I just want to be a princess, no, you want to be a queen

Soon, boxes of valuables such as deeds, silver, copper coins, jade, porcelain, silk, etc. were carried into the courtyard. Even for a poor marquis's mansion, it was a height that ordinary people could not reach.

After counting for a while, the Minister walked back to the main hall and reported: "Sir, the property is consistent with the list given by the Marquis' Mansion, but the boudoirs of the two girls have not been counted."

When Concubine Liu returned from her outing, she saw the boxes filling the yard. She rushed into the main hall, knelt on the ground and wailed, "Sir, you've taken them all away. How can my daughter survive?"

Lu Mingqin, who had been hiding in the distance, also came over and stood alone at the door wiping her tears.

Uncle Zhong hurriedly pleaded, "Master Zongzheng, the backyard is full of female relatives. These are just some of the two girls' personal jewelry. They are not considered public property of the Marquisate. Could you please make some concessions?"

If a girl's private boudoir is searched by a man outside her home and the news gets out, how can she get married?

Zuo Zongzheng slammed down his teacup and angrily said, "I won't let anyone touch the girls' belongings. But if I don't investigate, how can I know if you have hidden any land deeds? Investigate!"

"My lord, my lord..."

"Master Zongzheng!"

A loud male voice drowned out Zhong Bo's voice. Everyone looked over and saw a young man in brocade robes striding towards them, with an upright posture and calm demeanor.

Zuo Zongzheng, who had been sitting high up, stood up to greet him, "Why are you here, Master Song?"

Song Wei stepped into the main hall and bowed, "I came here today to retrieve my sister's dowry."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Lu Mingyang and said slowly, "A girl's reputation is extremely important. When my sister was alive, she loved her husband's younger sister very much. Today, I have the audacity to ask for a favor from the Lord Zongzheng. Could you please allow the girls to examine themselves?"

"Mr. Song is really thoughtful." Zuo Zongzheng did not order anyone to go to the two girls' courtyard. He exchanged a few words with Song Wei and left directly with everyone from the clan residence.

"Brother Yuanrui!"

Lu Mingqin stroked her temples gently, stepped gracefully into the main hall, and bowed shyly. Although she had only met Song Wei a few times with her second brother and his wife, his appearance had already been deeply imprinted in her mind.

"Fifth sister, Zhuang An."

Song Wei bowed in return, but his gaze remained fixed on Lu Mingyang. His gaze was gentle, so gentle that it made Lu Mingyang uneasy. However, his gaze was brief, not oppressive.

Zhong Bo led the secretary to get the young lady's dowry. Lu Mingyang wanted to leave, but Song Wei's voice stopped her, "Fourth sister is frightened."

Lu Mingqin brought the tea and served it to Song Wei personally. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "Fourth sister grew up in the countryside and has never seen much of the world. It's natural that she's timid when encountering things. Brother Yuanrui, please forgive me for making fun of you."

Zhong Bo always did things cautiously, and Song Wanli's dowry had already been sealed. After a while, the secretary came back.

Song Wei put down his teacup and stood up to say goodbye.

In the courtyard, the servants were busy moving the dowry. Song Wei walked up to Song Wanli's dowry maid and asked her about the small wooden box she was holding, "What is this?"

The maid said, "These are the several sets of head ornaments that the young lady often uses."

Song Wei took it, turned around and placed it on the table beside Lu Mingyang. The heavy wooden box made the teacup sound crisp and pleasant.

"To calm down Fourth Sister."

He didn't wait for Lu Mingyang to answer and strode away.

"Brother Yuanrui, I'll take you there." Lu Mingqin lifted her skirt and trotted out to chase him.

Song Wanli's maid respectfully bowed to Lu Mingyang and turned to leave the mansion where she had lived for three years.

The clan officials took away one horse, and Song Wei took away another. The already deserted Chengyang Marquisate became even more deserted. Lu Mingyang finally understood why his grandmother had taken back his mother's dowry.

"Is this account cancellation?" she asked Uncle Zhong.

"There are no male heirs in the Chengyang Marquisate. Once the Marquis's mourning period is over, his title and plaque will be removed, and his property will be confiscated. The clan office is worried that the Marquisate will sell off the property without permission, so they sent people to take inventory. They will also take away any valuables that are easily carried away first."

Although Zhong Bo was extremely upset, he still tried to comfort her, "Don't worry, Fourth Miss. After all, canceling your account is different from confiscating your property. Daily trivial items will not be taken away. I think the things we took away today are almost all there is."

Yang Nian'er asked hurriedly, "What about the Marquis's mansion?"

Uncle Zhong nodded and said, "When the girls' mourning period is over, they will naturally be taken away."

"Why?" Sons can inherit the family business, but daughters, even if there is no offspring, won't even have a place to live. Yang Nian'er thought she could live comfortably in the mansion with her second sister forever.

"Can't my second sister find a son-in-law?" She had an idea.

Uncle Zhong shook his head. "Emperor Taizu, in order to prevent the excessive number of noble families from causing harm to the people, imposed strict restrictions on the succession of titles. Titles can only be passed on to biological sons, or if a person dies within three years of inheriting the title, then the title can be passed on to a younger brother. Others, not to mention sons-in-law, even adopted nephews cannot inherit the title."

Yang Nian'er waved her hand: "I don't want a title, I just want a house."

Uncle Zhong said, "If the Marquis were still alive, he might have given the fourth young lady a chance to marry into the family. But now, I'm afraid it won't work. Besides, marrying into the family is a low-class thing for merchants and commoners, and has always been despised by noble families."

"Ah!" Yang Nian'er said sadly, "So we can only live here for three years?"

"There are still three years left, don't you know, Miss Nian'er?"

Zhong Bo explained, "The so-called three years of mourning means that after two years, the ceremony is considered complete. Now it is the end of the year, and we can only live here for one more year."

At this point, Zhong Bo advised, "So the girls must marry before their titles are stripped. Before they are stripped, the two girls are still daughters of marquisates, but after they are stripped, they are just commoners."

Lu Mingyang frowned. "It doesn't make much difference, right? Everyone in the capital knows about the affairs of the Chengyang Marquis' Mansion."

"Yes!" Zhong Bo said distressedly, "The inner qualities are gone, but the face is still there. It always sounds better when you say it out loud."

"It's more than just face."

Concubine Liu interrupted Lord Zhong and continued, "Before a woman is stripped of her title, she can take 30% of the family property with her as a dowry. After she is stripped of her title, if she is still unmarried, the clan office will give that 30% of the dowry to the clan member who raised the marquis' daughter. Think about it, by then, will there still be 30% of the dowry?"

"Yes!" Zhong Bo sighed, "Those clan members didn't even show up for the funeral. Who would bother to find husbands for the girls? They just picked someone at random to send them off."

It was already difficult to find a good marriage partner without the glory of the Marquisate. Now it was even worse, as one of them had been discredited by the Prince of Ningyuan, and the other was of Xiongnu descent.

But what can I do?

Uncle Zhong thought for a moment and said, "The eldest young lady is dignified and virtuous, and has always been highly praised by the women in the capital. Many wives of marquisates regret not being able to marry her as a daughter-in-law. Why don't you two go visit the eldest young lady? Perhaps she can find some good families for you two young ladies."