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"What do you mean, Princess?" Prince Rui looked at Princess Rui and asked.
Princess Rui said, "There is no order without rules. Although Xu loves her daughter, she is not doing it right." Princess Rui said softly, "Each of Shen Zi and the other three will take out 10,000 taels of dowry, and a total of 50,000 taels will be used to buy a dowry for Jin girl. The 10,000 taels will not be included in the dowry list, and will be used as her private money."
King Rui did not say anything after hearing this.
Princess Rui said, "Originally, they will be named princesses before they get married, and the palace will arrange their dowries. However, because the palace cares about these children and thinks they will not be as comfortable after getting married as they are at home, they gave them more money. The prince also knows the reputation of the Earl of Yongning. Jin girl..."
"Just do as the princess says." Prince Rui also thought of this, and then thought of the things Shen Jin had made for him. Shen Jin was the first daughter to make something for him personally. Thinking of those fan bags, belts and socks, he couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.
Princess Rui continued, "Xu must be punished as well, but because she gave birth to Brother Hao, it's not easy to punish her openly."
"All matters in the backyard are left to you." King Rui said nonchalantly.
Princess Rui said softly, "How about this, let her be confined to her own courtyard for the next three months."
"Yes." King Rui agreed directly.
Princess Rui said, "Your Majesty, please don't be soft-hearted. Let's go."
"Don't worry." Although Prince Rui liked Xu more, he just liked her more. Xu had been with him for a long time and they had some feelings for each other. But after all, she was not young anymore and there were many new people in the palace. He just hadn't visited Xu for three months.
"There is also the matter of the second girl's marriage." Princess Rui said, "If the imperial decree for Jin girl's marriage comes down, it would be bad if the second girl hasn't been engaged yet. People will gossip about the prince, and the second girl might get married in the future... The prince loves the second girl, but outsiders don't know."
King Rui frowned and said nothing.
Princess Rui stood up and took out a list. "These are all the families who are interested in the second girl. I thought the second girl was young, so I would slowly ask around, but now I can't wait that long."
Prince Rui took the list, which had five names on it, followed by their family backgrounds and rankings. After thinking for a while, he stood up and went to the desk to erase two names. Now there were only three left. "Choose one from these three."
"Why not call Xu over?" Princess Rui said.
"It's up to you, Princess." Prince Rui said.
Princess Rui said, "After all, this is the second girl's lifelong event, and I was really anxious. The second girl was so outstanding, and now she is wronged."
"Okay." When Prince Rui saw that Princess Rui had thought of everything, he felt that Xu, who only knew how to cry and make a fuss, was not presentable enough.
Princess Rui immediately asked Cui Xi to call Xu over. In fact, Xu had just returned not long ago, so she had to dress up hastily and rush over. If only the princess was there, she would not have done so, but since the prince was there, she did not dare to delay.
Only later did she realize that they were talking about her daughter's marriage, but looking at the three names, she felt a little dissatisfied and called out in a tender voice, "Prince..." She felt that her second daughter was not only sensible and good-looking, but she was also the daughter of Prince Rui, so it was appropriate for her to marry into a duke's mansion, but what was on the list now?
"Just these three." Prince Rui looked at Xu and said, "The princess lets you see them because she is giving you face. If you don't want to save face..."
"Xu family." Princess Rui said, "I think the third family is pretty good."
The family was not of high status, and the one being proposed for marriage was the youngest son of the family, but the family was wealthy, and the mistress of the house was from an imperial merchant family.
"Zi Niang will be given the title of a princess when she gets married. This family's status is too low and they are not a good match." Xu refused directly, and Princess Rui stopped talking.
"Hurry up." King Rui urged impatiently.
Xu knew that there was no room for maneuver in this matter, so she could only look down. When she saw the Zheng family, her eyes lit up and she said, "I think the eldest young master of the Zheng family is pretty good."
"The Zheng family is a family of scholars, and it has been a hundred years since this generation came to power. However, their family is not noble..." Princess Rui said, "and this young master is the eldest son, so his wife is supposed to be a clan wife and a housekeeper."
Prince Rui understood what Princess Rui meant and felt somewhat dissatisfied. However, before he could speak, Xu heard the clan wife and the housekeeper's heart move. She had suffered in her life because she was a concubine. Her daughter was the daughter of a prince and was born a princess. Marrying into the Zheng family was considered marrying down. They would never dare to neglect it and said, "It's this Zheng family."
"Your Highness?" Princess Rui looked at Prince Rui.
Prince Rui thought about it for a while. Since his third daughter had already married the Earl of Yongning, it was not appropriate for his second daughter to marry into a powerful family. Since the Zheng family had no one in their generation who had entered the government, it was suitable. "Let's do this."
"Well, I'll have someone send a letter to Madam Zheng, and have him come to the house tomorrow. Then, let the second girl meet him secretly. If possible, we can exchange tokens, and then choose a good time to finalize the marriage." Princess Rui smiled and said, "Xu, you will be confined to your house for three months. Don't come out within three months after you go back."
"Your Highness..." Xu looked at Prince Rui.
Prince Rui waved his hand. Xu wanted to say more, but Prince Rui's face darkened. He then bowed and retreated.
After Xu left, Princess Rui smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please go and take care of your official business as soon as possible. I have nothing to do here."
"Then I'll come to see you again in the evening." King Rui said gently.
