Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Why, Exactly

As soon as Sheng Zhi Wan returned to Ping Lan Residence, maidservant Ting Lan dropped to her knees with a loud thud in front of her.

Ting Lan said, “Princess, even if you punish this servant, this servant still has something to say today!”

Ting Lan said, “The Heir Apparent and Madam have gone too far! You were a Princess, precious as jade before you married, but ever since you married into Duke Qi Manor, this servant has never seen you truly smile.”

Ting Lan continued, “You considered the Heir Apparent’s family in everything. Duke Qi Manor is an empty shell, yet the Duke and Madam still insist on keeping up appearances. You may be called the steward, but in truth you kept covering everything with your own private assets!”

Ting Lan said, “The eldest miss ordered you around all day for her husband’s family’s matters. The second miss demanded the best from Ding Zhen Tower. The second young master drove the tutor away. The Duke made you beg Great Scholar Du to take him as a student and let him enter Azure Cloud Academy as an exception. And Madam’s illness, every medicine, you handled it all yourself… How much thought and effort did you spend on all of it?”

Ting Lan said, “You used to say the Heir Apparent’s family was your family, and if you loved the Heir Apparent, you should love the people the Heir Apparent cared about. But now what? You and the Heir Apparent still haven’t even shared a bed, yet the Heir Apparent brought a pregnant woman to force you to accept her, and Madam blames you for having no child!”

Ting Lan said, “Princess… you cannot acknowledge this child! If you do, then when you have your own child in the future, your child won’t be the legitimate firstborn anymore!”

Ting Lan had held these words in for a long time. Now that Ting Lan had poured them out in one breath, Ting Lan did not even dare lift her head to see Sheng Zhi Wan’s expression.

The Princess could not stand to hear a single bad word about the Heir Apparent…

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at Ting Lan with a complicated expression and said, “Why are you kneeling? Everything you said was the truth. Why would I punish you?”

Ting Lan looked up in shock and said, “Princess?”

Sheng Zhi Wan reached out and helped Ting Lan up. Ting Lan felt even more overwhelmed by the favor.

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at the maidservant who, in her previous life, had knelt to death outside the palace gates just to beg for an Imperial Physician for Sheng Zhi Wan. Sheng Zhi Wan said, “You’re right. Before, I was blind and stupid, and I couldn’t see that Duke Qi Manor was a den of jackals and wolves. But now I’ve seen it clearly. Don’t worry. It won’t be long before we leave this place completely.”

Ting Lan did not understand and asked, “Princess… what do you mean?”

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “I will ask Imperial Father to grant me and Qi Shu Xian a divorce, but now is not the time.”

The people who had harmed Sheng Zhi Wan, Sheng Zhi Wan would make them pay back one by one before leaving. Besides, if Sheng Zhi Wan demanded a divorce just because of Meng Yang, Imperial Father would probably not agree so easily to a marriage Sheng Zhi Wan had once begged for at the cost of her pride…

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “Go and bring me my dowry inventory and the deeds to my private property.”

Ting Lan froze and said, “Those are all kept by Sister Huan Zhu. Eh? Where is Sister Huan Zhu? Sister Huan Zhu was just here a moment ago.”

A chill flashed in Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes. Sheng Zhi Wan naturally knew where Huan Zhu had gone.

But Sheng Zhi Wan also had a copy of the key. After Sheng Zhi Wan handed it to Ting Lan, a long list and a thick stack of deeds were soon laid out in front of Sheng Zhi Wan.

Ting Lan read, “When you married, the Empress Dowager prepared a total of one hundred and sixty-eight crates of dowry for you. The silver tucked at the bottom of the chests was one hundred and sixty-six thousand taels. There were eight shops, six sets of residences and six sets of estates, and eighty qing of fertile fields…”

Sheng Zhi Wan closed her eyes and listened slowly.

So Grandmother had already seen Sheng Zhi Wan’s fate coming, that early. That was why Grandmother had warned Sheng Zhi Wan again and again, yet still emptied her own private stores to prepare so much dowry, afraid Sheng Zhi Wan would suffer after marrying in.

And Sheng Zhi Wan? Just because of those few reminders, it was as if something had covered Sheng Zhi Wan’s heart. Sheng Zhi Wan had distanced herself from Grandmother for no reason at all.

Even in her previous life, when Grandmother died, Sheng Zhi Wan had been locked in the ancestral hall and could not even see Grandmother one last time…

Sheng Zhi Wan’s fingertips dug hard into her palm. Only when her breath stuck in her throat did Sheng Zhi Wan force herself to open her eyes and let out a long breath.

Thankfully, in this life, it was not too late. Grandmother was still alive and well, not yet fooled by that Daoist who had come from nowhere, and not yet dead from too much elixir poison.

Sheng Zhi Wan asked, “In the past two years, how much have we poured into Duke Qi Manor?”

Ting Lan pressed her lips together and said, “Not counting the grain, cotton clothes, and medicinal materials you bought and sent to the Frontier Passes, and adding in the income from the shops and fields over these two years, we subsidized a total of twenty-three thousand taels of silver.”

Ting Lan continued, “Besides that, among your dowry, one hundred and eighteen pieces of jewelry, cloth, paintings, calligraphy, and decorations are in the hands of the Duke and Madam. Sixty-three items were borrowed by the eldest miss and second miss. Thirteen famous calligraphy pieces and six chess manuals were taken by the young master to study…”

Sheng Zhi Wan gave a cold laugh. Borrowed. Studied.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s fingertip slid down the list as Sheng Zhi Wan said, “In the next two days, list every item Duke Qi Manor has touched. Also check the storeroom. Find someone to look everything over.”

Ting Lan answered, “Yes, Princess.”

Ting Lan felt a bit happy. The Princess used to care least about dead things like these, but living people could change. Sometimes, these dead things were the only ones that could truly be relied on.

*The rain grew heavier. People went in and out of the main courtyard, and only after about half an hour did Madam Cui personally escort someone out.

Madam Cui said, “Thank you for your trouble today, Imperial Physician Song.”

At Madam Cui’s signal, a nanny handed over a thick embroidered pouch.

Imperial Physician Song, his hair half gray, waved it off. Imperial Physician Song lifted the medicine case and, supported by the younger Imperial Physician Song, climbed into the carriage.

The younger Imperial Physician Song was already full of complaints: “Father, with rain this heavy, wouldn’t it have been enough for me to come? But that duchess insisted you come in person, saying the Heir Apparent was injured on the battlefield, and she couldn’t feel at ease unless you saw it yourself. But the way I see it, what kind of injury was that? If we came half a day later, the wound would have already healed!”

The younger Imperial Physician Song continued, “And you too. You come to Duke Qi Manor once every month. Why, exactly? I don’t believe you’re truly here to check the Duke and the Duchess. Back then, when Third Prince had that leg illness, you weren’t nearly this attentive.”