That night, Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan didn't consummate their marriage. They decided to wait until Liu Yulian turned eighteen before consummating their marriage. He Xiyuan wasn't someone who couldn't wait; he could, but they couldn't sleep in separate rooms.
He Xiyuan also said that he could endure a little for the sake of their long-term future.
The next morning, He Xiyuan woke up early. When he saw Liu Yulian beside him, he felt very happy. He had a wife now and was no longer the same person.
When Liu Yulian woke up, she found He Xiyuan looking at her, and she was shocked. Fortunately, she immediately remembered that she and He Xiyuan had been married yesterday.
"I'm anxious," He Xiyuan said. "Grandma told us not to go there so early."
He Xiyuan was worried that Liu Yulian had not rested enough, and his grandmother did say so.
Just because Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan didn't live at the Duke's Mansion didn't mean Liu Yulian didn't need to offer tea to Old Madam He and the others. It was just that they were going there from Princess Rongning's Mansion, so they didn't need to go there so early.
"It's time to get up." Liu Yulian said.
"Okay." He Xiyuan nodded slightly. He saw the blush on Liu Yulian's face. "Don't be embarrassed. We will be together in the future and have closer contact."
The most He Xiyuan can do now is to kiss Liu Yulian and hold her little hand, but he will do more in the future.
"It's time to get up." Liu Yulian was still a little embarrassed. She had never been so close to a man before.
When Liu Yulian was about to put on her clothes, He Xiyuan took Liu Yulian's clothes.
"Just let the maid come." Liu Yulian said.
"This is our new home," He Xiyuan said. "Don't let them come over. I can also dress you."
"I can wear it myself." Liu Yulian didn't expect He Xiyuan to say that. She felt that He Xiyuan was right. The bedroom was a private place, and they should let as few servants come as possible.
"I'll help you." He Xiyuan said firmly.
"In other families, it's the women who help the men put on their clothes." Liu Yulian couldn't help but say so.
"That's someone else's family, not ours." He Xiyuan said, "We don't have such rules in our family."
"Yeah." Liu Yulian didn't want to wait on her husband all day. She wasn't so obedient. She was an independent individual and wanted her own space and freedom.
When Liu Yulian put on her clothes, He Xiyuan wanted to comb her hair.
"Have you combed your hair?" Liu Yulian frowned slightly.
"I've combed my own hair before," He Xiyuan said. "I wouldn't dare try it on someone else's."
He Xiyuan didn't want to try it on someone else. He could use his hands to comb his wife's hair, but he couldn't touch anyone else's, no matter if it was a man or a woman.
"I will be able to comb it better in the future," said He Xiyuan.
"Wait a few days." Liu Yulian looked at herself in the mirror. As expected, with the glass, the mirror was much clearer. "I have to go serve tea to my grandmother and the others today."
"Don't worry, take your time." He Xiyuan said, "We'll go over there after breakfast. Grandma already said that, and Mom also meant that we don't have to rush. They don't have to get up early to wait for us. We can go over there anytime."
"It can't be too late." Liu Yulian thought they still had to go in the morning. They couldn't wait until the afternoon to go to Duke Cheng's Mansion. That would be too unreasonable.
Even if the people from Duke Cheng's Mansion said so, Liu Yulian had to give them face.
At the Duke of Cheng's Mansion, Madam He got up early. She didn't expect Liu Yulian to come early. She was just trying to prevent Liu Yulian from coming early while she wasn't ready.
Old Madam He also repeatedly told the wife of Duke Cheng and others not to put on airs and to be more friendly.
"Clean the floor, make sure there aren't any puddles." Madam He said, "Don't wait until someone falls before you realize your mistake."
Old Madam He was a little nervous. She had to ask the servants to do a better job and avoid making mistakes.
"Don't always stand there." Madam He looked at the servants, "Be more careful."
Seeing the old lady like this, Mrs. Du beside Mrs. He hurriedly smiled and said, "Don't worry, they started cleaning early in the morning, so nothing will go wrong."
"Don't be careless." Madam He said, "Sometimes it's just a moment of carelessness that causes problems."
"Yes, you are absolutely right." Mother Du signaled those people to go and clean up so that they would not have to stand in front of Mrs. He for too long.
When Lady Chengguo learned of Old Lady He's actions, she was not surprised. Old Lady He valued Liu Yulian very much. Before He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian got married, Old Lady He had been praising Liu Yulian in various ways.
Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan were coming from Princess Rongning's mansion, but Lady Chengguo didn't expect them to come so early.
"Mother." Mrs. Mo woke up early in the morning.
Mrs. Mo didn't dare to get up too late. Even though she was pregnant, she had to get everything done today.
"Let's do it first." Lady Chengguo said, "They shouldn't come so soon."
"Rongning is busy with the research institute's affairs. She was also busy embroidering her wedding dress." Mrs. Mo smiled and said, "She's also working hard."
Mrs. Mo hadn't mentioned Liu Yulian's late arrival, and Princess Rongning wasn't living in the Chengguo Mansion, so it would be difficult for her to argue with Mrs. Mo in the future. He Xiyuan had simply separated from the family, meaning that He Xiyuan and his wife had essentially no vested interests in the family with He Xichen and his wife.
Perhaps Mrs. He will give more gifts to Liu Yulian in the future, and Mrs. Mo will be able to tolerate it.
"It's hard work," said Lady Chengguo. "She only started embroidering after arriving in the capital, and she embroidered her wedding dress so beautifully."
Lady Chengguo saw the wedding dress that Liu Yulian was wearing yesterday. She was so moved by it that she thought many girls must want to have a wedding dress as beautiful as the one Liu Yulian was wearing.
"It's really beautiful." Mrs. Mo joked, "I've been wanting to have a daughter, so I'd like to borrow her wedding dress. I don't want a new one, just the one she wore yesterday."
"If that's the case, your daughter will scold you." Lady Chengguo knew that Mrs. Mo was joking. It would be a real pity to wear such a beautiful wedding dress only once.
Lady Chengguo also didn't want Liu Yulian to wear her wedding dress too often. If she did, it would mean that she and He Xiyuan were not together, which was unacceptable.
When He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian arrived, Lady Chengguo and others were naturally ready.
The He family had quite a few people. Duke Cheng had other brothers, and He Xiyuan also had illegitimate brothers and sisters. These people were not stupid, and Princess Rongning did not live in Duke Cheng's mansion, so there was no major interest involved between them.
Mrs. He was very happy and gave Liu Yulian a big red envelope. Mrs. He thought that as long as Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan got married, there would be no need for them to always be in front of her.
"Come over when you're free. If you're not, don't worry. It doesn't have to be the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month." Old Madam He said with a smile, "Don't tie yourself up. If you don't have time, you don't have to come. We can come over occasionally when we're free."
When Mrs. Mo heard this, she felt that Mrs. He was really good to Liu Yulian. This was something she couldn't envy or be jealous of, as she wasn't that powerful.
Mrs. Mo was not afraid that Madam He would treat her and Princess Rongning differently. She knew how snobbish Madam He was when she married in. Besides, Madam He hadn't been bad to her. How could she ask for so much? If she wanted this and that, how could she not go to heaven?
Madam He had said so, so Lady Cheng Guogong couldn't ask Liu Yulian to come over to pay her respects all the time. If Liu Yulian delayed other things, who would be held responsible?
"Listen to your grandmother," said Lady Chengguo. "If you have any questions, you can tell us."
No one else dared to say anything unpleasant to Princess Rongning, and each one spoke very nicely. Even nicer than what Mo had said when she married into the Duke of Cheng's mansion. When Mo heard those words, she did feel a little uncomfortable, but so what.
Where do all the conflicts come from if we don't live under the same roof?
Liu Yulian also prepared gifts for these people, all relatively ordinary. Before Liu Yulian sent her gifts, she also inquired about what Mrs. Mo had given her. Liu Yulian's gift was not better than Mrs. Mo's. Mrs. Mo was the wife of the eldest son, and it would be inappropriate for Liu Yulian to give something better than Mrs. Mo.
Although Liu Yulian usually doesn't care about these things, there are people in the mansion who help her arrange them.
When it was time for dinner, Mrs. He was also very enthusiastic towards Liu Yulian.
Since Mrs. Mo is pregnant, it is inevitable that there will be some reactions.
"That's what it's like when you're pregnant." Old Madam He did ask someone to cook what Liu Yulian liked to eat, but she didn't go out of her way to make dishes with strong odors.
Old Madam He looked at Mrs. Mo like this, but did not say that she should endure it.
