The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Chen Qinghe abruptly turned his head, glared fiercely at Ding Zisu, and practically spat out the words through gritted teeth: "Shut up!"

Ding Zisu shrank back, frightened by the murderous intent in his eyes, and immediately lowered her head, not daring to utter another sound.

Chen Qinghe took a deep breath and turned back with a respectful smile on his face: "Mother-in-law is right. Zhi Ning's dowry should have been given to Yao'er earlier, but she was too young at the time, so Zi Su managed it for her."

Now that Yao'er is grown up, it's time to arrange a marriage for her, and it's time to hand her over. The son-in-law will go back and have Zisu pack everything up, and will have it delivered on a chosen day.

Madam Zheng nodded, her expression still calm: "That's good then. I'll have Yao'er's aunt help me check it later, just in case there are any mistakes. I still have the list of Zhi Ning's dowry from back then; I kept a copy specifically for that purpose."

She then turned to Wang and instructed, "Eldest daughter-in-law, find out Zhi Ning's dowry list later. Make sure there's nothing extra that shouldn't be there, or it will look like our Zheng family is bullying us."

Chen Qinghe's lips twitched as he listened. The old lady was clearly not trusting him; she had even kept the dowry list and wanted Wang Shi to personally check it. This wasn't helping; it was obviously auditing the accounts.

But he dared not utter a single objection, and quickly bowed to explain, his tone becoming increasingly respectful: "Mother-in-law, rest assured, I have kept Zhi Ning's dowry list. Some of the larger items that were inconvenient to carry have been sold for cash, and the accounts are clear. I will give them directly to Yao'er later."

In addition, I have prepared five thousand taels of silver notes for Yao'er. I came in a hurry today and only brought five hundred taels with me. I will bring them over later as personal savings for Yao'er.

Madam Zheng hummed in response but did not reply.

Seeing this, Madam Wang chuckled and said, "I knew it! Why would my brother-in-law be so stingy as to only give Yao'er five hundred taels? Turns out the big part was yet to come. I was wrong about you."

After saying that, she glanced at Ding Zisu, whose expression was uncertain, and said politely, "Since it's lunchtime, would you like to stay and have lunch before you leave?"

If it weren't for that farce just now, Chen Qinghe would have stayed no matter what.

He came to the Zheng family today hoping to get closer to them, but Ding Zisu's words had offended the old lady badly. Wang Shi's words were not a invitation to stay, but a clear order to leave. If he dared to sit down and eat now, he would only be humiliating himself.

He quickly stepped back and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, sister-in-law. However, I have just arrived in the capital and my new residence is not yet settled, so I dare not trouble you today. Another day, another day I will definitely visit you in person to pay my respects to my parents-in-law and my two elder brothers and sisters-in-law."

He then turned to Madam Zheng and bowed deeply before pulling Ding Zisu out.

After the two left Sandalwood Residence, Chen Qinghe shook off Ding Zisu's hand and strode forward.

Ding Zisu had to jog to keep up, and several times she opened her mouth to call out to him to wait for her, but seeing his ashen face, she swallowed the words back.

As they reached the main gate, they ran into Grand Tutor Zheng and his two sons, Zheng Guodong and Zheng Guoliang, who were returning.

Chen Qinghe paused, his face instantly changing to a respectful smile. He turned back to Ding Zisu and whispered, "You get in the car first."

He then left her behind, quickly stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Qinghe greets father-in-law, elder brother, and second elder brother."

Grand Tutor Zheng stopped in his tracks, his gaze lingering on Ding Zisu's face for a moment before he looked past her and glanced at Ding Zisu's back as she walked towards the carriage.

He withdrew his gaze and said in a nonchalant tone, "Why aren't you staying for a meal?"

Chen Qinghe quickly smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Father-in-law. There are still some miscellaneous matters at home that haven't been settled. I will definitely make a special trip to have a couple of drinks with you another day."

Grand Tutor Zheng grunted in acknowledgment, said nothing more, and walked into the mansion with his hands behind his back.

He never liked this son-in-law. If his daughter hadn't been so determined to marry him, he would never have agreed to the marriage. Now that his daughter is gone, he's even less inclined to waste his breath on this spineless son-in-law.

Zheng Guodong followed behind him, and when he passed by Chen Qinghe, he only nodded slightly as a greeting, and entered the mansion without stopping.

Zheng Guoliang stopped and chatted with him casually for a few minutes, asking him when he arrived in Beijing and where he was staying.

Then, he suddenly changed the subject and casually asked, "I heard you're planning to stay in the capital?"

Chen Qinghe was overjoyed and quickly nodded, "Yes, that's a plan. Although Zhi Ning is no longer here, I still consider her my wife. Staying in the capital will allow me to visit my parents-in-law more often and fulfill my filial duties on their behalf."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Guoliang raised his hand and pointed in the direction where the carriage was parked, saying meaningfully, "Since you are here to fulfill your filial duty on behalf of Zhi Ning, you shouldn't bring your second wife with you anymore."

Chen Qinghe's face stiffened slightly, and he explained awkwardly, "Second Brother, you've misunderstood. Today I was taking her out to visit colleagues, and we were passing by your residence, so I thought I'd drop by to see Yao'er. She insisted on coming along, and I couldn't stop her..."

Zheng Guoliang smiled and patted his shoulder, a gesture that seemed affectionate, but his tone left no room for argument: "If you truly care about Yao'er, then don't let her appear in our Zheng family anymore. My sister is gone, and you let your stepmother run around in front of us; it makes us uncomfortable. Tell me, am I right?"

Chen Qinghe nodded repeatedly, and said awkwardly, "Second Brother is right, Qinghe will remember. I will never bring Zisu to the mansion again."

He paused, and seeing Zheng Guoliang turn to leave, he quickly took half a step forward and tentatively lowered his voice, saying, "Second Brother, regarding Qinghe's transfer to the capital, I would appreciate it if you and Father-in-law could put in a good word for him with the court..."

Zheng Guoliang paused for a moment, then said in a calm tone, "No problem."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the mansion.

This statement neither agreed nor disagreed, clearly indicating a perfunctory response.

Chen Qinghe stood there, watching his back disappear through the gate, gritted his teeth, and turned to walk towards the carriage.

He boarded the carriage, leaned against the side, and wearily closed his eyes.

Seeing this, Ding Zisu broke the silence first and complained, "Master, why is the Zheng family treating us like this? You came all this way to deliver New Year's gifts, and they won't even offer you a meal. The old lady even gave me a cold shoulder."

"Even at my worst, I'm still your lawfully wedded wife. You don't even give me any face in front of you. If this were in Guangping Prefecture, who would dare treat me like this?"

Chen Qinghe, who had been suppressing his anger all the way, suddenly flared up. He opened his eyes and glared at her angrily, saying, "Face? I didn't want you to come, but you insisted on coming, saying that you are Yao'er's stepmother and that the Zheng family has to acknowledge you."

I promised you, and I've told you repeatedly, that when you arrive, you should smile more and talk less.

And what happened? Why did you say you were bringing Yao'er back? And why did you say you were Yao'er's mother in front of the old lady? Were you afraid she wouldn't get angry?

Do you even know why I'm here today? You're more trouble than you're worth! How dare you even mention saving face?