Chapter Ten
The next day, Gu Leyao moved into a large courtyard, which was beautifully decorated.
In the center of the courtyard stands a large, lush jujube tree, about ten zhang tall. It is not yet the season for jujubes to bloom; the tree is full of verdant green leaves, which rustle in the wind.
Gu Leyao felt a little regretful. He wouldn't be able to stay in this courtyard for long, and he wouldn't be able to wait until the jujubes ripened. The jujubes from such a tall tree should be delicious.
In a corner of the courtyard, orchids and some other rare and unidentified flowers were planted. Gu Leyao noticed a light blue flower blooming in the corner of the courtyard; the servants said it was called a bluebell, and it was a beautiful blue color.
She thought that once she had her own courtyard in the Prince's Mansion, she would plant these light blue flowers.
Gu Leyao went into the house again, and the butler specially introduced the furnishings to her. There was a set of rosewood tables and chairs with a faint sandalwood fragrance. The porcelain bowls on the coffee table were snow-white and translucent, all of which were precious pieces from the imperial kiln and were extremely expensive.
Gu Leyao knew that this was the intention of the Earl and his wife, who were trying to curry favor with her at the last minute because they saw that she had a bright future.
Gu Leyao strolled around the house, both inside and out. She was very satisfied with the new courtyard; it was spacious and luxurious. She nodded to the housekeeper, "Housekeeper Cui, I think this courtyard is quite nice. I have nothing else to do here, so you can go and attend to your other matters."
The butler declined a couple of times and then left.
Only Gu Leyao and Chun Tao remained in the courtyard. Gu Leyao told Chun Tao to sit down and help herself to whatever she wanted to eat.
On the coffee table were several plates of pastries, including a rose gold shortbread that I had seen at the aunt's house before, a fragrant, sweet, and molten cream cheese, a plate of large, red fresh cherries, and a small dish of freshly cut honeydew melon.
Chun Tao took a soft cheese first. She had never eaten this before. She took a small bite and found that a milky white sweet juice was flowing out. Afraid of wasting it by spilling it on the ground, she quickly swallowed the remaining half of the soft cheese.
With something in her mouth, Chun Tao mumbled, "Miss, this is so delicious! Let's eat this every day from now on!"
Gu Leyao couldn't be sure before, but now she's certain that Madam Bo is trying to please her and will definitely do whatever she wants for a while. Whatever she wants to eat, the kitchen will have to make it.
Seeing Chun Tao enjoying her food, Gu Luoyao felt a little hungry herself. She picked up a red cherry and put it in her mouth. She felt that this cherry was similar to the cherries of later generations, but it was much sweeter and redder. Gu Luoyao ate several in a row.
While they were eating, the steward returned and told Gu Leyao through the door that several people had been sent by the Prince of Dingbei's residence.
Gu Leyao was somewhat surprised. She had just handed the letter to the palace lady-in-waiting yesterday, so how come the Prince of Dingbei's residence had sent the person over today? That was too fast!
But she did not hesitate and hurriedly led Chun Tao to the main hall to greet the visitors.
Three people came from the Dingbei Prince's Mansion. The one in the lead was an elderly woman, probably around forty years old. She had a gentle face and spoke very politely. As soon as she saw Gu Leyao, she said, "You must be Miss Gu? I am the Prince's wet nurse. My surname is Zhou. You can call me Aunt Zhou from now on."
Gu Leyao complied with her wishes, called out "Mother Zhou," and then looked at the two people behind Mother Zhou.
These are two young men with sharp facial features, tall stature, and long legs; they look like they are martial arts practitioners.
Following Gu Leyao's gaze, Zhou's mother turned around and introduced with a smile, "These are the two guards that the Prince assigned to you, one is named Li Jiu, and the other is named Li Shi."
Gu Leyao remembered that when she met the Prince of Dingbei on the street last time, he had a guard with him, whose name seemed to be Li Qi.
