The imperial decree arrived at the Shen residence the next morning, carried by a eunuch and followed by a line of palace attendants. Beneath the bright autumn sky, his voice rang sharp and solemn as Shen Huaili led the entire household to kneel in the front courtyard. Madam Xu knelt beside him with lowered eyes, while Shen Yulan knelt behind her mother, her fingers trembling inside her sleeves.

Shen Yuheng knelt in the center. His moon-white robes pooled neatly around him, his back remained straight, his hands folded before him, and his face looked calm beneath the sunlight. When the wind lifted a strand of black hair beside his cheek, his already pale complexion seemed even colder and more luminous.

The eunuch unfolded the decree. By imperial grace, Shen Yuheng of the Shen House of Rites, legitimate ger child, gentle in conduct, pure in character, elegant in bearing, and proper in rites, was bestowed in marriage to the seventh imperial prince, Xiao Jingyuan, as principal spouse. The wedding date was set for ten days later.

The words fell into the courtyard like golden nails, fixing fate into place. For several breaths, no one moved, until Shen Huaili was the first to press his forehead to the ground.

“This subject thanks His Majesty for his grace.”

The rest of the household followed. Shen Yuheng lowered his head according to etiquette and said, “Shen Yuheng thanks His Majesty for his grace.”

His voice was steady, neither ecstatic nor frightened. The eunuch’s gaze paused on him for a moment because, before coming, he had already heard the palace gossip. They said the seventh prince had seen this Shen family ger at the banquet and lost his composure on the spot. Some laughed that the young battle prince had returned from the northern border only to be captured by a face, while others said His Majesty indulged the seventh prince too much.

Yet, looking at Shen Yuheng now, the eunuch suddenly felt those words were too shallow. This young ger was indeed beautiful, beautiful enough that the morning light seemed vulgar for falling on him too directly. However, what truly made people look twice was not only that face, but the calmness. He knelt in the center of a household that should have been wild with joy and jealousy, yet his expression carried neither foolish pride nor false modesty, as though he had already calculated the weight of the decree before it arrived.

After the decree was received, Shen Huaili personally escorted the eunuch inside for tea. Madam Xu arranged the reward purses with flawless courtesy, while Shen Yulan stood in the shadow of the corridor, her eyes red and her lips pressed bloodless.

By noon, the Shen residence had become lively. A bestowed marriage to a prince was enough to turn even a declining household into a temporary center of attention. Relatives who rarely visited sent gifts, old acquaintances wrote congratulations, and neighbors who had once looked down on the side courtyard began speaking warmly of Shen Yuheng’s fortune, as though they had always known he would have such a fate.

The front courtyard was full of movement, while the side courtyard became even quieter. Qingmo rushed back and forth with flushed cheeks, half excited and half frightened.

“Young Master, the Ministry of Rites has sent people to confirm ceremonial details. The palace also sent a list. His Highness’s residence sent someone to ask whether you have any food restrictions, and the steward said Master wants you to look over the dowry list this afternoon.”

At the word dowry, Shen Yuheng raised his eyes. “Now?”

“Yes.” Qingmo’s expression became complicated. “The steward said there is little time before the wedding, so everything must be arranged quickly.”

Shen Yuheng closed the book in his hand. Ten days was short, which was precisely why certain people would find it convenient to be careless. A ger married as a prince’s principal spouse could not enter the residence empty-handed. The dowry was not merely personal property; it was dignity, household face, future security, and the visible measure of how much his paternal family valued him.

If the Shen household gave too little, outsiders would laugh at Shen Yuheng. If they gave old or unsuitable items, the seventh prince’s residence would see the Shen family’s contempt. If they used the wedding rush to secretly transfer away what Shen Lanyin had left him, they could still pretend everything had simply been done in haste.

Shen Yuheng stood. “Bring the account booklet.”

Qingmo immediately understood. “Yes.”

The dowry list was presented in the main hall. Shen Huaili sat in the seat of honor, his face full of solemn importance. Madam Xu sat beside him, gentle and dignified, while the steward stood holding a thick booklet in both hands. Shen Yulan had also come, though she sat quietly behind Madam Xu. Her eyes were still red, but her makeup was delicate enough to make the redness seem like sorrow rather than jealousy.

