Princess Jingle's eyes dimmed, and her heart felt as if it was pierced by countless needles, but her smile became even brighter, and her smile did not reach her eyes: "Empress Dowager, Chen'er's marriage was granted by you. When the big day comes, you must give your daughter-in-law some makeup."

She said it in a coquettish way, as if she was acting coquettishly to an elder with whom she was close.

"You probably don't know yet, but even Master Kongming said that the girl from the Sheng family is lucky. If it weren't for you, the Queen Mother, Chen'er might not have been able to get such a good wife. After all, danger has turned into safety." When she said the last eight words, Princess Jingle deliberately slowed down her speech, pausing after each word.

The empress dowager forced a smile and responded with a few words before sending Princess Jingle away.

As soon as Princess Jingle left, the Queen Mother's hand holding the teacup consciously exerted force, and the veins on the back of her hand, which was well-maintained to be as white as a girl's, bulged. Then, as if to vent her anger, she suddenly threw the teacup away.

Bang!

The teacup smashed to the ground, breaking into countless pieces and the tea splashed everywhere.

The palace servants who were serving around were so frightened that they knelt down one after another, not daring to make a sound. The atmosphere in the palace was extremely cold.

Nanny Chen gently stroked her chest, soothing her, and said, "Queen Dowager, calm down. Princess Jingle has always been lawless. She was like this when she was little, relying on the support of the old Zhenbei King and looking down on others. Now she is relying on the Zhenbei King's son. It's just that she gave birth to a good son, which ensured her glory. Why do you have to be angry with her? If she gets angry and gets sick, the emperor will be worried too."

The Queen Mother's chest kept rising and falling, and she didn't speak for a long time.

Nanny Chen continued, "In the future, when the princess no longer has her guard of honor, she will still have to bow to you obediently. When that time comes, she won't dare to lie down when you ask her to kneel."

The Queen Mother pursed her lips and looked sinister.

She never imagined that Chu Yuanchen not only did not die in the Northern Frontier, but also dared to sneak back to the capital.

"Jingle must have known that Chu Yuanchen had returned to the capital, which is why she dared to be so rude to me." The Queen Mother gritted her teeth and said hatefully.

Chu Yuanchen's secret return to the capital should have been a serious crime, but the Zhenbei Palace was used to winning the hearts of the army, and Chu Yuanchen had just made great contributions in the northern border, so the emperor was afraid to act rashly...

It’s all the fault of these Jinyi Guards, they are so useless that they can’t even capture a seriously injured Chu Yuanchen. What’s the point of the emperor keeping them!

The Queen Mother rubbed her brows and couldn't help but say, "Madam Chen, could it be that Sheng Xiyan is really the blessed person that Master Kongming mentioned? Can she bring the Prince of Zhenbei back to life?"

She thought of what Jingle had just said and felt a little panicked.

Could it be that she really helped Chu Yuanchen unintentionally?

She couldn't help but think of Sheng Xiyan, the girl who had just come of age, standing in front of her, beautiful and bright, smiling, but every word she said was against her. At this moment, that face seemed to overlap with the face of Princess Jingle who was making innuendos just now.

Still smiling, still unwilling to bend.

The Queen Mother's breath became disordered again.

"Don't worry, Queen Mother. The eldest daughter of the Sheng family doesn't look blessed at all. If she were really blessed, why would her fiancé choose someone else?"

"Miss Shengda is so unruly. Princess Jingle is deliberately trying to piss you off, so she speaks well of her."

Every word that Nanny Chen said touched the Empress Dowager's heart, making her nod repeatedly.

"Empress Dowager, think about it. The Sheng family has no roots and no foundation. Lord Sheng is only a third-rank minister of the Ministry of Rites. If Miss Sheng marries into the Zhenbei Palace, she will not be able to provide any help at all. If Princess Jingle were to choose for herself, she would definitely choose a noble lady from a prominent family, which would be even more troublesome."

Nanny Chen knew exactly what the Queen Mother was worried about, and said in a suggestive tone, "Besides, I heard that Miss Shengda was born to Master Sheng's first wife, and now she lives under her stepmother's care. After she marries into the Zhenbei Palace, she will not even be able to rely on her parents. A married woman with no one to support her must be very insecure."

The Queen Mother took a sip of hot tea to calm herself down, and her mood gradually calmed down.

Yes, it is not easy for a married woman to gain a foothold in her husband's family without the support of her parents. Sheng Xiyan married into a wealthy family, and it was her own arrangement. Jingle said how much she liked her, but it was just to piss herself off. In fact, she might really hate this daughter-in-law.

If I agree to support Sheng Xiyan, she will definitely be grateful.

Chu Yuanchen will be returning to the capital soon. Whether he is evil or not, someone has to keep an eye on him to prevent him from losing his sense of propriety and having rebellious thoughts...

The Queen Mother had an idea and asked, "How is Yong'an these days? I heard that she will hold a flower-hair banquet in the mansion in a few days. Go and ask her to send an invitation to the girl from the Sheng family."

The Yong'an she was referring to was her biological daughter, the elder sister of the current emperor, and the most honorable Princess Yong'an of the Dayong Dynasty.

