SFS Chapter 187 Happiness
Chapter 187 Happiness
Yu Han: Me too! It's a pity that when my eldest sister returned home for her third wedding anniversary, we weren't in the capital anymore!
Shangguan Mufeng: "Study hard, and when you're a little older, you'll be allowed to come back to the capital every day off!"
Shangguan Yi was overjoyed: "Really? That's wonderful!"
Although he loved Wuliping very much because it was his birthplace, where he was born and raised, and he had many fond memories of it, he still hoped to see his parents, older sister, and younger brother more often.
Shangguan Mufeng: "As long as you study hard and behave well, I will definitely keep my promise!"
Yu Han, however, was not necessarily happy. Rather than saying he didn't want to return to the General's Mansion often, it would be more accurate to say he didn't want to return to the Yu Mansion often. He didn't want to see his stepmother frequently, but now that he was back in the capital, there was no reason not to return to the Yu Mansion.
Sigh, he'll just use the excuse of needing to study hard and practice martial arts to get Shen Laihui to send his cousin back to the capital! As for himself, he'll avoid coming back if possible. His stepmother has only been in the Yu family for a few months and is already pregnant; his father seems quite pleased. Who knows, it won't be long before this father becomes a stepfather.
Grandma said that my stepmother was a shrewd and capable woman. She managed the household perfectly, as well as the several dowry shops, and the estates and shops my father had acquired. My father seemed very satisfied with and valued this stepmother highly!
Perhaps, once his stepmother gives birth to his son, she'll start whispering in his father's ear about him. Anyway, whether his stepmother is good or bad, he's determined to keep his distance. No contact, or at least as little contact as possible, to see what that woman can do to speak ill of him or poison him.
A stepmother is a terrifying word for any underage child. Fortunately, he has a very formidable older sister, Zisu. Zisu has said that if his stepmother dares to harm him, she will make her wish she were dead.
At this very moment, at the Yu residence.
Yu Zhe bid farewell to his elder sister and brother-in-law and returned to the Yu residence.
Li Changge came out to greet him: "My husband is back! I heard that the princess's wedding procession was ten miles long, much more glamorous than mine was back then!"
Li Changge is Zisu's maternal aunt and Yu Han's stepmother.
Yu Zhe smiled and nodded: "Yes, it really is a magnificent dowry! Don't compare yourself to her. This dowry is so large, and apart from the betrothal gifts, it was basically all prepared with her own money!"
Li Changge: "You know, most of this ten-mile-long red bridal procession is the betrothal gift from Prince Duan! And what about the betrothal gift you gave me? It probably wasn't even a tenth of what Prince Duan gave, right? No! It should be less than a hundredth, right? Any one of the betrothal gifts from Prince Duan was priceless! The betrothal gift you gave was probably only worth ten thousand taels of silver at most, right?"
These words were spoken with a sour tone, tinged with annoyance and resentment.
Yu Zhe couldn't help but frown and rebuke her sternly, "I told you not to compare yourself to Zisu! She is a princess, the renowned Princess of Yulin, someone who has made several great contributions to the country! Moreover, I can't compare to Prince Duan either; he is the only prince of the Western Liang Kingdom. When he went to the General's Mansion to propose marriage, the Emperor specially bestowed many precious gifts upon him for the purpose of the betrothal!"
Li Changge was startled by her husband's tone and expression, but relying on her pregnancy, she continued to argue defiantly: "Yes, I am not a princess, and you are not a prince. However, the betrothal gifts shouldn't be too different, right? Besides, you said you didn't have any money, but when Zisu got married, didn't you give her a dowry worth more than five thousand taels?"
"This is outrageous! How can you only give my family ten thousand taels as betrothal money, but give Zisu so much as dowry?! By doing this, you clearly look down on the Li family, and you clearly disrespect me and don't like me! Your behavior is so disheartening and upsetting! I only said a few words, and you yell at me like this, you hate me so much, I'm going back to my parents' home right now!"
As she spoke, she went to open the cabinet, intending to organize her clothes and jewelry.
Yu Zhe was furious and immediately smashed a teacup, startling Li Changge.
Li Changge: "What are you doing? How dare you look down on me like this! My father may only be a fifth-rank official, but he's not made of clay. He can still get some justice for me! If we let this go this time, who knows how much stuff you'll have to give to Princess Yulin in the future? Are you trying to kill me?!"
Yu Zhe flew into a rage, smashing another teacup. He roared furiously, "What do you know to dare say such things? Do you know that even the betrothal gifts I gave your family were purchased with money given by Zisu?! The estate and shops I acquired recently were also purchased with money given by Zisu! Furthermore, every single large item in this house was bought by Zisu!"
When I first moved into this house, I had nothing, and all I had left were a few dozen taels of silver. Zisu was incredibly kind and gave me a whole house full of furniture, even the pots and pans were specially provided by her! Besides the furniture and kitchenware, she also gave me an extra 20,000 taels of silver!
