At the beginning, I was a rich female prisoner

The atmosphere in the living room of the Yu Mansion was quite harmonious. Everyone showed full respect to Yun Xin and did not look down on Prince Yu because of his intellectual problems. After the meal, Yu Linshan even took the initiative to teach Nangong Lin how to read and write.

At this time, a royal eunuch entered the Yu Mansion. He saw the yard full of red boxes and asked curiously, "Could it be that another daughter of the Yu Mansion is going to get married?"

"Eunuch Wu, you misunderstood. These boxes are actually our princess's dowry!" Steward He explained quickly, "These were specially ordered by the master to make up for the princess' dowry. Yesterday, our concubine secretly sent the princess to Prince Yu's mansion, and only prepared a sedan chair, nothing else. Isn't this a disgrace to our Yu Mansion and the master!"

"Such a thing actually happened. His Majesty was extremely angry when he heard about it, and ordered Lord Yu, the Princess and Prince Yu to come to the palace for an audience." Eunuch Wu shouted loudly in a shrill, piercing voice that could not be distinguished between male and female.

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment, I will go and report to the master." Butler He responded hurriedly.

"Master, Eunuch Wu from the palace is here to convey the emperor's order, ordering you, the young lady, and Prince Yu to go to the palace to meet him." Butler He reported to Yu Tinghai in a hurry.

Upon hearing this, Yu Tinghai did not dare to delay and immediately stood up and walked out of the room and went straight to the reception room. When he saw Eunuch Wu, he bowed and said, "Eunuch, you came from the palace, so I guess you haven't eaten yet?"

"Lord Yu is too polite. There is no need to worry so much. His Majesty has summoned you all urgently, so please get ready quickly." Eunuch Wu waved his hand quickly.

"Please prepare some food for the eunuch, Master." Yu Tinghai turned to the person beside him and said, "Please don't worry, Master. I have asked Xin'er to prepare it."

Not long after, a group of people stepped out of the mansion and boarded a spacious and luxurious carriage. This carriage was a royal carriage, majestic and solemn, which made people feel awe.

In the car, Eunuch Wu narrowed his eyes, carefully looked at Prince Yu and Yu Yunxin, and said softly: "This is really a perfect couple made in heaven! His Majesty is very satisfied with the princess, otherwise, as soon as Concubine Wang mentioned the princess, why would His Majesty immediately include the princess in the imperial book and make her the Princess of Yu?"

Hearing this, Yu Tinghai couldn't help but frown and asked in confusion: "Eunuch, why did Concubine Wang and His Majesty bring up this matter?"

Eunuch Wu smiled and explained, "Sir Yu, don't you know that your concubine Wang and the imperial concubine are distant relatives? It was because your concubine Wang praised the princess to the imperial concubine Wang that she was talented and beautiful, and was very suitable to be the princess of Prince Yu, so this matter was facilitated." At this point, he paused, and then continued, "But let's not talk about these for now. Today, when the eunuch Zhang, the chief eunuch of the imperial kitchen, went out of the palace to purchase, he heard that the evil slaves in Prince Yu's mansion dared to bully their master, and he immediately flew into a rage. Although Prince Yu is a little stupid, His Majesty still loves him very much. Upon hearing about this kind of thing, His Majesty was naturally furious. Sir Yu, you must punish those evil slaves severely!"

"So that's the case! Then why did the father-in-law ask me to come here this time?" Yu Tinghai asked puzzledly.

"The emperor said that Concubine Wang and Concubine Li were so eager to arrange their marriage. The emperor also wanted to give a betrothal gift like ordinary people!" Eunuch Wu said as he picked up a piece of cake and put it in his mouth to chew. "Master Yu, this is a good thing. When you meet the emperor later, don't be dissatisfied with Prince Yu!"

After entering the palace, Eunuch Wu led the three of them straight to the imperial study. Although Yu Yunxin had been to the palace several times, she was still very familiar with the rules of the palace. After entering the imperial study, when she saw Emperor Cheng, she knelt down with her father to pay her respects.

Prince Yu also knelt down hastily upon seeing this. Emperor Cheng saw the thin Prince Yu and immediately said, "Everyone please stand up. No need to be polite. What I am discussing now is family affairs. There is no need to be bound by etiquette."

Yu Tinghai and Yu Yunxin stood up together. Prince Yu immediately helped Yu Yunxin up and said, "Father, this is my princess. I love her so much. She even gave me a big chicken drumstick. Oh, my princess also said she would buy me some candied haws. Princess, don't forget, it's two."

