Chapter 11 Good news!
"Your eldest daughter donated her entire dowry?"
I said that during the court assembly today, my father treated me even better than before. He not only rewarded me with gifts, but also said that the people I led had great spirit.
So that's what we're talking about! Not bad, you've made me proud.
The King of Zhao, dressed in scarlet robes, had a face full of joy.
Song Kaishan paused for a moment before saying, "But... a lot of the dowry was misappropriated by my wife."
It's not something we can gather in a short time.
The officials from the Inspectorate said that if anything is missing, it will be replaced with silver.
We're still short 50,000 taels!
Upon hearing this, King Zhao's face immediately showed a hint of disdain.
"Your wife... she really knows how to scheme, she even schemed against Miss Song's dowry!"
If this matter were handled by another government office, I could simply send someone to make the arrangements.
Now, this matter happens to involve the Inspection Department...
Don't you know that Ye Yunshu doesn't recognize anything but account books? She even dares to investigate the inner palace's accounts, and no one can do anything about her.
I really don't know how my father could trust her so much!
Alright, this is also beneficial to me.
These past two days, because of your Miss Song's donation of her dowry, the nobles in the capital have been spending a lot of money.
The amount of silver in the North has increased considerably, and you have certainly made a contribution.
This 50,000 taels of silver... I'll give you 20,000 and lend you another 30,000. Hurry up and gather the silver to send to the Censorate.
Don't wait until the Inspectorate comes knocking on your door; if they do, it's not a good thing.
"Steward, withdraw fifty thousand taels of silver from the accounting office and give it to Marquis Zhongyong." King Zhao waved his hand magnanimously.
Song Kaishan breathed a sigh of relief, and then flattered the King of Zhao a few more times.
King Zhao also gave Song Kaishan a lot of face and chatted with him for a few words.
"By the way! Is Lieutenant General Wu coming back? I heard that he'll be returning to the capital in three days to report to the Ministry of War, and then go back to his estate in the suburbs of Beijing to recuperate, right?"
"Will he get married during this period of recuperation?" King Zhao suddenly asked.
Song Kaishan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Yes, they will come to our residence to exchange their marriage certificates after they return, and they should be married soon."
King Zhao nodded in satisfaction.
"That's right. Old Wu has been serving as a lieutenant general in the main command tent in the north, and he is highly regarded by General Shen."
It will be good for us all if you become his father-in-law.
Even my concubine told me yesterday that her uncle would be very happy to marry Miss Song.
"Lord Zhongyong, go back and make proper arrangements. I will definitely attend the wedding banquet."
Song Kaishan immediately agreed.
When the prince goes in person, those people in the capital probably won't dare to say anything!
Song Kaishan happily returned home.
Once the money was collected, Song Kaishan quickly sent it to the Censorate.
It was Wen Shaoqing who received Song Kaishan. She praised Song Kaishan for delivering the silver in time, verified the silver notes in front of Song Kaishan, and then deposited them into the account.
Finally, she carefully wrote down in the ledger that the donor was Song Zhimian.
Even though Song Kaishan was dissatisfied, he didn't dare to say anything.
Writing about Song Zhimin is fine too, since she is, after all, the daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong's Song family. Any rewards or honors will ultimately belong to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.
...
Song Zhimian guessed correctly. Ever since she donated her dowry, the way people in the mansion looked at her had become even more strange.
There was no one to serve her in her own courtyard anymore; Song Zhimian had to do everything herself, from boiling water to other tasks.
Song Zhimian didn't care. It was only a few days anyway, so she figured she might as well work a little harder!
So, for the past two days, Song Zhimian has been eating the snacks she bought from outside with tea.
She was too lazy to even go to the kitchen to serve the food.
Firstly, she didn't want to hear what those people were saying, and secondly, she was afraid that Ding might tamper with the food.
Soon, three days had passed.
That morning, after getting up, Song Zhimin tidied herself up and changed into a well-fitting but understated outfit.
My hair was simply combed.
Fortunately, she still had the original owner's memories, so Song Zhimian was able to style her hair into a "Suiyun" bun.
Song Zhimian looked at the empty house and the empty yard.
I donated all the jewelry and other things, and I probably won't need the clothes anymore. The jade fruit was also sent away ahead of time. It seems there's nothing here that I'm no longer attached to.
After looking around the courtyard where she had lived for nearly eighteen years, Song Zhimian sat upright in a chair.
It was at this moment that Song Zhiqing ran over again.
"Oh! Eldest sister, you knew your future husband was coming back today, so you dressed up and waited here for him to come and exchange marriage certificates?"
"Are you in such a hurry to get married?" Song Zhiqing's eyes were full of schadenfreude.
Song Zhimian glanced at her, then said only one sentence.
There's vegetable residue in your teeth!
Song Zhiqing...
After a chaotic scene, Song Zhijing wiped her mouth angrily and was about to speak to Song Zhimin again.
Before Song Zhiqing could speak, Song Zhimian added a few more words.
Your lip rouge has all come off.
"Also, have you been eating too much lately? You've gotten quite plump. Look at your waist, it seems much thicker than before."
Then another commotion ensued.
Song Zhijing finally couldn't hold back and yelled at Song Zhimian.
"No! My waistline is still the same as before, not fuller."
"Oh! Then stay away from me when you speak. What did you eat this morning? Why does your breath smell so bad, like pond mud?" Song Zhimian said, fanning herself with her hand twice.
Song Zhiqing...
Seeing Song Zhijing baring her teeth and claws as she tried to tear her apart, Song Zhimian prepared herself to be torn apart by her.
As long as it doesn't hurt your face, you can tear it however you want.
Unfortunately, Song Zhimian's wish to humiliate the Song family once again could not be fulfilled.
Ding's mother, accompanied by several maids, rushed over in a hurry.
"Miss...Miss! Someone from the inner palace has arrived! They want to see you!" Ding Mama shouted as she ran.
Song Zhiqing was stunned when she saw that her sleeves had already been rolled up.
"Someone from the Imperial Household Department? What brings someone from the Imperial Household Department here? Is there another reward?"
"And why do you want to see Song Zhimin?" Song Zhijing asked several questions.
Ding's mother looked troubled, opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.
Song Zhimian breathed a long sigh of relief.
She quickly straightened her clothes, patted off imaginary dust, and then glanced at Song Zhiqing.
"Sister! Why are you unhappy that someone from the inner palace has come? I'll go over first. If you have anything to say, you can come back later to settle the score with me."
that is……
I don't know if you'll have this chance again!
Oh, and maybe your sister will give you a big gift tomorrow!
After finishing her speech, Song Zhimian went straight to the front hall of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, where guests were received.
This time, she didn't turn around, and didn't even glance at the courtyard.
Song Zhijing looked at Song Zhimian in disbelief.
"Mother Ding, what exactly happened? Why...why did the people from the Inner Palace want to see her?"
"Our young lady applied for the selection of female officials in the inner palace and was accepted!"
"The young lady is going to the palace!" said Madam Ding helplessly.
Song Zhiqing...
"She's going to become a female official? If she becomes a female official, how will she get married?" Song Zhiqing's voice suddenly rose.
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