The maid guarding the door lifted the heavy curtain, and Su Qingyu and Su Shunci walked in.
Seeing the sisters coming, Hai smiled and said, "You've come just in time. Keep Zhilan company. I have to go out and entertain the guests."
The two sisters stepped forward and bowed to their third aunt.
I remember when I entered the house, there were carriages gathered in front of the Su family's door, and the house was bustling with people.
Su Qingyu asked casually, "It's not even the day yet, why are there so many people?"
The Su family doesn’t have many relatives, so how many colleagues can Third Uncle have?
When Hai heard her ask, she explained the reason.
It turned out that because of the Crown Prince's wedding, many people wanted to get in touch with him but had no way to do so. They could only use this as an excuse to come to the Su family to congratulate them and try to get closer to them.
So in the past few days, many people who did not receive the Su family's wedding invitation also brought gifts to the door in advance.
Su Chengxun was really in a dilemma. Since the guests came to the house, they were guests. He couldn't just refuse them entry.
If someone is congratulating you sincerely and you are not allowed to enter or accept your gift, people will think that the Su family looks down on them.
But if they were greeted with a smile, the gifts these people gave would be too valuable.
Especially those families with whom he had no personal relationships, who sent him so many valuable gifts that he couldn't sleep or eat.
I'm afraid what they value is the relationship between the Su family and the prince, thinking that it will be useful one day.
Yesterday, when he was checking the gifts, he found a silver note worth two thousand taels under a box of century-old ginseng. He was so scared that he sent it back to the owner overnight.
This is what he saw, so he was afraid that there might be others he hadn't seen.
He accepted someone's gift. When that person comes to him and asks for something, will he agree or refuse?
If you take something from someone else, you will always be soft-hearted.
Hai sighed and said, "Your Third Uncle is still worried. It's not right to accept this gift, nor is it right to refuse it."
Su Qingyu suddenly understood and realized that they were all here to gain connections and get things done in the future.
She thought for a moment and said, "Aunt, Fifth Sister's wedding is a happy event. She is also the Crown Princess, so she should be concerned about her family, country and people. This is what I think..."
Su Qingyu whispered something to Hai, and Hai's eyes suddenly lit up when she heard it.
"I'm going to tell your uncle right now. This is a really good idea."
Hai took people out of Su Zhilan's boudoir and went to the outer courtyard.
After finding Su Chengxun, Hai called him aside and told him what Su Qingyu meant.
Su Chengxun thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's fine. I'll go and explain it right away."
Just at this moment, a few more people came in from the main door and handed things to the housekeeper.
After Su Chengxun came forward and exchanged a few pleasantries, he said loudly, "Dear colleagues and friends, my daughter is getting married to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I'm grateful for your kindness and willingness to come and have a drink at the wedding."
"I appreciate your kindness, but I feel unworthy to accept this gift."
Some people thought Su Chengxun wanted them to take the gifts back, and hurriedly said, "Brother Su, you are too polite. We are officials in the same court, and it is normal for us uncles to show our gratitude for our niece's wedding."
The person who spoke was Lord Chen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He had never spoken to Su Chengxun, let alone a close relationship with him.
Su Chengxun vaguely remembered that he once went to the Ministry of Justice to retrieve files and negotiated some official business with this Lord Chen.
But as for personal relationship, there is none at all.
Minister Chen handed the item to the housekeeper and opened the lid to facilitate the housekeeper's registration.
Although it was far away, Su Chengxun saw at a glance that the box contained a jade ruyi with a gold handle and three jade reliefs.
The main body of this Ruyi is a golden handle, and the head, waist and tail are inlaid with three irregularly shaped Ruyi tiles. Each of them is embossed with auspicious cloud patterns, which symbolizes good luck and good fortune.
He knew at a glance that this was a top-grade jade ruyi.
Considering his relationship with Minister Chen, this gift was too precious.
Su Chengxun suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on his back. He could even imagine what would happen if he indulged in the compliments and flattery of these people.
All the unfortunate endings of in-laws start from this step, right?
Su Chengxun calmed down and continued, "Master Chen, you're joking. How can my daughter recognize so many uncles? If the emperor heard about this, he would think that the Su family was taking advantage of the opportunity to make money."
After saying this, he put away the smile on his face and said loudly, "I appreciate your kindness, but it would be difficult to refuse your kindness."
"All the gold, silver, and valuables received from my daughter's wedding will be donated directly to the Ministry of Revenue as military pay for next year."
"When the time comes, I will suggest to Your Majesty that we put up a sign at the entrance of the Ministry of Revenue. It will have your names and the amount of silver you donated written on it. These gifts will also be converted into silver."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is getting married. Your contribution to the court is the best gift."
After saying this, in front of everyone's astonished gaze, Su Chengxun picked up a pen and wrote a notice, and asked someone to post it on the door.
He also instructed the stewards at the door to make sure to explain this matter clearly to the guests coming to the wedding.
The Su family will not leave a single penny, and will donate 5,000 taels of silver when the time comes.
After thinking about it, Su Chengxun ordered someone to invite the officials from the Ministry of Revenue to come over. The gift money was directly handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, which saved the Su family a lot of trouble.
Su Chengxun's series of actions made the guests who were about to enter hesitate.
They gave gifts to get closer to Su Chengxun, but in doing so, all these things ended up in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse.
But if I don’t send it, what will the emperor think when he finds out?
For a moment, everyone was in a dilemma.
However, those who have close relations with the Su family and have had dealings with them did not think that there was anything wrong with Su Chengxun's behavior.
On the contrary, he thought this was a good idea. They could repay the Su family's favor and also show their face in front of the emperor.
There were relatives of the Su family who reacted quickly. They immediately raised their voices and said, "Since it's military pay for the court, we should take more. Only when the court is doing well can we do well."
One can imagine how happy the emperor would be when these words reached the palace.
Seeing this, the others looked at the things in their hands and handed them in resignedly.
Su Chengxun felt happy and welcomed the guests in to greet them.
In Su Zhilan's boudoir in the inner courtyard, three sisters were talking.
Su Shunci was admonishing Su Zhilan, "People in the palace are used to flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak. You should dress more respectfully. And the rewards you give them shouldn't be too shabby."
"This is the dowry given to you by your fourth sister, please don't despise it."
As he spoke, Su Shunci handed Su Zhilan a square pearwood box.
Su Zhilan opened it curiously, and her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.
A thick box filled with silver notes worth one thousand taels each.
The corners of her lips twitched, and after a long while she said, "This...is all for me?"
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