The Crown Prince was usually pampered by a group of people, so he had never waited patiently for anyone. However, the royal family was not without cunning. After Xing Ao'er arrived, Zhu Wendong, who had originally looked impatient, changed his expression and became as gentle as jade.
But after both of them were seated in the carriage, the prince was unhappy about Xing Ao'er's unpunctuality, so he became more perfunctory in his conversation and was not in the mood to coax this woman who, to him, was only a pretty girl.
Because Xing Ao'er was preoccupied, she didn't notice Zhu Wendong's absent-mindedness. Instead, she was worried that after arriving at the temple fair, he would fall in love with Zhu Ruoyan like he did in his previous life.
So after getting on the carriage, Xing Ao'er began to speak ill of her cousin in the mansion intentionally or unintentionally, intending to leave a bad impression on Zhu Ruoyan in front of the prince in advance.
The prince didn't take it seriously after hearing this. He didn't care about these trivial matters of his daughter's family. However, he also felt that Xing Ao'er was a little too narrow-minded.
She was just an orphan living in her house, yet she couldn't tolerate him like that. It was truly a lack of generosity. If he married a woman like this as his principal wife, would she really be worthy of being the mother of the country when he ascended the throne?
But even though Zhu Wendong thought this in his heart, he still agreed with it, and even said with some approval: "To think there is such an ungrateful woman, clearly staying at the Prime Minister's residence, and yet she always annoys you, it's really annoying."
Upon hearing this, Xing Ao'er thought her words had worked, and she felt happy. Seeing that the carriage was moving at a fast pace and was about to reach the temple fair, she quickly pleaded ill health and asked the prince to pull over to the side of the road, where she rested for a long time.
Zhu Wendong found Xing Ao'er a real nuisance. He had originally been very interested in today's temple fair. Although Xing Ao'er wasn't stunningly beautiful, she was certainly charming and pretty. He had met her twice before, and considering she was the daughter of the Prime Minister, the Crown Prince was quite satisfied.
But today, this woman had ruined his mood time and time again, causing the prince's impression of Xing Ao'er to decline again and again.
But Xing Ao'er was completely unaware of this. Even Zhu Ruoyan, who she was worried would appear at the temple fair, didn't go at all today.
At the moment, Zhu Ruoyan was in the private room reserved for her at Zhenxiu Lou. Chen Tian and Bai Su were also there, and naturally, Chu Zimei was also present. The four of them were actually sitting around the table, enjoying a lively hot pot.
"Nine Thousand Years Old, please try this. It's called hot pot, a specialty of the southwest. It's spicy and appetizing, and it will taste even better when the weather gets a little cooler."
Zhu Ruoyan smiled appropriately and introduced Bai Su.
Upon hearing this, Bai Su picked up a piece of mutton with chopsticks and placed it on the plate. He dipped it in some seasoning and ate it. He nodded and said, "Not bad."
Zhu Ruoyan had originally planned to go to the temple fair to burn incense and pray for blessings today, but who knew that her younger brother suddenly sent a message a few days ago, saying that he wanted to bring Jiu Qiansui to try the new hot pot at Zhenxiulou today.
Zhu Ruoyan simply assumed that her younger brother missed her. Judging by the words in the letter, he seemed to be getting along very well with the Ninth Prince. If that was the case, they were family there, too. Zhongchen should know about her and Zimei's affairs, so she agreed.
There is no time to burn incense; the most important thing is for the family to be together.
So Zhu Ruoyan didn't hesitate at all and immediately canceled her plan to go to the temple fair.
Seeing that the younger brother opposite liked the hot pot, Zhu Ruoyan was happy and quickly put some meat from the pot into his bowl. Chu Zimei on the side was busy putting some meat for Zhu Ruoyan.
Chen Tian ate with relish. Looking at Zhu Ruoyan who was smiling across from him, he felt that today's nice weather was the perfect day for a meal.
What's so good about the temple fair? I met that unlucky prince who is fickle and can't walk when he sees a beautiful woman. It's so boring.
Just let Xing Ao'er be a clown!
However, what surprised Chen Tian the most was that Zhu Ruoyan and Chu Zimei fell in love so quickly.
He is obviously my godson, but now he is suddenly becoming my brother-in-law.
Thinking of this, Chen Tian looked at Chu Zimei with a strange expression, and his eyes swept over the harmonious couple opposite him.
Upon seeing this, Chu Zimei straightened his back immediately. He felt a little nervous and worried that Chen Tian would object to him and Zhu Ruoyan being together.
But before Chen Tian could say anything, Bai Su, who was standing by, saw his expression and thought he was worried, so he asked Chu Zimei on his behalf, "Is there still so much going on at the Anping Marquis's residence? If Miss Zhu were to go there, it wouldn't be a problem, right?"
Hearing this, Chu Zimei's expression immediately became serious, and she said to Bai Su, "Godfather, don't worry! At home, it's not just Wang who has the final say.
Things are different now. Even my father can't do anything to me. I can't let others bully my people!
Besides, I have discussed this with Ruoyan before. If she doesn’t like the trouble, it’s okay for me to marry into her family.
It just so happens that my father-in-law and mother-in-law only have Ruoyan as their daughter. If I marry into their family, my future child will have Ruoyan's last name, Zhu."
"What nonsense!"
When Zhu Ruoyan heard this, she gently hit Chu Zimei's arm, her face flushed, and she rarely looked shy like a little girl.
Chen Tian watched the interaction between the two and felt completely relieved.
