Chapter 88 Betrothal (Part 1) "The old lady wants to use Miss Lin's marriage as a pretext..."

Since she had not met Yuan Chun, Madam Wang did not want to stay any longer. She stood up and said, "Grandma, I have many things to do these days, so I will go back first."

Another line is spoken to Lin Daiyu in a flattering tone: "You should rest early too. I know that girls your age are playful. I was this age too. Just don't be too unrestrained."

Lin Daiyu tilted her head and smiled adorably: "I really can't imagine what my second aunt would be like when she's playful."

Lady Wang chuckled twice, turned and left. Grandmother Jia was still wondering what she had asked Yuanyang to do when she summoned her.

Oh, firstly, I want to ask Yuan Chun, and secondly, I want to advise her on her marriage—to teach her how to have a good life.

"It just so happens that your second aunt has left." Grandmother Jia, taking a jab at Lady Wang, seized the opportunity to get closer to her granddaughter, Yu'er. "Let's have a private chat, just the two of us. Yuanyang?"

Yuanyang led the maids out, and the once bustling main hall was now empty except for the two of them. Lin Daiyu glanced around and noticed that it was indeed rather deserted.

"Her Majesty has already bestowed the marriage upon us, and the betrothal ceremony will likely take place soon. Are you aware of the betrothal ceremony?"

Lin Daiyu had just learned from her third brother today what sincerity was the ultimate weapon, so she immediately smiled honestly, but with a hint of boastfulness, and asked, "Grandmother, are you testing me?"

Grandmother Jia choked, "Who wants to test you on this!"

Lin Daiyu pretended not to notice and continued with a smile, "It's all in the *Book of Rites* and the *Regulations*. The betrothal ceremony is the first of the three letters and six rites. The groom's family sends a matchmaker to deliver gifts to the bride's family. If the bride's family accepts them and reciprocates, the marriage is considered settled, and the next step can be taken. If the bride's family accepts the gifts but doesn't reciprocate, it means the groom's gifts are inappropriate, and they must send more. As for the gifts the groom's family sends, it varies from dynasty to dynasty, and each region has its own customs. Initially—"

"Hahaha." Grandmother Jia interrupted her with a few awkward laughs. If this continued, they might have to start tracing back to the timeline of Nuwa creating humans.

"It's clear you read quite a bit, but there are some things books don't write. For example, how many times should the groom's family present gifts to show their approval? When your mother got married, your father presented gifts three times. You... can't compare to your mother, but the Earl of Zhongyong's status is higher than your father's. I'm thinking it might be better to present gifts three times as well. What do you think?"

Lin Daiyu hesitated for a moment, then said quite sincerely, "But the Marquis of Zhongyong asked His Majesty to act as matchmaker, and the Empress bestowed the marriage upon us. I dare not. Grandmother, why don't you refuse?"

If Grandmother Jia dared, would she have bothered to sow discord behind the scenes? She didn't even dare to say a single direct word when expelling the Xue family.

"Alas..." Grandmother Jia sighed, "If you agree to marry him right away, I'm afraid his family will look down on you. What should we do?"

“Grandmother, don’t panic. My marriage was arranged by His Majesty and bestowed by the Empress. The Marquis of Zhongyong’s family dares not do this.”

Could you please stop mentioning His Majesty and the Empress?

For a moment, Grandmother Jia was at a loss for words, but since she had already brought up the topic of betrothal, she had no choice but to finish the conversation.

"Have you prepared your return gift?"

Lin Daiyu immediately wilted.

The "Man Jiang Hong" embroidery wasn't finished yet, so sending ordinary handkerchiefs or purses wouldn't showcase her embroidery skills.

This was a return gift for the betrothal, and she didn't want it to just pass by casually.

Seeing her like this, Grandmother Jia felt relieved: "Ahem, don't just be shy. Let me tell you how to return the gifts. Sending handkerchiefs, purses, and other small items is for the man's use, expressing your feelings. Sending table screens and other small ornaments is to show off your embroidery skills, letting people know that you are a good wife who manages the household well. Do you still remember the four virtues of a woman that I told you about last time?"

"Huh?" Lin Daiyu quickly came to her senses and immediately replied, "Grandmother means that we can also send embroidery to the Zhongyong Earl's family?"

Grandmother Jia nodded: "That's right. Sending gifts to his parents, brothers, sisters, and younger generations means that you will take good care of the family, be a qualified matriarch, manage the household affairs, and ensure the continuation of the family line."

Of course, the most important thing was to place all the servants of the Jia family in important positions.

Lin Daiyu was multitasking. After making her decision, she sent the first half of "Man Jiang Hong" as a gift, since it could be embroidered in a couple of days anyway.

Besides, no one said you can't send them separately. Anyway, you have to return the gifts and formalities several times, so sending them separately isn't a big deal.

"I understand." Lin Daiyu stood up. "Thank you for teaching me, Grandmother. I will go back and prepare now."

Grandmother Jia watched her leave, sighed softly, and as she relaxed, her eyes drooped. She said coldly, "She gets all excited when it comes to managing the household affairs. It's clear that her usual aloof demeanor is all an act."

