The jade hairpin given by Prince Chen had no mixed colors. The white jade was too pure, the black jade was too dark, and only the slightly yellowish jade hairpin was noble and elegant, which made Yao Niang happy at first sight.
Of course, Yu knew that Gao Xuance personally sent the coming-of-age gift to her daughter, and she couldn't help but be happy for her daughter. As long as this person takes you to heart, the couple will definitely be sweet.
After the coming-of-age ceremony, Yao Niang began to count the purse fan cases, silk cords and other handkerchiefs she had made. She had to continue making those that were not enough to present to the elders in the palace, and she could not just do it casually, as it was very time-consuming.
Shi Yu's wedding date is scheduled for the end of the year, so she is also waiting to get married. The two sisters often find a bright room, drink tea and talk while doing needlework without raising their heads.
Jinghao came at this time. He went home to prepare for the county exam. Because it was a critical moment, Yao Niang would not disturb him easily, so she had no idea that he came at this time.
"Hey, why are you here?"
"My father sent me to the Wang family to deliver gifts today. It's so hot and my clothes are all wet. I came back specially to change clothes. Don't you know that there are so many members of the Wang family?" Jinghao couldn't help but complain.
Yao Niang said to Bai Ying, "Go and get a cup of black plum soup for the Third Young Master."
Jinghao drank the icy black plum soup in one gulp, but he still wanted more. He asked for some sushan, but his two sisters didn't allow him. Shiyu also said, "This is so cold, you should drink less. Be careful of stomachache."
"That's right. No matter how thirsty your sixth sister and I are, we dare not eat ice cream casually now."
Jinghao is the youngest in the family, and is usually taken care of by his sisters. He is picky about other things, but he loves to eat ice cream, and he just can't change it no matter what Yao Niang says. There is nothing she can do about it.
I used to call my third brother-in-law Wang Zongmu brother-in-law, but now he has become the son-in-law of the Dou family. It feels like things have changed so much.
Jinghao may not have understood anything yet, and was just complaining about the large number of people in the Wang family. Yao Niang asked him to go to the inner room to rest first, and then said to Shi Yu: "Look, the old one has only been gone for a year, and the new one is here so soon."
Yao Niang was in the palace and didn't have much contact with the Dou family. Shi Yu often attended such poetry gatherings, so she smiled and said, "Sister Dou has finally achieved her long-cherished wish. She likes talented people the most, especially her third brother-in-law's poems, which have a great influence among literati. Sister Dou has always been very picky, otherwise she wouldn't have waited until she was 18."
"She is so infatuated, and the girls in the Dou family are usually virtuous. I'm afraid that the third sister will have nothing in the future." If she wants to gain fame, she may lose it.
Although the two sisters had an average relationship with Luo Jingrou before, now they somehow feel a sense of grief for the loss of another.
In fact, the person who was most angry about this marriage was not the head of the Luo family, because Luo Zhizheng, the head of the Luo family, could understand it, and of course the others would not say anything more. The most angry person was Ren.
Her son Luo Jingtian and Zhou returned from their postings in other places. Luo Jingtian had always been pampered and had worked very hard in his postings in other places. He was not a regular official. Even though he had his uncle as a backer, he was involved in many complicated affairs while serving in other places, so it was rare for him to come back.
Zhou heard Ren talking: "Sanniang herself is not blessed, and she left behind a pair of children. She didn't let the Luo family take care of them, but let the girl from the Dou family marry into the family. Will they treat An'er and Song'er well?"
"Madam, the fifth lady of the eldest house married the prince, and the man betrothed to the sixth lady has passed the imperial examination and is now serving as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. These are both excellent marriages. How could they possibly become the continuation of Master Wang's marriage?" Zhou went out for a while and felt that when one rises, all rise, and when one falls, all fall.
Being in Beijing is different from being sent out to other places. The reason they were able to have a smooth career was because they had a strong supporter. Now they just hope that they would have more and more noble relatives at home.
Ren curled her lips and said, "You only think about the eldest son's wife. How can you remember that your dear younger sister-in-law is still waiting to be married?"
It turned out that Ren wanted Shi Fang to marry over. Shi Fang was one year older than Shi Yu and Yao Niang. With such good marriages for her two cousins, Ren had high standards and was not willing to compromise easily.
