20 betrothal
"Why are there so many?"
With the wedding date approaching, Xiao Pingchuan made a special trip to the palace as planned, visiting the Directorate of Ceremonial to inquire about the procedures.
Before he knew that Shen Suqin was so rich, he was already prepared to take it seriously.
Because he felt the North was harsh and cold, and the young girl was someone he had dragged into this mess, he wanted to make it up to her at the wedding.
Now, following the established procedures step by step is not troublesome.
The general's mansion was destitute, and the only thing in its accounts was a few hundred thousand taels of silver obtained from Cangshuanglou.
Xiao Pingchuan was not stingy. According to the gift list given by the Directorate of Ceremonial, he selected the highest-grade items and, together with Chai Shun and a group of personal guards, went out early and returned late every day to purchase them.
This was the period in Chai Shun's life when he spent money the most extravagantly; it could almost be said that he spent money like water.
Returning from the East Market that day, Chai Shun plopped down on the steps by the entrance and huffed and puffed as he grabbed someone and told him to go and fetch the general.
Xiao Pingchuan had been hunting wild geese for the past two days, and upon hearing this, he took time out of his busy schedule to visit him.
Upon meeting, Chai Shun pulled the man aside and whispered, "Guess what? I heard about the incident where Princess Changtai forcibly abducted a man from the common people."
"What's the meaning?"
"It is said that Shen Jinghe and his concubine Jiang Yao have known each other since childhood. The Jiang family took in Shen Jinghe, who had fled from war, and raised him. Before Shen Jinghe was recommended to go north to serve as an official, the two were already engaged."
"Did Shen Jinghe start a relationship and then abandon it?"
"No, after Shen Jinghe became an official, he did send someone south to bring Jiang Yao north to get married, but once the person left, there was no news of them until more than half a year later when Miss Shen the Second was sent back to Fuliang Mountain." Chai Shun gossiped, "I reckon there must be some problem in between. Think about it, everyone knows that Shen Jinghe married Princess Changtai first and then took a concubine, but Miss Shen the First and Miss Shen the Second were born around the same time."
"That means that before marrying the princess, the concubine of the Shen family was already pregnant. Which prominent noble family in Daliang would be willing to marry their young lady to a family that already has children? Besides, Shen Jinghe was just an insignificant official at that time, with no family background or connections, except for... his face."
Shen Jinghe was incredibly handsome in his youth, even now that he's older, he still far surpasses most people.
Xiao Pingchuan sighed, "She suffered."
"who?"
"Miss Shen Er."
Chai Shun: "......"
Did he mention Miss Chen just now?
"Oh right, did I not tell you yet? Miss Shen said she would give us an extra 100,000 taels of silver every month for military expenses."
Chai Shun's eyes widened suddenly: "How much? How much did you say?"
"One hundred thousand taels."
“My God, first 300,000 shi of grain, then 100,000 taels of silver per month. General,” he looked Xiao Pingchuan up and down, “I never thought you were so valuable. If I had known, I would have sold you to Miss Shen earlier. Back then you were young and beautiful, even more attractive than you are now, and you might have been able to sell you for a higher price.”
Xiao Pingchuan kicked him, "You think you're so shrewd? Even if I'm willing to sell, people might not be interested."
Chai Shun curled his lip: "Tsk tsk, have you forgotten about handing over the purse on the street? This golden phoenix is probably really going to land in our shabby nest."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Pingchuan fell silent. "Do you think she can get used to living in the Northern Territory?"
"Shule River is probably not an option, but the General's Mansion in Ningyuan is barely acceptable."
"It's been several years since we last went back to the General's Mansion. The walls were already collapsed back then. Should I send someone to repair it beforehand?"
"It needs to be fixed, otherwise it might scare the lady away."
"Okay, go and make the arrangements."
Chai Shun nodded. "By the way, why is Miss Shen so rich?"
Xiao Pingchuan ignored him: "How would I know?"
He understood the principle that possessing a treasure is a crime, so he wouldn't reveal it to anyone unless Shen Suqin gave his approval.
