The capital city has not been so lively for a long time. The betrothal gifts from the Zhenbei Palace are so generous and grand that they are almost comparable to those for the princes.

Especially the pair of live geese, which attracted many people's admiration along the way.

October was already late autumn, and it was impossible to find live geese in the capital. Even if someone offered a betrothal gift, they would only use wooden geese instead.

The live geese must have been hunted in the south. Moreover, they are kept so energetic, fat and strong that it must have taken a lot of effort to raise them.

This pair of live geese alone was enough to show the importance that the Zhenbei Palace attached to this marriage.

Looking at these betrothal gifts, at a glance, you can't see the head or the tail of the team, and there is also a team of servants playing music, making the procession grand and lively.

Jingle did not hire a matchmaker, but went to propose marriage in person to show his seriousness.

Along the way, many people watched and were envious.

Sheng Xing'an received the people from the Zhenbei Palace with a beaming face. The attention from the Zhenbei Palace made his vanity extremely satisfied, and he readily replied "Yes".

The betrothal gifts were placed at the ceremonial gate for the relatives of the Sheng family to see. The ceremonial gate was filled to the brim with gifts and was almost full.

Whether it was the lively goose pacing in the cage or the valuable betrothal gifts, they all made people admire and gave Sheng Xingan enough face.

Jingle was welcomed into the main hall and the two families formally signed the marriage certificate.

"My dear," Jingle said with a smile, "Regarding the wedding date, how about the fifth day of December?"

Sheng Xingan refused directly, saying, "December is too urgent."

Jingle asked again: "What about January?"

She had a gentle attitude and, as a man, kept a low profile.

Sheng Xingan replied: "One month is too early. Sister Yan has just reached the age of marriage. I would like to stay for a few more days."

Of course, he didn't say this to embarrass Jingle. According to ancient customs, the man had to ask for the date three times before the woman agreed. This was to show the man that this girl was our family's treasure and that your family had asked for her many times before getting her.

Jingle asked again: "Then is it the ninth day of the third lunar month?"

Sheng Xingan agreed, and both families were happy.

This was an auspicious date that Jingle personally asked Master Kongming to help him set.

After everything was settled, Liu sent Nanny Sun to report to Sheng Xiyan.

Sheng Xiyan was in her own courtyard, with a light rouge on her face and a ruby ​​headpiece, which made her look even more charming than usual. She sat in the main hall, surrounded by her aunts, cousins, and her half-sisters.

They chatted and laughed, and the topic all revolved around the betrothal gifts from the Zhenbei Palace.

Sheng Xiyan sat there, with the corners of her lips slightly curved and a smile in her eyes. In response to their teasing, she just smiled and pretended to be well behaved.

Only when she heard the cry of a pair of live geese did her almond eyes light up.

Grandma Sun entered the hall in high spirits, bowed and said with a smile, "Congratulations, young lady. The master has agreed to the marriage, and the wedding date is set for the ninth day of the third lunar month."

She presented the marriage certificate to her with both hands.

At this moment, it was as if a small stone was thrown into Sheng Xiyan's originally calm heart, causing ripples.

Her fingers were trembling almost invisibly as she slowly took the marriage certificate and unfolded it. On the bright red certificate sprinkled with gold powder, she saw her name, and together with her name, the three words "Chu Yuanchen".

Sheng Xiyan's heart suddenly settled.

Her life could finally be completely different. That was great.

Sheng Xiyan couldn't help but hold the marriage certificate tightly, but immediately relaxed and blinked quickly to hide her momentary distraction.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, spreading to the corners of her eyes, and her whole body exuded a joy that came from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing her blushing face, everyone thought she was shy, so they started talking to each other:

"Sister Yan is so lucky."

"I heard that the Prince of Zhenbei will be given the title when he returns this time. Maybe our sister Yan will become the Princess of Zhenbei once she gets married."

"Princess Jingle was distributing porridge at the East and West City Gates today, saying that she was praying for our Sister Yan."

Sheng Xiyan's mood gradually calmed down. She carefully folded the marriage certificate and put it back into the box.

Seeing her being so serious, the third girl Sheng Xiyun covered her mouth with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "I heard that the prince of Zhenbei cares a lot about big sister. Fortunately, big sister's marriage with the Zhou family didn't work out, otherwise, how could she find such a good husband..." As she said that, she uttered a soft "ah" and said with a dodgy look, "Big sister, I said something wrong, don't blame me."

There was silence all around.

They were all relatives of the Sheng family, so they naturally knew that Sheng Xiyan had once been engaged to the prince of Yongning Marquis. However, in this situation, it was really inappropriate to say this.

Sheng Xiyan smiled faintly and said openly, "That's true."

