Sun Miaoqing and Zhao returned to the villa, where maids brought up a large table of dishes that had been prepared in advance.
Oh my, my sister-in-law is so good to me! Eight-treasure gourd duck, shrimp with egg drop soup and vermicelli, abalone and chicken broth congee, and even a whole plate of hairy crabs!
[Think about the ladies-in-waiting and noblewomen in the palace; they know exactly how many chickens and ducks they eat each month. Eat as much as you can now, because you might have to cut back on food and clothing later.]
As Zhao listened to Sun Miaoqing's heartfelt words, she felt increasingly aggrieved.
When she entered the family, Sun Miaoqing was only three or four years old. Her mother-in-law had passed away early, and she had raised her younger sister single-handedly.
Except that it didn't crawl out of her belly, it's no different from her own child.
As for why she could suddenly hear her sister-in-law's thoughts, Zhao guessed that her sister-in-law had gained some kind of opportunity after entering the palace.
Only she can hear it, which means that her sister-in-law is the closest to her. Isn't it said that mothers and daughters are of one heart?
It must be said that Zhao is quite good at comforting herself.
Seeing Sun Miaoqing intently eating crabs, with crab roe smeared on the corners of her mouth, Zhao wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief.
"You're so old and you still don't know how to eat crabs. If the other concubines see you eating like this after you enter the palace, they'll gossip about you."
Sun Miaoqing stuffed a crab leg into Zhao's hand and mumbled, "I just want to relax a bit before I go in."
Let them gossip; as long as I don't suffer losses, it's fine.
[Whoever got pregnant, the Empress harmed; whoever gained favor, Consort Hua harmed; and as for the chubby orange cat, whoever had the most powerful family, she harmed!]
[How can I persuade my brother to sever ties with Nian Gengyao as soon as possible? In two more years, Nian Gengyao will be utterly defeated, and he and his son will be executed. The others will not fare any better.]
Lady Zhao was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Everyone knew that the Empress was the most graceful, noble, dignified, and proper. She had been renowned for her virtue since she was the wife of Prince Yong. Among all the wives of princes, she had the best reputation.
The Empress is... someone who harms whoever gets pregnant.
Who is that orange-themed person? Whoever has a powerful family background will be harmed.
And what about Nian Gengyao? How could he have ended up like this?
It is indeed unsettling when someone's achievements overshadow those of their superior.
Zhao hesitated, then realized that Sun Miaoqing had already eaten several hairy crabs without even dipping them in ginger and vinegar.
This is unacceptable!
Quickly take the remaining crabs from the plate to the maid next to you to take away.
"This stuff is extremely cold in nature. I wasn't paying attention for more than a few breaths, and you ate so much."
"Don't worry, she'll be complaining of a stomachache again soon."
Sun Miaoqing said, "If I don't eat a few more now, I won't be able to eat any more once I enter the palace."
Zhao said, "The palace is the most luxurious place in the world, how could it be lacking in your crabs?"
"Just bring plenty of silver with you then."
Sun Miaoqing asked curiously, "How much silver are you and my sister-in-law going to prepare for me?"
Thinking of the Dream of the Red Chamber I read in my past life, and how extravagant the Jia family lived, I remember the Sun family was no less so.
The Suzhou textile manufacturing office was an extremely lucrative position; it was never short of money, no matter what else it lacked.
Zhao patted Sun Miaoqing's head and said gently, "Over the years, I've prepared quite a dowry for you, which should amount to at least 100,000 taels of silver."
"However, those decorative items are not convenient to bring into the palace, and the estate and shops will also be inconvenient for you to manage after you enter the palace."
"Take the 20,000 taels of silver you've been saving with you first. I'll arrange for someone to send the rest after you enter the palace."
"As for the profits from the estate, they will be sent to the palace every year, so that you won't be so extravagant and go hungry."
Sun Miaoqing couldn't help but do the conversion. One gram of silver cost more than five yuan, so she decided to calculate it as five yuan.
One tael of silver in the Qing Dynasty weighed 37.3 grams, so 100,000 taels of silver was equivalent to 18.65 million!
Moreover, at that time, the purchasing power of silver was higher than that of RMB. That's how the gambling king married off his daughter, right?
Family members, does anyone understand?
She can become a rich, beautiful, and successful woman in the blink of an eye!
However, after her initial joy, Sun Miaoqing became worried again, remembering Yongzheng's temperament.
Sigh, I never thought I'd be worrying about having too much money at home.
Emperor Yongzheng was extremely petty and hated corruption.
[It's also Kangxi's fault for leaving him with a mess; money is scarce everywhere. He himself lived frugally, while his ministers were all incredibly wealthy. Any emperor would feel resentful under such circumstances.]
[Since her brother is still one of Nian Gengyao's men, when Yongzheng is short of money, their own family will be the first to suffer!]
Thinking about this, Sun Miaoqing no longer found the hairy crab in her hand appealing.
Zhao and Sun Zhuhe always believed that they were also loyal subjects who had followed the emperor.
When the emperor was still Prince Yong, he sought refuge with him through the introduction of Nian Gengyao.
Now that Prince Yong has ascended to the throne, it is only right that all of them, including their relatives and friends, have risen to prominence.
Unexpectedly, they thought that Nian Gengyao was deeply trusted by the emperor, so they deliberately tried to get close to him in order to please the emperor.
But in the eyes of others, even the emperor, they were Nian Gengyao's cronies.
Zhao felt this was a warning from heaven, and she was determined to have a serious discussion with her husband when she got back.
However, before that, I need to comfort my sister-in-law properly, lest she worry about this and that all day long and make herself sick.
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