As she thought, the first priority was to marry into a noble family, or at least marry a ready-made Jinshi like Shi Yu. Wang Zongmu was the son-in-law she chose. He was outstanding in appearance, from a wealthy family, and a Jinshi. The Luo family even didn't take back Luo Jingrou's dowry. When Shi Fang entered the house, everything would be the best except for the two little bastards.
Little did I know that the girl from the Dou family got there first.
Zhou didn't know what to say anymore. Her sister-in-law's marriage was a tricky matter in the family, but her brother and sister-in-law had no reason to interfere without the permission of their parents-in-law. Moreover, even if they liked someone, Ren might not like him. So Zhou kept silent about it.
Of course there was also a happy event in the palace. The daughter of King Zhennan, Mu Wantong, the Lady of Qingxi County, was betrothed to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince was given the title of King An, and the wedding took place on the same day as King Chen's.
Originally, there was no need to be so anxious, but the Prince of Zhennan had to return to Yunnan and was afraid that he would miss the wedding feast, so the Emperor ordered that the wedding be completed quickly, preferably on the same day as the Prince of Chen's, so that he could marry two daughters-in-law into the family on one day.
Anyway, the Fourth Prince is already fifteen years old, which is the age for him to get married.
This was the only daughter of the King of Zhennan, who lost his wife at a young age and never remarried. His wife, Dao, was from a prominent family in the area, but she died of heavy hemorrhage when giving birth to their daughter. Therefore, when the King of Zhennan went to the capital, he had already brought his daughter's dowry with him.
Emperor Jianzhang met with Prince Zhennan and handed Qingxi County Mayor Mu Wantong to Concubine Hong's care. Mu Wantong used to play the role of a bully actress on the street, but she had already fallen in love with the Fourth Prince because he helped her and gave her money.
I specifically asked my father for help, and the emperor also had the same intention, so this marriage was settled.
But after moving into the palace, she found that the palace had very strict rules and regulations and she was restricted in every way, like now she had to get up before dawn. This kind of freedom was totally unheard of.
She was proud of her beauty and was the most beautiful woman in southern Yunnan, but Concubine Hong never thought she was beautiful. Instead, she thought she was frivolous. When she saw her coming to pay her respects, she said, "I have summoned the maid from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to come here today. You must learn the rules of the palace well. I know you are very smart and you will definitely learn them right away."
Speaking of which, Concubine Hong also has a headache. This is obviously Concubine Yan's daughter-in-law, but the Emperor has handed her over to take care of her. She can't do a bad job in managing her, otherwise, Concubine Yan will accuse her of not paying enough attention.
Mu Wantong bowed in response, but Concubine Hong felt that this girl had a very strange personality because she didn't have a mother to teach her, so she should avoid being involved with other people as much as possible, since she was not her daughter-in-law anyway.
But she didn't know that Xiaomu Wantong had been practicing martial arts since she was a child. Concubine Hong walked a few meters away and said, "Fortunately, our Xuan Ce had good vision and chose the daughter of Minister Luo. Otherwise, he would have to marry a girl like this. After all, she didn't grow up in the capital, so her manners would be a problem."
The people around her flattered, "Who says it's not true? When Miss Luo came to Kunning Palace to pay her respects before, her skirt was never messy, it was like a flower."
…
Mu Wantong heard everything. She had always thought that she was a man of both civil and military talents, and had extraordinary wisdom. But after coming to the palace, she often heard people here mention a girl named Luo, who was said to be the fiancée of the Prince of Chen. They said she was extremely beautiful, good at needlework, a famous talent, and had a first-class family background.
It seemed that she and Miss Luo had been comparing themselves from the very beginning. She would then see who this Miss Luo was.
But her pride seemed to have vanished.
Learning rules is very boring. No matter how smart you are, there is only one rule of thumb for learning these rules: practice makes perfect.
These maids are of course very polite to the future prince's wife, but the prerequisite is that you must do everything meticulously, otherwise, the gossip in the palace can drive people to death.
Of course, Mu Wantong also found something unusual when living in Kunning Palace. For example, the emperor often came to Kunning Palace, and even though he had a favored concubine, Concubine Li, he still showed constant favor to Concubine Hong.
She had heard from her father that before Emperor Jianzhang ascended the throne, Lin was the principal wife, but because Hong was so charming and seductive, and because Lin was only given the title of noble consort, the two of them were equal, which also led to the fact that the crown prince could not be appointed.