Didn't she tell you?
"That's none of your business, get to work..."
———
Two days later, the betrothal party from the General's Mansion entered the Shen Mansion.
Eunuch Yan led the team, followed by Chai Shun and a group of guards from the General's Mansion.
The group, dressed in festive red ribbons, carried things toward the Shen residence one by one.
Granny Gui came forward and was about to lead the betrothal procession to the main courtyard's flower hall when she saw them consciously bypass her and head towards the northwest side courtyard.
"What are you doing, Father-in-law?" she forced a smile.
Eunuch Yan stopped in his tracks. "This was instructed by the general; I don't know anything about it."
“Since ancient times, it has never been possible to send something to a concubine without going through the main wife.”
Eunuch Yan was somewhat troubled.
He knew this all too well, but the general had specifically instructed him, so how could he disobey?
“Your father-in-law is an old man in the palace and knows the rules best. If you send this betrothal gift to the side courtyard, where will our princess’s face be?" Granny Gui curtsied. “Please wait a moment, I will go and invite the princess.”
“Please wait, Granny,” Chai Shun raised his chin slightly, signaling his guards to step forward and stop the person. “This is our custom in the north; betrothal gifts are only given to the mother. If the princess insists on accepting them, then our general will have no choice but to marry Miss Shen instead.”
Granny Gui knew immediately that they were doing it on purpose; there was no such rule in the world.
They just wanted to give the concubine face.
“My lord, please don’t joke,” said Granny Gui. “Now that the general has come to the capital, he must abide by the rules of the capital.”
Chai Shun sneered, “No need to argue,” he said to his guards, “Keep an eye on her and don’t let her scream.”
After saying that, he nodded to Eunuch Yan, "Please, Eunuch."
Soon, the group arrived at the side courtyard.
The courtyard gate was tightly closed, with only Tuksu guarding the gate. He was a secret guard sent by the general to protect Shen Suqin, and she left him in the courtyard to watch over Shen's father and mother.
"Are Miss Shen and Lord Shen here?" Chai Shun asked.
Tuksu shook his head, "Lord Shen and Madam Shen are here, but Miss Shen went out early this morning."
"Didn't I send someone to deliver a message saying that I was coming to present betrothal gifts today? Didn't you convey that message?"
"I told you, Miss Shen said we'll talk about it on our wedding day."
Chai Shun: ......
And so, the group placed the betrothal gifts down, filling the entire courtyard with gifts of all sizes.
Shen Jinghe and Jiang Yao looked on in bewilderment, unsure of what to do and too afraid to move the object.
When night fell, Shen Suqin returned and almost tripped over the bright red betrothal gifts that filled the courtyard.
Ju Tao quickly helped her up.
"Why are there so many?" Shen Suqin asked.
She thought Xiao Pingchuan would just send a few items as a formality.
Shen Jinghe came forward and said, "It was Eunuch Yan who personally led the betrothal. He is an old servant of His Majesty. You are really being ridiculous."
Shen Suqin shrugged. "I didn't know. And I didn't know he would send him to the side courtyard. If I had known, I would have been waiting at home." She laughed happily. "Shi Yunzhu's expression must have been quite something."
Since that day, Shi Yunzhu has never bothered Shen Jinghe again.
The courtyard was quiet for a few days.
"Don't talk nonsense," Jiang Yao said.
Shen Suqin remained noncommittal. "By the way, let me take a look at the gift list."
"Yes, Miss." Ju Tao looked around, took a few more steps, bent down to pick up the gift list, but didn't hold it properly. When she raised her hand, all the folds of the gift list came undone, and a long page fell out with a whoosh, almost as tall as a person when she held it up.
Shen Suqin was startled. "So much." She took the gift list. "Silk and satin, gold and jade utensils, grains and sacrificial animals, pearl hairpins and jewelry... So much? Tuksu, did your general sell the general's mansion?"
Tuksu jumped out from the shadows, startling Shen Jinghe and Jiang Yao. Even after so many days, they still weren't used to someone popping out of the courtyard from time to time.
