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

Duke Wen's face was still full of doubt; he only believed three-tenths of what Lady Wen said.

"Is there so little cash in the manor?"

Madam Wen nodded gently: "Sir, have you forgotten? A few days ago you withdrew ten thousand taels of silver from the account, saying you had important business to attend to."

Upon hearing this, Duke Wen guiltily looked away.

He used that ten thousand taels of silver to settle accounts at the brothel.

Madam Wen naturally noticed his unease, but for her, now was not the time to settle scores.

She sat down next to Duke Wen, patted his shoulder, and said softly, "I was thinking, could we talk to Shu Yao and ask her to lend us some money so we can get through this difficult time?"

“Shu Yao is the kindest of all, how could she refuse?” Duke Wen raised his hand and said confidently, “I will have her come over now to discuss this matter.”

In the eyes of Duke Wen, father and daughter are family, and Wen Shuyao has always admired him, so she would not refuse such a small thing.

He had always thought this way before Wen Shuyao arrived.

However, as soon as Wen Shuyao arrived, she said, "No."

In an instant, Duke Wen's face turned ugly.

He stared at Wen Shuyao and asked in a deep voice, "Why? Are you afraid that I, as your father, will renege on my debt?"

Wen Shuyao sneered inwardly; naturally, she was afraid.

but……

Her eyes turned slightly cold as she glanced at Madam Wen, who remained silent to the side.

"It's not that I'm worried about your character, Father, but rather..."

Although she didn't say it explicitly, her eyes were fixed on Madam Wen.

With such a direct gaze, it's hard not to understand what she means.

Madam Wen's face flushed red, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Shu Yao, I believe I have treated you well, so why do you always think of me this way?"

“Of course…” Wen Shuyao smiled: “Madam’s actions over the years have made me wary.”

“Moreover…” Wen Shuyao looked at Duke Wen and asked, word by word, “Father, have you paid any attention to where Mother’s dowry is all these years?”

Duke Wen frowned: "Aren't they all being kept safely in the storeroom?"

“A few days ago, Madam asked me to select jewelry from her dressing case, but almost all of the jewelry I saw were worn by my mother back then.” Wen Shuyao pressed, “May I ask Madam, why did you use my mother’s jewelry? Those pieces were part of my mother’s dowry.”

Upon hearing this, Duke Wen slammed his hand on the table and glared angrily at Madam Wen: "You actually did such a thing? No wonder Shu Yao doesn't believe you!"

Madam Wen was filled with grievances. Duke Wen knew the origin of those jewelry pieces, yet now the blame was entirely placed on her.

Now is not the time to argue about right and wrong. After thinking for a moment, she said in a low voice, "I am just borrowing my sister's jewelry. Someone as generous as my sister will definitely not mind."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao let out a cold laugh without any politeness: "Mother may be generous to others, but to someone like you..."

The disdain in her eyes fueled Madam Wen's hatred.

"What do you mean by that?"

“I know, Madam has never seen anything good before.”

Wen Shuyao replied with a smile.

Anyone could hear the biting sarcasm in her words.

Madam Wen's face turned ugly, and she was about to retort, but then she remembered her plan and swallowed her anger.

She said in a low voice, "But all these years, I have always taken good care of these pieces of jewelry, and they have never been damaged in the slightest. Besides... didn't you take them all?"

“What’s wrong with me taking the dowry left by my mother?” Wen Shuyao retorted.

Madam Wen couldn't utter a word for a long time, so she had to shut her mouth.

At this moment, Duke Wen's expression gradually became impatient.

He stared coldly at Madam Wen, filled with regret for believing her words and summoning Wen Shuyao over.

Over the years, he has turned a blind eye to everything Mrs. Wen has done.

So what if the dowry was misappropriated? As long as it can be used to make up for the shortfall.

He just hadn't expected that Madam Wen would be so useless.

While misappropriating her dowry, she was unable to fill the gaps and even fell into such dire straits that she had to rent out her shop.

I really don't know what other stupid things Madam Wen did right under his nose!

The Duke of Wen's gaze felt like a thorn in her back, and Madam Wen's expression tightened.

She could only whisper, "My lord, I will explain these things to you later. Right now, the most important thing is to address the shortfall in our accounts." Upon hearing this, Duke Wen's expression froze.

He, who had originally been righteously criticizing Madam Wen, suddenly found himself in an awkward situation.

How much deficit does the government have?

As a father, he's now asking his own daughter for money...

Thinking about it this way, his face burned with pain.

But Madam Wen added, "Husband, there are still many banquets to attend this year. Even if we don't eat or drink, I'm afraid we still won't be able to make up for the money."

Duke Wen looked grim, as if he wanted to say something, but then he shut his mouth.

Upon catching a glimpse of the expression on Duke Wen's face, Wen Shuyao already understood most of the situation.

The intentions of this adulterous couple are almost entirely written on their minds.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and said softly, "Father, my mother only has one daughter, me. According to the law, this dowry..."

"Shu Yao, don't worry!" Duke Wen quickly said, "I will definitely give you the whole dowry!"

"This is what your mother left you, and no one can take it away from you!"

His words were forceful and resounding, but in Wen Shuyao's eyes, his appearance was utterly disgusting.

However, thinking of her upcoming plans, Wen Shuyao suppressed her hatred for the two scoundrels and said resentfully, "But after saying so much, Father still refuses to give me the dowry..."

"How could that be?" Urged on by Madam Wen's gaze, Duke Wen finally mustered the courage to say, "It's just that in recent years, the shops under our Duke Wen's name have not been managed well."

He looked at Wen Shuyao and said in a low voice, "There isn't much cash in the manor."

"I have a favor to ask," said Duke Wen, his face flushed. "Could you lend me some silver? I will pay you back after I have collected the rent."

The dowry left by Chu Wanqing was extremely substantial, amounting to only tens of thousands of taels of silver, which was just a drop in the ocean compared to the dowry she had left.

Now it's up to Wen Shuyao to decide her attitude.

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao almost burst out laughing.

She never expected that this shameless couple could be so brazen.

However, this suited her wishes.

Wen Shuyao's eyes flickered, and a look of hesitation appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Madam Wen clutched her handkerchief and sobbed softly, "Husband, perhaps I should return to the Zhang family and borrow some money to tide us over this urgent matter..."

"Don't blame Shu Yao. She's about to marry Prince Jing, so it's understandable that she wants a generous dowry to make a good impression."