Becoming a stepmother of three children gives me space

The day after the Zhou family came to deliver the betrothal gifts, Xiao Chen woke up and felt sore all over. He opened his eyes and was shocked to find himself lying on the cold ground!

look around,

The room was empty, so clean it made people sad.

"Did you fall asleep?"

Xiao Chen muttered to himself, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and pinched his thigh fiercely.

hiss!

It hurts!

Xiao Chen completely woke up.

"Someone come here!"

"Someone come here!"

Xiao Chen's roar pierced the main courtyard like thunder. Damn servants, no one reported the theft of the main house. What use were they?

Soon,

The panicked servant stumbled in, his face filled with horror, and he stammered:

"Master, no, it's bad, our house has been robbed!"

Do I need you to tell me? Can't I see it myself?

"Useless! You didn't even notice the burglary in the main house. What's the point of keeping you around?"

not good!

When he received the betrothal gifts yesterday, the Zhou family's attitude was very strange. He had a vague feeling that something bad was going to happen and the house was robbed at night.

I'm afraid he's not here for the betrothal gift.

I crawled to the warehouse and was stunned when I opened it.

The warehouse, which was not rich to begin with, was now made worse by the snow and hail. It was emptier than ever. Even the flat floor tiles were pried into pieces, and there was not a single intact tile left on the roof.

Rumble,

Xiao Chen was completely stunned as if struck by lightning.

Where on earth did this thief come from? How could he be so cruel that he didn't even leave any floor tiles or tiles?

"Damn thief, I curse you to die a horrible death, and your whole family will suffer with you!"

He was furious and yelled loudly, then suddenly a cold wind blew and he felt a chill on his neck.

What's going on? I can't even curse anymore?

The news of the Xiao Mansion being robbed spread throughout the capital at an alarming speed, and even the government was dispatched.

The people were filled with suspicion and disbelief.

"Did you say the betrothal gifts were really stolen?"

Another person echoed,

"That must be true. Prince Consort Xiao reported the case personally, and Jingzhao Prefecture dispatched a large number of troops to investigate!"

“That’s not what I meant…”

The people who had agreed earlier suddenly lowered their voices mysteriously:

"I'm wondering if someone might be stealing from the company and trying to take advantage of the situation to pocket this generous betrothal gift?"

According to common sense, the betrothal gift sent by the man does not need to be returned when it arrives at the woman's home, and the woman only needs to give it as a dowry when she gets married.

The dowry and betrothal gifts are usually of similar value. In most cases, the dowry is even greater than the betrothal gift. Some wealthy families will even return the betrothal gift in full.

of course,

In cases where the family backgrounds are not equal, the woman's family will keep the betrothal gifts, or someone may be greedy and want to take the betrothal gifts for themselves, and the dowry given will be pitifully small.

Usually when this happens, the woman's entire family will be ridiculed, and it will be very difficult for other young people to get married.

The status of the eldest princess and her husband is top-notch in Daxia. If they really coveted the betrothal gifts, it would be extremely shameful, so they used theft to cover it up.

"I think she's just trying to be a virtuous woman, saying it was stolen. Who knows if she stole it herself? She's just trying to save face."

"That's right. This matter is indeed strange. How could such a large betrothal gift disappear without a trace? If you say there is no trickery involved, I'm afraid it's hard to believe."

Prince Qing: I am a victim, I have a say, it is really possible.

Suddenly, a shout came from the crowd:

"Hurry, hurry, go to Princess Fuqing's mansion. Someone has reported to the government office that Prince Consort Xiao and the eldest princess are secretly colluding and trying to embezzle the betrothal gifts. It is said that the betrothal gifts have now been transferred to the eldest princess's mansion!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

"Is this really true? This is too outrageous!"

"Come on, let's go over and see what's going on. I heard that the Zhou family has brought officials from the government office and the Dali Temple to the princess's residence."

"Wow... the prince consort reported the case and it was traced back to the princess. How exciting."

Joining in the fun has long been deeply ingrained in the genes of the people of Daxia, and the common people are gathering towards the princess's mansion.

At the gate of the princess's mansion, the situation was tense.

The guards were armed with weapons and on high alert, confronting the personnel from the government office and the Dali Temple who came to search.

The head guard scolded,

"Without the order of His Majesty, no one can even dream of setting foot in the Princess's residence."

With a firm attitude, no intention of giving in.

The Dali Temple and the yamen runners did not force their way in, but came directly to search the Grand Princess's mansion? That was stupid. Before coming, they sent people to the palace to ask for instructions.

It was the Zhou family who insisted on coming early to prevent the stolen goods from being transferred, and Xiao Chen insisted that the betrothal gifts were stolen, so they had no choice but to make the trip.

"From this moment on, you are not allowed to enter the Princess's Mansion. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"

Zhou Jin was speaking with obvious anger.

He had been away for two days for something, but he never expected that the eldest princess and Xiao Chen would rely on their relationship with Xiao Yunxi to postpone the wedding date to next year.

Zhou Jin was about to explode with anger.

He had gone to great lengths to convince Xiao Yunxi to marry into the Zhou family, but was delayed because of these two people's interference.

today,

He must come in person and watch the princess humiliate herself.

Not long after, the palace really sent someone. Unexpectedly, the person who came was not the Tiger Guards or the Imperial Guards, but the Queen Mother.

The eldest princess, who had never come out, did not dare to be careless and took people out to greet him.

"See Queen Mother."

The queen waved her hand calmly.

"No need for formalities... I've come here in person today mainly for two reasons. The first is regarding the betrothal gift your family has received. The second is that as a member of Xiao Yunxi's family, I want to discuss with your stepmother the dowry she needs to prepare when she gets married."

When the Empress Dowager received the letter from Xiao Yunxi and the Zhou family, she immediately agreed to come forward. Xiao Yunxi and the Zhou family did not mention the second thing, which she added herself.

Xiao Chen and the eldest princess rushed to become Xiao Yunxi's stepmothers. Xiao Chen was disgusting, and the queen would not tolerate them and was ready to force them to provide a generous dowry.

You can't just take the title of parents and not give anything in return.

The corner of the eldest princess' mouth twitched. This bitch actually stood up for Xiao Yunxi and asked for the betrothal gift. She quickly smiled and said,

"Mother, there are too many people here, why don't we go inside the mansion first and discuss it in detail?"

Enter the mansion?

How can we force the princess to hand over her dowry?

"Today, I represent the royal family. I must clearly explain the dowry I intend to give in front of the people. Otherwise, they might think a princess of the royal family is truly after the betrothal gifts... Ladies and gentlemen, I am the current empress. To prove that Fuqing and her husband have no interest in the Zhou family's betrothal gifts, I hereby promise that if the dowry provided by Princess Fuqing's future mother does not match the betrothal gifts, I will punish her severely."