Princess Yong'an loved liveliness and her mansion would hold banquets every now and then, and the guests she invited depended entirely on her mood. Every family in the capital would be honored to receive an invitation from her.

The Queen Mother thought for a moment and said, "Let her come to the palace tomorrow. I have something to tell her."

She was too disdainful to meet Sheng Xiyan in person. To her, it would be enough to let Yongan convey a message, and Sheng Xiyan would not dare to refuse!

The Queen Mother thought about it and felt that it was because she had met Sheng Xiyan in person last time and given her face that she had become more and more unreasonable and forgotten her responsibilities.

Nanny Chen agreed to all the requests and left the palace that day to go to Princess Yong'an's residence. Shortly afterwards, a large red invitation with gold sprinkled on it was delivered to the Sheng residence, specifically addressed to Sheng Xiyan.

When the invitation was delivered, Sheng Xiyan was in the main courtyard. She took it, flipped through it, and gave it to Xigui to keep. She then murmured and started the conversation again: "Mother, it's been a few days. I guess my mother's dowry should be ready by now, right?"

The corners of Liu's mouth twitched. She knew that Sheng Xiyan's visit to her must be for some bad reason. She was thankful that the invitation from Princess Yong'an's Mansion arrived in time to divert Sheng Xiyan's attention, but she didn't expect that Sheng Xiyan would insist on confronting her.

She was so upset that she could only say, "It's been a long time, and the accounts haven't been completely sorted out yet." She pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Hey, Sister Yan, I have been in charge of your mother's dowry for so many years. I have to end it well. I can't give it back to you in a mess, don't you think?"

"That's right, mother." Sheng Xiyan smiled, looking very easy to talk to. "However, Princess Jingle said last time that the wedding date will be set after the Prince of Zhenbei returns to the capital. Mother, please hurry up."

Liu: “…”

Her fingers painted with red nail polish tightly grasped the handkerchief, and the smile on her face became more and more forced. She said, "In a few days, I will have someone send it to you after I finish it."

Sheng Xiyan smiled and said yes.

She naturally knew that her mother's dowry must have been very lacking, otherwise, Liu wouldn't have been busy for so many days and still failed to make up for the shortfall.

She just didn't reveal it on purpose.

If things got out of hand, Liu would not get any good out of embezzling her mother's dowry, but at most she would be scolded by Sheng Xingan, and it was impossible for her to divorce or beat him, or even take away the right to feed him. She was about to get married and could not manage the household, and Sheng Xingan was too concerned about his reputation, and would not let a concubine run the household of the Minister's Mansion.

However, once the truth comes out, Liu will have no choice but to throw away the money, and it will be even more difficult to get it back intact.

Sheng Xing'an would probably just let the matter go. She didn't have a grandfather or uncle to come to her house to seek justice. If she took the case to the government office, it might work, but according to the "Da Rong Law", if a son sued his parents, he would first be beaten with thirty sticks. The Jingzhao government office or something was just used to scare Sheng Xing'an. She wouldn't bear to suffer herself unless it was absolutely necessary.

It would be best to let Mrs. Liu make up the loss herself, which would save her a lot of trouble.

Even though Liu was so greedy, she still had to be urged and forced.

"Madam." The maid Amber lifted the bamboo curtain of Concubine Xiang and walked in to report, "The wife of Marquis Yongning has sent a maid to visit you and asked when you are free. The maid is waiting outside." After she said this, she stood there, a little absent-minded.

Madam Yongning?

Sheng Xiyan half-closed her eyelids, her eyes moving slightly.

Xigui has been getting close to the maids in the main courtyard in recent days and has heard a lot of gossip.

It is said that when they met the wife of Marquis Yongning and her son on the road a few days ago, she was invited by Liu. Later, because the wife of Marquis Yongning broke the appointment, Liu got very angry.

It had only been a few days and the wife of Marquis Yongning was already eager to come again.

When did their relationship become so good?

Sheng Xiyan's eyes sparkled, and she smiled nonchalantly, and asked tentatively, "Mother, do you want me to go take inventory of the warehouse first?"

"No!" Liu blurted out, and immediately put on a gentle and considerate look, "...I was planning to call a matchmaker to let you choose a concubine. This person bought from outside is not as good as a family-born child. All the rules must be taught again. She is also your concubine and will be taken to the Zhenbei Palace in the future. If she doesn't follow the rules, it will hurt your face. You still have to pay more attention to this matter."

Liu originally wanted Sheng Xiyan to choose from among the sons born at home, but Sheng Xiyan was unwilling, so Sheng Xingan gave the order and called the matchmaker into the house.

Liu coaxed, "There's no rush for the warehouse. After a few days, when I give you the account book, there will be enough time to count it together."

She smiled gently and virtuously, but Sheng Xiyan noticed a hint of panic in her eyes.

In the previous life, my mother's dowry was all included in her dowry and sent to the Yongning Marquis's mansion. If it was not right, the wife of the Yongning Marquis would not have kept silent. Therefore, Sheng Xiyan had previously guessed that Liu had only tampered with the accounts and did not dare to come up with any other ideas.

Unless, the wife of Marquis Yongning is also involved...

But the wife of Marquis Yongning was born into a prominent family, and the Marquis Yongning's family was also wealthy. How could she be interested in her mother's dowry?