When Shen Yuheng entered, Shen Huaili looked at him and softened his voice. “Yuheng, sit. Your marriage has come suddenly, and the family is doing its best to prepare. Although our Shen house is not as powerful as before, we will not let you lose face.”

Shen Yuheng sat according to etiquette. “Many thanks, Father.”

Madam Xu smiled. “Your father has worried about your dowry since yesterday. I searched the storerooms personally. Some things left by Lord Lanyin have also been included. After all, you are his only child, so it is proper that you bring them with you.”

Her words were moving enough that Shen Huaili nodded, clearly satisfied with her thoughtfulness. Qingmo, standing behind Shen Yuheng, lowered his head to hide the anger in his eyes. Lord Lanyin’s things had always belonged to the young master, so why did Madam Xu speak as though she was generously giving them now?

The steward opened the booklet and began reading: bolts of silk, jewelry, porcelain, carved screens, sandalwood chests, two shops in the western market, one small estate outside Tianjing, a set of white jade ornaments left by Shen Lanyin, a pair of pearl hair crowns, and twenty thousand taels of silver.

At first glance, it sounded respectable. Shen Huaili’s expression grew more relaxed as he listened because, for a household with declining practical power, this dowry would not be considered grand among prince marriages, but it was not shabby either. It showed sincerity without bleeding the family dry. Madam Xu’s smile deepened, while Shen Yulan’s eyes flickered.

Shen Yuheng lowered his gaze to the copied booklet handed to him, and the system spoke at once.

【Document scan initiated.】

【Cross-referencing available household records, private courtyard account notes, original owner memory, and inheritance markers.】

【Discrepancies detected.】

Shen Yuheng’s lips curved faintly. As expected.

The steward finished reading and closed the booklet. “Second Young Master, this is the preliminary dowry list. If there is no issue, this servant will send it to the Ministry of Rites for registration.”

Second Young Master. In the Shen household, they still used this address because Shen Yuheng had an elder cousin in the main branch. After the imperial decree, however, the words sounded faintly amusing.

Shen Yuheng did not immediately answer. Instead, he turned one page of the booklet, and the hall quieted.

Shen Huaili asked, “Yuheng, is there something wrong?”

Shen Yuheng looked up. His expression was calm, and even his voice remained gentle. “There are a few small errors.”

Madam Xu’s eyes moved slightly.

The steward quickly said, “The list was prepared in haste. If there are small omissions, this servant will correct them at once.”

“Mm.” Shen Yuheng nodded. “Then correct them.”

He lowered his eyes and read lightly, “The two shops in the western market are listed as one spice shop and one silk shop. However, if I remember correctly, the silk shop’s deed was transferred three years ago to Madam’s younger brother. At present, it belongs to the Xu family. If it is placed in my dowry, will the Xu family return the deed today?”

The hall froze. Madam Xu’s smile stiffened, while Shen Huaili turned sharply to the steward.

“What is this?”

The steward’s face went white. “This… this servant…”

Shen Yuheng continued without raising his voice. “The small estate outside Tianjing is also incorrect. The eastern fields were flooded two years ago and have not recovered. Last winter, Father mentioned selling it because the tenants had already left. If this estate enters the dowry at full value, the Ministry of Rites may ask why the reported income does not match the registered land.”

Shen Huaili’s face changed at the mention of the Ministry of Rites. He himself had no high post now, but the Shen family still relied on its old ceremonial reputation. If a dowry list sent for an imperial marriage contained inflated property and the Ministry of Rites noticed, it would not merely embarrass Shen Yuheng. It would embarrass the Shen House.

Shen Yuheng turned another page. “The white jade ornaments left by my legitimate parent are not a complete set. The pair of cloud-patterned jade pendants has been missing since last year. I saw Younger Sister wearing one during the Spring Lantern Festival.”

Shen Yulan’s face turned red, then white. “I only borrowed it!”

Shen Yuheng looked at her calmly. “I did not ask whether Younger Sister borrowed it. I only said the set is incomplete. If it is written as complete and later checked by the seventh prince’s residence, what should I say? That I lost my legitimate parent’s relics before marriage, or that the Shen family recorded false items?”

Shen Yulan’s lips trembled.

Madam Xu said softly, “Yulan was young and insensible. If you wanted it back, you should have told me.”

Shen Yuheng’s gaze moved to her. “Madam manages the household. I thought Madam knew where the household’s items went.”

