Lady Hou said, "Our family is the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion, and our ancestors were all military leaders."

The Ye family members looked at each other in bewilderment. A war?

Old Man Ye was stunned: "The Marquis's residence? Is it that... Marquis?"

"Yes, yes. The current Marquis of Dingguo is my husband, and Zhiyan's elder brother."

The Ye family members gasped. It was actually a noble family?

Lady Hou continued, “Our family is small. My mother has been a widow for many years, and my husband has two siblings. My eldest sister is the eldest, my husband is the second, and Zhiyan is the youngest. They are all from the same mother.”

"My eldest sister married into the royal family."

"The Wang... family?"

"Royal."

Jin Hua mustered her courage and asked, "Is it... the royal family, the kind of royal relatives?"

"right."

Jin Hua took a deep breath: "Could it be that Mr. Shen's elder sister is a princess?"

Lady Hou chuckled: "It's the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager? Empress Dowager...? Is she the Empress Dowager from the storybook? She's the emperor's mother?

Grandma Ye and the others were so shocked that their mouths were almost agape. My God, isn't this emperor Mr. Shen's nephew?

Lady Hou said, "My eldest sister's youngest son is the current emperor. What I mean is... as long as our family doesn't do anything reckless, we're safe for life. Among all the noble families in the capital, our family is the safest."

What does safety mean?

The Ye family members didn't understand these things very well; all they knew was that this was the Empress Dowager's maternal family!

They were true members of the royal family.

Ye Caiping nodded inside the room.

It's definitely a sure thing!

The Lady Hou outside continued, "Now that I've finished talking about my eldest sister, let me tell you about us. My husband and I have three children, all boys. Since we have no other brothers, we numbered the boys and girls together. Manman is the only girl, and she's the fourth child."

"Once Brother Yan and Cai Ping get married, Jin'er and Huan'er will be the fifth and sixth sons, hehehe."

Inside the room, Ye Caiping chuckled, glancing at the newly born fifth and sixth sons...

Ye Huan'er tugged at Ye Jin'er: "Why? I feel a bit pressured?"

Ye Jin'er: "No!"

Ye Daquan, speaking from outside, said in a muffled voice, "We haven't agreed yet..."

Old Mrs. Ye glared at him, then looked at Madam Hou: "When you propose marriage, do you have any other requirements?"

Lady Hou said, "No. Then, Aunt Ye, is there anything you want?"

Grandma Ye and Grandpa Ye breathed a sigh of relief. The Shen family were supposed to be royalty, yet they had no airs at all.

Ye Daquan felt a pang of jealousy: "How much are you planning to offer as betrothal gifts?"

If it's less than a thousand taels, they're not being sincere!

Shen Zhiyan said, "Eighty-eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight taels, plus a five-courtyard house in the capital and two estates."

Ye Daquan almost fell off his chair!

Grandma Ye and the others fell silent instantly. What else could they say?

Matchmaker Jiang smiled and said, "In the capital, the bride price for an ordinary nobleman is no more than ten thousand taels! Only wealthy families can afford thirty or forty thousand. So the Marquis of Dingguo's family is really sincere."

Lady Hou nodded.

Her bride price was 50,000 taels of silver back then, which was considered high.

Shen Zhiyan's first wife also cost 50,000.

Over the years, they felt that Shen Zhiyan had sacrificed too much and suffered too many grievances. It was rare for him to meet a woman he truly liked, so they wanted to make it up to him.

The elderly couple, Grandma and Grandma Ye, were quite moved, and their worries were finally put to rest.

This isn't just about money. No one would casually throw around over 80,000 taels of silver.

The fact that the other party was willing to pay such a huge price for their daughter shows how much they cherish her.

They sensed Shen Zhiyan's sincerity.

Even the Ye brothers couldn't find fault with her, and their gazes towards Shen Zhiyan softened a bit.

Old Man Ye said, "Caiping is going to marry into the capital, so what should be done about the marriage?"

Lady Hou said, "Our idea is to finalize the marriage between Yan Di and Cai Ping today, and then send out betrothal gifts the day after tomorrow. After that, they will go to the capital together and get married there. Uncle Ye, Aunt Ye, and Brother Daquan, you can also come along. You can also attend our old lady's birthday banquet."

Grandma Ye and Grandpa Ye exchanged a glance; they had thought about this problem long ago.

Grandma Ye looked troubled: "You're so kind. It's a pity my old man can't ride a boat."

Old Ye suffered from severe seasickness. He had wanted to go on a trade trip before, but as soon as he boarded the ship, he would vomit and have diarrhea. After disembarking, he lay in bed for half a month before recovering, and he was almost half dead.

The journey to the capital is not a matter of a day or two, but rather a journey of more than half a month.

Old Man Ye is getting old now, and his body can't hold up anymore.

Lady Hou said, "That's easy. We'll hold the wedding twice. First, we'll go to the capital to write the marriage certificate and hold the ceremony there. Then, we'll hold it again when we return to the village."

The elderly couple had initially thought they wouldn't be able to attend their daughter's wedding, but upon hearing the news, their eyes lit up: "Great!"

Shen Zhiyan looked at them: "So... Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye have agreed to Zhiyan's marriage proposal today?"

Grandma Ye and Grandma Ye nodded with smiles: "Agreed."

Shen Zhiyan was overjoyed and stood up, cupping his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye."

Shen Manman looked at him and took a deep breath. She never thought she would see her father actively proposing marriage!

The group discussed many details in the living room until noon before they finished.

Finally, the two exchanged their birth charts, thus formally tying the knot.

At this moment, Ye Caiping led Jin'er and Huan'er out.

Shen Zhiyan turned around, looked at her, and his eyes gradually brightened.

Ye Caiping had dressed up specially for today. She wore a cream-colored, dark red-trimmed, wide-sleeved, cross-collared top, paired with a bright red pleated skirt with scattered flowers. As she walked slowly, the skirt hem was adorned with subtle begonia flower patterns, creating a beautiful and graceful silhouette.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!