Chapter 92 The Empress Demands a Dowry of 2.4 Million Taels "He's trying to harm me..."

For the first time in their lives, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng, the couple who managed the household, carefully calculated how much silver the servants of the Rongguo Mansion had embezzled, and came up with an enormous figure that even they themselves could not believe.

"This..." But thinking about it, it's not impossible. She had even visited the Lai family's garden. Apart from being a bit smaller than the Grand View Garden, the things they used were just as good.

After calculating the amount of money, Jia Lian looked at Wang Xifeng with utter disdain: "People say you're shrewd, but do you really believe it? How much money do you manage to make in a year? You've even ruined your reputation. Look at Second Madam."

Jia Lian paced anxiously back and forth in the room: "How much silver have those servants and stewards embezzled? And what about the silver that was embezzled by the old lady's people? There's nothing left in the public accounts. When the family is divided, who will leave the old lady's things to Baoyu? She'll take her people with her, and the silver will go with the second branch of the family. What will be left for me then?"

Wang Xifeng retorted, "Lin Zhixiao's daughter is in my room."

"How much silver will that be? Will it be enough to cover your dowry?"

But it was too late to say anything now. Jia Lian flicked his sleeve and said, "I'm going to find the master!"

Jia Lian didn't even eat the steamed lamb that Grandmother Jia had given him before rushing off to find Jia She.

Jia She was having a meal, with not only delicious food and wine, but also two singers nearby.

"Master," Jia Lian bowed and sat down, then said with an awkward smile, "You should drink less at noon, lest you harm your health."

Jia She glanced at him: "What am I supposed to do if I don't drink? Has the wedding been settled over there?"

"The person has already been sent away," Jia Lian replied. He had come to find Jia She out of sheer anger, and now he was a little hesitant. His father was not a man of principle, and Jia Lian was somewhat afraid.

Jia She glanced at him and ordered, "Get your Second Master Lian an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl."

The maid went to fetch something, and a servant came to report: "Master, Mr. Qi has arrived."

Qi Mingcheng was one of Jia She's retainers, and he had a talent for eating, drinking and having fun. However, he came in today with a panicked look on his face: "Master, I just went to the account to withdraw money, but the accountant said that you are not allowed to withdraw money from the public account anymore. He also said that from now on, we people, including your maids and servants, can no longer be supported by the public account."

"What!" Jia She's previously cloudy eyes lit up instantly. He frowned, glanced at Jia Lian again, and already guessed his intentions. "I understand. Let me finish my meal first."

Qi Mingcheng accepted the order and left. Jia Lian couldn't help but exclaim, "This is too much! This is too much!" He recounted the accounts he had settled with Wang Xifeng earlier, but Jia She didn't ask about that. Instead, he asked, "How much stuff did you bring back from the Lin family back then?"

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment, then said, "One million eight hundred and thirty thousand taels, plus some things that are hard to sell, which are worth another three or four hundred thousand taels in our old house in Jinling."

“No wonder,” Jia She sneered. “When I said I wanted Yuanyang, the old lady wanted to skin me alive. Everyone knows that the old house is looked after by Yuanyang’s family. Anyone can do the math, but she just can’t live without Yuanyang.”

At this point, Jia Lian couldn't care less about anything else and only asked, "Master, what should we do?"

Jia She closed his eyes. He already had an idea, or rather, he had already had an idea, but he could only say it now.

"Go find Lord Zhongyong and tell him that he brought four million taels of silver from the Lin family back then."

"Ah!" Jia Lian exclaimed, "Even if we emptied our pockets, we still couldn't raise that much money."

"Useless! They've emptied the Rongguo Mansion, and you still think they're relatives?" Jia She cursed. "Do you want them to have a million in assets and only leave you a mere thirty or fifty thousand taels as a token, or do you want them to have nothing left but you still have your noble title?"

It's actually not that hard to choose.

Jia Lian downed his drink in one gulp: "I'll go over this afternoon."

Jia She grunted in agreement: "And don't forget about your sister's marriage. If you don't marry your sister off before my niece gets married, she won't be able to find a husband."

Now Jia Lian didn't hesitate. Sun Shaozu at least appeared to be a decent person on the surface, and couldn't possibly be worse than the second wife.

