Imperial Capital 2. Dowry
Although it was well known that Prince Ding was a waste, he was still the only super-first-class hereditary prince in the Great Chu Dynasty. Therefore, Minister Ye and the old lady of the Ye family, who had always been indifferent to Ye Li, still spoke to Ye Li very rarely.
"I, your granddaughter, pay my respects to your grandmother and father." Ye Li arrived at Old Madam Ye's Rongyue Hall. Minister Ye, Madam Wang, and the fourth young lady Ye Ying were already there.
Madam Ye nodded and said with a loving smile, "Li'er, get up. Now that you have been betrothed to Prince Ding, Ying'er will marry Prince Li next month. It can be said that our family has double happiness."
Ye Li stood up, lowered her eyes to the ground, but her face was very respectful, "Grandma, you asked me to hurry back from outside. I am an unfilial granddaughter and have made you worry." Although she didn't like Ye Li very much, Ye Li's words still made Old Madam Ye very happy. Looking at Ye Li, her face was a little warmer and she said, "This is a big happy event for our family. How can I not come back? The dowries of the two girls have been prepared." Wang quickly stood up and looked at the old lady with some embarrassment and said, "Old Madam, originally there was only the fourth girl. Although she will get married next month, it is not in time for us to hurry up, but now there is also the third lady, I am afraid..."
Madam Ye was also a very smart person. How could she not know what Wang was thinking? She thought for a moment and said, "The date for Li girl's wedding has not been decided yet. Let's focus on Ying'er first."
After hearing what the old lady said, Wang happily replied "yes".
Old Madam Ye looked at her two granddaughters, ordered the maid to take out two boxes and put them on the table, and said: "You two girls are blessed. One is marrying Prince Li and the other is marrying Prince Ding. As a grandmother, I will not favor one over the other. You will each have one of these things, and the same will be true for the fifth and sixth girls in the future. You will also each have one of the several estates I gave as a dowry. As for how much more dowry the public treasury gives, it is up to your mother and father." Wang smiled and said: "The old lady still loves her granddaughters. Your wife and the old manor have discussed it with you. I am afraid that if Ying'er marries Prince Li with less dowry, The royal family would not be happy. The public took 22,000 taels to buy dowry, six manors and six shops. Two manors were also taken out of the dowry for the daughter-in-law. "Old Madam Ye frowned and said, "Isn't it too much?" Although it is better for Ye Ying to marry the prince with a thicker dowry, it will not be good for the reputation of the Shangshu Mansion if the girls marry too much less. "What do you plan for Li girl's dowry?" The old lady is more knowledgeable than Wang. Even if Prince Ding is a waste, he is a waste with a deep family background. If it is not because of his own reasons, I am afraid he is more noble than Prince Li. If Ye Li's dowry is treated too harshly, those who have been loyal to Prince Dingguo's Mansion for generations will probably have something to say.
Wang obviously didn't expect the old lady to ask so directly. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "After all, Prince Ding is different from the emperor's brothers. We do have some... I'm thinking about waiting for Prince Ding's Mansion to send the betrothal gifts. Then we can give two estates as an alternative." What she meant was that she would send back the betrothal gifts from Prince Ding's Mansion as dowry. As for how much could be sent back, it was up to her.
Upon hearing this, Madam Ye's face darkened and she said, "What a jerk! You sent the betrothal gift back as a dowry. You can think of any way to cheat me. Do you still want the reputation of our Ye family? Do you still want the reputation of your stepmother? It's true that the Xu family has declined in recent years, but it's not comparable to your Wang family!"
Being reprimanded so mercilessly by the old lady, Wang's face immediately turned red, and she cried out in injustice: "Old lady, I am innocent. How could I have treated the third lady harshly in these years? It's true... it's true... our family is also in a difficult situation. There are still a few girls who are not married yet, and Rong'er will need money to get married in the future..." The old lady was so angry at this short-sighted daughter-in-law that she rubbed her chest. Rong'er is only seven years old this year, and it's not known when he will get married. She glanced at Minister Ye who was sitting quietly on the side and said, "Your own daughter, what do you say you should do?" Fortunately, she came back and asked this question. If Wang really let Li girl marry off like this, she would not only offend Dingwang Mansion but also the Xu family. The Xu family has fewer people in the officialdom in recent years, but how can a century-old family be so easy to offend? Minister Ye looked at his mother and then at his wife in embarrassment, and said, "The third girl is also a legitimate daughter, just like Ying'er." Being able to reach the position of minister, Minister Ye is not stupid, and naturally knows what his mother is worried about.