It is said that the guards of the Prince of Dingbei's family are ranked by numbers.
Gu Leyao explained the situation to the housekeeper, and that Zhou's mother, Gu Leyao, and Chuntao would all live in the newly moved-in courtyard from now on.
As for the two guards of the Prince of Dingbei's mansion, the steward arranged for them to stay in an empty courtyard next to Gu Leyao.
The yard is a bit small, but it's big enough for two men to live in.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Gu Leyao asked the housekeeper to prepare a meal, as she intended to invite Zhou Mama and the two guards to lunch.
After lunch, Gu Leyao kept Zhou's mother behind and told her about her situation in the Marquis's mansion.
Gu Leyao sat down with Zhou Mama and confided in her, "Zhou Mama, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me. Although I have the title of a daughter of a noble family, I'm actually unloved by my father and mother. Everyone in the capital knows that I and another girl in the manor were switched at birth. I, the noble family's biological daughter, grew up in the countryside, while she, a village girl, grew up in the manor's luxurious world. After I was brought back from the countryside, my parents didn't treat me well, and my brother wasn't friendly either. I thought my life was over..." "That's how it is. But I never expected that I would be chosen by the Empress to be the Princess Consort of Dingbei. As soon as this news came out, their attitude towards me changed drastically. To be honest, I was still living in the small courtyard where the servants lived just yesterday, and I only moved to this new courtyard this morning. I invited you here, firstly so that you could help me prevent any foolish people from doing anything wrong, and secondly, because I intend to bring more dowry from the Earl's Mansion to the Prince's Mansion. You have been in the palace for a long time and are very knowledgeable; please give me some advice and put my mind at ease."
Before Zhou Mama came to the Earl's Mansion, she had already been sent out of the palace to retire. However, the Prince of Dingbei came to find her and asked her to go to the Earl's Mansion to help Gu Leyao.
The Prince of Dingbei's original words were, "Please be kind to her and help her as much as you can."
Zhou's mother had heard of Gu Leyao's reputation. People outside said that she had just returned from the countryside and had picked up the rustic air of the country folk. They said she was uncouth and disdained to associate with her.
But after meeting Gu Leyao in person and getting to know her, Zhou's mother felt that Gu Leyao was a person who clearly distinguished between love and hate and was honest and sincere.
Mother Zhou entered the palace at a young age and stayed there for twenty or thirty years. She wasn't afraid of people being a little rough or clumsy, but she was most afraid of people who liked to think they were clever. It was okay if they didn't know the rules; they would learn them gradually.
She was the nanny of the Prince of Dingbei, and had watched this child grow up since he was a child, treating him like her own. This child used to be such a radiant person, but since his leg was crippled, he has gradually become depressed.
Seeing her like that, Zhou's mother felt very sorry for her. This time, Her Majesty the Empress chose Gu Leyao as the Princess Consort of Dingbei. At first, Zhou's mother felt that Her Majesty the Empress was mistreating the Prince of Dingbei, but now she felt that Gu Leyao and the Prince of Dingbei might be a good match.
This girl seems to have a cheerful and generous personality. She has experienced hardship in the countryside and is not as arrogant as those rich and noble ladies.
They are both people who have suffered, and if they are together and understand each other, they might become a good couple.
Gu Leyao didn't know what Zhou's mother was thinking, but with such a pillar of strength in her courtyard, she felt much more at ease.
After all, Gu Baozhu has lived in the Earl's mansion for so many years. If Gu Baozhu can't stand seeing her doing well and wants to do something bad, it will be difficult for Gu Leyao to guard against it.
Now that Gu Leyao has Zhou Mama by her side, who has seen many storms in the palace, and two guards living next door to protect her, Gu Baozhu should not dare to do anything.
*
When Madam Bo heard that Mother Zhou had come from the palace, she specially invited Mother Zhou and Gu Leyao to the main courtyard for a chat that afternoon.