"When you have children in the future, you should pay more attention to them." Madam He looked at Liu Yulian, and then said to Madam Mo, "If you can't eat that much, eat less and eat more meals."
"Yes." Mrs. Mo responded and looked at Liu Yulian. "Don't worry about me. Just eat."
Mo Shi didn't dare let Liu Yulian think she was going to cause trouble. Not to mention the people outside, some people in the family, and people from other branches, some of them just wanted to embarrass Mo Shi. Mo Shi's family was not high, and she was the wife of the prince, so it was inevitable that some people wanted to suppress her.
Liu Yulian had come to the Duke of Cheng's residence quite often and had dined with them before. However, she spoke little, didn't know what to say, and didn't deliberately bring up any particular topic.
But there was no need for Liu Yulian to bring up a specific topic, as Madam He spoke directly, "You two are newlyweds, so you can take a good rest for a few days. You can get busy again in a few days. By the way, I heard that you have a lot of flowers planted on your farm, and they are growing very well."
"Yes, they are just some ordinary flowers." Liu Yulian said, "Those flowers are used to make rouge and powder, and also to make some food."
Liu Yulian didn't open her farm to the public to prevent anyone from tampering with the flowers. She also sold flowers specifically for storefront decoration, which were grown in pots, some in greenhouses.
"We also sell flowers directly," Liu Yulian said. "I don't usually take care of it. I let the village head take care of it."
"That's good." Madam He said, "Just go over and take a look occasionally. You don't need to be too tired."
"Yes." Liu Yulian said, "I'll send you some scented tea when Zhuangzi makes it."
"Good, good, good." Madam He smiled and said, "The flower tea you sent me earlier was very good. It tasted good, and the flowers were beautiful."
Madam He talked a lot with Liu Yulian, while Lady Chengguo spoke relatively little. It wasn't that Lady Chengguo didn't want to talk, but before she could say more, Madam He spoke again.
After dinner, Mrs. He took Liu Yulian aside and talked to her for a few words.
"If your husband does anything wrong, just tell me and I will teach him a lesson for you," said Mrs. He.
"It's okay now." Liu Yulian replied.
"It's now, but it may not be certain in the future." said Mrs. He.
“…” He Xiyuan felt that his grandmother was really enough. She was always like this.
After Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan got on the carriage, Liu Yulian said, "They are so enthusiastic."
"It's okay to go there once in a while," He Xiyuan said. "If you go there more than once, their faces will become stiff from smiling."
"How can you talk like that?" Liu Yulian said with a smile, "They are your family."
"It's because we're family that I understand them so well," He Xiyuan said. "If you didn't have such great abilities, if you hadn't healed your brother's legs, grandma wouldn't have been so kind to you."
He Xiyuan clearly understood what kind of person his grandmother was. "You are strong now, and you cured my eldest brother. That's what my grandmother is like."
"Mother is not like that." Liu Yulian thought of the wife of Duke Chengguo.
"That's because Mother couldn't bring herself to do that, but she couldn't possibly treat you badly," He Xiyuan said. "I'm afraid there aren't many people in this world who could do what Grandmother did."
He Xiyuan really thinks his grandmother is very powerful. His grandmother can bow her head. Which powerful old lady can do what Mrs. He did?
In this capital, only Madam He could achieve this. Madam He was not only able to bow her head, but also very talkative. People who didn't know her would think that Madam He was a lackey.
"Grandma, it's good that you do this. At least I feel comfortable listening to it." Liu Yulian didn't know what others were thinking. She felt very comfortable being treated that way by Old Madam He.
No one doesn't want her in-laws to treat her well, and Liu Yulian is no exception. She hopes that her in-laws can treat her better, hope that her in-laws will not care about so many things, and hope that her in-laws will not force people on He Xiyuan.
"Yes." He Xiyuan said with a smile, "That's right. You don't have to worry about whether others feel comfortable listening to it or not. Our sister-in-law won't be too dissatisfied if we don't live there."
He Xiyuan knew that there would inevitably be some conflicts between sisters-in-law, but Liu Yulian did not live in the Chengguo Mansion, and her contact with Mrs. Mo was rare. He Xiyuan did not want Liu Yulian to consider Mrs. Mo too much. If Liu Yulian was not capable, Mrs. He would not be so kind to her.
