Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The Emperor gave Zhang Youtie a house with four courtyards. Xia Yu silently calculated in her mind that such a large house would cost 10,000 taels of silver in the capital. What was most valuable was that the house was located on Qing Teng Street.

Above the vermilion gate, a black plaque bears the words "Baron of Zhongzhou" in large gold characters. It is clear that the mansion has been newly renovated, and a dozen or so servants were also bestowed upon it; their indentures had already been sent to Zhang Youtie along with the imperial edict.

After the family was settled, Zhang Youtie and Liu met with the dozen or so servants in the house, asked about the house and their daily chores.

"Now that we've just arrived, you all continue with your previous duties," Liu instructed her subordinates.

"Yes, ma'am."

“Madam, when the Emperor bestowed this house upon you, he also gifted you many items. The list is all here. Apart from what's displayed in each room, the rest are in the storeroom.” A woman around fifty years old had her hair neatly combed and tied into a bun at the back of her head, with a gold comb inserted in it. As she reached out to hand the list to Madam Liu, she also revealed a pure gold Ruyi bracelet on her wrist.

"What should I call you, Granny?"

“I dare not accept the title of ‘Grandma’ from Madam. My surname is Lian. Madam, please just call me Granny Lian.”

"Granny Lian's demeanor is quite different from others. I wonder where you were from before?" Madam Liu asked as she took the list and flipped through it.

“Reporting to Madam, I was originally serving the Dowager Consort in the palace. After the Dowager Consort passed away, the Emperor released us servants according to her last wishes. However, all my family members have passed away, and I have nowhere to go. So I begged the Emperor's grace to stay in the palace. This time, when they were selecting servants for the Baron's mansion, the Noble Consort saw that I was really idle in the palace, so she assigned me to this position.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu put down the list in her hand.

"So you were a maid from the Dowager Consort's household. In that case, it's a shame that you're being treated so poorly by the Baron's household."

“Madam, I dare not. I am getting old and have no one to live with. I just want a place to stay.”

“Granny, don’t be nervous. I’m telling you the truth. As you probably know, my family was just an ordinary farming family before. We were granted the honor of a baron by the Emperor. I’m a straightforward person and don’t know the intricacies of high society. What I’m saying doesn’t have any hidden meaning, so you don’t need to panic. We’re new to the capital and don’t know the rules and etiquette here, so we’ll need your help to remind us.” Madam Liu held Granny Lian’s hand and spoke softly.

“Now that I’ve come to the Baron’s mansion, I entrust my life and fortune to this place, so naturally I will do everything for the sake of the masters here. As for what Madam wants to know, I will tell you everything I know.” Granny Lian expressed her loyalty to Madam Liu.

Although she was said to have been assigned here by the Imperial Concubine, she knew in reality that she only got here by pulling strings with the Imperial Concubine and the former head maid. She had already inquired about the Zhang family; they were gentle and kind masters, exactly the kind of place she wanted to retire in. As long as she served them well, she believed the masters in the mansion wouldn't mistreat her.

"Alright, then I'll have to consult with Granny Lian more often in the future."

"Madam, you flatter me. This is all I should do."

"Alright, you can go now. I'm tired today too."

"Yes, Madam, this servant takes her leave!" Granny Lian bowed respectfully before slowly retreating.

After everyone had gone far away, Aunt Ma helped Liu Shi up, turned around the screen, and went into the inner room.

"Aunt Ma, what do you think of this Granny Lian?"

"She looks alright, and judging from her words and actions, she seems to be an upright person." Aunt Ma said as she helped Liu Shi remove the hairpins from her hair.

"Yes, I think so too. But we don't know anyone else in the capital, so we don't know what kind of person this is," Liu sighed with some worry.

"Yes, we only know Grand Tutor Li, but unfortunately he is currently in Ming'an County, and he has no female relatives. Madam, how could we forget about Old Madam Zhang?"

"Old Madam Zhang? Which Zhang family?" Madam Liu couldn't immediately recall which one she was referring to.

"That's Miss's future mother-in-law! She's lived in the capital for quite some time now, she must know a few wives of officials, right?"

"Yes, how could I forget about her? She is an elder, and we should visit her home when we come to the capital."