There is nothing to avoid.

"However, third sister, why are you making such a fuss, covering up things, and saying right and wrong? What a shame." Sheng Xi's face was still gentle and soft, with a faint smile on it.

She is the eldest sister and the legitimate daughter, so it is natural for her to instruct her younger sisters.

Sheng Xiyan's eyes were clear and bright. She smiled gently and said calmly, "If the teacher in the mansion doesn't teach well, I will go and tell my father to send you to Deling Women's Court to study hard."

From beginning to end, she didn't say a single harsh word, but a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on Sheng Xiyun's forehead.

Sheng Xiyun stood up and lowered her head uneasily and said, "Big sister, I was wrong. Big sister taught me right."

My elder sister has such a good marriage. If my elder sister insists on sending her to the Deling Women's Courtyard, my father will definitely agree. Cousin Rou always tells her not to look down on herself because she is a concubine's daughter. However, there is a huge difference between a legitimate daughter and a concubine's daughter.

"The last time the Prince of Zhenbei returned to the capital, I took a look at him from afar. He really was a dragon and phoenix in the world, and he was a perfect match for our Sister Yan..."

Madam Sheng smiled and changed the subject. The hall was filled with laughter and conversation again. Only Sheng Xiyun was still standing there awkwardly, and no one pleaded for her.

Until another maid came and invited them to the front to have a seat.

Sheng Xingan held a big banquet and invited the relatives who came to congratulate him. After they had finished their meal, he personally escorted them out one by one. He was toasted with a lot of wine, and he reeked of alcohol and his face was flushed. After seeing them off, he went straight back to the main courtyard and asked casually, "Is Sister Rou here today?"

Liu shook her head and said, "No."

Sheng Xing'an was a little unhappy. It was fine that the widows of the Sheng family were not able to come, but even Zhao Yuanrou did not come.

Sheng Xingan calmed down and said, "Forget it. It seems that she hates our Sheng family so much that she doesn't even want to acknowledge me as her uncle. In this case, we don't need to send them any invitations for anything in the future."

Liu agreed no matter what.

Sheng Xingan asked her to bring the list of betrothal gifts. As he looked at them one by one, the annoyance in his heart disappeared and he became more and more satisfied the more he looked.

The betrothal gift from the Zhenbei Palace was extremely high, and every detail was carefully thought out, which was enough to represent how much they valued the Sheng family.

Sheng Xing was very happy and said cheerfully, "All of these will be included in Sister Yan's dowry."

"ah?!"

Liu was dumbfounded and said hesitantly, "You don't need so many, do you?"

Generally speaking, returning half of the betrothal gift is already extremely high, and few people would let the girl take all the betrothal gift.

Mrs. Liu muttered, "The Zhenbei Palace sent these betrothal gifts to show their respect for our Sheng family. Just let Sister Yan take half of them. Otherwise, the Zhenbei Palace might think that we are dissatisfied... dissatisfied with the betrothal gifts."

Sheng Xingan sighed inwardly and rubbed his forehead, wondering why he hadn't realized before that Liu was so stupid.

"And, and..." She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and spoke fluently, "I have already prepared a dowry of 128 kg for Sister Yan. If you add this 128 kg, wouldn't it exceed the regulations? Even the prince's consort doesn't have that much..."

Sheng Xingan was too lazy to explain to her, so he just said, "Then stuff all of these into the 128 bags, and fill each bag to the capacity," and left, reeking of alcohol.

He was in a good mood today and didn't want to get angry over this incomprehensible Liu.

After Sheng Xingan left, Liu took the betrothal gift list and read it again and again. Her heart was filled with reluctance, but in the end, she could only sigh.

Why.

This isn't marrying off a daughter of a noble family, it's just spending money.

Although she was heartbroken, she didn't dare to go against Sheng Xingan's wishes.

Sheng Xiyan's wedding was scheduled for March of next year, which meant that there were less than four months left to prepare the dowry. The more Liu calculated, the less time she had, especially as she also had to make furniture. However, the manager who went to Jiangnan to buy huanghuali wood had not returned yet.

Liu called Amber and asked her to go to Sheng Xiyan to ask her what kind of furniture she liked. She planned to find craftsmen first to make some tables and stools.

When Amber arrived at Caicen Courtyard, Sheng Xiyan had just taken off her headdress. Hearing this, she was slightly startled and thought: Why do you suddenly think of furniture?

But Liu always acted on her own accord, so Sheng Xiyan didn't think much about it and said, "I like the style of Jiangnan. I want a big step-out bed, a cabinet with hundreds of birds carved on it, and a table..."

Amber wrote down everything and went back to report.

