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

The fifth day of the month is an auspicious day.

The Second Prince's residence was brightly decorated and filled with guests.

However, the smiles on the faces of all the guests in the mansion had an indescribable subtlety about them—the fact that two concubines entered the mansion on the same day, and that they were the same two who had caused a "scandal" in the past, was a huge joke in itself.

Most of the officials in the court came, but there was no festive atmosphere; it was more like they were there to watch the spectacle.

As the dowry procession arrived one after another, the whispers were impossible to suppress.

"This is truly eye-opening; taking in two concubines on the same day..."

"I heard that the woman from the Yongning Marquis's household is already pregnant..."

"Tsk, I heard those two were best friends before, and now they're both marrying the Second Prince... This is going to be interesting..."

Amidst the murmurs, Li Yan and Su Yun'er's dowry processions arrived one after the other.

Li Yan's dowry consisted of 68 loads. Although it wasn't top-of-the-line, the trunks were sturdy and the red silk was brand new, clearly indicating that it was meticulously prepared by the Ministry of Rites' Vice Minister's residence, and was respectable and comprehensive.

When it's Su Yun'er's turn—eighty-eight people carried her!

The long procession nearly blocked half the street, with bright red silk flowers tied to the trunks and baskets, their red color dazzling in the sunlight. Their sheer number overshadowed Li Yan's, eliciting gasps of surprise.

"Eighty-eight bearers... Is the Yongning Marquis's residence really that extravagant?"

"With the concubine in charge of the household, hasn't she emptied the family coffers?"

"Tsk, she really is a concubine's daughter, so arrogant..."

When the bridal sedan chair landed, the two brides, supported by their nannies, "coincidentally" met in front of the mansion gate.

Beneath the veil, Li Yan's voice was as cold as ice: "My dear sister, you look quite radiant today. But I wonder how long this radiance... will last?"

Su Yun'er, supporting her slightly protruding belly, suppressed her anger, but her voice couldn't hide her smugness: "Don't worry, sister, I'm very lucky. But sister, you'd better watch your step, lest you 'accidentally' fall into the pool again—"

Beneath the veil, their gazes were like knives; the former "best friends" had now become mortal enemies.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the mansion gate.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a carriage slowly approaching, with the insignia of the Eastern Palace hanging in front of it.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Su Qingrun got out of the carriage first.

He was still somewhat weak, his face pale, but he forced himself to keep his back straight. His dark, tight-fitting clothes accentuated his upright and sturdy figure, and the sword at his waist, though unsheathed, exuded a chilling killing intent honed on the battlefield.

After he regained his footing, he turned around and reached out to help someone out of the car.

Su Yaoyao stepped out of the car with her brother's help. She wore a long, flowing, sky-blue dress with wide sleeves, looking as elegant as a lotus emerging from water. She wore little jewelry, except for a string of sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist and a jade pendant with the character "Yuan" engraved on it at her waist, which were dazzlingly clear in the sunlight.

The brother and sister stood side by side, one with a stern and aloof air, the other with a refined and captivating beauty, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The Second Prince, Xiao Qiming, stood in front of the mansion gate, looking at Su Yaoyao's face, which was even more beautiful in the sunlight. His eyes were filled with a crazy mix of infatuation and jealousy—this should have been his woman!

Marquis Yongning, Su Cheng'an, hurriedly stepped forward, forcing a smile as he tried to strike up a conversation with his son: "Run'er, are you feeling better? Today is your sister's wedding, and you..."

Su Qingrun didn't even lift her eyelids, only giving him a cold glance: "The Marquis is marrying off his daughter today, so there's no need to pay attention to this unfilial son. My sister is only Yaoyao."

Su Cheng'an's smile froze on his face, and he was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do.

Su Zihan had never met this older brother before. Seeing him embarrass her father in public, the child, unaware of his own limitations, rushed forward to argue: "What right do you have to treat Daddy like that—"

Before she could finish speaking, she met Su Qingrun's eyes, eyes that had seen blood and carnage, and was so frightened that she burst into tears and wet her pants.

Among the guests, Chu Qingzi sat quietly in her seat in the Prime Minister's residence, her gaze indifferently following Su Yaoyao. A young nobleman beside her tried to strike up a conversation, but she only gave a perfunctory "hmm" twice.

No one from the Grand Tutor's residence attended today; they didn't even bother with the formalities.

In the corner, He Qing, wearing a silver mask, arrived as a "Jiangnan Imperial Merchant" carrying lavish gifts. His elegant demeanor attracted many curious glances. He waved his folding fan, his gaze lingering on Su Yaoyao for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath the mask.

