Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 54 Pre-marital Advice
Sheng Rulan took the list and read it.

"Five thousand taels of gold and fifty thousand taels of silver."

"Twenty Ferghana horses from the Western Regions."

"One thousand rolls of the finest Suzhou and Hangzhou silk."

"One hundred pieces of Jinling Cloud Brocade."

"Ten mutton-fat jade ruyi handles."

"Twenty white fox furs."

"Fifty sable skins."

,,,,,,

Sheng Rulan became more and more frightened as she read on, and said with a look of shock on her face.

"I was wondering why the people from the Guanjun Marquis' Mansion kept moving things into Grandmother's Shou'an Hall and Sixth Sister's Mu Cang Zhai. They were almost full. It seems the Guanjun Marquis' Mansion has invested a lot of money."

"Mother, according to the wedding customs of our Great Zhou, the dowry for Sixth Sister must be higher than the betrothal gift. This has emptied our family. Even if we sell this house, it still won't be enough to pay the betrothal gift for the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion."

Wang Ruofu gave Sheng Rulan a cold look and said.

"Of course I don't know, why are you talking so much?"

"The old lady has already said that Ming girl is marrying up this time."

"Our family is not very well-off, so the dowry must be generous, otherwise Ming girl will be looked down upon."

Sheng Rulan nodded and said.

"That's true, but our family doesn't have that much money for a dowry."

Wang Ruofu said.

"You don't have to worry about that. We don't want any of the betrothal gifts sent by the Champion Marquis' Mansion. We will consider it all as Ming's dowry."

"When the old lady married into our family from the Yongyi Marquis's mansion, she also brought a generous dowry."

"When your sister Hualan got married, the old lady gave her a portion as a dowry."

"The old lady kept some money for herself, and gave the rest to Ming girl as a dowry."

Sheng Rulan said after hearing this.

"Ah! Then my grandmother won't give me a dowry when I get married."

Wang Ruofu touched Sheng Rulan's head and said lovingly.

"Alright, your sister Hualan and Ming girl both grew up by the old lady's side, so naturally she favors them more."

"When you get married, mother will naturally give you a portion of my dowry. How can I let you down?"

"The most important thing right now is to make Minglan's wedding a grand occasion. Otherwise, our family will be seen as ungrateful by others."

Sheng Rulan nodded and said.

"Mother is right. I will listen to you."

In Shou'an Hall, Old Madam Sheng was talking with Sheng Minglan.

Old Madam Sheng said earnestly.

"Ming girl, in half a month, you will be married and you will no longer be a child."

"Although the Champion Marquis's Mansion is magnificent, it was built through the blood and sweat of the Champion Marquis alone."

"The parents of the Champion Marquis died young, and the family is small."

"After you marry him, you will be the head lady of the Guanjun Marquis's mansion. Although there is also a Princess Yong'an, I have made inquiries and found that Princess Yong'an is not a domineering person. Although she has a strong temper, she is not unreasonable and will not make things difficult for you."

"But you must remember that precisely because of this, you must be even more careful with your words and actions and display the grace and manners of a lady."

"The Champion Marquis achieved success at a young age, and there are many people who dislike him. However, he is now in the favor of the Emperor, so nothing will happen to him."

"But serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. You never know when something might change."

"So you have to guard the backyard for him, get along well with Princess Yong'an, and let him focus on military and national affairs. You have to share your husband's worries and not let him worry about family matters."

Sheng Minglan nodded and said.

"Grandma, I'll remember this. After I arrive at the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion, I will take good care of the harem, support my husband and raise my children, and will not make the Marquis worry about the affairs of the harem like my father did."

Old Madam Sheng held Sheng Minglan's hand and said.

"Ming girl, you grew up by my side since you were a child."

"Today, the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion came to deliver the betrothal gifts, filling up both Shou'an Hall and Mucangzhai. It's clear that he put a lot of thought into the betrothal gifts."

"He has no elders to help him run things. For a man to be able to do this, his intention is enough."

Sheng Minglan smiled and said.

"Ever since I met the Marquis at Yuqing Temple, I've known his feelings."

Old Mrs. Sheng said.

"Marriage is destined by heaven. Who could have thought that the young man from the Jia family's side branch, who was despised by everyone back then, would suddenly rise to prominence and become the hot commodity that everyone is vying for."

"Minglan, this is your fate. You deserve this kind of marriage."

"Madame Fang, bring me the box I left in the cupboard."

