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

Ding Zisu was scolded harshly, her eyes reddening, and she said aggrievedly, "Wasn't I just doing this for your own good? Didn't you say that Yao'er's maternal grandparents treated her very well? That's why I thought of bringing Yao'er back so that she could get closer to you, and maybe she could put in a good word for you with Grand Tutor Zheng, making your return to the capital smoother, right?"

Chen Qinghe angrily yelled at her, "You know she was raised by my parents-in-law! From childhood to adulthood, my mother-in-law doted on her like the apple of her eye."

"If you hadn't insisted on marrying her off to that good-for-nothing nephew of your family, would she have packed her bags and run all the way to the capital overnight? Would I have been rejected by the Zheng family?"

Ding Zisu shrank back, startled by his shout, and whispered in defense, "You didn't stop me back then either..."

Chen Qinghe trembled with anger and said, "How else can I stop you? You've been nagging me all day long. When I said I needed to think about it, it was only to save you some face."

"Yao'er is my daughter, raised by my parents-in-law. She should be married to a son of a prominent family. Who is your nephew? He doesn't even have the title of a scholar, yet he dares to covet the Zheng family's granddaughter? He's overestimating himself! I'll make it clear to you today: give up on that idea!"

Chen Qinghe snorted coldly, not wanting to get entangled with her on this topic any further, and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, stop thinking about Yao'er's marriage. With her maternal grandmother around, it's none of our business to interfere."

Ding Zisu's eyes darted around, then she leaned forward and lowered her voice, saying, "Master, you just mentioned high-ranking families... why not marry Yao'er to the Third Prince? Then you'll be the prince's father-in-law, and you won't have to worry about your future anymore!"

Chen Qinghe's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again. He shook his head and said, "No. The Third Prince already has a principal wife. If Yao'er marries him, she can only be a concubine. No matter how nice the term 'concubine' sounds, she's still a concubine."

Yao'er's maternal grandmother would never agree. What kind of family do you think the Zheng family is? For their own granddaughter to become someone's concubine—not only would her maternal grandmother object, but her maternal grandfather and two uncles would absolutely not agree either. You'd better give up on this idea and never mention it again.”

Ding Zisu pursed her lips and muttered, "Whatever. It's your future, not mine. Why should a woman like me worry about these things?"

Chen Qinghe was infuriated by her sarcastic attitude. Suddenly remembering something, his face darkened, and he stared at her, asking:

"I haven't asked you yet, but before I left, I clearly told you to prepare two thousand taels of silver for Yao'er. Why did you only take five hundred taels?"

Ding Zisu's eyes flickered, and she said aggrievedly, "Master, you have no idea how much money we spent on the way to the capital. Once we arrived in the capital, we had to buy a house, furnish it, bribe various officials, and give gifts to the Third Prince. None of that cost money."

You never ask about the household accounts, you only know how to ask for money, you have no idea about my difficulties. I was thinking that taking out two thousand taels at once was a bit tight, so I prepared less, thinking that after Yao'er comes back, I can give her a monthly allowance, and we'll live a decent life, and our finances will be more comfortable.”

Chen Qinghe gritted his teeth, his voice almost squeezed out from between them:

"And now? I asked you to bring two thousand taels of silver notes. Do you think that's for Wan'er? It's for her maternal grandparents to see, to let them know that I love my daughter and am willing to spend money on her. That's why Yao'er's maternal grandfather is willing to plan for me."

"You've got it all figured out! Only five hundred taels? What will the Zheng family think of me? I, a dignified prefect, only have five hundred taels for my own daughter's personal allowance. How can I possibly give that? I'll lose all face if word gets out."

Ding Zisu shrank back after being scolded, but still muttered defiantly, "Then you shouldn't have agreed to give five thousand taels right off the bat! Where would we get that much money? You're so generous, promising five thousand taels with just a few words, how are we going to pay it back?"

Chen Qinghe glanced at her coldly: "If you had given me two thousand taels as I said, would I have said five thousand taels? Aunt Yao'er was practically pointing her finger at me and calling me stingy."

She said Yao'er's jewelry alone cost more than five hundred taels. How could I save face if I didn't come up with five thousand taels? Do you think I wanted to give it to her? I was forced into it by you!

Ding Zisu was speechless, speechless for a long while, before bringing up another matter: "Then...then, Zheng Zhining's dowry, are you really going to give it all to Yao'er? I've kept those things for her for so many years, I've done my part, even if I haven't done anything special. Besides, how will we live if we give those things to her?"

Chen Qinghe snorted coldly: "You used Zhi Ning's dowry money to buy shops and lend money at exorbitant interest rates. Do you really think I don't know how much you've earned in the past few years?"

The jewelry and clothing you bought, the subsidies you gave to your family—isn't that a lot? Where did that money come from?

It's all taken from Zhi Ning's dowry. Don't be greedy for short-term gains. Now is a crucial time for my journey to the capital, and a word from the Zheng family carries more weight than anything else. If you cause trouble again regarding the dowry, they might try to sabotage my transfer, and my future will be ruined.

Think about it carefully: is it better to sacrifice the small gain for the greater good, or to jeopardize my future for this little bit of money?

Ding Zisu's expression changed, but she remained silent.

Fearing she might not take it seriously, Chen Qinghe repeated, "Not a single piece of Zhi Ning's dowry is to be missing; return it all to Yao'er. There's no room for negotiation! As long as I can stay in the capital, our lives will only get better! Remember that? You may not care about Yao'er, but you should at least care about Ci'er, right?"

Upon hearing Chen Qinghe mention his son, Ding Zisu reluctantly agreed with a "yes".

……

The Zheng family's residence, Sandalwood House.

After Chen Qinghe left, Yun Jin took Chen Mengyao's hand and walked out.

Madam Zheng quickly beckoned to Chen Mengyao, inviting her to sit beside her. She pulled her into her arms and said gently:

"Yao'er, you heard it all. Your grandmother has gotten your mother's things back for you. From now on, those things are yours alone, and no one can touch them."

You can't rely on your father, but your maternal grandparents, uncles, and aunts will never let you suffer.

What your mother left behind was originally yours. You were too young to protect it before, but now that you're older, your maternal grandmother will make the decisions for you.