She refused to marry.

The day the news spread throughout the capital that Su Wanwan was going to marry Feng Chenjun, the Su family's backyard was in an uproar.

Zhao took the teacup from the maid, her hands trembling uncontrollably. "What did you say? What right does she have?"

The maidservant lowered her head, not daring to reply.

Zhao paced around the room twice, muttering to herself.

"She seduced the Crown Prince first, and now she's hooked up with Prince Fengchen? Are all the men in the capital blind? Why can't my Jinse have such good fortune?"

The maid whispered, "I heard that the second young lady went to White Lotus Mountain to deliver grain to Lord Fengchen, and the two of them got together afterward."

Zhao almost choked on her breath, and it took her a long time to catch her breath while supporting herself on the edge of the table. "She actually went to White Lotus Mountain? I only knew her as a fearless person, but she's even risking her life."

Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table. "Bring me paper and pen! Send a message back to our hometown in Suzhou! Our Su family finally has someone to rely on!"

The maid was stunned for a moment, thinking that the Third Madam would be unhappy.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and go!" Madam Zhao muttered, clutching her handkerchief.

"No matter how she climbed up to us, she's still a member of the Su family. We need to let our relatives back home know about this happy event, and let everyone in the neighborhood see that the Su family has something to look forward to in the future."

Inside the Wang family's house on the other side, however, was a completely different scene.

Wang held Su Wanwan's hand tightly. "How much have you been hiding from me? I knew something was wrong the moment you came back and looked so thin, but you never said a word."

"Mother, I'm fine," Su Wanwan reassured her mother.

"Are you alright?" Wang's tears welled up instantly. "You went to a place like the North, a battlefield! Was the sandstorm fierce? Were you cold at night? Were you injured?"

Su Wanwan shook her head: "Mother, I'm really fine."

Wang, however, seemed not to hear, holding her daughter's hand tightly, crying as she said, "You've never been able to eat bitter melon since you were little. If you go to that kind of place, who will cook for you? Who will boil water for you? You need to drink honey water to fall asleep at night, but where will you find honey in the North..."

Su Wanwan grasped her mother's hand and gently interrupted, "Mother, your daughter is back, right here in front of you."

Wang looked up and carefully examined her daughter's face. The more she looked, the more intense her tears became, one after another falling onto Su Wanwan's hand.

The two younger sisters walked in one after the other.

Su Zhiyin rushed over and hugged her sister's waist, looking up at her and asking, "Sister, is the Northern Border particularly scary? Are there many bad people there? Why didn't you tell Mother when you went? You made her worry."

Su Wanwan touched her fourth sister's face: "No, your older sister is back now."

"Sister, you're going to marry the Emperor, what about the Crown Prince? Will he be all alone?" Su Zhiyin asked softly. "I haven't seen him in a long time either."

"Silly girl, the young master has many people with him." Su Wanwan hugged her younger sister.

Inviting the moon to sit down, she pulled her younger sister into her arms, "From now on, you mustn't mention the Crown Prince anymore. Your brother-in-law is the Emperor, understand?"

"Hmm." Su Zhiyin nodded. "His Majesty is handsome, but he looks fierce. I'm still very scared."

"Don't be afraid, the Emperor won't be mean to you," Yaoyue teased her.

Su Wanwan sat down next to her mother and looked at Yaoyue's belly. "Yaoyue, have you finished eating the white fungus and bird's nest? I'll send someone to the south to find some more."

"Second sister, that's enough. There's no need to send anyone else to pick more. It's such a waste." Yaoyue smiled and hugged Su Zhiyin.

"That's not enough. She's the eldest granddaughter of the Su family, so we have to be careful. Oh, by the way, I asked someone to bring some pine nuts from the north. They should arrive today. You can eat them as snacks. Hide some; those naughty kids will eat them all in no time." Su Wanwan said seriously, resting her chin on her hand.

