Jiang Shuwan and Pei Yanzhi have been married for over a year, but Princess Nan'an still hasn't given up.
It's good that the child is successful; there's no need to worry about marriage at all.
The ladies sighed, finished their tea, and went home.
At the gate of the mansion, Jiang Shuwan and Pei Shushu saw them off to their carriage. Only after the carriage had driven away did the two of them walk into the mansion.
After Yao Jinshu left, she told the old lady, Pei Shushu, and Pei Shushu's mother, her fourth aunt, about the marriage proposal from the Yao family.
Apart from Pei Shushu being too shy to speak, the old lady and fourth aunt were very satisfied with the marriage arrangement with the Yao family.
Now that the procedures for asking the name and accepting the auspicious sign have been completed, they are just waiting for the spring to get married.
Madam Yao is now in charge of the Yao family, and Pei Shushu will not take charge of the overall situation as soon as she arrives. However, Jiang Shuwan is still working hard to train her. Today, she asked Pei Shushu to learn about the New Year's Eve banquet and ancestral worship.
After the two of them saw their guests off, Jiang Shuwan led Pei Shushu and the fourth wife to the storeroom.
People were coming and going in the storeroom, and the maids were sorting out the New Year's gifts sent by the clan ladies.
The fourth wife and Pei Shushu had no idea why Jiang Shuwan had brought them here. They only saw Jiang Shuwan take out a bright red dowry list from her sleeve and hand it to Pei Shushu.
Pei Shushu took the form with a puzzled look, and the moment she unfolded it, her eyes widened in shock.
"This...this is all for me..."
Pei Shushu looked at the dowry list in disbelief. It included not only farmland, shops, and estates, but also a two-courtyard house in a prime location in the capital.
There were also various pearl and exquisite jade jewelry for headwear, as well as a considerable amount of clothing and fabrics, including fifty bolts each of silk and satin, dozens of sets of everyday and formal wear, fox and mink cloaks, and so on.
The furniture was carefully selected, including various sandalwood and rosewood screens, official kiln porcelain, silver tableware, and bronze incense burners and vases.
It's truly comprehensive, taking everything into consideration, even including cash.
This dowry was something Pei Shushu could never have imagined. The fourth branch of the family had no money, and she had long been prepared for her dowry to be meager.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Shuwan gave her this wonderful gift.
Jiang Shuwan nodded. "Yes, it's all for you. But this is my first time helping someone prepare a dowry, so I'm not very skilled. That's why I brought you to the storeroom to take a look. See if you need anything else, or if you have anything you like, feel free to pick it."
"Good boy, you can't just pick any old thing."
The fourth wife was completely stunned by Jiang Shuwan's actions. What kind of matriarch would be so domineering, giving such a generous dowry to a daughter of the fourth wife and letting people choose whatever they wanted from the storeroom?
"Fourth Aunt, there's no need to panic. This is not only my idea, but also the old lady's. The old lady dotes on Shushu. It's just some dowry, what's there to be reluctant about? Shushu and Aunt can choose whatever they like."
"Our Marquis's mansion hasn't had a daughter married off for many years, so we must hold a grand celebration."
Jiang Shuwan smiled and comforted the fourth wife.
She didn't say much, but the fourth wife knew in her heart that the old lady and Jiang Shuwan were doing this to save face for their fourth branch of the family.
Currently, the most powerful people in the capital are the eldest prince and the crown prince. The sixth prince is inconspicuous and, even though he has been granted the title of king, he is like a nobody and is not valued by the old emperor.
However, the Yao family was, after all, the maternal family of the sixth prince, and relatives of the emperor. Yao Zhijie's father was also the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
In terms of social status, Pei Shushu's family background is no match for Yao Zhijie's.
Previously, when the Yao family came to propose marriage, Madam Yao did not come but sent Yao Jinshu instead. This shows that although Madam Yao agreed to the marriage, she still harbored dissatisfaction with Pei Shushu.
Having seen through Madam Yao's intentions, both Jiang Shuwan and the old lady naturally wanted to add more to Pei Shushu's dowry.
"Thank you so much, Your Highness's wife. And thank you, Madam. We, the fourth branch of the family, have been unable to help the household and have only caused trouble for it."
The fourth wife wiped away tears as she spoke, recalling her useless husband, a compulsive gambler who, although sent back to his hometown, had already squandered all their wealth.
Ever since Pei Shushu mentioned the Yao family, she has been worrying about her dowry.
"Fourth Aunt, you're too kind. We're all family, we should support each other, why bother with this?"
As Jiang Shuwan spoke, she instructed the maids and servants to carry the items on the dowry list to the fourth room.
"Be careful not to choke."
The fourth wife went back with the dowry procession, leaving only Jiang Shuwan and Pei Shushu in the storeroom.
Jiang Shuwan picked up a peach-shaped famille rose porcelain vase from the antique shelf and showed it to Pei Shushu.
"This peach-shaped famille rose porcelain vase has bright colors and a delicate texture, making it perfect for placing in the bridal chamber."
"Sister-in-law, you are so generous. A peach-shaped porcelain vase is worth at least a thousand taels of silver. How much is Fourth Sister's monthly allowance? You just gave it to her."
A somewhat sarcastic voice came from outside the door. Turning around, I saw that it was Pei Jing who had returned.
"..."
Jiang Shuwan looked at her with a smile, "Why did you come back, eldest sister? It's New Year's Eve today, and the young master actually let you come back."
"..."
It doesn't matter how many words you say, as long as you hit the bullseye.
Pei Jing looked choked up, flicked his sleeve, and said in a strange tone, "This is my house. Do I have to pick a time to come back?"
"Of course not. The Marquis's residence is my eldest sister's home. She can come back whenever she wants. I was just thinking that if she had come back an hour earlier, she could have had the New Year's Eve dinner with us. Madam was still talking about my eldest sister when we were eating."
As Jiang Shuwan spoke, she beckoned a young maid over and told her to go to the Madam's and Old Madam's rooms to inform them that the eldest young lady had returned.
On the other side, Pei Jing walked up to Pei Shushu.
Pei Jing was tall, and as soon as he got close to Pei Shushu, a sense of oppression enveloped her, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Oh, look who this is? Isn't this the fourth sister who's engaged to the Yao family?" Pei Jing raised an eyebrow and spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"I don't know who said it last time, that they didn't ask to marry into wealth, but only to marry a sincere person who treats them well. How did they suddenly climb up to such a high position? The Yao family is related to the royal family."
Pei Shushu's face paled, and she stammered, "I..."
"Alright, stop explaining. Everyone wants to climb the social ladder, especially those from humble backgrounds. When they get a chance to go from nobody to something amazing, who will be slow to act? But you have to be honest. Don't try to climb the social ladder while spouting high-sounding platitudes. Otherwise, you'll just make people laugh."
Pei Shushu: "..."
The little girl bit her lip tightly, her eyes slightly red from the humiliation she had caused.
Just then, Jiang Shuwan walked over with a smile.
"What do you mean by 'high branch'? Shushu, that's not right of you. How can you say that Lord Yao is seeking a higher social status by asking you to marry into a wealthy family? Although the Yao family couldn't wait to send someone to propose marriage as soon as the talent show ended, our marriage is a union between two families, an equal relationship. It's not something that can be easily explained."
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