His sister gets along well with the second wife, so she can't possibly have a falling out with Sun Shaozu.

There's still the Marquis of Zhongyong's influence involved.

After lunch, one of the matchmakers went home and the other went to the palace.

Before Song could even perform her rites, she was pulled up by a palace maid. The Empress asked, "Did things go smoothly? What were sent? Let me see the list."

“The Earl of Zhongyong truly likes Miss Lin.” Madam Song said with a smile as she handed over the gift list.

The Empress replied, "Of course. It is said that he mentioned it to His Majesty a long time ago, and he has waited until now. It must have been quite difficult for him."

However, after glancing at the gift list, the Empress said, "This gift is fine for ordinary families, but it's too meager for Miss Lin."

In families that are somewhat particular about weddings, the dowry should at least be equal to the bride price, and in more particular families, it can be double.

The return gift given in advance is usually one-tenth of the dowry.

Based on the Rongguo Mansion's arrangement, the final dowry will likely only amount to 200,000 taels.

Fortunately, the Empress had made preparations in advance. She summoned a lady-in-waiting and said, "Send the list I drafted a couple of days ago to the Rongguo Mansion and tell them to prepare the dowry according to this list."

The emperor ordered a dowry of at least two million taels of silver. As for the empress, she had some "connection" with Jia Yuanchun, and it was already difficult for Jia Yuanchun to do things well when she was asked to do them. So the empress added another 20%.

Two million four hundred thousand taels.

So no matter what the Rongguo Mansion prepares today, or whether their attitude is good or bad, they will have to follow this procedure from now on.

"That's fine." The Empress smiled with satisfaction. "All 128 dowry baskets are packed full. I want her to have a grand and glorious wedding."

The Rongguo Mansion was close to the palace, which used to be an advantage, as it allowed people to enter the palace promptly when the late emperor and the retired emperor summoned them.

Now there are only downsides. Before we've even had dinner, the lady-in-waiting has brought us a list: "Her Majesty has instructed us to prepare the dowry according to this list. Her Majesty's idea is that only antiques over two hundred years old can barely be called antiques; anything under two hundred years old can only be called old goods."

Grandmother Jia was so shocked that she didn't even answer.

But the female official wasn't embarrassed. She put down her things and said, "I'll go see Miss Lin."

Even Grandmother Jia couldn't keep her composure. This lady-in-waiting was far too impolite. After all, she was the Duchess of the State and should have some dignity.

She sighed as she reached for the form, and upon opening it, she wondered if she had gone blind.

"Fifty thousand taels of gold?" Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the gift list, taking several deep breaths before she came to her senses. "Yuanyang, look at what's written on this."

Yuanyang took the order, glanced at it, and didn't dare to read any further.

The list was filled with ivory, sandalwood, gold, and jade. Even though Yuanyang had always been in charge of Grandmother Jia's belongings and had seen countless precious antiques, jade artifacts, and paintings, she was still so shocked by this gift list that she almost lost her ability to read.

"So I wasn't wrong," Grandmother Jia said quietly, closing her eyes and looking as if she had aged ten years in an instant. "Yu'er has really become estranged from me. Is she going to help outsiders force her maternal grandfather's entire family of over a thousand people to their deaths?"

“Grandma,” Yuanyang quickly knelt down, “Please don’t overthink it. Miss Lin… how could Miss Lin know so much? She’s probably been deceived.”

Yuanyang stammered as she tried to persuade him, "You said last time that Lord Zhongyong came for the money, so perhaps it was a scheme he devised behind the scenes. If we really ask Miss Lin, then we'll be truly estranged."

"But what can we do with the list given by Her Majesty the Empress?" Grandmother Jia asked helplessly.

Yuanyang's mind raced. Regardless of whether it made sense or not, she decided to let today's matter slide: "The dowry... the dowry can be taken back! Miss Lin can give some things to her cousins ​​in private, and give some gifts to her maternal grandmother and uncles and aunts. No one can say anything about that."

Grandmother Jia suddenly opened her eyes: "Go and call the eldest and second masters here." Two or three hundred thousand taels was fine if she told Xing and Wang, but two million taels, she had to let her two sons know.

