Cheng Muyun chose to play the fake heiress because of the Xu family's wealth.

He patiently persuaded Xu Shinong and the First Madam to acknowledge that he was the eldest daughter, and also casually mentioned Xu Minghua's overseas studies, with the aim of making it easier to threaten the Xu family.

Xu Zhuohua was slightly surprised. When did Cheng Muyun figure it out?

When did he plan all of this? Every word he just said was unpredictable and terrifying to think about!

Xu Shinong said coldly and solemnly, "Nephew, rest assured, Shuhua's dowry will be no less than expected, and the Xu family will not keep the bride price. She will take it all with her."

Cheng Muyun smiled and said, "That's natural. My father has always said that Uncle Xu is a man of great character."

Hsu Shih-nung smiled awkwardly. The higher she's being lifted up now, the harder she'll fall later.

Cheng Muyun stood beside Xu Zhuohua, looking down at her with a smile on his face, and said, "Uncle, I'm setting off back to Xinhai City tomorrow. My mother told me before I left that if I had the chance, I should bring my future daughter-in-law to Xinhai City to broaden her horizons. What do you think, Uncle?"

Xu Shinong was stunned; Cheng Muyun's demands were getting more and more outrageous.

However, he dared not refuse directly. If Cheng Muyun returned to Xinhai City and said that the Xu family had used a fake young lady to deceive the Cheng family, he would be in deep trouble.

Moreover, Xu Shinong could tell that he wanted to take Xu Zhuohua away in order to leave a hostage in case the Xu family didn't pay the dowry.

Although Xu Shi Nong was extremely wealthy, he couldn't swallow the thought of giving it to an adopted daughter as a dowry!

If he can't swallow it, then someone else can. The First Madam said, "Alright, Shuhua has nothing to do at home, so it's good for him to go to Xinhai City to broaden his horizons. But my dear nephew, you must take good care of my precious little darling."

The First Madam thought that as long as Xu Zhuohua went to Xinhai City with Cheng Muyun and met the Governor and his wife, Xu Minghua would be completely safe.

She didn't care how much money she had to spend on Xu Minghua's willfulness; as long as Xu Minghua was happy, the First Madam would be happy too.

Before Xu Zhuohua could refuse, Cheng Muyun said, "Don't worry, Madam. Since I chose her myself, I will definitely treat her well."

Cheng Muyun looked at her with a smile in his eyes, but Xu Zhuohua felt a chill run through her body.

Then, Xu Zhuohua's mind went blank, and she couldn't listen to any of those polite words. She kept thinking about how to escape Cheng Muyun.

Or how to change the tragic history of Cheng Muyun's wife.

It's her fault for only focusing on Cheng Muyun's domineering and magnanimous pronouncements when reading unofficial histories.

Forgot to pay attention to who his beloved wife was. She seemed to be a very fashionable woman. According to unofficial history, Cheng Muyun's wife was an extremely flamboyant and passionate rich young lady.

Xu Zhuohua didn't pay much attention to what his wife's name was, but it was definitely not her, the fake, foolish young lady.

Cheng Muyun went insane after his wife died. Judging from his current situation, Cheng Muyun is still a promising young man.

So, if he helps him get married to his future wife, can he walk away unscathed?

As Xu Zhuohua pondered, a smile crept onto her lips. Then, she looked up and saw that everyone in the main room was staring at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked curiously.

Cheng Muyun smiled and said softly, "Why is Miss so happy to hear that I'm staying at the Xu family's house?"

Xu Zhuohua's lips stiffened; she didn't want to see Cheng Muyun.

The First Madam smiled and said, "Oh dear, is Shuhua just shy? Nephew, please stay here tonight. I'll make the arrangements."

Cheng Muyun acted humbly and politely, saying, "I'm sorry to bother you, Madam."

The First Madam smiled brightly, "It's no trouble at all. It's our Xu family's good fortune to have such a young and promising son-in-law as you."

Cheng Muyun settled into the Xu family home. He and Zhang Qi each had their own room, which was given to him by the First Madam. When she gave him instructions, her eyes gleamed with a strange light, and she would occasionally glance at Xu Zhuohua, which made her feel very scared.

After they finished talking, Xu Zhuohua followed Xinghua to her own courtyard. Her shoes were too small, and she couldn't stand it anymore. Feeling frustrated, she grabbed Xinghua's hand, took off her shoes, and walked on the upper part of the shoes as slippers.

She felt much better, and her big toe no longer hurt. Xu Zhuohua looked up and saw Cheng Muyun and Zhang Qi being led by a servant.

The person Xu Zhuohua least wanted to see was Cheng Muyun. She grabbed Xinghua's hand, turned around, and left.

Zhang Qi's voice rang out from behind, "Young Marshal, the young lady is shy when she sees you."

Xu Zhuohua thought to herself, "Who's shy! You're the one who's shy, your whole family is shy!"

Xu Zhuohua and Xinghua walked slowly, and their servants followed closely behind them, unable to shake them off no matter what they did.

When they arrived at the courtyard gate, the group looked at each other in bewilderment.

No wonder they couldn't get rid of each other; the First Madam arranged for the two of them to live in the same courtyard!

An unmarried girl sleeping in the same courtyard as a man—the First Madam's abacus beads are practically bouncing off Xu Zhuohua's face.

Utterly despicable!

Xu Zhuohua glared at Cheng Muyun and stormed into the courtyard.

Xinghua led her into the west wing, and the servant led Cheng Muyun to the east wing. The two rooms were separated by a courtyard ten meters long, and there was a crooked kapok tree.

This tree is tall and lush, with flowers but no leaves. Thousands of strands hang down, adorned with fiery red kapok flowers, swaying gently.

Xu Zhuohua sat by the window and, through the branches and red flowers, saw Cheng Muyun standing with his hands behind his back in the east wing, looking around the room.

Tall and robust, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a typical inverted triangle physique, he turned around lazily and casually, revealing a handsome face that smiled at Xu Zhuohua through the layers of kapok petals.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!