Chapter 58: Dividing Tang Wan Ning’s Dowry

Ye Jingchuan didn’t expect Ye Chutang to suddenly ask about the marriage proposal, and he felt as though she had schemed against him and caught him in the act.

He coughed lightly and countered, “Where did you hear this idle gossip?”

“Father, just tell me, is it true or not?”

“The emperor heard that Prince Chen asked you for a calligraphy piece, and thinking that he was interested in you, he wanted to grant you a marriage. But Prince Chen doesn’t even fancy Princess Anping, so how could he possibly have any interest in you? In his heart, he only cares for the Miao Border witch doctor who saved his life.”

Ye Chutang listened to Ye Jingchuan deliberately belittle her and asked with a smile, “Apart from status, Father, do you think there’s anything that I’m lacking compared to Princess Anping?”

After saying that, she made a decision.

Although she couldn’t raise her status, her position could improve!

Ye Jingchuan had come to ask Ye Chutang to treat his elderly mother, so naturally, he wouldn’t belittle her completely.

“You’re naturally better than Princess Anping, but her status is noble, and with one word, she could determine your life or death. Don’t provoke her in the future.”

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. “Even the emperor needs a reason to kill someone. Since when did Princess Anping’s power surpass the emperor’s?”

Ye Jingchuan couldn’t argue with Ye Chutang and changed the subject, asking, “Chuer, what do you think of Prince Chen?”

“Prince Chen is handsome, upright in character, protects the borders and the people, and is deeply devoted to his beloved. He is a rare and outstanding man.”

If only Prince Chen didn’t have a beloved, and wasn’t the thorn in the emperor’s side, she would definitely pursue him.

But unfortunately, he checked both boxes.

Seeing how highly Ye Chutang rated Prince Chen, Ye Jingchuan thought that the marriage proposal might actually work out.

“You think so highly of Prince Chen. Would you like to marry him?”

Ye Chutang immediately sensed the hidden motive.

She threw her spoon into the pumpkin soup and followed Ye Jingchuan’s lead, asking, “Didn’t you say that Prince Chen isn’t interested in me, and turned down the emperor’s proposal?”

“He turned it down, but you still have a chance. The emperor gave Prince Chen half a month to choose a noble lady from the capital to marry.”

“Isn’t Prince Chen interested in the Miao witch doctor from the southern border? Shouldn’t he marry her?”

“Prince Chen said that Miao people generally marry within their clan, and would never leave their hometown to come to the capital.”

As soon as Ye Chutang heard this, she understood that Prince Chen was deliberately protecting the witch doctor by saying so.

If the emperor knew that the witch doctor was his soft spot, he would certainly act against her.

But she didn’t think Prince Chen was the kind of man who would marry someone else just to protect his beloved.

His marriage situation was bound to have a twist.

Of course, whether Prince Chen married the witch doctor or a noble lady had nothing to do with her.

“Father, I will never marry a man who has another woman in his heart.”

Ye Jingchuan was speechless.

“Which man doesn’t have his heart set on someone else, with three wives and four concubines? If you think this way, you’ll end up as an old maid with no one to marry!”

Ye Chutang was not an ancient feudal woman. If she didn’t meet someone suitable, she would rather remain single.

“Being an old maid is better than marrying a scumbag.”

As she said this, she looked at Ye Jingchuan with a faint smile, clearly implying something.

Ye Jingchuan couldn’t continue the conversation. He stood up and said, “I’ll wait for you in the courtyard.”

Ye Chutang picked up her spoon and continued eating the pumpkin soup.

After finishing her breakfast at a leisurely pace, she came out of the kitchen and told Dan’er, “I’ll be going out later, so you don’t need to prepare lunch for me.”

She then said to Ye Jingchuan, “Go and deal with the dowry.”

She had no intention of treating Ye Laofu’s illness; it would be beneath her dignity!

Ye Jingchuan knew that Ye Chutang was a stubborn person. If she didn’t listen to her, she would make everyone uneasy.

“Alright, Ling’er’s marriage is a big deal, and the dowry can’t be too shabby. I’ll choose a few fine items for her.”

“You really know how to be generous with other people’s money. Let’s go.”

Seeing that she didn’t object, Ye Jingchuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Let her scold him if she wanted. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last!

When they left Ningchu Courtyard, he told the guards waiting outside, “Bring the madam and Ling’er, Concubine Jiang and Yinyin, to the Buddhist hall. Also, bring twenty more guards.”

The dowry chest was large and heavy, and a few people wouldn’t be able to carry it.

Ye Chutang was once again speechless.

Even the Buddha was going to be ruined by these scoundrels!

The Buddhist hall was located in Fanyin Courtyard, on the northwest corner of the Minister’s mansion, and was quite large.

Apart from the Buddhist hall, there was also a garden and a Star-Viewing Tower for sightseeing.

When Ye Chutang and Ye Jingchuan arrived at the Fanyin Courtyard, Kong Ru and Ye Anling, Concubine Jiang and Ye Siyin, along with the guards, were already waiting at the door.

The guards stood in formation, making it quite an impressive sight.

Kong Ru’s face had an obvious slap mark, and her buttocks were still bruised. Her posture was awkward.

Concubine Jiang couldn’t hide her excitement, and her smile couldn’t be suppressed.

Ye Jingchuan entered the courtyard first and went straight to the Buddhist hall.

He told the guards, “Break up the floorboards and bring out the dowry chests inside.”

The floor of the Buddhist hall was covered with several layers of waterproof cloth.

Once the cloth was removed, a row of neatly arranged dowry chests could be seen.

There were two layers, totaling thirty-two chests.

In the garden, there was a beautiful corridor connecting to a pavilion.

Below, several double-layered dowry chests were placed, enough to require ten people to carry.

The remaining dowry chests were hidden beneath the floorboards of the Star-Viewing Tower.

Ye Chutang was amazed at how well Ye Jingchuan hid the dowry.

If it were her looking for them, she would never have found them.

The dowry chests weren’t directly buried in the ground.

Except for the top layer being the floorboards, the other sides were sealed with stones.

Even if she used her earth abilities to check, she would have thought it was the foundation.

The thirty-four dowry chests on the top layer were all carried out and placed in the garden.

Ye Jingchuan casually opened one of the chests and said, “The dowry is divided into four portions: one for each of the three daughters, and the remaining portion for Zhier and Jun’er to use when they marry.”

“The dowry belongs to Wan Ning. Although she said before her death that it should be divided equally among the children, Chuer is her only daughter, so I’ll give her a little more. Yinyin is a concubine’s daughter, so I’ll give her a little less. You have no objections, do you?”

Kong Ru and Concubine Jiang certainly had no objections.

Tang Wan Ning’s dowry—any item from it was a treasure, so whether they took more or less, it was all a gain.

“Master, as long as you decide.”

Ye Jingchuan saw that Ye Chutang didn’t say anything and quickly reassured her, “Chuer, don’t worry. The dowry I leave for you will definitely be more and better.”

Ye Chutang nodded, “Alright, do as you see fit.”

In any case, it was all a waste of time. No one was going to take a single item!

At the same time, she planned to take this opportunity to investigate how much the dowry in the chests differed from the list of items.