Chapter 96 Chapter 96 In the past, Xue Fenglin always hated...
In the past, Xue Fenglin always wanted to stay at Shen Xuan's place, but before the wedding, he was nowhere to be seen for more than ten days.
One reason was that after he was appointed as an official, his classmates and teachers in the Imperial College had many gatherings, and Xue Fenglin naturally had to go.
Secondly, because of the Xue family's attitude towards his marriage with Shen Xuan, they had no choice but to obey the emperor's order, and naturally no one was willing to carefully prepare the betrothal gifts.
Xue Fenglin was afraid of looking down on Shen Xuan, so he did everything himself. He was very busy for a while, and it was even harder than when he was preparing for the exam.
Xue Fenglin was busy preparing the betrothal gifts, and Shen Xuan was also busy preparing the dowry. The two of them were busy with their own things and had a tacit understanding.
After being busy like this for a few days, the mansion suddenly received a letter early in the morning. It was sent by Jin Shiyue, the Princess of Jinning County, saying that she had something urgent to meet with Shen Xuan. If Shen Xuan was not available, he would take a sedan chair and have someone carry him over.
Jin Shiyue's leg injury has not yet fully healed, and she is so anxious to see Shen Xuan. It is obvious that she has encountered a major event that she cannot make up her mind about. After thinking about it, Shen Xuan wrote back to him, saying that he would take time to go to the Jinning Palace after deciding on the wooden furniture for the dowry tomorrow, and asked him not to worry about the bumpy journey.
The next day, Shen Xuan first went to the wood shop at the canal wharf and picked out the best wood furniture to order. There are not many wooden items used in the mansion, just buckets, bathtubs or toilets.
Chen Xuanquan picked out the best material and used colored paint to paint patterns on the outside, and it only cost him more than two hundred taels of silver.
After ordering the wooden furniture, Shen Xuan went to the Jinning Palace. As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw the attendant beside Jin Shiyue waiting at the door. After seeing Shen Xuan, he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Brother Chen, the county lord ordered me to pick you up here. He has been waiting in the yard since early morning and has been looking forward to meeting you."
Shen Xuan followed the attendant into the palace and asked, "I haven't been here for a few days. Has anything happened in the palace?"
The attendant smiled and said, "Brother Chen, you are really perceptive. A lot of 'big things' have happened. The county lady invited you here today, most likely to discuss this matter with you. I can't say much here. The county lady will tell you after you go in."
Seeing that the attendant looked relaxed and even a little happy, Shen Xuan thought that this "big thing" might not be a bad thing, and it was probably related to Jin Shiyue's marriage, so he felt relieved.
He walked into Jin Shiyue's courtyard, and the attendant outside the courtyard shouted, "County Lady, Brother Chen has arrived."
With a creaking sound, the door of Jin Shiyue's yard opened. He was supported by an attendant and jumped out of the house. When he saw Shen Xuan, he said excitedly: "Brother Shen! You are finally here! If you didn't come, I would go find you myself."
Seeing Jin Shiyue's ruddy complexion and a little fatter than before, Shen Xuan smiled and teased him, "What good news is it that makes you so impatient to inform me? Is it about your marriage?"
Jin Shiyue was immediately struck by his thoughts, her face flushed, and then she pulled Shen Xuan to sit in the garden and said, "Don't talk nonsense, this matter has not been decided yet, so I asked you to come here."
After that, he asked the attendants around him to bring tea and fruits to entertain them. After a pause, he blushed and said to Shen Xuan: "Brother Shen, the other day Madam Yang and Yang Xu came to the palace to propose marriage..."
Shen Xuan was not surprised to hear that Yang Xu came to propose marriage, but he was happy for Jin Shiyue in his heart, so he said: "That's a great thing, congratulations. Yang Xu is a young and talented man with a bright future. You are a good match for him."
"But I heard you say that this matter has not been finalized yet. Is there any difficulty?"
At the last banquet, Princess Jinning was obviously very satisfied with the Yang family and stayed with the two ladies of the Yang family throughout the whole process.
Besides, judging from Jin Shiyue's attitude towards Yang Xu, she doesn't seem to be without interest. If the two of them could achieve a marriage, it would be a beautiful thing.
