Chapter 36: Do not mistake her for a fool; she is merely feigning ignorance.

The man stood with his back to her, draped in a luxurious flowing moon-robe. His long, ink-black hair was neatly secured by a jade crown, and the twilight filtering through the window cast a soft halo around him, highlighting his statuesque figure and elegant posture. Watching this man, whose very silhouette exuded a majestic and refined grace, she narrowed her eyes and asked with a sharp edge to her voice, "Are you scheming against me?"

"How could Murong Xi ever dare to scheme against a princess of such incomparable nobility and supreme honor?" As he turned around, the hideous face that marred his features became his greatest flaw, instantly shattering the spell cast by his earlier appearance.

She shook her head, adding to her list of grievances against him: "You’re not just scheming against me; you’re mocking me, too."

Don't think she was foolish; she was merely playing the fool. Did he really take her for an easy target just because she was acting naive?

"Since Her Highness already understands the meaning of mockery, it seems she has been diligent in her studies after all. I am truly pleased for you, Princess."

If he was so pleased, why keep her locked in here? Was he planning to close the doors and beat the dog?

*Pah, pah, pah!* She was no dog. She reached for the soft sword at her waist, guarding herself as she said, "Since you’re so happy, and I’m happy too, why don't you open the door? We can go out and play while we talk."

"It is not impossible for Her Highness to leave." He produced a golden abacus from nowhere and gave it a flick. "Once the Princess and I have settled our accounts properly, we can go out and play to your heart's content."

Yun Qinge’s eyes lit up as she stared at the golden abacus; even the beads were made of pure gold—what a spendthrift!

She began to play dumb. "Accounts? What accounts?"

The man pointed to a bottle she had been using as a vase. "The emerald glazed bottle: two hundred taels."

"What? Such a tiny little green glass bottle is that expensive?"

The man then pointed to an object on the writing desk. "This blue jade beast inkstone: five hundred taels."

She exclaimed, "Are you a highwayman? Five hundred taels for this little tiger inkstone!"

The man pointed once more to a corner of the room. "That 'Thousand Birds' painting by Master Zhang: eight hundred taels." Yun Qinge stroked her chin, murmuring, "The painting is quite nice, but I’d have to think twice even if it were a hundred taels!"

By the time Murong Xi had tallied up most of the items in her room, she realized she had taken so many of his dowry pieces. She waved her hand dismissively. "Fine, fine, keep them. Take them back yourself."

If she couldn't afford to use them, she could at least return them!

To her surprise, he shook a long, fair index finger at her. "Not so, not so. I’ve always told you to read more and broaden your horizons. Don't you know that silver depreciates while antiques appreciate? These items have been sitting in your room for so long that their value has naturally doubled."

A suspicious flush crept onto the woman’s face—not from shyness, but from pure rage!

"Murong Xi, this is extortion! I could sue you in court for this!"

"Court? What kind of courtyard is that?"

She truly had a generation gap with these ancient people. She glared at him, puffed out her chest, and said with righteous indignation, "Fine, since you don't understand, I’ll explain. I am a princess, your wife. Since you married me, all your finances are mine. This is called 'shared marital property.' Do you understand?"

As if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world, Murong Xi looked at her with burning, intense eyes. "Heh. Thinking you can use your status as a princess to pressure me? It seems you have forgotten exactly why I married you in the first place."