Princess Rui agreed, stood up and personally saw Prince Rui off, then asked Cui Xi to meet Shen Jin's mother, Concubine Chen. Since the matter had been settled, Concubine Chen stopped crying and began to quietly prepare a dowry for her daughter.
Soon the imperial decree for the arranged marriage came down. Those who knew that the Earl of Yongning was going to be married to a man with a daughter of marriageable age breathed a sigh of relief, but they also lamented that Prince Rui was indeed loyal to the emperor and was willing to make such a decision.
After crying, Shen Jin had no choice but to accept this matter. There were some benefits as well. She was conferred the title of princess in advance and received rewards from the palace. Even her mother told her about her dowry.
Shen Jin was not the type to complain about her fate. Since she had accepted the offer, she slowly began to prepare her dowry. Many things were made by the servants in the palace, but she also wanted to make some.
Concubine Chen also agreed, "Although this marriage was not chosen by you, you live your life by yourself. Whether it is good or bad depends on your efforts."
Shen Jin wanted to live a good life. After the imperial edict came down, Shen Qi, who was already married, went home to enlighten Shen Jin, but found that Shen Jin had already let it go.
Under the arrangement of Princess Rui, Shen Zi secretly met the eldest son of the Zheng family. The eldest son of the Zheng family was gentle and talented. Even after talking to Prince Rui, he was satisfied that he was not suitable for being an official, but was suitable for literature.
Soon the news of Shen Zi and the eldest son of the Zheng family's engagement spread, and the two families exchanged engagement letters in a lively manner.
On the day when Earl Yongning returned to the capital to present the captives, the capital was bustling with activity. Even some ladies from wealthy families who seldom went out booked private rooms in restaurants. After all, this was a big event. They had all heard of the rumors about Earl Yongning but had never actually met him.
However, the Rui Wang Mansion remained quiet and did not send anyone out, because they had received the news long ago that the Yongning Earl had returned to the border halfway and wrote a letter to apologize.
His Majesty did not have the slightest intention of blaming anyone. After all, Earl Yongning was doing it for the stability of the border. Even if he wanted to blame someone, he would blame those uncivilized barbarians.
Both Shen Jin's and Shen Zi's wedding dresses were made by special embroiderers. At this moment, Shen Zi was sitting in Shen Jin's room wearing a gauze dress with hundreds of butterflies and flowers, and said, "Third sister, when you get married and arrive at the border, don't forget to write back to Beijing and tell us sisters about the scenery at the border."
As the daughters of Prince Rui, they had already received the news that Earl Yongning might not be able to return to Beijing in the next few years. So when it comes to the wedding, Earl Yongning might not be able to make it back in time. The emperor intended to send Shen Jin directly to the border to get married.
"I heard that the Emperor's uncle said that the procession to escort the bride will use the princess's ceremonial guards. Third sister, you are so glorious." Seeing that Shen Jin didn't say anything, Shen Zi smiled and said, "Except for the daughter of the royal family who is marrying, no one else has such an honor."
Shen Jin was embroidering a sachet, and without even looking up, she said, "Is the pillowcase that Mother asked my second sister to embroider finished? My second sister is getting married soon, how are the pretend preparations going?"
Shen Zi's face changed. She already knew that her dowry had been reduced. She was dissatisfied when she heard it. If it wasn't for this, she wouldn't have come to Shen Jin all day long. She said, "Third sister, you should take care of yourself more. I don't know when Earl Yongning will be able to return to Beijing. There is a shortage of food and clothing at the border. Third sister, you should prepare more."
"Thank you for your concern, Second Sister." Shen Jin finally looked up and said, "Second Sister, is there anything else?"
Shen Zi frowned and said, "Why are you still planning to chase me away?"
Shen Jin put the needle away and said with a smile, "That's not the case. I'm going to pay my respects to my mother. I wonder if my second sister wants to go with me?"
"Since mother is busy, forget it." Shen Zi stood up and said, "I'll leave first. We don't have many opportunities to meet each other. I'll come to you tomorrow to catch up."
The smile on Shen Jin's face disappeared only after Shen Zi left. In fact, she had lied to Shen Zi. Concubine Chen was with Princess Rui, and there was also the Yongning Marquis' Mansion in the capital. Logically, they should have gotten married in the Yongning Marquis' Mansion, but the barbarians had been causing trouble recently, and the border couldn't do without the Yongning Marquis. As the wedding was approaching, the emperor discussed with Prince Rui and decided to send Shen Jin to the border directly and not let the Yongning Marquis come back.
So there were difficulties with the dowry, which needed to be reorganized. Some of it would be sent directly to the Yongning Earl's Mansion, such as large pieces of furniture, and some would be sent with Shen Jin.
Because everyone was busy with Shen Jin's dowry, Shen Zi's dowry was somewhat neglected. After all, the two of them got married close to each other, so Shen Zi was naturally dissatisfied. Shen Zi always felt that she was better than Shen Jin, but she could not compare with Shen Jin in dowry. Now everyone in the mansion was busy with Shen Jin's affairs.
Unfortunately, it was an order from Prince Rui, so Shen Zi didn't dare to cause trouble for Prince Rui and Princess Rui. He could only come to find Shen Jin all day long to make her unhappy. He talked about everything from Earl Yongning killing people to the harsh environment at the border, and he went on and on. From the initial panic to now, Shen Jin felt numb.
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