I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

Lin Wei Xi’s declination was to no avail, and she returned to her room with a thick pile of gift lists.

The gift lists were divided into two portions: one of them was for the betrothal gifts sent by Prince Yan, and the other was for the dowry prepared by Princess Royal Shou Kang. Maybe it was more accurate to say that there were three portions. The last one was for the rewards that the imperial court conferred to Lin Yong. Lin Yong had passed away and his assets were inherited by his only daughter, Lin Wei Xi. All of it originally belonged to her and neither Prince Yan nor Princess Royal Shou Kang intended to let her use them as part of her dowry.

Piled together, the three gift booklets were considerably thick. Lin Wei Xi casually picked one of them and flipped through it.

The one she’d pulled out was for the dowry prepared by Princess Royal Shou Kang. Shou Kang had listed everything in detail. The furniture, to the daily necessities, brocade for all four seasons and the gold and silver utensils had been recorded. All of the information regarding colour, material and even the designs was written clearly; even the weight of the gold utensils had been annotated at the side. Obviously, Shou Kang was afraid of Lin Wei Xi being cheated of her dowry in the future, that’s why she would rather write it all down so it could be easily understood.

Lin Wei Xi read each line slowly and carefully. She saw many familiar items on the list, including her mother’s dowry, and the dowry from her previous life.

That’s right, Princess Royal Shou Kang had initially rushed to prepare the dowry from the start, but she ended up demanding it back from the Duke Ying Residence. The Princess Residence had fiercely restored their face, but apart from feeling sad and nostalgic, it didn’t have any practical use. These furniture and daily necessities had originally been made for her daughter’s and granddaughter’s dowry, but the two had passed away one after the other. The things that had once been filled with jubilation were piled into the storeroom, causing everyone’s hearts to ache. Princess Royal Shou Kang was growing old and didn’t have any descendants. Even if she kept it, who would she give it to? It’d be nothing more than a tiny clan residence in a hundred years.

But destiny had its way, and Lin Wei Xi appeared soon after. The moment Shou Kang saw her, she immediately felt that this was it. She couldn’t be wrong. Shou Kang had found a spiritual pillar all of a sudden, and quickly took Lin Wei Xi in as her own granddaughter, loving her dearly.

Now that Lin Wei Xi was about to get married as Prince Yan’s Consort, conveniently becoming Gao Ran’s mother-in-law in the process, Princess Royal Shou Kang woke up laughing from her dreams many times. That being the case, there wasn’t anything left to say. Shou Kang was happy that she could let Lin Wei Xi have a grand wedding with a dowry that’d make everyone in the capital feel inferior for the next ten years.

Princess Royal Shou Kang was worried that Lin Wei Xi would find it unlucky, since the dowry contained items from the people who came before her. One of Shou Kang’s female officers specifically informed Lin Wei Xi that all of Wei Shi’s and Gao Xi’s gold and silver ware had been cast into new ones. The boxes for the daily necessities were all made with high-class wood that could be used for many years without wear and tear, but would have to be repainted with red paint. She could replace the remaining porcelain, incense burners, vases, and so on if she didn’t like them.

Of course, Lin Wei Xi felt that it didn’t matter. A dowry wasn’t a coffin and was passed down from generation to generation, so there was no reason to feel it was unlucky. Besides, something she hadn’t voiced was that she wished to see her mother’s mementos again.

When Princess Royal Shou Kang saw that Lin Wei Xi didn’t complain, she felt relieved. Lin Wei Xi now sat in the boudoir as a light fragrance drifted through the air. She put down the dowry list Shou Kang had prepared and picked up another one.

This had originally been Lin Yong’s reward. Lin Wei Xi had already read it countless times and memorized it. Actually, not many of Lin Yong’s assets could be exchanged for cash, and the imperial court had only given a few silver ingots as part of the procedure, with the stamp of the Department of Supervision branded on them. There was no way to spend them, and Lin Wei Xi also didn’t dare to smelt the rest of the ritualistic artifacts that represented the Marquis. As for the imperial decree and Honorary Deed Medallion, they had no use aside from putting them on display.

In the end, the truly important items from the Marquis Zhongyong Residence’s inheritance were the land deeds. Even if the imperial court conferred power, the land and estates were the foundation of a family. Of course, Lin Wei Xi didn’t have a family. She didn’t know how he did it, but Prince Yan had exchanged some of her land for ones next to the capital, and the rest were exchanged for fertile land with rich soil. Less than half of her remaining land was situated in her hometown, Shunde District.

Lin Wei Xi silently admired Prince Yan for doing this. One could attack while advancing and defend while retreating. The fertile land around the capital could be used to make money during peacetime, and if anything happened, she could still return to Shunde, her ancestral home. Neither advance nor retreating could go wrong.

