Chapter 37: Having Chu Yanluo around is a good thing.
Xiao Qingyuan's fair face flushed slightly; he hadn't expected to be proven wrong so quickly!
Without money, he couldn't move an inch, and he couldn't even get a hot meal. He couldn't even afford to buy Yanluo a change of clothes. He had no choice but to shamelessly ask Shen Wantang for money, otherwise he and Yanluo would starve to death in Xinghe Courtyard sooner or later.
Shen Wantang was probably the only person in the mansion willing to help him; others were either unwilling, dared not, or simply didn't have the money to help him.
His gratitude towards Shen Wantang deepened: "I apologize for any inappropriate things I said to you before. I never used to touch gold or silver because I always had people under me who would pay for it and get it for me. So, I had no interest in these things."
"Moreover, I never wear gold or silver in my hair, and Yanluo never does either. The hairpins she uses to hold her hair are all wooden, which I carved myself and gave to her. That's why I find it a bit tacky for you to wear gold hairpins and gold ornaments in your hair."
Dujuan was very unhappy when she heard him say that her master was vulgar again. Looking around the entire capital, which woman with a little wealth didn't wear a gold or silver hairpin? Only poor people would use wooden hairpins because they couldn't afford gold hairpins.
She turned to look at Shen Wantang, only to see that Shen Wantang was still smiling, showing no sign of anger.
"Your Highness finds gold and silver vulgar, but I like them very much. It's probably something ingrained in me that I can't change. On the other hand, Miss Yanluo is elegant and refined. She doesn't like gold and silver jewelry but only wooden hairpins. She is truly a breath of fresh air these days, and quite rare. Your Highness should just give her more wooden hairpins in the future. She will definitely be very happy. Please don't give her any vulgar things like gold and silver, or Miss Yanluo will think that you don't understand her."
Xiao Qingyuan was pleased to see Shen Wantang praising Chu Yanluo: "You have good taste. Yanluo is indeed a breath of fresh air, otherwise I wouldn't like her so much. Don't worry, I will definitely not give Yanluo any gold or silver or other vulgar things. I think these things are more suitable for you."
Shen Wantang finally revealed a genuine smile: "Your Highness is absolutely right. Gold and silver are just common things, and they are more suitable to be given to me."
Xiao Qingyuan nodded, took the borrowed silver, and turned to leave.
Du Juan was quite indignant: "Princess Consort, you're too easygoing. The Prince himself said you were vulgar, and he openly and subtly praised Chu Yanluo while belittling you. How can you still laugh? I think you shouldn't have lent him the money. This person begs you for money while complaining that you like gold and silver, which is so strange!"
Shen Wantang's smile remained unchanged: "Silly girl, if he could get gold and silver and other material benefits just by saying a few vulgar things, then let him say it. He's said even worse things too. Am I supposed to argue with him about every single one of them? How am I supposed to live my life then?"
"Moreover, I lent him the money out of respect for the Princess. Although the Princess cut off all the Prince's supplies, when I went to pay my respects to her, I heard her asking the nanny about the Prince's situation. The Princess only has one son, and she dotes on him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have allowed him to bring Chu Yanluo into the mansion to take care of her."
She was willing to lend money to Xiao Qingyuan, not for his sake, but to win her mother-in-law's favor.
Even though her son made her sick, the mother-in-law still cared about him. On one hand, she wanted him to suffer and understand her good intentions as a mother, but on the other hand, she didn't want him to suffer too much, lest she really ruin his health.
With red eyes, Du Juan said, "I know you've thought things through, but I just feel wronged for you. That Chu Yanluo is just pretending to be high-minded. She says she likes wooden hairpins, but isn't she just poor? She makes it sound so refined and elegant. I don't believe she would refuse a gold hairpin!"
"Qin Xin said that the young master took a top-grade blood coral from his private treasury, worth ten thousand taels of gold. He originally wanted Mo Ji to sell it outside to get money to buy bird's nest for Chu Yanluo, but Chu Yanluo would rather not eat bird's nest and take the blood coral. She is clearly very greedy and loves money!"
"But the young master can't see through this. He still treats her like a treasure and brought her back to live in his mansion. He even wants you to invite the imperial physician for her. The young master even wants you to treat her personally. The young master is really going too far!"
Shen Wantang spoke calmly, her emotions much more composed than her personal maid: "Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things. She's just a woman. If the young master thinks she's good and wants to pamper her, then let him pamper her! Don't you think having Chu Yanluo around is a good thing?"
Du Juan was shocked: "How could this be a good thing?"
"That's definitely a good thing, because this way I only need to take care of this one thing, and life will be so much easier!"
Shen Wantang felt very relaxed; she even felt that her current life was fulfilling and promising.
Xiao Qingyuan could dote on Chu Yanluo exclusively, or he could have three wives and four concubines; Shen Wantang didn't care about any of that.
However, she can only be the heir apparent of the Ning Prince's mansion, and it must be her. Even if Xiao Qingyuan doesn't like her, he must respect her so that she can live a peaceful and stable life as the mistress of the mansion.
Shen Wantang never considered divorcing Xiao Qingyuan. Would she be fine if she divorced him and found another man?
Although Xiao Qingyuan always wanted her to leave so that Chu Yanluo could become his heir's wife, it was just wishful thinking on his part. As long as the princess and the prince lived, the position of heir's wife in this royal palace would never fall to Chu Yanluo.
What difference does it make which family she marries into? At least the Prince's Mansion is much richer than other families, and with Chu Yanluo as a comparison, her in-laws like her very much. They like to send her good things, and even the servants in the Prince's Mansion like and respect her. She manages the household very easily.
Every day, she was offered a variety of delicious dishes, countless silks and satins to choose from for tailoring, and piles of gold and silver jewelry were stuffed into her hands as if they were free. She loved life in the royal palace!
As for her husband, Xiao Qingyuan—
It was a bit noisy, but it was genuine and didn't hide anything, which is much better than Liao Youhe's work.
In her past life, she married Liao Youhe, but he was ruined by his secret. He refused to consummate the marriage with her, which was bad enough, but he actually found another man to consummate the marriage with her in his place. Fortunately, she was always perceptive, and she noticed something was wrong as soon as the other man got into bed. She immediately called for her maid and nanny, which saved her from a terrible disaster!
She still feels disgusted and repulsed whenever she thinks about it for the rest of her life.
In comparison, Xiao Qingyuan was much more straightforward. He didn't hide his unwillingness to consummate the marriage, and he also announced to the world that he had someone he liked. When he felt sorry for her, he apologized and gave her a lot of gold to make up for it. His sincerity made Shen Wantang feel embarrassed to make things difficult for him.
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