After Gao Xuance had lunch with his father, he came over to deliver agarwood to Concubine Hong. Unexpectedly, he met the Fourth Prince, Prince An, on the way. Prince An always behaved honestly and simply in front of him, and he was no exception now.
"It's my third brother." Prince An bowed quickly.
Gao Xuance also returned the greeting and said with a smile: "Fourth Emperor, where are you going?"
"I'm going to the banana plantation to see leopards. I heard that they have brought a few leopards there, and they want me to go and see them."
Gao Xuance did not expose him. Seeing that Prince An was going to see Miss Mu, he smiled and hurried to Kunning Palace. At the ceremonial gate, he saw Mu Wantong who was learning to behave herself. Seeing that she walked stiffly, he turned his eyes away and passed by.
Everyone else knelt on the ground, but Mu Wantong forgot to kneel, and was scolded by the maids...
This made the proud Mu Wantong feel a little embarrassed, because she was not yet the Fourth Prince's wife, and Prince Chen was a real prince. He was completely indifferent to others, perhaps because he had a doted mother.
She was also looked down upon because her future husband had a lame leg and had lost his inheritance rights.
Then she must find a way to cure his foot.
Inside Kunning Palace, Gao Xuance was laughing and saying, "Now that the mynah bird has flown away, I'll have someone find a thrush. I guarantee it'll be more interesting than the last one."
"You don't need to rush. You will be getting married soon and will be busy. Why don't you take advantage of these days to rest more?" Concubine Hong felt sorry for her son.
Gao Xuance is seventeen years old this year, and will soon be eighteen. He is in the prime of his life, but in the eyes of Concubine Hong, he looks as thin as a bamboo pole. He waved his hand and said, "I am afraid that I will become lazy if I take a break. Now I am learning the Jingchu long sword, and I need to practice diligently to be effective. As for getting married, it will not delay any of my son's plans."
洪貴妃又提起沐宛童的嫁妝要送進宮中，也是兩百擡嫁妝，也真真是巨額嫁妝了。
她為瑤娘感到尴尬：“你看這中間夾雜着她，我總怕別人說閑話。”