When Lin Wei Xi thought of Prince Yan, she immediately recalled the stupid things she’d done a few days ago. She put down the list, her cheeks flushed.

She only realized in hindsight that the betrothal gifts had been delivered and her marriage to Prince Yan was already set in stone. In a few months, would she become the legendary wife of the man whose exploits she’d listened to growing up?

Lin Wei Xi was stumped for words and felt like she was stepping on clouds, out of touch with reality. She was going to be a wife again, but this time it was vastly different. What should she do if she was still unqualified? What’s worse was that the one who originally ran into Prince Yan’s study and spontaneously brought it up was her.

Water had probably leaked into her head at the time, her fever cooking her brain. What exactly had she done?

Lin Wei Xi looked through the dowry list in her room, while Princess Royal Shou Kang also talked about it.

“Miss Lin is very attentive and went into a daze after looking at it for a while.”

Princess Royal Shou Kang laughed when she heard this, “maybe she’s in a daze because she’s thinking about her father’s land deeds. Actually, Xi’er won’t have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of her life, just by relying on what Marquis Zhongyong left behind. All I did was give her some utensils to use on a daily basis.”

The female officer smiled and agreed but thought of the darkness and conflict in life. Of course, there’d be no problem if Marquis Zhongyong were still alive. It’d also be a bit better if Lin Wei Xi had an uncle or brother, but she was all that remained of the Lin family. Had it not been for Prince Yan, who took her in, she might not have the land deeds with her.  Even if she had it, it might not be a good thing.

But as the female officer recalled Lin Wei Xi’s face, she felt relieved. Lin Wei Xi had grown to be so beautiful. Even if she wasn’t wealthy, living among the common folk was actually quite dangerous. All beautiful women who were unable to protect themselves would end in disaster. But now with Prince Yan to protect her, and her becoming the future Princess Consort, it showed that Lin Wei Xi’s beauty, experiences, and inheritance were mandated by heaven and she deserved this fortune.

Princess Royal Shou Kang was still excitedly choosing a date. When the female officer saw how lively Shou Kang was, she felt gratified and smiled, “the princess is in such a good mood. I’ve never been as concerned as back then, when I was afraid that the Princess would fade away by herself.”

As soon as the words left her mouth the female officer knew that she’d said something wrong. Sure enough, Princess Shou Kang’s expression sank, and she asked, “Is my husband still living in the Wei Residence?”

“Princess… “

“It’s nothing.” Princess Shou Kang smiled bitterly, “it’s not like I’m a new bride. Who’d care about him after so many years? I’m just afraid that he saw what I prepared for Xi’er and became jealous, only returning to the Wei Residence to show off his leisurely retirement playing with the grandchildren.”

Seeing as Princess Shou Kang didn’t look sorrowful or emotional, the female officer felt relieved and said, “your husband and the Wei brothers are close after all. I heard that two days ago, the Wei family had another child. It’s natural for your husband to go back to tease his grandnephew. They also had quite a number of young ladies in their family who were of marriageable age these past two years. Previously, Madam Wei specially brought a few of them to pay their respects to the Princess. I’m afraid they thought of that idea then.”

“My goodness.” Shou Kang thought it funny, and she actually laughed, “he resented me for ruining his career as an official and didn’t return to the Princess Residence for many years. We’re husband and wife but we feel more like strangers. It’s my fault that he can’t participate in politics because he married me. I can understand it if he harbours a grudge. But since he doesn’t want to recognize me as his wife, then stop eyeing the Princess Residence’s assets. He goes home to complain while eyeing my territory at the same time. It’s ridiculous that he wants to leave all my private property to the Wei family after I die. Where did they find the guts?”

The female officer couldn’t say a word regarding Shou Kang’s household matters and merely said, “Princess, don’t be angry. You have Miss Xi now.”

Shou Kang’s anger turned into joy when she heard Lin Wei Xi’s name, “that’s right, I still have Xi’er. It’s up to me to give my things to the people I love. Even the Ministry of Domestic Affairs has no control over it. The more the Wei family acts like this, the more I want to give all my private property to Xi’er.”

The wedding preparations passed day by day, and the Princess Shou Kang Residence beat it’s gongs and drums grandiosely. The news of Prince Yan marrying a Consort exploded in the capital but quickly died down. Everyone peacefully watched as the Prince Yan Residence and the Princess Shou Kang Residence, decorated with lanterns and colourful banners, prepared to welcome the new bride.

