Su Fu lifted her eyelids slightly, her gaze cold and indifferent as she looked at Su Zhe. “Father, a mother’s dowry is always meant entirely for her child. Mother had only me. Unfortunately, she passed away early, and I was still very young at the time. Since then, my grandmother has managed everything on my behalf. Now that I am betrothed, it is time for me to learn how to manage the family affairs myself.”
With the corner of her eye, Su Fu scanned the people in the room before continuing, “Moreover, I am to marry into the General’s household. If I go there and… know nothing, it will bring shame to the Su family. And it may even affect my second sister’s future marriage…”
Su Zhe’s expression darkened. He understood her reasoning, yet if all the dowry were returned to Su Fu, the Su family’s future expenses…
He weighed the pros and cons in his mind and then said, “The General’s household is no ordinary family. You should indeed learn to manage household affairs. Tomorrow, I will have Mother find two experienced maids to teach you.”
He paused briefly, then added, “As for the dowry, if I hand it all over at once, you would not know how to manage it. It would be better for your grandmother and your late mother to gradually hand it over to you.”
Madam Zhou and Su Qing exchanged a glance, both detecting a hint of unease in each other’s eyes.
Judging from the scene, Su Fu had clearly come prepared today.
Madam Zhou couldn’t help but quietly think about how to handle this tricky situation.
She forced a smile. “Your father is right! Su’er, you are still young and inexperienced. Tomorrow I will have two experienced maids teach you at Lanxiang Pavilion. Once you have learned, you will be able to manage everything without confusion!”
A cold, detached glint flashed in Su Fu’s dark eyes. Inwardly, she mocked: Are these people so used to taking what belongs to others that, over time, they start believing it is their own?
Her eyes swept over the old madam, Su Zhe, and Madam Zhou, her gaze sharp and forbidding. She spoke slowly, deliberately: “What if I insist on taking back the entire dowry today?”
Her tone carried an inexpressible detachment and coldness.
The old madam slammed her hand onto the table with such force that the tea cup nearly toppled. There was no trace of the gentle, elderly demeanor of a woman in her fifties or sixties.
Her eyes widened, her wrinkled face flushed red with anger, as if Su Fu’s words had enraged her.
“Impudent! How dare you speak to your elders this way? After all these years of training in the Su family’s rules and etiquette, what have you learned?” she roared.
Su Qing hurried forward, gently helping calm the old madam while speaking softly to soothe her, “Grandmother, please don’t be angry!”
The old madam took a few deep breaths, grasping Su Qing’s hand and lightly patting it.
“Still my thoughtful Qing’er!” she murmured.
Seeing the old madam so angry, Su Zhe’s gaze hardened, staring fiercely at Su Fu.
He yelled, “Do you think that after being betrothed to the General’s household, you can disregard your elders? Let me remind you, no matter where you marry, you are always a daughter of the Su family. Everything you do must prioritize the family’s interests!”
A faint, bitter smile appeared on Su Fu’s lips. Always about interest!
She had already seen through the faces of this family in her previous life, and yet she had foolishly expected something else. Pathetic!
Her dark eyes turned serious, unwavering as she fixed Su Zhe with her gaze. “If I cannot retrieve the entire dowry today, then so be it—we will see each other in the court! I am not afraid of embarrassment, nor of making this a public matter.”
Su Zhe, who prized face and family honor above all else, was now faced with the possibility of public scandal. Su Fu was deliberately testing the limits.
His face paled, his anger evident, as he pointed at her. “You rebellious girl! This is a family matter. How can you take it to the authorities? How will people in the capital view the Su family?”
“Oh, so Father knows that hoarding your daughter’s dowry is shameful too!” Su Fu mocked.
Madam Zhou, seeing Su Fu threaten to take the matter to court, quickly interjected with a concerned tone. “Su’er, if you insist on taking this to the authorities, it will not be beneficial for you. Now that you are betrothed to the General’s household, if they learn of this, your marriage may…”
Su Fu paid no attention to Madam Zhou’s words.
She knew Xiao Junhe would not care.
The General and Princess Yongping were both martial experts; such a rare situation of a woman bringing a matter to court would not be judged harshly.
“I do not care about reputation. If I cannot retrieve the entire dowry today, I will immediately take the list to the authorities. Mother, you can worry now—when the second sister loses this large dowry, how will you find her a suitable husband?”
Madam Zhou and Su Qing’s eyes flashed with panic at Su Fu’s veiled warning.
Su Zhe’s face was extremely dark. Judging from Su Fu’s determination today, if the dowry was not returned, she would indeed bring the list to the authorities, potentially destroying the Su family’s long-standing good reputation.
Su Zhe weighed the pros and cons repeatedly. He recalled what Zhou Hong had told him…
Since Su Fu was already betrothed to the General’s household, it was unwise to alienate her completely; she could still be useful in the future.
Compared to the Su family’s future wealth and his own political prospects, the dowry mattered little.
Having realized this, Su Zhe’s expression softened slightly. He spoke calmly: “The dowry was left by your mother. Perhaps when you were younger, you did not know how to manage it. Now that you insist on taking it back, I will have your grandmother and late mother return it to you, and two experienced maids will assist you.”
The old madam was about to protest but noticed Su Zhe give her a reassuring glance.
Though unsure of her son’s intentions, she held back her words, saying instead:
“I am old and have no heart to meddle in this anymore. I will order the maids to bring the dowry your mother left here to Lanxiang Pavilion.”
“Thank you, Grandmother! I will check everything against the dowry list. If anything is missing, I hope you can compensate me in silver.”
Su Fu suddenly seemed to remember something and added irritably, “Oh, right! Since you are my grandmother, half will do.”
The old madam felt her blood rush to her head and nearly choked! She glared at Su Fu, thinking helplessly: many of Su Fu’s dowry items, some quite valuable, had already been secretly converted into silver to cover the Su family’s daily expenses.