An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

With Dalang's return, the General's Mansion suddenly became very lively, and the whole place was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The old general and Prince Jing no longer had to attend court without being summoned. Prince Jing would come before dawn and would not leave until dark. He would spend the whole day drinking and chatting with the old general, eating big chunks of meat, and playing chess fiercely, and he never got tired of it. Their loud laughter and the crisp sound of chess pieces falling on the board could be heard from time to time in the palace.

After having dinner together on the day Dalang returned home, Feng Jiaojiao presented Jing Mingyue, her future aunt, with a carefully prepared dowry gift. Since then, she has stayed in the Minister's house and never left, waiting for the auspicious day for the bridal sedan to arrive.

Yaya was devoted to accompanying her sister, so naturally it was inconvenient for her to come to the house to play anymore.

"What should we do? If we all go to see our eldest sister off to get married, won't there be anyone to entertain sister-in-law and Yaya?" Several sisters gathered in Jing Mingyue Courtyard again to discuss the arrangements for the wedding day. Sister Jin held her cheek with her hand and said with a worried look on her face.

"Of course, we should see my eldest sister off first, and then rush back as soon as possible after the ceremony." Mingzhu pondered for a moment, her brows slightly furrowed on her beautiful face. After careful consideration, she shook her head in denial, "The Ningguo Mansion is already sparsely populated. If we all leave early, wouldn't it seem even more deserted?"

The Tao family was tragically wiped out, and Tao Chengrui and his brother were the only two survivors - they only learned about this event later.

Thinking of this, the sisters became even more hesitant, and all thought that they should spend more time accompanying their elder sister in the Duke's Mansion on the wedding day.

"After all, I have to live my own life, and I'm not one to enjoy a commotion." Jing Mingyue spoke immediately, then turned to Jing Chunxi, a grateful smile in her eyes. "My aunt and cousin have provided me with at least ten guards, maids, and servants, and my mother also gave me quite a few maids as a dowry. It's not as desolate as you say!"

"How about I leave Chuntao and Tangshuang to you that day? Xiaoyu can help too." Thinking that Jing Mingyue had no old servants by his side when he was exiled to Yamen Village, and most of the people serving him now were newly selected after returning to Beijing, and some were even bought temporarily from outside by his aunt after the engagement, and they might not be easy to use, Jing Chunxi couldn't help but make another suggestion.

"Alright, alright. If you keep talking like this, I'm afraid the entire Rong'en Marquisate's servants will be given to me as dowry." Jing Mingyue looked at her sisters and instructed them gently, "Just do as my eldest sister said. After the ceremony is over, you must return immediately. You must not neglect my sister-in-law and the relatives and friends in the mansion."

Although everyone nodded in agreement, they still felt that this arrangement was not perfect, but they could not think of a way to have the best of both worlds, and everyone had a hint of sadness between their brows.

At this moment, a little maid ran into the courtyard breathlessly to announce: "Princess Anyang is here to add makeup to the eldest lady, and she has already entered the mansion!"

Everyone hurriedly stood up to greet them. Jing Chunxi and Jin Jie'er immediately walked out quickly. Jing Mingyue was about to follow, but Mingzhu gently pulled her sleeve.

"My eldest sister is about to get married, so it's not impolite to greet her at the courtyard gate." Although Mingzhu is young, she was raised by the old lady and the eldest lady since she was a child. At this moment, she looks dignified and solemn, and Jing Mingyue couldn't help but smile.

Princess Anyang walked into the courtyard with brisk steps, and her goose yellow palace dress looked particularly bright on her.

Seeing this, everyone hurriedly wanted to kneel down and kowtow, but she raised her hand to stop them: "From now on, we are all family, no need to be so polite."

Seeing several little girls of her age looking at each other in confusion, she smiled and explained, "Aren't my cousin's family my family?"

As she spoke, she asked the accompanying palace maid to present an exquisite rosewood box, "This is a special gift prepared for my cousin's wife to add to her dowry."

The moment the wooden box was opened, the room was ablaze with light. Inside was a set of pure gold and ruby ​​headpieces, exquisitely crafted. The feathers on the phoenix hairpin were perfectly visible, and the beads on the hairpin swayed gently with movement, reflecting a dazzling light. Most precious of all were a pair of ruby ​​earrings, their pure color shimmering with an intoxicating brilliance under the warm winter sun.

“This is too expensive…”

Jing Mingyue was about to decline when Princess Anyang personally took out a hairpin and pinned it on her head. "Don't be polite, cousin. This was specially selected by our mother from her private collection. She said that our cousin from the Tao family has suffered a lot over the years. Now that he has established a family and a career, he naturally wants to be glorious and successful."

As he spoke, his eyes moved and he glanced at Jing Chunxi intentionally, "Even Sister Xi is not an outsider." This glance was meaningful, but only Jing Chunxi and Jing Mingyue understood the deep meaning.

Jing Chunxi blushed instantly and hurriedly ordered, "It's freezing outside. Her Highness the Princess is here, why don't you send someone to bring the pot up quickly? We'll have dinner in my cousin's courtyard."

"That's right! I heard you've been having a great time for a few days." Princess Anyang clapped her hands and smiled. "I came here at this hour specifically because I was thinking of this warm meal. If it weren't for the Queen Mother asking me to discuss who should be sent to the Ningguo Mansion to support the wedding of my cousin and his wife, I would have been here long ago."

"That's really the same idea." Jing Chunxi quickly took the princess's hand and sat down, telling her in detail about the sisters' worries.

Hearing this, the girls immediately smiled and gathered around.

"Why should you worry about such a trivial matter?" Princess Anyang pursed her lips. "My mother has already discussed it with my father. My brother's maternal family is naturally our maternal family, so it's only right that we take care of it. I saw that my mother's guest list filled up an entire page. Even if you don't go, the Ningguo Mansion will definitely not be deserted."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Jing Mingyue quickly stood up and thanked him, "Then, Mingyue and..." She hesitated for a moment, unsure how to address Tao Chengrui, and finally whispered, "We'll go back to the palace to express our gratitude to the Emperor and the Empress."

"Why go to so much trouble?" Princess Anyang smiled slyly, "Just thank him in person on the wedding day." These words made everyone look at each other in shock - the implication was, could it be that His Majesty and the Queen Mother were going to visit the Duke of Ningguo's Mansion in person?

But think about it, the late queen was the emperor's first wife, and to a large extent, the Tao family's disaster was also related to the emperor, so it became clear.

Such an honor was truly shocking and touching. Jing Mingyue stroked the golden hairpin in her hair, feeling that this dowry gift was heavy, carrying so much unspeakable affection.