The stepmother snorted coldly. “Stop dawdling.” With that, she took Ziyan and left.
Ziling knew very well that her scumbag father and stepmother would never let her take her dowry away. Her father was still dreaming of using her dowry to marry that younger sister into the royal family so he could become the emperor’s in-law.
Following the original owner’s memories, she found her way to the storage room. Inside were dozens of huge chests piled high, filled with countless gold, silver, jewels, and treasures. She knew the original owner’s mother had been wealthy, but she hadn’t expected her to be this rich. Since all of it belonged to her mother anyway, she saw no reason to be polite about it.
She placed her hand on the treasures, and with a thought, everything vanished, all of it entering the storage space she possessed. In mere moments, the once-packed storeroom was left completely empty except for the bare chests.
She walked out, locked the storeroom again, and was about to return to her courtyard the same way she came when she heard her scumbag father’s voice.
“I’ve already submitted the memorial to His Majesty. Everything is prepared now.”
“Lord Hou, His Majesty has already made a decision on the matter. We only need to wait for news,” said another unfamiliar voice. “Once the General’s Manor is eliminated, you and I can finally rest easy.”
What?
Eliminate the General’s Manor?
Ziling wanted to get closer and listen more carefully, but hearing footsteps approaching from afar, she hurriedly left. Returning to her room, she opened the wardrobe and chose the most luxurious wedding dress to put on. Thinking about what she had just overheard left her feeling uneasy.
While she was deep in thought, a scream suddenly rang out.
So they found out already?
It turned out the stepmother had brought servants to open the storeroom, intending to pick out a few worthless items as part of the dowry. But when the doors opened, she found all the dozens of chests completely empty. She had swallowed up all the dowry left by Ziling’s mother, intending to save it for her own daughter Ziyan’s future marriage.
Now that everything had vanished into thin air, how could she not go mad?
The stepmother stormed aggressively into Ziling’s courtyard with a group of servants.
“Ziling! Get out here! How dare you steal from me? Did you take my things?”
Ziling gave a cold snort. “Mother, what exactly did you lose? How much was it? I haven’t even stepped outside this courtyard.”
“Dozens of large chests—”
Before she could finish, realization suddenly hit her. Dozens of large chests would require several strong men just to carry them out. How could a single woman possibly move them?
“If Mother doesn’t believe me, feel free to have the servants search my room.”
“Hmph! Since you dared to do it, don’t let me find out the truth. Otherwise, you’ll regret it!” The stepmother trembled with rage as the servants helped her leave.
Half an hour later, Ziling emerged from her room dressed in her wedding robes, elegant and dignified. Seeing the radiant Ziling, Ziyan’s eyes filled with jealousy.
“Even if Sister marries into the General’s Manor, it doesn’t mean you’ll have the fortune to enjoy it.”
The bridal sedan soon arrived at the General’s Manor. After the wedding ceremony was completed, before the general husband could even lift her veil, news came that the emperor had summoned him to the palace.
Remembering the conversation she had overheard between her scumbag father and the stranger before the wedding, and now seeing her husband called away on their wedding night, she knew tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.
I may never have eaten pork, but I’ve at least seen pigs run. Before transmigrating, I was a loyal fan of transmigration dramas. At times like this, shouldn’t I gather up all the valuables in the General’s Manor? After all, this place is my home now. The money in my home naturally belongs in my hands.
But how could she find an excuse to send all the servants away?
Just then, she felt a pair of soft little hands tugging at her.
“Sister-in-law, are you hungry? I brought you some delicious pastries.”
Ziling looked down and saw a delicate little girl with bright features. An idea immediately came to mind.
“Oh dear, Sister-in-law really is a little hungry,” she said with a smile. “But since the veil hasn’t been lifted yet, it wouldn’t be proper for me to eat. Why don’t you go ask the steward when the general will return? If he won’t be back anytime soon, then I’ll lift the veil first and eat something.”
The little girl obediently nodded and skipped away happily.
Once the child was far enough away, Ziling quickly stood up and quietly slipped out of the room. Based on all the transmigration dramas she’d watched, she guessed the treasury would probably be hidden somewhere secluded within the manor. She carefully searched around.
Finally, in a remote corner, she found the storeroom. Repeating the same trick as before, she swept all the gold, silver, and treasures into her storage space, then hurried back to her room and sat down again as if nothing had happened.
She had barely settled down when noisy shouting erupted from the front courtyard.