her head a bit.

At this moment, the nanny who had been sent to Madam Hua's family home to find Zhou Changshi returned.

"Reporting to Madam, the young master said that Miss went to see him yesterday and asked if he was willing to come to our house to propose marriage."

The young master refused, citing the arrangement of his parents and the matchmaker's wishes.

The young lady explained everything and even wished the young master success in finding his ideal wife.

After the old woman finished speaking, there was a strange look on her face.

Hua Qian, having been immersed in officialdom for many years, knew immediately from the old woman's expression that there was still something left to say.

He asked, "You're asking more than just this, aren't you? Speak up if you have anything else to say, don't keep beating around the bush."

The old nanny took a deep breath, afraid of being beaten to death if she spoke, but with the master and mistress watching her, she closed her eyes briefly and continued.

"Young Master said that Master wants to marry Miss to the Third Prince's residence as a concubine."

Madam Hua's head spun instantly, and she was about to fall backward.

Huaqian reached out and helped the lady up.

"Alright, you may leave. Do not mention today's events to anyone. Understand?"

The old woman nodded. "I understand."

The nanny withdrew, leaving only the Huaqian couple in the room.

"My lady, I have only told you about my plan to marry Rong'er to the Third Prince."

But you told Rong'er about this?

Madam Hua shook her head.

"When you told me that day, I thought you just had this idea and that you might not really be so cruel."

I didn't mention it to Rong'er, and as for how she found out, I truly don't know.

Then, the remaining maids and servants in Hua Rong Courtyard were gathered together for questioning.

There really was an old woman who said that she remembered one evening, the young lady had just received a new embroidery pattern and wanted to show it to the madam.

Upon returning, with her face still red and swollen, the young lady went out the next day.

The couple exchanged a glance, realizing that the girl must have happened to come to their mother's place and overheard their conversation.

After inventorying the items in Hua Rong's room, there was nothing left, not even money or jewelry.

Even the more expensive decorative items that had been added to her room before were gone.

It's obvious that it was pawned.

Huaqian sat in her daughter's room, chuckling to herself.

I was laughing and laughing, but then tears started streaming down my face.

This is a classic example of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.

If he hadn't been so greedy, his daughter wouldn't have run away from home, and he certainly wouldn't have offended the Third Prince.

They said they'd give their daughter away as a concubine, but then she ran away on her own. Who do they think they're disrespecting?

A prince of such high status is not even worthy of the daughter of a minor official.

In the Divine Dragon Kingdom, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites was a fourth-rank official, but in the Third Prince's eyes, that was practically no different from a seventh-rank county magistrate.

They're all small fry.

Hua Qian knows all too well how difficult it is to climb up to the Third Prince.

Now, instead of flattering him, he's backfired.

This scumbag father showed no grief over losing his daughter; instead, he became hopelessly preoccupied with how to make amends.

Where can we find a daughter to compensate the Third Prince?

Where to look? Finally, Huaqian set her sights on the illegitimate daughter.

He has quite a few daughters.

Even if she were to be paired with a prince, or even as a concubine, she, as the daughter of a concubine from a family of a minor official of the fourth rank, would be far too unworthy.

Therefore, Huayue was chosen from among the many concubine's daughters.

Being a concubine's daughter is ultimately inappropriate.

Huaqian shamelessly went to see the lady again.

"What? You want to register Huayue under my name? Master, are you crazy?"

This kind of thing, registering a concubine's daughter under the name of the principal wife, is something that ordinary families wouldn't do.

One is the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

In addition, if a marriage is registered under the name of the mistress, the mistress is obligated to prepare a relatively decent dowry for the bride.

Moreover, this dowry would basically have to come from the mistress's purse.

This would somewhat harm the interests of the mistress. That's why Madam Hua was so shocked.

She was already grieving over her daughter's disappearance when this old man came to talk to her about this; no wonder she was furious.

Huaqian felt a little embarrassed when he saw that his wife was unhappy.

She quickly tried to coax him into explaining the reasons, which made Madam Hua so angry that she wanted to smash the old man's head.

But now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

“It’s not that I can’t have Yue’er registered under my name, but I won’t take a single penny of her dowry when she gets married.”

"My private savings will all go to my sons in the future, so your illegitimate daughter can forget about it."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Huaqian agreed that Huayue's dowry would come from the family's coffers.

However, he overlooked one problem: being a concubine to a prince still meant being a concubine, no different from being a servant.

Whether or not she has a dowry, she won't be much more noble, and nobody will care.

Unless the Third Prince can ascend to the throne in the future, it would truly be a waste of a daughter's life.

Once the matter was settled, three days later, without even asking Huayue if she was willing, they forcibly put the innocent young woman into the bridal sedan chair.

Then, there was no wedding procession, no banquet, and no wedding ceremony. Instead, a small sedan chair was carried into the Third Prince's residence through a side gate.

Hua Yue was almost driven mad with anger. She had known since childhood that being born out of wedlock meant she was disliked.

Therefore, she has always been cautious and careful, afraid of displeasing her stepmother and not being able to find a good husband in the future.

Even so, she still couldn't escape the fact that she was sold by her own father.

Her requirements weren't high at all; as long as the other person came from a wealthy family and wasn't too ugly, she could accept him.

All I wanted was to be a proper wife, but now even that humble hope has been shattered.

The moment Huayue was placed in the bridal sedan chair, she felt hatred.

He hated Hua Qian, hated Madam Hua, and hated his own concubine even more.

The reason I hate my birth mother even more is because she was materialistic and snobbish from a young age, and longed for a better life.

The opportunity to marry Hua Qian as a concubine was obtained through the machinations of her birth mother.

If Auntie hadn't willingly degraded herself to become someone's concubine, she wouldn't have had to live in constant fear from a young age.

They're both girls from the Hua family, so why is it that Hua Rong can live a life of luxury and have everything she wants, while I'm just a pitiful little thing?