The people of the Chengguo Mansion were naturally delighted when Madam Mo became pregnant. With the Lunar New Year approaching, a happy event at this time naturally made everyone even happier, especially the Mo family.

Madam Mo Dashao also came to see Madam Mo and said, "You are pregnant at the right time."

"Yes." Madam Mo nodded slightly, looking at her belly. She was very happy to be pregnant. If she didn't get pregnant again, she might be able to hold on for another year or two. Even if she didn't take a concubine for the Crown Prince, someone from the Chengguo Mansion would definitely take one for He Xichen.

He Xichen is the heir to the Chengguo Mansion, and those people cannot wait for the Mo family forever.

"I heard your family started to split up?" Madam Mo said, "and they gave quite a bit to..."

"It doesn't matter how much or how little is divided." Mrs. Mo interrupted Mrs. Mo.

"You're the Crown Prince's wife, so you can't be too weak." Madam Mo said, "There are rumors out there that you want to give half of it away, so you..."

"Why are you saying all this? The Duke's Mansion's things aren't yours," Madam Mo said. "It's better not to overthink it. Even if it's really half, so what?"

It’s not that the Mo family doesn’t care about the family property, but they have already obtained a lot. If they are greedy for more, that would not be good.

"It's true that you are from my maternal family, but these matters are the business of the Duke's Mansion, not my maternal family." Mrs. Mo didn't want her maternal family to be involved in these matters. She didn't say those stupid things, so her maternal family should not hold her back.

"Don't be upset." Madam Mo said, "We just thought that since your status isn't that high, they might look down on you, or..."

"Okay, stop talking." Mrs. Mo frowned. "It was originally a happy event, but now you've said that. What? Do you want me to use my pregnancy as an excuse to talk nonsense in front of my parents-in-law?"

Mrs. Mo didn't dare to do that. Even if she was pregnant, so what?

The prince of Chengguo Mansion has no shortage of women, and He Xichen can find other women to have children.

"Come if you want, but don't say any more of these things," Madam Mo said. "If you say them and spread them out, people will definitely think my hands are too long, and yours are too long too."

When Madam Mo heard what Mrs. Mo said, she didn't know what to say for a moment.

In a small town, Liu Yuqin married into a new family. The man was a scholar whose ex-wife had died during childbirth, leaving behind a daughter. Liu Yuqin married into the family as a widow, not revealing her son.

Liu Yuqin did not go to the Marquis' Mansion to report it, and Liu Yanbo was only here for two days and was about to go back.

This small town itself is close to the capital, less than a day's journey away. Liu Yuqin didn't think about going further, thinking that she could return to the capital at any time, and the people here might not know all the things going on in the capital.

"If you go back, this child..." Aunt Qing held Liu Yuqin's child.

"It's not my child, I won't raise him." Liu Yanbo continued, "You haven't told my brother-in-law yet, and it's up to you whether you tell him in the future. This child will grow up sooner or later. Unless you never tell him about his life story, he will find out sooner or later."

Liu Yanbo thought that it was not a big deal that Liu Yuqin and the others had been hiding the truth from others. After all, that man was just a scholar who was not very wealthy, and Liu Yuqin was still going to be his concubine.

Then Liu Yuqin should have told her about the child long ago. How long could Concubine Qing raise the child? She would have to tell her about it when the child was older.

"Forget it, if you don't want to raise it then forget it." Aunt Qing originally thought that Liu Yanbo would change his attitude, but Liu Yanbo still had the same attitude.

"I can't raise him." Liu Yanbo said, "I don't want my family to fall apart. If my second sister is kind enough, she'd send the child to us for foster care and let him know his life story. That would be fine, but unfortunately..."

Liu Yanbo was worried that Liu Yuqin would later complain that they had raised the child for so long and why they didn't buy more things for the child or give the child any property.

How is that possible? Most of the things in the house belong to Su Qiuya.

Liu Yuqin's child has no blood relationship with Su Qiuya, so Liu Yanbo is not so shameless. Even if Su Qiuya gave her property to a stranger, she would not necessarily give it to Liu Yuqin's child.

"If you want to raise this child, then take good care of him," Liu Yanbo said. "Don't keep going back and forth like this. If you want to stay here, then stay. We will send you some money every month."

