Harem Daily Life

Hua Yurong puffed out her cheeks: "I was a little angry just now."

She could have kept quiet, but Hua Yurong decided to say it anyway. She felt that since they were already engaged, some things had to be said upfront to avoid future misunderstandings.

“My younger sister has always liked to steal my things since she was little, whether it's people or anything else. Your Highness knows that I was engaged to the Zhou family before, but the day I discovered Zhou Chen and Hua Ruyan... I broke off the engagement. Now she's trying to seduce Your Highness again, how can I not be angry?”

Looking at her sulking little round face, He Jin'an said solemnly, "Don't compare me to that faithless and ungrateful Zhou Chen, otherwise..." He leaned closer, bent down and looked into Hua Yurong's big eyes, "Otherwise, I will punish you."

Hua Yurong was taken aback: "You...you can hit people?"

He Jin'an frowned: "It's not the kind of punishment that involves hitting someone."

"Then what do you want?" Hua Yurong wanted to know the details. If the punishment was too severe, she was prepared to break off the engagement.

Seeing her serious expression, He Jin'an couldn't help but raise his hand and pinch her cheek, laughing, "Pinch my cheek."

Realizing what he was doing, He Jin'an immediately let go of her hand, stood still, and coughed twice to cover up his guilty conscience.

Hua Yurong was shocked, but after learning that the punishment was to pinch her cheeks, she calmed down a little.

Luckily, he had a round, chubby face; otherwise, without a bit of flesh on his face, he wouldn't have been able to withstand the prince's punishment.

Yin Jiu watched from a distance, her perception of her master completely overturned. She had always thought her master was aloof and noble… but when did she learn His Majesty's true nature? She was so adept at charming her future princess.

Madam Hua had prepared a banquet and sent the steward to personally invite Prince Jin. Only then did the two return from the pond to the table. The two tables were laden with food and wine, all made from the finest ingredients. Even so, Mr. and Mrs. Hua were still afraid of neglecting the prince and the other officials.

The Zhou family, who were originally honored guests, were now relegated to supporting roles. Fortunately, the eldest matriarch of the Zhou family was the most considerate and eloquent, which helped to salvage some of the Zhou family's reputation.

After the meal, the Hua family escorted their distinguished guest to the door. He Jin'an was courteous and showed no arrogance, remaining amiable throughout. After bidding farewell to Hua's parents, he said to Hua Yurong, who had seen him off, "I will come to pick you up on the fifteenth of the first lunar month."

"Where to?" Not only Hua Yuerong was puzzled, but the others were also confused.

"We're going to the palace for a Lantern Festival family banquet. You've been invited. It's agreed that you'll put everything else aside that day."

A mixture of excitement and helplessness flashed across Hua Yurong's face, but she did not reply.

"Good, good, good! Our Yue Rong will definitely wait for Your Highness at home that day. Thank you, Your Highness!" Madam Hua smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared. Their daughter had made something of herself; she was going to pay her respects to His Majesty and the Empress! What a great honor for the family!

Hua Ruyan's eyes were like ice, and she almost tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds. She was so jealous that she was about to explode.

He Jin'an and his entourage boarded the carriage and left. The Hua family stood at the door, gazing in the direction the people had gone, and did not enter the house for a long time.

"Ahem. Since Prince Jin has left, we will take our leave as well." Old Madam Zhou said, and Hua's parents came to their senses. Hua's mother smiled and said, "Please take care, Madam. We encountered an unexpected situation today and were not able to entertain you properly. We will visit you again another day."

"No need, no need. Your Hua family is fortunate. There are many things to prepare for Yue Rong's marriage. You'll be very busy. We are future in-laws. Please feel free to ask if there's anything you can help with," said Madam Zhou politely.

Seeing how understanding and considerate Madam Zhou was, Madam Hua was truly grateful. The family saw the Zhou family off before returning to their own residence.

"Aren't you very proud of yourself, sister? Look at your carefree smile, anyone who didn't know better would think you've been possessed by the God of Laughter." Hua Ruyan's face was full of anger, and even with her parents right in front of her, she stopped pretending.

