"Sister, please don't make things difficult for me. It's not that I don't want to return it to you, but the place where the dowry is stored is guarded. We can't get in, and even if we did, we wouldn't be able to take the things out because it's locked. Without the key, it's absolutely impossible to open, and the key must be in Father's hands. Father and my brother are on the battlefield..." Luo Ningshuang spoke more and more smoothly and naturally, and no one could doubt that she was unwilling to hand over the things.
Luo Zhiheng narrowed her eyes, carefully recalling her memories, but there wasn't a single thing she remembered about the dowry. Just as she was struggling with this, the wet nurse's voice, like heavenly music, rang out: "The key is no longer in the general's hands, but on the eldest young lady!"
"Wet Nurse!" Luo Zhiheng looked at the wet nurse who was walking quickly towards her with surprise.
"That's impossible! How could something so important be on my sister?" Luo Ningshuang was almost out of control, vehemently objecting. If the key had been on Luo Zhiheng all these years, she couldn't possibly not know. And Luo Ge would never have left that thing on Luo Zhiheng. She'd been by Luo Zhiheng's side for so many years and had never seen her possess anything unusual.
She had seen Luo Zhiheng's dowry in her past life, and that's when she started to hate it. But there was nothing she could do in her past life; in this life, she absolutely couldn't let the dowry belong to Luo Zhiheng again! Those things, those treasures—even if she hadn't seen what was inside with her own eyes, the things inside were already priceless. If she got them, what would she have to worry about in this life?
The wet nurse looked at Luo Ningshuang with disdain and said, "It's precisely because it's important that it should be given to important people. It's only natural for the young lady to come and take back her dowry now, and you have no right to stop her."
"No matter what, I am the second daughter of this family, the legitimate child. Zhang Mama, you should still be a little more polite to me." Luo Ningshuang couldn't bear it any longer and used her status to intimidate people.
"You're so kind, you shouldn't care about these things, right? Or have you been blinded by greed, like me, only thinking about profit and no longer able to have a kind heart?" Luo Zhiheng said sarcastically.
Luo Ningshuang was speechless. As long as she wanted to maintain a kind, clean, and unassuming image, she could not continue to fight against the nude photos. The situation she had created today had ultimately backed her into a corner, making Luo Zhiheng even more determined.
Luo Zhiheng led her wet nurse into the general's mansion, but at the second gate she saw someone she never expected.
Li Xian'er, she's actually at the Luo family!
Luo Zhiheng instinctively felt something was wrong. Luo Ningshuang and Li Xian'er were a hypocritical and disgusting person, and a brainless and arrogant person. Both of them hated Luo Zhiheng to the bone. If the two of them got entangled together, nothing good would come of it.
Luo Zhiheng raised an eyebrow, ignored Li Xian'er, and walked straight past.
Li Xian'er's gaze remained fixed on Luo Zhiheng's back, her eyes filled with a malevolent light of envy, jealousy, and hatred. Seeing Luo Ningshuang quickly enter, she said with displeasure, "How could you be so useless? You couldn't even stop her?"
Luo Ningshuang was already in a bad mood, and Li Xian'er's attitude made her even more disgusted, but she still said weakly, "This is her home after all, I can't stop her. Sister Xian'er, you stay here by yourself for a while, I'm going to keep my sister company."
"Idiot! Going there will only make her bully you. I'll go with you." Li Xian'er said and followed Luo Zhiheng. Her attitude was a bit strange; even a daughter of such high status shouldn't lack such basic tact.
Luo Ningshuang opened her mouth, not wanting Li Xian'er to go, and even less wanting anyone to see the dowry, but she kept quiet. Li Xian'er had just said that her brother would come back to pick her up later, so she could drag Li Xian'er into it and make her clash with Luo Zhiheng. That way, when Li Xian'er's brother arrived, he might be able to stop Luo Zhiheng.
The group arrived at the central courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. This was Loge's courtyard, where Loge and Luo Zhiheng's mother lived. The dowry was actually in this courtyard, not in the rooms, but underground in the center of the courtyard!
As soon as Luo Zhiheng entered the courtyard, a warrior appeared and stopped them: "Young Miss? The general is not here. Please leave quickly, Young Miss."
Luo Zhiheng was surprised, but the wet nurse calmly said, "We are here to take away the dowry that belongs to the eldest young lady. You can move aside."
