The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

Under the corridor of the Yongning Marquis's residence,

As Su Yaoyao was talking to Chuntao, the two of them slowly walked towards the main hall.

"Miss, what do you think Aunt Liu's expression will be when she sees us?" Chun Tao asked softly.

"Probably..." Su Yaoyao covered her mouth and chuckled, "like seeing a ghost."

After all, Aunt Liu probably thought that she would at least wait until the three-month period was over before visiting.

Just as the two passed through the moon gate, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps ahead, mixed with the crying of a child:

"I don't care! I want that! Go buy it for me right now!"

A chubby figure rushed out from around the corner and crashed straight into Su Yaoyao.

Su Yaoyao reacted quickly and dodged to the side, but the child stumbled and fell to the ground because he rushed too fast.

"Ouch!"

It was an eight or nine-year-old boy, wearing a royal blue brocade jacket, with a round face and chubby hands. He was sitting on the ground, glaring angrily at Su Yaoyao with his round eyes.

—It was Su Zihan, the son of Aunt Liu and an illegitimate son of the Marquis's family.

"You! How dare you dodge!" Su Zihan scrambled to her feet, pointing at Su Yaoyao's nose and yelling, "It's all your fault! You jinx!"

Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow: "Me?"

"It's you!" Su Zihan stomped her foot, her face full of resentment.

"My mother said you're a jinx who killed her own mother, no wonder nobody wants you! Ever since you broke off the engagement, my father hasn't come to my mother's house! My mother has been running around every day these past few days, she hasn't had time to play with me! It's all your fault!"

As he spoke, he grabbed a half-melted snowball from the ground and threw it hard at Su Yaoyao.

A snowball grazed Su Yaoyao's sleeve and splashed a wet patch on the corridor pillar.

"Young Master!" Chun Tao turned pale with fright and quickly stepped in front of Su Yaoyao. "You... how could you..."

"Get out of my way, you lowly servant!" Su Zihan, used to being arrogant, became even more furious when Chun Tao dared to stop her.

"This manor will be mine sooner or later! Once I become the heir apparent, I'll kick you all out! I'll make you sleep on the streets!"

He became increasingly smug as he spoke, his chubby face radiating arrogance:

"My mother said that my father loves me the most, and everything in this Marquis's mansion will be mine in the future! You, Su Yaoyao, are just a woman, a money-losing burden who will be married off sooner or later. What right do you have to occupy the title of legitimate daughter? When I grow up, everything in this mansion will be mine! You and your short-lived mother will not be able to take anything away!"

After he finished speaking, the corridor fell into a deathly silence.

Su Yaoyao looked quietly at the spoiled child in front of her, a chill creeping into her eyes.

She slowly took a step forward.

Su Zihan was intimidated by the coldness in her eyes and subconsciously took a step back: "W-what do you want to do?"

"The Heir Apparent?" Su Yaoyao's voice was calm, yet each word was clear. "You mean this Marquis's mansion... will be yours sooner or later?"

"Yes, yes!" Su Zihan retorted, "My father loves me the most!"

"Oh, do you know," Su Yaoyao bent down to look him in the eye,

"According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, if the eldest son has not committed a major offense, the title should be inherited by him. Where do you place your elder brother?!"

Su Zihan was stunned: "Wh-what?"

"Moreover..." Su Yaoyao straightened up, looking down at him, "Even a son of a concubine needs to have official rank or special approval from the court to inherit a title. You're... eight years old this year, aren't you? How many of the Four Books and Five Classics have you read? Have you learned riding and archery? Do you know where the Marquis's estate is located and how much the annual harvest is?"

Su Zihan's face flushed red: "I...I..."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Su Yaoyao straightened up, her eyes turning cold. "Didn't your mother tell you... that the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children isn't something you can change by throwing a tantrum?"

Su Zihan was startled by the coldness in her eyes and took a step back, but still stubbornly insisted, "I...I...Father loves me the most! In the future, this Marquis's mansion..."

"The future?" Su Yaoyao smiled, a bright smile that sent a chill down Su Zihan's spine. "Let's talk about that when you actually live to inherit the Marquis's mansion."

Su Zihan was stunned by what she said, her eyes reddened, and she burst into tears. She turned and ran away, shouting, "I'm going to tell Mom! You bullied me! I'll make her kick you out!"

The chubby figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Chun Tao breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss, this young master is getting more and more outrageous..."

"Raising a child to be so dull and arrogant has saved me a lot of trouble," Su Yaoyao said calmly.

"Let's go to the main hall."

----

In the main hall, Marquis Yongning, Su Cheng'an, was drinking tea with a frown on his face.

Aunt Liu sat to his left, her eyes red and swollen, clearly having just cried.

Su Zihan threw herself into Aunt Liu's arms, wailing, "Mother! Su Yaoyao bullied me!"

Aunt Liu's expression changed, and she quickly hugged her son: "My lord, listen to this! The eldest young lady..."

"Father." A clear, cold female voice came from the doorway.

Su Yaoyao walked in slowly, her moon-white cloak gleaming softly in the spring sunlight.

She curtsied, her posture dignified, as if nothing had just happened.

"Yaoyao is here." Su Cheng'an put down his teacup, his expression somewhat complicated. "Just now, Zihan said..."