"You..." Aunt Qing felt depressed when she heard this.

"It's time for me to go back. The New Year is almost here. I can't stay here forever." Liu Yanbo said, "Let Second Sister live a good life. We won't interfere so much."

Liu Yanbo just felt that Liu Yuqin found a man very quickly and got married so quickly. Liu Yanbo didn't know whether his second brother-in-law was a good person. He just hoped that this second brother-in-law would be better, so that Liu Yuqin could live in peace.

Everyone has their own life to live, and Liu Yanbo cannot change Liu Yuqin's personality.

"Go, go, go." Aunt Qing waved her hand. "You've only been here for a short time, and you're already in a hurry to go back."

"I have to go back." Liu Yanbo was worried that Su Qiuya would encounter problems at home alone, so he wanted to go back to accompany Su Qiuya.

When Liu Yuqin returned home, she did not see Liu Yanbo. Liu Yuqin's husband was still confused, and Aunt Qing just said that Liu Yanbo was going back to open a shop, and that survival was not an easy thing.

Liu Yuqin's husband didn't ask much. He didn't care about that. He just wanted his daughter to have a mother and someone to take care of things at home, so he could focus on other things.

Liu Yuqin's marriage was chosen by Qing Yi Niang, who also made inquiries. Qing Yi Niang didn't want Liu Yuqin to marry someone too rich or too powerful, but she thought the scholar had good character and would be good to Liu Yuqin.

Now, Aunt Qing truly believed that Liu's mother had good taste. For example, the husband Xue Liu had married was a good one. Smaller families, not so wealthy, didn't have so many troubles at home. Smaller families didn't think about taking concubines, and basically just lived as a couple.

Xue Liu's husband's family is from the Xue family. Even though they have a distant relationship with the Xue Bo Mansion, they have some money and can afford one or two maids and old women.

Aunt Qing used to think that Xue Liushi married into a bad family, but now she no longer thinks so. When Xue Liushi's family was raided, her husband treated her very well, and those people even went to the city gate to see the Liu family off.

Aunt Qing must be regretting it now. If she hadn't made such a fuss earlier, and let Liu Yuqin marry the person chosen by her mother, perhaps Liu Yuqin wouldn't have to be someone's stepmother now.

Fortunately, the scholar only had a daughter and no son, so that was okay.

For a daughter, it's just a matter of dowry.

Aunt Qing looked at her grandson in her arms and knew that she had to go on with her life.

At the beginning of the new year, at the end of the first month, the Duke Chengguo Mansion and the Marquis Jingning Mansion began to observe the six rituals.

Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan's wedding was scheduled for March, when the weather was not so cold and was somewhat warm. Waiting until later, when the weather was too hot or during the rainy season, would not be so good.

The list of betrothal gifts that the Chengguo Mansion gave to Liu Yulian was very long and included many things, more than what was given to Mrs. Mo.

People outside also knew something about it. They all said that the Chengguo Mansion sent a large betrothal gift, and some said that Mo was not as good as Princess Rongning.

When Madam Mo heard the news outside, she wasn't surprised at all. Those people would definitely say a few more words. They all felt that the Chengguo Mansion valued Princess Rongning more, and they all wanted to see what she would do.

Mrs. Mo couldn't possibly cause a scene. She already knew that the betrothal gifts offered by the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion to Liu Yulian were large; she had seen the list. She wasn't shortsighted. Princess Rongning's status was different, and the betrothal gifts offered by the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion to her were not excessive.

The entire Duke's Mansion was still inherited by He Xichen, and Madam Mo told herself that she should be content. Their family had gained more invisibly and seen more, so there was no need to worry about whether the betrothal gift to Princess Rongning was excessive.

Since Mrs. Mo was pregnant, she went out less often. When she did go out, she heard people deliberately talking about this matter in front of her.

"The princess is of noble status, so she deserves more. We are just ordinary people. You can't just look at whether we are brothers or sisters. Why can't you also look at our own status as women?"

"You're full and bored, right? That's right, Princess Rongning is feeding the poor people. Even without Princess Rongning, you'd still be full."

