Chapter 41 Generous Dowry

The people from the Earl's mansion carried out the bride's sixty-eight loads of dowry and placed them in front of everyone. The people present were curious and couldn't help but comment on the dowry.

It must be said, the dowry the Earl's family gave to this daughter was really substantial, no less than that of other daughters of high-ranking families. It seems that the rumors outside were true. The Earl of Nanping really loved his daughter who returned home halfway through her life, otherwise he would not have given her such a generous dowry.

As the saying goes, once the person leaves, the tea grows cold. The Ningyuan General's Mansion is no longer what it used to be, and is now just an empty shell. The bride will still be carrying the memorial tablet into the house tomorrow. After marrying into the family, she is destined to be lonely for the rest of her life. Without a generous dowry to support her, how will she survive after marriage?

Therefore, from this perspective, the actions of the Marquis of Nanping have won over another wave of people.

Looking at the scene before them, people had a variety of emotions about the third daughter of the main wife who was about to marry into the family and become a widow. Some were curious, some were envious, and most were sighing.

Qiao's resentment had reached its peak.

From the moment she learned that the Earl was going to display the dowry, she could no longer remain calm. Last night, she ordered Granny Wu to bring people to replace all the items with the original list. So now, what is on display are all genuine and high-quality items, but they are all going to be used to benefit that wretched daughter. From yesterday until now, she has endured and endured to barely suppress the anger in her heart.

Su family, you just wait!

A commotion arose in the front yard, and a eunuch's shrill voice shouted that the imperial decree had been received. Startled, Madam Qiao hurriedly ordered someone to inform the old lady and the prince before she could say anything.

It turned out to be someone from the palace. The Emperor, grateful for the Nanping Earl's Mansion's keeping of its promise and showing consideration for the bride who was about to marry into the family, specially bestowed upon the bride, who was about to marry into the Ningyuan General's Mansion, jewelry, silks and satins, as well as auspicious ornaments, etc., filling six large boxes.

After listening to the imperial edict while kneeling on the ground with her head down, Qiao felt a metallic sweetness rising in her throat, and she swayed and almost fell over.

Yu Jingsheng and the others were overjoyed and eagerly greeted the eunuch who had come to deliver the imperial decree.

With the emperor setting an example, soon other families who were close to the Earl's family came to offer dowries. Yu Jingsheng personally thanked them and then included these dowries in the procession.

After this incident, everyone present had witnessed the grandeur and splendor of the Earl's mansion, which would be a topic of conversation for a long time to come. Of course, that's another story.

Amidst a cacophony of mixed gazes, all the dowry items were quickly sealed and carried out of the Earl's residence in turn. This time, the first dowry chests to be carried out were replaced by six large chests wrapped in red silk, bestowed by the palace. The three-foot-tall red coral tree bestowed by the Emperor and the jade ruyi bestowed by the Empress were prominently displayed before everyone's eyes.

After the procession passed through Liuli Lane, another group of people arrived with gongs and drums to deliver the dowry. This time, the number of people exceeded the palace's reward, totaling twenty-four.

The leader was a middle-aged steward who loudly announced that this was a dowry specially prepared by the wife of the Earl of Nanping for her daughter, along with four servants to accompany her.

Su Chengniang originally prepared more than twenty-four sets of dowry for her daughter. After learning that her daughter was about to get married, she began to take out all the things she had accumulated over the years and pack them into boxes. Yu Qingci persuaded her many times before she finally restrained herself and reduced the number of boxes.

Moreover, she sent people to inquire about the general's mansion in detail. It was said that the inner quarters were also a source of worry. As the saying goes, "possessing a treasure is a crime." After her daughter married into the family, she would be a widow with no husband to rely on. If the dowry was too generous, it would easily attract unwanted attention. Her daughter was weak and vulnerable, and it would be a loss if she were to suffer a loss.

After much deliberation, she only brought out twenty-four trolleys. However, she secretly gave her daughter a full 100,000 taels of silver as a dowry. This money was not included in the dowry list; only the mother and daughter knew about it. This was to prevent unrelated people from eyeing it and to give her daughter more security.

It has to be said that Su Chengniang has done everything she could for her daughter. Over the years, in addition to managing the household chores, she has been learning to do business. Although she can't be said to be doing very well, she has accumulated a lot of wealth over the past ten years. It would be a piece of cake for her to marry off her daughter with a grand wedding procession. She doesn't need to care about anyone's opinion at all.

When the procession carrying the dowry arrived at the General's Mansion, Yu Qingci's dowry had increased to 106 loads, much more than originally planned. Not only the Earl's Mansion, but everyone in the General's Mansion was stunned.

These dowry items, along with some of the servants from the Earl's mansion, went directly into the courtyard prepared by the General's mansion, where they would be put away one by one after the bride arrived.

Tomorrow she will be getting married. The Wisteria Courtyard is quiet at night. Only Tong'er and Granny Pei, who was brought in by Su Chengniang, accompany Yu Qingci.

Granny Pei has been with Su Chengniang for over ten years. She wanted to give Granny Liu to her daughter, but her daughter refused. So this time, Su Chengniang sent Granny Pei along with her indenture, hoping to have another trustworthy old woman by her side.

She felt more at ease knowing that her daughter had an experienced nanny by her side.

This time, Yu Qingci did not refuse and kept Granny Pei.

Of course, Madam Qiao also prepared two sets of servants and two maids to accompany her as part of her dowry. One of them was Siqin, who had served her for a period of time. These people had already entered the General's Mansion with the dowry procession during the day and should be guarding her courtyard and the dowry in the General's Mansion at this moment.

She can take over everything after the wedding tomorrow.

Although Granny Pei was new to the job, she had been managing the inner quarters of the house for a long time and was very experienced. So she quickly got the hang of handling the trivial matters around Yu Qingci. Moreover, she was very respectful to Yu Qingci, the young mistress, which made Yu Qingci very satisfied. She was indeed an old woman who had been with her mother for many years.

At this moment, Granny Pei kept looking towards the courtyard gate. Was she waiting for someone?

As Granny Pei looked outside for the nth time, Yu Qingci couldn't help but ask, "Granny Pei, are you waiting for someone to come?"

Granny Pei stared outside with a dissatisfied look on her face and said, "The young lady is getting married tomorrow, so why is there not a single word from the Marquis's mansion? What time is it? In principle, an elder should have come to see the young lady by now. The elders should have done all the things that are expected of them. At the very least, they should have asked other young ladies in the mansion to come and keep the young lady company. This is hardly the eve of her wedding. I think the Marquis's mansion's rules are not very good."

Yu Qingci smiled indifferently: "This is fine. I can enjoy peace and quiet, without the hassle of coming and going. It's good to have you and Tong'er by my side. Besides, there's no need for the elders to come and give me any special instructions about my marriage."

Seeing her so calm, Granny Pei couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. What a fine girl! Just like her mother, she was a beauty from a young age, and now she's grown up as beautiful as a flower bud. But this heartless Earl's Mansion is sending her out to be a widow, ruining her life.