Nanny Fang then went to Old Madam Sheng's room, and soon brought a sandalwood box and placed it in front of Old Madam Sheng and said.

"Ma'am, is this what you think it is?"

Old Madam Sheng said calmly.

"Yes, that's it. You go down first."

Nanny Fang bowed and left the main hall.

After Old Lady Sheng opened the sandalwood box, she found a thick stack of contracts inside.

Old Madam Sheng said after taking out the contract.

"Ming girl, these are all yours."

"There are houses, farmland, shops, and stores here. Oh, and there's a farm here that I like the most. It's just outside of Beijing and has five or six hundred acres of fertile farmland."

"Zhuangtou is Mama Cui's husband. I think he's honest and I'll take him along with you in your dowry."

Sheng Minglan looked at the doting look in Old Madam Sheng's eyes and couldn't help but recall the scene when she was a child and was pampered by Old Madam Sheng.

After the death of her biological mother, Wei Xiaoniang, this was probably the only warmth Sheng Minglan had during her growing up.

Old Madam Sheng was just saying that the scenery of the farm outside Beijing was very beautiful. Seeing Sheng Minglan was a little dazed, she patted Sheng Minglan gently and said.

"Girl, what are you daydreaming about?"

Sheng Minglan finally reacted and said.

"It's okay, Grandma. I was a little distracted."

Mrs. Sheng said with a smile.

"Why, are you thinking about your married life with the Champion Marquis now?"

Sheng Minglan said coquettishly after hearing this.

"Grandma, please stop making fun of your granddaughter."

Old Madam Sheng touched Sheng Minglan's head and said.

"Even if I want to tease you in the future, I'm afraid I won't have many opportunities to do so."

"You will be getting married soon. On your wedding day, you must leave this house happily."

Sheng Minglan looked at Old Madam Sheng with eyes full of attachment and said, "Grandma, I can't bear to leave you."

This short sentence instantly touched the tears of Old Lady Sheng. Old Lady Sheng hugged Sheng Minglan in her arms, patted her back gently and said.

"Grandma is reluctant to leave you, but it's okay. It's not like you won't come back."

"Once you have established yourself in the Champion Marquis' Mansion, you can come back to see me anytime."

Sheng Minglan listened to the sincere words of Old Madam Sheng and snuggled tightly in her arms, just like when she was frightened as a child and snuggled in her arms.

The same scene was happening in the British palace at this time.

Inside Zhang Guifen's boudoir, the mother and daughter were talking together.

After Jia Jue and Zhang Guifen's engagement was confirmed, Zhang Guifen's overall condition improved a lot. After a period of conditioning, she was about 80% better.

Zhang Guifen said as she looked at her mother Liu, whose eyes were already filled with tears.

"Mother, my daughter hasn't left the capital yet. Look at you, why are you still crying?"

"The Marquis's residence is only a quarter of an hour away from the Duke of Ying's residence. I will come back to see you every few days."

Lady Liu, the Duchess of England, held Zhang Guifen's hand and patted it twice.

"Silly girl, I'm not upset because you're getting married. I'm just happy that you can follow your wishes and marry a man of your dreams."

"Your mother and father have observed Guanjun Hou for a long time. This child has a good character."

"It's just that I suffered a lot when I was young, and I have a lot of resentment in my heart."

"When you get to the Marquis' Mansion, don't act like a spoiled child. When you're young, obey your father; when you're married, obey your husband."

"It's common for a man to have three wives and four concubines."

"As for you, you need to show the grace and elegance of a lady."

"You are a straightforward child, but in life, you never give up."

"It's always you giving way to me, and I giving way to you."

"Marquis Guanjun is also a dignified marquis of ten thousand households. When you are with him, you must be mindful of the occasion and the appropriateness of your words and actions."

"Although the Duke of England is supporting you, if you want to live a good life, you still have to rely on yourself."

"But don't think of compromising."

"Although this marriage was arranged by your father, you and Miss Sheng are both legal wives."

"But a marriage between our British House and the Champion Marquis will also be of great benefit to him."

"If the Marquis of Guanjun really favors Miss Sheng too much after marriage and neglects you, then he has gone too far. You don't have to argue with him. Just come home and let your father and brothers reason with him. Do you understand?"

Zhang Guifen nodded and said.

"Mother, I know."

"The Marquis is not the kind of person who would be ungrateful and unfaithful."

After hearing this, the Duchess of England helplessly tapped Zhang Guifen's forehead with her finger.