"Why are you stretching your hands so far? If you want such a large betrothal gift, you can go to your husbands and ask them to give you something more now."

…

Mrs. Mo is not stupid. When she heard those words, she refuted them directly when she could.

Oh, how could Mrs. Mo not know that these people were waiting to laugh at her?

Mrs. Mo wasn't afraid of being laughed at. Her husband had used Princess Rongning's ointment to heal his legs. For this reason alone, Princess Rongning deserved a larger betrothal gift.

Mrs. Mo thought that as the eldest sister-in-law, she didn't receive much betrothal gifts, but that was nothing. They should be grateful and not criticize Princess Rongning and He Xiyuan at this time.

Princess Rongning and He Xiyuan will only get married once in their lives, so it should be a lively occasion and they should have more things.

Some people also said that Mrs. Mo was pregnant, and asked her what the Chengguo Mansion had given her. They also said that if Princess Rongning gave birth to a child in the future, would Mrs. He give all the good things to Princess Rongning's child.

"Grandma gave all her savings to Rongning's child, which is very kind," said Madam Mo. "Then we should feel less guilty. But, Grandma also gave me a set of headgear two days ago, which makes me feel a little embarrassed."

Mrs. Mo said this outside, why should she care about an old man's personal belongings? Even if the old lady gave all her things to Princess Rongning, they would not be as good as the other things in the Chengguo Mansion.

Did everyone think she was a daughter of a military general and didn't understand these things?

Mrs. Mo knew that there were still women waiting to become He Xichen's concubines and the prince's concubines, so it was not a bad marriage.

Those people did not expect that Mrs. Mo would give such an answer. They wanted to make Mrs. Mo angry and make her say more stupid things in front of Lady Chengguo and Old Madam He.

If Mrs. Mo had told them, then Lady Chengguo and Old Madam He would have known how stupid Mrs. Mo was.

In the palace, the Queen came to the Queen Mother. After the Imperial Concubine became the Queen Mother, she stopped interfering in the affairs of the harem. In the eyes of the Queen Mother, it was enough for the Queen to take care of those things.

"Rongning should also be given some extra dowry," the Queen said. "The Emperor gave the order yesterday."

"It's time to give it to him," the Queen Mother said. "Is everything ready?"

"The people at the Imperial Household Department have drawn up a list." The Queen had someone pass the list to the Queen Mother. "But the dowry is all fixed in amount. I'm afraid it will be difficult to fit it in."

"If it can't fit in, then send it directly to Princess Rongning's mansion." After the Queen Mother looked at the list, she wanted to add a few more things.

Princess Rongning was marrying the Queen Mother's nephew, so how could the Queen Mother be so stingy? Even if Princess Rongning had not married He Xiyuan, the Queen Mother was prepared to give Princess Rongning more dowry. With Princess Rongning around, the Daliang Dynasty would be more stable.

"A young lady should have a larger dowry," said the Queen Mother. "Even if you usually give her some gifts, this time is different. It's just a small amount of dowry, so don't be stingy."

"Of course it is," the Queen said with a smile. "The things we sent over will eventually fall into the hands of our own family. The Emperor's cousin, your nephew."

"Rongning is a good person." The Queen Mother sighed, "It's also their fate."

If Rongning had been a little more stubborn, or if He Xiyuan had not gone to find Rongning in the first place, this marriage would have been difficult to continue.

"People outside are saying they are a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven," the Queen said. "Their story has even been told by storytellers."

"Just say it, let's see how long they can stay together." The Queen Mother didn't say more. How many men can really keep a woman? Some people are stories of talented men and beautiful women at first, but in the end, their vows are broken.

The Queen Mother had been in the palace for so many years, it wasn't that she didn't believe in love, it was just that she didn't think she would ever encounter it. If He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian could be together for the rest of their lives, a couple forever, that would be the best.

The Queen Mother couldn't possibly go and force someone on her nephew, so she thought that if they could live happily, then Liu Yulian's research would not be in vain. A woman who had done such great deeds deserved happiness.

Su Qiuya learned that Liu Yulian was getting married in March. Their family had already severed ties with the first family, and Liu Yanbo had once hurt Liu Yulian. Su Qiuya certainly didn't think of preparing a gift for Liu Yulian. Liu Yulian wouldn't accept any gift they sent.