"No, without the general's orders, Mo and the others cannot allow anyone into the courtyard. Please leave immediately." The warrior showed no leniency.
The woman took out a token from her bosom, on which the character "Luo" was clearly written.
“The general’s token is here. I am here on the general’s orders to bring the young lady here to collect her dowry when she needs it. Please make way, the general will not blame you.” The man spoke calmly.
The group of warriors quickly stepped back and made way for them.
Luo Zhiheng was shocked, seeing her wet nurse so serious and unyielding for the first time. They had only taken a few steps when a warrior's shout came from behind: "Get out! No outsiders are allowed in the general's courtyard. Second Miss must also leave, and you are not allowed to enter the courtyard either."
Li Xian'er was furious that she was being blocked, but it was strange that Luo Ning Shuang was also blocked.
When Luo Ningshuang heard those words again, her heart ached terribly. It was because she had secretly sneaked into this courtyard as a child and witnessed her father emerging from the underground chamber that he forbade her from ever entering again! She had secretly come once more, hoping to see if she could get in, but was caught red-handed by the warriors, and had never returned. She never expected that hearing those words again so many years later would still cause her such pain.
"I am a member of the Luo family, why can't I go in?" Luo Ningshuang said aggrievedly.
"That's right! If someone like Luo Zhiheng can go in, why can't Luo Ningshuang? I am the eldest daughter of the Li family. As a member of the Li family, I order you to get out of the way immediately and let us in, or I will have my father kill you!" Li Xian'er said angrily, even bringing up the Li family.
Luo Zhiheng stopped and sneered, "The Li family? What a powerful force! The Li family isn't royalty, so what gives them the right to command the world? Li Xian'er, you're asking for it again, aren't you? What? You want another charge of disrespecting imperial authority and aspiring to be king?"
"Luo Zhiheng, don't talk nonsense! I'm not afraid of you, and neither is our Li family! Don't think that just because you married Mu Yunhe you can rest easy, and don't think that just because Mu Yunhe is on your side now you're invincible! Let me tell you, it's not even certain who Mu Yunhe really belongs to!" Li Xian'er roared angrily, and finally shouted this sentence with hatred and jealousy!
Luo Zhiheng felt a chill run down her spine and was utterly shocked! She stared at Li Xian in disbelief, dumbfounded.
Luo Ningshuang was stunned for a moment, then she suddenly realized what was going on. At the same time, her eyes were filled with deep gloom and anger!
The two sisters were surprisingly in sync at that moment: Could it be that Li Xian'er had taken a liking to Mu Yunhe?
Luo Zhiheng's gaze turned cold instantly. Although she couldn't quite call it a sense of crisis, the heavy and oppressive feeling in her chest was definitely not comfortable! It was as if something that originally belonged only to her had suddenly been discovered by someone else, who began to covet it, and she felt annoyed and disgusted at the possibility of it being snatched away.
The feeling was so strong that Luo Zhiheng wished she could immediately kill the person in front of her who harbored wicked intentions!
Luo Zhiheng said through gritted teeth, "What? Mu Yunhe isn't mine, so whose is he? Li Xian'er, you need to make your words clear, or if I accidentally kill someone because of your words, you won't be able to rest in peace!"
First update! More to come, my dears! What have you been up to these past two days? Please leave comments, votes, and monthly tickets! Group hug!
A dowry of 158 gold coins! Enough to make her richer than a country!
Updated: 2013-07-07 15:21:31 Word Count: 3410
Luo Zhiheng's words stunned Li Xian'er. How could she say such a thing? Li Xian'er herself was startled!
All she knew was that she had secretly watched the finals that day, and Luo Zhiheng's stunning performance had indeed shocked her, and she was also unconvinced. But afterwards, her mind went completely blank. Because her eyes were only fixed on the peerless man who had walked past her!
He was so handsome! Just as people said, the most handsome man in the world was not Mu Yunjin, but the young prince Mu Yunhe who had been hiding in the palace all along!
And Mu Yunhe's performance that day was truly captivating. No woman could resist a man like that—somewhat domineering, somewhat arrogant, and ruthless, yet so fiercely protective of his wife, handsome and noble. One could say that, setting aside the legend of Mu Yunhe's impending death, he was practically perfect! There would never be another man in the world more captivating than Mu Yunhe!
