Chapter 40 Rectification

No one expected the Earl to suddenly bring up the matter of displaying the dowry, catching Qiao Shi completely off guard. Liu Shi found this amusing; she wanted to see how Qiao Shi would handle the situation this time.

After leaving Shouyin Hall, Madam Qiao walked until she was alone before daring to let out a long breath. She angrily shook off Wu Mama's hand that was supporting her, gritting her teeth as she said:

"It must have been that bitch outside who came up with the idea. Otherwise, why would the Earl suddenly think of showing off his dowry? She's everywhere. She's like a persistent ghost!"

Granny Wu looked around warily before lowering her voice to say to Madam Qiao, "Madam, please calm down. Who would have thought that wretched woman would be so troublesome and so wary of us? But since the Lord has given the order, we have no choice but to proceed. It seems we can't avoid this tomorrow."

"If we actually display all the dowry we've prepared in public, it wouldn't be good if discerning people noticed."

Qiao said irritably, "It's not a 'what if,' it's definitely obvious. Do you think everyone else is stupid?"

Granny Wu knew this was going to be difficult, so she could only remind her, "Madam, time is of the essence. What should we do now?"

Qiao was so angry that she gritted her teeth again: "If the Earl had told us about this beforehand, we would have been able to handle it. But he had to put it out for tomorrow, and after it's all aired out in public, he'll pack it up and take it away. How are we supposed to do anything about it? It's infuriating!"

During the wedding, all the dowry items were placed in large mahogany chests. Outsiders could only see the top layer of the chests. As for what was underneath, they could only hear the master of ceremonies reading the dowry list aloud.

As for the estates and shops that came with the dowry, they were placed in the form of house deeds and land deeds, usually on a layer of bright red silk. They were just a few thin sheets of paper. Unless someone was unaware of the proper etiquette and reached out to pick them up and examine them closely, who would know how big the estates or shops were or where they were located?

Once all the wedding ceremonies are over, even if the bride later discovers discrepancies between the dowry list and the actual gifts, the wedding is already complete and everything is settled; it's too late to contact anyone.

Of course, it is rare for the actual items to not match the dowry list. Either the bride's family deliberately used inferior items to save face, or the bride was an unfavored concubine's daughter.

Yu Qingci is just the daughter of that lowly woman. Why should she have a dowry of ten miles of red makeup?

These days, she personally handled all the wedding arrangements without asking anyone else, just so that the mother and daughter wouldn't get any benefit from the Earl's mansion. She replaced all the parts of the dowry that could be tampered with. The jewelry, antiques, jade, calligraphy and paintings, and even the expensive Shu brocade and cloud-patterned brocade were all replaced with cheap, shiny items.

But if those things were brought into the open, anyone with eyes could see them clearly, and then the entire Earl's mansion would lose face.

Thinking of this, Qiao let out a long sigh and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Let's go back first and talk about it later."

Granny Wu remained silent and helped Madam Qiao walk back.

When she returned to the Begonia Courtyard, Madam Qiao plopped down on the chaise longue, feeling weak in the knees and powerless all over. She knew it was because she was angry.

Granny Wu gently advised, "Since things have come to this, Madam should try to think more positively. They are just material possessions, but what they gain in return is the Second Miss's future prospects. If we want to deal with them, we will have plenty of opportunities in the future."

Madam Qiao understood this principle perfectly well, but time was of the essence and she couldn't think too much about it. She could only instruct Granny Wu, "Go and watch over the situation yourself and make sure those things are replaced. Don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

"Yes, this old servant will arrange it immediately."

Granny Wu sighed and turned to leave. The thought of spending a large sum of real gold and silver on that girl made both of them feel heartbroken.

But they all knew in their hearts that they could only swallow their anger for now, otherwise they would have no way to cover it up when the box was opened in public tomorrow.

The next morning, the entrance to the Earl's mansion was already decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers to welcome those who came to offer their congratulations.

According to custom, tomorrow is the actual wedding day, but the Earl's family deliberately announced the display of the dowry in advance so that more relatives and friends would come and celebrate.

The more people there are, the more lively and festive the occasion will be.

So today, in addition to the General's Mansion having arranged for a procession to carry the dowry to the bride's home early on, relatives and friends who heard the news all came to join in the fun.

Rumors have been circulating these past few days that the marriage proposal between the Marquis of Nanping and the General of Ningyuan has been changed from their eldest daughter to a concubine who returned home halfway through the marriage. Many people are curious about this. Unfortunately, the Marquis's family has kept the concubine well hidden, so no one has actually seen her yet.

Although the concubine will most likely not show up at today's dowry display, it would still be interesting to go and join in the fun and find out what happened.

As a result, there were an unusually large number of people present today.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Marquis Yu Jingsheng of Nanping personally brought Yu Qingci and Yu Qingbai, the siblings, to the public and solemnly introduced them to those present. He explained that the two siblings were born to the first wife, and that their mother, Madam Su, was currently living outside the mansion due to mourning and could not return to the mansion to make an appearance.

The guests present were immediately astonished. Wasn't she supposed to be a mistress? How could she be the legitimate daughter of the first wife? Were all the rumors circulating in the capital false?

Upon closer inspection, the siblings were both exceptionally beautiful, their looks and demeanor in no way inferior to the children of noble families in the capital who were carefully raised. Those who knew the old story of the Nanping Earl's Mansion had already come to agree.

Besides, the person in question, the Earl of Nanping, has already brought out the family genealogy, so this matter must be true.

So that's how it is. It wasn't as they had heard. The Earl's family had secretly brought home a concubine's daughter, whom they had been raising outside, to marry in place of their eldest daughter, so that she wouldn't become a widow. Instead, the real eldest daughter replaced the original half-eldest daughter. The Earl's family's actions were admirable.

It turns out that the so-called Lady Nanping was just a concubine. So, isn't Yu Qingyan, the eldest daughter of the Earl's family in the eyes of the world, the daughter born to the concubine?

The guests present immediately began whispering and discussing among themselves, with some even praising Yu Jingsheng on the spot.

Qiao was already so angry about showing off her dowry that she almost vomited blood. Unexpectedly, the Earl announced the identities of the siblings in public without any warning. This was undoubtedly to vindicate them, and she was so angry that she almost fainted again.

The Yu sisters were in no better shape. They were happily entertaining a few close friends who had come to watch the spectacle when their father announced in front of all the guests that Yu Qingci and her brother were the legitimate children of the first wife. The two sisters immediately lost face, and Yu Qingying ran back to her own courtyard crying on the spot.

In order to avoid being criticized, Yu Qingyan had to grit her teeth and put on a brave face in front of others, which made several of her close friends feel sorry for her and stand up for her.

Yu Qingyan appropriately showed some grievances, and secretly vowed in her heart: I will remember today's humiliation, Yu Qingci, I will definitely repay you tenfold or a hundredfold in the future!