高玄策站起來，他現下雖然封了宸王，手裏當然也有安家的銀子，這些錢給瑤娘多置辦嫁妝倒是無妨，反正日後府裏肯定是她來打理，只是羅至正此人太過驕傲，他給錢這不是羞辱羅家嗎？
據他所知羅家其實很有錢，羅至正是獨子，整個長房幾乎是每一代都在做大官，積蓄頗多，但是羅家有規矩，女子出嫁都是一幅嫁妝六十四擡，嫡庶都沒有區別。
甚至是因為瑤娘要嫁入皇室，才辦了一百二十擡嫁妝，這些都已經是羅家超出了。
“不必了，其實也沒什麽好尴尬的，我高玄策又不是靠媳婦嫁妝的人。沒出息的人才惦記這些，您可別受她們影響，将來我怕他們夫綱不振啊。女強男弱，陰陽颠倒，遲早被吃的死死的，兒子是大丈夫，可不會惦記這些三瓜兩棗的嫁妝。”他振振有詞。
實際上宮裏的日子即便是洪貴妃如果沒有貼補也常常入不敷出，主要是宮中開支太大，可是這也是男人應該考慮的事情。
難道人家擡那麽多嫁妝進來，到時候女方嫁給他了，還要吃自己的嫁妝嗎？
洪貴妃聽了兒子的話居然還真的相信了。
羅家這邊也是提前要送嫁妝入宮，羅敬熙主動對羅至正道：“爹，要不然再給五妹妹添一些吧？兒子聽說鎮南王也準備擡了兩百擡嫁妝進宮的。”
“不必，若真的也送兩百擡進宮，別人怎麽看我羅至正？你也不要想和別人攀比，你日後要繼承家業，家族的祭田和族務才是真，這樣能培養多一些人才，才是真的對你妹妹好。二皇子妃徐氏的兄長已經廣西巡察使了，可你們幾個兄弟呢？沒有哪一個是成器的。”羅至正是懶得和大兒子廢話了。
羅敬熙本來是為了妹妹好，哪裏知道又被她爹訓了一頓，悶悶不樂的回房了。
一旁的羅敬淵和羅敬皓大氣都不敢出，要說這三個兒子裏，只有羅敬淵頗有才氣，但他這個人格外冷眼旁觀，反而是敬皓，平日很老實，羅至正雖然很喜歡郁氏，但又覺得敬皓性子像郁氏不是好事。
太過于老實溫吞，就沒有銳意進取的精神，無法上進。
這才是羅至正最擔心的事情，他心裏當然最喜歡的到現在居然是瑤娘，那是真的能夠為了家族利益往上爬，還能帶挈娘家的人。
在宮裏把真陽公主籠絡住，讓宸王那種無情無義的人都傾心，甚至直接壓過先皇後的妹妹和現貴妃的侄女，越過憲國公的女兒，直接成了宸王妃。
只可惜她是女子，否則有這等心性，何事不成？
就是做女紅，她都比任何人做的好。
瑤娘當然也聽說了和自己同一日進門的清溪縣主居然也是兩百擡嫁妝，她沒有當一回事，反而對郁氏道：“女兒覺得是什麽樣的人家就出什麽嫁妝，沒必要刻意真的要和旁人一樣。”
實際上一百二十擡嫁妝瑤娘已經覺得很多了，正常這個嫁妝已經是多的了，許多公爵人家還用爵位預支銀錢辦嫁妝。
郁氏點頭：“是啊，哪裏知道徐家和鎮南王府出手就是兩百擡呢。”她也是很愁。
女兒自小就開始替她準備嫁妝，一樣一樣準備的，全部是精品，沒有一件是濫竽充數的。現下多出來的這些全部是羅至正從他私庫挑出來的，每一樣都是價值連城。
可要辦到兩百擡，就勢必影響時雨，因為時雨今年年底也出嫁。
生女兒的人家就是這樣，從睡覺的床到子孫桶，甚至壽材都選好了，更別提還有田莊鋪面下人，甚至連陪嫁丫鬟都要選好，但女兒日後生的孩子卻和自己家無關。
女兒生的孩子，也不會跟着自家姓。
真是悲哀。
“何必比呢，我看這樣就很好，家裏兄弟姐妹這麽多，若我再多了，就不符合常理了。”私下爹爹給了瑤娘兩萬兩銀子，家人們已經對她很好了。
她并不願意這般貪婪，為了置辦嫁妝把家裏掏空了，到時候家族難過，人人找你，那你怎麽辦？
人本身應該承認自己和別人的差距，徐家和鎮南王本就比自家要更富，何必非要打腫臉充胖子呢。
她的心态很好，一直都穩得住，否則，不會最後殺出重圍。
李天驕和魏鳳就是退的太早了，否則熬到最後，可能李天驕會成為周王妃也未可知。
瑤娘這邊的一百二十擡嫁妝送過去的時候，洪貴妃帶着兒媳婦徐青容正拿着嫁妝單子一一查看比對，畢竟這些是要登記造冊的。
先送過來的是珠寶，分別有不同種類，如金銀、翡翠、珊瑚、碧玺、蜜蠟、金箔、沉香、白玉、珍珠、水晶、瑪瑙等樣式，再有金冠、銀冠、點翠做成的日月冠、蓮花冠、卷草寶珠冠、流蘇步搖冠八頂。
釵環簪手串手镯戒指等等數盒，再有兩盆珊瑚樹還有不少擺件。
洪貴妃也看過徐青容的兩百擡嫁妝，實際上瑤娘的還更精致，甚至許多是珍品，就算是有錢也未必能買得到。
徐青容見羅家送來的嫁妝不及她的多，心裏暗自點頭，羅家比起她們徐家來還是差點，她也暗自壓了瑤娘一頭，但嘴上還是道：“不愧是高平羅氏，這份嫁妝十分體面。”
“是啊。”
不說其她的，這床和家俬全部都是一體，沒有任何雜色，這絕對不是一朝一夕趕制出來的，肯定是很早就開始尋人做了。
無論如何，兩個兒媳婦比起來，小兒媳的爹官位還是更大點，已經是禮部尚書了，甚至很有可能入閣。
而且這份嫁妝也很可觀，洪貴妃還是頗為滿意的。
嚴妃就更滿意了，鎮南王那邊直接陪送了象牙床，比起紫檀更加珍貴，甚至玉如意是成箱裝過來的，在宮裏，她們這些宮妃賞賜當然也不少，但嚴妃其她處輸給別人，單單在兒媳婦上卻是勝過太多，她是笑的合不攏嘴。
安王見自己母妃高興，也難得笑道：“母妃，将來等沐氏進門，一定會好生孝敬您的。”
“我們母子始終在等那個機會，那個機會也許會來，也許不會來。但在這之前，你不能露半點鋒芒。”嚴妃教導兒子。
安王苦澀一笑：“您放心吧。”
什麽隐藏鋒芒，是不隐藏都不行，所有的能力都是在辦事中才能體現的，像三哥頗受父皇寵愛，騎射甚至謀略都在自己之上，還有主動請纓辦事。
以後三哥肯定越歷練越出色的，朝中還有他岳父幫忙，更是事半功倍。