Mrs. Bo smiled and chatted with Zhou's mother for a while, then looked at Gu Leyao with a loving expression. "Leyao didn't grow up with us. She's only been home for a short time, and she's already getting married. We really can't bear to part with her."
Gu Leyao met the gaze of the Earl's wife and rolled her eyes inwardly. She didn't believe the Earl's wife when she said she couldn't bear to part with her. "Mother, if you really can't bear to part with me, then give me a larger dowry. Last time I went to the flower viewing banquet, I heard the noble ladies there say that if a bride's dowry is too small, she might be looked down upon by her husband's family. I'm marrying a prince, not an ordinary family. If the dowry is too small, it might look bad for our Zhongqin Earl's Mansion."
At the opportune moment, a hint of worry appeared on Zhou's mother's face. She followed up on Gu Leyao's words, saying, "Yes, the bride of the imperial family is more particular about having a grand affair. On the wedding day, I estimate that the entire city will be watching. If the dowry procession is too small, the whole capital will probably laugh at us."
Lady Bo's face darkened at their words. Although the Zhongqin Earl's family had accumulated considerable wealth over three generations, she had already prepared half of the family fortune as a dowry list for Baozhu and a betrothal gift list for Ronghua.
As for Gu Leyao, the aunt originally only planned to give her a small dowry. The little bit of stuff that came out of the aunt's mansion was enough for her to marry a minor official in the capital and live a stable life.
But now that Gu Leyao is going to marry the prince, her dowry can't be too meager, and the aunt is in a dilemma.
Gu Leyao noticed the aunt's hesitation and said with a smile, "Our family only has my brother and me as our biological children. Baozhu doesn't have the blood of the aunt's family and is considered an adopted child. Mother wouldn't treat an adopted child better than me, would she?"
The lady of the house looked rather displeased. Last night, the prince had told her that she should cultivate a good relationship with the princess's daughter. If she didn't agree to give Gu Leyao a larger dowry, she feared she would be scolded by the prince when he returned that evening.
Last night, the Earl of Zhongqin said that he must win over this daughter. In the future, when they take care of the family, apart from him, the only one with a rank is this daughter, who is also a first-rank official!
Gu Leyao continued, "I heard that when the late Emperor's brother, the Prince of Qin, got married, the Princess of Qin's family sent a ten-mile-long dowry, which is still talked about as a beautiful story by the people of the capital. Although our Zhongqin Earl's Mansion is not as powerful as the Princess of Qin's family, it is still an earl's mansion, so the dowry cannot be too meager, right?"
Mother Zhou also chimed in, "Once the Earl's Mansion has prepared the dowry list, I'll submit it to the palace and ask Her Majesty the Empress to take a look. Her Majesty the Empress is the mother of the nation, and her eyesight is accurate. She can tell at a glance what needs to be added."
When Lady Bo heard that the Empress also wanted to see the dowry list, she was taken aback.
After Gu Leyao and Zhou Mama left, she pondered for a while, then reluctantly asked the housekeeper to bring out Baozhu's dowry list and Ronghua's betrothal gift list.
The aunt selected most of the finest items for Gu Leyao, such as precious jewelry with cranes and kingfisher feathers, jade carvings of the Eight Immortals celebrating longevity, jewelry inlaid with peacocks amidst flowers, and gemstone cups inlaid with cat's eye stones... all of which appeared on Gu Leyao's dowry list.
When Gu Leyao saw the newly prepared dowry list that evening, a genuine smile appeared on her face. She said to the housekeeper, "Please thank Mother for me. I knew that among all the children in the family, Mother loved me the most. Look, even my dowry list is the most generous."
Gu Leyao was naturally delighted, but when Gu Baozhu heard about it, she was so angry that she smashed the teacup in her hand, and her gentle demeanor, which she had maintained for many years, was ruined.
In this era, a woman's dowry was very important. The husband's family could not touch the wife's dowry. The dowry was a woman's personal property and her means of a good life.
With most of her dowry gone, Gu Baozhu was naturally furious.
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