It has to be said that the mother and son have the same aesthetic sense. The jade hairpin she was holding was the same one that Shen Qinghe had taken from her. She usually kept it in her dressing box and rarely wore it, but it wouldn't be appropriate to take it off now, so Meng Zhao didn't touch it.
After the two had finished getting ready, they boarded the carriage of the Shen family and headed to the Cui family mansion in the east of the city. Before they even reached the gate, they could hear a commotion in the distance. They saw a long line of carriages and palanquins with colorful canopies stretching from one end of the street to the other. This was not surprising, though. Although Grand Secretary Cui was only a fifth-rank official, he held great power because he was favored by the emperor. Today was also the wedding of his eldest son, so who in the court would not give him some face?
Meng Zhao followed Gu Lanying out of the carriage and presented the brocade box that had been prepared beforehand. The stewards at the gate were busy calling out names and collecting gifts. Upon hearing that it was a woman from the Shen family, an old woman with a round bun immediately came forward with a beaming smile: "Madam Shen has finally arrived! My lady was just talking about it."
Passing through the triple hanging flower gate, one arrives at the back garden where the women gather. The garden is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, but the most eye-catching thing is the neatly arranged dowry in the courtyard. Meng Zhao started counting as soon as she entered the courtyard. There were three rows and twelve columns, a total of thirty-six loads. All the chest lids were open, and the gold and jade in the chests were almost dazzling.
At this moment, the ladies and young women in the courtyard gathered in twos and threes in the distance, so much so that they had nowhere to stand because of the dowry. Gu Lanying was also speechless, "This, this dowry is too generous."
A lady familiar with Gu Lanying explained, "That's how it is when a merchant marries off his daughter. I heard that Master Lin emptied half his savings to secure this marriage with the Cui family." She gestured towards the row of dowry items. "It's said that because they could only prepare thirty-six loads, the Lin family couldn't fit everything they prepared, so they gave an extra 100,000 taels of silver as a dowry. Otherwise, why would the Cui family, a family of integrity, choose a merchant's daughter for their eldest son?"
Meng Zhao stood aside, secretly sneering. Since he married that girl for money, and now he's putting on this high-and-mighty act, he's really hypocritical. She lowered her eyes to hide the mockery in them, concealing her true emotions perfectly.
As soon as she entered the main hall with Gu Lanying, she immediately changed into a gentle and dignified demeanor, standing obediently to the side and bowing to everyone. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed several young girls secretly observing her from a distance. Meng Zhao didn't stand on ceremony and took the initiative to go up and strike up a conversation.
"Greetings, my sisters. I noticed you were all looking this way. Is there something wrong with my outfit?" she said, feigning confusion as she looked down at her dress.
The young ladies blushed deeply. One of them, a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen, waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, it was my younger sister who said she seemed to have seen you at the Treasure Pavilion, so we took a few more glances."
Meng Zhao turned his gaze to the young girl who still looked quite childish, "Miss, you are not mistaken, I am the manager of the Treasure Pavilion."
"See! I told you I hadn't made a mistake!" The little girl's eyes lit up, and she excitedly tugged at her sister's sleeve.
Nowadays, in the capital, from young ladies to noblewomen, who doesn't know about the Treasure Pavilion? Everyone says that her things can transform a person's appearance. Now that they hear that Meng Zhao is the manager, they immediately start chatting about the things in the shop.
Just as they were talking animatedly, a joyous suona horn sounded outside. The auspicious time had arrived, and Meng Zhao, along with several young women, went out to see the bride.
Inside the room, the ladies watched their departing figures, each lost in their own thoughts. The Hanlin scholar's wife asked meaningfully, "Madam Gu, some time ago you asked me to keep an eye out for talented young men. Was it for this goddaughter?"
Gu Lanying looked up at the Hanlin scholar's wife, wondering why she would bring up this matter in public. A lady beside her immediately chimed in, "Oh? Such a beautiful and talented young lady, yet she is still unmarried?"
"What a coincidence!" another vice minister's wife leaned forward, not to be outdone. "I have several nephews from my maternal family, all of whom are scholars who have passed the imperial examinations. They are currently studying at the Imperial Academy, and I think they are the right age for them."
Gu Lanying glanced at the suddenly eager expressions of everyone in the room, but did not respond immediately. Instead, she recalled the astonishing thirty-six loads of dowry in the courtyard earlier and immediately made some guesses. At this moment, she did not want to say more, but simply said perfunctorily, "This child has a lot of ideas. I am just helping to keep an eye on things. I can't make the decisions for her."
However, these words did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd. Everyone present was shrewd and knew that Meng Zhao held the imperial edict that had received personal praise from the Emperor. Although not having a noble title was a regret, the Treasure Pavilion under her management was making a fortune every day, not to mention the shops she had acquired on Zhuque Street, which would be worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver in the future.
Although it can't compare to the wealth of the Lin family today, I've heard that Meng Zhao's wealth was all earned by herself, and she has no brothers. If she marries into the family, she will have to bring her dowry with her.
The ladies exchanged knowing glances. Although marrying a merchant's daughter was indeed a loss of face, which family didn't have a few good-for-nothing sons or nephews? Whether they were illegitimate sons or distant cousins, marrying a wife who could make money would surely bring more income to the family.
So, while Gu Lanying had a moment to drink tea, she was now being pestered by a group of people. They chatted amongst themselves, seemingly just talking about everyday things, but in reality, they were already eyeing Meng Zhao as a tempting target. Gu Lanying found it really annoying, and when Meng Zhao returned, she wanted to take her somewhere else.
Meng Zhao declined, saying, "Godmother, we've only been here a short time, and we haven't had a proper chat with the ladies yet." With that, she took the initiative to join in the lively conversation that had just taken place.
The ladies chatted casually, seemingly making small talk, but in reality, they were all subtly building rapport. Meng Zhao responded calmly, sometimes nodding with a smile, sometimes adding a few well-timed remarks, neither appearing overly enthusiastic nor cold.
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