Teaming up with her mother to take revenge on the scumbags! The Crown Princess becomes the darling o

One afternoon, Chi Guiwan and He Lingyi had just returned from the girls' school when they found Madam Guo already waiting for them in Sijin Courtyard.

The maid, Fudong, kept a close eye on her and the people around her. She memorized every place they went and every spot they stood in, and she would carefully sweep and clean the area after they left, for fear of leaving any trouble behind.

As the two walked in, laughing and chatting, when they saw Madam Guo, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she said with a sour tone.

"As expected of the eldest sister, she's beaming with joy, smiling so happily."

One sentence was enough to make Chi Guiwan's face fall. She pretended to be confused and asked a question back.

"Mother, what you're saying is strange. The world is at peace now, and the sky is high and the air is crisp. If I'm not happy, am I supposed to be gloomy?"

Madam Guo's lips twitched, and then she put on a wronged look and began to cry.

“That’s true. After all, it’s not the eldest sister who will suffer after marrying into the Lü family. It’s understandable that you’re happy. It’s just that it’s pitiful that our second sister has to suffer for the family. It makes me sad when I think about it.”

Looking at her mother, whom she used to respect so much, Chi Guiwan suddenly felt that she was a really good actress, and her performance was so sincere and touching. If she hadn't already known her mother's thoughts, she probably would have been tricked by her tears.

Therefore, after washing his hands and sitting down, he took a piece of pastry from his hand and handed it to He Lingyi, who then ate it with tea.

Madam Guo looked on incredulously, "Eldest sister, how can you still eat?"

"I'm sorry to make you laugh, Mother. I guess I was just craving food while I was sick, so I'm always hungry after I recovered. And today, Granny Zong's lecture lasted a bit longer, so I was really hungry. Please continue, I'm just listening."

Her innocent expression made He Lingyi chuckle softly.

However, he masked it by coughing while eating pastries, so no one noticed.

Madam Guo's anger surged, but her maternal instincts, honed over many years, prevented her from saying anything. In the end, she could only wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and explain her purpose.

"Since you asked me to speak, then I won't stand on ceremony. This marriage of your second sister is something we agreed to on behalf of the family and your eldest sister. We, as her relatives, can't suffer for her, so we should think more about it. Your father also said that the family will give her 10,000 taels of silver as dowry, as well as an estate in the suburbs. I think it's good, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to fill the hole in the Lü family's finances. So I wanted to ask you, eldest sister, how much dowry do you plan to add?"

"Adding makeup?"

After all this charade, the reason has finally been explained.

Chi Guiwan wanted to laugh when she looked at Madam Guo. So all that crying was just a pretext for asking for money…

As the saying goes, losing money can avert disaster. However, if it were according to Chi Guiwan's usual personality, she would naturally be willing to offer hundreds or thousands of gold coins as a dowry. But now, asking her to spend money is simply a pipe dream.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke to his maid, Qianchun.

"Go and get that IOU."

"Yes, girl."

"IOU? What does that mean?" Madam Guo was unaware of the commotion in Rongxin Pavilion, and therefore knew nothing about Shen Miaoling writing an IOU.

Then, the maid Qianchun took out an IOU and gave it to her mistress. Chi Guiwan handed it over and explained.

“Shen Miaoling, the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Carriage Department, broke the jade cup that my mother brought with her dowry. That thing is priceless, but considering that she is a young lady from our school, I won’t make a fuss about it. So I made her write an IOU for three thousand taels of silver, which has not been returned yet. Mother, take this IOU to the Shen family to ask for it back. I’m sure they won’t dare not give it back. I also have some fine fabric here. I’ll set aside ten bolts to send to my second sister as part of her dowry. I think that should be enough.”

Three thousand taels of silver plus ten bolts of fine fabric—that's not a small amount of money.

But in reality, if this debt cannot be recovered, it would be equivalent to only receiving ten bolts of fabric. How could Madam Guo be satisfied? She would rather take most of it from Chi Guiwan's storeroom than be content with that.

So he gently put down the IOU, and with a nonchalant expression, said...

"Are you trying to fob me off, Miss? What's the point of giving me an IOU? This is a matter between you and Miss Shen. How can I, as an elder, go to your door to ask for it back?"

"Mother is overthinking it. Just give this IOU to Second Sister. She and Shen Miaoling are as close as if they grew up together. Don't worry, she can ask for it privately. Shen Miaoling won't refuse. In that case, she'll save face, get the money, and all three parties will be satisfied. If I go and ask for it for Second Sister with fanfare, I'm afraid it will damage their long-standing friendship."

He Lingyi sat watching the play and found that her mother's words were more pleasant to hear after she regained consciousness.

Not only did he not fall for Madam Guo's tricks, he even managed to create trouble for her. "You want money? Sure, I'll give you an IOU."

Having received the IOU, whether they can get it back depends on Madam Guo and Chi Guiying's own abilities. In any case, the three thousand taels of dowry have been given out to the outside world, and no one can say anything bad about Chi Guiwan, no matter how much they complain!

Upon hearing this, Madam Guo decided to drop the pretense.

With a cold laugh, his eyes seemed to say that Chi Guiwan's storeroom deserved to be used to fill the Vice Minister's mansion, he began to speak.

"I never realized you were this kind of person, eldest sister. You hoard your wealth and refuse to help your family, and now your second sister is going to suffer in your place by marrying into the Lü family, and you're just going to give her this little bit? After all, weren't all those things part of your dowry from when Hai-jie was alive? Let alone how many things you want to send out from the storeroom, it would be perfectly reasonable for you to just show your second sister the dowry list, wouldn't it?"

Once a person reveals their greedy nature, they change completely.

Just moments ago, Madam Guo had been acting like a kind mother, but now she was utterly detestable. She spoke with great confidence, but why did it sound so harsh to Chi Guiwan and He Lingyi?

He Lingyi, not one to tolerate such behavior, looked at Madam Guo with a hint of sarcasm and spoke.

“I’ve rarely seen this in Nanzhou. Since ancient times, when daughters get married, aren’t all the arrangements made by their parents and elders? How come it’s the Vice Minister’s residence that they’re asking for Sister Chi’s storeroom list to make up for the dowry? Or is this the custom in Bianzhou, and different from ours in Nanzhou?”

Hearing He Lingyi's cooperation, Chi Guiwan naturally felt even more confident.

“Mother wants my storeroom inventory list, but that won’t do. After Mother passed away, Grandfather personally came to Father’s house to clarify things before leaving. So, not only do I have the list, but the Marquis of Haibo’s mansion also has it. Just the other day, my aunt said that I should sort it out carefully to see if any ungrateful servants had secretly taken any over the years and that I should collect them all before I get married. So, if Mother wants it, then let Father talk to my uncle and aunt. If they agree, I won’t say a word!”