The most dissolute couple in the capital

Just then, the curtain of the side hall was lifted, and several young figures filed in.

The leader was a woman. She wore a moon-colored brocade long dress, with a silver-embroidered cloud-patterned half-sleeve over it, and her black hair was tied up with only a white jade hairpin.

Despite her young age, her steps were unusually steady, and her brows and eyes carried a rare air of heroism and majesty. When she appeared, the air in the entire side hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

Cui Qingyi's gaze immediately fell on the woman, and her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

——Li Zhao.

Behind Li Zhao followed the three princes in turn.

Following closely behind was the Second Prince, Li Han, who wore a dark blue round-necked robe. He had a handsome face and a gentle, refined demeanor. His bearing was impeccable; every step he took seemed to have been measured with a ruler, leaving nothing to be desired.

Behind him was the Third Prince, Li Ye, a boy of seventeen or eighteen. He was already quite tall, with a dark complexion. He wore a narrow-sleeved robe in the style of a military officer, which made him look strong and powerful. His eyes revealed an unruly spirit.

The last to enter was the Fifth Prince, Li Yu. He looked even younger, with a thin frame and a pale face. He was holding a handkerchief in his hand and coughed lightly from time to time, appearing frail and weak.

"Greetings, Imperial Uncle; greetings, Imperial Aunt." The princes and princesses bowed in turn.

Li Chengjing waved his hand casually: "Hey, we're all family, no need for all this formality."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhao stepped forward and gave Cui Qingyi a dignified bow, his voice clear and melodious: "Imperial Uncle, congratulations! I didn't have a chance to speak much with Imperial Aunt yesterday, so I've come today to inquire after your well-being."

Cui Qingyi returned the greeting, her gaze once again falling on her face.

And then I took another look.

Li Zhao is twenty years old this year, the prime of her life. Her features are not stunning, but she has a natural charm. Her brows have the dignity of her mother, the Empress, and her eyes have a composure beyond her years.

Cui Qingyi silently repeated her name in her heart—Li Zhao.

The character "昭".

It's not unusual for princes and princesses to have names containing the radical "日" (sun). But this particular name, "昭" (Zhao), is unique.

In her past life, she had heard a palace secret that the emperor had chosen the name "Zhao" for the princess before she was born. When she was born and it was discovered that she was a princess, everyone thought that the name "Xiu" would be chosen instead. However, the emperor overruled all objections and still bestowed this name with extraordinary meaning upon his eldest daughter.

Those in the palace, seeing only that the empress had been childless for many years, assumed that the mother and daughter had long since withdrawn from the struggle for the throne.

Who could have imagined that His Majesty's chessboard was set up differently from everyone else's from the very beginning?

Thinking of this, Cui Qingyi looked at Li Zhao with a thoughtful expression.

Li Zhao seemed oblivious, merely nodding slightly. A palace maid behind her then presented a brocade box: "This is a small gift prepared by my niece; please accept it as a token of my respect."

Following closely behind, Li Han smiled slightly, his gaze lingering on Cui Qingyi for a moment: "Uncle, congratulations! I toasted you at the banquet yesterday, and seeing you again today, Aunt, you are indeed gentle and graceful, a perfect match for you."

When he said the word "well-matched," there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.

Cui Qingyi understood immediately—in Li Han's eyes, she, a woman from a collateral branch of the Qinghe Cui family, was indeed a "perfect match" with the dissolute and good-for-nothing Prince Liang. Two second-rate individuals together were just right.

She smiled slightly: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Ye bowed slightly in a muffled voice, saying, "Imperial Uncle, Imperial Aunt, congratulations!"

After speaking, he stepped aside, standing there like a guardian deity, without saying another word. Cui Qingyi noticed that the tips of his ears were faintly red.

Fifth Prince Li Yu coughed twice, his voice weak: "Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt are overjoyed. I am unwell and could not stay at the banquet for long yesterday, so I have come today to make up for it with a gift."

After exchanging greetings with the remaining princes and princesses who were even younger, the subsequent meetings with the imperial relatives were much more relaxed.

The elders of the imperial clan had always been lenient with Li Chengjing, the younger generation—mainly because the child had always been like this since he was a child, and everyone had given up on him—and naturally they were also kind and gentle to Cui Qingyi, the new bride.