“When we went south, we brought some animal hides from the north,” Tuksu replied. “They sold very well and fetched a lot of silver.”
"Did the general distribute them to you?"
"It's been divided. I got one tael of silver."
Shen Suqin smiled and said, "One tael of silver is quite a lot. How do you plan to spend it? Are you going to go drinking and whoring?" she teased him.
Tuksu waved his hands repeatedly and hurriedly explained, "I want to take it back to Lianmei."
"Who is Sister Lian?"
Tuksu's face flushed red, her naturally curly hair trembling, and she whispered, "He's my lover."
Shen Suqin smiled even more happily, "Ju Tao, quickly pack two sets of jewelry and have Tu Kesu take them back to Sister Lian."
Ju Tao smiled and replied, "Yes."
No, no need.
"It's not for you, it's a gift for Sister Lian."
Tuksu's face turned even redder, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. Fortunately, he suddenly remembered that the general had asked him to do something. "By the way, madam, this is what the general asked me to give you." He took out a palm-sized dagger from his pocket.
People from the General's Mansion always called her Madam, and Shen Suqin never objected.
"For me?" She took it, completely bewildered. "Is this also a betrothal gift?"
"The general said no, it's for your self-defense."
Shen Suqin drew his curved sword with a "whoosh," casually twisting his wrist, a flash of cold light appearing.
"Great knife! I love it," she said with a smile.
Tuksu also became happy, his curly hair trembling.
As night fell, Shen Jinghe and Jiang Yao waited specifically to have something to say to her.
These past two days, our daughter has been leaving early and returning late, and we haven't seen her even on this big day. It's been a long time since the two of us managed to stay with her.
"Zhaozhao, you're about to get married, what kind of behavior is it to be running around outside every day?" Jiang Yao said reproachfully.
Shen Suqin dragged a stool over and sat down next to her, asking, "Were you waiting for me specifically?"
"Yes, I have a few words to tell you from Lord Shen."
Shen Suqin looked at Shen Jinghe and said, "Hmm."
Jiang Yao nodded, "That's right. I discussed it with him, and since the Xiao family has already sent the betrothal gifts, it wouldn't be a problem for you to move to the Xiao family's place."
"Hmm? This is against etiquette, aren't you afraid of what others will say?" Shen Suqin said.
“It’s alright to hear some gossip, what we’re worried about is the princess causing you trouble,” Shen Jinghe said. “Right now, we, especially you, have already offended the princess quite badly. She’s the kind of person who holds grudges, and I’m afraid she’ll cause you trouble.”
Jiang Yao chimed in, "Yes, no matter what, she is still your nominal mistress. If she really wants to teach you a lesson, it would be perfectly justified. Go to the Xiao residence and let the general protect you."
Shen Suqin had no idea that they had been thinking about this for the past two days.
"And what about you? What if the princess causes trouble for you after I leave?"
“We’re fine, we’ve made it through all these years,” Shen Jinghe said. “It’s just that you don’t like it, it’s alright.”
Shen Suqin knew he was referring to the day Jiang Yao punished him by making him kneel in the courtyard.
Hearing this, Shen Suqin felt a pang of sadness, thinking about how much suffering these two had endured at Shi Yunzhu's hands in the past.
"I'm not going," she said. Even if she didn't have her own courtyard, she didn't like relying on a man. "It's not appropriate for someone who hasn't even married into the family to move into the General's Mansion. Let's not bring this up again."
"this......"
"Alright, whatever you want." Seeing her resolute attitude, the two stopped insisting. "Go to sleep early, we'll buy you sweet cakes tomorrow."
After giving their instructions, the two walked out of the house together.
Their room was diagonally opposite Shen Suqin's. Soon she saw candlelight in the room. Under the warm yellow candlelight, the two held hands and talked. The scene was indescribably warm.
Shen Suqin leaned against the window and looked out, suddenly missing Xiao Pingchuan a little.
So, in the middle of the night, she dug out the good wine she had buried under the corner of the courtyard wall, picked up the wine jar, and strolled leisurely toward the general's mansion.
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