Jian Jia entered with the account books.

The accounts copied from the silk fabric had been distributed to the managers of the various palaces, and she whispered, “The accounts include many items, and apart from our palace, they are all in the residence of Lady Cui. What should we do about this?”

Jian Jia knew that the Empress valued her dignity.

It was unthinkable for the Empress to reclaim items given to her half-sister, a gesture she would have firmly opposed in the past.

However, times had changed.

With such a deficit, even if Xianyang Palace wanted to hide its losses, it could not bend that much.

Empress Yu’s jawline hardened as she thought of her younger nephew, who was two years younger than the Crown Prince.

A glimmer of determination flashed in her eyes. “Have She Xin go personally. Move as many as there are.”

Using people involves more than just one method of persuasion.

To make her shallow half-sister cooperate, she needed to make her feel the pain.

Only by making her feel the sting would she be inclined to join forces with her and help secure Fu Zanying’s wealth.

Meanwhile, on May 22nd, the day of the engagement between the Jiangxia Cui family and the Yuzhou Liu family, preparations were in full swing.

Aunt Yu’s knowledge of Liu Madam’s visit the next day prompted her to redecorate the guest hall a day in advance.

Gold-plated screens, sandalwood-carved tea tables, Han Cai Zhonglang’s wall calligraphy, and paintings by the revered Caozi were all displayed, creating a scene of scholarly elegance and opulence.

She worked hard to gloss over the situation because the Liu family was a prestigious household, while the Cui family, though once affiliated with the empress, had fallen into decline ten years ago when the Yu clan was stirred up by Wei Yi, causing a split.

The Cui family had also suffered a corresponding decline.

This time, the alliance with the Liu family was arranged through the empress, who had asked the wife of the governor of Yuzhou to act as an intermediary, and it was only then that Madam Liu agreed.

In this situation, it was actually her daughter Xin’er who had climbed high.

But so what?

As long as her daughter lived comfortably after marriage, the small Yu family’s wishes would be fulfilled.

What pleased her most about this marriage was not just the family connections, but that the Liu family upheld a strict family tradition of not taking concubines, which was quite rare among the prominent families in the capital where concubinage was common.

On the day of the joyous occasion, Cui Xin’er also woke up early to dress up carefully.

She styled her hair in a chignon, applied light makeup, and wore a peach pink dress with flowing skirts—neither too ostentatious nor too plain, just elegant.

At the auspicious time, Madam Liu arrived with her servants and matchmaker bearing gifts.

Upon entering the hall and meeting, there was the usual exchange of pleasantries.

While Aunt Yu invited Madam Liu to take a seat, everything was going smoothly when suddenly a servant came to report, “Master She from Xianyang Palace is here.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Yu knew it was a visit from someone sent by the empress to offer congratulations.

However, she did not expect it to be She Xin himself who came in person.

This added to her prestige, and she subtly raised her chin as she glanced at the matchmaker’s wife, quickly instructing for him to be welcomed.

When She Xin entered, he was accompanied by four strong servants.

He greeted the two ladies and then, with a hint of apology, turned to the small Yu family and said, “Madam, please forgive me. I am here on the empress’s orders to retrieve some items. If there’s any intrusion, please pardon us.”

“What?”

Before Aunt Yu could understand, She Xin shook out a folded piece of white Xuan paper from his sleeve and said, “Move.”

The strong servants then began to swiftly remove screens, tables, and scrolls, loading them onto the carriage outside the gate.

“What are you doing?” Aunt Yu was startled and stood up, “Stop! These are our belongings. How dare you!”

Madam Liu also frowned, especially when two of the strong servants began to remove the items in front of her.

She glanced at Aunt Yu with an expression of disdain.

In all her experience and interactions, she had never encountered such blatant rudeness.

“Madam Cui, please forgive us,” She Xin said with a forced smile, “We are only following the empress’s orders. You must have heard about the strange celestial signs and the emperor’s decree to distribute gold to the southeast. These items are to be sent to Ms. Fu in Wuyi Lane.”

Cui Zanying, turned pale and suddenly realized that these removed items were what she had requested over the years from Xianyang Palace, and they had been contributed by that girl, Fu Zanying.

What does this mean?

That girl has gone against the heavens?

Even if the empress is dissatisfied, it shouldn’t erupt today!

However, there was no way to stop it.

By the time She Xin and his party had finished their work and taken their leave, the guest hall of the Cui residence looked much more desolate than before.

Describing it as having bare walls and four empty walls was not an exaggeration—it was just right.

If the Aunt Yu had left a few more valuable items around, it might not have looked like such a plundered scene.

Madam Liu silently stood up, and Aunt Yu’s face went blank with embarrassment.