In the room, while tidying up her things, Su Qiuya sighed to Liu Yanbo, "Time flies so fast, Rong Ning is about to get married."

"They got married at the Princess's residence." Liu Yanbo inquired a little. "Rongning is a little too kindhearted. She's not good at handling matters at the harem. I wonder how her life will be in the future."

"It should be fine." Su Qiuya said, "Her fiancé has even gone to the northwest."

"I hope so," Liu Yanbo said. "This has nothing to do with us. It's all our own fault. It was my fault in the beginning."

"It's all in the past." Su Qiuya walked to Liu Yanbo's side, took his arm, and comforted him, "You've come to your senses. Don't be so foolish as to criticize them in the future."

"Yes." Liu Yanbo nodded. "Now that I think about it, they're all pretty good people. They didn't blame us much, nor did they deal with us."

"Just figure it out." Su Qiuya was worried that Liu Yanbo wouldn't figure it out. "Mother should have figured it out a little bit, otherwise, the brother-in-law she found for my second sister wouldn't be like that."

Su Qiuya thought that since they had only just realized their mistake, it wasn't too late. This was mainly because the people in the first house didn't bother with them. If they were more ruthless, then Aunt Qing and Liu Yuqin wouldn't have had such an easy life.

"Back then, the man that Madam Hou found for my second sister was quite good," Liu Yanbo said. "That man later passed the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy."

Even though he was a little poor, he had a good character. He later married the daughter of an official, and others saw his good qualities. Perhaps because of the support from his wife's family, he treated his wife very well, did not take a concubine, and often brought gifts to his wife.

The wife of Marquis Jingning had taken a fancy to this man and wanted Liu Yuqin to marry him. Before the matter was finalized, Aunt Qing and Liu Yuqin found out about it. They both thought that man was not good and too poor.

Liu Yanbo now thinks that although the man was poor, he had good character and talent. The wife of Marquis Jingning was not really trying to harm Liu Yuqin. It was just that Liu Yuqin and Concubine Qing didn't think clearly and missed such a good person.

"Do you regret it?" Su Qiuya asked.

"I regret it, of course," Liu Yanbo said, "but how could I possibly admit it? They say that man treated his wife well because his Yue family wasn't confiscated, and they gave her a generous dowry, and the woman was even a legitimate daughter..."

Liu Yanbo sneered, his second sister and mother had various reasons.

"Tell me, what will others say about this?" Liu Yanbo said, "I used to foolishly believe these things."

"..." Su Qiuya didn't know what to say. In the Mei family, it was only the second young master Mei's father who was in the Hanlin Academy, not the second young master Mei himself.

Su Qiuya believes that these things should not be recalled. If they are recalled, there will be all kinds of bad things that will make people unhappy.

"Maybe you should have a legitimate mother like my stepmother." Su Qiuya couldn't help but say so, "Then it would be more appropriate for you to think so."

Mrs. Su would never be so kind to Su Qiuya, so Su Qiuya thought of Xue Liushi. Xue Liushi's biological mother died early, and her mother arranged a good marriage for Xue Liushi.

It is unlikely that a legitimate mother would think that her illegitimate children would have a bad life. If those illegitimate daughters marry well, they will not be a burden to the family and may even provide some help to the family.

"It's time to change." Liu Yanbo said.

"Rong Ning's wedding should be a lively occasion." Su Qiuya said, "After the dowry is added...it's not convenient for us to go there."

"No need to go over there. She doesn't need these things from us." Liu Yanbo said. The most important thing was that if they went over there, they would be an eyesore to others.

Liu Yanbo knew that he had wronged Liu Yulian, so he couldn't possibly act out of sentimentality, nor did he consider that they had to behave this way because they were siblings. If they approached, people who didn't know would think they were trying to get close to Princess Rongning.

Now, they don't get close to each other, which is better for everyone.

Liu Yanbo also knew this. He and his brothers, that is, his own family, could not attend Rongning's wedding, nor could they send anything.

In the northwest, Liu Yanqing received a letter from Beijing and learned that Liu Yulian was going to get married.