An elderly prince of a very high generation held Cui Qingyi's hand and said with emotion, "Good, good, good, Jing'er is finally married. You must keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't climb on the roof and tear off the tiles again."

Cui Qingyi smiled and agreed.

Li Chengjing, standing nearby, muttered under his breath, "When was that time when we were climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles? I was only eight years old then..."

The old prince glared at him: "Eight years old? You climbed up the bell tower of Yong'an Temple last year!"

Li Chengjing said matter-of-factly, "That's different. That's a baby bird that fell out of its nest, and I have to return it."

Cui Qingyi: "..."

She sits and receives gifts, listens to praise, and watches her husband make a fool of himself.

Isn't that a blessing?

-

After leaving the palace gates and boarding the carriage, Cui Qingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the carriage wall to stretch her shoulders.

Li Chengjing sat opposite him, took off his headdress and put it aside, and let out a long sigh: "It's finally over. I hate going to the palace to pay my respects the most."

Cui Qingyi smiled and said, "It's alright. Such a grand audience is something you only see a few times a year."

Seeing her smile, Li Chengjing smiled too: "That's true."

The carriage swayed smoothly, and a pleasant silence fell over the interior.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Li Chengjing sat up straighter and called out to the outside of the carriage, "Liu Lu."

Liu Lu respectfully replied, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Make a note of this. When you return to the manor later, have Steward Sun deliver the keys to the manor's storeroom, the account books of all the shops and estates, and the access tokens for the inner courtyard to the Princess's courtyard."

Cui Qingyi was slightly taken aback.

In her past life, she had to humbly serve her mother-in-law for seven or eight years in order to gain control of the household. It wasn't until her eldest son was established and her mother-in-law's health deteriorated that she was able to hand over the household affairs to her.

Li Chengjing, oblivious to her distraction, continued to instruct, "Make it clear to Steward Sun that from now on, all affairs, large and small, within the Liang Prince's residence will be managed by the Madam. He just needs to help the Princess manage things. If there are any unruly servants, they can be sold off directly without needing to ask me."

After saying that, he turned his head as if presenting a treasure, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Cui Qingyi, waiting for the princess's praise.

Cui Qingyi said, "Your Highness, this..."

Li Chengjing replied matter-of-factly, "After we get married, shouldn't all of these things be handed over to my wife?"

"Isn't Your Highness afraid I'll empty your coffers?" Cui Qingyi said half-jokingly.

Li Chengjing thought about it seriously: "Don't worry. Once you've taken everything, I'll just ask my brother for more."

Cui Qingyi: "..."

Does your brother know that you're taking advantage of him like this?

-

One hour later.

Cui Qingyi sat at her desk in the inner room, with a thick stack of account books in front of her and a heavy bunch of copper keys and several pairs of tokens beside her.

Su Xin was grinding ink on the side.

Cui Qingyi opened the first account book and started reading from the beginning.

The accounts of the Liang Prince's Mansion were not complicated—after all, there were no concubines, no illegitimate children, and no separate courtyards in the mansion. There was only one master, Li Chengjing, and about a hundred servants. The structure was so simple that it was touching.

but--

Cui Qingyi turned to the pages about expenses, and her movements gradually slowed down.

She flipped back and looked at it again to make sure she hadn't misread it.

Then he looked up, his expression subtly frozen.

"Pure Heart".

"exist."

"Come here and see if I've miscalculated."

Su Xin leaned closer and looked down in the direction Cui Qingyi was pointing, her eyes widening in surprise.

The Liang Prince's Mansion had three main sources of income: his fief, his salary, and the output of his imperial estates.

The fiefdom was a real fief, amounting to approximately 20,000 taels of silver annually. The prince's salary, set by the imperial court, was also a considerable sum. In addition, the emperor bestowed three imperial estates upon the prince, with fertile land and abundant produce, which alone brought in nearly 10,000 taels of silver annually.

In addition, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor showered the Empress Dowager with gifts every few days—gold, silver, jewels, silks, rare medicinal herbs, sometimes three or four times a month.

In total, the annual income of the Liang Prince's Mansion is conservatively estimated to be over 40,000 taels of silver.

but--

expenditure.

Cui Qingyi's fingertip stopped on that shocking list of numbers.

Total expenditure for the year: 38,723 taels.