Chapter 304

The first watch of the Yin hour had just struck. (Yin hour: 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM)

The horizon was still immersed in ink-like darkness.

Yuwen Ze pushed open the door, and the cold wind, carrying the lingering warmth of the candles, slowly extinguished behind him.

He closed the door behind him, his knuckles still retaining the slippery touch of silk.

The lanterns under the corridor swayed with dim yellow light, shining on his loose collar. The malice of last night had faded, leaving only a touch of weary laziness.

"Hoo~" He walked two steps down the stone stairs, suddenly stopped, and looked up at the heavy night sky, exhaling a breath of turbid air.

The white mist dissipated rapidly in the cold air, as if wanting to spit out something along with it.

"Boring!"

"What should be protruding isn't, what should be curved isn't..."

"Not as good as the rice bowl I ate that day!"

"Only under the influence of that medicine was she relatively proactive..."

He clicked his tongue lowly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his lips, his eyes carrying a touch of nonchalant disgust.

"Prince Heir, it's not even dawn yet; why not sleep a little longer?"

Lu Cangfeng, who had been guarding outside, hurried up to meet him, glanced at the room with his peripheral vision, and asked with a smile.

"Don't tell me you didn't hear what happened last night?"

Yuwen Ze rolled his eyes and complained: "You guy, asking when you already know!"

"Haha!" Lu Cangfeng gave an awkward but polite laugh.

Having guarded here all night, how could he, with his keen hearing, not know what had happened inside?

However, since his Prince Heir could handle it, he didn't meddle...

"Take this to finish the job!" Yuwen Ze said expressionlessly, his fingertips groping in his robes for a moment before taking out a neatly folded handkerchief.

The handkerchief was of fine cloud brocade, but a small patch of dull red had seeped into the corner.

In the light of the corridor lantern, it looked like a withered flower.

He pinched a corner of the handkerchief and handed it forward casually, his movements filled with a nonchalant disgust.

"Yes." Lu Cangfeng lowered his eyes and took it.

Yuwen Ze seemed to think of something and ordered: "Cangfeng, select a few maids from our mansion and replace all those Du Gu Mi Luo brought!"

He would not give that woman even the slightest bit of power to command within the Prince's Mansion.

Even if it was just a mere maid.

"Yes." Lu Cangfeng nodded and kept it in mind.

Yuwen Ze raised his chin, his voice very low: "Also, order the Prince's personal guards to strictly monitor Du Gu Mi Luo!"

A Xiong had taught him that caution is the parent of safety, and one must not take anything lightly.

She must be watched closely until she dies...

Of course, if there was a suitable opportunity, she could also be used to pass on some false information...

Having said that, he walked forward on his own.

"Yes." Lu Cangfeng hurried to catch up and asked, "Prince Heir, where are we going?"

Hearing this, Yuwen Ze's mouth curved into an enigmatic arc, smiling enigmatically: "Of course, we are going to handle official business!"

Chen hour. (5:00 AM to 7:00 AM)

Du Gu Mi Luo was awakened by a dull pain.

Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they had been glued shut, and she used a lot of effort to open a slit.

The phoenix-and-phoenix embroidery on the bed canopy blurred into a mass in the dimness, stinging her eyes and making them sore.

Her whole body felt as if it had been taken apart and put back together, and every bone joint ached.

Especially her wrists, where the brocade had bound her; they were swollen and numb, and even a slight movement caused a sharp pain in her heart.

She moved her fingers, and her fingertips touched a patch of cold wetness.

Was it tears, or the wine from last night that hadn't dried?

"It hurts! It hurts so much!" Du Gu Mi Luo tried to prop herself up, but a sharp soreness came from her waist and abdomen, forcing her to fall heavily back onto the pillow. "Yuwen Ze is truly a bastard!"

His scent still lingered on the bedding, mixed with the faint smell of wine, which now only made her feel nauseous.

"Hm?"

"Empty?"

Du Gu Mi Luo's fingertips unconsciously reached to her side, but touched only a patch of cold brocade quilt. There was no temperature, not even a trace of lingering warmth. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "The bedding is also cold?"

"Where is that shameless scoundrel?"

Immediately, she gathered her strength, sat up, and shouted: "Someone come!"

"What are your orders, Prince Heir's wife?" Hearing the sound, Fang Zi led Chun Lan and Qing Lu into the room and asked respectfully.

"What time is it now?" Du Gu Mi Luo rubbed her temples to relieve the pain and asked nonchalantly.

"A quarter past Chen hour!" Fang Zi answered immediately.

Du Gu Mi Luo heard that something was wrong; that wasn't the voice of her dowry maid, Lian Xin. She pulled back the bed curtains, examined Fang Zi standing at the front, and asked suspiciously: "Who are you?"

She paused, then asked again: "Where is Lian Xin?"

Logically speaking, shouldn't the maid waiting outside be Lian Xin, her personal maid brought from the Duke of Wei Mansion?

"Replying to the Prince Heir's wife, this servant is called Fang Zi!" Fang Zi lowered her head and said truthfully, "Lian Xin and the others have already been transferred to other courtyards by the Prince Heir!"

"From now on, just command us..."

