Chapter 504

Xu Heming wore a triumphant look at this moment, allowing Xu Qingshi to chase after him from behind. Li Zhiwei felt a bit speechless watching this man who still competed with a child for favor.

However, the most urgent matter was to present the tea to the Old Princess as early as possible.

After all, she had already arrived late today, and if anyone noticed, it might be seen as a breach of etiquette.

"Your daughter-in-law pays respects to Mother!" Li Zhiwei curtsied obediently to the Old Princess.

"Greetings to Mother!" Xu Heming also bowed to the Old Princess as instructed.

"Good! Good!" The Old Princess was deeply satisfied.

Over the years, her son's reluctance to marry had caused her no small amount of worry.

Although she already had her grandson Xu Qingshi by her side, as she grew older, she yearned for the joy of having children and grandchildren around her.

"Your Highness."

Soon, Xiuhong approached carrying a tray of tea.

Li Zhiwei took the tea cup from Xiuhong's hands, knelt before the Old Princess, and respectfully raised the cup above her head, saying, "Please drink tea, Mother!"

Li Zhiwei's heart was also somewhat anxious.

Although she had done this once before, this time held a different meaning.

She and Xu Heming had now become husband and wife in the truest sense.

Although ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍the Old Princess was a kind-hearted mother-in-law, she too had some concerns.

After all, for the Li family to secure a marriage with the Prince of An's mansion was considered a social climb; many of the noble families in the capital looked down on the Li family's merchant status.

"Very well." Without hesitation, the Old Princess took the tea cup from Li Zhiwei's hands, took a gentle sip, and placed it on the tray beside her.

Then she signaled to Nanny Luo beside her to hand over the items she had prepared to Li Zhiwei.

Li Zhiwei stared at the keys on the tray, momentarily stunned.

She had some doubts about the keys but thought it impossible.

"I am old now. From now on, the affairs of the manor will need to be managed well by the two of you as a couple," the Old Princess said with a smile, noticing Li Zhiwei's surprise.

Li Zhiwei hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to accept the keys. If she took them, wouldn't that mean she was taking over the management of the Prince of An's manor?

She didn't know whether the Old Princess was testing her or truly willing to delegate authority.

She had only been in the capital from Li'an County for half a year and felt she might not be capable of upholding the management of the Prince of An's manor.

Yet, on the very morning after the wedding, the Old Princess had handed her the keys that symbolized the authority of the household.

Li Zhiwei was truly panicked.

In her previous life, when she married Lin Jitong, on the morning after the wedding, Madam Zhou had tricked her out of her dowry.

What she gave her in return had long been forgotten.

It was certainly nothing valuable.

She was never allowed to involve herself in household management and was constantly guarded against.

In the end, she was directly confined to a small courtyard.

Thinking of this, Li Zhiwei looked again at the kindly smiling Old Princess before her.

For a moment, Li Zhiwei didn't know what to do.

"If Mother gives it to you, just accept it." Xu Heming directly picked up the keys from the tray and placed them in Li Zhiwei's hands.

"Your Highness, I am still young. I'm afraid I cannot manage the affairs of the manor properly," Li Zhiwei said nervously.

"Mother, I truly dare not accept these keys. I fear I am not up to the task and might tarnish the reputation of the Prince of An's manor," Li Zhiwei quickly tried to put the keys back on the tray.

"What is there to fear? The assets of this manor aren't even as much as your dowry. You're worrying over nothing. It's effortless," the Old Princess said nonchalantly.

"I grew up in Li'an County and am not yet familiar with the customs of the capital. I'm afraid I might embarrass the manor," Li Zhiwei said anxiously.

"Your Highness, rest assured. The Old Princess has long made arrangements for this," Nanny Luo said with a smile.

"Nanny Feng, from now on, you will go to the Songmo Courtyard to assist the Princess in managing household affairs," the Old Princess said, gesturing to a woman beside her.

"Your servant pays respects to the Princess." Nanny Feng, who had already been informed of this matter, curtsied to Li Zhiwei.

It was clear that the Old Princess had everything arranged.

"Thank you for your generosity, Mother. However, if there is anything I don't understand, I may have to trouble you often," Li Zhiwei said. She hadn't expected the Old Princess to have even the personnel arranged, so this was clearly not a test.

The Old Princess genuinely intended to hand over the authority of the manor to her.

Since that was the case, she would accept it, but she made it clear in advance.

There were many things she didn't understand and would need to seek the Old Princess's guidance.

"You, child, if there's anything you don't understand, feel free to come to me. From now on, it's just us in the manor. You young people have your own way of life. I old woman can't get up early in the morning, so you don't need to bother with the morning and evening greetings," the Old Princess said with a smile.

"Yes."

Li Zhiwei took the Old Princess's words as mere politeness and didn't pay them much mind.

Seeing Li Zhiwei's expression, the Old Princess seemed to guess what she was thinking.

However, she didn't elaborate further. She would prove it through her actions when the time came.

These words were not just empty talk.

"This bracelet was passed down to me from Xu Heming's grandmother. Today, I pass it to you, and I hope you will pass it on to your daughter-in-law in the future," the Old Princess said, removing a jade-green bracelet from her wrist and placing it directly onto Li Zhiwei's hand.

"Thank you, Mother." Li Zhiwei saw that the bracelet was translucent and clearly invaluable, and she thought to herself that it needed to be kept safely.

However, she was also a little puzzled: since it was an heirloom meant for a daughter-in-law, why hadn't it been given to Xu Qingshi's mother?

But she didn't dare to ask this question in such a setting.

After accepting the gifts from the Old Princess, Li Zhiwei also had Cuiguo hand over the gifts she had prepared for the Old Princess. Li Zhiwei had prepared a set of undergarments, a headband, a set of highly translucent jadeite jewelry, and a pair of shoes.

Li Zhiwei wasn't sure whether brides in the capital typically prepared gifts for their mother-in-law during the tea ceremony, but she followed the customs of Li'an County and prepared a set for the Old Princess. The undergarments, headband, and embroidered shoes were all made by her own hands. Though not extravagant, they were a token of her filial piety.

"How thoughtful of you, Zhiwei. I really like these things," the Old Princess said, clearly pleased with the gifts. She had Nanny Luo give Li Zhiwei a large red envelope.

She recalled that when Madam Zhou entered the family in the past, she had only given a pair of ordinary embroidered shoes bought from a shop outside, with the shop's label still on them.

Although she hadn't minded at the time, compared to this, the Old Princess now saw a clear difference.

She became even more satisfied with Li Zhiwei.

This daughter-in-law may not be from a noble family, but her conduct and manner were exceedingly thorough.

She was a child who understood kindness.