"As long as Lin'er likes it." Emperor Cheng said dotingly.

"Lailin'er, come to your father's place. I haven't seen you for a long time." Emperor Cheng said.

"Father! You haven't summoned Lin'er for a long time. Lin'er almost forgot about you." Nangong Lin murmured.

"Okay, Lin'er, I heard that you have suffered a lot of grievances. I will support you. If anyone treats you badly in the future, you will go to the palace and tell your father, okay?" Emperor Cheng said to Nangong Lin who was playing with the pastry in his hand with a loving face.

"Okay! I understand. By the way, father, I want to eat a lot of delicious food. Can you give it to me? Also, I want my princess to have new clothes to wear every day, because she has also given me new clothes." Nangong Lin blinked his big eyes and looked at Emperor Cheng with anticipation.

"Haha, of course you can, my dear Lin'er." Emperor Cheng laughed heartily, "Later I will grant you a few imperial chefs and palace embroiderers, and a hundred rolls of silk and satin. From now on, you and your princess can wear whatever fine clothes you want."

Yu Tinghai, who was standing aside, looked at Prince Yu and muttered to himself: This kid is really good at acting like a spoiled child to ask for rewards! His own daughter has everything she needs. However, he also understood Emperor Cheng's love for Nangong Lin, after all, he was Emperor Cheng's most beloved son. Thinking of this, Yu Tinghai couldn't help but shook his head and smiled helplessly.

Emperor Liang said again: "I will give you 10,000 taels of gold as my royal betrothal gift. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Tinghai immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward! I really have no way to repay you! Your Majesty's grace is so great, I am deeply grateful!"

Emperor Cheng smiled and said, "Your daughter is the best reward for me. In the future, you must treat Prince Yu well and not have any other thoughts. Do you understand? I only hope that you can give birth to more children for my Lin'er."

What exactly does the emperor mean? Yu Tinghai wanted to cancel the engagement, but he was stunned by the emperor's 12,000 ounces of gold. He couldn't even find a reason to refute. Things have come to this point, and it is irreversible. Yu Yunxin, who was standing aside, did not say a word. She thought to herself: "If the emperor really wants to help Prince Yu, it would be fine, but I'm afraid there are deeper imperial power tactics hidden in it. Maybe the emperor wants to use her, Yu Yunxin, to contain her father, Yu Tinghai. She is grateful to her father this time, but I'm afraid her father will be promoted soon..."

"Yu Yunxin, Lin'er, wait for a moment, and then we will go to the Jade Palace to pay respects to your mother. I have specially granted you four palace masters, ten palace guards, twenty palace maids and eunuchs, ten craftsmen, five imperial chefs, and ten embroiderers. Send them to Prince Yu's Palace immediately." Emperor Liang said, and then he turned his gaze to Yu Yunxin and said earnestly: "Princess, I know that you have suffered a lot of grievances. Therefore, I have decided to confer you the title of first-rank princess and grant you a hereditary fief of 10,000 households. Do you feel better now? If you still feel uneasy, you can recruit some loyal warriors to protect you and Prince Yu's safety."

Yu Yunxin heard that the emperor not only rewarded her and Prince Yu with many attendants, but also promoted her to the first-rank princess and granted her a generous fiefdom. She couldn't help but wonder in her heart. What does it mean to compensate her? She thought, how can the Cheng Emperor be so shrewd than a businessman? Isn't the hereditary succession his descendants? She and Prince Yu really don't need so many people to serve them. Wouldn't this arrangement make them live a pampered life? However, she thought again, the palace is so spacious, and with these people accompanying her, she won't feel lonely, so she immediately knelt down and thanked him: "Thank you, father, for your gift, my daughter-in-law."

“Princess Yu, you must remember that you are now the Princess of Yu, and your identity has been recorded in the royal jade genealogy. In the future, Prince Yu will be your husband. I hope you can live in harmony and respect each other.” Emperor Cheng opened his mouth and instructed again.

"Yes, father, your daughter-in-law will keep it in mind. I will do my best to take good care of Prince Yu. He is not only my husband, but also the person who will accompany me for life." Yu Yunxin replied respectfully with a firm tone.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cheng's eyebrows relaxed a lot, showing satisfaction, and said, "That's very good. You can leave and go to the Jade Palace to see your mother."

