Xu Di said, "That's exactly the point. After my Aunt Shao married into the Zhao family, she gave them a lot of dowry. She has three children, so how could that dowry be divided among them? A few days ago, I was helping my grandfather check the accounts of the family's shops. My grandfather forcibly took back and managed several of Aunt Shao's shops. I heard that Aunt Shao sold several of the shops that came with her dowry."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "What's the point of selling it? I can't control it myself. I can just rent it out and collect some rent every year. Over time, that's a source of income, isn't it?"
Xu Di said, "I know that one of the shops was sold to raise money for the Lady of the Zhao family. The accounts of the Yongping Marquis's mansion could not be balanced, so the Lady of the Marquis asked several daughters-in-law to help find a solution. In order to gain face in front of the Lady of the Marquis, Aunt Shao sold one of her shops. My grandfather was very angry. When preparing Aunt Shao's dowry, those shops were carefully selected. Knowing that Aunt Shao wanted to sell the shops, he ordered someone to buy them."
Hearing this, Xu Zhi was very surprised. Although she was in the inner quarters back then, she had heard from some servants that her aunt was an arrogant person who was very popular with Lady Wu. Once, Xu Shao came back crying that she had no money left. Lady Wu even pawned a very exquisite piece of jewelry. At that time, the old lady was bedridden and the Marquis had also passed away unexpectedly. The heir took over the Marquis's position. Because of this, Lady Ning made a big fuss in front of Lady Wu. At that time, the Yongning Marquis's mansion was already in dire straits and could not make ends meet.
Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "People are afraid of getting stuck in a rut and ending up in a dead end. Your Aunt Shao had so much dowry in her hands, and she could have lived a good life with her children, but she was always thinking about the power to manage the Yongping Marquis's mansion. With just that one thought, others were able to take control of her, and those things were gradually taken away from her."
Xu Di said, "People shouldn't be greedy. If you are greedy, you'll have something to hide and someone will have a hold on you. Sooner or later, you'll become something that others can use."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "That's really true, Xiao Jiu. You have to remember this: when you get married and your family grows up, you must never try to be the best or the most powerful. You have to know that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. If you marry into a humble family, just live a good life together. If you marry into a wealthy family and your family grows up, you must never try to seize power or control. That will only harm you."
Xu Zhi nodded, and Xu Di said, "Grandmother is right. If this matter is not handled properly, all three of our families will become a laughing stock in the capital. People will talk about this matter when our children get married. Lock Xu Yao up. Once the Zhao family and the Yang family have finalized the marriage, how far can Xu Yao cause trouble?"
Zhang Zhaoci shook his head and said, "I'm afraid this girl will keep bringing this up. You know, the things we can't have are always the best, especially for children this age. The more you stop her, the more you prevent her, the more she wants to have them. But we can't keep her locked up forever. I think this matter will cause a lot of trouble after the New Year."
Xu Di said, "Didn't Grandmother want to send Xu Yao to my eldest sister's place? Liaodong is far from the capital. What kind of trouble can Xu Yao cause there? We can send two capable nannies to accompany her and they can surely change this girl's mind."
Granny Lu sighed and said, "What's the use of us talking here? Now it depends on what the Fourth Miss thinks. Will she continue to make trouble or listen to the advice of her elders and stop bothering the young master of the Yang family? What if she agrees on the surface but still makes trouble behind the scenes?"
Xu Di said, "If she wants to make a scene, then let her. There are so many men in this mansion, young and old. Don't we all have any dignity? Are we going to let a teenage girl make a scene and become a laughing stock? If you ask me, she's just spoiled. Send her to the estate to take care of herself for a while, and she'll still be thinking of making a scene. We'll see if my uncle and aunt can be so heartless."
As Xu Zhi listened to her nanny, mother, and brother's words, she was thinking about herself. What would happen to the family if she made a scene like that?
Seeing Xu Zhi deep in thought, Xu Di asked, "Xiao Jiu, what are you pondering?"
Xu Zhi thought for a moment, then said somewhat shyly, "Brother, I was wondering how you, Mother, and Father would handle it if I made a scene like Fourth Sister?"
Xu Di was stunned for a moment, then said, "How could my sister do something so reckless and ungrateful?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Yes, we wouldn't teach our children to be so ignorant."
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "I mean, what if I were like Fourth Sister, making a scene with my family over a man I'm already engaged to or who's currently being discussed for marriage? How would you handle me?"
Xu Di said, "If that's the case, then it must be that the man did something wrong, giving you some hints to make you feel that his marriage was not his own choice, and that you are the girl he loves."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Yes, yes, you teenagers can't even distinguish right from wrong in many things. Doing something like this, as you once told us, shows that you're not broad-minded enough. In the future, I'll have your brother take you to many places to see the beautiful landscapes of our country and the different customs and cultures. Once you've broadened your mind, you'll look back on this and realize your limitations. You'll understand where you went wrong and maybe you'll even have a change of heart."
Xu Di said, "If you still insist on this after all this, and that man also wants to be with you, I will find a way to let you be together. If you can respect and love each other, then live a good life together. If you can't make it work after marriage, then get a divorce and go home. Your family can take care of you in your old age."
Xu Zhi was quite moved when she heard this and said, "I think I'm much happier than my fourth sister. I've spent so much time with her, and I actually understand her quite well. She's the youngest daughter in the family, and her eldest uncle and aunt love her very much. But she has an older sister and a second brother above her. Her eldest uncle and aunt treat her older sister differently than they treat her. And because her second brother is a boy, her eldest uncle and aunt pay more attention to him than to her fourth sister. In fact, my fourth sister is just like a paper tiger. She looks scary, but she's only tough on the surface."
Zhang Zhaoci was surprised that Xu Zhi could see this level of insight and asked with great interest, "How did you figure that out?"
Xu Zhi said, "I can tell from my fourth sister. Actually, my fourth sister really wants my eldest uncle and aunt to discipline her like they disciplined my eldest sister. It was in the summer when my eldest aunt took us sisters to the Yong'an Marquis's mansion to attend the flower festival. One of the ladies said that our eldest daughter had been carefully taught since she was a child and was capable of handling things, but her younger sister was not taught as well. There were several other ladies present, and one of them was smiling and trying to smooth things over, saying that my eldest uncle and aunt were just being kind to their younger daughter. I noticed that my fourth sister's expression was off, and she was gloomy for several days after we got back."
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