The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 237 - 236: You Only Get One Chance
Duke Xie didn’t achieve his goal.
So he didn’t mention the matter of controlling the household again.
He planned to take Du Peifang away and discuss it when the timing was right.
After all, they were a young couple; he didn’t want to take things to the extreme.
First, he would be despised by everyone under the sky.
Second, if there was a flaw left, he couldn’t explain it to the Prince Mansion and Ah Zhen.
Therefore, going with the flow and adapting to the situation was the best choice.
Unexpectedly, Princess An He called them back.
Duke Xie was puzzled, "Is there something else?"
That well-maintained face no longer held a worried expression.
So calm as if the severely ill person wasn’t his legal wife.
Princess An He tugged at the corners of her mouth with force, revealing a sarcastic grin.
She was blind when she was young to think he was elegant and a gentle, considerate good man.
She took a breath and said slowly, "I can give her the power to manage the household."
When something unusual happens, there must be a reason.
Duke Xie could actively request it, but Princess An He shouldn’t offer it voluntarily.
As soon as she took the initiative, Duke Xie felt that she must have bad intentions.
He was on guard in his heart.
In a gentle voice, he said, "If you don’t want to, forget it. Don’t force yourself. Taking care of your health is the most important thing. Otherwise, when Ah Zhen returns to the capital and finds you aren’t here, he might think that we did something to you, which would lead to misunderstandings."
Princess An He swallowed the metallic taste rising in her throat.
Now, she didn’t even have the patience to listen to a faithless man’s words.
Her gaze shifted to Du Peifang, "What do you think, have you decided not to want the power to manage the household?"
Du Peifang’s heart was in turmoil.
She certainly wanted the power to manage the household.
With the power to deploy people, it would be easier for her to do things in the mansion.
Even if she couldn’t maintain prestige forever, she could use this opportunity to pave a way out for herself.
But she was afraid that Princess An He had ill intentions, waiting for her to step into a pit.
For a moment, Du Peifang didn’t know how to choose.
"There is only one chance."
Princess An He’s tone was eerie, "Originally, I planned to give it to my sister-in-law, but given that the Lord has asked, I must show some respect; otherwise, people will think I’m a shrew who doesn’t even listen to the Lord."
Duke Xie’s eyes were suspicious, "Really for my sake?"
Princess An He sneered, "Can’t you understand whether it’s good or bad?"
Duke Xie: "..."
Princess An He gritted her teeth, "After all, I’m not doing it for you; it’s for my son."
With those words, she glared at Du Peifang.
"A skinny camel is larger than a horse. Although Grand Tutor Du still has a place in the court, don’t think I’m afraid of the Du Family. I just don’t want anyone to trip up my son."
After speaking, Princess An He took a breath.
"If you want the power to manage the household, you must agree to one condition."
Upon hearing this, both Duke Xie and Du Peifang breathed a sigh of relief.
That seemed right.
There is potential for profit; only then might Princess An He bow her head.
Duke Xie’s eyes were filled with a smile; no matter the process, the result was Princess An He suffering.
In this case, it counted as his victory.
"Feel free to state your condition; as long as you can take care of your health, I will certainly agree."
Princess An He didn’t believe a word of Duke Xie’s statement.
The disloyal and unrighteous dog of a man, who could barely hide his fox tail, still had the nerve to act for her!
Since the unfaithful man didn’t hope for her well-being and turned a blind eye to her illness while seemingly anticipating something,
then she shouldn’t be blamed for being ruthless.
There are too many people in this mansion.
It’s a good time to clean things up so that when Ah Zhen and Ji Mingzhu return home, she would have somewhat atoned for her sins and had something to explain to them.
At least... at least she didn’t let the family business fall into the hands of others.
"Aunt Du is part of the Du Family, and now the Du Family’s interests are opposed to the Duke Mansion. In the future, if there’s a conflict, how will you choose?"
Duke Xie was suddenly alerted.
He had only been thinking about suppressing An He, nearly forgetting about this matter.
If Du Peifang was wholeheartedly siding with her family, would she join forces with the Du Family members and act internally and externally to harm the interests of the Duke Mansion?
Given that she had the power to manage the household, she would no longer be an ordinary housewife.
Internally, she would have to manage household affairs, and externally, she would have to interact socially with the ladies of various families.
Not to mention, during festive seasons, the exchange of gifts would fall to her preparations.
If there were any mistakes or blunders, who knows what the situation would be.
Duke Xie felt a bit conflicted, wanting to retract his words to avoid unnecessary trouble.
But changing his order frequently would harm his authority...
In the end, he could only direct his concerns toward Du Peifang, "A married woman should follow her husband. Now that you’re part of the Xie Family, I believe you know what choice to make."
Du Peifang wasn’t foolish enough to declare support for her maternal family while on Xie’s territory.
Given her family’s current poor situation, her father and mother were trying to send concubines into the palace.
They hoped to regain the Royal Family’s favor in this way.
Her family truly couldn’t be distracted by her situation now.
"As long as I breathe, I belong to the Duke Mansion; in death, I will be a ghost of the Duke Mansion. As for how the Lord and Commandery Princess want me to act, I will do so."
Princess An He said, "Words are empty without deeds; you must give me a written testimony."
Du Peifang’s heart skipped a beat.
Her back felt slightly chilled.
Tentatively, she asked, "A written testimony?"
Her gaze fell on the splendid flower screen.
Princess An He calmly explained, "To sever ties with the Du Family."
This was essentially cutting off her retreat, and Du Peifang didn’t want to do so.
Increasingly, she felt that Princess An He was digging a pit for her.
"My parents brought me up this far. If I do this, won’t I be worse than a pig or a dog, chilling their hearts?"
"It’s up to you. In any case, I only have this one condition."
Princess An He was accustomed to making things difficult for others. Her condition was so demanding that it was hard for ordinary people to meet.
The last bit of Duke Xie’s doubt about Princess An He instantly dissipated.
The interests of the Du Family and Xie Family were different, so he naturally hoped his woman would draw a clear line with the Du Family.
It would avoid the Du Family persuading Du Peifang to act against the Duke Mansion’s interests.
Although forcing someone to sever ties with their family was quite unreasonable and unfair,
this time, Duke Xie took the side of Princess An He.
Du Peifang wiped her eyes, "I don’t want the power to manage the household; the Commandery Princess doesn’t need to test me like this."
Princess An He raised an eyebrow, "It’s up to you."
She instructed the maid to see the guests out.
Du Peifang’s attitude enraged Duke Xie.
"Your father nearly killed Ah Zhen, and previously, I didn’t hold it against him out of my generosity. But now, I’m just asking you to sever ties with your family, and you refuse; might as well return to your family then."
The freshness had worn off, and so many troublesome things had happened; Duke Xie no longer had feelings for Du Peifang.
Her presence in the Duke Mansion wasn’t important at all.
What mattered was not giving anyone the chance to harm the Xie Family again.
Duke Xie’s indifference frightened Du Peifang.
Tears rolled down genuinely, "Is it not okay if I don’t want the power to manage the household?"
Duke Xie used silence to tell her no.
As long as she wanted to stay, she had to sever ties with her family.
For Du Peifang, that was like asking for her life. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
At that moment, she suddenly understood why Princess An He had such a bad temper.
Clearly, it was because she was driven mad by a base man!
Tears fell incessantly, "Fine, I’ll give the written testimony."
After everyone left, the matron finally asked the question that had been in her heart.
"Commandery Princess, why did you do this?"
Princess An He didn’t answer.
She just lay there, resting her eyes.
The reason for doing this was, of course, to kill two birds with one stone.
To make sure the offenders disappear forever!