"As you command!" After Yu Yunxin finished her words, she left the imperial study with Nangong Lin. When she walked out of the room, she couldn't help but look back at Nangong Lin, but she didn't say anything, just silently followed the palace maid to the Jade Palace.

Along the way, Yu Yunxin secretly pondered the emperor. His words and deeds were somewhat unpredictable, and he seemed to be hiding many unknown thoughts. Why did he marry her to Prince Yu instead of the crown prince? Did he want to compensate Concubine Li and Prince Yu and their son? Or did he want to deal with her father? It seemed that she had to be more vigilant against Emperor Cheng in the future.

Soon, they arrived at the Jade Palace. As soon as she entered the palace, Yu Yunxin saw a woman in a moon-white palace dress squatting on the ground, pulling weeds attentively. When she got closer, she found that what the woman was pulling were not ordinary weeds, but a precious medicinal herb called Gastrodia elata. When Nangong Lin saw the woman, he immediately ran over excitedly, shouting, "Mother, my princess gave me a big chicken drumstick at noon!"

Yu Yunxin watched the scene in front of her. She stood quietly by, observing the interaction between mother and son, with a gentle smile on her face.

How could this silly prince say this! The Concubine Li in front of her looked like Nangong Lin's sister. The mother and son had similar eyes. Although Concubine Li was wearing plain clothes and no makeup, she looked elegant and noble, with an indescribable flavor.

"Princess, are you surprised? Child, please come in and sit down first!" said Concubine Li.

The three of them came into the house. Concubine Li asked a maid to fetch some water and began to wash her hands. Her delicate hands seemed to have no traces of time.

Concubine Li smiled and looked at Yu Yunxin firmly, and asked softly: "Are you holding a grudge against me now? Or are you full of curiosity and want to know why I want to tie you and my son together tightly?" As she spoke, she slowly stretched out her hand and held Yu Yunxin's soft hand.

Yu Yunxin tried to break free from Concubine Li's warm hands, but she finally gave up the resistance. She took a deep breath and responded calmly, "Concubine Li, if I'm not mistaken, I already know a little about your intentions. Although the Duke Li's Mansion is not your blood relative, they are inextricably linked to the body you have now. You want to launch a counterattack, but you are worried that Prince Yu will be hurt by the hidden arrows of your enemies. Therefore, you cleverly used me to contain the prince, and as for the queen, I believe you will have a unique way to fight back."

A hint of admiration flashed in Concubine Li's eyes. She stared at Yu Yunxin, a brilliant smile blooming on her face: "I never expected that the daughter of the Minister of Justice Yu would be so intelligent. It's really admirable! You are worthy of being the beloved daughter of my best friend. Only you can see through my true thoughts! So, haven't you ever longed to become the master of this world? Don't you want to be the empress of this world!" Her eyes revealed a deep expectation, as if telling Yu Yunxin an unknown dream.

Yu Yunxin looked at Concubine Li with interest, her lips slightly raised, and she laughed softly, "Madam Concubine Li is so bold! You actually want to overthrow the deeply rooted concept of male superiority and female inferiority in this world? I don't have such ambitions as you. I just want to live in peace and stability in the present and enjoy this quaint life. Although we both come from modern society, our ideas are very different."

After Yu Yunxin finished speaking, she sat down leisurely, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Concubine Li turned to look at Nanny Li who was approaching, with a hint of reproach in her eyes, and asked in a questioning tone: "Nanny Li, when you went to Prince Yu's Mansion this time, how could you not have noticed that those servants dared to bully my Lin'er?"

Upon hearing this, Nanny Li knelt hurriedly and replied anxiously, "Your Majesty, it was all due to my negligence that I failed to ask further questions."

"Well, you have followed me for so many years and have done your best. Let's go out of the palace together with Princess Yu this time! If Princess Yu is interested in learning my beauty-preserving techniques and is curious about Xianzhi Pavilion, you need to give her more guidance and instruction." Concubine Li instructed earnestly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity and for not blaming me." Nanny Li replied with tears of gratitude.

"Forget it. I am already satisfied to see such an outstanding daughter-in-law. Besides, you have always been obsessed with medical research. After you leave the palace this time, you must take good care of my son and Xin'er!" Concubine Li opened her red lips and said slowly.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will do my best and will not slack off in the slightest." Nanny Li responded respectfully.

"Come, Xin'er, come to me quickly. I want to give you some pearl hairpins and jewelry." Concubine Li called softly with a smile on her face.