"It's just children being silly." Su Yaoyao sat down in the chair opposite Aunt Liu, took the tea handed to her by the maid, and slowly sipped it.

"But Father, have you properly inquired about my younger brother's studies?"

She looked up at Su Zihan, who was still sobbing:

"When I went to Tangquan Palace the other day, the young prince told me that he was the most mischievous boy in the school—last month he burned the teacher's beard, and this month he poured ink on his classmate's books... Father, we can't lose face like this in our Marquis's mansion."

Su Cheng'an's face darkened: "Zihan! Is that true?!"

Su Zihan was so frightened that she shrank into Aunt Liu's arms.

Aunt Liu quickly tried to smooth things over: "My lord, Zihan is still young..."

"Young?" Su Yaoyao chuckled. "When my brother was his age, he could already recite the entire Analects of Confucius. By the way, speaking of my brother..."

She put down her teacup, seemingly unintentionally.

"If Auntie can't discipline him, why not send my younger brother to the army for a few years of training? It's good that my older brother is at the border, so he can take care of him. I heard that my older brother recently performed meritorious service, and many generals in the army praised him as a promising talent."

Aunt Liu's face turned pale.

Su Cheng'an's eyes lit up: "Qing Run has done another good deed?"

"Yes." Su Yaoyao smiled. "The Duke of Zhenguo mentioned to General Xie the other day that my brother is a rare military talent."

Su Cheng'an's face showed relief. "Yaoyao is back today, is there something you need?"

"It's nothing important," Su Yaoyao put down her teacup. "I just wanted to ask how my mother's dowry preparations are going with my aunt?"

Aunt Liu's face stiffened.

Su Yaoyao seemed not to notice and continued speaking.

"Speaking of which, we're all family. If Auntie is truly short of money, those dowries... can wait. Sister Yun'er is getting married, Auntie should prepare some dowry for her. After all..."

She seemed to suddenly remember something, and covered her mouth with a soft laugh:

"Oh, no. I forgot, Granny—"

Lin, the old nanny who had been standing behind her, stepped forward and said respectfully, "Miss."

"Do concubines also need to prepare a dowry?"

Standing behind her, Granny Lin respectfully replied, "Miss, concubines also need to prepare dowries. As for how much... it depends on how much favored one's maternal family is. The amount of the dowry also determines one's standing in one's husband's family."

She paused, then added:

"However, marrying a prince... is something that ordinary families can't compare to. If the dowry is too meager, even the servants in the mansion might look down on her."

Aunt Liu's face turned deathly pale, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white: "Young Miss!"

"Don't worry, Auntie." Su Yaoyao's smile deepened. "I'm doing this for Yun'er's sake. After all, the Second Prince's residence... has very strict rules."

"No need for you to trouble yourself, Miss!" Aunt Liu gritted her teeth. "What I said was for you, I will naturally give you! And you needn't worry about Yun'er's affairs either; I will ensure Yun'er has a grand wedding!"

She took a deep breath, a venomous glint in her eyes:

"Young Miss, you'd better mind your own business! After all, it's considered unlucky for a woman from a prominent family in the capital to have broken off an engagement."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Su Cheng'an frowned, but remained silent.

Su Yaoyao smiled.

She slowly raised her hand and took something off her waist—a white jade pendant engraved with intricate cloud patterns, and the character "Yuan" on the front was clearly visible in the sunlight.

She placed the jade pendant on the table, which made a crisp sound.

"What did Auntie just say?" Su Yaoyao tilted her head, her eyes completely innocent. "Yaoyao didn't hear you clearly."

Aunt Liu's gaze was fixed on the jade pendant.

The Crown Prince's token... how could she not recognize it?!

Su Cheng'an also saw the jade pendant, and a look of shock and deep thought flashed in his eyes.

"You..." Aunt Liu's lips trembled, "How could you have..."

"Naturally, it was given by His Highness." Su Yaoyao gently fastened the jade pendant back to her waist. "What, does Auntie think... Yaoyao won't be able to get married?"

She stood up and smoothed the hem of her dress:

"Father, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, she turned and left.

The moon-white figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

In the main hall, Aunt Liu slumped in a chair, her face deathly pale.

Su Cheng'an stared at the cup of tea on the table, now completely cold, for a long time before letting out a deep sigh:

"Liu Shi... you should collect those dowry items as soon as possible."

"My lord!" Aunt Liu exclaimed in surprise.

"Enough!" Su Cheng'an slammed his hand on the table.

"Aren't you embarrassed enough?! Yaoyao now has the Crown Prince backing her up and the Grand Tutor's mansion as her protector... what more do you want?!"

He stood up, turned and left.

Aunt Liu was left sitting there, her nails digging deep into her palms, her eyes filled with hatred.

Outside the mansion gate, Su Yaoyao boarded the carriage.

Chun Tao, who had been holding it in the whole way, finally couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Miss, didn't you see Aunt Liu's face... it looked like she'd swallowed a fly!"

Su Yaoyao leaned against the carriage wall, her fingertips gently tracing the jade pendant at her waist.

"This is nothing."

She stroked the warm, smooth jade pendant at her waist.

"Let's go, it's just time for the court session to end..."

A smile played on her lips.

"Let's go pick up...my cousin."