Chapter 5 Shen Mingxuan after Marriage
Having received such a great benefit, Shen Wantang didn't care about Granny Yin's sarcasm at all. Just thinking about how heartbroken and resentful Qi Shi must have been when she gave her these things, she couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile: "Don't worry, Granny, I'll be careful. I won't gouge out your eyes or hurt your hands. Please thank Mother for me. After I get married, I will definitely speak well of Mother so that everyone will know that Mother is kind and benevolent, treating her concubine's daughter as if she were her own!"
Hearing this, Granny Yin stopped talking, gave a cold snort, and turned to leave.
Du Juan knew how stingy Madam Qi was. Her eyes lit up when she looked at the jewelry in the box: "Miss, you're really amazing! You actually got Madam to give you these as part of your dowry. They're worth a lot of money!"
Shen Wantang didn't really care about these things, but she was happy as long as she could make Qi Shi suffer to the point of vomiting blood.
She casually handed the jewelry box to Du Juan: "Keep it all, you can give it as a gift later."
Du Juan, holding the box, looked shocked: "Miss, such fine jewelry, are you going to give it away as a gift?"
"Yes, once you go to the Prince's mansion, you'll inevitably need to run errands and do chores. Those who are obedient will naturally be rewarded. The Prince's mansion is not like our home, where a few copper coins and some loose silver can be used to get rid of people. Once you go there, there will be no shortage of expenses."
Shen Wantang wouldn't pretend to be rich when she's not, but she absolutely couldn't be stingy when it came to giving rewards, otherwise she would lose people's hearts and no one would be willing to run errands for her anymore.
Money makes the world go round, but without it, even heroes are brought down. Silver is the hardest thing in this world; nothing else works as well.
Shen Wantang opened another box and took out the land deed and account book inside.
The land deed was left to her by her aunt; it certainly wasn't something she brought from her own family. If her family had any power at all, she wouldn't have become someone's concubine.
When she was alive, her father doted on her and gave her many good things. She took half of them back to her parents' home and kept the other half. After saving them for several years, she used them all to buy land.
The account book wasn't left by the concubine; it belonged to Shen Wantang himself.
Two years ago, she and her cousin opened a fabric shop together. She contributed money and ideas, while her cousin contributed his labor. Now they have made quite a bit of money.
Now that she's been reborn, she knows everything about the trendy fabrics in the capital, so it's time to open a few more shops.
In previous years, she had a very difficult time under her stepmother's care. She was often deducted money and clothing and shoes for all four seasons, and she didn't even have a dress that fit her properly when she went out.
After she and her cousin opened a shop in the past two years, they had more money and their lives finally became easier.
Soon, the day of Shen Mingxuan's wedding arrived.
When Shen Wantang went to her room to see her, she had already dressed up.
Unlike her previous life, she no longer wore the ruby crown or the luxurious wedding dress adorned with large pearls, and she appeared much less radiant than in her previous life.
Just like in her previous life, Shen Mingxuan still wore an arrogant and smug expression on her face.
"Why are you only arriving now, little sister? Do you think I married someone worse than you, so you don't respect me as your older sister anymore?"
Shen Wantang looked at her quietly. In both her lives, she had never really taken Shen Mingxuan seriously. She was too stupid and short-sighted, not even qualified to be her opponent.
However, Shen Mingxuan continued to lecture her: "Sister, don't be so short-sighted. You think you can marry into the royal family and that's why you're so arrogant. My husband, Liao Youhe, is currently unknown, but in the future he will be famous throughout the capital and become the dream of countless young girls."
“In the future, when you can no longer survive in the Prince’s mansion, you’ll be begging me on your knees!”
Shen Wantang laughed: "Sister seems to have a lot of confidence in brother-in-law, then I'll wait and see how he will become famous throughout the capital!"
After ten years of marriage, who understands Liao Youhe better than her?
No, even Liao Youhe himself doesn't understand him as well as she does, let alone Shen Mingxuan.
If Liao Youhe, who has changed wives, can become famous in the capital again, then Shen Wantang's name will be written backwards from now on.
After a while, many women arrived one after another. Although they were secretly laughing and questioning how Shen Mingxuan, the legitimate daughter of a wealthy man, could marry a poor scholar from a humble family, they maintained a friendly demeanor and spoke auspicious words.
"The auspicious time has arrived!"
With a loud shout, Shen Mingxuan was covered with a bright red veil.
Firecrackers went off, and a group of people rushed into the courtyard.
"Oh dear, the groom is here!"
"This groom is handsome and refined; he looks every bit the scholar!"
Shen Wantang looked up and saw Liao Youhe dressed in a bright red wedding gown through the crowd.
He was indeed good-looking, and with his wedding today, he was in high spirits and looked exceptionally handsome. He had a smile on his face, and his voice as he spoke to everyone was filled with joy, clearly indicating that he was very satisfied with the marriage.
I wonder if he would still be so satisfied if he knew that the marriage exchange would lead him to a completely different life.
Soon, Liao Youhe picked up his bride. After saying goodbye to their parents, the two set off for the Liao family home.
At this time, the Liao family had not yet moved to the capital, but lived in a small county town outside the capital.
Shen Wantang recalled how she had been jostled around in a sedan chair for a long time in her previous life, and then, after leaving the capital, she had been jostled around in a donkey cart for most of the day. By the time she arrived at the Liao family's house, her bones were almost broken.
Moreover, the weather was scorching hot, and sitting in the car was like being in a sauna, almost making one faint from the heat. They dared not eat or drink anything along the way, because they had no idea when they would arrive at the Liao family's house. The bride couldn't possibly relieve herself halfway through the journey, so she could only endure it.
This time, it's Shen Mingxuan's turn to suffer.
Shen Mingxuan did indeed suffer a lot. Three days later, when she returned to her parents' home, she had lost a lot of weight, and even her eyes were dark and her complexion was sallow.
But as soon as she saw Shen Wantang looking at her, she immediately straightened her back and raised her chin, afraid that Shen Wantang would see how hard she had been these past few days.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that no matter how she tried to hide it, it was useless, because Shen Wantang had experienced everything she had gone through.
When Madam Qi saw that her daughter had become such a grotesque figure only three days after her marriage, she was both shocked and heartbroken. She hurriedly pulled her daughter to her courtyard and asked her what had happened.
"Xuanxuan, what's wrong with you? Why have you lost so much weight? Did your husband... did he go too rough with you at night? Before you got married, didn't I teach you that you can't just indulge men in these kinds of things?"
Shen Mingxuan shook her head: "Mother, we haven't consummated our marriage yet."
"What?! Why is that?"
"My mother-in-law won't allow it."
"What?!"
Madam Qi was both shocked and furious: "Why wouldn't she let you consummate your marriage? That old man even has to interfere in such matters?"
Speaking of this, Shen Mingxuan was also furious: "She said that Youhe has not yet passed the imperial examination and should not be obsessed with women. She said that we should wait until he passes the examination before we can consummate our marriage. It would be bad luck to consummate our marriage beforehand and it would ruin Youhe's luck."
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