Chapter 1631 - 1633: Told You the Capital City Is Nothing but Trouble
Thus, the relationship between Mu Shaoling and Chengcheng, which had just eased a little, instantly reverted back. Whenever Little Chengcheng saw Mu Shaoling, he would turn his head away. As for calling him "Dad," that was out of the question. There was a time when silver could get him to say "Dad," but now, not even a hundred taels of gold would make him look your way.
Getting off the carriage, the first thing that came into view were the two giant lions at the entrance of Prince An’s Mansion. These lions were not something just anyone could display; only families ranked Duke and above could have them.
"Wow, mom! Is this the mansion we saw last time?" Yangyang’s eyes widened. It looked completely different.
"Of course it is. It took mom quite a bit of silver to renovate it," Yang Chuxia thought to herself. The mansion had cost her nearly twenty thousand taels of silver. If someday the Emperor whimsically stripped her son of his princely title, she would cry her heart out.
No, no, no, she shouldn’t think like that. She should hope her son’s prestige continues to flourish.
"Go on, all of you, go in and have a look around."
Upon entering the mansion, everything inside was also renewed. The old falling doors were gone, and the collapsed flowerbeds were rebuilt and planted with flowers. The original patchy grass had been replaced by some stylish flower pots.
The foul water in the ponds had been replaced with clean water. With carved corridors, painted walls, pavilions, and terraces layered upon each other, the mansion of the former prince was vast, so much so that it almost violated regulations.
Yang Chuxia initially planned to renovate only half of it, but leaving the other half unfinished looked too unsightly, so she had to renovate it all.
"Look around and decide which courtyard you like and want to live in."
"Wow, I’ve only heard of how badly abandoned this place was, but to see Cousin-in-law renovate it to this state, I bet she spent so much that her heart bleeds," Luo Linhao remarked, noting that it looked even more grand than the Luo Family’s mansion.
"Aren’t you stating the obvious?" Yang Chuxia waved her hand, "Go and see where you’d like to live yourself."
Yang Xiayun and Luo Linyu had already started exploring the mansion, and upon hearing this, Luo Linhao followed along.
"Brother, where will you live?" Yangyang asked Lele, as he wanted to live together with his brother. They had been used to living together since they were little.
Hearing this, Yang Chuxia said, "Yangyang, this time you’ll have to live in a separate courtyard. The mansion belongs to your brother, so he must live in the main courtyard. Otherwise, it won’t sound good if word gets out."
"Really, Mom? You’re also going with this?" Lele twitched his mouth upon hearing this, "With you and Dad here, and now wanting me to live there, it’s going to shorten my life."
"Pfft," Yang Chuxia couldn’t help but ruffle his hair with both hands, "Do you think Mom wants you to live in the main courtyard? This is just to prevent any impeachment against you. You don’t know that there are people in the court who have nothing better to do. If they find out Prince An isn’t living in the main courtyard, but your dad and I are, who knows what they’d say about our family."
"Your mom is right; you need to live there," Ye Zi’an agreed, nodding, "Others living there would violate regulations, and if word gets out, not only would you face impeachment, but even your dad would be scolded for having no decorum."
"Oh, come on!" It was rare for Lele to burst out a foul word. He hadn’t thought about this angle. "Then how about leaving it empty? Living there alone just feels awkward to me."
"Hmm, leaving it empty works too." After thinking for a moment, Ye Zi’an nodded, "Word getting out might even earn you a reputation for filial piety."
"I knew Dad would think of that," Lele said, imitating Ye Zi’an’s manner, raising his eyebrows.
"Ah, just saying, the capital is such a hassle," Yangyang sighed.