Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5250 Home is hard to return to
After Du Ruhui and his wife passed away one after another, the once-glorious Duke of Lai's mansion was no longer what it used to be. Moreover, the Du family of Guanzhong participated in two coups after His Majesty ascended the throne, suffering heavy losses and losing the Emperor's favor. Their family fortunes and reputation declined further and further...

The family fortune accumulated in the early years has been gradually depleted, and Du He now holds no official position with real power, while his title is still inherited by his elder brother Du Gou... It is no exaggeration to say that he is "spending more than he earns".

Under such circumstances, it would be virtually impossible to come up with 300,000 strings of cash at once.

The already struggling family was further burdened with even greater hardship...

A maidservant served fragrant tea, but Princess Chengyang waved her away. Once there was no one else in the hall, she looked at her husband and asked softly, "Is there not enough cash at home?"

Generally speaking, although a princess is married off, she still considers herself part of the imperial family. She lives with her husband but has her own dowry and assets. She would never mix with her husband's family. Therefore, Princess Chengyang usually only manages her own dowry of land, manor, and shops and does not inquire about the income and expenditure of the Du family.

Seeing Du He's predicament, it seemed that his family was in dire straits and couldn't come up with so much money and silk in such a short time...

Du He was somewhat embarrassed. As the head of the family, he was at a loss when faced with the problem of money and silk, which inevitably made him feel inferior. However, he did not want to lose face in front of his wife, so he said, "We really can't afford it... It's not that our family is in dire straits. There are countless nobles, relatives of the emperor, and powerful families in Chang'an, but how many families can come up with 300,000 strings of cash at once? This is also the reason why all the princes-in-law are gathered here. It's not that we are unwilling to give the princes a gift, but it's really that too little is embarrassing, and too much is really difficult."

Princess Chengyang blinked, and out of consideration for her husband's pride, she didn't say anything more, but instead asked directly, "How much more is needed?"

Du He thought for a moment and said, "If we include all the money and silk in the treasury, we will still be short about 150,000 to 160,000 strings of cash... It's not that we don't have money. We still have many treasures and antiques of considerable value, but none of them are needed for the princes' overseas expeditions and enfeoffment. We can only give them cash."

Ignoring her husband's words of "saving face," Princess Chengyang said, "I will fill the gap."

As the legitimate daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Empress Zhangsun, Princess Chengyang was not as favored as Princess Jinyang, but her status was still far above that of an ordinary princess. Emperor Taizong of Tang also lamented the early death of Du Ruhui and the inability to share wealth and honor with his minister, so he gave Princess Chengyang a very large dowry, with land and shops generating a considerable amount of income every year.

Unlike some princesses who frantically donated money to temples and Taoist temples, Princess Chengyang lived a simple life and thus had a considerable amount of savings and wealth.

Du He was taken aback, then shook his head vigorously: "How can we take the princess's money and silk? Absolutely not!"

Princess Chengyang said softly, "We are husband and wife, and we usually manage our own finances according to the court's regulations. But now that we are facing difficulties, we should help each other. Why should we distinguish between each other?"

Du He still refused: "The lack of money and silk is not unsolvable. We can send someone to pawn shops in various parts of the city later to inquire about pawning some land and jewelry, and then ask relatives and friends for help. We can raise the money quickly."

His expression and tone were very resolute.

It wasn't that he was so ambitious as not to spend women's money, but rather that he vaguely suspected that his princess had an improper relationship with that scoundrel Fang Jun. Fang Jun's dazzling brilliance made him feel ashamed. If he needed Princess Chengyang's help even with such trivial matters as money, wouldn't that further prove his incompetence?
A woman's attraction to a man isn't necessarily based on his looks or eloquence, but rather on his abilities and sense of responsibility...

What if Princess Chengyang thinks he's useless because of this incident, and instead becomes even more infatuated with Fang Jun? Wouldn't he be devastated?
Princess Chengyang was unaware that her husband was already wary of her having an affair. Upon hearing this, she frowned slightly, showing her displeasure: "When living together, husband and wife should be one, so that they can work together and overcome difficulties. Why make such a clear distinction?"

Du He straightened his back, his face solemn and serious: "As a man, I should be a woman's support. How can I rely on a woman when facing difficulties? I am pleased with Your Highness's intentions, but please respect my dignity as a man. I have my own way of handling this matter, and Your Highness does not need to worry about it."

Although he spoke with great confidence, the thought of being ripped off by pawnshops when he went out to pawn his land and house deeds made him feel so distressed that he could hardly breathe...

"Ok?"

Princess Chengyang narrowed her eyes slightly, scrutinizing her husband.

Is he really that manly?
Normally, you wouldn't notice; it's all soft and limp, not firm at all...

Du He knew he had overreacted and felt a little guilty: "What kind of look is that? Although I can't compare to others who are skilled in both literature and martial arts, I am still a man and I have a man's responsibilities!"

Princess Chengyang gave a gentle smile: "Very well then. Since you are a man, you shall have the final say."

Du He nodded solemnly: "That's more like it!"

But then he sighed inwardly.

He was stubborn, but the thought of having to pawn a large amount of land and property deeds made his heart bleed with pain...

