After sending away Marquis Wenchang and the accompanying eunuchs, the Luo family returned to normal.
The old lady was helped up and ordered her maid to serve tea to the masters. Once the tea was poured, everyone's faces brightened, and they each looked for their seats. The old lady and Luo Renshou sat at the main seats, while the juniors took their places beneath him.
As a ger, Luo Shuyu hadn't received much affection from Luo Renshou and was even somewhat alienated. His attitude also influenced the old lady's attention toward him.
In his previous life, Luo Shuyu had cared too much about familial affection. He would always make excuses for Luo Renshou's estrangement. Only when Luo Renshou needed something from him would he act like a loving father, pretending to care. Thinking back now, his father had likely used him to extract information from the Third Prince's Mansion.
In the early years, Luo Shuyu had wanted to get closer to Luo Renshou—after all, he was his biological father. He had believed he was the one person in this world he could rely on. But after everything he had endured, Luo Shuyu viewed his father differently. He was just a villain who pursued profit and forgot righteousness. He had no love for his mother, only valuing the benefits her family could bring. When Luo Renshou married his mother, he was only a sixth-rank petty official. He reached his current status solely due to his mother's family prestige. Even when misfortune struck her family, he quickly forgot their past help and ignored them. No wonder the Luo family had lost contact with the Chen family over the years. Luo Renshou's selfishness was clear—crossing the river only to destroy the bridge behind him.
Looking at those he had once considered relatives, each wearing a false mask of kindness like a bodhisattva, Luo Shuyu felt a deep chill in his heart.
He remembered clearly how, after he and the Third Prince were imprisoned, Luo Renshou never came to see him. He had used a jade pendant left by his mother to ask someone to find his father and save his life. But Luo Renshou's response had been: Life and death are fate, wealth and honor are the sky; it will occur if it belongs to your life; if not, do not push it.
Words with double meanings—he would not save anyone. Self-preservation mattered most to him. Maybe it wasn't even self-preservation; perhaps he had even presented fabricated evidence with his own hands.
Luo Shuyu despised this father who carried a reputation for being "gentle and courteous." The imperial edict in his hands no longer felt heavy. In his last life, it had seemed like a decree demanding his death, but now he saw it as a talisman, a guarantee for his future.
He had placed too much faith in his father, someone with a human face but a beast's heart. He had never doubted their father-son relationship, never seen the full picture[1].
The more he thought about it, the more foolish he realized he had been. His father had only occasionally shown fleeting affection, always in exchange for information about the Third Prince's Mansion. Now he suspected his father had played a role in the Third Prince's treason.
As he considered this, Luo Renshou turned to him and smiled, looking every bit like the loving father of old. "Shuyu, from now on, you'll need to prepare for your marriage. Don't worry about anything else. I will take care of it as your father."
Luo Shuyu wondered why he had never noticed his father's indifference before. If there had been any genuine father-son affection, how could it have been ignored? He had spent years in the Luo family, and as a ger of the main wife, his life had never been as privileged as the young ger with the support of his aunt, not to mention Liu-shi's ger. He hadn't asked for much.
He only hated that he had once been so naive and ridiculous. Was this the familial relationship he had clung to? What a joke.
Suppressing his disgust, Luo Shuyu decided to strike at his father where it hurt. "Father, since I am going to marry the Third Prince, I cannot let the prince lose face. I don't care about anything else; I just want to count my mother's dowry. I hope Father will give me the key to the warehouse."
His mother had married Luo Renshou with a dowry procession that stretched 10 li. Chen-shi had been a lady from an official family in the capital city, talented and sought after by many young scholars. Later, misfortune befell the Chen family. Not long after, his mother passed away due to illness, and her dowry was never mentioned again. In his previous life, when he married into the royal family, Luo Renshou had never brought it up. He didn't know whether it had been intentional, but once, at a banquet, he saw his fourth brother wearing a sable-fur robe praised by others. A woman sitting beside him mentioned his mother had worn a similar robe. Afterwards, he realized something was amiss, but his mind had not been clear, so he hadn't investigated.
At this moment, when Liu-shi heard the word "dowry," her eyes shot toward Luo Renshou.
Luo Renshou was slightly taken aback. His heart trembled. He didn't understand why Luo Shuyu had suddenly brought up his deceased wife's dowry, or why he would even think of it.
Luo Renshou had always seen Luo Shuyu as a son easy to coax, a boy who had never been born before. He likely wanted to draw affection from his father. Smiling, Luo Renshou tried to take control: "Your mother's dowry is naturally intact. Why bring it up before you are married? You will be the Third Prince's wife. If someone were to hear this, they would say I am incapable of teaching my own children. Haven't I taught you to understand the general principles of human behavior and to have discipline?"
Luo Shuyu, having faced life and death, was no longer intimidated by Luo Renshou's moral pressure. He remembered that the protagonist in the book, Shen Mingyun, had called it "moral kidnapping." Now, he agreed—these words were tailor-made for his father.
Luo Renshou teaching him? Luo Shuyu wanted to scoff. Pei!
How could this Shangshu-daren, who had spent all year in court, understand the Third Prince's ways? As a father, he could laugh while watching his child walk into the dragon's pond and tiger's lair without worry.
How generous was he? Would he sacrifice his life again? Go to the Third Prince's Mansion to act as spies, paving the way for the Luo family?