Back then, I was forced to go to Yi County. Before I left, Zisu gave me tens of thousands of taels of silver so I could hire a security escort to protect me. She also gave me the only three guards she had! She even paid their monthly wages in advance! At that time, after giving me the money and the guards, she only had one or two thousand taels of silver left!
At that time, she not only had to take care of her pregnant mother, but also help me take care of Yu Han and Yu Han's grandmother! She was only ten years old then, yet she had such a broad mind and spirit! Because of this, I've always felt guilty and deeply ashamed. However, I never imagined you would be so petty, so narrow-minded, and so completely distorted!
I was so blind back then to think you were such a reasonable woman! Now, I truly regret choosing you! If you want to go home, then go back! Today, once you step out of this house, you'll never need to come back! It's not that I don't have a son, nor that I can't have children with another woman! Now, are you very smug, thinking that because you're pregnant, you can be reckless, that you can twist the truth, that you can be unreasonable and difficult?!
He spoke with great anger and agitation.
Li Changge was terrified.
How come she hadn't heard any of this before? If what he said is true, then it's understandable that he's angry. What should she do?
Seeing that she remained silent, Yu Zhe's anger flared up again: "What? Do you think I'm talking nonsense? Let me tell you, the five thousand taels of silver spent on Zisu's dowry this time was all money Zisu gave me! To be honest, I'm shameless and thick-skinned. She helped me so much and cared for me like a father, and I only gave her five thousand taels for her dowry. It's really shameless of me!"
You even thought I gave you too much and used it as an excuse to make trouble for me. If Zisu and the people from the General's Mansion found out, how could I possibly live with myself? I might as well jump into the river! Alas, how could I, as your uncle, ever face Zisu again? Now, even Yu Han is being taken care of by the people from the General's Mansion! Yu Han's tuition and living expenses are all paid for with Zisu's money!
I can't even be bothered to talk to you. Last time you told me that the tuition at Wuliping Academy was too high and you wanted to send Yu Han to a private school with cheaper tuition. I couldn't even be bothered to respond. At that time, if I hadn't just found out you were pregnant and couldn't get angry, I would have definitely scolded you and given you a good talking-to! It's all in the past now, and I didn't plan to settle the score later, but you're making such a fuss. I'm about to burst if I don't say anything!
Furthermore, before the engagement, I made it very clear that I was penniless, with little property, living off my salary. You and your parents both said it didn't matter, that you valued the person, not the money. Now, what's with this fuss? Although I am poor, I have such a nice house to live in, with very nice furniture and decorations.
Every day the meals are eight dishes and a soup, better than what you get at the General's Mansion! The General's Mansion only serves four dishes and a soup a day! My eldest son, to avoid getting in your way, only comes back to the mansion for a meal on holidays; otherwise, he stays in Wuliping and doesn't even come back to the capital! What more do you want? If you don't want to live like this, if you're so dissatisfied, then go back to the Li family!"
After Yu Zhe finished speaking, he didn't wait for her to say anything and strode away.
Li Changge stood in the center of the hall, his face deathly pale, his body swaying precariously.
The maid, Shui Lian, rushed to help her up, asking worriedly, "Madam, are you alright? Should we call a doctor?"
Li Changge shook his head: "Help me to sit down, have a cup of hot water, and get some rest, and I'll be fine!"
Shui Lian helped her sit down and quickly poured her a cup of warm water. Li Changge took it and drank it, which made her feel a little better.
She was definitely too reckless today!
She had met Zisu several times, and each time she saw Zisu, she noticed that Zisu was dressed very simply. She assumed that the General's Mansion was very poor, so when her husband gave Zisu five thousand taels of silver as a dowry, she assumed that her husband had often helped the people of the General's Mansion in the past.
Why should she bother? She was mistaken. Even if her husband used to help the people of the General's Mansion, now that Zisu is the Princess Consort of Duan, why would she need her husband to help the General's Mansion? Besides, it turns out she was wrong all along. It turns out that it was Zisu who was helping the people of the Yu family!
It turns out the Yu family owed Zisu so much money and so many favors! She was wrong, terribly wrong! Now, her husband looks down on her; what should she do? Their relationship is definitely not as harmonious or loving as before! This is terrible! What should she do?!
Li Changge couldn't help but hit his head with his hand, filled with remorse.
Now that Zisu is a princess, if she were to ask her husband to speak well of her father to Zisu, her father might be able to get a promotion! However, because of her pettiness and her unreasonable demands, she has completely angered her husband! How could she possibly ask him to plead for her father in the future?
Oh no, it's all her fault, she was wrong!
Alas, it's too late for regrets now.
Seeing this, Shui Lian couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.
Madam was indeed very wrong today. Before the Lord returned, Madam had complained to her that the Lord had given Princess Yulin too much as a dowry. At that time, she had advised Madam that the Lord must have his reasons for doing so. Moreover, Princess Yulin had partnered with someone to open the Wuliping Tourist Park, so she certainly wouldn't be short of money.
