Li Xinniang looked at Yuan Huiniang excitedly and asked, "Sister-in-law, did Mother really ask you to prepare these people for me? Is Mother no longer angry with me?"
Yuan Huiniang held her hand and sighed, replying, "Silly sister, don't you know what kind of temper and personality your mother has?"
I wouldn't dare if my mother hadn't spoken.
After saying that, he pulled Li Xinniang into the house and then repeated everything Yan Qingqing had said to Li Xinniang verbatim.
Li Xinniang was deeply moved after hearing this, and then sobbed as she said, "Sister-in-law, I know I made a mistake this time, but there's no going back now."
I will certainly not let my mother down. Even if I go to the Wu family, I will stand up for myself and not be bullied by them.
Yuan Huiniang nodded and said, "I told you I'd give you 50,000 taels of silver as a safety net, and I'll also send you the profits from the workshop when I have time."
The capital is not like home, but don't be afraid. Remember your mother and all your brothers and sisters back home.
Li Xinniang nodded solemnly after hearing this.
Although Yan Qingqing instructed that no other dowry be given to Li Xinniang, it would still require a lot of manpower and resources to transport the Wu family's betrothal gifts to the capital intact.
Moreover, Mingzhao's decision to marry off his daughter was a major event. Although the Li family had tried to keep a low profile, everyone in Chengyang County who needed to know about it knew.
Therefore, people came to the Li family every day to add to Li Xin's mother's dowry.
Yan Qingqing was not a stingy person, and she had already instructed Yuan Huiniang to give all the dowry to Li Xinniang.
Magistrate Ling, who was on official business in Chengyang County, also heard about this from Steward Ling.
He knew about the marriage alliance between the Li and Wu families, but he didn't pay much attention to such trivial matters.
He just casually remarked, "That's pretty fast."
Butler Ling laughed and said, "That's right. I heard that Mingzhao's people don't really approve of this marriage."
Magistrate Ling put down his official duties, frowned slightly, and asked, "How did you know?"
Butler Ling replied in a low voice, "Other families prepare dowries when their daughters get married, but the Li family hasn't made any move at all."
I know that you are quite concerned about the affairs of Mingzhao's family, so I inquired about it indirectly.
It turns out that Mingzhao intended to arrange a marriage between the Han family of Chengyang County and the Wu family because the Wu family was too far away from the capital and there was too much trouble in the Wu family's backyard.
However, the eldest daughter of the Li family ignored all advice and insisted on getting married.
I heard that Mingzhao made people very angry about this.
At first, Magistrate Ling nodded in agreement, but the more he listened, the more he felt that Steward Ling's words were not quite right. What did he mean by being concerned about the affairs of Ming Zhao's family? Was it that obvious?
But when he heard that Yan Qingqing was still angry about it, he asked with a hint of schadenfreude, "She can actually be angry? Let's go see."
After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave without waiting for Butler Ling to speak.
Butler Ling looked at Magistrate Ling speechlessly; he simply couldn't keep up with the magistrate's thought process.
Even if you really want to see someone make a fool of themselves, you can't just go there empty-handed.
In the end, Steward Ling resigned himself to his fate and opened Magistrate Ling's private treasury to prepare a congratulatory gift.
Magistrate Ling was getting impatient waiting at the door when Steward Ling finally arrived late, carrying a box.
Magistrate Ling looked at it and asked, "This box looks familiar. Isn't it a box from my storeroom? What do you want with it?"
Butler Ling said with a wry smile, "My lord, you really are out of touch with reality."
When a young woman gets married, shouldn't you go and add to her dowry?
What would it look like if we went empty-handed?
It seems our old man was right; it's time for you to get married.
These social obligations can't be handled solely by subordinates; that's just not proper.
Ling Ziyuan was already over thirty years old, but because of his reputation as a playboy, he had never gotten married. As he got older, he gradually stopped thinking about marriage.
Fortunately, the Ling family is large and prosperous, and they don't expect him to carry on the family line.
Furthermore, he came to this remote and impoverished place to escape his family's pressure to get married.
However, Ling Ziyuan thought that if his future wife could be as sensible and capable as Yan Qingqing, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
When Ling Ziyuan realized his own thoughts, he was startled and thought he must have gone mad.
Then he scolded Butler Ling, "You're so nosy, get out of here!"
After saying that, he mounted his horse and rode towards Canghe Village.
Yan Qingqing was looking at the dowry list that Yuan Huiniang had brought.
Then he said, "Make sure to keep this list safe, as we'll need it when returning the gifts to each family later."
Yuan Huiniang nodded and smiled, "Mother, don't worry, your daughter-in-law knows this."
I've already made a backup, so we can reciprocate promptly if someone else has an event.
Just as Yan Qingqing was about to nod, someone from the gatehouse came to report that Magistrate Ling had arrived.
Yan Qingqing was somewhat surprised that Magistrate Ling, who was not visiting during the holidays, had come to her door.
However, since Magistrate Ling has come to visit, Yan Qingqing must step forward to entertain him.
So he said to Yuan Huiniang, "You go back and rest first, I'm going to see Magistrate Ling."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang nodded and then quickly returned to her own courtyard.
Du Ruxiu followed closely behind and reminded her, "Young Madam, please slow down. You are pregnant."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang looked at her belly and slowed down. Then she instructed Du Ruxiu, "Go back to the courtyard and see if the eldest young master is there. If he is, tell him that Magistrate Ling has arrived and that I am here alone with him. Tell him to go to the flower hall."
Du Ruxiu nodded upon hearing this, and then went to find Li Xiangping.
A sinister glint flashed in Yuan Huiniang's eyes. She probably felt that because of her pregnancy and overthinking, or perhaps because of Li Xinniang's matter, she was paranoid. She felt that Magistrate Ling treated Yan Qingqing differently.
So she had to ask Li Xiangping to keep an eye on things.
Of course, no one else knew about Yuan Huiniang's little scheme.
Yan Qingqing had just arrived at the flower hall and hadn't even had a chance to greet Magistrate Ling when Li Xiangping walked in right behind her.
Li Xiangping, being of low rank, naturally had to pay his respects to Magistrate Ling.
Upon seeing this, Magistrate Ling laughed and said, "No need for that. Although your rank is two levels lower than mine, my rank is also two levels lower than your mother's."
If you bow to me, then shouldn't I also bow to the eunuch Mingzhao?
Despite this, Ling Ziyuan showed no intention of getting up.
When Yan Qingqing first met Magistrate Ling, although he appeared upright, she could tell that he was not someone bound by worldly constraints.
Yan Qingqing has a modern mindset, so she doesn't care much about etiquette.
He simply smiled and walked over to sit down on a stool, then jokingly said, "I can't accept such a grand gesture from Magistrate Ling."
"From now on, I'll have to rely on Magistrate Ling to live in Chengyang County."
Ling Ziyuan replied smugly, "That's easy. Not to mention Chengyang County, even in the capital, as long as you mention my name... oh, no, as long as you mention my name, Ling Ziyuan, it will work."
Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping were both surprised that Ling Ziyuan would get so arrogant after just a few words of praise.
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