Yuanyang, disregarding everything else, bluntly reminded them, "A return gift is required after the betrothal ceremony. The eldest and second wives haven't given their gifts yet. Since it's a marriage bestowed by the Empress, she'll inevitably send someone to oversee the proceedings. What if..."

In an instant, Grandmother Jia's face darkened. She said to Yuanyang, "Go and tell them again. If they still don't send it, I will go and tell their master."

Just as Yuanyang was about to leave, Grandmother Jia asked again, "Have Feng'er and Lian'er's things been delivered?"

Yuanyang paused, turned around, and said, "No."

Grandmother Jia instructed: "Tell her that her health is not good and she is getting old. If she can't manage the household, she should stop managing the household for now and take good care of her health. The most important thing is to leave Lian'er an heir."

Yuanyang agreed, but although she acted as usual in front of Grandmother Jia, she only felt her legs go weak once she left the courtyard.

She took the maidservant to Madam Xing's side. Anyway, the old lady knew that the master had ill intentions, so she couldn't be blamed for not going.

Yuanyang went to Madam Wang's room first, her face stern, and carefully hinted, "The old lady asked if the things promised to Miss Lin have been prepared. If not, perhaps the second master could procure some from outside."

Madam Wang's chest heaved with frustration, but she could only honestly reply, "I have prepared several items. Some of the jewelry is not very shiny, so I have had it refurbished. It will be ready in a couple of days."

Yuanyang then said, "The betrothal ceremony will be held in a few days. The old lady asked if it's possible to prepare everything before the ceremony."

"The betrothal ceremony can't be delayed in the long run; the dowry is the main expense and needs to be carefully prepared."

Although it only moved when poked, at least the betrothal hurdle was overcome, so Yuanyang didn't say anything more, bowed, and took her leave.

After leaving Madam Wang's courtyard, Yuanyang went to Wang Xifeng's room. It was already dark. Yuanyang carried a lantern in her hand, her mind filled with mixed thoughts.

She had thought about her future, more than once.

To ensure that her daughter managed things without making mistakes and to prevent her from being courted by others, the old lady never intended to arrange a marriage for her.

Of course, Yuanyang herself also looked down on the stewards of the Jia family.

She originally thought that after the old lady passed away, she could become a nun or guard the old lady's grave. But having offended the master, she probably only had one option left: to kill herself by crashing into the old lady's coffin.

But who would want to die when they're perfectly healthy?

Yuanyang then took a liking to Second Master Lian.

Although Wang Xifeng was jealous, she was different from Ping'er. She was not good-looking and was older. She came here not for Master Lian, but to find a way to survive.

Even if the master is a scoundrel, he can't just forcibly take his son's concubine, can he?

Besides, once the old lady passes away and the family property is divided, with Yuanyang as an assistant, no one can fool Master Lian.

It can be said that both sides have what they need, making it a win-win situation.

It's hard to say who started it, but by using the old lady's things as bait, Yuanyang, Lian Erye, and Wang Xifeng tested each other a few times and developed some tacit understanding.

"Yuanyang has arrived." Ping'er lifted the curtain and invited her in.

Spring had arrived, the weather was getting warmer, and the curtains in the house had all been replaced with lighter ones. Through the bamboo curtain, Yuanyang saw Jia Lian tidying his clothes inside. She paused, pulled Ping'er aside, and asked a couple of questions, such as whether Second Mistress was feeling better, and that Second Master was too busy and needed to take good care of himself, etc.

Yuanyang went in after Jia Lian had finished preparing.

Wang Xifeng sat on the couch by the window, Jia Lian sat on the chair against the wall, and Ping'er led Yuanyang to sit down next to Wang Xifeng, then stood behind Wang Xifeng.

Yuanyang relayed the old lady's words, and Wang Xifeng's expression immediately changed. She glared at Jia Lian fiercely: "I haven't gotten any benefits yet, but you're only thinking of me when it comes to paying."

In front of Yuanyang, Jia Lian still wanted to save face, so he laughed and said, "You just rest. If you're not in charge of the household, who is? Do you expect the Second Madam to come out of retirement? Or do you expect the widowed Sister-in-law Zhu to take charge? We can't expect Third Sister and Miss Xue to manage the household, can we? Those two are just causing trouble."

Yuanyang then said, "Second Madam has already agreed. In the end, the Old Madam will pay the majority, and Second Madam will be second. I was thinking... if Second Madam trusts me, why not send the things directly to Miss Lin? We all know what kind of temper Miss Lin has, so we can avoid going through the Old Madam's trick."

There wasn't a single fool in this room. Jia Lian got up and bowed to Yuanyang, saying, "Thank you, Sister Yuanyang, for saving us."

Yuanyang hurriedly tried to stand up, but Wang Xifeng stopped her, saying, "You should accept this courtesy."

Having accepted the gift, Yuanyang thought about what information to give back: "Judging from what the old lady said, the second mistress reaped a lot of benefits when she was in charge of the household. Even her maids didn't skimp on the money. Although the old lady didn't say it outright, I always felt that she planned to take back everything from the second mistress by taking advantage of Miss Lin's marriage."