"I know, okay, dear sister, let's not worry about it, alright? I'm fine." She stood up, turned around, and said, "You've gained quite a bit of weight."

"Oh dear, you're pregnant, sit down." Wang Shi anxiously lowered her hands repeatedly. "I've taught you so much, how come you still don't pay attention?"

"Okay, Mother." Yaoyue obediently sat back down.

"Second Miss, someone is looking for you outside," a maid called from outside.

Su Wanwan left Chongde Hall and entered the courtyard.

Seeing that Qingshan was covered in sweat, he led his men to measure all the houses in the alley to the east, then turned to the steward beside him and said, "Is the Su family's storeroom big enough? Have you seen the master's betrothal gift list?"

The housekeeper said with a pained expression, "It's crowded just by lifting your head."

The gift list clearly indicated that it needed to be carefully preserved, and the Su family certainly didn't have enough.

Qingshan glanced at the storeroom and sighed, "Go look at another three-courtyard house to the west, the kind where the storerooms can be combined into one. Hurry!"

"Okay, I'll go right now." Jiang Sheng lifted his coat and went out the door.

Su Wanwan walked into the courtyard and burst out laughing after hearing the story.

Qingshan stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting, "Greetings, Miss Su."

"Why are you being so polite?" Su Wanwan covered her mouth and laughed.

"From now on, you will be the lady of our East Garden, so naturally, you must follow the proper etiquette." Aoyama said earnestly.

"What are you all busy with?"

"His Majesty sent me to take a look and also to show you the gift list. You can prepare anything you need in advance." He then took the gift list from the servant.

Su Wanwan took it, glanced at it, and was terrified.

"Didn't your ruler empty the national treasury?"

"Miss Su is joking." Qingshan frowned. "His Majesty won a great victory, so how come he brought back so many treasures along the way?"

"Pick up?" Su Wanwan had a rather negative opinion about this word.

"Well, we can't just say we'll pay, can we?" Aoyama scratched his head.

"Put away all these valuable items. The Su family cannot afford such a betrothal gift. If we accept it, it will bring criticism to His Majesty." Su Wanwan closed the gift list.

"The master said that no matter what Miss Su says, we must not listen to her; we must do as the master says." Qingshan took the account book.

"Besides, the Xiao family's fiefdom is one of the most powerful in the Nine Provinces, so they don't need these things. You'll understand when you go there."

"Oh, tell me about it." Su Wanwan was also curious about how extravagant General Xiao was.

"Really?" Su Wanwan blinked. "Your Majesty isn't worried?"

"Miss Su, you are mistaken. With the Princess in charge, His Majesty will not. Besides, those are all fiefdoms; who would spread the word? Let's deal with the immediate issue first. The storeroom probably can't hold all the items on this gift list."

"You probably don't know how big a cellar my father dug in the backyard when he was working for the Princess in Suzhou," Su Wanwan gestured.

"cellar?"

"It's connected to the storeroom," Wanwan said, leading the way. "It holds almost half of the Fengchen Prince's household's belongings. They underestimated my father."

Qingshan's eyes widened in surprise.

After an incense stick had burned, Qingshan left with a heart full of joy.

After seeing Qingshan off, Su Wanwan's smile faded.

"What's wrong, Miss?" Chunhua asked, puzzled.

"What I fear most right now is the eldest princess's side."

Why?

"If Fengchen marries me, the Eldest Princess will definitely be unhappy." A hint of worry flashed in Su Wanwan's eyes. "What should I do if she makes things difficult for me in the manor?"

Chunhua grew anxious: "Miss was properly carried in as the mistress of the house, we can't just not, can we?"

Su Wanwan shook her head: "You don't understand the Princess's methods. Marrying into the Fengchen Prince's mansion is a joyous occasion. But beneath the surface of this joy lies the weight of my life. I don't want to repeat my elder sister's mistakes."

Chunhua dared not speak. Marriages were joyous occasions for other families, but why was it a matter of life and death for the Su family?