And she, Li Xian'er, was instantly captivated the moment she saw Mu Yunhe! However, she was unaware that what she saw was love. Although she knew she was Mu Yunjin's chosen princess, she had never been particularly close to him, as he completely ignored her. She had always dreamed of becoming a princess, and since Mu Yunjin was the most handsome man in the world, she could expect to have both beauty and talent.
But after meeting Mu Yunhe, Li Xian'er realized how narrow-minded she had been. All day long, Mu Yunhe had been on her mind, and only after saying those things today did she suddenly realize that she had fallen for him. This thought left Li Xian'er somewhat bewildered, but mostly overjoyed.
"I always keep my word, Luo Zhiheng, don't be so arrogant. Who Mu Yunhe belongs to is truly an unknown," Li Xian'er said arrogantly. With her status as the fifth princess and her family background, marrying Mu Yunhe would be too easy for her. And with her noble birth, Luo Zhiheng would have to give up her position as princess consort. As for her aunt, Consort Li has always doted on her, she certainly wouldn't make things difficult for her by forcing her to marry Mu Yunjin.
While Li Xian'er was still letting her imagination run wild, Luo Zhiheng's gaze turned cold: "Do you mean you're going to declare war on me?"
"Hmph, you're not worthy of my declaration of war. Luo Zhiheng, you can be arrogant for a few days while you're still the little princess, otherwise it'll be hard for you to be arrogant in a few days. But I advise you not to touch this dowry. If you move it back from the palace in a few days, can you afford to lose face then?" Li Xian'er said scornfully, as if she had already won Mu Yunhe and driven away Luo Zhiheng.
This rival who suddenly appeared out of nowhere was truly ridiculous. Luo Zhiheng wanted to burst out laughing, but she didn't. Just thinking about Mu Yunhe being snatched away by another woman gave her an inexplicable urge to kill.
"Come and say that to me when you're qualified. Now, get out of my house right now, or I'll have someone throw you out of the General's Mansion!" Luo Zhiheng said coldly.
"How dare you!" Li Xian'er shouted angrily.
"You'll see if I dare!" Luo Zhiheng's voice rose even higher as she ordered the warrior beside her, "Throw this slut out, the harder she falls, the better."
The warriors listened to Luo Zhiheng, or perhaps they listened to Luo Ge. One of them immediately rushed out, grabbed Li Xian'er's arm with one hand and her legs with the other, and lifted her up above his head in an instant before rushing out.
Finally, things quieted down. Luo Zhiheng ignored Luo Ningshuang's unpleasant expression and went down into the underground chamber with the wet nurse. The deep underground door suddenly closed, and torches lit up on both sides of the dim underground passage, illuminating the entire dark underground area.
The wet nurse led the way, and Luo Zhiheng followed behind. She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Wet nurse, I don't have the key on me. Why do you say it's on me?"
The wet nurse said seriously, "Miss, you are the key to unlocking the treasure vault."
treasure house?!!
Luo Zhiheng almost laughed when she heard her wet nurse's words, but the words "treasure vault" made her eyes light up. Her previous gloom vanished, and she became energetic again: "There really is a treasure vault? My mother left me a treasure vault?! But how come I'm the key?"
Mother, you're so kind! You actually left a treasure trove for Luo Zhiheng. But I'm so sorry, Luo Zhiheng is not worthy of this treasure trove, so I'll take care of it for her. If you're watching over us from heaven, please don't be angry.
In the deep corridor, the wet nurse's voice, now somewhat hoarse, slowly echoed: "Because you are the eldest daughter, after you were born, the young lady held a ceremony for you to inherit the eldest daughter's status. All of the young lady's things can only be inherited by you alone. The most crucial part of the ceremony is the key, which is sealed in this underground chamber. Only you can take it out; even your father cannot."
"What is that key?" Luo Zhiheng was very curious. What kind of person was her mother? How could she have such strange traditions and rituals? But she couldn't ask too much right now because she already had too much trouble and didn't want to create another one.
"We've arrived." The wet nurse stopped. Before her stood a heavy stone door, its exterior covered with many metal objects. The door had no locks or mechanisms; it looked exquisitely crafted, like a work of art. 14.
Just as Luo Zhiheng was feeling even more confused, someone took a hairpin from her hair and said, "Miss, please extend your finger."