*****
Fangfu.

Princess Gaoyang looked at Fang Jun, who had just returned and was sitting in a chair drinking tea, and said reproachfully, "Sister Chang Le just sent someone to ask you if you want to give gifts to the princes along with the other sisters. They are waiting for your reply... I used to think that Sister Chang Le was quite decisive and a real heroine, but now I find that she is very dependent on you. Hmph, Fang Erlang is really resourceful."

Fang Jun put down his teacup, ignoring the strange and sarcastic remarks, and said calmly, "Send someone to tell Chang Le that there is no need to pay attention to it. When the princes go to sea, I will provide them with gifts. She is a member of the Fang family, so she is naturally considered part of the Fang family. There is no need for any extra gifts."

Princess Gaoyang hummed in agreement, then covered her lips with her sleeve, smiling without showing her teeth, her beautiful eyes curving up: "This time, the trouble that Li You has stirred up is getting bigger and bigger, it's like skinning all the prince consorts alive, and each family must be heartbroken... You're really too wicked."

Although Li You's operation was very clever, it had many loopholes that the princes could easily resist. However, the young master's final move, "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron," plugged all the loopholes, and the princes had no choice but to obediently offer money and silk according to Cheng Chuliang's standards.

The problem is that the reason why the princes-in-law formed a secret alliance was not because they were unwilling to give money to the princes, but because many of their families were in dire straits. Now they were forced to take out 300,000 strings of cash, and they probably wished they could skin Cheng Chuliang alive.

"Hey!"

Fang Jun couldn't help but laugh: "The prince consorts now hate Cheng Chuliang to the bone and curse him endlessly, but Cheng Chuliang is quite like his father. No matter how much you mock, spit on, insult, and attack him, I will remain unmoved as long as I have the benefits in my pocket!"

There are reasons why the Cheng family has been able to stand firm. It is not only because generations of people have been able to scheme, but also because they are shameless, ruthless, and only interested in profit.

In officialdom, having a sense of shame is not an option...

"Your Highness, Erlang, Princess Qinghe has come to visit."

The servants outside the door entered to announce the arrival of the servants.

Fang Jun took a sip of tea, stood up and said, "You sisters can talk. Don't call me unless it's important."

Princess Gaoyang gave a huff: "So you actually know how to avoid suspicion? I suppose Fang Erlang is aware of his bad reputation?"

Fang Jun ignored him and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Princess Gaoyang said to her servant, "Take Qinghe to the flower hall."

"Here."

Before long, Princess Qinghe, wearing a cloak, entered the flower hall with light steps. The snow-white fox tail wrapped around her neck made her look even more beautiful and her skin as white as snow.

She let the maid remove her cloak, revealing her slender figure in palace attire underneath. Her beautiful eyes surveyed the exotic flowers and trees in the flower hall, marveling at them as she asked curiously, "Isn't my brother-in-law home?"

Princess Gaoyang sat on a mat among the flowering trees, fiddling with a small stove to boil water and brew a pot of tea. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "What, did you come all this way just to see your brother-in-law? You're quite discerning, knowing that your brother-in-law is very caring and loving towards his wife's older sister."

Moisture condensed quickly on the glass walls, making the outside world hazy with snow and wind, while the inside world was lush with flowers and trees.

Princess Qinghe blushed, knelt down beside Princess Gaoyang, and lightly slapped the other's arm, saying in embarrassment and annoyance, "This would be a joke in other people's homes, but not in yours! If even a single word of this gets out, I'll be dead."

Princess Gaoyang snorted, quite displeased: "Since you know how dangerous it is, why did you dare to come here so rashly? If my second son were a lawless man, wouldn't it be unbearable to have him pinned down and forced upon you? Or did you intend to just deliver yourself to my doorstep?"

"Alright, I misspoke, little sister, please forgive me!"

Princess Qinghe blushed deeply and was furious.

"Oh my, she's so beautiful, it's almost unbearable to look at. What if my second son sees her... Alright, alright, let's not talk about it anymore, let's have some tea."

After being pinched twice more, Princess Gaoyang smiled and begged for mercy, pushing the teacup in front of the other person.

Princess Chengyang took a sip of tea, raised her hand to fan her face, and looked around: "Is it so hot in this flower hall?"

"There's an underground heating system underneath, and the glass is double-layered with heat circulating in between, which is why these flowering trees can thrive even in winter."

The two sisters chatted for a bit, and Princess Gaoyang asked curiously, "Did you come here today for something?"

Princess Qinghe complained, "It's nothing, I just came to find some peace and quiet... You have no idea that we can hardly go back home now. This morning, several of my sisters came to the door to criticize my husband for acting on his own... The others were alright, they just said a few sarcastic things, which I could tolerate. But Dongyang and Linchuan came together, and they were very aggressive, as if they had come to accuse me. I couldn't argue with them, so I quickly ran out after seeing them off."

Seeing her gloomy face, Princess Gaoyang suppressed a laugh and nodded in agreement: "Those sisters are going a bit too far. Each family has its own plans. Do we have to stick together with them? It's the Cheng family's business if they have money and are willing to give their brothers more gifts. How much they are willing to give is their own business. Why do we have to be tied together?"