Hua Yurong glanced at the Zhou family's betrothal gifts, which hadn't been sorted out yet, and smiled, "Sister should be very proud. After all, the Zhou family sent thirty-six sets of betrothal gifts, and each box is quite heavy. When you take them back to your own little home, you should live a very comfortable life."

Hua's parents had agreed long ago that the betrothal gifts and dowries for the two sisters would all be taken to their new homes when they got married, and none of them would remain in the Hua family.

Upon hearing this, Hua Ruyan was initially quite pleased with herself, but upon further reflection, she became even angrier.

Hua Yurong's future husband is Prince Jin, a prince with a fiefdom. Wouldn't the betrothal gifts be several times higher than those of the Zhou family?

"Don't be too smug. A royal prince like you won't be his only wife. He might have a whole bunch of concubines in his household. But I'm different. Brother Chen said he only has me and will never take a concubine in the future."

Hua Yurong was so angry at her words that she almost smashed the teacup in her hand. But then she thought about it again. The prince said not to think of him as a treacherous and unrighteous person. She calmed herself down and said inscrutably, "You just be the head of your Zhou family. You don't need to worry about the affairs of my Prince Jin's Mansion in the future."

"You... don't be ungrateful!" Hua Ruyan said angrily.

Seeing that the two sisters were about to quarrel again, Madam Hua slammed her hand on the table and said, "Stop arguing! You two are about to get married. When you become daughters-in-law in your husband's family, do you have to start a fight every time you're unhappy and make your husband's family laugh at you? Give me some peace of mind. I will find a nanny to teach you etiquette as soon as possible, especially Yue Rong. You will be a princess in the future. So many eyes will be watching your every move. You can't let those noble people look down on you!"

Hua Yuerong thought her mother's words made sense and nodded.

"Furthermore, besides learning etiquette, Yue Rong's dowry also needs to be prepared anew." Father Hua said as if facing a formidable enemy: "The dowry we prepared before was given to Ru Yan. This time, Yue Rong is marrying a prince, so we can't just prepare the same dowry after she marries into the royal family."

Hua Ruyan said angrily, "No, we are both daughters of the Hua family. Why should her dowry be more and more expensive than mine? I will not allow it."

"Stop making a scene, will you? You're so short-sighted! You don't even have the foresight of an old lady from the Zhou family!" Hua's father scolded Hua Ruyan. "Your sister is marrying into the royal family. Our whole family, including your husband's family, will be related to the imperial family in the future. Your status will be elevated. How can you be so confused and keep holding your sister back?"

Hua's mother glared at her youngest daughter: "Didn't you see the joy of the Zhou family today? They cherish this marriage opportunity."

After being scolded by both her parents, Hua Ruyan finally dared not speak again, but her resentful gaze still fell on Hua Yurong.

On what grounds? What exactly is her right?

I'm not willing to accept this!

Hua's father ignored his younger daughter and said to his eldest daughter, "You should sort out all our properties. I plan to give you all the remaining shops, estates, and shops in Rongcheng, except for those properties given to Ruyan, as your dowry."

Hua Yuerong bit her lip: "But this...is too much."

"Not much, not much at all," said Madam Hua. "Prince Jin has a fiefdom in Qianzhou. Qianzhou is so vast, it's overflowing with gold and silver. His Majesty is willing to give such a large prefecture to this son, which shows how favored he is. What we're giving you is already a small amount. We could give you the entire Hua family as your dowry!"

Hua Yurong said nothing more and nodded silently.

"Mother, when we ask Granny Xi for guidance, could we also ask for two more skilled cooks?"

Hua's mother asked, puzzled, "Why do you need a cook?"

Hua Yue Rong blushed: "I want to learn some cooking skills. I heard from the prince that the empress loves food."

To win over your future mother-in-law, cooking skills are an essential skill to learn.

Hua's mother gave an awkward laugh: "Then how about we hire ten or eight? If one or two can't teach you, maybe ten or eight can..."

Hua's mother was worried. Her eldest daughter was good at everything, except for her cooking skills... Tsk tsk, keeping her away from the kitchen was the right choice.