Chapter 785: Aspirations High
Prince Ping ultimately failed to ask the Emperor to revoke the imperial edict. No matter how reluctant Xiao Yechen and Princess Ma were, Xiao Yechen still went to the Yuanma Temple in the suburbs of Beijing to report in that afternoon in a dejected manner.
This matter soon became known to all families in the capital, and everyone's reaction was surprisingly unanimous. They all believed that the emperor really disliked his nephew Xiao Yechen, otherwise he would not have assigned him such a bad task.
After the eldest prince, the second prince, the third prince, and the fifth prince, who had gone to Tangyu Mountain yesterday, learned about it, they all had the same idea. They all believed that Xiao Yeyang was taking revenge on Xiao Yechen.
"Xiao Yeyang's move was really mean. He actually thought of asking Xiao Yechen to raise horses."
"I heard the smell in Yuanma Temple is really strong. I wonder if Xiao Yechen will be covered in horse smell when he returns?"
"If that's the case, this prince won't dare to eat at the same table with him."
After hearing about this, Duke Weiguo's brows have been furrowed. It was he who tried his best to promote the marriage between his daughter and Xiao Yechen. He valued that Xiao Yechen had a great chance of inheriting the title of the royal palace.
But now, he suddenly realized that he might be wrong.
Prince Ping might not value his son as much as he imagined, otherwise, he would never let Xiao Yechen go to Yuanma Temple.
If the eldest son of the royal family were to raise horses, it would be a laughing matter if anyone knew about it.
There is also the emperor’s attitude.
The emperor really didn't give Xiao Yechen any face!
Although the title of the prince is based on the wishes of Prince Ping, if the emperor does not agree, Prince Ping can do nothing about it.
Yan Mansion.
As September approached, the Yan Mansion began to decorate with lights and colorful lanterns. Red silk was hung in every courtyard, and everywhere was decorated with festive atmosphere.
On the sixth day of September, Yan Wentao got married.
On the fifth day of the New Year, Zhou Jingwan's dowry was carried into the Yan family.
Daohua came back on the first day of September and was called over by Mrs. Li to help. When she heard that the bride's dowry had arrived, she immediately put down what she was doing and ran to the third room's yard to take a look.
Looking at the dowry filling the courtyard, Yan Yile couldn't help but ask, "Didn't they say the Zhou family fell into decline? Why is Zhou Jingwan's dowry so generous?"
Yan Yihan: "Master Zhou Er was only demoted and transferred out of the capital, and the Zhou family was not confiscated, so the family assets are naturally still there."
Yan Yile curled her lips and said, "The eldest sister-in-law's dowry was eighty-one loads, Zhou Jingwan's was eighty-one, and the fourth sister-in-law's dowry must be about the same. But our second sister-in-law only had sixty-four loads, she was directly outnumbered."
Hearing this, Yan Yihan immediately glared at Yan Yile, looked around, and whispered, "Just be quiet. My sister-in-law is from the Earl's Mansion, and the Zhou and Su families are both established families. How can the Zhu family compare?"
"Besides, Second Sister-in-law's dowry is quite generous. The thousands of books alone are incomparable to anything else. Don't say anything like that just now. Second Sister-in-law has been very good to you and me. There are some things that others can compare to, but you and I can't."
Yan Yile thought about Zhu Qiyun's care for her and felt that what she said just now was a bit inappropriate: "Okay, Second Sister, I won't do this again in the future. I just said it casually."
Yan Yihan calmed down a bit and said, "You really need to watch your mouth, otherwise, you'll suffer in the future. Not everyone can tolerate you as much as family."
Yan Yile didn't like hearing this and perfunctorily said, "I know, I know." Then she quickly changed the subject, "Second sister, how much dowry can we have when we get married in the future?"
Yan Yihan paused and asked, "How much financial resources do you think our second branch has?"
Yan Yile: "Don't we still have uncle and aunt?"
Yan Yihan frowned again: "Uncle and his family can only be regarded as adding to our dowry. The bulk of the dowry will definitely be paid by our second wife. Don't expect too much."
Yan Yile pouted in dissatisfaction, thought for a moment and said, "My elder sister will be getting married in just over two months. We are both daughters of the Yan family, so we shouldn't be much less fortunate than her, right?"
After hearing what Yan Yile said, Yan Yihan wanted to say something to her again. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she saw Daohua and her eldest and second sisters-in-law walking towards her with smiles on their faces.
"Stop talking!"
Yan Yihan pulled Yan Yile and took her towards Daohua and the other two.
Yan Wenjie and Zhu Qiyun came to Beijing at the end of August, firstly to visit the family that Yan Zhigao and his wife had arranged for Yan Yihuan, and secondly to attend the wedding of Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai.
"Sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, big sister!"
A few people greeted each other and then started discussing Zhou Jingwan's dowry.
Mrs. Zhou prepared a very rich and complete dowry for Zhou Jingwan, including a dressing mirror box, clothing and bedding, gold and silver utensils, rare treasures, and everything else.
Because tomorrow is the wedding day, Han Xinran and Daohua are both very busy. After watching for a while, they went back to work.
Zhu Qiyun also left with Yan Yihan and Yan Yile.
On the way, Yan Yihan asked, "Second sister-in-law, where is second brother?"