The sentence was light, but it struck hard. Shen Huaili’s expression darkened, while Madam Xu’s hand tightened under her sleeve.

Shen Yuheng did not stop. “The pearl hair crowns are described as southern sea pearls, but they are river pearls. The sandalwood chests include two worm-eaten pieces from the old storeroom. The twenty thousand taels of silver includes eight thousand in unpaid promissory notes from distant relatives. If the seventh prince’s residence sends someone to verify them, the Shen family will lose face.”

The hall became deathly quiet. Qingmo stood behind him, eyes bright with suppressed satisfaction.

Madam Xu had wanted to use the rush of the wedding to make the dowry look grand on paper while hollowing it out in reality. Shen Yulan had wanted to keep the best things and let Shen Yuheng carry incomplete sets. The steward had likely received instructions and thought the young master, sick and soon to marry out, would not dare cause trouble.

Yet every hole had been named clearly and precisely, without a single accusation that could be called disrespectful. Shen Huaili’s face burned. He cared about reputation more than affection; Madam Xu knew this, and Shen Yuheng knew it better.

“Steward Liu!” Shen Huaili snapped.

The steward fell to his knees. “Master, this servant was careless!”

Shen Yuheng lowered his eyes. Careless was a useful word, since it allowed everyone to step down without admitting malice.

Shen Huaili looked at Madam Xu. Madam Xu’s eyes were already red.

“This was my failure,” she said softly. “There were too many items to arrange in too little time. I trusted the storeroom records and did not check each piece personally. Master, punish me.”

Shen Yulan hurriedly said, “Mother has been working for Brother’s marriage since dawn! It is only a few mistaken items. Brother, why must you say it before Father like this?”

Shen Yuheng looked at her. “Younger Sister, in three days, this list will be registered by the Ministry of Rites. In ten days, it will be received by the seventh prince’s residence. If I do not say it now, should I wait until His Majesty hears of it?”

Shen Yulan choked.

Shen Huaili slammed his palm on the table. “Enough!”

The room fell silent again. He took a breath, then forced himself to speak evenly.

“Correct the list. All missing items from Lanyin’s dowry are to be returned to Yuheng. The western silk shop will be replaced with the tea shop on Ming’an Street. The estate outside Tianjing will be removed and replaced with the south river farmland. As for silver, prepare real silver. No promissory notes.”

Madam Xu’s face paled. The Ming’an Street tea shop had steady income, the south river farmland was fertile, and real silver meant cutting into the household’s available cash. This was no longer a decorative dowry. This was blood.

Shen Huaili looked at Shen Yuheng, his expression complicated. “Are you satisfied now?”

Shen Yuheng stood and bowed. “Father is thoughtful. This son is grateful.”

His words gave Shen Huaili face, while his actions took back substance.

By evening, the revised dowry list had spread quietly among servants and relatives. No one dared say openly that Madam Xu had manipulated the dowry, but everyone understood something had happened in the main hall. Items that had sat for years in Shen Yulan’s dressing room were returned to Shen Yuheng’s courtyard. Two senior storeroom servants were beaten and replaced, while Steward Liu lost half a year’s wages.

Shen Yulan cried until her eyes swelled, and Madam Xu smashed a teacup only after closing the inner room doors. In the side courtyard, Qingmo counted the returned jade pendants three times and laughed until he nearly cried.

“Young Master, you should have seen Third Miss’s face. She looked as if someone had cut flesh from her heart.”

Shen Yuheng sat by the window, examining the revised list. “It was not her flesh.”

Qingmo blinked.

“It was mine.”

Qingmo’s smile faded.

Shen Yuheng’s tone was calm, without self-pity. “These items belonged to my legitimate parent. They were mine from the beginning. Taking them back is not greed.”

Qingmo lowered his head. “This servant understands.”

Shen Yuheng placed the list aside. In the interstellar era, wartime resources were recorded down to the last vial of medicine and energy cell. A commander who could not count supplies had no right to speak of saving lives. In the Shen household, the scale was smaller, but the principle was the same. Property was not only wealth; it was survival made visible.

At that moment, the system sounded.

【External delivery approaching. Marked with seventh prince residence insignia.】

Qingmo soon returned at a run. “Young Master! His Highness sent betrothal gifts!”