She said awkwardly, “Matchmaker, this is a misunderstanding. Let me report this to the empress.”

“Madam Cui,” Madam Liu said politely with a smile, “Since there are matters in your house today, we won’t trouble you further. The wedding date for our young master and your daughter can be discussed another day.”

Without waiting for Aunt Yu to keep her, Madam Liu gracefully departed, taking all the prepared gifts with her.

“Everything has been taken away?”

Cui Xin’er, hearing the commotion in the inner chamber, ran to the front hall in disbelief.

Upon entering, she could hardly recognize her own home and spun around several times.

The white, bare walls were as colorless as a young girl’s face.

Cui Xin’er stood stunned for a moment before suddenly covering her face and sobbing, rushing back to her room and throwing herself onto the couch in tears.

“It’s so humiliating. If the Liu family sees this, how will I face anyone in the future? Cancel the marriage. Cancel the marriage—I won’t marry anymore!”

Aunt Yu was already anxious and distressed.

Hearing this, she angrily shouted, “Foolish girl, be quiet. I’ll go to the palace to see the empress and find out the reason. The Liu family is a reputable household; they won’t do this lightly.”

Cui Xin cried out, “If she refuses to marry, then she refuses. If the little maid of the Fu family can break off her engagement, why can’t I? Just now, with the Crown Prince’s side being vacant, I’ll go marry into the East Palace.”

Aunt Yu’s face turned ashen with anger upon hearing this.

Her hand trembled, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, overcome by fury.

….

In the chaos, the streets of Wuyi Alley remained peaceful.

When the first batch of boxes arrived at Wuyi Alley, it was the Crown Prince himself who escorted the convoy on horseback.

But within a few days, Li Jinghuan’s complexion visibly deteriorated.

He had been suffering from a sudden headache, and the imperial physicians could not determine the cause; the medicine had no effect.

In his restless sleep, he repeatedly dreamed of the fire in the Golden Treasury Pavilion, over and over seeing Ah Ying trapped in the flames.

He tried in vain to call for help, but in his dreams, the name he called out was always “Ah Xue.”

It felt like an endless cycle.

He could not understand why, and felt that something bad was going to happen after this scene, but he could not see clearly what would come next in the dream.

Just thinking about it made his headache worse.

Li Jinghuan even began to loathe the dream version of himself, who only thought of Ah Xue and not Ah Ying.

Why did the dream version of himself betray his true feelings?

Li Jinghuan’s anxiety was as mysterious as his sudden headache.

When his headache slightly eased, he heard that the old lady of the Fu family had come to demand that Ah Ying sever ties with the Fu family.

Unable to rest easy about her, he disregarded the objections of his mother and palace attendants and insisted on visiting her.

Dismounting in front of the Xinrui Garden, Li Jinghuan looked at the tightly shut lacquered door with a cold expression, his face showing a hint of gloomy confusion.

His gaze swept over the armored guards at the door, and the chill in his eyes intensified as he spoke in a deep voice, “Step aside, I want to see Ah Ying.”

The Northern Army’s iron cavalry was directly under the command of the Grand Marshal and showed no deference to nobles or dignitaries.

The guard at the gate, with a stony expression and a harsh voice, said, “Madam Fu has instructed that strangers are to be turned away.”

Strangers.

Li Jinghuan’s veins stood out on his hand, his teeth gritted as he said in a hoarse voice, “I am no stranger. I have accompanied her for over ten years.”

“If she will not see me, then I will wait here.”

However, even if Li Jinghuan waited there indefinitely, Zanying would not know, as she was not at home.

The items brought from the palace were received by several senior managers for checking, so Zanying did not need to be present.

Madame Ren, who had always felt sorry that the young lady had never seen the capital city or visited a market, suggested taking Zanying out for a stroll.

Zanying agreed, and so Mr. and Mrs. Du took her to the bustling market in the heart of the city.

In the open carriage with its painted windows, Zanying, wearing a veil, marveled at the Qinhuai River, the Twenty-Four Bridges, the temples, the streets, the aristocrats and ladies, and the passing tourists, all of which were new and exciting to her.

When the carriage arrived at the market square, there was a prominent and spacious shopfront.

Almost all the second-ranking managers of Tang Ji in the capital came upon hearing the news.

Seeing the young lady, dressed entirely in white, disembark, everyone’s hearts were stirred.

They rushed forward to greet her, “We greet the young lady.”

Hearing this unprecedented title, Zanying paused for a moment.

From beneath the lifted snow-white veil, her eyes reflected the scene.

She carefully noted each of the sincere expressions of these strangers, responding gently.

She slowly began to smile.