The day of the wedding was very sunny. Early in the morning, the servants of Huainan Marquis's Mansion cleaned the street in front of the mansion. Wang even arranged several servants to line up at the door, waiting for the sedan chair to leave and then started scattering copper coins.
Song was very dissatisfied with Wang's decision. In her opinion, it would be fine if she took less. Why was there so much more? Even if she had money, she couldn't spend it like this. It was also too ostentatious.
Wang Shi, however, didn't care. It was her dowry, so she could spend it however she pleased. Besides, Meng Qi's marriage was originally against her will. Marrying her was already a great injustice, so she naturally wanted to get rid of the bad luck for her daughter. The more lively and ostentatious the event, the better she liked it.
When Meng Yuan learned that she had prepared so many copper coins, he came to remind her with an unhappy look on his face, but was retorted by Wang Shi with a word, "Young Master, are you really regretting it now? If that daughter of Su Wanniang were still alive, she would at least be able to get some dowry money from me?"
Meng Yuan's face turned ashen. He wanted to say something but he was ultimately in the wrong. He flicked his sleeves and went to the courtyard of his new concubine.
Although Liu envied Wang's wealth, she had no daughters, so Meng Xiu didn't need her to worry about anything. Seeing Liu's unhappy expression, she asked gloatingly, "Third sister-in-law, when Qi Jie'er gets married, she will become your Juan Jie. She is the eldest daughter of our Meng family. Even if Qi Jie marries a prince, you can't get past her. But if the eldest sister-in-law rewards four baskets, you should at least take out two, right?"
Upon hearing this, Liu was furious at Liu's insincere behavior, but she had to suppress her smile. "No matter how much money is given out, it will only make others happy. Even if people outside say 'May your marriage last forever', what's the point if things aren't going as planned inside? Our sister Juan doesn't have to worry so much. The Hong family is extremely satisfied with this marriage. Madam Hong is eagerly waiting for sister Juan to marry in and help manage the household."
This news reached Meng Qi's ears. The night before her wedding, all the women from the Huainan Marquisate came to Qinyuan to see her. Meng Qi looked at the beaming Liu and smiled at Meng Juan. "Today I learned that the two young ladies in the Marquis Bo's mansion don't manage the household. Tsk tsk, they're really capable. Should these two sisters-in-law thank the Marquis for her love for them, or thank the eldest sister for helping them with the housework?"
After saying that, she chuckled, "Oh, by the way, big sister, do you have enough baskets for storing copper coins? If not, I can lend mine to you tomorrow when I'm done with it. Third Aunt is really thinking of you, big sister. Actually, it's right. Instead of giving it to others to curry favor, it's better to keep the copper coins. If life is really not going well, you still have the peace of mind of having silver in your hands."
After everyone left, Wang put her arm around Meng Qi's shoulders and said, "Why bother getting angry with them? Just cheer them up a little. Just get married and live your peaceful life. I'll take care of everything at home."
Meng Qi buried her head in Wang's arms, "Mom, don't worry about me. I will be fine. You must live a long life. When the time comes, I will build a beautiful courtyard, a few houses, plant a yard of flowers, and take you to live with me."
Tears fell from Wang's eyes and she nodded, "Okay, mother is waiting."
Watching Wang being helped out of Qin Garden by Madam Guo, Meng Qi took Meng Wan's hand and whispered, "Thank goodness I have you. If I get married, I'll definitely feel empty for a while. I'll leave everything to you."
Meng Wan sat down and looked at the bright red wedding dress on the hanger. It was the first time she had seen a real ancient wedding dress. While the imitations sold in modern bridal shops were adorned with colorful embellishments, they pale in comparison to this one, stitched with real gold and gemstones.
Meng Qi followed Meng Wan's gaze. Her wedding dress in this life was completely different from her previous one. In her previous life, she had married in such a hurry that she hadn't prepared anything in advance. She simply bought a ready-made dress and re-stitched the phoenix pattern with gold thread. Perhaps it was the embroiderer's lack of care or uneven threading, but it was wrinkled and looked like it had been worn by someone else.
Because Wang Shi was bedridden, she was even carried into the house in a sedan chair when she came to visit her the previous evening. Her marriage was arranged by Jiang Shi and Liu Shi, so you can imagine how it went. Aside from the money Wang Shi had been saving for her, everything she brought in later was either embezzled or replaced.
She still remembered that the dowry was carried to the palace and filled up an entire yard. Although there was a lot of it, when it was opened it caused laughter from the female relatives who were watching the ceremony. For a long time it became a topic of conversation in the capital, especially among the princesses and their sisters-in-law.
Although the marriage was still arranged in a hurry in this life, because Wang was in good health, and there was Meng Wan and Zhang, the wife of Meng Wei, who was obviously more respected than in the previous life, not only was the dowry grand and decent, but even the wedding dress was newly made at Wang's insistence.
Meng Qi had no natural talent for needlework. In fact, Wang had her embroiderer teach Meng Qi early on, and especially after she recognized Meng Wan, she had the two sisters practice together. However, neither sister was cut out for the job. In Meng Wan's words, they were like duck-webbed hands, with no split ends. This prompted Wang to feign anger and tap Meng Wan's forehead, accusing her of being rude, but Meng Qi smiled and nodded in agreement.
Therefore, Meng Qi only symbolically sewed two stitches on the neckline and hem of this new wedding dress.
"You will definitely be the most beautiful bride when you wear this dress tomorrow." Meng Wan turned her head and looked at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi forced out a faint smile, "What's the use of being pretty or not? Song Chengze is not lacking a beautiful wife."
Meng Wan was stunned at first, then took her hand, "Don't worry about Mom. Not to mention that I still have more than half a year before getting married, even if I'm married, it will be more convenient for me to come back and visit her than for you. In fact, what Third Aunt said is right. No matter how much others say good things about you, you still have to rely on yourself to live your life. Since you have to get married, then manage it well. No one knows what the future will be like, so why not work hard now?"
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