Just look at how Madam He treats the wife of Duke Chengguo and you will know. Madam He is not that good to the wife of Duke Chengguo, so how could Mrs. Mo think that Madam He would be so good to her?
People should not always compare themselves with others, because everyone is different.
At Duke Chengguo's Mansion, after Mrs. Mo learned that Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan had left, she stayed in the house to rest.
"Will your sister-in-law and the others come here less often in the future?" Mrs. Mo asked when she saw He Xichen coming.
"See if they're free." He Xichen said, "If they come, it's just to ask the kitchen to prepare more food, which is not a big deal."
"That's right." Mrs. Mo nodded.
"You'll have to get used to it in the future." He Xichen said, "Grandmother is not the kind of person who will treat Princess Rongning any less well after she marries Brother Yuan. She will still treat Princess Rongning well, and so will mother."
"I know." Mrs. Mo saw that everyone in the He family respected Liu Yulian today, and she was just envious. "We are two families now."
"They are both good families. If something really happens to us, they won't just ignore it." He Xichen said.
"Yes, I know." Mrs. Mo replied, "Recently, many people have been saying unpleasant things to me, and I don't want to listen to them anymore. The family has already been divided, why should I bother with those things?"
"If there are any servants who talk nonsense, just sell them off." He Xichen didn't love Mrs. Mo that much, but he didn't have a maidservant or concubines. He couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't have one in the future. As the heir of the Duke's Mansion, he still hoped that Mrs. Mo would be able to stay.
After Mrs. Mo gave birth to a child, even if the first one was a daughter, it would be fine as long as she had a son later.
He Xichen planned to take good care of the child and let the child understand more, so that the child would be able to inherit everything in the family in the future.
"You don't have to think so much." He Xichen said, "Look at my grandmother. She treated my mother the same way. Princess Rongning was an exception."
"There really should be an exception. Princess Rongning is our benefactor." Mrs. Mo understood that He Xichen was comforting her. She was the eldest son's daughter-in-law and was not treated that well. Some people would indeed think too much.
Mrs. Mo believed that being able to marry He Xichen was a great blessing, and she could not let this blessing go to waste.
In a restaurant, Mrs. Qin met Liu Yuqin.
"When are you going back?" asked Mrs. Qin.
"Tomorrow." Liu Yuqin said, "Today, there's no time."
"Then tomorrow." said Mrs. Qin.
"Rongning's dowry is so huge." Liu Yuqin suddenly said.
Madam Qin Dashao had long known that Liu Yuqin would talk about Liu Yulian's dowry. She was not blind and could tell how much Liu Yulian's dowry was.
"The dowry the Marquisate prepared for her isn't as much as yours," Young Master Qin's wife said. "You see so much dowry because it's mostly the betrothal gifts from the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion and the bonuses from the royal family. Otherwise, where would such a large dowry come from?"
"How could that be?" Liu Yuqin didn't believe it.
"I saw the dowry lists with my own eyes," said Madam Qin. "Those lists were originally written separately, and everything was clearly written. You were lucky to get married before your family was ransacked, so your dowry was quite large. Some concubines' daughters would be lucky to get five hundred taels for their dowry. When you got married, your dowry must have been over a thousand taels, not counting shops, farms, houses, and even the money in the bottom of the box."
The dowry of Mrs. Qin Dashao was even greater. She had 10,000 taels of silver in her savings, in addition to land and other things.
"You spent so much money on the Mei family back then," said Madam Qin, "you still have houses and farms."
Madam Qin thought the Marquisate had treated Liu Yuqin well. Liu Yuqin had insisted that she was the legitimate wife of the emperor's son and that she couldn't afford to be shabby. The Marquisate of Jingning hadn't let Liu Yuqin be shabby either. Her mother had spent nearly two thousand taels of silver on Liu Yuqin's dowry, and even more on Xue Liu.
If we talk about those who spent the least, it would be Liu Yulian and Liu Fang. Liu Fang was in a very difficult situation for the Liu family, and she only had a few hundred taels of silver. She also had to prepare a dowry of fifty taels for the third branch of the Liu family, and after buying other things, it was almost a hundred taels.
This cannot be said to be that Liu's mother and father treated Liu Fang too badly. Liu Yulian earned back the title for the family, and the dowry prepared by the Marquis' Mansion for Liu Yulian was not as good as that of Liu Yuqin.
"Do you want to continue competing?" asked Mrs. Qin.
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