Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Mother, the teacher took us to the grasslands," Changyun explained to Liu Shi. Then he continued...

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. The ancients were right. Father, Mother, if you have the chance, I really suggest you go out and travel, and see this magnificent and colorful land." As he spoke, a look of longing appeared on his face.

Seeing her son like this, Madam Liu suddenly remembered her daughter's words about not getting married and taking them on a trip. In that instant, Madam Liu had the idea of ​​going out to see the world. All the children wanted to run away, and she suddenly wanted to go out and see the world too.

After Changyun returned, he spent his days studying under the Grand Tutor and helping his parents with chores. He had no objection to his sister's dowry, saying, "The entire Marquis's estate was earned by my sister on the battlefield; it's only right that she give it all as part of her dowry. As a man, I should stand tall and earn what I want with my own hands. How can I take my sister's things?"

Hearing his words, Madam Liu was very gratified. Neither of her children had been blinded by wealth and status; they were both thinking of each other, and she was very happy. In the end, Madam Liu reduced a portion of her daughter's dowry, keeping everything else the same except for the portion originally prepared by the Marquis's mansion, which was slightly reduced. This ensured that the two children received roughly equal shares.

As Xia Yu's wedding day with Shen Jingheng drew near, Xia Yu became increasingly busy. Either the tailor would ask her to try on the finished dresses to see if they fit, or the jewelry bureau would send over newly crafted jewelry for the princess to inspect. Xia Yu had never imagined that getting married as a princess could be so tiring. Shouldn't everyone be taking care of everything so she could simply be a beautiful bride?

What Xia Yu didn't know was that when other princesses got married, they would find a palace maid of similar height to help them try on their new clothes. Since Zhou Luo was unaware of this, and Xia Yu was even less aware, she naturally wouldn't ask anyone to do it. The palace maids and matrons, seeing that she hadn't mentioned finding a maid for trying on clothes, assumed she preferred to do it herself and didn't say anything more.

In the end, Xia Yu returned to the Marquis's residence and complained to Madam Liu. Granny Lian overheard this and asked in surprise...

"Didn't the princess hire a maid to help her with her clothes?"

"Huh? What palace servants?" Xia Yu asked again, feeling like she hadn't heard clearly.

"They are palace maids who are similar in stature to the princess and are specifically there to help her try on clothes! Didn't the princess arrange any?" Granny Lian explained.

"No, how would I know there are palace servants who specialize in this job?"

"Were all those clothes made in the palace tried on by the princess herself?" Granny Lian asked again, her tone now tinged with concern. She had seen many princesses get married, and trying on hundreds of outfits was no easy task.

"Yes, otherwise why would I be so tired!" Xia Yu nodded.

"Why didn't those old women in the palace remind the young lady?" Da Niu muttered angrily as she overheard their conversation.

"Alas, this is also my fault. In the past, when princesses got married, the arrangement of maids for fitting clothes was handled by the princesses' mothers. But the Lady of the Marquis is not a palace person, and the eldest princess is unaware of these rules. It was also my fault for forgetting to remind her. These maids for fitting clothes are not a fixed job; there is no specific person. As long as they are similar in stature to the princess, they can be maids. After this matter is over, they will return to their original positions. They will just receive a little more reward money. However..." Granny Lian stopped abruptly as she spoke, glanced at the few maids standing in the room, and felt that she should speak to the Lady of the Marquis alone.

"But what?" Liu asked, puzzled.

"It would be better if this matter were discussed with Madam privately, as the princess and the maids are all here right now!"

Hearing her say this, Madam Liu understood that it was probably a private matter related to marriage. There were unmarried maids in the room, so it was not appropriate to talk about it in front of them.

The construction of the Princess Zhenguo's residence was finally completed. The flowers, trees, and furniture inside were all perfectly arranged, with the main courtyard's furniture being entirely crafted from the finest Phoebe zhennan wood. Although Xia Yu held the title of Princess, she was not a true member of the royal family, and using Phoebe zhennan wood was somewhat excessive. However, it was barely acceptable for Zhou Luo, as the Emperor, to bestow it upon Xia Yu as a reward.

Three days before the wedding, Lady Liu suddenly brought a young palace maid to Xia Yu.

"Mother, what is this?" Xia Yu glanced at the palace maid. She was of average appearance, only of average looks, and not very old, appearing to be only fifteen or sixteen years old.

Liu was clutching her handkerchief, twisting it into a pretzel. This was what Granny Lian had been too embarrassed to say in public that day: testing the palace maids for the night.

Seeing Liu's reluctance to speak, Xia Yu pondered for a moment and roughly knew the young palace maid's identity. She waved for everyone in the room to leave, including the palace maid who had come with Liu.

Once only the mother and daughter were left in the house, Xia Yu finally spoke to Liu Shi.

"Mother, was that palace maid there to test my sleeping arrangements?"

"Oh? You know this rule."

"I think I've heard of it before, but seeing how conflicted you were just now, I guessed it too," Xia Yu replied.

"To be honest, the royal family has so many rules. I've never heard of anything like this in the common people. After Granny Lian told me about it the other day, I was really conflicted. I didn't know whether I should find you a maid to test you in bed. But if I don't, I'm afraid people will say that our family doesn't know the rules. What do you think?" Madam Liu decided to leave this matter to her daughter. In her opinion, any maids to test you in bed were unnecessary.

"Lord Shen has been married before, and his previous wife was even pregnant. There shouldn't be any problems. Why try again? Besides, once this palace maid becomes a trial maid, her chastity will be ruined. What will become of her after that? Isn't this ruining her life?"

Xia Yu shook her head, disagreeing with this approach. In this world, women already face hardship. Now that she stands at the pinnacle of power, she should be thinking about fighting for the rights of women in this era, rather than displaying her own superiority by degrading women, just like many others in this time.

“Good, it’s good that you think that way. Then I’ll give her some silver and have someone send her back to the palace,” said Madam Liu, seeing that her daughter had an idea.

"Nineteen, you personally escort her back to the palace and see where she's serving." Saying this, she took a gold hairpin from her hair and handed it to Nineteen.

"Give her this hairpin in front of everyone and say it's a gift from me. Tell her, 'She's very good, but this princess doesn't need palace maids for the first time. Let her serve well in the palace.'" Xia Yu thought of the scene in the TV series "Empresses in the Palace" that she watched in her previous life, where An Lingrong was ridiculed and insulted after being sent back after her first time being sent back to the palace. She was afraid that this palace maid would also encounter such a situation and be ridiculed and bullied by other palace servants after returning home, so she specially asked Nineteen to say these words.

Nineteen knew that her mistress meant well, fearing that the palace maid would be ostracized by others if she was sent back like this. She took the hairpin with both hands, responded, and went out to look for the person.