Yuanyang turned to leave, but was stopped by Grandmother Jia: "Wait! What will it look like if someone sees you in such a hurry! Never mind... let's wait until they come to pay their respects tonight, and don't let anyone know!"

"Yes." Yuanyang deliberately slowed her pace, walked slowly out of Grandmother Jia's room, and forced a smile. "Bring the meal."

"Lord Zhongyong, oh Lord Zhongyong..." Grandmother Jia cried out viciously, "You are so cruel, showing no mercy whatsoever. You will surely have a miserable life from now on!"

"Loyal and Brave Earl is better than Second Master Bao!"

"That's so much better!"

The old women who were waiting on the road in the morning, especially those who had seen Uncle Zhongyong, were taking advantage of the dinner opportunity to spread the word about Uncle Zhongyong's extraordinary qualities.

Hearing this, the old woman in the front yard couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority: "We told you long ago, but you didn't believe us."

"This...you're saying he's twice as big as Master Bao? Who can believe that?"

"Although the master often says that Master Bao is still a child... after seeing the Earl of Zhongyong and comparing them, let alone a child, Master Bao has only just learned to walk."

"Tall and imposing, he doesn't look forty at all, at most thirty, and he still has the air of an official. If you think about it, he's young and promising."

"Who would dare let him suffer? Who would dare let Miss Lin suffer? If he throws a punch, who can stop him?"

When they got excited, the old women all laughed.

“The family is all in charge of Zhongyong’s household. He used to be the one managing the household, while his parents-in-law were just figureheads and didn’t need to set any rules. This is something that makes people quite envious.”

"Look at our eldest mistress Zhu and second mistress Lian, who could they choose but Bao Er Ye? He's useless, not only does he have no job, but now he's being forced by the second master to practice calligraphy. First mistress Zhu passed the imperial examination at fourteen, while Bao Er Ye is almost twenty and still practicing calligraphy? Besides, his mother and great-grandmother are still alive, and he has quite a few sisters-in-law, and his sister-in-law is a widow. They're all so troublesome. Tsk tsk, Lin—"

"Miss Bao?"

The old women quickly stopped talking and looked out the window of the gatehouse of the Grand View Garden. They saw Xue Baochai walking hurriedly, as if she was going to Grandmother Jia's room for a meal.

"I hope Miss Bao doesn't hear us, will she?"

"Hey, what's there to be afraid of? No matter how old she is, she's still an unmarried girl. She has to pretend she didn't hear you."

This interruption dampened the atmosphere, and an old woman sighed, "If I could bring it with me as part of my dowry, I would gladly shorten my lifespan by ten years."

"Hmph, you're dreaming. Didn't you see what he brought today? The sticks were bent. I'd gladly shorten my lifespan by twenty years."

"You'll lose twenty years of your lifespan; you should die today."

The old women laughed again.

"I heard... eventually some money will have to be spent, and quite a few people have already gone to ask Second Madam Lian for information."

"It's time to let your Second Mistress Lian rest." Grandmother Jia smiled gently, but there was little smile in her eyes, only calculation.

She looked at Wang Xifeng and said with heartache, "You've been married into this family for over ten years now. You used to be so radiant, but these past years you've been so busy managing the household that you're barely recognizable, and you haven't even been able to keep your child..."

The girls in the room all lowered their heads.

As usual, Yingchun cleared her mind, letting the thoughts go in one ear and out the other, not taking it to heart at all. Xichun, on the other hand, didn't have time to think about this; she only hoped that her neighbor wouldn't remember her when they moved.

It's better to stay in the Rongguo Mansion than to go back to the Ningguo Mansion.

At worst, she could move in with Miaoyu and take over her spiritual practice.

Tan Chun was different; her heart was pounding, and she was thinking about only one thing: the old lady no longer asked her to manage the household!

Tan Chun subconsciously looked towards Sister-in-law Zhu, only to see that she had her head down and her expression was not clear. When she looked at Xue Baochai, their eyes met.

Tan Chun hurriedly lowered her head, but found it strange that the eldest daughter of the Xue family didn't have a smile on her face. Was she unhappy?

Sure enough, Grandmother Jia's next words were: "You should rest too, let the young ladies take care of things—"

Li Wan breathed a sigh of relief. Managing the Rongguo Mansion was more difficult than being a widow. Let whoever wants to manage it manage it; the best thing is to not let her interfere.

"Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun," Grandmother Jia called out their names one by one.

The three of them stood up.

"You're both of age now; it's time you learned how to manage a household. Bao'er—"

Xue Baochai also stood up. Although she seemed a little confused, she still managed to put on an impeccable smile because she was so skilled at it: "Grandma."

“You lend a hand too. The four of you can discuss things together. Don’t keep bothering your sister-in-law Lian. Let her get some rest.”

Wang Xifeng remained silent, but the smile on her face grew increasingly mocking.

Four people discussing it? Yingchun and Xichun had no idea, and Tanchun and Miss Xue were both unwilling to give in to each other. She wanted to see how chaotic the Rongguo Mansion would become.

"Thank you for your kindness, Grandma."

"Why don't you ask Lin Daiyu to take charge?"

Wang Xifeng's and Jia Baoyu's voices rang out simultaneously.

Inside the room, whether they were masters or maids, everyone tried their best to refrain from looking at Master Bao.

The betrothal ceremony has already taken place today, and you're still calling yourself Miss Lin!

Why hasn't the Second Master lit the cannon yet, even after all this time?

Normally, Wang Xifeng would have laughed it off, but she no longer cares about the household. The old lady uses her and then discards her, so why should she care about anything else?

Wang Xifeng smiled and looked away without saying a word.

Grandmother Jia, holding her anger, personally intervened: "Your Lin sister isn't in good health, don't let her work so hard." Besides, why should she be taught how to manage the household? She can learn on her own after she marries into the Marquis of Zhongyong's household.

Jia Baoyu sighed, "No wonder I haven't seen Lin Daiyu these past few days."

He's such a phoenix egg! Even Wang Xifeng couldn't stand it anymore.

Fortunately, Grandmother Jia couldn't stand seeing her precious grandson act foolishly. She laughed and said, "Alright, you all go back and think it over. It's just about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. There's nothing difficult about it."

Everyone rose to take their leave, and Wang Xifeng returned to the room with a cold laugh, asking, "Where is Second Master?"

"Second Master said he has something to do, and if he doesn't come back before dinner, he won't be back tonight."

"Shameless! You've just had a child and you're already trying to seduce me!" Wang Xifeng spat.

Jia Lian felt that he had already thrown his face to the ground and let others trample on it.

He first chased after the Marquis of Zhongyong to his residence, and waited for an hour, but instead of seeing him, a servant came out to tell him that the Marquis of Zhongyong had returned to his military camp.

Jia Lian, enraged, chased after him to the northern camp. By now it was almost dark, but the Marquis of Zhongyong still hadn't seen him. His men came out again and said, "The lord is eating. Why don't you come another day?"

The rank of Tongzhi he donated was no different from a piece of paper in front of Zhongyongbo; it was even considered scrap paper.

Jia Lian slipped the money to Zhongyong Earl and shamelessly claimed it was to discuss marriage. It wasn't until it was completely dark that Zhongyong Earl came out.

"Speak, what is it?" Mu Chuan stood there and threw the silver back. "I'll let it go this time, but if it happens again, I'll have to deal with you according to military law."

Jia Lian was trembling, but then he thought, if the man is ignoring him, how could he let the second wife off the hook?

"Miss Lin's family property is at least four million taels. She brought some back with her back then, and some that was difficult to sell was left in the Jia family's old house, which may still be there now."

Jia Lian spoke without thinking. He hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, so how could he possibly think of small talk or diplomacy? Besides, given the Earl of Zhongyong's temperament, if he really tried to reason with him, he would probably just turn around and leave.

Upon hearing this, Mu Chuan's expression turned strange. Could he... possibly be trying to harm his father-in-law?

He had asked about it before, and the emperor had also sent people to investigate.

Two million taels is a reasonable figure. If all of the Lin family's assets are valued at the highest possible price, it would still be around three million taels even with a rough rounding.

Four million taels?

Isn't this blatantly saying that his father-in-law embezzled a lot of government funds?

But his father-in-law has already gone; the Rongguo Mansion is trying to harm Mu Chuan!

Mu Chuan patted Jia Lian's shoulder several times forcefully: "You're good. I understand."