可惜嚴妃不懂這個道理。
高玄策從外面回來時，見到自己府中幾乎是被重新擺放了物件，他這才恍然記得今日是送嫁妝的日子。
新房也差不多布置好了，四周都是擺放着瑤妹妹的妝奁，再過幾日，她就要嫁給自己了。
這輩子，他們重新來過。
上輩子，他們的夫妻生活都是為了生存，為了權勢，這輩子，他不僅會給她一個完滿的丈夫，同時，還要重振雄風。
終于到了八月初八這一日，瑤娘早起第一件事就是想着終于到了這一天了，誠然，她很舍不得家裏人，可是出嫁的時日定在這裏，總覺得像一塊大石頭。
一大早，王宗沐就上門幫忙，雖然他現在已經不是羅家的女婿了，但是曾經羅家對他的恩情讓他割舍不掉。
甚至頌姐兒和安哥兒都過來了，郁氏看到兩個小外孫，趕緊讓人招呼她們吃點頭。
“你五姨正在梳妝，你們倆快讓外祖母看看。”郁氏對羅敬柔有芥蒂，但對這倆個孩子是真的同情。
這麽小的年紀就沒了娘，日子能好過嗎？
頌姐兒坐下道：“外祖母，五姨是不是要做王妃了？”
“你小人家也知道王妃？”郁氏好笑。
“我當然知道了，如果我五姨成了王妃就沒有人敢欺負我了。”頌姐兒哼哼的道。
小孩子當然不會說假話，郁氏聽了卻皺眉，難道王家有誰欺負外孫女嗎？只是今日是女兒大喜之日，此事還要慢慢查訪。
按捺下此事，郁氏帶着她們去見瑤娘。
源于前世瑤娘被林朝顏陷害，這輩子頌姐兒雖然和林朝顏長的完全不同，瑤娘卻對她始終不如對高恒那般毫無芥蒂。
“頌姐兒，安哥兒快來，五姨早就跟你們準備好禮物了。”瑤娘笑着拿了一對紅封遞給他們，還一人送了一罐糖。
王頌見好幾個在服侍五姨，有梳頭，有上妝的，甚至還有專門替她戴首飾的。王頌忍不住道：“五姨，你真好看。”
瑤娘笑道：“多謝你的誇獎了。”
她又轉頭看着銅鏡中的自己，這輩子，她再也不是那個匆匆嫁給姐夫做填房的癡肥姑娘了。
Yesterday, her father told her not to be too stubborn and to stand on the side of Prince Chen. Yao Niang agreed in a good mood, but she also had her own plans. Prince Chen was going to die young in his previous life. In this life, it would be good if she could save his life. If not, she would have to make plans early and at least leave an heir to inherit the throne.
If Prince Chen really has a short life, then everything daddy said is useless. It would be better to have a baby early, just like the destiny in the previous life.
Because Emperor Tianlu had no children in the previous life, the Crown Prince of Zhou would not be able to survive without her. The Fourth Prince is lame and married the daughter of a king of a different surname. Maybe she can even influence the emperor and command the princes. That's great!
No, no, she had to suppress this thought first. After all, Gao Xuance was nice to her and seemed to like her quite a bit. Why couldn't she just naively think about something beautiful?
She enjoyed it for a moment, but no, it still didn't work.
It seems that Luo Yaoniang was born to be a person who wants to rule the world, to have power and not be bullied by others. No matter how naive she pretends to be, she cannot control her deepest thoughts.
Well, starting from the wedding night tonight, she must give birth to an heir first. As long as Prince Chen has no problem with it, so does she.