Chapter 417 Dowry or betrothal gift?
When Song Liyun realized that Nanny Xu was the nanny that Duke Anguo had asked for from the Empress Dowager and was going to give to Madam Uya, she felt a little amused and helpless.
Zhao Yanjiao was afraid that Madam Wu Ya would not accept it, so he sent it to himself in a roundabout way, and said that it was given to him by the garrison lady.
Lin Luyin is a very versatile person. When she brought Aunt Xu with her, she also did not forget to build a good relationship with Song Liyun.
"Also, the garrison commander's wife has some dowry to send over.
She's worried that you won't be able to settle down here, so she's temporarily keeping you in Hecheng and will send you directly to Mida Valley later."
"What kind of dowry is this? Why would the garrison commander's wife prepare a dowry for me? This doesn't make sense!"
Song Liyun was a little puzzled. Why would the garrison commander's wife prepare a dowry for her? Perhaps she was helping the Duke of Anguo to pass it on!
"Xiao Yun, the garrison commander's wife is very kind and approachable. She just came back from the capital and learned that you were wronged in Hecheng last time. She has already sent Concubine Li out of the house.
You asked me to apologize to you first, thinking that I would apologize to you in person when you two sisters-in-law meet in the future!"
Through Lin Qingyuan's introduction, Lin Luyin, who had taken over the jewelry business, entered the garrison several times and had a good relationship with the garrison's wife and the wives of the officials in Pingyang Prefecture.
“Logically speaking, the garrison commander’s wife is an outsider, so it’s inappropriate to prepare additional makeup for her.
But the Madam said that since your family has no elders to look after them, there might be some omissions. If you need anything in your life in the future, it might not be convenient for the Third Young Master to provide it. So she made a list on her own initiative. If you think it’s okay, you can have Qingyuan send it over.”
As she spoke, Lin Luyin asked the maid to bring a wooden box.
Song Liyun opened it and took out a long list.
It read: "50 Double Happiness Red Quilts", "10 Pairs of Vermilion Lacquer and Gold-Painted Toilets", "Two Sets of Huanghuali Wood Furniture", "Tiancan Silk Summer Quilts... 100 Pieces of Various Colored Brocades"
The more she looked at it, the darker her face became. She had also prepared a dowry, but it was just a lot of cotton cloth, quilts, charcoal, salt, tea, rice and flour. It was more like a grocery store than a dowry.
This is the real dowry of a wealthy family, the wife of the garrison commander.
After reading further, Song Liyun was completely speechless.
"Four personal maids, eight menial maids, twelve servants, eight nannies, and a land deed worth fifty mu..."
At this time, Song Liyun had already believed that this was the betrothal gift that Duke Anguo gave to Madam Uya as compensation, and she was just the person who transferred it.
This matter... She looked at Aunt Xu with doubt. This matter might not be that simple!
Sure enough, when no one was around at night, Aunt Xu, who stayed at Baolinju, told the truth.
As she expected, Aunt Xu was not hers.
"I was asked by the Duke of Anguo for this servant from the Queen Mother. This time I will be accompanying the young lady to the grasslands and will serve Madam Wuya in the future!"
Song Liyun breathed a sigh of relief. She said, what virtue and ability did she have to deserve the Empress Dowager in the capital to care about her and send her a palace maid from afar?
She frowned and said, "Why would Duke Anguo do this? Now that trade is frequent between the two sides, it would be feasible to send Nanny directly to the grassland."
Aunt Xu smiled faintly: "I used to be the treasurer of the Shangyi Bureau, in charge of the clothes of the masters in the palace.
Over the years, the Empress Dowager has lived up to her trust. No matter what happens, the Clothing Bureau remains peaceful and the embroiderers never leave a single needle on the clothes.
Finally seeing the emperor ascend the throne, I am tired of the disputes in the capital and want to return home to retire.
But I left home when I was young and I don’t know where my hometown is.
The Queen Mother has asked me to serve Madam Wuya, so I must obey her orders."
Song Liyun's brows twitched slightly, she understood the meaning of what Aunt Xu said.
Aunt Xu is the Empress Dowager's confidant.
A few years ago, when the Empress Dowager was still the Queen, she was in a difficult situation, and Aunt Xu helped the Queen overcome several difficulties.
This trip to the Di tribe is not only a reward, but also probably a spy planted by the Wu Dynasty on the grassland, so we have to accept it.