Yuanyang paused for a moment, then made up her mind and said, "So... even if we don't come out, it won't cause any problems."

That was enough. Yuanyang was a little flustered and quickly stood up, saying, "I should go back now."

"Ping'er?" Wang Xifeng called out.

Ping'er stepped forward and took Yuanyang's arm, saying, "I'll see you off."

Ping'er and Yuanyang went out, and Jia Lian sneered: "Did you hear that? Your good aunt has made a lot of money. You're the only fool I've seen who used that to fill her own dowry."

Wang Xifeng retorted with a sneer, "Just how much benefit did you gain in Suzhou that the old lady still can't forget about it?"

The two exchanged a glance and then fell silent. Jia Lian said, "Ever since the Empress's visit home, our family has been declining year by year. Our annual income is no more than 50,000, while we spend no less than 100,000."

Wang Xifeng understood. The deficit from this trip was all paid for with the Lin family's money. She raised an eyebrow and said, "These alone amount to no less than 300,000 taels. The old lady is planning to prepare 200,000 taels worth of goods, and she thinks she can get rid of Miss Lin with 50,000 taels of cash?"

Jia Lian didn't answer this. Besides, although Wang Xifeng asked a question, the answer was actually affirmative.

Jia Lian also asked, "Are you really going to send her something?"

Wang Xifeng thought for a moment: "We definitely have to send her a gift. We've never had a serious argument over the years, and we get along quite well. There's no reason for us to offend her now. Besides, the Marquis of Zhongyong holds a real position. Even if we don't have the chance to befriend him, why should we offend him?"

"I'll prepare five hundred taels tomorrow, as a way to give her some things in advance," Jia Lian agreed.

Wang Xifeng chuckled: "You should really call your second sister over to listen. She thinks her good second master has given her all his private money. Well, she comes from a humble family, where has she ever seen money? How would she know how much money a proper man should have? Sigh... I really feel sorry for my second sister."

"Don't feel sorry for her." Jia Lian glared at her. "You should think about how to deal with the old lady first. If you give the things directly to Lin Daiyu, what will the old lady say to you? Will she stop letting you manage the household? Wouldn't that be the death of you?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Wang Xifeng laughed. "Anyway, besides me, no one else can manage the household. Besides, the Second Madam has been fooling the Old Madam for more than ten or eight years, and she hasn't done anything wrong. They were all raised by the Wang family; I know how she makes money—"

Wang Xifeng suddenly paused: "I'm actually hoping she'll have the Third Miss and Miss Xue manage the household. I'll wait and see what happens."

The next morning, someone from the palace came and first spoke to Lin Daiyu about the betrothal ceremony on the seventh day of the third month. Then they went to see Grandmother Jia and instructed her on what to prepare.

Lin Daiyu blushed and agreed. After the palace maid left, she couldn't help but look at her "Man Jiang Hong" again and asked her senior maid for help: "Qingwen, can I finish embroidering it?"

"All that's left is empty sorrow," Qingwen said with a smile. "If you don't go out these next two days, you'll definitely be able to finish the embroidery."

"Do you think we should add some decorations?"

Qingwen felt that the girl had lost her composure, and she laughed again: "With such verses and such momentum, anything else would be superfluous."

Lin Daiyu coughed and said, "Xueyan, have someone go to my maternal grandmother's room later to tell her that I will be embroidering return gifts these days, so I won't be going out for meals."

"A wild goose is a must in the betrothal gifts," the emperor instructed Mu Chuan. "Some people use chickens, or ducks, geese, etc. According to my research, at first, it was something the man had to hunt himself to prove that he could support the family and feed the girl. Later, it was changed to a wild goose, because it is said that a wild goose only finds a mate once in its life, symbolizing fidelity."

Mu Chuan listened and nodded, offering plenty of emotional support: "I can certainly take care of something."

"No need for such trouble," the emperor laughed. "The things that come from the enemy are all bloody and unlucky, so I've prepared everything for you. Besides these, you should also prepare some daily necessities to show that the groom's family is well-off and that the bride's family doesn't need to worry."

"It's not entirely for the lady's sake. This is also a good opportunity to hunt some game for His Majesty to try. What would His Majesty like to eat?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a young eunuch's voice came from outside the imperial study: "The Emperor Emeritus has sent someone to deliver something to the Earl of Zhongyong."

The emperor frowned, but still called the man in.

The one who came was a young eunuch whom Mu Chuan had met before, but had never spoken to.

It's clear that this task would likely displease the emperor, which is why Dai Quan avoided it.

"Your Majesty, the Earl of Zhongyong." The young eunuch bowed and placed the wooden box on the table. "This is the betrothal gift prepared by the Emperor Emeritus for the Earl of Zhongyong."

The wooden box was opened, revealing a set of everyday items made of pure gold. Although they were all small, more like toys, the craftsmanship was extremely exquisite. In particular, the handheld mirror, which was only the size of Mu Chuan's fingernail, was polished to an extremely smooth finish and could be used as a mirror without any problems.

The emperor chuckled twice, then said in a show of magnanimity, "These things are only used during the betrothal ceremony. When the betrothal gifts are sent, I will give you a real set."