Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Chapter 635 636. Inner House
Manager Chen also chimed in with a fair statement, "Brother is right, the other princes would probably be very happy to see this happen."

After he said that, everyone laughed, and they were all happy to see it happen.

Prince Ning has no children, so he poses no threat to them. Even though he has been quite active in recent years, those princes have never taken him seriously.

I heard that the ministers who originally sided with him have long since betrayed him, leaving him as a prince with no one to rely on, so even the greatest ambitions are in vain.

"The most pitiful one is Princess Ning. I heard that she doesn't go out to see guests anymore. She has sealed off her courtyard and lives off her dowry every day. It's like she's imprisoned herself in the backyard."

"How do you know that they imprisoned themselves, and that Prince Ning gave the order?"

"I wouldn't dare, after all, Princess Ning's family is not to be trifled with."

Manager Chen curled his lips into a smile; he did have some knowledge of what was happening in the backyard of the Prince Ning's residence.

Princess Ning wasn't actually trapped by Prince Ning; rather, she drew her own circle and kept herself out of it.

In earlier years, the Prince's mansion was in dire need of funds and relied entirely on the dowries of the women in the inner quarters to make ends meet.

Later, Prince Ning was incompetent for a period of time, and the women and their families were unwilling to accept it. In the end, Prince Ning had no choice but to plead with the emperor. Finally, the emperor agreed to let him take a concubine as the daughter of a royal merchant, and that was how he managed to get through the difficult times.

With money in hand, Prince Ning became more active and began to scatter silver everywhere to win people's hearts. At first, he did win some people over, but since he had not had a son for many years, everyone was still observing and had not truly opened their hearts to him.

As one daughter after another was born into the Ning Prince's mansion, people became even less optimistic about him. The other princes did not regard him as a rival, and even occasionally made fun of him, saying a few sarcastic remarks from time to time.

Of course, some people had their own ideas, and some had already suggested adopting their sons to him. But how could Prince Ning be willing to hand over his title to someone else? It's not that he couldn't have children; it's just that his son hadn't arrived yet, so he refused them all.

"When did this news come from?" Manager Chen rubbed his hands together. He had won the bets the previous times and made a lot of money. He wondered if he could make one last big profit this time.

"Are you trying to freeload at the gambling game again?" the drunkard chuckled. "But I'm afraid your plan will fail this time. No one in the entire capital dares to set up such a gambling game. Everyone's saying that after having so many daughters, it's likely that this time it will be another daughter."

Previously, those people still held onto a sliver of hope that it wouldn't be a daughter every time, so the bookmakers still made a fortune. But when the seventh child was born, everyone bet on a girl. Even with a 1:1 payout ratio, the bookmakers still suffered huge losses, and some even went bankrupt. It's a pity for them.

"But I say, Manager Chen, you've already made a few profits, that's enough. Leave a way out for those bookmakers."

Manager Chen didn't mind and chuckled, "Looks like I'm out of luck this time. But if you hear of any bookmakers starting a game, remember to give them a heads-up."

"That's for sure. We'll all make money together. This time we're betting on a girl. Even though we won less, it's a sure thing."

Shopkeeper Chen said, "How do you know this? What if it's a son?"

"Then Prince Ning is willing to pay out of his own pocket..."

He laughed heartily as he spoke, and Manager Chen gleaned some more information from their conversation. Once they were all drunk, he began to organize his thoughts.

Ning Wangfu

Rong Ruiyuan was filled with trepidation. A concubine had just brought him good news, and he was both excited and afraid.

He hoped it would be a son, so he would have the leverage to compete with his brothers. But if it was another daughter, it would likely become the laughingstock of the capital for a long time. He used to be so arrogant, but now, because of the birth of his daughter this year, his backbone was almost broken.

Sometimes when he entered the palace, even his father would look at him with pity. Every time he was selected for a concubine, his father would specifically look for women who were good at bearing children. And they were indeed good at bearing children, but in the end, he only raised daughters.

He finds those young princesses annoying now; they are a disgrace to him.

"Your Highness, the rewards have been sent over, and the royal physician has been found to stay there to keep watch." The steward has aged considerably in the past ten years, but he still can't give up this job.

“Keep a close eye on them. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you accountable.”

The steward smiled wryly, "Your Highness, it's not right that our manor doesn't have a mistress to take charge. Perhaps you and the Princess..."

"I will not tolerate her. Since He Yurou has sealed the door, she will not open it herself."

If it weren't for the fact that their marriage was bestowed by the emperor, and that the He family was not one he could afford to offend, he would have definitely divorced the princess.

"How about the two concubines..."

Mentioning those two concubines gave Rong Ruiyuan a headache. Those two were no pushovers either. After he was drugged before, those two women avoided him like the plague.

Later, when he saw that someone in the backyard was pregnant, and knew that his health had improved, he came over to curry favor, thinking that he might still be of use to them, so he gave them his favor.

Who knew that these two women would turn on him the moment they got pregnant? They said they needed to rest and relax, and then they locked themselves in the courtyard until after the babies were born, and he was the last to know.

If he had given birth to a son, he could have forgiven him, but who knew it would be two princesses.

He was in a bad mood at the time and scolded them a few times. The two women then followed the example of the princess and sealed the gate.

"Don't mention them anymore. Consort Liu manages things very well. If you need anything, just tell her."

Butler, "Lady Liu has already handed the tally and account books to this old servant. She said..."

Consort Liu was a wealthy merchant's daughter who was brought into the household later. The household's operation over the years has been entirely due to this lady. However, no amount of money can fill the hole. Since the beginning of this year, Consort Liu has become increasingly harsh on the household, repeatedly cutting back on expenses. It seems that the household really can't hold on any longer.

"What did you say?" Rong Ruiyuan's eyes were fierce. Did a mere merchant girl dare to challenge him?

"Lady Liu said she doesn't have much money left and can't hold on any longer. She asked Your Highness to think of a solution."

As he spoke, the butler handed over the ledger, which contained a considerable amount of money.

The tens of thousands of taels of silver that were originally deposited into the account were all part of Lady Liu's dowry.

Not only are the household expenses covered by the money, but the prince also frequently takes it; even if it were a mountain of gold, he would empty it out.

Rong Ruiyuan frowned, recalling how he had asked the accountant for a thousand taels of silver some time ago. The accountant said it was the last bit of silver he had, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. "If she doesn't have any silver, she won't know how to find a way."

The steward lowered his head, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes. He's supposed to be a prince, yet he hasn't received his salary in public funds all these years, relying on a woman to support him, and he still has such a big mouth.