"You are such a heartless little thing. You haven't even gotten married yet, but you're already turning your elbows outward."

"Mom, this is for your own good, don't you understand?"

Zhang Guifen smiled and put her arm around the Duke of England's wife and said.

"Of course I know. Dad and Mom love me the most."

The Duchess of England looked at Zhang Guifen lovingly and said.

"I was over forty when I had you. At that time, many powerful people in the capital laughed at me for giving birth to a pearl from an old clam."

"But mother doesn't care, mother wants you."

"You are the apple of your mother's and father's eye. How can we not love you?"

"You chose your husband yourself, so live a good life with him."

"The Champion Marquis is also a man of measure."

"The young lady from the Wang family has been taken into his residence for quite some time now, and there has been no movement at all. She must have taken contraceptive soup."

"After you get married and have a son, everything will be fine."

"Although the Marquis's estate is huge, we don't mind it. With your parents and your brothers taking care of you, you and your mother will definitely live a happy life in the future."

Zhang Guifen nodded after hearing this.

"Mom, I understand. My daughter will definitely live well. Don't worry."

After the mother and daughter talked for a long time, Liu handed Zhang Guifen the list of dowry she had prepared for her.

The Ying family's background is naturally far beyond that of the Sheng family, and the dowry prepared for Zhang Guifen is also far more than that of the Sheng family.

Like the Sheng family, the Ying family not only included all the betrothal gifts sent by Jia Jue into Zhang Guifen's dowry, but also doubled the value of Jia Jue's betrothal gifts to prepare a dowry for Zhang Guifen, which was a complete feast.

After everything was arranged, Liu looked at Zhang Guifen and spoke gently.

"Okay, my daughter, you're getting married tomorrow. You should have a good rest today so that you can be a beautiful bride tomorrow."

Zhang Guifen nodded obediently, then hugged her mother Liu.

Liu patted Zhang Guifen's back gently, and everything was said without words.

The next day, the yamen runners of Jingzhao Prefecture came out in full force early in the morning, and more than a thousand imperial guards from the Southern Court of the Imperial Guards also began to sprinkle water on Zhuque Street to clean the streets and maintain order.

Today is February 18th, the wedding day of Champion Marquis Jia Jue.

According to wedding customs, Jia Jue should have gone to the bride's house to marry the bride.

However, due to the special nature of Jia Jue's marriage this time, marrying two wives at once was a first.

This resulted in the situation that no matter which family Jia Jue went to marry the bride first, he would be suspected of favoritism. So after consultation between the Ministry of Rites and Jia Jue, Jia Jue no longer went to marry from both families, but instead sent two wedding teams to marry brides from both families at the same time.

The wedding process went very smoothly. Although Jia Jue had tried to kidnap a bride in the street before, no one dared to do the same to him.

After all, Jia Jue holds military power, and both the Praefectus Urbi and the Beijing Camp are currently under his control.

Although the Rongguo Mansion had some thoughts of taking action, those thoughts disappeared instantly when they saw the imperial guards escorting the wedding procession all the way along Zhuque Street.

They wanted to make things difficult for Jia Jue, but looking at the situation, even if all the people from Rongguo Mansion came out, they would just be serving as a dish to Jia Jue.

The Rongguo Mansion would never do such a self-humiliating thing.

In the blink of an eye, it was already morning, and both sides of Zhuque Street were filled with people watching the excitement.

The wedding procession of the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion kept scattering wedding money along Zhuque Street, which attracted the people to scramble for it, making it very lively.

In a corner beside Suzaku Street, a man in blue clothes was looking at the grand wedding procession with longing on his face and expressed his heartfelt emotion.

"A true man should be like this. What a glorious scene it is."

An old servant beside him said immediately.

"Don't worry, sir. After you pass the imperial examination, your horse-riding parade will be even more spectacular than today."

The man waved his hand and said.

"Uncle De, don't talk nonsense. A top scholar can be born every three years. As for the Marquis of Guanjun, the Great Zhou has only produced one in a hundred years."

"Even if I could get into high school, there's still a huge gap between me and someone like Champion Hou."

"Okay, let's go back. The exam is coming up soon, and I need to review some more."

Then the man and the old servant left Suzaku Street and returned to the inn.

If anyone from Qiantang County were to recognize this man in blue fir, his name would be Ouyang Xu, and he was the top scorer in the Yuhang Autumn Examination.

(End of this chapter)