"Alas, this is a long story." Jin Shiyue sighed and said, "Madam Yang and Yang Xu don't have much to say. But I heard that Madam Yang and Lord Yang are not very satisfied with this marriage."
"The reason why Madam Yang came to propose marriage was because Yang Xu took the initiative to ask for it. However, because Lord Yang and Madam Yang were not happy, the betrothal gifts were quite shabby and not presentable enough."
Shen Xuan was stunned when he heard this, and then asked: "What did the princess say? The Yang family is a noble family, and the betrothal gifts are naturally not as good as those of the noble families, but from what I saw from the princess's expression last time, she doesn't care about it."
"My mother asked me to make my own decision." Jin Shiyue said awkwardly, "She didn't dislike the Yang family's small betrothal gift, but she felt that the elders of the Yang family didn't like me and was afraid that I would suffer a loss if I married them."
"I see." Shen Xuan finally understood why Jin Shiyue had specially asked him to discuss this matter. After thinking about it, he turned to ask him: "What do you think? Do you like Young Master Yang?"
"I..." Jin Shiyue's face turned even redder when she heard that. She hesitated for a while before nodding and said, "Of course I like him, but I'm also a little scared. My mother said that marriage is a matter between two families, and it's not enough to just like each other."
"Then what did Yang Xu say about insisting on marrying you even though he knew his mother didn't like you?" Shen Xuan asked again.
"He said that if I didn't like the Yang family, he would move out with me. He had just entered the officialdom and his salary was not much, so he had to rent a house in the capital." Jin Shiyue said.
"Then what's the problem?" Shen Xuan smiled when he heard this and said to Jin Shiyue, "You two live alone outside. Apart from the New Year and other festivals, you don't see Madam Yang very often. What can she do if she doesn't like you?"
"Besides, Mr. Yang probably doesn't want to get involved in family affairs, so he doesn't dislike you. Otherwise, as the head of the family, he can just tell Yang Xu not to marry you, and Madam Yang won't disobey. Why would she come to propose marriage?"
"As for the Yang family's betrothal gift, what difference does it make if it's more or less? They are a noble family with little property in the capital. I'm afraid they will have to rely on your dowry to survive in the future."
"But you have to think clearly. After you get married out of the palace, your life will not be as good as it was in the palace. You will have to manage your household and live frugally. Are you willing?"
Jin Shiyue also smiled at this time and said, "This is not a big deal. I have no objection. After hearing what you said, I suddenly feel enlightened. There is nothing to hesitate about anymore."
"From your expression, I know you will agree in the end." Shen Xuan teased him, "Even if I persuade you not to marry today, you will hesitate for a few days and I'm afraid you will give in. But for such a big matter, the princess asked you to make your own decision. You just came to me to get reassurance!"
Jin Shiyue was touched by Shen Xuan and said a little embarrassedly: "Except for my father, most men in Beijing are quite prejudiced against me. No one treats me as well as Yang Xu."
Having said this, he said to the attendant beside him: "Go and tell the princess now that I have decided to marry into the Yang family. Ask her to write back to Madam Yang, and don't let the Yang family wait for news any longer."
"The county lady can't wait to get married? She's afraid that Young Master Yang will wait too long." The attendant couldn't help but say something with a smile, but was glared at by Jin Shiyue and ran away laughing.
Another stick of incense passed, and before Shen Xuan had finished his snacks and tea, the attendant came back from the Princess of Jinning, holding a list in his hand and said, "County Lady, the Princess listened to you and asked me to give you this list, saying it is your dowry list, and asked you and Shen Ge'er to take a look at it together. Do you have any questions?"
Jin Shiyue's face flushed. She took the dowry list and said, "How come this list was drafted so quickly?"
Shen Xuan smiled when he heard this and said, “I’m afraid the princess has already prepared this list.”
After all, Jin Shiyue is the legitimate son of the Prince of Jinning's Mansion. No matter who she marries, no matter whether the Princess of Jinning and the Prince are satisfied with that man, a dowry is inevitable.
Jin Shiyue took the dowry list and placed it in front of Shen Xuan, and looked at it carefully with him.