When the auspicious time arrives, the newlyweds perform the wedding ceremony.

After the ceremony, someone suggested "showing off the makeup" to add to the festive atmosphere.

This is a wedding custom in Dayong. Whenever someone suggests it, the bride's dowry must be opened and displayed in public so that the guests can share in the joy and the bride's family can show off their wealth.

Li Yan's dowry will be opened first.

All sixty-eight chests were opened one by one. Although there were no rare treasures, everything was sturdy and solid.

It was Su Yun'er's turn.

Eighty-eight red silk chests were laid out in the courtyard, a magnificent sight. Aunt Liu stood to the side, a smile plastered on her face, but her palms were covered in cold sweat.

The first dozen or so lifts were fairly normal; while not top-tier, they were still quite respectable.

But the further we drove, the more something felt wrong.

"This silk... why does the color look off?" a sharp-eyed lady muttered quietly.

"It's not just the color; feel this material, it's so rough it hurts your hands. It's clearly inferior quality being passed off as superior!"

"And this jade bracelet, it looks like a second-rate product no matter how you look at it..."

"This antique vase... the glaze is overly flamboyant, and the imitation is so crude!"

The whispers grew louder and louder.

When they reached the fiftieth load, someone exclaimed, "Why are there stones in this box?!"

The crowd erupted in uproar!

The box was filled with fist-sized pebbles.

The entire room fell silent.

Then, with a loud "boom," it exploded!

"Stones?! Stones were included in the dowry?!"

"My God... Has the Marquis of Yongning gone mad with poverty?!"

"Is this a wedding for a daughter or a sale of junk?"

Su Yun'er abruptly lifted her veil, her face ashen white, and screamed:

"Impossible! This is impossible! My dowry was clearly... Mother! Mother, say something!"

Her shrill voice was particularly jarring in the deathly silent courtyard.

The Second Prince, Xiao Qiming, rushed over with a livid face and kicked over the nearest load of dowry.

"Splash!"

Cheap porcelain was shattered all over the floor, mixed with a few crudely made jade artifacts.

Xiao Qiming glared at Consort Liu and her daughter, his eyes blazing with fury: "Your Yongning Marquis's mansion... are you treating me like a fool?!"

He's made a complete fool of himself in the capital today! How is he supposed to maintain his standing in the court after this?!

Before the words were finished, several burly men suddenly pushed their way into the crowd. The leader brandished a stack of receipts and spoke in a booming voice:

"Liu! You owe our moneylender 800,000 taels of silver, including principal and interest! It's due today, pay up!"

Another man followed suit, also producing a deed: "And here's mine! Five hundred thousand taels! The twelve shops on East Street of the Yongning Marquis's residence that you mortgaged—if you can't repay the money now, the shops belong to us!"

The third person said, "Three hundred acres of fertile land west of the city! The mortgage deed is here!"

One by one, the contracts were unfolded like snowflakes, listing all the land, shops, and even the side courtyards of the ancestral home of the Marquis of Yongning.

It turns out that in order to fill that "sure-fire" hole, Aunt Liu had already secretly mortgaged all her properties to underground banks!

Marquis Yongning, Su Cheng'an, stared wide-eyed, then rushed forward and grabbed a contract. Upon seeing the private seal of the Marquis's residence affixed to it, he trembled all over.

"You shameless woman! How dare you touch our ancestral property?! And you even dare to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates?!"

He rushed over and slapped Aunt Liu hard across the face!

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the deathly silent courtyard.

Aunt Liu was beaten to the ground, her hair disheveled and her makeup ruined. She cried and clung to Su Cheng'an's leg, crying, "My lord! My lord, please save me! It was for Yun'er! I wanted to prepare a magnificent dowry for her. That business was supposed to be a sure thing, but who knew... who knew..."

Just then, He Qing, fanning himself with a folding fan, spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Alas! This lady has probably been deceived. I heard the other day that some unscrupulous merchants in the capital lure people into investing in in-demand commodities like spices and medicinal herbs with promises of high returns, only to abscond with the money. It's pitiful that those greedy people have lost everything..."

As he spoke, his eyes, hidden behind the mask, glanced at Su Yaoyao, his gaze clearly conveying, "Master, please praise me."

Su Yaoyao lowered her eyes and drank her tea, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Su Cheng'an kicked Concubine Liu away, trembling with rage: "Foolish woman! Foolish woman! You've disgraced the Yongning Marquis's mansion today! I'm divorcing you! Divorcing you!"

In the chaos, Su Yun'er suddenly clutched her abdomen, her face turning deathly pale, and screamed in agony:

"My stomach...it hurts so much...my baby...my baby..."