Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Qiu Yu and Dong Yu were each accompanied by four maids, looking every bit the pampered young ladies from wealthy families. Xia Yu was amazed by her second aunt's efficiency; in such a short time, she had transformed her two younger sisters into the refined ladies of a prominent family.

The moment the news of Xia Yu being bestowed the title of Princess Zhenguo reached back home, Madam Li immediately realized that the Zhang family's status had changed, and that her two daughters would never marry into ordinary wealthy families. Without a moment's delay, she bought several maids to serve her daughters, and also hired two maids for herself.

At first, Liu did not approve of her behavior. There were already quite a few servants in the house, and Qiuyu and Dongyu each had a maid. Wouldn't it be a waste of money to buy so many more people?

"Mother, Xiaxia is now the Princess Zhenguo, and Qiuyu and Dongyu will be her younger sisters. If they go out without anyone to serve them, it will look bad. It will also embarrass the Princess. Our fourth brother is a sixth-rank official, and he's about to be promoted. Our third brother is a marquis, and his wife is a first-rank lady of the state. Xiaxia is even more of a super-rank Princess Zhenguo. Mother, our Zhang family is different now. We are a noble family. In the future, we will definitely associate with noble and powerful families. Maids and servants are our image. If we don't have enough, it will look bad and people will laugh at us."

Hearing her second daughter-in-law's long and seemingly impeccable speech, Liu couldn't help but look at her with new respect. In the ten years since she'd been married, she'd never heard her speak so much in one breath; she'd always thought of her as a quiet, reserved person. Now it seemed she'd been mistaken all these years.

At first, Liu was unhappy when she realized this, feeling she had been deceived. But after two days, she came to her senses. It was always better to marry a smart wife than a naive one. Given her family's current status, having a wife who lacked foresight would truly be a headache.

Seeing her younger sister-in-law lavishly buying maids for Qiuyu and Dongyu, Madam Wang understood her thoughts. But the more she understood, the more distressed she felt. She deeply regretted marrying Chunyu off too early; if it had been two years later, she would surely have been able to find her daughter a husband from a high-ranking family.

Li, being a kind-hearted and easily swayed woman, had long seen through her sister-in-law's thoughts. In fact, not only Wang, but even Li herself felt that Chunyu had married too low. But these were thoughts she could only keep to herself; she absolutely couldn't voice them, or she'd be seen as a gold digger. Just as Li was worrying about how to comfort her sister-in-law, Chunyu returned in a carriage with gifts and a man.

Seeing the happy smile on Chunyu's face and her son-in-law's attentive and considerate attitude, Wang felt a little better.

After the family had a lively meal, Wang called Chunyu to talk in the house. During their conversation, Wang's regrets inevitably surfaced.

It can be said that Chunyu was the most mature and hardworking girl among the children in the family. As a result, she was very good at observing people's expressions from a young age. Seeing her mother like this, and recalling the extra maids around her second aunt and two younger sisters at lunchtime, she understood where her mother's knot lay.

"Mother, I know you love me and think your daughter deserves better," Chunyu said softly, holding Wang's hand.

Hearing her daughter bring it up, Wang's heart, which had been suffocating for days, finally found an outlet, and tears streamed down her face. She pulled Chunyu into her arms, sobbing as she spoke...

“Chunyu, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been so short-sighted and kept you for two more years, you would be the eldest princess’s sister now. With that kind of status, what kind of noble family wouldn’t you be able to marry into? But now you can only marry…” She didn’t finish her sentence before Chunyu reached out and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Mother, I am now also the eldest princess's elder sister!" Chunyu said softly to Wang Shi.

“You are naturally the eldest princess’s elder sister, but your husband’s family…”

"Mother, as long as I am the elder sister of the Princess, my husband will always respect and love me. My parents-in-law will always treat me like their own daughter. I don't understand business matters, but since the news of Xiaxia being named the Princess came, my father-in-law's social engagements have increased. My husband says that business has been very good lately. Things that used to require bribes to get done are now handled perfectly by the officials themselves, who personally deliver them to our door." At this point, Chunyu paused and glanced at Wang Shi.

"Mother, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Seeing that her daughter was more insightful than herself, Wang felt gratified. She hastily wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and let out a long sigh of relief.

“I’ve lived this long and still don’t understand you as well as you do. You’re right. Even though you married down, your in-laws will treat you better because of that. They won’t dare to mistreat you. Being able to live a carefree life in your in-laws’ home without being mistreated is a rare blessing.”

"Mother, I know you lied to me because you felt sorry for me," Chunyu said softly, leaning on Wang's shoulder.

So, after several days of being conflicted, Wang was finally persuaded by Chunyu and never worried about her daughter marrying down again.

The Zhang family's marquisate was not yet completed, so after arriving in the capital, they continued to live in the viscount's mansion that the late emperor had bestowed upon them. However, the plaque above the gate had been changed to the simple two characters "Zhang Mansion," making it a separate residence for the Zhang family.

While in the carriage, Madam Liu told her daughter everything that had happened in the family recently, but she didn't mention the village lockdown. She only talked about everyday matters, things that were pleasant to hear. After that, Madam Liu asked Xia Yu about his experiences at Jialing Pass. Xia Yu only talked about how he had displayed great prowess and how much grain he had grown overnight, without mentioning a single word about the bloodshed in the battle between the two armies.

"Mother, you brought Auntie along. Are you planning to have her get married in the capital?" Xia Yu suddenly shifted the topic to Liu Xiaocui.

"Yes, your aunt's wedding was originally scheduled for the end of the year. If we had to go back to the capital to handle it, the journey would have been too much of a hassle. So your father and I discussed it and decided to handle it in the capital."

"That's good, it's convenient for both families." Xia Yu nodded in agreement after hearing Liu's words.

When the carriage came to a stop in front of the Viscount's mansion, the servants were already waiting there. Madam Liu alighted from the carriage and looked at the magnificent residence before her, the two characters 'Zhang Mansion' written in large gold lettering on the plaque. The calligraphy was elegant and unrestrained, truly impressive.

"Welcome back to the residence, Princess Zhenguo! Welcome back to the residence, Marquis and Lady Zhenguo!" As the masters alighted from their carriages, all the servants knelt in unison to pay their respects, shouting in unison. The scene was quite impressive!

"Get up, everyone! My wife and I are away from the capital most of the year, and everything in the mansion is managed by you all. It's really hard work for you all. Manager Gao, remember to give each of you a month's salary later." Zhang Youtie instructed Gao Shuanzhu beside him.

His years of traveling and doing business haven't been in vain. Seeing everyone performing such a grand ceremony, as a marquis, he spoke these words with great humility.

"This servant thanks Your Highness for the reward!" Everyone present was overjoyed to hear that their master had bestowed gifts upon them upon their first meeting. The old men in the manor were right after all; their master was wealthy, and serving him well would surely bring rewards.