Not to mention that Chu Zimei was not a promiscuous person when it came to matters between men and women. Due to some family circumstances, it was said that he was very opposed to having three wives and four concubines, and there were indeed not many people around him in the past.
Even being able to say something like "marrying into one's wife's family" is already shocking in this era.
This man definitely holds Zhu Ruoyan at the top of his heart, and there is no doubt about this feeling.
Seeing Zhu Ruoyan's happy face, Chen Tian felt that the heroine did have good taste. Otherwise, why would she rather live alone for the rest of her life than just find someone to settle for?
Thinking of this, Chen Tian simply raised his glass, toasted Chu Zimei and said, "It seems that I will have another good brother-in-law!"
When Chu Zimei heard Chen Tian say this, she immediately looked happy.
He knew that what Zhu Ruoyan cared about most was this cousin. As long as Xing Zhongchen gave in, then this daughter-in-law would be completely settled!
So he quickly stood up, returned the favor with a glass of wine, and after sitting down, he looked at Zhu Ruoyan with a silly smile, without any of his usual shrewdness.
Sure enough, people who are deeply in love are all the same. No matter how smart they are, they will foolishly give their whole heart to it.
Although Zhu Ruoyan felt a little embarrassed when she saw this, she did not refute it. Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Chu Zimei beside her.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhu Ruoyan looked at Bai Su and said, "But there is still one thing I need to ask the Ninth Prince for help!"
Chen Tian saw that Zhu Ruoyan's eyes were full of seriousness, and he couldn't help but feel curious about what the other party was thinking.
Then I heard Zhu Ruoyan recount some of the past events in detail, and I realized that although Zhu's father entrusted his daughter to the Xing family, he actually had a plan in mind.
You have to know that Xing Yongnian has always been a face-conscious person. If he directly took over most of his brother-in-law's assets, it would not be a good thing no matter how you tell others about it.
So, for the sake of his own reputation, he told others that the money was the dowry left by Zhu's father to Zhu Ruoyan, and it was just divided into two parts.
Of course, the Zhu family also stated that the portion given to the Xing family also included their daughter's food, clothing and other expenses in the prime minister's mansion.
But a little girl, raised from childhood to adulthood, no matter how well-fed and well-clothed she is, cannot swallow up a mountain of gold and silver. It only gives them an excuse to take it at will.
But most importantly, Zhu's father had made other plans. He had left Zhu Ruoyan a detailed list of the assets he had handed over to the Xing family. He also had someone secretly record and witness the details, so everything was traceable. Even the value of each piece of jewelry and shop was clearly marked.
Zhu's father was a man of affection and righteousness, as could be seen from the fact that he was only devoted to his wife throughout his life.
If the Xing family truly treated their daughter well, then Zhu's father would not have thought of asking Zhu Ruoyan to take back the money. Keeping it was just an extra barrier.
Zhu Ruoyan herself had never thought that she would have the opportunity to take back the family property, but now with Jiu Qiansui as her strong backer, everything is different.
Although the Prime Minister's Mansion had been kind to her, money was a powerful asset. They had schemed against her, abandoning her younger brother and now even trying to control her marriage. Given this, Zhu Ruoyan was unwilling to let half of her father's hard work go to these ungrateful people.
“I didn’t expect there would be such a thing.”
Chen Tian smacked his lips, swallowed the mutton in his mouth, and exclaimed in admiration. No wonder the heroine is so capable, she is like her father!
With Chen Tian around, Bai Su was naturally willing to help. Furthermore, Zhu Ruoyan didn't expect Bai Su to help her for nothing. She had originally wanted to give him a 10% share of the profits, but after being rejected by Bai Su, she took the initiative to agree to cooperate with him in running the business, which Bai Su naturally wanted.
"But there's no rush now."
Who knew that at this moment, Chu Zimei would interrupt. Her fox eyes narrowed, and she smiled, "Looking at the recent momentum, the Prime Minister's Mansion is probably planning a marriage with the Crown Prince. Prime Minister Xing has been very busy lately, so we should wait until the wedding is complete before we deal with the troublesome matter of counting the family wealth."
Chu Zimei said this, but no one at the dinner table could hear it.
How much wealth does the Prime Minister's Mansion have? Xing Ao'er is not a pushover. If she wants to marry in style, she will have to rely on what the Zhu family has left behind.
After the marriage is completed, we will go to ask for the money and property of the Zhu family. That will be a real show to watch!
Needless to say, Chu Zimei's prediction was indeed correct. Moreover, things happened earlier than they imagined.
I don't know if Xing Ao'er is worried about the changes that will happen after she is reborn in this life because of Zhu Ruoyan and Jiu Qiansui. She is always worried about the instability of her marriage and keeps urging her to get married earlier.
Li didn't want to rush things, but she couldn't stand her daughter's tantrums, so she had to go to the Prince's Mansion to discuss it. Only half a month later, the marriage between the two was settled.
On her wedding day, Xing Ao'er was indeed a sight to behold. "Ten miles of red makeup" wasn't enough to describe her beauty; her dowry was more than a hundred loads long, and the boxes were filled with dazzling jewels and precious stones.
All the onlookers were astonished. They never expected that the Prime Minister's Mansion, which was usually low-key, was so wealthy. Xing Ao'er was the center of attention.
Even the prince was very satisfied. He didn't expect that the dowry of the princess he married would be so generous.
Little did he know that these boxes of treasures would make him a laughing stock in the entire capital.
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