My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Inside the front hall, Xie Jinghan's expression was indifferent, a stark contrast to the gentle and approachable Duke Wen beside him.

Duke Wen didn't care at all.

The fact that Prince Jing took the initiative to visit him was enough for him to boast about among his colleagues.

The servants had already brought out the tea, the Da Hong Pao that Duke Wen only brought out when distinguished guests arrived.

Wen Shuyao took a sip of tea and raised an eyebrow slightly.

As expected, only power can make the Duke of Wen show a pleasant expression.

A silence fell over the front hall. Duke Wen's initial excitement gradually turned into unease.

Although he wanted to curry favor with Xie Jinghan, he also knew Xie Jinghan's temperament.

Did I do something wrong? Did I anger him?

Just as Duke Wen was filled with fear, he heard Xie Jinghan speak indifferently.

"Besides testifying for Shu Yao, the other reason I came today is to discuss this marriage agreement."

Upon hearing this, Duke Wen's heart was in his throat.

His smile was almost impossible to maintain as he pondered how to answer.

Should we just reveal the matter of the arranged marriage directly?

He quickly came up with a clever idea: "Is Your Highness here to discuss the wedding date?"

Xie Jinghan nodded slightly, while looking at Wen Shuyao.

"I wish to move the wedding date forward."

In Duke Wen's eyes, Xie Jinghan had fallen deeply in love with Wen Shuyao.

For a moment, Duke Wen was overjoyed.

"Of course, the wedding date can be set according to Your Highness's wishes..."

"Even if the wedding date is to be moved up, the Imperial Observatory must calculate the auspicious day." As soon as Xie Jinghan finished speaking, Si Qing, who was behind him, quickly walked up to Duke Wen and took out a slip of paper.

The date calculated by the Imperial Observatory was clearly visible on it.

Duke Wen's eyelids twitched violently. So anxious?

He looked up at Wen Shuyao, and upon seeing her bright and beautiful face, he understood.

He was just as eager back then, wanting to marry the woman he loved.

His eyes dimmed for a moment as he thought of the past.

He quickly smiled and said, "The dates given by the Astronomical Bureau are naturally all excellent. How about the fifteenth of next month?"

This is the most recent of the three dates Xie Jinghan gave.

Xie Jinghan nodded, and Duke Wen, seeing the satisfaction in his eyes, breathed a sigh of relief.

“In that case, I will not disturb Duke Wen any longer.” Xie Jinghan stood up. “My visit to your residence today was unplanned. In a few days, I will send a matchmaker to your door.”

Upon hearing this, Duke Wen was both pleased and worried.

What made Xie Jinghan happy was that he cared about Wen Shuyao, but what worried him was the matter of the dowry.

With the wedding date so close, what should we do with the dowry?

I'm afraid we can only leave it to Madam Wen.

……

Ever since Xie Jinghan visited, Wen Shuyao's life has visibly improved.

The magpie's face lit up with joy, unable to hide its excitement: "It seems that Madam Wen is afraid."

This time, she suddenly realized how good it would be for her young mistress to be the Princess Consort of Jing.

Wen Shuyao looked at the exquisite dishes in front of her and sneered.

"A person like her wouldn't just sit and wait to die."

Magpie was puzzled, but Wen Shuyao said quietly, "Have you forgotten? She still has to take care of my dowry."

Upon hearing this, Magpie's eyes widened immediately: "You mean, she'll tamper with your dowry?"

Wen Shuyao scoffed, "Don't you know her character?"

In the front hall, looking at the plain dishes before him, Duke Wen frowned deeply: "What do you mean by this?"

On a typical day, breakfast consists of at least dozens of dishes, which are too many to fit on this table.

But today, there is only congee and side dishes on the table.

Duke Wen immediately recognized it as the work of Lady Wen.

Thinking of the task he had given to Madam Wen that day, Duke Wen's eyelids twitched violently.

Madam Wen sat down gently, and said aggrievedly, "Isn't this what you wanted, sir?"

"What do I mean?" Duke Wen asked incredulously. "When did I ever say such a thing?"

"Didn't you say that we should return all the dowry to Shu Yao?" Madam Wen said, feeling extremely wronged. "Since we can't touch the dowry, we can only eat these dishes."

Upon hearing this, Duke Wen's expression grew even more unpleasant.

It's ridiculous that such a large mansion as the Duke of Wen's residence, a noble family, could only have breakfast like ordinary people, consisting of some plain porridge and side dishes, without even a trace of oil!

He looked coldly at Madam Wen: "Is this your plan? You want me to be the kind of person who breaks their word and take back what I said? That dowry should have been left for Shu Yao in the first place."

It is a customary practice for a mother to leave her dowry to her children. Anyone who tries to take advantage of this dowry will be ridiculed by the whole world!

For the sake of the reputation of the Duke of Wen's mansion, he would never do such a thing.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen's expression remained unchanged, but her hands under the table clenched tightly into a fist.

Was her intention so obvious?

Duke Wen then said, "The Duke's mansion has many shops, which you have been managing all these years. Can't you even come up with a decent plate of pastries? Where exactly did you spend all this money?"

His questions made Madam Wen's heart pound with anxiety.

The next moment, Madam Wen lowered her head and pretended to be weak: "Master, you only know that we have many farms and shops in our mansion, but you don't know that they have been losing money every year for years. Not only have they not earned any money, but they also have to rely on the mansion to add money to maintain them."

Duke Wen narrowed his eyes and glanced at Madam Wen: "Losing money every year? But when Wanqing was alive, these shops distributed tens of thousands of taels of silver in dividends every year."

Upon hearing Duke Wen mention Chu Wanqing, Madam Wen's expression stiffened for a moment.

The person she hated most in her life was Chu Wanqing.

She and Chu Wanqing met Duke Wen at the same time, and both fell in love with him. However, Duke Wen ignored her and only admired Chu Wanqing.

Even though she had been married to Duke Wen for over twenty years, in Duke Wen's heart, she was still not as good as Chu Wanqing.

Why?

Madam Wen was filled with hatred. She gritted her teeth and calmed herself for a long time before she could regain her composure.

“I am naturally not as good as my elder sister.” Madam Wen lowered her head and said softly, “My elder sister comes from a family with a long history of learning and is very good at business. The shops she manages are naturally very profitable.”

“But since I married you, my husband, almost all the shopkeepers and old employees have left. The shops have been unable to make a living and have been losing money every year, so I have rented out all the shops.”

"Although we don't make as much profit as before, we can still make ends meet for the Duke's family."

"If that's the case, why are you still acting like this?"

Duke Wen gave Madam Wen a cold look, his suspicion almost tangible.

Madam Wen said softly, “Over the years, the expenses of our Duke’s Mansion have been increasing year by year. In a few days, we will have to prepare a fine gift to send to Censor Chen. We can only make do for the next few days. Once the rent from the shop is collected next month, our food, clothing and daily necessities will be back to normal.”