A daughter is a piece of her father's heart. Old He was willing to be a 'daughter slave,' and in old He's house, the son had little status.

In comparison with his peers, the wealth and assets old He accumulated over his lifetime may not be worth mentioning in the eyes of the truly affluent, but among the ordinary folks, he could easily retire, split up the family assets, and leisurely sit at the head of the alley, squinting to see whose wife has lost her husband, and join others in listening to gossip.

But right now,

But at this moment,

After his son revealed to him the true identity of "Yan Xiaoliu" last night,

Old He was utterly bewildered.

Good heavens!

There was a time when old He thought his daughter was foolish, falling for Yan Xiaoliu's good looks and voluntarily giving herself away, even threatening her family with a hairpin to her neck when they tried to stop her.

Reflecting back now,

His daughter certainly had her own mind,

If not for that night,

If he had really stopped her,

Wouldn't she have missed the chance to transform into a phoenix?

What's left is really just sighing and worrying.

Old He never dreamed of relying on his children for a better life, nor did he envision a scenario where one person's success leads to family fortune.

His daughter married a prince, joined the Ji Family; it's all portrayed in plays, how dangerous it is inside, how tough life can be. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

In addition to the royal family, even in Nan'an city, there's the story of Mr. Zhang's primary wife having a concubine drowned; it's a matter ignored by officials as well as the government office.

The depth of the palace is beyond comparison to the small Zhang family.

"Father?" He Chu came over to support his father.

Old He slowly stood up. Earlier, he deliberately pretended to be confused; last night He Chu informed him that the prince would come to propose today.

Which means that the person presenting the gift list today, calling himself Brother, should be the Eldest Prince of the current dynasty, a former Marshal.

Looking at that gift list, the pig legs doubled; his emperor-relative...

Terrified, old He feels weak at the knees even seeing the county magistrate, let alone meeting a prince.

But as a father, on his daughter's wedding day,

He needs to summon his courage,

Say the harsh words that need saying, make the warnings he must;

It's only today,

It can only be today,

After today,

He's a prince, and I'm a butcher; I would not even dare to accept the old master's gift, let alone say the harsh words I used to.

"Chu."

"Father, I'm here."

"Accompany the Sixth Prince, entertain relatives and neighbors, let your father rest a bit more."

"Alright, Father."

This era rarely saw marriages at a distance; an ordinary marriage usually spanned just a neighboring village.

A faraway marriage like ours was quite rare around here.

Adapting to local circumstances, the traditional procedure couldn't be fully realized, but inviting relatives and neighbors for a feast was a must.

A wedding banquet was held lively and bustling.

The complexity within doesn't need much elaboration.

The morning after the wedding banquet, Ji Chengjue set off with his wife to return to the capital, for everyone knew why; this was just a prelude, the real drama awaits in the capital.

Old He and He Chu needed to tidy up their home and would head for the capital the following day.

In fact, logically, there wasn't much to pack, yet old He declined his son-in-law's invitation to travel together to the capital.

Evening arrived,

The courtyard grew cold and quiet after yesterday's festivities,

Father and son sat at the doorstep,

Together staring at the moon overhead.

Several people came asking about his son-in-law's situation, but both old He and He Chu just brushed them off lightly.

Curiously,

When others have their fortunes rise, they are exceedingly thrilled, eager for everyone in the county to know they've found a rich son-in-law.

But this father-son pair lacked that sensation,

With a persistent sense of weight in their hearts,

Neither drinking nor eating felt quite right.

"Son."

"Hmm, Father, I'm here."

"Check everything again, tomorrow we have to set out."

"Don't worry, Father, I've checked everything. But my brother-in-law says, once we're in the capital, he will ensure we're all settled without us having to do anything."

Old He sighed,

Raised his hand.

He Chu dutifully leaned his head over,

"Smack!"

He received a slap from his father.

"You are you, he is him. We have our own hands and feet, no need to live by licking the in-law's boots."

"But Father..."

"What's the matter?"

"During festivals and holidays, don't you follow everyone to bow to the Emperor?"

During significant occasions, there is a tradition of everyone together bowing to the Emperor from afar.

Old He pursed his lips,

Stubbornly said:

"The Emperor is the Emperor, the in-law is the in-law."

"Is there a difference?"

"Son, your father has sold pork for most of his life, and he understands these principles, just the streetwise ones;",

"Let's put it this way,

This marriage is us climbing too high, reaching beyond the heavens.

Our family's small farm and the pigs borrowed from farmers are insignificant in the eyes of our in-law.

Our family,

Only has dignity left."

"Yes, Father."

"Chu, you must stand firm. The Sixth... Sixth son encourages you to study and read, you must, and pay for the teacher yourself.

Whatever Sixth son invites you to eat, consider first if you can afford it? If he invites you to a fish, you must repay with half a chicken tomorrow.