Visiting the Duke Yan Household

The three remained at an impasse for a while, none of them wanting to speak. Duke Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and could not help saying, "Prince, Princess Consort, why don't you follow me into the residence first?"

"Mm."

Hearing their assent, Duke Yan smiled and led them into the Duke Yan Household.

On the way, they ran into Chen Shi, who was hurrying over with her daughter. Afraid she might offend Si Yunqi, Duke Yan scolded her. "Why are you rushing about like this? Where are your manners? Hurry and greet the Prince and Princess Consort."

Chen Shi felt a measure of resentment at his scolding, but she kept it off her face and smiled. "I pay my respects to the Prince.

Yan Wanwen followed behind Chen Shi. When she saw Yan Wanning, rosy-cheeked and dressed in splendid silks, looking nothing like the wretched figure she had imagined, her expression soured and a flash of malice crossed her eyes. But when she saw Si Yunqi beside her, it turned to amazement.

Prince Anbei is this handsome?

When Yan Wanwen saw Si Yunqi gazing at Yan Wanning with tenderness and indulgence, she grew even more jealous and ground her teeth.

Yan Wanwen deliberately swayed her waist and put on an affected voice. "I pay my respects to the Prince."

Yan Wanwen looked at Si Yunqi as though she wanted to speak but held herself back, yet his gaze never once fell on her, nor did he tell her to rise. She held her curtsy until her legs ached.

Duke Yan and his wife wanted to say something but did not dare. Chen Shi secretly signaled to Yan Wanning, and when she saw that Yan Wanning remained unmoved, she was furious and felt all the more sorry for her daughter.

"What's wrong with your eyes, Second Aunt? Are they bothering you?" Yan Wanning asked with a smile.

Wary of Yan Wanning's status, Chen Shi did not dare show the slightest displeasure. She forced a smile that was not too unpleasant. "N-no, I'm fine. Princess Consort, look... your younger sister..."

"Duchess Yan and the Second Young Lady paid their respects only to the Prince, but not to the Princess Consort. Do you hold the Princess Consort in such disregard?" Xiao He stood tall and demanded sternly.

Duke Yan gave the mother and daughter a frustrated look. At a time like this, they were still preoccupied with such petty schemes.

"Hurry and pay your respects to the Princess Consort."

Chen Shi and Yan Wanwen were reluctant to do so. They had deliberately skipped over Yan Wanning.

Pay their respects to her?

How was Yan Wanning worthy?

With no other choice, they were about to pay their respects to Yan Wanning when a woman's soft, sweet voice rang out. "Since you're so unwilling, you may dispense with the formalities. After all, Second Aunt and Second Younger Sister have never taken me seriously."

"You've misunderstood, Elder Sister. We only..." Yan Wanwen began to explain in a saccharine voice, only to be interrupted by a man's cold voice.

"If she doesn't know the rules, find a matron who does and have her properly instructed."

"Yes, I'll find one tomorrow."

Duke Yan forced a smile. "Prince, Princess Consort, come to the hall and have some tea to wet your throats."

With that, he led the two to the hall and seated them. The servants brought each of their masters a cup of tea.

Si Yunqi took a sip and said, "I have brought the Princess Consort here today to make up for the customary return visit she missed after our wedding, and to take the things my father-in-law and mother-in-law left behind while we're here. I didn't send word in advance. I trust you won't hold it against me for calling unannounced, Duke Yan?"

Duke Yan and his wife relaxed when they first heard why the couple had returned. But when they heard him say he had come to "take the things my father-in-law and mother-in-law left behind," their expressions both froze.

Duke Yan recovered quickly and hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. It is a blessing for the Duke's Household that the Prince and Princess Consort could come."

Yan Wanning took out her embroidered handkerchief and wiped the light sweat from her hands. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, do you still remember the things Mother asked you to keep for her?"

Seeing their expressions change, Yan Wanning continued at an unhurried pace, as though she had noticed nothing. "Mother was gravely ill at the time, and I was still so very young. His mother was worried, so she entrusted her dowry and the things Father left behind to your care. Mother said that when I grew up and married, you were to give them to me."

"You must remember, Second Aunt, since Mother handed them to you herself."

"I... I remember."

Chen Shi wanted to deny it, but faced with Yan Wanning's eyes, which saw through everything, and Prince Anbei's icy gaze, she could only admit it.

"Good, then." Yan Wanning had Xiao He take out a booklet and casually flipped through a few pages. "Mother gave me this booklet back then. Everything she entrusted to Second Aunt is recorded in it. Would you like to look it over, Second Aunt?"

These words made Duke Yan and his wife stiffen again. They had always believed Yan Wanning had no booklet, yet unexpectedly, she had produced one now.

"I came today intending to take those things back. Besides, I'm married now and capable of managing them. Second Uncle, Second Aunt, please return them to me today."

"Well..."

By now, Duke Yan and his wife were more than just anxious, because they had long since used up almost everything Yan Wanning's parents had left her.

Even though it had been an exceedingly generous sum in silver and jewelry—Yan Wanning's mother's dowry alone had been worth a fortune—who could have expected otherwise when she was a daughter of the Luo Family, once the wealthiest family in the capital?

She had been her family's only daughter, and most of its wealth had been in her hands.

Over the years, the Duke's Household had spent heavily, and money had also been needed to grease palms in official circles. Duke Yan's meager salary and the household's properties were nowhere near enough, so they had made use of what Yan Wanning's parents had left behind. Chen Shi had also held back half, intending to make it her own daughter's dowry.