Looking at her younger sister's expression, Madam Lin covered her mouth and laughed. "What Mother said makes sense. You are an elder. Even Princess Jiayuan will have to call you aunt when she sees you. Our Lin family can be considered royalty."

Lin Miaoqiu's heart raced as she listened, eagerly anticipating the family reunion tomorrow. To have the princess personally call her "aunt"—what an honor that would be! She never even dared to dream of it!

Inside the palace, lanterns and decorations were everywhere because of Princess Jiayuan's wedding. The usually quiet and deserted palace was now more vibrant with worldly colors. Shen Mingzhuang got up and stretched, feeling rather bored, and said, "We stay in the palace every day. It's so boring. It would be nice if we could go out for a walk."

The palace is indeed exquisite, but seeing it every day can lead to aesthetic fatigue. Recently, the Empress Dowager has not been in the mood to bother them, so Shen Mingzhuang thought it would be nice to go out for a walk.

As she spoke, she glanced around the space and realized that the chubby little dumpling hadn't returned yet. Could it be that the little chubby boy had used her to find the treasure and then run away?

The space also contained some precious items that had been moved from the Empress Dowager's residence, as well as some scattered silver ingots and gold bars. Even these scattered items amounted to quite a bit, enough for her to squander.

Her eyes sparkled, and when she turned around, a gold bar the size of her palm appeared in her hand. "Your Majesty, how about I offer you two days of your leisure in gold?"

Looking at her sly expression, Jiang Wang felt like pulling her into his arms and giving her a good thrashing.

"My time cannot be bought with a little gold. I suggest that my beloved consort demonstrate her sincerity through her actions..."

The wedding day of Princess Jiayuan was more lively than ever before. It wasn't because there were many people coming to witness the ceremony, but because the common people who had heard that Princess Jiayuan's dowry only consisted of a few dozen loads were curious and came to find out.

Lord Lin Zhiqing had just watched the newlyweds enter the bridal chamber when the smile on his face immediately vanished, and Madam Lin, Madam Wan, also looked ashen-faced.

She originally thought that her family's status had risen dramatically after marrying a princess, but her husband said that they had gotten themselves into trouble.

She only found out after asking that the situation in the palace was so serious, and that the princess's dowry was so small not because the princess cared about the country and wanted to save money, but because His Majesty simply did not like this younger sister!

Moreover, it seems that the Empress Dowager is now in a weak position. His Majesty has dealt with the disaster victims in Jianghuai and proposed to resettle them nearby. Those who are wandering around should return to their hometowns if they are willing. If they are not willing, they can choose the nearest place to settle down and report to the court. After the court verifies the information, it will also distribute land and provide certain subsidies.

The news immediately won the hearts of the people, who praised His Majesty's benevolence and kindness. Who even knew who the Empress Dowager was?

Now that the Lin family has married Princess Jiayuan, they are essentially standing against His Majesty. How can His Majesty possibly give them an important position? Furthermore, the affairs of the court are separate from those of the inner palace. Even if the Empress Dowager wants to promote them, His Majesty's approval is required.

The thought of this matter filled him with sorrow. Before he could even finish his sigh, a commotion broke out. A servant rushed over in a panic, shouting, "Master, something terrible has happened! Young Master Pei is fighting with the young masters of the Zhao and Liu families!"

It was, after all, their own family's wedding banquet. No matter how unhappy Lin Zhiqing was, he couldn't let things continue to escalate. He quickly followed and saw the usually gentle, refined, and handsome eldest son of Minister Pei smashing a wine pot over someone's head.

"If you don't like it, then don't say anything. Why do you have to hit someone? Brother Zhao only meant well by wanting to marry his younger sister to you. You hit someone just because you disagreed with him. And you're the son of the Minister of Rites!"

Those who tried to break up the fight loudly berated the drunken Pei Jingzhou. Pei Jingzhou held the wine jug in his hand but didn't smash it. His mind was in turmoil, and he took another gulp of wine down his throat. He was no longer the gentleman he once was; he was just a drunken madman!

That wasn't what he said just now. It was Young Master Zhao who saw him constantly drinking and realized he had something on his mind. Remembering that Pei Jingzhou was the princess's musician, and that the musician was drunk on the day of the princess's wedding, he teased him about whether he liked the princess, and then suggested that he give his younger sister to her.

Pei Jingzhou was already unhappy, and listening to the gossiping people, he became drunk and started to get into a scuffle.

He was being criticized by others, but he had no mood to explain. He only felt distressed and tried to drown his sorrows in alcohol, but they only made him more miserable.

He always thought that his beloved Daiyu's return was fate, but he never expected that after all the twists and turns, he would still lose her.

Who is the Emperor? If he wants someone, isn't it simple? But there are so many women in the world, why does Jiang Wang insist on competing with him?

But what's done is done. His maid has become a concubine in the harem, no longer the smiling Lin Daiyu standing under the flowering tree.

He knew he had no choice but to accept the fact, but the melancholy in his heart just wouldn't go away. He had no other option but to numb himself with alcohol.

He staggered away from the crowd, holding a wine jug, his lonely and forlorn figure causing Madam Pei, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, to feel a pang of sorrow.

She knows her son spends all his time drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and it's all because of Shen Mingzhuang.

But what's done is done, can we really do it all over again?

Madam Pei was heartbroken. Pei Shuwan quickly helped her mother up and whispered, "Mother, don't worry. I've already sent my fifth brother. He's lively and will surely be able to comfort his elder brother."

Some wounds cannot be soothed by a few words of laughter. Madam Pei sighed softly and nodded with a bitter smile.

Seeing her sensible daughter, Madam Pei felt a little comforted and made up her mind to find a good marriage for her daughter.

The weather is getting colder and colder. The moss is covered with frost, the migratory birds have all flown away, and the sky is shrouded in cold mist. It looks like it's going to snow.

Jiang Wang had been busy for a while, but finally managed to spare two days to accompany Ming Zhuang to the villa to relax.

"There are plum blossoms in the villa. The other day, I had the villa tidied up and more than a hundred yellow jade winter plum trees were planted." Jiang Wang held the beautiful woman in his arms, the faint fragrance of her hair filling his nostrils.

The fragrance seemed to be the scent of plum blossoms carried by morning dew, crisp and sweet with a hint of sweetness, which was very pleasant.

Shen Mingzhuang's clothes were half open at this moment, and there were still some ambiguous marks on her fair skin. She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

Hearing Jiang Wang's words, she nodded vaguely, "Yes, I'll listen to you..."

Once Princess Xian'an got married, Jiang Wang took his little beauty out of the palace.