Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

At the Marquis of Dingguo's residence, all the servants had changed into brand-new clothes, and their faces were beaming as they bustled about in the courtyard. Zhang Youtie, Madam Liu, Old Master Zhang, and Madam Liu, also dressed in brand-new fine clothes, were sitting upright in the hall, waiting for the Shen family to arrive.

Zhang Youyin, along with Li Shi, Changyuan, and others, were arranged to greet the guests at the mansion gate. Amidst the gasps of amazement from the onlookers, the procession carrying the betrothal gifts finally approached slowly.

At the head of the procession was Shen Jingchen, who, equally beaming, dismounted before the mansion gate and, according to custom, first offered a junior's bow to Zhang Youyin and his wife. According to protocol, he was supposed to formally propose marriage today, followed by the Zhang family's acceptance of the marriage. However, since the marriage was bestowed by the Emperor, this step could be skipped, but he still had to express his gratitude to the Marquis's family for marrying their eldest princess to the Shen family.

After Shen Jingchen wrote a eloquent thank-you note, he respectfully handed over the betrothal gift list with both hands. Zhang Youyin only glanced at it briefly before quickly instructing a servant to take it inside and give it to Zhang Youtie. He was illiterate, so his glance was merely a formality. Once the betrothal gift list was in Zhang Youtie's hands, he looked at the long list, densely covered with writing. Although he couldn't recognize all of it, he was still extremely satisfied.

Afterwards, Madam Liu handed the list to Aunt Ma and Granny Lian, instructing them to go to the courtyard to oversee the betrothal gifts being brought in, ensuring that the items matched the list. They had a long-standing relationship with the Shen family and knew they would never switch the gifts. However, with so many people working there, they couldn't guarantee everyone was honest. These gifts were to be given to their daughter as part of her dowry; if anything went wrong, it would damage the reputation of the Marquis's household.

The two women, carrying the lists and wearing joyful smiles, walked to the entrance of the Marquis's residence, bowed to Shen Jingchen, and said a few auspicious words before turning back to stand in the courtyard. Shen Jingchen understood that these were the matrons arranged by the Marquis's residence to check the betrothal gift lists. Seeing that they were ready, he took out another identical betrothal gift list and handed it to the servant beside him, announcing its arrival.

One hundred catties of gold, eight thousand taels of silver, forty horses, two gold tea canisters, two silver tea canisters, two silver basins, five hundred bolts of silk, twenty sets of pack armor, twenty pieces of jade, four jade ruyi scepters, one load of betrothal cakes, ten loads of various seafood, a pair of betrothal geese, two pairs of male and female golden pheasants, nine catties of pork...

As the man announced the order, the items on the list were carried into the Marquis of Dingguo's residence one by one. Leaving aside the others, the mere mention of one hundred catties of gold sent a collective gasp through the crowd. One hundred catties of gold! How could the Shen family be so wealthy? Aside from royal betrothal gifts, who had ever seen anyone use one hundred catties of gold as a dowry? When the chest containing the gold was opened in the main hall of the Marquis's residence, the entire room glittered with gold, almost blinding everyone.

Even Granny Lian, a veteran of many years in the palace, was deeply moved upon seeing the hundred catties of gold in the chest. The guests, even more so, were astonished and amazed by the abundance of betrothal gifts filling the courtyard. They hadn't expected the Shen family, though a collateral branch of the Shen clan, to be so wealthy. Many also noticed that this was far more substantial than the betrothal gifts given to the Jiang family's daughter.

All the betrothal gifts were carried into the courtyard, and the male guests were invited to take their seats. However, many of the female guests remained in the courtyard, admiring the gifts and refusing to sit down. Everyone present was from an official family, and many were from noble or high-ranking families. But none of them had ever seen such lavish betrothal gifts when marrying off their daughters. Although they weren't their own, they still wanted to see more and broaden their horizons.

Looking at the mountain of betrothal gifts piled up in the courtyard, Madam Liu felt extremely happy, a joy that lessened much of the bitterness of losing her daughter. The betrothal gifts represented the groom's family's regard for the bride; just looking at what had been brought today, it was clear how much the Shen family valued their daughter. Even the royal family, when marrying the empress, probably wouldn't have received more than this. Fortunately, her daughter had the title of Princess; otherwise, the Shen family's actions would have been far too conspicuous.

Granny Lian and Aunt Ma handed the betrothal gift list to Madam Liu.

“Madam, we’ve already checked everything, and it matches perfectly without any problems,” Aunt Ma said.

"Alright, have Uncle Ma arrange for someone capable to keep an eye on things here. Several families have children with them today, so be careful the children don't bump into each other," Liu instructed Aunt Ma.

"Yes, Madam. Please rest assured, everything has been arranged." Aunt Ma replied respectfully.

Then, Madam Liu looked at Granny Lian and said...

"Granny Lian, after the banquet, all the betrothal gifts will be moved to the storeroom. You will supervise the process as they are being stored, making sure everything is checked one by one, and be careful not to make any mistakes."

"Yes, Madam. This old servant will handle it perfectly, so please rest assured."

Granny Lian responded respectfully as well. In this household, the two people Madam Liu relied on most were her and Aunt Ma. However, she had arrived late and didn't share the same hardships as Aunt Ma, so she always tried her best to do her best with the tasks Madam Liu assigned her, exceeding Madam Liu's expectations.

After giving her instructions, Madam Liu entrusted the matter to the two women and then went to greet the guests. The arriving female guests rose to greet her, and many even surrounded Madam Liu, flattering her. In the past two years, all the women of the Marquis's household had become quite proficient in the social etiquette of the capital after deliberately learning from the palace matrons.

With a dignified and approachable smile, Madam Liu spoke and chatted with the noble ladies who gathered around her, being considerate to all and never neglecting any of her guests.

Aunt Ma, who came in to answer, looked at her with ease and couldn't help but sigh. Who could have imagined that just a few years ago, her mistress was merely an ordinary village woman in a remote rural area? She had witnessed the Zhang family rise from the lowest rungs of the peasantry to become the Marquis of Dingguo, enjoying boundless wealth and power. This would have taken generations of effort for other families to achieve, but for the Zhang family, it had happened in just a few years. Thinking of her mistress's mysterious nature, Aunt Ma knew that all of this was related to her.

As Liu was talking to someone, she looked up and saw Aunt Ma standing at the door, smiling at her. She exchanged a few words with the lady beside her, then walked towards Aunt Ma. Aunt Ma quickly followed her and whispered a reply.

"Madam, we've sent over twenty servants to watch over the betrothal gifts; they're all skilled in martial arts. Old Ma is also there to oversee things, so there's no chance of anything going wrong," Aunt Ma replied.

"Yes, good. Thank you for your hard work today, Uncle Ma. We wouldn't feel comfortable leaving this to anyone else," Liu said with a smile and a nod.

"Madam trusts us, her husband and I."

"Go to the kitchen and order some food to send to those people. We can't let them work on an empty stomach," Liu instructed Aunt Ma after thinking for a moment.

"Yes," Aunt Ma replied and went out.

Liu returned to her seat and continued the conversation from where they left off.