This Luo Renshou—what a waste of a "benevolent father."
Now, for Luo Shuyu, the Third Prince's Mansion was not a dragon's pond or tiger's lair, but a safe haven. Recovering his mother's dowry was only the first step to securing his future. He had to be prepared. Whether he would face death again in this life or not, he would strive to change his fate and that of Li Mingjin's child.
"Father, general principles and capacity have nothing to do with me bringing my mother's dowry into the Prince's Mansion. I remember my mother's last wishes, one of which was that her dowry be fully inherited by me. Now, as I enter the Third Prince's household, the dowry is our family's strength. We must not disgrace the royal family. If I fail, people may claim that Father objects to the Emperor's marriage decree." Rather than be oppressed by his father's ill treatment, it was better to invoke the Emperor. Disrespect to the Emperor mattered most to Luo Renshou.
Luo Shuyu, usually obedient, suddenly became firm, making Luo Renshou uncomfortable. The gentle smile on his face gradually faded.
Luo Renshou didn't know who had influenced Luo Shuyu to speak so boldly, but he had to maintain appearances. The imperial edict was absolute, and he could not carry the reputation of an unkind father. He had to appease Luo Shuyu first, then investigate who had whispered that he had embezzled his deceased wife's dowry. His son's single reply to every three sentences startled him—since when had he become so eloquent?
To avoid criticism, Luo Renshou could only promise, "I will have someone count your mother's dowry and give you a complete list."
Had Luo Shuyu not brought it up, this promise would never have been made. But now, with everyone watching, he had to maintain face. He wondered if Luo Shuyu had done this intentionally. The thought made him uneasy.
Of course, Luo Shuyu had done it intentionally. Had he approached Luo Renshou privately, he would have been brushed off. Only by raising the matter publicly would his father be forced to comply.
Liu-shi's mouth moved to speak, but the old lady, enjoying the maid rubbing her shoulders, intervened. "Shuyu, you will soon marry into the Prince's household. Don't be petty, or you will be disliked. Your father swallowing your mother's dowry—is that even possible?" She turned her prayer beads, speaking vitriolically against taking the dowry, insisting Liu-shi squander it.
The old lady was uneducated, and only valued two things in life: her promising son, Luo Renshou, and money. Her mind, preoccupied with the dowry of her deceased daughter-in-law, could not help but address Luo Shuyu.
Why should his mother's dowry be used to support the wolf-hearted?
Luo Shuyu inwardly disdained her. "Grandma's advice may be worth considering. But Father had never mentioned my mother's dowry until now. I only wished to remind him. I also hope that those who took it wrongly will return it."
He had already died once; why fear the Luo family?
Luo Shuyu's words implied her involvement, so Liu-shi wanted to speak, but the old lady waved her off. "Prepare the child for marriage. Don't shame the family." With that, she departed, pleased—soon they would become relatives of the Emperor. As for the Third Prince's character, she didn't care. The messy talk of the dowry had spoiled her interest.
"Yes, Mother." Liu-shi lowered her head as a group of servants escorted the old lady out.
Seeing Luo Shuyu's dissatisfaction, Luo Renshou found an excuse to leave, summoning his two elder sons to the study.
Liu-shi glanced quietly at Luo Shuyu before departing with a maid, her expression pained. Soon, nearly half the room had emptied.
The remaining juniors looked at Luo Shuyu, imperial edict in hand, with envy, jealousy, indifference, and disdain.
The disdainful one was naturally Luo Shuyǔ[2], pampered and spoiled by Liu-shi.
Luo Shuyǔ clutched his newly hung jade pendant. "Third brother, you haven't married the Third Prince, yet you're already putting on a show. Those who don't know better would think you're already his wife."
"It's not my place to judge." Luo Shuyu patted his sleeves, eyes on the auspicious cloud patterns, not even raising his eyelids.
Caught off guard, Luo Shuyǔ leaned closer. "Third brother, you may not know the Third Prince—he kills like a demon from Hell. Maids' corpses are often carried from his room. If he fancies someone, he whips them, not stopping until their skin is torn. I can tell you more if you'd like."
"Then I clearly know less than you, fifth brother. You, an unmarried ger, know other men's affairs? I wonder how Father will feel when he learns. Better ask for blessings." Luo Shuyu replied lightly. Reputation was important for women, and the same for a ger.
Luo Shuyǔ, overwhelmed by his eloquence, could only fume and watch him leave gracefully.
"Fourth sister, why didn't you help me!" he whispered.
Luo Shuyue smiled softly. "What's the hurry? There will be a show after he marries. If the Third Prince's Mansion is so fine, can't it be his turn?"
Luo Shuyǔ snorted softly, thinking it the same either way. Better to wait and watch the joke that is Luo Shuyu.
Returning to the Ruyi Courtyard, Luo Shuyu exhaled in relief. His father's attitude chilled him, but no longer affected him.
The rivalry with Luo Shuyǔ was trivial—better fabrics, better looks. What he truly faced was someone who could change his fate: the book's protagonist, Shen Mingyun.
In the book, the Third Prince liked Shen Mingyun, but events went awry due to Shen Mingyun's own actions. The Emperor intervened for some reason, deciding to marry Luo Shuyu to the Third Prince.
Luo Shuyu held the imperial edict, sighing softly.
—
The author has something to say: UPDATE!
Third Prince: Urgent!