Sheng Xiyan asked E Rui to tie her black hair into a loose bun, and pinned a small pearl flower on her hair. She looked not as graceful and elegant as before, but even more beautiful and charming.

She sent Xigui and Erui away and went to the small study, planning to practice calligraphy for a while before taking a nap.

She had just written two lines on the paper when she heard three gentle knocks on the window. She walked over to open the window and met a pair of smiling peach eyes.

She couldn't help but say something stupid: "You're here."

Chu Yuanchen flipped in skillfully, his eyes fixed on her.

At first it was just an inexplicable arranged marriage, but he himself didn't know when he really fell in love with it and fell deeper and deeper into it.

This little girl was so special that his heart fell on her unconsciously, and he couldn't let go of her every frown and smile.

Chu Yuanchen's eyes were full of smiles, and he said seriously: "I am here to give you a betrothal gift."

"Dowry?" Sheng Xiyan raised her eyebrows. "Wasn't it just delivered?" And it was a lot.

Chu Yuanchen took out a palm-sized ebony box and handed it over.

Sheng Xiyan took it in confusion, it was quite heavy in her hand.

Chu Yuanchen said earnestly: "Open it and take a look."

A small brass key was already inserted into the lock. Sheng Xiyan placed the box on the desk and gave it a slight twist, and the lock opened.

This small box was actually filled with deeds.

The deeds didn't look too old, not yellowed or damaged. They were randomly folded a few times and stuffed inside. When the lid was opened, several sheets of paper popped out.

"What is this?" Sheng Xiyan looked up at him, with some confusion in her big black and white eyes.

"The deed." Chu Yuanchen said seriously, "The fields, farms, shops, horse farms and so on in the northern border are all mine." What he meant was that these were not the properties of the Zhenbei Palace.

Sheng Xiyan: “…”

Chu Yuanchen said as a matter of course: "After conquering Northern Yan, I moved half of the national treasury away. The Northern Frontier Army will reward everyone according to their merits."

Sheng Xiyan understood. This was his share of the reward based on merit.

Chu Yuanchen casually stuffed the scattered deeds on the desk back into the box and said, "I'll buy you some flowers to wear."

Sheng Xiyan looked at him, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes blinked gently, and then blinked again.

She covered her mouth and smiled, and her faint smile turned into a chuckle. Her sparkling eyes made her skin look as white as jade and as delicate and charming as a peony in full bloom.

She closed the box and held it in her hands.

Chu Yuanchen heaved a sigh of relief for some reason.

Over the years, he had led hundreds of thousands of troops across the northern border, and he had always been decisive and unwavering in his actions. But now, his palms were a little wet, stained with sweat.

"Wait a minute."

Sheng Xiyan thought of something, she put the box back on the desk, and ran out quickly holding up her skirt.

Not long after, she came back again, her steps were quick, her breath was slightly panting, and she was holding a box in her hand as well, but this one was made of rosewood with bamboo-knot patterns carved on it.

"give."

She handed the box to him, just as he had done before.

Chu Yuanchen raised his eyebrows. Sheng Xiyan's earlobes turned slightly red. She smiled with her hands covering her mouth and said, "Dowry."

In the box were four silver notes worth ten thousand taels each.

Sheng Xiyan raised her chin slightly and said proudly, "I lied about it."

What she meant was that this thing did not belong to the Sheng family, it belonged to her.

"To buy you some food and grass."

After she said this, she laughed first.

There was some surprise in Chu Yuanchen's eyes. Compared with his box of deeds, the 40,000 taels of silver were not worth much. However, in his hand, they were as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Chu Yuanchen couldn't help but exert a little force on his hands and agreed: "Okay."

His heart was beating a little faster, as if it had been running for several laps. This was probably the most beautiful moment in his life, the person he loved was in tune with him.

Sheng Xiyan half raised her head and looked at him, as if she could feel a fiery gaze resting on her face.

He put the box in his arms and said seriously, "I'll use it to buy food and grass."

Sheng Xiyan was delighted, her eyes and eyebrows curved with a smile.

Chu Yuanchen's breathing became a little heavier. He stroked her cheek lightly with the palm of his hand and gently lifted the hair that was scattered on her cheek behind her ear.

A blush appeared on Sheng Xiyan's cheeks.

Just at this moment, there was a knock on the door, and Xigui's voice came from outside: "Girl, the master wants you to come over."

Chu Yuanchen withdrew his hand with regret, thinking: Oh, what rare good luck he has.

He said, "I'm leaving now."

Sheng Xiyan waved at him awkwardly, almost pushing him away.

After watching him climb out of the window, she took a deep breath and said, "Come in."

Xigui pushed the door open and walked in.