"Who knows, they might come knocking on our door before we even go!" Aunt Ma said with a smile.

“We didn’t send any notice before we came, and besides, no one in our family holds an official position in the capital. They might not even know we’re coming. You should go and send a visiting card tomorrow. After all, the old lady of the Zhang family is an elder.”

"Yes, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

Before Lady Liu could even arrive, while the mistress and servant were still talking inside, a servant from the second gate came to report...

"Madam, someone has come to visit."

"Do you have a postcard?" Green Cloud asked the old woman, who was guarding the door.

"No, they said it was the Zhang family, and their son is the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial." The old woman replied with her head down.

"Quickly invite her to the flower hall and serve her well. I'll be there right away." Upon hearing the old woman's reply, Madam Liu knew it was Madam Gao and quickly gave the order. She sighed inwardly, wondering how Gao had gotten the news; they had only been in the capital for a few hours.

Despite her thoughts, Liu still urged Aunt Ma to quickly comb her hair, as her clothes were still neat and tidy, so she didn't need to change.

"Auntie, how have you been lately?" Liu's voice preceded her arrival.

“Alright, alright, I was just passing by and saw several carriages parked outside. I asked your gatekeeper, and he said it was the Duke and his family. I thought to myself, isn’t the Duke you? So I didn’t care about any rules and just came in.” Madam Gao held Madam Liu’s hand and explained why she had come at this time.

"Auntie, you live nearby too?" Liu asked in surprise. Wasn't she just renting a small courtyard in the capital? She was even thinking of taking advantage of this trip to the capital to buy a house for her sister as part of her dowry.

"Yes, we are your neighbors. The courtyard on the east side is our home, a gift from the Emperor." Madam Gao understood Madam Liu's doubts and directly explained the origin of the house, which was a very honorable thing in itself.

After saying that, he took Liu's hand and said...

“I’m currently renovating the yard, just waiting to welcome Xiao Cui into the house.”

"Auntie, you should have told us about this so we could make furniture to match the house!"

"All the furniture is there. When the Emperor bestowed it upon us, it was a complete set of furniture. And it was all new!"

“The Emperor’s gift is for your family, so naturally my family should provide a dowry for our daughter’s marriage. I’ll send someone to measure the house tomorrow,” said Madam Liu.

"Look at this mess, I originally came to talk to you, but now it looks like I'm the one who came to ask for something," Gao said somewhat embarrassedly.

"What are you saying, Auntie? I only have one sister. I'm happy to spend money on her dowry. Besides, other people's weddings involve a grand procession of red bridal gifts. I can't match their scale, but I can't just leave my sister with nothing, can I? Don't I have any dignity?"

"Good, good, this is wonderful news, we are all happy. Oh, why are you coming to the capital at this time? Is there something you need?"

"For the sake of my fourth brother's marriage."

Hearing what Liu said, Gao immediately became interested.

"Is it your brother-in-law, who was sent to be a county magistrate in a remote area?"

“There’s no one else here, isn’t it him!” said Madam Liu.

"Which family's daughter has been chosen?" Madam Gao asked again.

"The second young lady of the Qin family, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel," Liu whispered to Gao.

"The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel? I saw his second daughter at a flower-viewing party once. She's a very lively young lady. This marriage is a good match!" Madam Gao clapped Madam Liu's hand, praising her sincerely. Then she continued to ask...

"Has the date for the marriage proposal been set?"

"It's decided. The 29th of this month is an auspicious day, so we'll go on that day. We still have seven or eight days left, which is enough time to prepare the gifts."

"Oh, your brother-in-law's marriage is really good. His father-in-law works in the Ministry of Personnel, so he'll definitely help his son-in-law in the future," Gao said, her tone filled with envy.

Liu smiled but didn't say anything.

The two talked for a while, and then Gao suggested that she go see Liu.

“She is, after all, your mother-in-law. It wouldn’t be right for me to visit her without going to see her.”

"Auntie, let's leave it at that for today. My mother-in-law suffered terribly from seasickness the whole way and couldn't even walk after disembarking. She probably doesn't have the energy right now. Anyway, we've been staying in the capital for quite a while this time, so see you next time."