Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

"To you, my status is too high; you want to bring me down. To Zhongniang, my status is also too high!"

Fang Shilian listened blankly, then murmured, "Was it worth it?"

“Of course it’s worth it, you know what? Zhongniang agreed to marry me!” He laughed, a very happy laugh: “And Father and Mother both agreed! If it weren’t for all these troubles, Father and Mother would never have agreed.”

"Hahaha!" Fang Shilian understood everything. She laughed so hard that her whole body trembled, and her wounds burst open again. She was truly as pathetic and laughable as a clown.

"As for you!" Xia Muning looked at Fang Shilian, his expression turning cold: "You were orphaned at a young age, raised by my Xia family, yet you repay kindness with enmity. Your mother already knows about your deeds, and she is very disappointed!"

Fang Shilian finally despaired, and Xia's mother was disappointed, which meant that the Xia family had given up on her.

“I…I…the government.”

She was still a government official, and if he wasn't on duty, the county magistrate would intervene.

"You're so naive! You've been here for three days now, haven't you? Has anyone come to ask you anything?"

"Over the years, you have accepted bribes, disregarded human life, and let many criminals who should have been beheaded go free. Yesterday, I handed over all the evidence to Magistrate Yu. Fang Shilian, spend the rest of your life in prison!"

Fang Shilian remained silent for a while, then suddenly raised her head and smiled at Xia Muning, a smile that sent a chill down Xia Muning's spine.

"Xia Muning, do you think you've won? Zhong Tian is a woman too. Your infidelity will be a thorn in her heart, forever stuck there. Xia Muning, you will never get what you want! I'm waiting for the day Zhong Tian abandons you."

Shi Shu carefully observed Xia Mu Ning's expression.

Xia Muning simply rubbed his ears. Fang Shilian's injured voice was noisy and hoarse, which was really unpleasant, so he casually ordered, "Pull out her tongue."

"Yes."

After a burst of wails, the world suddenly became quiet.

Xia Muning returned to his room and instructed his maid to bring him the account book. He wanted to take stock of his dowry, as it represented his status in his wife's family and he didn't want anyone to look down on him.

Nakata was also troubled by this matter.

When Zhong Tian thought of Xia Jin'an's name, she felt a pang of sadness, but she forced herself to think about it.

Yuan Jun An was a place Zhong Tian arranged for Xia Jin An, but now that Xia Jin An has left, Yuan Jun An no longer wants to continue operating. Firstly, her skills are unmatched, and secondly, seeing her would only bring her sadness and added to her troubles!

She is going to marry Xia Muning.

Xia Muning is the eldest son of the Xia family's main branch, and she needs to give him enough face. After thinking for a while, she went to find the manager of Fumanlou Restaurant.

There's a saying that business rivals are often jealous of each other. The shopkeeper's expression was initially unpleasant when he saw Zhongtian approaching, but as soon as Zhongtian spoke, "Are you interested in my family's recipes?" the shopkeeper's face lit up with a smile.

The manager of Fumanlou had long coveted Nian Jun'an's recipes and had sent people to inquire about them openly and secretly, but to no avail.

After a series of bargaining, Zhongtian sold ten dishes for 50 taels each, promising to teach them everything. He also sold the method of frying wild boar for 200 taels.

To be honest, this price is a bit of a rip-off. In this dynasty, recipes are a family secret that must be passed down from generation to generation, but she urgently needs money right now.

With 700 taels and his own savings, he scraped together more than 1,000 taels.

The betrothal gifts were very elaborate. Zhongtian prepared 500 taels of betrothal money, a 50-kilogram load of betrothal cakes, six kinds of seafood, boneless braised pork belly, firecrackers, a pair of dragon and phoenix wedding bracelets, fresh fruit, three kinds of sacrificial animals, four kinds of sugar, coconuts, four kinds of dried fruit, four bottles of wine, a large fish, a gift box, two bushels of rice, and a quantity of tea and sesame seeds.

Zhongtian spent a week preparing these scattered items, found an auspicious day, hired people, and carried about 50 loads to the Xia residence.

The procession stretched from one end of the street to the other. People nearby came out to watch the spectacle and started discussing it.

"Who is this family looking to hire a husband? Such a grand display."

"Judging from the route, it should lead to the Xia residence."

The woman who asked the question rolled her eyes and frowned: "I wouldn't even take a man with a ruined reputation if he were given to me, how could he be worthy of such a large dowry?"

These words were quite impolite, and the men listening nearby were all unhappy about it. They attacked the woman next to them like a barrage of cannon fire: "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? You're over 30 years old, and you spend your days eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. Which decent young man would want to marry you? Whether you're good enough or not is not for you to decide. As long as Madam Zhong doesn't mind, who do you think you are?"

Discussions like these continued one after another.

Xia Muning was sitting in the main hall, facing her father, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Xia Muning got up, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her father, taking the initiative to back down.

It wasn't that he had forgiven Xia's father; a rift had already formed between them, and they could never go back to the way things were before, like a loving father and filial son. It was just that today was the day Zhongniang was coming to deliver the betrothal gifts, and he didn't want to make things difficult for Zhongtian if Xia's father spoke coldly to him.

Xia's father picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Mu Ning, I am sorry for what I did. Don't hold a grudge. Rest assured, I will not make things difficult for Zhong Tian today."

Mu Ning lowered his head: "I understand."

But his thoughts wandered further afield. Zhongniang had been preparing betrothal gifts these days, but he knew her family's financial situation; it must be rather meager.

But it doesn't matter, he has plenty of dowry!

Seeing their hopes of entering the palace dashed, Xia's parents also gave up hope. Since someone else was willing to marry their son, out of a sense of indebtedness, they added dozens more loads to the original dowry list.

If Zhongtian's betrothal gifts were truly meager, he would secretly add to the dowry without letting anyone know, so as not to cause Zhongtian to lose face.

Suddenly it became lively outside.

The servant entered excitedly, his eyes sparkling, and whispered, "Young master, young master, the betrothal gifts have arrived!"

Xia Muning originally wanted to maintain some of the reserve expected of a man, but he couldn't resist and went outside.

One load, two loads, three loads...

Dozens of betrothal gifts kept arriving, and the Xia family courtyard, though large, was packed to the brim.

Xia Muning looked at the gifts, his hands clenched tightly together. He was filled with a thousand sorrows. All his previous scheming and calculations, even his willingness to tarnish his reputation, had not been in vain.

Xia's father was extremely satisfied. Zhongtian must have used all his family's wealth to prepare these betrothal gifts. A man's reputation in marriage depends entirely on the importance attached to his wife's family.

"Zhongniang, where is he?" Xia Muning looked around.

Seeing Xia Muning's eagerness, Xia's mother shook her head slightly: "Madam Zhong should have gone to the front hall to pay her respects to your mother first."

"I am going now!"