Shen Xuan saw that the list listed various dowry items, all of which were priceless. In addition to jewelry and gold and silver, all the furniture is made of golden nanmu inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There is also a manor in the suburbs of Beijing with an annual output of 500 taels and two shops on Linlang Street.
Although the rent of shops in Linlang Street is not as high as that in Zhijin Street, it still adds up to about 700 to 800 taels of silver a year. Together with the farm's annual income of more than one thousand taels, it was already very lucrative in Beijing!
In addition, Shen Xuan saw that the handwriting at the bottom of the list was not dry yet, and a property in the north of the capital was added.
Although the property only has four courtyards, its location is very good and not far from the Meridian Gate. It only takes two incense sticks to walk there. Apparently Princess Jinning was worried that Jin Shiyue and Yang Xu wouldn't be able to rent a good house after moving out of the Yang family, so she included this property in her dowry.
In addition, Shen Xuan also saw many books on the dowry list, all of which were newly added.
Obviously, because the Yang family is a family of scholars, they were afraid that Jin Shiyue's gift would be looked down upon, so they added so many new books.
Shen Xuan looked at the dowry list and couldn't help but sigh. All the above items are prepared so completely, what else is missing?
But even so, Princess Jinning was still worried that Jin Shiyue's dowry was missing, so she asked him to check it again.
Such love of parents for their children is really admirable, and Shen Xuan can't help but feel a little envious. If Duke Shen and his wife were still alive, I wonder if they would treat me like Princess Jinning treated Jin Shiyue...
Jin Shiyue is usually carefree, but when she saw the dowry list and thought about the day when she would leave home, her eyes couldn't help but become wet.
Seeing that he was about to lose his composure, Shen Xuan simply stood up and said goodbye to him.
Jin Shiyue asked Shen Xuan to wait, then waved her hand and asked the attendants beside her to carry two large wooden boxes over and said, "I heard that you are busy preparing your dowry recently. I am afraid that you don't have time to receive them, so I will not look for you before the wedding. These are the dowry I gave you in advance, you can take them back!"
Chen Xuan agreed, and then said with some regret: "I will marry the prince next month, and then I will follow him to Sarawak to take up my post. Your leg injury has not healed yet, and it will probably take half a year to get engaged and choose an auspicious date for the wedding. I can't come to attend your wedding."
Jin Shiyue felt quite regretful after hearing this, and then she said to Shen Xuan: "My leg injury is almost healed, and I will definitely go to your wedding next month. If I have time in the future, I can go to Sarawak to visit you."
Chen Xuan knew that he was just talking. Jin Shiyue was just a boy, and no matter how much he was doted on by his family, it was impossible for him to go to Sarawak, 108,000 miles away, alone to play. What's more, after she married into the Yang family, she had to take the Yang family's thoughts into consideration.
The two of them didn't say anything. After exchanging pleasantries, Shen Xuan left and went home.
When she got home, she opened the two dressing boxes that Jin Shiyue had given her, and inside they were two full boxes of tableware.
One box contained the most popular cloisonné enamel in Beijing at the time. The pattern was a very complex picture of flowers, and the workmanship was extremely exquisite. A set would cost at least three or four hundred silver coins.
There is also a box containing a complete set of tableware made of shells. The shells used to make the plates and bowls are all complete pieces. I don’t know how big the shells were. The inside of the shells has a layer of bright and lustrous pearlescent luster. The edges are polished and wrapped with silver sheets, which is simple and luxurious.
Chen Xuan had recently visited all the commercial streets in the capital, but had never seen such tableware. It was also an extremely rare item. He thought that someone had presented it to the palace and Jin Shiyue had taken it out to add to her own decorations.
These two sets of tableware touched Shen Xuan's heart, so that he no longer had to worry about finding suitable tableware to bring as a dowry to the Marquis' Mansion.
Since then, Shen Xuan has basically prepared the major items in the dowry. There was still some furniture left to prepare, and I heard that the emperor in the palace had given a set of huanghuali furniture as a dowry.
All he needed to prepare were some small items for thanking others and some gifts for everyone in the Marquis' Mansion.
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