The old lady held Xu Tao's hand and said with a smile, "You are a good child. You can understand what your grandmother is saying as soon as you hear it. There are two reasons why your grandmother invited you here today. One is to give you some things. These things are for you to keep in your dowry. In the future, when you sisters get married, your grandmother will give you something to give as a gift."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yao felt both pleased and somewhat guilty. The old lady waved her hand and said, "Tao'er, being a woman is not easy, especially after marriage. Not only do women have to serve their parents-in-law and husbands, but they also have to manage the household and raise their children. Tao'er, people grow up slowly through these experiences. Look at your mother, she went through this, and everyone in this mansion went through this."

Xu Tao nodded gently. The old lady said, "I'm old now, and my only wish is that all my children and grandchildren can live a good life. No matter whose family it is, no matter what the situation is, they all have to manage their lives well. Tao'er, you must remember that although money is an external thing, you really can't get by without it. Your grandmother is giving you this money. Don't tell anyone, just keep it for yourself. This is for you to use in emergencies during the most difficult times."

The old lady handed a purse to Xu Tao, who took out several silver notes from it, each worth one thousand taels.

Not only was Xu Tao startled, but even Yao, who was standing to the side, was startled.

Yao said, "Grandmother, that's too much."

The old lady waved her hand and said, "Yiyi, these past two years, thanks to Dige'er, the annual yields of my estates have been quite abundant. I'm old, what use is this money to me? Yiyi is gentle and obedient. The Feng family has been engaged to our family for many years, but for various reasons, they haven't visited often. I don't know what kind of person Tao'er's future mother-in-law is. What if she's kind on the outside but hard on the inside? Tao'er, remember what your old grandmother said: stay with your husband, live your own life well, and don't meddle in family matters. With your temperament, you're not the kind of person who can handle things. As long as our Yongning Marquis's mansion exists, the Feng family won't dare to do anything to you."

The old lady held Xu Tao's hand and earnestly taught her. Xu Tao's eyes were filled with tears. The old lady took out a handkerchief and wiped them for her, saying, "Once you get married, you're a grown woman. You won't be as comfortable in your husband's family as you are in your own. With your dowry in your hands, and if you make a living every month, no one will dare to look down on you."

Xu Tao nodded repeatedly. The old lady said, "I have chosen two maids for your dowry. They are both from my grandmother's estate and have some martial arts skills. You are different from the other sisters. You are a child who does not know how to cry to anyone when you are wronged. I am worried about you, so I specially found these two people for you to take with you to your husband's family. Once you are able to establish yourself in your husband's family, you can let them go back."

The old lady went to great lengths for Xu Tao, and specially went to the estate to find two girls who were fifteen or sixteen years old. Both of them had learned martial arts from their fathers since they were young. The people on the old lady's estate were all servants and retainers of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. Even an ordinary servant could use spears and sticks. However, after the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion was dissolved, the old lady raised these people on the estate.

Upon hearing the old lady's words, Madam Yao pulled Xu Tao to her feet and was about to bow to the old lady when the old lady quickly stopped her, saying, "I am your elder, and I can still move around, so I should think more about you. When Tao'er marries, you should carefully select the dowry maids. Forget about those who are restless and dishonest. Find more maids who can help Tao'er."

Madam Yao quickly bowed and agreed. The old lady waved to Granny Shen, who brought out a tray from the inner room with a set of gold jewelry on it. The old lady said, "These are all my things from many years ago. They are well preserved and still look quite good. It will be nice for Tao'er to wear them as a keepsake."

That set of jewelry, with three gold hairpins alone, made Yao's heart flutter. As a loving mother, she always hoped that her child could bring a lot of dowry when she got married, so that with the support of this dowry, she wouldn't be looked down upon in her husband's family.

The old lady gave Xu Tao some extra dowry, and Chen felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this.

Chen's daughter, Xu Mian, was the third daughter of the family. Xu Mian was one year younger than the second daughter, Xu Tao, and had reached the age for marriage, but she had not been able to find a suitable match.

As the child of the second wife, she was always less fortunate than the eldest son who inherited the title in marriage. Moreover, Chen's family background was not very good. She had thought that if all else failed, she would marry her daughter to her own family. However, the thought of her daughter, who grew up in the capital, having to go to a very remote place to get married made Chen somewhat unwilling. If it weren't for the fact that her father had once unintentionally saved the second master, she would not have married into a family like the Marquis's mansion.

Feeling sad, Chen lay in her room. When Xu Pu returned home at dinner time, he saw dinner on the table, but his wife was not waiting for him as usual, which he found strange.

Xu Pu went into the inner room and saw that Chen Shi looked unwell. He asked her, "What's wrong?"

Madam Chen said, "I'm worried about Mian'er's marriage. Second Master, when will Mian'er's marriage be settled? My second daughter is about to get married, and Mian'er is only one year younger than her."

Xu Pu said, "What I mean is, just find someone promising from a poor family. With our family supporting him, how could we worry about him not being good to our Mian'er?"

Ms. Chen said, "But I always felt that it was not good to have such a low family background, otherwise people would laugh at me."

Xu Pu said, "I think it's good that our daughter is comfortable and that someone can treat her well. We know our own family's affairs. Even if you marry Mian'er off to a wealthy family, what will people think of our Mian'er after we separate from this manor?"

Chen's face grew increasingly pale. Xu Pu sighed, gently patted Chen's shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, I'll find some time to ask Di Ge'er to help inquire. He has more connections."