However, the lady was stubborn and stuck on one point: "I don't believe any of what you're saying! I don't know about anything else, but I do know that the dowry he gave my family is worth at most ten thousand taels of silver!"
No matter how she tried to persuade her, the lady wouldn't listen. Alas, now she regrets it, doesn't she? But there's no going back! A mistake is a mistake, and you have to bear the consequences yourself; no one can help you.
Yu Zhe left the backyard and went to the study in the front yard.
Wangfu.
After seeing off his guests, Prince Duan returned to his new home, his heart overflowing with happiness!
Seeing him return, Hongcha and Hongye quickly withdrew and closed the door. The two went to the adjacent side room. Zisu had never liked anyone keeping watch in her room at night; in the past, someone would only keep watch in the outer room. However, with the prince present today, Zisu specifically told them that they didn't need to keep watch in the outer room tonight, but could keep watch in the side room next door.
Zisu was sitting upright by the window, writing something.
When Prince Duan approached, he saw that the boy was practicing calligraphy.
Prince Duan couldn't help but chuckle: "I heard you practice calligraphy every day for at least a quarter of an hour, and it's true. Today is our wedding night, and you're still practicing calligraphy?"
Zisu: "You know perfectly well that my handwriting isn't very good. If I don't practice every day, I'll quickly slack off. Once I slack off, I'll become lazy, and maybe I'll never be diligent again!"
Prince Duan: "That's true. You have to persevere in everything, otherwise you'll slack off and won't be able to be diligent anymore! You've managed to persevere, which is excellent. Your husband admires you greatly!"
Zisu put down her brush, looked up and glared at him: "Husband, husband, don't you find it awful!"
Prince Duan: "What's so unpleasant about it? I think it sounds great, very interesting. From today onwards, I am your husband! Hehe, I'm so happy, I wish I could shout it out loud!"
Zisu: "You're so happy that you've become my husband?"
Prince Duan: "Of course, I like it very much!"
Zisu: "Sigh, if you don't marry me, you can have two concubines, four secondary concubines, and countless maids. If you marry me, you'll only have me as your woman for the rest of your life. Don't you feel like you're losing out?"
Prince Duan: "No, I'm not losing out at all! You alone are worth a thousand people. With you, I'm completely satisfied! The other women are all just ordinary beauties; I wouldn't even look at one of them!"
Zisu: "I hope you keep your word and don't let me down!"
Prince Duan: "I promise I will never let you down or make you sad in this lifetime! Tonight, will you let me sleep here?"
Zisu: "No, you'd better wait patiently a little longer. I can promise you, I'll wait a year at most, until I turn seventeen!"
Prince Duan: "Didn't you say that we wouldn't consummate the marriage until we were eighteen? Are you trying to lie to me?"
Zisu: "I'm not lying to you, I'm telling the truth. Originally, I planned to get married after I turned eighteen, but now that we're married, we'll consummate the marriage when I turn seventeen!"
If you delay for a few months and carefully avoid fertile periods, it should be about right. Getting pregnant at seventeen and a half and giving birth around eighteen and a half should minimize risks and ensure the baby's health.
Prince Duan was very happy and said, "Tonight is our wedding night. We can't sleep together, but can't I at least have a good hug and a kiss?"
Zisu nodded helplessly: "Alright, I'll do as you say!"
Before she could finish speaking, she was nestled in his warm embrace. He lowered his head and kissed her cherry-like lips, kissing her passionately. Her hands, however, were restless, roaming all over her body. She seemed extremely eager, as if she wanted to devour him whole.
Zisu had no choice but to let him do as he pleased. After a long while, when she was almost suffocating, he finally stopped the passionate kiss. He turned around and threw a pill into his mouth.
Zisu was shocked and quickly asked, "What did you eat?"
Prince Duan comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I'm taking Qingxin Pills, which I specifically asked the old doctor for!"
Zisu: "Why do you need to take Qingxin Pills when you're perfectly fine? Every medicine has some toxicity; it's best to avoid taking them if possible!"
Prince Duan: "It's alright. The old doctor said this pill has no side effects. If I don't take it, I'll have to take a cold shower. It's fine during the day in this weather, but it's a bit cold at night."
Zisu suddenly realized what he meant, blushed, and lowered her head to avoid looking at him: "I'm going to sleep, you can go to the study!"
Otherwise, I don't know how many calming pills I would have to take that night.
Taking too many pills is definitely not a good thing.
Prince Duan didn't linger. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead before going to the study next door. The study and the bridal chamber were connected by a moon gate, so if Zisu needed anything at night, Prince Duan could come directly over without knocking.
Zisu felt at ease and, after a long day, quickly drifted off to sleep.
Prince Duan walked over silently and stood in front of her for a long time, sighing deeply in his heart: Little girl, grow up quickly! I can hardly wait!