Bai Shi thought about her situation in the Marquis' Mansion in her previous life and realized that she had to make some changes. Money and goods are fair. It's not fair to take a small amount of money from someone else, then refuse to acknowledge their status as legitimate wife and humiliate them with all sorts of tactics.
Qin herself was too weak to take the risk of having children, and she worried too much, which led to her losing her life. Why should this be blamed on her?
Bai, who had helped her father sit down, spoke of her worries: "Father, the Marquis's Mansion needs money right now, so they're naturally kind to us. But we're from a merchant family, after all. A founding Marquis's Mansion is actually marrying a merchant woman as his second wife. Putting aside what outsiders might think, will they still be interested in my daughter once the Marquis's affairs are resolved?"
Father Bai, who had gained weight, sat down on a large yellowwood chair and replied, "How could that be? The Marquis' Mansion will surely appreciate your timely assistance and treat you well."
Bai, who was sitting nearby, asked, "Who are the families that can marry into the Marquis's Mansion? Speaking of being well-matched, it's the legitimate daughters of the Duke and Marquis' families; concubines are rare. Then there are the legitimate daughters of aristocratic families. Even the legitimate daughters of ordinary third-rank officials are considered marrying up, and the legitimate daughters of fifth- or sixth-rank officials are only betrothed to the Marquis's Mansion as concubines." She continued, "For a merchant family like us, marrying into a fifth- or sixth-rank official as a principal wife is considered marrying up, so how can we marry into the Marquis's Mansion? This marriage came so easily, I'm afraid there must be some trickery. Father has been in business for many years, so he will definitely be able to see through it."
After drinking a cup of tea, Father Bai leaned back in his chair and thought for a quarter of an hour before saying, "After hearing what Nannan said, we are indeed suspected of taking advantage of the situation to rob. When the Marquis's Mansion is no longer short of money, our money will be of no use."
Then, with a look of annoyance on his face, Father Bai hummed, "Otherwise, I'll cancel this marriage."
Mrs. Bai shook her head in disapproval. "Although the Marquis' Mansion is in trouble now, it is still high above us. How can we afford to offend it? But if we want to pay money, everything must be clearly stated in black and white. My daughter cannot marry into the Marquis' Mansion without a clear explanation. Everything must be done according to the rules of the Marquis' Mansion. No banquet or title should be missed. Otherwise, if the Marquis' Mansion turns against us later, my daughter may not even be able to enter the Gu Family Ancestral Hall." "I heard that the Marquis' Mansion has now divided into two branches. Since it has been divided, the other branches should move out. Prince Gu is stationed at the border all year round. As a new bride, my daughter has entered the Marquis' Mansion. It is sensible for her to have less contact with the other branches every day."
Unexpectedly, his daughter considered everything so thoroughly. Father Bai told her the news that his late wife had passed away, but Mrs. Bai did not comment.
The two sat and chatted for half an hour, then went to the dining room for lunch. In the afternoon, Bai Shi didn't go back to her room for a nap as usual. Instead, she sat in the study practicing calligraphy. That man was fascinated by women who were well-versed in poetry, calligraphy, and prose. In her previous life, Bai Shi had tried to learn from them, but in the end, she ended up imitating them.
In this life, Bai Shi will not learn those things again. She will learn what a mistress of a marquis's mansion should learn, and she will never touch upon the things of expressing love with her husband in the boudoir again.
Since Gu Yankai only has Qin in his heart, then he will keep Qin in his heart for the rest of his life. She doesn't care at all. She will not give the silver and money given by Bai's father as a dowry to the Marquis' Mansion easily.
The whole family depended on her for a good life but they had no gratitude at all. She would rather throw the silver into the river and let it float away with the water than give it to them for free.
The Marquis' Mansion still had assets worth at least three or four hundred thousand taels of silver. They could have paid half of it back to the national treasury first, but they were unwilling to hand it over. Instead, they distributed some of the money to the fourth and fifth wives just in case.
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