"Same as Ying'er?!" Wang screamed, "Where can we get so much money in our house? Master, it's not that I, your stepmother, want to mistreat the third young lady, but our family is in financial difficulty. Ying'er is the biological sister of Zhaoyi in the palace, and she is marrying the emperor's biological brother. If the dowry is less, it will not be good for you, and it will not be good for Zhaoyi either. At most... at most, I can give the two manors that I left for Rong'er in my dowry to the third young lady." Wang wiped her tears and complained, but in her heart she hated Ye Li who was sitting silently on the side. How could she let that bastard's daughter be the same as her own Ying'er? Don't even think about it!
"This..." Minister Ye was stunned and looked at Ye Li in embarrassment. Ye Zhaoyi was the most favored in the palace and she was pregnant. If she could give birth to a prince...
Seeing that Minister Ye's expression had relaxed, Ye Ying bit her lip and whispered, "Daddy, don't worry. Just give some of Ying'er's dowry to my third sister. But don't leave anything for my eldest sister in the palace, and also keep some for my fifth and sixth sisters." Seeing that his most beloved daughter was so sensible, Minister Ye's expression softened, and he looked at Ye Li, wanting her to say a few words too.
Ye Li smiled faintly in her heart, raised her head and looked at the four people present and said softly: "Father, mother and fourth sister, don't be embarrassed." Wang was delighted when she heard this. Ye Li had never fought for anything in these years, which made her think that Ye Li was a soft-tempered person who was easy to control and thought she was going to give in. Ye Li said: "Before my mother passed away, she mentioned to her daughter that when she married into the Ye family, her grandfather and grandmother gave her eight manors, twelve shops, and three forests. These were left for her as a dowry. As for the rest, father and mother can just follow the example of the second sister. It's better to focus on the fourth sister." The second lady of the Ye family married the third son of the Yushi family two years ago, and Wang only gave her 12,000 taels of dowry.
"What?! How can this be?! Those are..." Wang couldn't help but scream. Those were the things she wanted to keep for her daughter's dowry and for Rong Ge'er.
Ye Li looked at her strangely and asked, "What is it?" She lowered her eyes slightly and looked at Old Lady Ye shyly and said, "Mother said at the beginning that her dowry was all left for her granddaughter. My aunt also knows this. Is grandma right?"
Old Madam Ye also looked unhappy. When Xu married into the Ye family, she was very rich in dowry. If all of it was given to Ye Li, then Ye Ying's dowry would not look good. The Ye family has been spending money like water in recent years, and they are already a little short of their income. If they want to prepare the same dowry as Xu did back then, Ye Ying's family will not be able to survive after she marries. But what Ye Li said was right. When Xu passed away, the young lady of the Xu family was also present and heard Xu's instructions for the funeral. Seeing that Old Madam Ye didn't say anything, Ye Li didn't rush to speak. She just sneered in her heart. She didn't have much opinion on the amount of dowry, but her mother's dowry couldn't be given to Wang's daughter as a dowry. Although she had memories of her past life after Xu's death, it did not change the fact that Xu was her mother. She had not forgotten the careful care and teaching she had received since she was young, as well as the grievances Xu had suffered. Since marrying into the Ye family, Xu had never been happy for a single day, and it was not an exaggeration to say that she was depressed until the end of her life. If her dowry was used to support her husband's concubine's daughter, Ye Li, who did not believe in ghosts and gods, was worried that her mother would crawl out of the grave.
After a long while, Mrs. Ye said, "Let's put this matter aside for now. I will discuss it with your mother and father later."
Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly and responded softly.