Zhu Qiyun smiled and said, "Big brother's colleague from the Hanlin Academy is here, and he's bringing your second brother to entertain the guests."
Yan Yile immediately asked, "But is it the young master of the Xue family?"
Zhu Qiyun: "It seems his last name is Xue. How come you know him?"
Yan Yile curled her lips and said, "How do we know each other?"
Yan Yihan glared at the sarcastic Yan Yile, then looked at Zhu Qiyun and explained, "That Mr. Xue is most likely the one chosen by the family for our third sister."
Zhu Qiyun looked surprised, then smiled and said, "Really? I just saw him from a distance. That Mr. Xue is very handsome and has a good impression of him."
Yan Yile: "Of course it's good. Although my uncle doesn't love my third sister as much as he did when we were little, he still cares about her affairs."
Zhu Qiyun glanced at Yan Yile, whose tone was sour, and ignored her. She smiled at Yan Yihan and asked, "What is the family background of the Xue family?"
Before Yan Yihuan could speak, Yan Yile said, "Of course it's excellent. The Xue family's ancestral home is in Fenxi, and they are a well-known and prominent family in the area."
"The Xue family has been in Beijing since Old Master Xue's generation and has been doing business there for three generations. Although Old Master Xue was only a third-rank official when he retired, and Master Xue is only a fourth-rank official now, the Xue family is good at business and has many connections in Beijing."
"Master Xue is even more talented. He passed the imperial examination just after he came of age, and his ranking is even higher than that of my eldest brother."
After hearing Yan Yile's detailed account, Yan Yihan was surprised: "Fourth sister, how do you know so much?"
Yan Yile: "Of course I have to find out who my third sister is going to marry. Besides, these are not secrets." As she said this, she curled her lips.
"Although my uncle and aunt have always said that they treat my second sister and me as their own children, judging by the fact that they found husbands for my second and third sisters, it seems they are just paying lip service to the idea. Ultimately, they are biased."
"Whether it's family background or talent, the man chosen for the second sister is inferior to the third sister. The Xue family's son is already an official, and once the third sister marries him, she will be the wife of an official. But the You family's son is only a juren, and it's still unknown whether he can pass the imperial examination in the future."
"Fourth sister!"
Zhu Qiyun suddenly interrupted Yan Yile and looked at her with disapproval.
Yan Yile patted his chest and complained, "Second sister-in-law, why are you so loud? You scared me."
Zhu Qiyun took a breath and looked at Yan Yile: "Fourth sister, you must be grateful. You and second sister can sit here because your uncle and aunt are supporting you."
"Also, everyone has their own closeness. Your uncle and aunt are not your parents. You have no right to ask them to treat you as well as their own flesh and blood."
Yan Yile's face fell instantly, but he couldn't find any words to refute, so he could only turn his head to the side with a sullen face.
Zhu Qiyun didn't look at her again. She took Yan Yihan's hand and asked, "Second sister, you don't think so too, do you?"
Yan Yihan quickly shook her head: "Second sister-in-law, I don't. I know that my uncle and aunt have been very good to me and my fourth sister. I am quite satisfied with the family they chose for me. I am not unhappy."
Hearing this, Zhu Qiyun breathed a sigh of relief: "Second sister, you are a sensible person. Listen to what my sister-in-law said to you. There are some things that you can't just look at the surface."
"Marriage, after all, is all about matching up. The Xue family's family background is better than the You family's, so the Xue family's requirements for their daughter-in-law must be more stringent than the You family's."
"Your father and brother are both commoners. Even if your aunt finds you a wealthy family to marry into, it may seem glorious on the outside, but without sufficient confidence, you will suffer countless hardships on the inside."
Yan Yile snorted: "But we are also daughters of the Yan family."
Zhu Qiyun: "Yes, you are all daughters of the Yan family, but whether you are from the first or second wife, your value is different in the eyes of outsiders."
"Third sister may be a concubine's daughter, but her father and brother are both officials in the imperial court, and her elder sister is about to marry into the royal palace. In the eyes of outsiders, although we are a family, our relationship is still separated by a layer."
As he said this, he looked at Yan Yihan.
"Second sister, your second brother and I have met the young master of the You family. He is a really good person, and his family background is also very good for our second branch."
Yan Yi looked at Zhu Qiyun with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, I know. Don't take on a job you don't have the skills to do. I'm really satisfied with this marriage with the You family. If my future husband's family was too well-off, I'd be really scared."
After hearing what Yan Yihan said, Zhu Qiyun smiled: "I am relieved that you think so."
Yan Yile, who was standing by, curled her lips in disdain after hearing this.
Her second sister is too honest. She is grateful and tearsy whenever someone does her a favor. She has no backbone at all.
Zhu Qiyun noticed Yan Yile's expression and felt a little headache. She thought to herself that she had to find an opportunity to have a good talk with her husband tonight about this sister and see if she could find a way to change her personality. She must not let her become the kind of person who has high aspirations but a fragile life.
Daohua knew nothing about the affairs of the second wife's sister-in-law. After a busy day, she went to bed early.
On the sixth day of September, the Yan Mansion became bustling early in the morning.
Daohua also got dressed early, waiting for her third brother to bring the bride home.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