Sheng Xiyan's cheeks were still a little hot, and she asked nonchalantly, "What's wrong?"

Xigui looked at her intently, and always felt that her daughter seemed to be more beautiful, exuding a kind of gentle beauty that made people's hearts beat. She replied, "Miss, it's the old lady of the Jiang family who came to give you a gift. The old man asked you to go over and see the gift."

"The old lady of the Jiang family?" Sheng Xiyan was confused. "Who is it?"

Wait, the last name is Jiang...

Sheng Xiyan's mind moved, and she asked, "Could it be from Master Jiang's family?"

Jiang Ting had already been divorced by Princess Jingle, so naturally he could no longer be called a guest of honor. However, he was Chu Yuanchen's biological father, so Sheng Xiyan was not in a position to address him by his name.

Xigui replied, "Yes. It's Jiang... it's Old Master Jiang's mother. She heard that the prince was engaged, so she came to the capital from other places. Old Madam Jiang said she came to meet you and give you a gift."

Sheng Xiyan understood. She nodded slightly and said, "Tell my father that I won't go."

Xigui never questioned her words, so he immediately responded when he heard her.

Seeing that she didn't seem to understand, Sheng Xiyan took the initiative to point it out: "Logically speaking, the Jiang family and Prince Chu are related. If they really came to congratulate, the Zhenbei Palace would not be unaware of it." But Chu Yuanchen didn't mention it at all just now.

Xigui pondered and said, "Did the Jiang family come to you specifically?"

"Yes." Sheng Xiyan nodded without hesitation and said, "Maybe he thinks I'm thin-skinned and easy to talk to, so he wants me to persuade the princess to change her mind." Moreover, he may want to suppress her by virtue of his status as an elder.

Even if she guessed wrong, and the Jiang family really came to congratulate, given the current relationship between Jiang Ting and the princess, it would not be appropriate for her to meet with the Jiang family in private.

Xigui understood: "Then I will go down first."

After Xigui left, Sheng Xiyan happily opened the ebony box and sorted out the deeds inside.

The land is the largest, totaling about 2,000 to 3,000 mu, with more than ten shops, four or five houses, a horse ranch, and two mountains. Yes! There are even mountains. All in the northern border.

Sheng Xiyan flipped through the pages happily.

I don't know whether he bought them randomly or asked someone to help him buy them. These things are in a mess, scattered here and there. Not to mention the shops, the fields alone are divided into more than ten villages, almost covering every corner of Northern Xinjiang. To take care of them, you have to run all over Northern Xinjiang just to see them.

Thinking that Chu Yuanchen probably hadn't even looked at them, he stuffed them all into a small box and gave them to her, Sheng Xiyan became even happier.

When she sorted all the deeds into categories, Xigui came back and said, "I heard that you were not feeling well and just rested. Old Madam Jiang didn't look very happy."

Sheng Xiyan nodded and asked again, "Who else is there besides Old Madam Jiang?"

"There is also a young lady from the Jiang family. I heard that she came back as a widow, and brought a girl with her. The girl..." Xigui considered the words carefully, "was quite thin."

Not only was he thin, he was also a bit dark. He kept his head down, looking timid, and he didn't say a word from beginning to end.

"Young lady." Xigui said casually, "The old lady and the young lady of the Jiang family are dressed like ladies from rich families, but this little girl looks like a maid. If I hadn't heard Jiang tell Madam that this was her young lady, I would have thought she was just a maid."

"People in the society often favor boys over girls. I originally thought that only when the family is not doing well would they mistreat their daughters. I didn't expect that the Jiang family doesn't seem to be poor either..."

Xigui just grumbled a few words and said, "Master said to let Madam take care of things, so you don't have to go out."

Ignoring the Jiang family's affairs, Sheng Xiyan asked Xigui to get Benkong's account book. She originally wanted to take a nap, but now she was no longer sleepy and planned to register those deeds herself.

Xigui was helping to grind the ink nearby. Seeing the smile on Sheng Xiyan's face, and looking at the box of unfamiliar deeds, all of which were from Northern Xinjiang, she was very interested and didn't ask a single question.

Sheng Xiyan did not show up, and Old Lady Jiang went back after staying for a while.

As soon as she walked out of Sheng Mansion, she heard people on the street still talking about the grand occasion when the engagement had just been made, and her brows were tightly furrowed.

Behind Jiang followed a silent little girl, who was about eleven or twelve years old, with two buns on her head and her clothes had become a little white from being washed.

"Mom, this Aunt Sheng..." Jiang suddenly stopped and wanted to say something, but the little girl didn't pay attention and bumped into her.

Jiang frowned and slapped her on the shoulder without thinking: "You have no eyes!"