Reborn to marry, the short-lived prince lived a hundred years

A dreamless night.

The drizzle was weaving, gently tapping against the window frame, and looking out from inside, it was all foggy.

When Meng Tingyue woke up, her side was cold, and only the two layers of bedding on the bed indicated that what happened last night was not a dream.

"Indigo and blue."

Hearing the call, Qinglan and Qingdian stepped lightly into the inner room.

Qinglan gently lifted the two sides of the bed curtains, "The Crown Princess is awake."

"What time is it?" Meng Tingyue gently turned sideways and sat up from the couch, her eyes falling on Qingdian who was busy in front of the closet.

The latter was carefully selecting suitable clothes to wear today.

"It's already late in the morning, and the rain is still pouring outside. It's even colder than yesterday."

Qingdian answered as she turned around, holding a soft, warm-colored dress in her hands, and asked softly, "The Crown Princess has a weak constitution, so you should wear this today. It will keep you warm and comfortable."

Meng Tingyue's eyes lightly swept over the light blue clothes in her hand, nodded slightly, and let out a soft "hmm" from her nose.

"When did His Highness leave?"

"I entered the palace at the hour of Mao."

After dressing up and having a meal, Meng Tingyue stood leisurely under the eaves.

The drizzle is like a weaving net, gently brushing across the sky, weaving a hazy rain curtain.

She gently stretched out her palm and caught the water droplets sliding down from the eaves. The water droplets slowly spread out in her palm, bringing a hint of coolness.

"As the Crown Princess expected, His Highness has already sent people to investigate those shops." Qingdian stood silently beside Meng Tingyue.

Meng Tingyue's eyes were calm, as if everything was under control. "Butler Zheng will definitely make some moves today. Let's guess how His Highness will punish this 'loyal' Butler Zheng."

Qingdian frowned slightly, and after a moment, he slowly said, "It shouldn't be a severe punishment. Maybe a scolding and a deduction of some monthly salary."

"Isn't it said that Butler Zheng is from the Queen's mother's family? Will the Crown Prince turn a blind eye and just give a few verbal warnings?" Qinglan came out of the house and stood on another level next to Meng Tingyue.

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue looked at the rain and sighed, "It all depends on whether our Highness will consider the face of the Queen's mother's family."

The guards of the Prince's Mansion acted like the wind. In just half a day, they had sorted out the whole story clearly. By the time Shen Yunheng stepped out of the palace, the news was already firmly in their hands.

Ling Qi's investigation this time was even more meticulous than Meng Tingyue's.

"Your Highness," Ling Qi whispered, "The conditions of those shops are roughly consistent with what the Crown Princess described."

"Furthermore, I've discovered that these shops are secretly colluding with minor officials, leveraging Your Highness's prestige. These officials are willing to patronize these shops privately, hoping to establish some kind of relationship with Your Highness..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunheng's anger instantly surged in his heart, his face livid. "How dare you use my name to carry out such a private transaction? How audacious! Anyone involved in this matter will not be able to escape!"

Under Shen Yunheng's swift and decisive action, several shops underwent major overhauls.

Those minor officials who had close ties with the shops were like frightened birds at this moment, closing their doors tightly, fearing that the prince's anger would accidentally spread to them and cause them to suffer innocent consequences.

For a time, many shops put up signs saying they were closed due to this large-scale overhaul.

Some people are happy that someone is worried.

When Butler Zheng heard the news, he immediately knew that this matter was related to Meng Tingyue.

His confidant took the opportunity to exaggerate, saying, "This Crown Princess is clearly targeting you. She couldn't find any loopholes in the account books, so she went to the shop to find fault. She's really going to great lengths."

"His Royal Highness's swift and decisive reorganization has already significantly weakened our forces. Now, the management of these shops has completely fallen into the hands of the Crown Princess. From now on, if we want to make any further moves, I'm afraid it will be harder than climbing to the sky."

Manager Zheng's eyes instantly turned as cold as a snake, and the resentment towards Meng Tingyue in his heart grew like weeds. Upon hearing this, he became even more furious, and threw the blue and white porcelain cup in his hand at his confidant.

"How dare you bring this up? I've repeatedly warned you to keep a low profile, but you've ignored my warnings and acted so brazenly. Now that the truth has been revealed, if His Highness takes his anger out on me, I'll be the first one to feed you to the fish in the pond!"

The confidant lowered his head and apologized quickly.

Butler Zheng took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his chest, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Since the Crown Princess is determined to be our enemy, how can I let her have an easy time? I will write a letter shortly, and you should quickly send someone to the palace to present it to the Empress."

……

Butler Zheng's decision was made quickly, and it was similar to Qingdian's guess.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was furious, and Butler Zheng pushed out another scapegoat, who was ultimately only fined six months' salary for poor supervision.

As for the power of the housekeeper, it completely fell into Meng Tingyue's hands, and Housekeeper Zheng became her right-hand man.

Meng Tingyue naturally also knew the prince's attitude from his treatment of Butler Zheng, and she treated Butler Zheng more properly.

At least the prince clearly distinguishes between public and private matters and does not talk about personal feelings.

Qing Dian was followed by a servant named Erquan. They both walked into the house. Qing Dian respectfully reported, "Crown Princess, this servant named Erquan says he has something important to report to you."

A trace of doubt flashed through Meng Tingyue's mind. She had no memory of this person. "Let him in."

"Your servant greets the Crown Princess." Erquan lowered his head and eyes, kneeling in front of Meng Tingyue.

Meng Tingyue carefully looked at the person kneeling on the ground and said, "Get up."

Erquan stood up as instructed, his posture humble, his eyes half-closed, and began to speak carefully, "Reporting to the Crown Princess, I just happened to see Ah Qing, a confidant of Housekeeper Zheng, hurried out of the back door, looking very hurried, as if he was heading towards the Imperial Palace."

Meng Tingyue was slightly interested, but she didn't show it on her face. "What does that have to do with me? I have no grudge against Butler Zheng, so why would I know his itinerary?"

Erquan spoke calmly, "I'm well aware that Steward Zheng holds a prominent position within the mansion, having long held such a prominent position. I'm reluctant to relinquish my stewardship easily. Furthermore, you, Crown Princess, are a distinguished figure, a peerless beauty. You cannot tolerate anyone playing tricks on me under your nose."

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue raised her eyes slightly, Qingdian immediately understood and closed the door quietly.

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue said calmly, "Butler Zheng is utterly loyal to the Crown Prince. He has worked tirelessly for the Crown Prince's residence over the years. Even if he hasn't achieved any great military success, he has certainly worked very hard. I am deeply grateful to him, and it's not enough for me to express my gratitude. How could I possibly be unhappy?"

"Even if the Crown Princess doesn't want to be at odds with Butler Zheng, Butler Zheng may not really feel that way. He is narrow-minded and enjoys the flattery of others and the feeling of power."

"The Crown Princess' recent behavior has already angered Butler Zheng. He will naturally try every possible means to get back at her, and even try to take back his stewardship."

"Butler Zheng is originally from the Queen's mother's family. He sent someone to deliver the letter this time, naturally intending to speak ill of the Crown Princess in the Queen's ear."

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue blurted out: "Do you have a grudge against Butler Zheng?"