Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Her step-sister choked. She did not give up. “I just want to give my mother a status. I don’t have other intentions. Father has been away from home for many years and has never come to the backyard. She feels depressed, and she can only rely on me. Now, I’m about to marry into the royal family and become someone’s wife. I won’t have the chance to take care of my mother anymore. Brother Xi, as someone’s child, you should understand my worries…” Jiang Pengji’s step-sister said sincerely. Her eyes welled up with tears, and it was very moving. The audience in the streaming room grew relatively soft-hearted.

Toudu Feiqiu: “She’s quite a filial girl. I feel that it’s normal for her to seek a status for her low-ranked mother.”

Mianguan Dachu: “Sigh. She looks pitiful.”

Laosiji Lianmeng: “How is she pitiful? The streamer is born of the legal wife. The streamer and her step-sister don’t have the same mother. In modern terms, would you feel pity towards your half-sister and help the mistress get a proper status? Isn’t it funny?”

Shangcesuo Yongshouzhi: “The problem is that ancient and modern times are different. It’s legal for men to have a few wives in the ancient times. They’re not mistresses.”

Yinyuejia Zhuge Qinmo: “It’s legal for a man to have a wife and a few mistresses, not a few wives. Besides, I’ve been watching the streaming for a few years. Her step-sister’s mother can’t even be considered a mistress. How can she ask for status? She’s not filial––she’s actually making a threat.”

Jiang Pengji frowned and glanced at the bullet screens in the streaming room. She posted a bullet screen to calm the debate.

Host V: “My step-sister is an adopted child. She doesn’t know it, but her nominal biological mother must. Of course, she can’t egg her to get a status for herself. This is just her own idea. If she’s really filial, she can always write to Father to complain about it. She hasn’t even gotten married, and she has already come to me to talk about this. She’s said to be filial on the outside, but she’s actually threatening us. How is her mind pure?”

Jiang Pengji was the only child born of Liu She’s legal wife. In ancient times, he was considered a man who got married and settled down.

Was there a grown-up son who intervened in the status of his father’s mistress?

Jiang Pengji looked at her coldly and asked, “First of all, you only have a mother, which is Father’s legal wife. Secondly, Mother has helped Father manage the backyard for many years. Has she treated anyone poorly? If your words are being spread around, are you trying to say that Mother isn’t righteous, and that she’s harsh and sinister?”

Her step-sister’s face turned pale, and she suddenly did not dare to speak another word.

Jiang Pengji took a book from the table and threw it to her. She said, “This is the list of dowries that Mother has prepared for you. There are a lot of them. You don’t have to be petty with me. You can take a look at the daughters born of a mistress in other families. Which one of them gets such generous dowries when they get married? Your marriage to the fourth prince is the perfect marriage that Father has planned for you. Mother is afraid that you’ll feel inferior and overthink things, so she has opened up a warehouse to prepare for your marriage…”

Her step-sister’s face seemed to be coated with a few layers of lime water; it was horribly pale. She wore a look of fear, as if she were afraid of being exposed.

Jiang Pengji blinked her eyes and said bluntly, “Don’t think that we owe you anything. My mother doesn’t owe you or your biological mother anything. If you become successful after marrying into the royal family, so what? You say that, as a child, I should understand why you are filial. However, you’re about to become someone’s wife. Shouldn’t you understand the feelings of the legal wife? Mother has allocated a huge amount of dowries to prepare for the marriage of a daughter born of a mistress, but the eyesore hates her instead. Are you going to ruin her name?”

Her step-sister picked up the list of dowries. She didn’t even look at the items listed on the back; the items listed on front were already enough to make the look in her eyes waver.

As Jiang Pengji guessed, her step-sister had come for her own desires.

She wanted to remind Liu She and Jiang Pengji to not forget that she was going to marry into the royal family and that she was the representative of the Liu residence. Her dowries could not be lacking. If she was not satisfied, she needed a good reputation. Even if she was not recognized as a child of Liu She’s legal wife, her biological mother had to be given a status.

Jiang Pengji said, “You’re a big girl who’s about to get married. Don’t get yourself too involved in the matters of Father’s backyard.”

After that, with a happy and fearful mood, her step-sister simply found an excuse to return to her own courtyard.

Looking at her step-sister’s back, Jiang Pengji raised her eyebrows and left that matter behind.

******

In another place, Xu Ke’s aunt was happily deciding on an auspicious day, and the tailor was measuring Xu Ke’s body.

“Aunty, choose an earlier time. It’s best if it can be done in half a month’s time,” Xu Ke said.

His aunt grew doubtful. “In half a month’s time… It’s too rushed. You’re treating Xunmei shabbily.”

The three letters and six etiquettes required a lot of time. If he wanted to get married in half a month’s time, the marriage had to be simplified.

Xu Ke replied helplessly, “If I can’t get married in half a month’s time, I don’t know if I will have the chance.”

“Why do you say that?” His aunt did not understand him. She immediately thought of something. “Could it be that Xunmei isn’t willing to… Or do you want to change your mind?”

“No.” Xu Ke frowned and appeased his aunt, “The current situation truly doesn’t allow me to wait. Langjun has great ambitions, so I naturally have to accompany him. Langjun is sending his step-sister off to Shangjing to get married. I’m afraid that there’ll be other variables… If things don’t go well and there’s no peace in the future, I’m afraid that Xunmei will be dragged into it… So, in my opinion, I think it’s better for us to get married first.”

His aunt did not know what the variables were, but she knew that Xu Ke would not joke about such things. She suddenly felt awkward.

Xu Ke said in a low voice, “I’ll compensate her after we get married.”

His aunt looked somber. She understood that it was indeed impossible to drag the matter on, according to Xu Ke and Xunmei’s age.

After quite some time, she replied, “Forget it. We commoners hold a wedding celebration for the jolly and festivity alone. We’ll just omit the empty rituals. I’ve looked at the dates. There’s an auspicious day in just 11 days. If Xunmei agrees, the date will be fixed. However, you have to compensate her well in the future. If you treat her shabbily, I’ll be the first to not spare you!”

Xu Ke nodded. “Don’t worry. I know.”

Although the marriage was a bit rushed, it was not chaotic.

On the day the dowries were revealed, the generous dowries that Jiang Pengji prepared for Xunmei made the neighbors green with envy. All the neighbors said that Xu Ke was very lucky to be able to marry such a beautiful woman.

Jiang Pengji even did a semi-interactive streaming of Xu Ke’s wedding, and explained the marriage process of the current era to the audience of the streaming. An exceptionally great number of viewers gave “cash gifts” on that day. The reward messages almost flooded the back end of the streaming.

Three days after the wedding, Jiang Pengji was sensible and did not disturb the two of them. She let them remain in their honeymoon stage.

However, time flew by. Xunmei, who was dressed in a married woman’s outfit, had already given her newlywed husband a bow for his long-distance journey. Both of them sat down. For a moment, they looked at each other without saying a word.

There were no newlywed couples like them who had to be temporarily separated just after a few days of marriage. After thinking about it, Xunmei said, “Be careful when you’re away from home. I’ll take care of everything here.”

Xu Ke nodded and held her hands in his. He replied with guilt, “I’m sorry that I have to make you suffer.”

“It’s okay. After all, this is my choice. I’m just afraid that you’ll… abandon me when you realize that I’m not who I appear to be.” Xunmei’s lips moved, and she had a hesitant look in her eyes. After a long time, she actually took the initiative to hug Xu Ke’s waist. “…Besides…”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ever… don’t ever leave Langjun alone with Taxue…”

Xu Ke was stunned.

Xunmei continued, “Be careful of Taxue. She’s perfidious!”