The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

Du Mingxian didn't pay much attention to Wen Shiyan's affairs, but now that she was involved in the affairs of the backyard, people would come to her and talk about these things.

Madam Wen sat in Du Mingxian's room, her expression uncontrollable, her eyes filled with resentment. "This second young lady has been married twice, and both times she brought a dowry. The first time, the dowry was given to the national treasury, and the second time it was simply left outside. The second time, because it was a marriage alliance, she brought quite a lot of things with her. Now she's getting married for the third time. Where are we going to prepare the dowry for this third marriage?"

"The old lady also told me to prepare more dowry, but I don't know where to prepare it."

There was definitely an element of spite in those words.

There are some extenuating circumstances.

When a daughter of a family gets married, a dowry is required, regardless of whether she is born of the principal wife or a concubine; it is no small matter.

When Wen Shiyan got married for the first time, she was given a generous dowry. The second time, because she was going to marry a foreign ruler, the Wen family also gave a lot. This was unfair to the other young ladies who were not yet married, as they had fewer resources.

This is another third marriage, and others naturally have objections. But the fact that the old lady doesn't go to Lord Wen but instead goes to the current housekeeper, the Second Madam Wen, probably means she intends to pressure the Second Madam Wen.

Du Mingxian felt awkward speaking up, since she wasn't the real eldest daughter of the Wen family, so she remained silent.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Madam Wen sighed and said, "When the Second Miss got married last time, a small part of the dowry was taken from the dowries of the other young ladies in the mansion, and there were also additional dowries from other mansions because of the Emperor and our Wen family. But this time, we can't take it from your dowries again."

"If we continue to take other people's dowries like this, I'm afraid the other unmarried young ladies in the mansion will have something to say about it."

Du Mingxian remained silent, but Madam Wen wouldn't let her off the hook. Seeing that she didn't speak, she asked directly, "Miss, what do you think we should do about this?"

Du Mingxian hesitated for a moment and said, "Why don't you tell the old lady your thoughts and see what she says? If the old lady really cares about the second young lady, she will definitely take some money from her dowry or private treasury to make up for it."

"I heard that the second young lady is going to marry an ordinary commoner. If she wants to ensure that she has no worries about food and clothing, she shouldn't need too much dowry."

As long as the man who heard the poem in Ba Shang isn't stupid, getting some money would be enough to ensure his future security. The only problem is that some people are too ambitious.

Madam Wen also knew about this. "I think we should talk to the old lady about this later and let her come up with a plan herself, or the old lady can use her own private funds to give to the second young lady as dowry."

Du Mingxian was somewhat absent-minded. She was thinking that now that Wen Shiyan's marriage proposal had fallen through and she had returned, she, the fake young lady, could finally die.

Madam Wen didn't notice that Du Mingxian was not in a good mood, but kept talking to her.

After Madam Wen left, Du Mingxian thought about it again and again, then made some pastries and took them to the front yard.

Lord Wen was still busy in his study when he saw Du Mingxian come in carrying something. He paused for a moment, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up. "Why are you cooking again? Haven't you already trained two cooks?"

"I wanted to cook something for my father, so I cooked it myself."

Lord Wen got up and walked to the side. Du Mingxian took out the pastries and arranged them. "The New Year is coming soon. There are only a few days left before I stop writing. Father can also have a good rest."

"Yes, although there is fighting at the border, fortunately Da Shun has not suffered any losses, and we can still have a good New Year this year."

Du Mingxian knew that in her previous life, although Qi Dashun had suffered a loss, he had always gotten his revenge and even beat the other party so badly that they couldn't fight back.

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and the Great Shun Dynasty will prosper."

"Yes, but the Crown Prince's health is not good, which is His Majesty's biggest concern."

She's not feeling well, but the Crown Prince keeps pestering her to make him food. Now there's no spiritual water left in her space; she used it all to make food for the Crown Prince. She's afraid the Crown Prince will come again in a couple of days, as the spiritual water is flowing out very slowly now, and she feels like it's not enough to satisfy him.

But why didn't His Majesty tell the Crown Prince that he was well?

She only thought about it briefly before giving up; she didn't think about it deeply, and it was none of her business.

"Good people are always blessed by heaven. The prince has a noble status, so things will be alright."

"I hope so." Lord Wen ate a pastry before asking, "Plan to go back after the New Year?"

"Yes." She'd been away for quite a while and was starting to miss home.

Lord Wen felt a bitter taste in his mouth, even though the pastries he had just eaten were sweet. "Then stay home and have a good New Year. After this farewell, who knows when I'll see you again?"

"After three years of imperial examinations, you should participate in the next one in your own capacity."

"Then I'll wait for you in the capital."

"Father, please take care of yourself."

Lord Wen nodded slightly and started chatting with her about everyday matters. "Shiyan brought two people with her when she came back. Have you seen them?"

"No, they weren't there when I went there last time."

"It's not without its troubles. Shiyan is still going to marry that man. Since she's willing, I didn't stop her. Considering the current situation, it's actually a good thing for her to marry down."

"My second aunt came to my yard today and talked about this. She also said that the old lady asked my second aunt to prepare a dowry. My second aunt doesn't know what to do and is worried about it."

Lord Wen felt annoyed. "Since Mother asked your second aunt to prepare, then let your second aunt go and ask Mother for it. If Mother doesn't give it, then go to the Cheng family to ask. In the end, they will have to pay for it themselves. If none of them are willing to give it, then let Wen Shiyan marry like that."

Du Mingxian did not respond.

"There are other unmarried daughters in the household. Except for the legitimate daughters, whose dowries are different, the dowries of the illegitimate daughters are generally prepared in the same way. When they actually get married, the dowries will be adjusted according to the family they are marrying into. Last time, everyone's dowry was already taken, and this time we absolutely cannot take any more."

"My second aunt was also afraid that people would have objections."

While the father and daughter were discussing the dowry, Cheng Yu and Wen Shiyan were also talking about the dowry.

Cheng Yu knew that since her daughter couldn't find a good family to marry into, it would be better for her to marry an ordinary person. At least her daughter wouldn't be bullied. That way, her daughter would be in charge of the household, and with the Wen and Cheng families protecting her, she would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life.

Wen Shiyan was talking excitedly as she went to tell Old Madam Wen about her upcoming marriage. She then tearfully pleaded for a larger dowry, which Old Madam Wen granted.

"The old lady has agreed, but don't have too high hopes until you see the item."

“Since the old lady has agreed, there must be no problem. Now the second aunt is in charge of the household. Does the second aunt dare to disobey the old lady’s orders? I bet she doesn’t.”

Cheng Yu shook her head. She wasn't as optimistic as Wen Shiyan. Right now, their food and drink were all paid for by the Cheng family. Besides, with so much dowry, she was afraid the Wen family wouldn't provide it.