Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 812 Hint

Chapter 812: Chapter 812 Hint

Time passed quickly, and the Three Letters and Six Rites between the Zhou and Ning Residences proceeded smoothly. The re-affirmed engagement between the two families was the talk of the capital, of course, together with the luxurious betrothal gifts from the Ning Residence.

On the day of the betrothal, the gifts filled the front courtyard of the Zhou Residence. Gold and silver aside, the antiques and jewelry were an eye-opener for the guests who came to witness the ceremony.

The wedding date was also set, scheduled for the coming winter.

Three days after the engagement, Zhulan remained busy, occupied with organizing her daughter’s dowry. Several daughters-in-law came to help, and after a busy three days, it was finally arranged properly.

Lady Li looked at the thick dowry list in her mother-in-law’s hand, and sighed with relief, "It’s finally all set. Mother, these past few nights I’ve been dreaming of organizing the dowry."

She would wake up feeling exhausted. Her sister-in-law was marrying high into the Hou Residence, and the dowry dazzled her. She didn’t feel jealous, only concerned. Yushuang was also marrying high into the powerful Wang Residence, where Old Master Wang held a first-rank official title. Her daughter was the eldest daughter-in-law of the great-grandchildren’s generation. She worried about her daughter’s dowry.

Zhulan caressed the dowry list, "Mother, too. Eyes closed or open, it’s all about dowries. Thankfully, it is now finally decided upon."

The betrothal gifts from the Ning Residence were too valuable. She had spoken to Zhou Shuren about it, saying that all the betrothal gifts should be taken with Xue Han. Together with what she had prepared, Xue Han’s dowry was excessive, already consisting of one hundred and twenty carries.

In the past, the Crown Princess Consort brought one hundred and forty carries when she married the Crown Prince, and the various Prince’s Consorts brought one hundred and twenty carries. Although Rongchuan was indeed the fifth Emperor’s son, he had not been officially recognized.

Zhulan had no choice but to reduce the dowry, yet every item had been meticulously prepared for her daughter. Even after compressing it, it was still too much.

That’s why they had to reorganize the dowry, cutting out some items that they would definitely not need later, and also to finalize the last version of the dowry list.

Lady Zhao had been helping these past few days, and she truly had an eye-opening experience. Thinking back, she used to carry a few silver taels on her every day, but now her purse seldom contained silver, only silver notes. "Mother, should we also start preparing younger aunt’s bridal clothes?" she asked.

Zhulan replied, "Indeed, we should start preparing, but we need to be choosy about the material."

Su Xuan joined in the conversation, "Mother, the fabric for my bridal clothes was very good. However, we need to order it in advance. I can help younger aunt to order it, what do you think?"

Zhulan smiled, "That would be nice; otherwise, I would be worried!"

Seeing her mother-in-law seemed a bit tired, Lady Li stood up, "Mother, you should rest first, I will head back."

Zhulan indeed felt a bit weary, "Alright."

After all the daughters-in-law had left, Zhulan got up to go back to her room to rest. She paused in her steps and said to Mama Song, "Divide the dowry that was selected out fairly into five parts and send them to the respective wives’ quarters. These are for Yushuang and the sisters."

Mama Song asked, "Why not wait until the granddaughters are about to marry before sending it over?"

Zhulan smiled, "They still have some years before they are to be married, and these jewelry pieces would become outdated by then. It’s better to distribute them now."

Mama Song replied, "Yes."

In the main wife’s quarters, Lady Li couldn’t sit still. Accompanied by her maids, she went to the storeroom, where her daughter’s dowry had been accumulated. Their dowry simply couldn’t compare, it was far too modest, and the valuable pieces had been distributed to the various households by their mother-in-law.

Lady Li only hoped her husband would hurry back home. No, it should be Steward Ding hurrying back home, so she could find out how much silver he had earned and provide more for her daughter’s trousseau.

Lady Li had just left the storeroom when she saw Mama Song approaching with the maids, carrying fabric and chests behind her. Lady Li asked, "What is this?"

The Old Mrs. Song explained, "These are what the lady of the house has divided among the young misses. Miss Yu Lu and Miss Yushuang are of the right age to wear jewelry, so the items given to these two young misses are all jewelry and fabrics. The other young misses are younger, and they have mostly received unpolished gemstones."