Talk about Lin Wei Xi, this new Prince Yan Consort, continued non-stop, but Lin Wei Xi herself was completely ignorant about how lively it was outside. She remained in the Princess Residence courtyard from her previous life, never once leaving the house so she could get married with a peace of mind. One day, she heard the sound of activity which seemed to come from the Wei family Lady and Misses. Lin Wei Xi knew the kind of conduct the Wei family had and she’d planned to go meet the Wei family so they wouldn’t make things difficult for her grandmother. Before she could do anything, she was stopped by the servants of the Princess Residence. One of Shou Kang’s female officials said with a smile that Lin Wei Xi was the Prince Yan Consort and there was no need to disturb her because of these people. She only needed to focus on preparing her dowry.

Since Princess Royal Shou Kang didn’t need her help, Lin Wei Xi accepted her grandmother’s good intentions. She took it seriously and returned to her room to rest. The Wei family was very hostile to Lin Wei Xi, who had snatched their property, but they couldn’t even get a glimpse of her. As for the sour words^◇ that they’d prepared in advance, they naturally had no choice but to grit their teeth and swallow them.

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Lin Wei Xi’s world was serene, but when Gao Ran learned about Princess Royal Shou Kang’s astonishing battle that almost turned the entire Princess Residence upside down, she couldn’t sit still. She picked a day that wasn’t too hot, ordered servants to set up a carriage, and returned to the Duke Ying Residence wearing adornments indicating her status as Shizi Fei.

The Duke Ying Lady lay on her side on the fragrant rosewood arhat bed, leaning against a large red pillow placed behind her. A young maid held a beauty hammer as she gently massaged her legs and feet. Gao Ran moved a stool to sit in front of the arhat bed to talk to the Duke Ying Lady, frowning uneasily.

“Did you inform your elders when you left today?”

A married woman needed the approval of her husband’s family even if it was just to visit her maiden family. There was nothing wrong with the Duke Ying Lady’s words. She was only worried that Gao Ran was visiting her maiden family too frequently and would be scolded by her husband’s family.

Gao Ran said, “Don’t worry, Grandmother. Father is busy all day and doesn’t really care about what happens in the back courtyard. Shizi also greatly cherishes me. If I want to go out, all I need to do is prepare my own carriage. No one will gossip.”

It was only then that the Duke Ying Lady remembered that Gao Ran had no mother-in-law or grandmother-in-law, and she had more freedom than the normal wife. The Duke Ying Lady sighed, “you became the mistress of the house as soon as you married and don’t have to tolerate your mother-in-law’s temper. Based on this alone, I don’t know how many women in the world envy you.”

Gao Ran was initially very pleased with the early death of Gu Cheng Yao’s mother. Wasn’t there a saying she’d heard before she transmigrated? He has a car and a house, and lost both his parents have passed away ^◇. Although only Gu Cheng Yao’s mother was dead, Prince Yan wasn’t home most of the time. There wasn’t much difference between her situation and this saying. It’s just a pity that Gao Ran’s unrestrained married life was about to be cut short.

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The Duke Ying Lady had obviously also thought of the Prince Yan Consort, who was about to enter the household. Everything had been going without a hitch, but a mother-in-law abruptly appeared out of thin air, so of course Gao Ran and the Duke Ying Lady weren’t happy. But who would dare talk about Prince Yan’s private affairs?

The Duke Ying Lady could only console her, “it’s okay, your new mother-in-law isn’t that much older than you. She used to be raised at her aunt’s house in the countryside. She’s probably an ignorant idiot. Give in to her first. Once everyone sees the good and bad between the two of you, the days ahead of you will be better.”

The Duke Ying Lady happened to hold the same view as Gao Ran, who also thought the same way. She’d first give in to and indulge Lin Wei Xi, and once Prince Yan and everyone else saw Lin Wei Xi’s true colours, she’d swoop in to save them from the crisis and clean up the aftermath. Wasn’t that just nice? Or maybe she’d be able to push a few times when the time came.

Seeing the expression in Gao Ran’s eyes, the Duke Ying Lady knew that she’d understood. Since that was so, the Duke Ying Lady no longer talked about it. Out of her many granddaughters, Gao Xi seemed unreasonable and distant, but was actually very benevolent. Only her third granddaughter had a soft smile and gentle voice, but did things regardless of how hard it was. Facts had proven that with a personality like that, Gao Ran would go on to achieve great things. Not only had she married up, but she’d also won over her husband’s family. Perhaps she could help her maiden family in the future.

The Duke Ying Lady felt very satisfied, and even secretly felt that it wasn’t a big deal to silently hand wave sinister things. The most important thing was that she could put it to good use. She correctly predicted that although Gao Ran was malicious to other people, the Duke Ying Residence was her maiden family and definitely not on this list of “other people”.

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