Although Luo Zhiheng was suspicious, she still trusted her wet nurse. She reached out her hand and felt a sharp pain. Her wet nurse had stuck the sharp end of the hairpin into her finger, and blood was flowing out. The wet nurse immediately inserted her finger into a groove on the front of the door.
Luo Zhiheng's expression changed. She felt as if something was sucking on her fingers. It didn't hurt, but she was very nervous. Then she heard a clanging noise from the machinery.
Luo Zhiheng instantly understood. No wonder the wet nurse said she was the key; it turned out her blood was the key to open this door!
Amazing! Such a quiet and advanced mechanical design existed in ancient times! Luo Zhiheng couldn't help but become even more curious about her mother, and this magical door completely shrouded her mother's identity in mystery. Of course, it also made Luo Zhiheng trust her wet nurse even more.
Because Luo Zhiheng herself was unaware of her secret, while her wet nurse knew all along and had cared for her since childhood, there were many ways the wet nurse could have used Luo Zhiheng's blood to open the door and take what was inside if she had any ulterior motives. However, the wet nurse consistently protected Luo Zhiheng, demonstrating her loyalty and also revealing the sharp eye Luo Zhiheng's mother had for judging people!
As the stone door slowly and heavily opened, light streamed out from the cracks. Luo Zhiheng squinted, her heart pounding wildly. What was that? A luminous pearl? Otherwise, how could it be so bright?
When the stone door was halfway open, Luo Zhiheng could already see a glimpse inside. Even this small glimpse was enough to shock this female bandit who had seen countless rare treasures. And when the stone door was finally fully open, even the usually composed Luo Zhiheng was utterly petrified. (Zhiheng's words were indeed...)
An unstoppable aura of dazzling jewels rushed out with overwhelming force! The blinding golden light instantly illuminated the entire dark corridor, enveloping Luo Zhiheng and her companion, even obscuring their figures!
Luo Zhiheng's eyes were almost completely blind. If her wet nurse hadn't called her, she might have remained petrified.
"Young Miss, close your eyes and follow me." The nanny pulled her forward, and when they reached this place, the nanny's voice became serious and cold.
"Alright, you can open your eyes now." The wet nurse's voice rang out again, tinged with sadness.
Luo Zhiheng slowly opened her eyes, and what she saw before her once again shocked her.
This was a vast stone tomb, empty and dry, estimated to be at least a kilometer long. Every step or so along the walls was inlaid a luminous pearl the size of a baby's fist. The golden light emanating from the ground filled the room. Starting from Luo Zhiheng's feet and moving inwards, there were rows upon rows of large, neatly arranged golden chests, seemingly endless. Each chest was only knee-high, a meter long, and about half a meter wide, and every single one was identical. Intricate and mysterious patterns were carved upon them, the golden light shimmering within.
Luo Zhiheng had no doubt that these boxes were made of pure gold!
Looking in Luo Zhiheng's direction, the long golden box looked like a golden road paved with gold, solemn and noble!
Her mother is a rich woman?! Could this be her dowry of gold chests? That's certainly unique and extravagant! These gold chests alone must be priceless; gold is so valuable.
Luo Zhiheng was utterly flustered, but her nanny's next words shocked her even more. 15882588
"A total of 1,887 loads of dowry, not a single item missing, are all here. Miss, this is everything that Miss left you, all the property Miss has left behind. From this moment on, you will truly become the owner of these treasures!"
Luo Zhiheng's muscles twitched slightly: "Are they all mine? So many boxes, why don't you share some with my brother?" She couldn't give them to her sister, but she could give them to her brother, right? She was a little afraid of being struck by lightning if she ate them all by herself.
The wet nurse shook her head firmly, dropping a bombshell: "No, no one but you is qualified to inherit anything in this box. The treasure cannot be divided. Miss must ensure that your future as the heir will be—incredibly wealthy!!"
Luo Zhiheng was utterly horrified! There was something else inside that golden box? Wealth beyond measure? What kind of heir status guarantees wealth beyond measure?! But another thought lingered in Luo Zhiheng's mind: she had instantly escaped poverty and rapidly become a rich woman?!
Second update! No extra chapter today, but I'll start adding extra chapters tomorrow. Holding back one extra chapter a day ensures extra chapters every day, haha! Please vote, leave comments, and give me monthly tickets! Love you all, big kisses!
159. Overcome strength with softness!
Updated: 2013-07-08 11:40:48 Word Count: 7693