After Old Mrs. Song left, Lady Li opened the box and found all sorts of jewelry suitable for young ladies. She was touched and thought to herself, "Old Mrs. Song is really thoughtful."

The maid by her side thought to herself that Old Mrs. Song was also quite strict; she and the other maids were most afraid of Old Mrs. Song.

Lady Zhao of the second wife received two portions and watched her little girl play with the gemstones, thinking thankfully that her little girl and Yushuang were many years apart in age, leaving a few more years to gather a dowry for her.

Lady Dong, whose daughter was young and who was herself pregnant, looked over the gifts and then put them away.

Su Xuan had too many fine things and put them away for her daughter to use when she was older.

At the Hanlin Academy, as the weather turned cooler, Shi Qing fell ill and felt exceptionally uncomfortable, dizzy after just a few steps.

Chang Lian offered his support from behind, "I’m not one to lecture, but why didn’t you take leave if you’re unwell?"

Shi Qing had his difficulties to speak of; recently, the Emperor had ordered him to keep a close watch on the capital, making it hard for him to relax. Moreover, the more he was involved, the more he discovered about the past actions of the Ning Residence. Although his knowledge was limited, he understood the Emperor’s deep-seated hatred for the Ning family.

As Shi Qing reflected on the Emperor’s implied comment after Yao Yao became pregnant—that the best outcome would be the loss of both mother and child—he realized that the Emperor regretted arranging the marriage and did not wish to spare anyone in the Yao family.

At that time, his mind felt numb. He professed to have a love for Yao Yao as deep as the sea, but even he did not believe it. His relationship with Yao Yao was merely one of acquaintance. There was affection, but it wasn’t that deep; both he and Yao Yao were not the types to give their whole hearts, for they both had reservations.

Later, he didn’t know how long he had knelt, only that he couldn’t be so heartless. By truly being ruthless, he would only make the Emperor trust him less. A tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, so he had defended Yao Yao and the child.

Now, he was paying the price; he had to endure the discomfort. His only regret was that Yao Yao could only birth daughters, which was the Emperor’s final concession.

What Shi Qing didn’t realize was that it wasn’t his leverage that swayed the Emperor; rather, it was a favor owed to him for the help he had provided Rongchuan in the past.

Seeing that Shi Qing didn’t respond, Chang Lian sighed and said, "You sit down for now, and I’ll go get you some hot water."

With a raspy voice, Shi Qing said, "Thank you."

Chang Lian went out to fetch hot water. There were many scholars at the Hanlin Academy, but none to serve; that’s not to say there weren’t any – he himself was a scholar, but he never had to fetch his own hot water. There was always someone to assist him.

He had relied on having a good father, and later on Rongchuan’s support made his days at the Hanlin Academy comfortable, like a fish in water. As Chang Lian watched the young servant who had fetched the hot water for him, he realized he really wasn’t suited for the capital. There was always his father to protect him in the capital, but he had to figure out where to go to toughen up. He would have to decide where to go in two years.

Chang Lian made a trip to the kitchen, not only bringing back a pot of hot water but also a cup of ginger tea. Handing Shi Qing the ginger tea, he said, "Drink this, and let this pot of water sit for a while, cool down a bit before you drink it. Drinking more hot water might make you feel a bit better."

Shi Qing made a hoarse voice of gratitude, "Thank you."

Chang Lian patted Shi Qing’s shoulder; his father had told him about the hardships Shi Qing was facing.

At the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Shuren had accompanied the Crown Prince there the day before. Zhou Shuren rubbed his neck and stared with a stern face at the bundles of cases on the table in front of him. He guessed that the abundance of leisure time in the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Works had spoiled him, so now they were piling up in the Ministry of Justice waiting for him.

The Crown Prince had grand reasons, using Zhou Shuren’s own words to choke him – something about governing an entire province. In the end, it was all about him reviewing the cases and hopefully spotting some issues.

Zhou Shuren sneezed, regretting not opening the window during the rain the night before. If he fell ill, he could take time off; why should he be wrestling with cases at the Ministry of Justice.