"Bastard!" Du Gu Mi Luo slapped the edge of the bed violently, her chest heaving violently. The humiliation of last night and the anger of the moment mixed together, burning until her vision went black.

How dare he!

This was clearly an attempt to break her arms!

"Please calm your anger, Prince Heir's wife!"

Seeing this, Fang Zi and the others knelt on the ground together, but there was no fear on their faces, as if they were just going through the motions.

"You... forget it!"

Du Gu Mi Luo took a deep breath, calmed her restless emotions, and after a long while, said: "Bring some hot water and serve me to wash up!"

"Yes."

Fang Zi replied, stood up, and called Qing Lu and the other to handle it.

Du Gu Mi Luo supported herself on the dressing table and moved slowly to the mirror.

The figure in the bronze mirror was haggard, the red marks on her neck were glaring, and the welts on her wrists were red and swollen.

In this state, even she felt embarrassed.

Before long, the maid entered with a copper basin, and the hot water emitted white mist, fogging the mirror surface.

Du Gu Mi Luo tested the water temperature; the boiling hot water made her fingertips numb, but it cleared her chaotic mind. Seeming to think of something, she asked: "Fang Zi, do you know where the Prince Heir went this early in the morning?"

"Replying to the Prince Heir's wife, the Prince Heir went to inventory your dowry!" Fang Zi nodded and replied truthfully.

"What did you say?!"

Du Gu Mi Luo was startled, ignoring the scalding heat on her hands, and asked in surprise.

Immediately, she suddenly realized something: "Oh no!"

"Quick, help me dress!"

Jin Wang Mansion.

West side courtyard.

"Prince Heir, the dowry brought by the Dugu woman has been fully inventoried and registered; please take a look!"

Zhu Yi stepped forward, holding the register just drafted by the mansion's personal guards, and said in a low voice.

"Not bad, it's quite generous!"

Yuwen Ze took it, flipped through it casually, nodded with satisfaction, and said loudly: "Everyone has worked hard..."

"Come, everyone take one treasure from it!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly, signaling them to move.

He was clearly following suit.

He had learned his A Xiong's trick of buying people's hearts to perfection.

The main point was not to let people work for nothing!

"Thank you, Prince Heir!"

The personal guards, who had been busy for a long time, heard this and their eyes lit up, their spirits greatly boosted.

Who would have thought that working for the Prince Heir would have such benefits?

"Move all these chests into my private treasury!" Yuwen Ze smiled and ordered.

"As you command."

The personal guards were full of energy.

Immediately, dozens of strong personal guards stepped forward and carefully carried the large vermilion chests toward the depths of the mansion.

The heavy chests made their footsteps heavy, and the copper skin on the corners of the chests scraped against the stone floor with a harsh sound.

Yuwen Ze stood under a tree, watching those dowries that symbolized the dignity of the Duke's Mansion being carried away from this small courtyard one by one, toward his private treasury.

The sunlight shone on his face, flickering, and no joy or anger could be seen.

One incense stick later.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

Du Gu Mi Luo rushed into the courtyard, staggering, her chest heaving violently, unable to catch her breath.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Seeing this, Yuwen Ze asked knowingly, "Madam, why have you come?"

Du Gu Mi Luo's voice was hoarse, filled with restlessness. Her eyes swept over the empty courtyard and finally landed on the fresh footprints at the courtyard gate. She asked straight to the point: "Prince Heir, where is my dowry?"

"Right here!"

Yuwen Ze was unhurried, raised his hand, shook the register in his palm lightly, and laughed.

He paused, then continued: "I woke up early, so I inventoried and stored it for you, Madam!"

"To avoid it being piled up here and having anything go missing..."

He didn't blush or skip a beat.

He spoke with such justification and confidence.

"That is my dowry!" Du Gu Mi Luo gritted her teeth, filled with endless anger and grievance, and shouted sternly.

The rule has always been that the woman's property follows the woman.

By what right could he touch it?

"We are one as husband and wife; why do we need to distinguish between yours and mine?"

Yuwen Ze sneered, stood up, walked to her, looked down at her, and his fingertips flirtatiously brushed the woman's temple: "What is Madam's is mine, and what is mine is Madam's!"

Now that he had taken it, did she think he would spit it out?

She was dreaming in broad daylight!

She is truly shameless! Who on earth did he learn this from?... Hearing this, Du Gu Mi Luo couldn't help but curse in her heart and said in a low voice: "You..."

But just as she opened her mouth, she was interrupted by Fang Zi stepping forward at the right time: "Prince Heir, Prince Heir's wife, it is time to pay respects to the Prince and the elders!"

"Father has a bad temper; this matter cannot be neglected or delayed!"

Yuwen Ze took over the conversation and urged: "Let's go, let's hurry!"

He didn't give Du Gu Mi Luo any chance to continue speaking.

Immediately, Yuwen Ze dragged her toward the main hall.

Yuwen Hu, Yuwen Heng, and others were already there.

The paying of respects and the lecture lasted for a full hour and a half before ending.

Du Gu Mi Luo was already starving and exhausted.

"Prince Heir's wife, you haven't had a drop of water or a grain of rice all morning..."

The maid Fang Zi stepped forward at the right time and very considerately brought a bowl of bird's nest soup: "The kitchen has stewed bird's nest soup; please have some!"