The old lady of the mansion knew best about Zhang Zhaoci's dowry.

Upon hearing Zhang Zhaoci's words, the old lady's expression immediately darkened. She said to Zhang Zhaoci, "Tomorrow, you four, along with Granny Lu, can go wherever you want. Don't worry about anything else. I'll take care of things here."

The old Marquis was saved by Zhang Zhaoci's grandfather back then, and the current Marquis was also saved by the Zhang family. So when the Zhang family encountered difficulties and wanted to find a way to survive for their daughter, they sought help from the Xu family. The old lady and the Marquis discussed it and then decided on the marriage between Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci.

To avoid attracting attention, Zhang Zhaoci's dowry was not large on the surface. After all, at that time, many people thought the Zhang family was already in dire straits. However, the old lady knew the Zhang family's wealth and resources. Everything Zhang Zhaoci brought had passed the old lady's approval. Over the years, Zhang Zhaoci lived a very low-key life in the mansion, which was exactly what the old lady wanted. Only in this way could she avoid attracting the attention of some people.

Upon hearing Zhang Zhaoci mention those things, the old lady said, "Hide those things well, pack some other things into that big box, and carry it to my yard."

Zhang Zhaoci was startled and said, "Madam, you mustn't!"

The old lady said, "Just listen to my arrangements. This mansion is still under my control. Just do what I tell you to do."

Looking at the resolute old lady, Zhang Zhaoci suddenly remembered that the old lady came from a family of military generals, and that she had also fought on the battlefield with the old Marquis.

Zhang Zhaoci knelt down, kowtowed to the old lady, and then hurried back to make arrangements.

After seeing her mother return from the old lady's courtyard, Xu Zhi took out the large carved sandalwood chest from under the bed, took out the several small boxes inside, then went to Xu Rao's study to get some books and put them at the bottom of the chest, and put a few pieces of silk on top before closing the chest. After dinner, when no one was in the courtyard, she called a few rough-working women in the courtyard, and without even lighting a lantern, they carried it to the old lady's courtyard.

When the old lady saw Zhang Zhaoci leading people to carry the boxes into her courtyard in the dark, she had Li Mama put the boxes away and said to Zhang Zhaoci, "You too, why did you bring them over in the dark?"

Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "Madam, if we're going to put on an act, we should go all the way. I understand the principle of keeping one's true colors hidden in the dark."

The old lady chuckled and said, "Is that the right phrase? Well, it's getting late, you should go back and rest, you have to get up early tomorrow."

Zhang Zhaoci agreed and led his men back to his courtyard.

Xu Rao, Xu Di, and Xu Zhi were all waiting in the master bedroom. When they saw Zhang Zhaoci return, Xu Rao said with a smile, "Oh my, our Third Grandma has brought back some treasures!"

Zhang Zhaoci scolded playfully, "Go away, what are you saying? I'm doing this all for our family. Come here, let me tell you, I've hidden all those treasures in a box under the bed. I dug a hole under the bed, wrapped the boxes in oilcloth, and buried them there."

Xu Di said, "Mother, it can't be that serious. It's just a little bit of stuff. Why would you have to dig a hole in your room to hide it?"

Zhang Zhaoci said, "What do you mean by 'just that little bit of stuff'? Putting aside everything else, just take those gems for example. They are priceless. Your maternal grandfather and his family brought them back from overseas back then. When I got married, my family encountered some trouble. Your maternal grandfather felt that bringing all those things would be a burden, so he simply gave them all to me as my dowry. I brought most of the Zhang family's wealth with me when I married into the family."

Xu Di asked curiously, "Mother, why have I never heard any news from my maternal grandfather's side?"

Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "Back then, they encountered difficulties and offended people they shouldn't have. To save their lives, they had to hide under assumed names. They had agreed not to contact me, but to contact our family whenever they felt the time was right."

Upon hearing this, Xu Di asked, "Mother, will you be sending all these things back to Grandpa and the others later?"

Zhang Zhaoci said, "What nonsense are you talking about? If I said it was my dowry, then it's mine. Your uncles are very good at squandering money. I bet they're hiding somewhere overseas right now."

Upon hearing this, Xu Di said, "The person you offended back then must have been very powerful, otherwise you wouldn't have had to flee with your whole family."

Xu Rao said, "Since it was such a secret back then, your grandfather and the others must have had their reasons for doing it. You're just a child, so you shouldn't say things like that. Our family is really in dire straits right now."

Xu Di sighed and said, "Who can argue with that?"

The next day, the servants in the mansion moved Xu Rao's family's luggage to the carriages outside. The escort agency brought several carriages, but Zhang Zhaoci streamlined the process as much as possible. In the end, he still brought three large carts of luggage, plus two carriages for the family to ride in, and carriages brought by the escort agency's own people. It looked like a fairly large group.

After having an early meal, Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci, along with Xu Di and Xu Zhi, went to the old lady's courtyard. They were about to embark on a long journey and needed to kowtow and pay their respects to their elders.

The old lady asked Li Mama to bring out the things she had prepared for them: some still-steaming pastries and a large bundle of flatbread.

The Marquis and his son, along with the people from the manor, were waiting at the second gate and escorted them all the way to the main gate.

Zhang Zhaoci, along with Xu Zhi, Xu Di, and Granny Lu, sat in the front carriage, while Qingmiao and Qingsui sat in the smaller carriage behind. As for Xu Rao, she would come to Zhang Zhaoci's carriage when she wanted to rest, and when she didn't want to rest, she would sit and chat with the people from the escort agency.

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