"The items on the gift list for the Garrison's wife were all prepared by the Duke of Anguo for the young lady. They were brought out from the capital by this servant and are now stored at the Garrison Headquarters in Hecheng."
"The maids are all selected from the palace, and when the girls get married, they will be sent here by the Zhenbei Army."
When Song Liyun heard the word "Cai Nu", she thought of the amber jadeite she met in the garrison.
Those are beauties carefully selected by the imperial court and sent to him...
She couldn't help but frown secretly. Although Zhao Tingduo didn't plan to take a concubine, there would always be something she missed if she watched her every day.
However, Song Liyun didn't want to worry about things that had not happened yet, so she just focused on the present.
Since Nanny Xu was going to serve Madam Wuya, she must be familiar with the relationship between Duke Anguo and the Di tribe.
She said to Song Liyun, "The Empress Dowager originally wanted to invite Madam Wuya to the capital and reward her with the title of Concubine of the Duke's Mansion. But the Duke of Anguo said that Madam Wuya disliked the etiquette and formalities of the Wu Dynasty and would not come to the capital. She only asked for these rewards."
At this moment, Song Liyun suddenly felt that Duke Anguo knew Madam Uya quite well.
She also couldn't imagine what it would be like for Madam Wu Ya to enter the capital, drink tea and appreciate flowers with a group of noble ladies, and say things that were contrary to her will.
But... these beautiful maids will make things difficult for myself and Madam Wuya!
More than half a month passed in a flash. Qin Huai and others arrived at Suijin Town and soon dispersed to the Balin tribe and several garrisons.
This winter is not too cold.
The Balin tribe, which moved to the Huangsha River Valley last year, is living a good life and has even attracted several small tribes of 20 to 30 families to gather here with their livestock.
Song Liyun welcomes this kind of thing the most. Only when the tribes gather together and everyone develops, will her trade route have a future.
These small tribes used their cattle and sheep to exchange with merchants from the Wu Dynasty in the Balin tribe for hay, concentrated feed, salt, tea and cloth, so she had a steady supply of beef, mutton and furs.
Song Liyun did not seek a monopoly, but simply set the purchase price early on.
If you control the cattle and sheep business, you can certainly earn a few more taels of silver now, but for a business that needs long-term and healthy development, it is narrow-minded and short-sighted.
She could never earn all that money even if she worked herself to death, and she would still be too famous.
Only when more tribes are willing to approach the Wu Dynasty and more merchants transport goods can there be a long-term game that will benefit everyone.
Driven by profit, many small vendors around Qili County took the trouble to pay taxes and pass through Suijin Pass, "taking the risk" to go to the grassland.
The Balin tribe was also building houses, and merchants from the Wu Dynasty brought all kinds of building materials in ox carts and made a lot of money.
In a short period of time, the Balin tribe became bustling with people and turned into a small town.
Even the herdsmen of Shitanbao, two days away, came here to exchange the herbs and dried mushrooms they picked on the grassland in the summer for the supplies they needed.
Baolin Curry is also very busy.
The betrothal gifts from the Wuda tribe have been delivered, and the bride will be welcomed by Elder Shan and Wudan.
Elder Shan was no stranger to Wu Chao. After all, he was an old man who had lived with the Zhenbei Army for twenty years and spoke fluent Wu Chao dialect.
Only Wu Dan came to Wu Chao City for the first time. Looking at the bustling market, he felt both curious and shy, and it was very rare.
So, he was taken to Qili County by Xiao An, and ran wildly in the crowd with Dahua, Dazhu and others.
Song Zhenping also returned to Suijin Town.
From Aunt Xu to Baolinju, Song Liyun sent him a letter, telling him about the "dowry" she had received for nothing.
Originally, I wanted to reassure Song Zhenping and let him know that his sister was well cared for by her in-laws, but I didn't expect Song Zhenping to immediately leave his pregnant wife and rush to meet them.
Although in Xiaoshi Village, Song Liyun told him to take good care of Yang Hua and there was no need to go to Suijin Town to send her off.
But how could Song Zhenping agree? Xiaoyun was his only sister. Without Xiaoyun, he and Xiaoan would still be struggling to survive.
My younger sister married and moved to the grassland. We are so far away from each other that we may never see each other again.
Even though Xiaoyun said that he would often return to Suijin Town to take care of business, the nature of that was different.
She will be the daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, no longer just a daughter of the Song family. Her words and actions will be restricted, and she will not be as free as she is now.
(End of this chapter)
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